Pzzzzz.
I picked up the sword I had left for a while and returned to where my comrades were. Then, I put the sword in the bag I had left. It was clearly no ordinary bowsword, but he would investigate that later.
«I'm sorry. I... like last time...» Hikurod interrupted himself and lowered his head as if embarrassed.
I patted him on the shoulder. What could I say? We didn't survive thanks to me.
«Bjorn». Missha approached with a sad step and put her hand on my chest. «I'm glad... that you're really alive...»
I felt like something was rising inside me. He knew to whom he owed this feeling of security for being alive. He must have wanted to share this happy moment with us.
«Rotmiller.» I covered Missha's small hand with mine and carefully moved it away to continue walking. Then I approached Rotmiller, who had regained consciousness, and told him the last words of the will that Dwalkie had left.
«I see. He...» After hearing everything he had to say, Rotmiller knelt before Dwalkie's corpse and made the sign of the cross. The parting words he couldn't convey spread out in front of him. «I remember when you first entered the maze. You said you could finally understand why explorers call it a huge world».
It happened on the Pilgrim's Way, on the third floor. Saying that exploring wasn't all awful hard work, Rotmiller led us to the top of a hill. There we saw the vast silver-colored nature together, and Dwalkie was so excited and happy that he couldn't sleep that night.
«It would have been nice to show you an even wider world».
Rotmiller finished his speech, but the others still had words to say. Missha and Hikurod knelt down and vomited words from inside. I took a step back and watched. Not that he had nothing to say, but he wasn't much different from these two.
«Waaaa! It's my fault, me...! If I had chosen another door».
«No. It's my fault. I told him to trust me and I would protect him no matter what, but I couldn't keep that promise...».
No matter what he said, it would lead to self-reproach. It was clear that Dwalkie wouldn't want this. The world we had to survive was not kind enough to allow us to lurk forever.
«Meehhhg!»
Seeing the Vaikundus appearing from the other side of the passage, I spoke. «Stop everyone. An enemy».
As we remembered Dwalkie, we had to overcome the sadness. That was all those left behind could do.
«Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
There was no choice but to move on.
The battle with the Vaikundus was unexpectedly arduous. The reason was simple. Now there were only four people left in this vast labyrinth, their stats had drastically decreased and their wounds had not yet healed. It was thanks to Dwalkie that we were able to catch rank 6 monsters so easily in the first place.
«Let's pack only what we need and leave».
After the battle, we started cleaning. The team had fallen all over the ground due to the desperate battle. After collecting the remains of the equipment, I even rummaged through the priest's robe. What I recovered was just a necklace of unknown use. I couldn't tell if it was an artifact or an ornament. After all, Dwalkie was the only one of us who had been able to sense mana from objects.
«It seems like there's nothing here either».
We even looted the middle-aged scout who got caught in the battle and died at first, but there was nothing. Well, most things would be in that bastard's subspace, anyway. Finally, I recovered Dwalkie's body.
«...I'll deliver it wherever you want». He carried a wand and an extendable backpack. Taking off his boots and tunic would make money, but he left them intact. «I'll take Dwalkie».
Afterwards, we headed to the portal through the trap room and returned to the Tower in Heaven. We spread out and rested. Some sat across from Dwalkie and wiped the blood from his body, while others leaned against the wall and sobbed. The time of peace that came as a lie made them realize that this was the unmistakable reality, not a dream.
«Bjorn, is there a way to get Dwalkie into town?» Hikurod asked.
«...No.»
«I see...»
The reality was cruel. Although he sacrificed his precious life for us, we couldn't even take him to the city for a funeral, because the one who had died was our magician. The corpses generated in the labyrinth were classified as objects, and it was impossible to take them outside without distortion magic. That's why the heart of a barbarian was special. It could be taken back to the city without magic. The magicians must have paid attention to that part and began to investigate it as an ingredient for magic.
«Missha, get some rest.»
«I want to be here a little longer. Once we leave... you will feel alone.»
«...Okay.»
Leaving the stifling air behind me, I said down in the corner and looked at the time. It was 10:31, more than a day and a half until the closing of the labyrinth. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Less than an hour had passed.
I felt truly insignificant. He had touched death on numerous occasions. It seemed to me that he had been fighting Vagos for days and nights. However, it had been less than an hour since we left, even after cleaning.
Focus on what you have to do.
I took out the letter that the priest had left. The spots and wrinkles here and there said that he had carried her with him for a long time. In the letter, in tight handwriting, it was written how the old man had seen himself in this situation. As I read it, I focused on one section.
The underground city of Noark.
This was the name of the place where the old man and his young grandson were kidnapped by the dragon hunter.
«It's a medicine made by an alchemist in Noark. If you take it, it will erase all your memory for an hour».
It was also the name of the city that the psycho bitch had mentioned in the past, and it was something that couldn't be found no matter how much she searched the library. So something like that existed under the sewers?
Could that woman have also been a member of Hercules?
With that idea in mind, I read the letter. There was a surprising fact written besides that the underground city of Noark and Hercules had a cooperative relationship.
...Think that the portal is also there.
The base for maintaining the city of Rafdonia, the portal that connected to the labyrinth, also existed underground. That is why the underground explorers achieved the miraculous achievement of hiding their identities and unearthing mana stones to build a city with them.
Noark. I engraved that name in my head. I had the firm conviction that in the future I would be involved in this place.
I should investigate this place more when we left.
With that thought in mind, I put the letter back in my pocket. Looking at the contents, it seemed that he would not suffer any harm from delivering the letter. They say that the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Anyway, this problem ended here.
I breathed a long sigh and closed my eyes. I was desperate to rest, but all kinds of distracting thoughts bothered me, appearing and fading again and again. What should I do now? As long as there was an absurdly strong enemy, not even the city could guarantee my safety. I could try to hurt myself in the maze with my companions.
Damn.
Aside from the determination to somehow survive, realistic problems persisted without adequate answers. Was that why? It was a shame Vagos had come back alive. If only the priest had healed me, I could have finished him off myself.
What am I thinking about?
I shook my head and got rid of my regrets. The world was not working the way one wanted. He probably didn't have a choice either. The evil god was also like that in the game. He could grant a wish in exchange for a price, but he never offered the best. Like the monkey's paw that caused misfortune while granting your wishes, his was an existence that always gave hope and despair at the same time.
This bastard also, strangely, keeps getting tangled with me.
Adding the Evil God Karui to the research list, I pushed my thoughts away. It was time to rest. Not only was this a safer place than the city, but there wasn't much to do outside?
After wiping my body with a damp towel, I unfolded the sleeping bag and lay down inside. It was something very strange. He had been fighting desperately for almost two nights in a row, but he couldn't fall asleep.
***
[The maze is closed. You are transported to Rafdonia.]
Sunlight peeked through my eyelids. Without a moment to enjoy the glow, I passed the checkpoint and changed my mana stones. Afterwards, I headed to the meeting place, the Explorers Guild branch located closest to Dimension Square. When I arrived in front of her, there was a crowd of people who looked similar to mine.
The silence was strange considering the dozens of people gathered. Everyone awaited the arrival of their companions with solemn expressions. It was to be expected. There was only one reason to come back to town and come here before washing: the death of a teammate.
«If we are all there, let's go in».
Shortly after the entire team arrived, we entered the guild. We left all of Dwalkie's gear collected, including his backpack, and reported him dead.
«...He left great teammates». The staff looked at us strangely.
True, it wasn't that common. Aside from the assets left in the city, the rest of the team could have taken all of this. Most would limit themselves to reporting the death and that's it.
«Riol Warb Dwalkie, rank 8 wizard certified by the royal family. The death report has been received».
It didn't seem like a waste to me. Of course, we knew the contents of the will he wrote before entering the labyrinth.
«Haha, a will? I really feel like an explorer now».
«It doesn't matter what you write, but make sure you correctly declare the inheritance of assets. Otherwise, everything will go to the Scout Guild».
«Don't worry about that part. It's already decided».
He wanted to donate his fortune to an orphanage in a certain temple. Yesterday I found out the details. As Hikurod said, he had happy memories of being there as a child. His assets should be spent wherever he wants. We had already received something much greater.
«It's really over... Now, let's go.»
In any case, the first thing to do after returning to the city was to report Dwalkie's death. It was amazingly simple: one minute to fill out the paperwork, two minutes to be reviewed by staff. It only took three minutes to end twenty-five years of life.
That's how common death is in this world.
I left the bitterness behind and left the guild. Then I headed to the Great Temple of Reatlas. It was the only way to return the favor to the dead who had already left. «You can go home and rest».
«How can we? He saved our lives».
«I... also want to follow him. I had enough rest inside «.
Missha didn't stop crying all day, but I didn't mention it. It was clear that he wouldn't be able to rest properly, even back in the bedroom, anyway.
All together we head to our destination. It didn't take us long to reach a pure white building that seemed untouched by the dirt of the world, and we entered it. When the apprentice priest asked if we wanted to be attended to, I debated what to say before answering that we were here at the request of High Priest Ludwig.
«High Priest Ludwig...?»
They never imagined that someone would lie in the house of a god. The young priest's eyes widened and he ran straight inside to break the news.
«How long without seeing each other». While we were waiting there, a familiar face came out to greet us: the captain of the Tercio de Paladines, Paal Krovitz. «I heard that you have come at the request of High Priest Ludwig, who disappeared a few years ago. Do you have any objects as evidence?», he asked kindly. He also said that this was a very delicate matter for the church, and that he looked forward to our understanding. Apparently, some major incidents had occurred as a result of the reward placed throughout the city.
«A reward?»
«Yeah. Because the number is so large, there have been people who harbored bad intentions».
I didn't come here expecting a reward. However, since I had a history of having killed that bitch Elisa and having received a large amount of money, I blurted out: «How much is the reward?».
At the snobbish question, Missha elbowed me in the side. Hikurod did the same. «Bjorn, that's not appropriate, even coming from you». Rotmiller, an explorer and also a member of the Reatlas church, didn't seem very happy either.
However, Krovitz opened his mouth without showing disdain. «The amount varies depending on the information provided and the presence or absence of sacred relics, but...».
«But?»
«I remember that the Treasury Office offered up to 70 million stones». All his answers remained firm.