Chapter 9

Chapter 9 \nVol 3: Chapter 9\n

Anyway, how did the Empire’s Lev people fight against an automaton like that? Lev people can’t use skill orbs, so they probably relied heavily on weapons.

…Man, do I want to see those weapons.

「Dante-san, there seems to be nothing up ahead.」

「Okay, let’s keep moving.」

We passed through a large cave and continued down a passage. The path took a sharp turn to the right.

Where did that automaton from earlier come from? Did the preceding Labyrinth Capture Division miss it? The automaton parts that were disassembled by Muge-san were placed in Neko-chan’s load-carrying tray—there was no need for the metal parts, so only the magic tools inside were taken. Which came to be only a bucket of loot. I thought it was too little, but Muge-san was beaming with happiness. I wonder if they’re all rare parts?

「…Hmm?」Zerry-san let out a noise.

「What’s wrong?」I asked.

「Hmm… I feel like the air has changed. Maybe it’s just me.」

「Let’s proceed with caution then.」

「Let’s go.」Dante-san said, nodding.

We moved forward extra carefully, but nothing happened. And about 100 meters ahead, the next room came into sight.

「H-Hey, this is…」

I went to Dante-san’s side and raised the light… It was a wide straight path.

「It’s the same as the entrance. A downhill slope with stone statues.」

Stone statues with weapons were lined on the left and right. The slope was exactly the same as at the entrance.\n

「It looks the same, but they have different weapons.」

「What do you mean?」

「The order at the entrance was sword, shield, staff, axe, spear, hammer – that was the rotation. But here the order is sword, scimitar, axe, knife, spear, large scissors.」

「Wow! To think you memorised that.」

Right, I haven’t told Dante-san and the others about【World Ruler】and its Perfect Memory ability.

「Zerry-san, do you smell something? Or perhaps a strange sound?」I asked.

「I smell oil.」Zerry-san said as she sniffed, unusually concentrating her face.

「This is oil?」

My nose does indeed pick a slight trace of the smell. Though, very faint.

「Seems to be quite old, though.」I said.

「Is it a trap?」

Neither I nor Zerry-san could answer Dante-san’s question immediately. I honestly had no idea.

「Dante-san, do you want me to shoot a【Fire Magic】?」

「Hmm? Checking for gas, huh?」

In the past, there was a story called “canary in the coal mine” on Earth. An actual story where a miner entered a tunnel carrying a canary in a cage. Tunnels that haven’t been used for a long time may be low in oxygen or filled with carbon monoxide or toxic gases. The canary was useful as a detector because it died of poisonous gasses earlier than humans.

Actually, even in the Sixth Mine, adventurers who explored deep areas sometimes carried small birds with them.\n「I don’t think there is a problem since oxygen is circulating within the dungeon. And, besides, there is the Labyrinth Capture Division that came before us.」

「Yes…」

That’s right. Since there is someone ahead of us, there is little meaning in doing it.

But, even so, I have this feeling that I should do it. What is this feeling? Not a warning from【World Ruler】, but it’s just a really unpleasant feeling.

「If you can spare the mana, go ahead. That way, we can at least see what’s at the front clearly.」Mimino-san said.

I nodded and shot【Fire Magic】. It was a baseball-sized fireball. It flew past the statues with a sizzling sound. Only the immediate vicinity became brighter as it passed by.

The arrangement of the stone statues continues… The weapon pattern is the same… The stance is a little different? And the color of the weapon too?

At the end, the fireball hit the exit wall on the other side and disappeared.

「Everything looks the same.」

Dante-san said, and Mimino-san nodded.

No, it’s not the same. Not exactly the same. There were certainly slight differences.

But what was that thing I saw?

I recalled what I just saw with【World Ruler】. The stance and the color of the weapon were different. At the front of the line the statues are standing straight, but at the back of the line, they’re in a downswing stance with their weapons. And the color of the weapon felt like it had a smooth luster…

(This is the Labyrinth of Fear… Fear… Weapons… Statues… Ahhhhh, I don’t get it!)

I might have noticed something if I was as quick-witted as Earl Sillys, but unfortunately I couldn’t come up with anything.

「Alright, let’s go.」

Dante-san took the lead and we stepped onto the path.\n\n「Lie down!!」I shouted.

We had been looking up all this while. It was only natural since only the stone statues were different from the entrance.

That is why I didn’t notice until we passed right by – the gaps built into the downhill slope.

A rotating circular blade, longer than 1 meter, was shot towards us.

「Kuh…」

Unlike us, Muge-san was too slow to respond. I immediately leaped towards him and dragged him out from the driver seat of Neko-chan.

「Uwaaa!」

That was a close call.

The blade missed by a few millimetres, only cutting a few strands of my hair. Even when it cut off Neko-chan’s chimney, its momentum did not decline.

When Dante-san saw it, he seemed like he was about to block with his shield, but hurriedly lowered it and lied down. The blade was shot with a force which would have cut through the shield in half.

The blade shot passed us and disappeared as if sucked into the gap built in at the top of the exit.

Are you for real? Even its exit point was calculated?

「Phew…」

I was drenched in sweat.

「Wait! This is just like…」

Since we had experienced a previous experience like this, I noticed right away. We were grovelling on the ground—as if we encountered someone who sits high above in the clouds, or rather, as if we were in the presence of a “God”-like being.

Yes, we looked as if prostrating on the ground, consumed by fear.