Day 22 of training.
During the period leading up to the Subjugation Festival, hunting Gem golems is prohibited.
This rule sometimes drew complaints from adventurers: “Why can’t we subdue the enemies of humanity, the evil monsters?” But the guild ultimately suppressed these complaints.
Competition is a great opportunity to measure abilities.
Losing that opportunity was a loss for the Adventurers Guild as well.
The nation and the guild cooperated to ensure the festival proceeded smoothly. Those who tried to break the rules were punished. However, this led to some trying to find loopholes within the rules.
Some aimed to weaken the golems before the festival and finish them off quickly on the day, or find weaknesses only they knew about.
“Arghhh!!!”
[OOOOOOO……!]
But these plans rarely succeeded.
The golems weren’t chosen as festival targets because they were easy to defeat. They were chosen because they were so troublesome that no one would want to face them otherwise. Misunderstanding this, many adventurers were crushed before the festival even began.
So, on that day too, adventurers were being scattered by the Gem golems. Whether they intended a reconnaissance or something else is unknown, but they were now being chased and fleeing from the golems.
They might not actually die, but they were now engaged in a life-and-death game of tag. Being chased by unexpectedly fast-moving Gem golems was a common sight on the third floor these days.
“They’ve gone.”
“Got it.”
Watching from a distance, Ur and Shizuku waited for the right moment and moved in the opposite direction of the Gem golems.
What is the “purpose” assigned to the Gem golems?
──For starters, the Gem golems climbed up from the mid-levels during the active phase. Monsters rarely cross floors.
Based on the recorded crystal images, Magica explained her theory to Ur and the others.
──So, their “purpose” moved to the upper levels, specifically the third floor, during the active phase.
This implies that the Gem golems’ “purpose” is something that moved during the active phase of the labyrinth. If it moved, it could be a living creature, but no such creature was found around the golems at present.
──Basically, labyrinth-originated golems have two types of command scripts. “Annihilation” or “Guard.”
Usually, annihilation refers to the eradication of humanity. In that case, achieving the purpose and deactivating is nearly impossible. But in the case of “guard,” it’s different. Destroying the guarded target can create a “purpose unattainable” situation.
──This golem’s behavior clearly indicates it’s guarding. So, what is it guarding?
It’s natural to think that the target moved to the third floor during the active phase. What moved?
The major feature of the Greed Labyrinth during the active phase is its “large-scale structural changes.” Entire sections of floors can shift, with areas disappearing and reappearing in completely different floors.
──If the target it was guarding in the mid-levels moved to the upper levels due to the change…
“…Is this it?”
“It’s small…”
In a small room where the Gem golems wandered, they found it.
A tiny door attached to the wall.
A door sized for a small creature. The colors and design of the wall around the door were clearly different from the surrounding walls, as if a piece of another building had been cut out and pasted there.
“…”
Cautiously, Ur reached out and opened the door. Beyond it was—
“…Nothing here.”
“It’s just a wall.”
Behind the door was only a wall. Nothing was inscribed on it.
The Gem golem was guarding this “door.”
Guarding a door is a common task assigned to labyrinth golems. Even if the space behind the door became meaningless due to the labyrinth’s changes, it didn’t matter to the golems. They would follow it to the upper floors to fulfill their guarding role.
If this small door were to break, the doll would become unable to fulfill its role and cease to function. The issue was…
“So, what do we do…?”
“…”
Ur and Shizuku fell silent.
First, they needed to verify the information provided by Magica. On this point, Ur and Shizuku were in agreement. Regardless of their decision, verification was essential.
Through observations over the past few days, they were confident Magica’s conjecture was correct. The golem’s operational range centered here, and if it strayed too far, it would attempt to return to its original position. That seemed certain.
But the problem lay in what to do next.
“If we aim for it to cease functioning, there’s also the question of whether we should keep watch here until showtime…? No, but then others might notice… or the gem golem might be targeted…”
Thoughts circled. Ur couldn’t come up with an answer. Yet, if they lingered in front of the door, the gem golem would arrive soon enough. They needed to escape this place soon—
“Ur-sama.”
“Hm?”
As Ur pondered, Shizuku called out. When Ur turned to her, she was looking down, and muttered softly:
“There’s another option.”
“Another option—!?”
Suddenly, a shock came from behind. Ur collapsed with a sharp pain. Amid flickering vision, he managed to lift his head and saw several men had approached from behind.
“Wow, so this is the doll’s ‘purpose’?”
The man chuckled smugly and said that. Ur recognized his face. They were the ones who called themselves “Red Ogre.” Shizuku bowed her head to the man.
“As promised, we request our reward.”
“Oh yeah, yeah, I get it. Man, you’re a real piece of work… Oh, right.”
Realizing Ur was still conscious, the man grinned and lifted his foot.
“Goodbye, you little shit, blame your own stupidity for being fooled by that bitch.”
A strong impact pierced Ur’s stomach, and with the intense pain, his consciousness slipped into darkness. The last thing he saw was Shizuku looking down at him with a calm expression.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Day 22 of Training, Night
In the training facility, Ur had a terrible awakening on the bed.
There was no physical pain. He had been struck hard from behind and kicked in the stomach, but there were no scars. He bore marks of treatment.
Yet, despite the absence of physical pain, his mood was at its worst.
Ur remembered clearly the situation before he lost consciousness. The “Red Ogre” had taken the information about the “door” that Ur discovered. It had been secured. And Shizuku had orchestrated it.
Shizuku had betrayed Ur. That was a major shock for Ur.
The reality of being betrayed devastated Ur more than he had imagined. But on the other hand, there was no answer to the question of why Shizuku had done it. They were comrades, but their group was only a means to use each other. They had never delved too deeply into each other’s lives.
It was a clear failure on Ur’s part. He had not made an effort to understand his companions.
As a result, he lost a comrade and lost the means to defeat the gem golem.
It was over. Akane could no longer be saved—
“Hey, you’re awake now. You wasted a lot of time.”
As Ur lifted his head, Glenn was there. Apparently, he had treated him. He threw a wet towel at his face with a deeply annoyed expression.
“….Glenn. Where’s Shizuku?”
Taking the towel, he asked, but the bitter expression on his face suggested he was asking a foolish question. She wouldn’t be—
“Oh, she’s in the guild’s lecture hall. Said she wants to offer prayers.”
“Is that so… Huh?”
Ur tried to let it go, then asked again.
“What did you say? “
No, I told you She’s in the auditorium. Shizuku.
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
“….”
“….”
“Why?”
“Are you stupid?”
Ur was struck by Glenn.
Adventurer’s Guild Lecture Hall
This place was used for announcements to adventurers, explanations of new threats emerging from labyrinths, staff meetings, and occasionally ceremonies for adventurers promoted to silver rank or higher.
At the far end of this place, on the platform, reliefs depicting gods and spirits—higher beings that protect humanity—were engraved on the backs of those standing.
“… “
There was Shizuku, praying with both hands together. Her expression was deadly serious. Ur hesitated to speak to her.
“I am a priestess of a clan that worships a certain ‘evil spirit.'”
After a while, Shizuku spoke. She must have already noticed Ur was here. Without turning around, she gazed back, and there was no confusion in her expression as she stared at Ur.
“Evil spirit?”
“A type of spirit. They are a collective term for detested spirits that were deemed unnecessary by the sun god Zeradia for human affairs.”
Those words didn’t resonate with Ur. It was an unfamiliar term to him. But with that explanation, it connected to the vague purpose she had been hiding.
“Is your goal to slay the dragon connected to that evil spirit?”
“Yes.”
Shizuku smiled with a hint of sadness and apology.
“My purpose is the restoration of a certain ‘evil spirit.’ I want to regain the honor and power of the evil spirit by slaying the dragon that defies the sun god.”
After explaining this much, Shizuku bowed deeply to Ur.
“I didn’t intend to speak until now. I’m sorry. However, given the circumstances, I felt I had to tell Ur-sama about me as much as possible.”
“Given the circumstances?”
Ur sat down next to her.
Perhaps she hadn’t told everything. There were still parts she was concealing. Yet, she was trying to explain to Ur, showing her sincerity.
And showing sincerity meant—
“Can you explain that action?”
“Yes.”
Shizuku nodded.
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