Chapter 203
To be honest, I hadn't entirely failed to foresee this situation.
After all, it was a Labyrinth, wasn't it? I had expected a few people to get lost in a structure deliberately designed to make you wander. Paimon himself had even come to us directly to sow confusion.
But I never thought I’d be the first one to fall behind.
Well, I was the one who chased ahead first. So, I couldn't really complain about getting separated. At one point, I even got excited and just ran without thinking about those behind me.
Thanks to that, I ended up alone, but honestly, I wasn't too worried.
This wasn't overconfidence or arrogance.
As I mentioned before, *This Place* was a shoddy Labyrinth. The Imps here weren't very strong, and even if Lemegeton Remnants appeared, I could Subdue them without much difficulty.
And even if I were surrounded by hundreds of Imps and cornered... frankly, I could just break through a wall and escape the Labyrinth.
As long as the *Elementary Schooler*-like tactic of “breaking through walls to escape a maze” that as a kid I thought of was possible, there was really nothing to be afraid of.
It was, quite literally, a Labyrinth with an absurdly large scale but no substance, like a hollow pastry.
Having completed my Situation Assessment, I looked up at the *Sky* where Paimon had been.
...I lost him.
Unfortunately, the Demon had already vanished. I probably could have tracked the traces of mana he left behind, but... I didn't bother.
I might be able to win fighting alone, but since he was clearly determined to run, I figured chasing him would be pointless.
So, for now, I decided to just wander around. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but... I had completely lost my way and had no idea where I'd come from.
The Labyrinth made it hard to tell directions, and Paimon had sent me flying when we clashed in the air. You could say I was completely lost. Of course, I wasn't too worried.
Well, I'll probably run into someone if I just keep walking.
My hearing wasn't bad, after all. So, I began to walk leisurely, taking in my surroundings little by little.
The wide-open blue *sky* and walls dozens of meters high were visible. Indeed, when one was left alone like this, the vastness of the Labyrinth felt even more imposing.
From the start, its width was enough to accommodate ten people simultaneously. With such a path stretching endlessly before me, it felt as if I were the only one left in another *World*.
It is remarkable to create something of this scale all by himself, even if it is a bit crude.
And in just one month, at that. Every time I saw it, I thought the same thing: it was truly an overpowered ability. If one could live for hundreds of years, constantly wielding such power, how much authority would one hold in the Demon Realm? I wondered if this was what Barbatos sometimes referred to as a *Transcendent Being*.
...Hmm.
But that also naturally raised a question. With that level of ability, he could have chosen a direct confrontation and just overwhelmed us easily.
Instead, he was bothering to wear us down slowly, even going so far as to personally build this Labyrinth over the course of a month.
That itself was a huge piece of information.
It means he's at a considerable disadvantage if he fights head-on.
Indeed, he was a Demon who had forcibly descended from a crumbling *Altar* in the first place.
He couldn't just use his abilities indiscriminately without any restrictions.
...Though it is surprising that his restricted abilities are still this powerful.
After that, I continued to walk through the Labyrinth, lost in thought. Occasionally, I would slaughter the charging Imps as easily as slicing tofu. The once blue *Sky* was gradually turning red.
Then, at one moment, it happened.
*Thump-thump-*
Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone's footsteps.
It wasn't the sound of an Imp's footsteps. Those creatures, who don't use their brain lumps, usually make sounds like 'Kee-ree-reek' before their footsteps.
These were more regular, cautious footsteps, as if trying to avoid something. Moreover, the footsteps weren't heard very often. This meant it was a small number, not a large group.
Having roughly grasped the situation, I grabbed my spear and started running in that direction.
It might be a still lingering Lemegeton Remnant.
I planned to break the wall and launch a surprise attack. If it was an Extermination Squad member, I would stop. If it was an unfamiliar face, I would subdue them immediately.
*CRASH-!* I tore down the wall. Startled, a frail woman screamed, and her *Scream* echoed from ahead.
Kyaaaah?!
As I pushed through the swirling dust, I saw the *Opponent*.
She had long white hair reaching her waist, red eyes visible through sunglasses, and sparks crackling in her palm.
Her eyes met mine for a moment, and she murmured in surprise.
...Yor?
It was Livia, the former Branch Leader. Fortunately, she wasn't an enemy.
Where in the *World* have you been? I've been looking for you ever since you disappeared. Well, if I knew where I was, wouldn't I have found my own way back?
After meeting Livia, I naturally joined her. It was good timing, as I was bored and needed a *conversation partner*.
“Why are you alone, then?” “Me? I'm, uh, umm...” “You got lost too.” “Yeah.”
Indeed, there would be no reason for her to be alone otherwise. I was lost myself, so I wasn't going to say anything, but it seemed she was a little embarrassed about getting lost. She started making excuses, her face slightly flushed.
But I couldn't help but get separated. Paimon, that guy...
From what I heard, even after I lost him, he consistently sought out the Extermination Squad. And then he'd issue commands again, causing confusion among the squad.
The commands he gave were all about conjuring fog or causing floods with water. They didn't cause direct harm, but they were all distracting attacks.
In such a situation, when one tried to give Pursuit... it was only natural for *People* to scatter.
Paimon, that Demon, was unnecessarily cunning.
The water was especially problematic. I happened to get caught right in it. Look at this! I'm all soaked!
Livia said, pointing to her body. The thin robe she wore was thoroughly drenched. As a result, it clung tightly to her body, further accentuating her slender figure. I could see her *Slender Waist* and beautifully shaped, firm breasts. Moreover, perhaps because the robe was white, her black *Bra* was visible beneath the wet clothing. It was a black *Bra* with lace, no less.
Ahem...
Feeling a little embarrassed, I unnecessarily cleared my throat. And to change the subject, I forced myself to speak.
“Seriously, how did they expect to catch a guy who can fly in the first place? Maybe we should have prepared more thoroughly, even if it took more time...”
“Well, they probably did prepare for that, didn't they? There were an unusual number of Mages among the Knights. That's probably why. To seal the Demon from flying away.”
“Really? But he flew away just fine earlier.”
“That's... it takes some time to prepare. People probably didn't expect him to just keep running away like that.”
“Ah-ha.”
The conversation flowed smoothly without awkwardness. As a Mage, she knew things I didn't. And with the Labyrinth being so quiet, it was easy for us to talk.
“So, to catch him, we first need to... have a direct confrontation, right? The Mages need time to chant their spells.” “Exactly. But first, we'd have to gather the scattered *People*.”
And so, we continued our conversation as we walked forward.
, hunting Monsters whenever they appeared.
We thought we might join up with other stragglers if we heard them, but unfortunately, we didn't see any. It seemed the Labyrinth was so vast that it was hard to even hear other *People*.
As we walked without much thought, evening eventually arrived. Stars, like grains of sand, glittered across the dark *sky*. This *world*, free from air pollution, had a truly brilliant *sky*. It was a night sky I hadn't seen in a very long time. It's hard to see the *sky* in a *forest* full of leaves, after all.
Wow...
It seemed Livia, beside me, felt the same way. A joyful exclamation escaped her lips for a moment.
The ethereal night sky had a way of stirring one's emotions.
She murmured, as if longing for something.
“Being like this makes me think of old times...”
“Huh?”
“Don't you remember? You used to come pick me up when I played late into the night.”
Surprisingly, I remembered that. There was one particularly lively and playful child at the *Orphanage*.
If she didn't come back by sunset, I would often be asked to go find her by the *nun*. Among the children, I was the most familiar with the roads and the most mature. It was quite annoying back then, but now it feels like a fond memory.
My legs are starting to hurt. Should we set up the tent?
“Yeah. So, we're sleeping here after all...”
After talking for a long time, we eventually prepared to sleep in the path. We couldn't afford to exhaust ourselves completely when we didn't know when we'd catch Paimon in the Labyrinth.
It was a good thing I brought a tent. Livia, who had secretly followed as a *Criminal*, didn't have one.
“For the night watch—”
“No, it's fine without one. My night hearing is good anyway, so I'll wake up if anyone comes.”
“Ah-ha.”
In the end, we had no choice but to sleep in one tent. It was originally a single-person tent, but there was still enough room for two *people* to sleep comfortably.
“...”
“...Ahem.”
Of course, that didn't mean the *Space* was wide, so it was a bit awkward. Our skins kept brushing against each other...
I figured talking in here would only make it more awkward, so I just decided to fall asleep quickly. I was tired from walking all day, after all.
“Good night, then.”
“U-uh, yeah...”
Fortunately, no enemies came during the night.
Only Livia's heartbeat could be heard periodically beside me.
Yawn...
And so, morning dawned. We packed up the tent again and started moving. Even after a day, the path was still desolate.
“Seriously, no one's coming... Do Imps sleep at night too?”
“They're living creatures, so probably?”
And just like yesterday, we started walking endlessly. If we weren't going to leave this Labyrinth, we had to keep walking until we gathered the Extermination Squad. It had been two days of this nonsense.
Seriously, we're all going to be defeated *piecemeal* at this rate.
My patience finally ran out, and I decided to look for another method.
“Livia. Should I shout really loud?” “...No, if you do that, you'll just waste energy on the Imps.” “Then I'll climb up the wall for a bit and look around.”
I doubted anyone would be around if I couldn't hear them, but perhaps the view from above would be different.
I bounced off both walls with my feet and climbed up.
*Thump-thump-!* The view from above was indeed different. The Labyrinth stretched out to the *Horizon*.
My vision was still limited, but seeing the overall landscape like this definitely made it easier to observe. I could actually see glimpses of the area below. Imps were scattered along the paths. And then, a group of *People* suddenly caught my eye. Focusing my vision, I couldn't help but be surprised for a moment.
“Huh?”
A middle-aged woman with dark green hair. Jurgen, who had stabbed the Chairman of Lemegeton, was standing there. I immediately told Livia what I had seen from above.
At the word 'Jurgen,' an emotion flashed across Livia's eyes. It was anger.
Honestly, the answer seemed obvious, but I asked her out of courtesy anyway.
What should we do? Should we catch him?
The answer came quickly.
Yes. Let's kill him.
That was the moment our next *Destination* was decided.