Chapter 122
The train we were currently on was not originally designed for passengers.
There was no time to secure a luxury train, and by chance, the fastest train heading North was a cargo train.
Because of this, the compartment I was in boasted an unparalleled level of discomfort.
Mayor Ragot, who was sitting opposite me, spoke, seeing me constantly shifting my posture due to the uncomfortable ride.
“At this speed, we should arrive in about half a day. Please bear with it a little longer.”
“I can certainly endure it.”
It was uncomfortable, but it wasn't as if I had ever been a person accustomed to luxury.
It was a ride I could endure.
My anxiety and worries, which felt unbearable, lay elsewhere.
“Will we be able to safely descend to Great Labyrinth Floor 7, Mayor Ragot? The Troops provided by the Empire are only 100 strong, an unintentionally low number.”
When compared to the initial plan, it was a pathetically small number.
At least the Imperial Army sent 100 men.
However, since only the Priests of the Cult could lift and prevent the Evil God's Curse, the Pantheon had been unable to send any Troops at all.
From my perspective, I couldn't help but worry.
At my words, Mayor Ragot nodded calmly.
“Descending to Floor 7 won't be difficult with 100 of the Empire's Elite Troops and several hundred well-trained Hunters combined. There have already been dozens of exploration attempts, so a map has been created, and a Monster Bestiary of the monsters inhabiting up to Floor 6 has also been completed.”
Mayor Ragot frowned.
“If there are any variables, it would be... the fact that the map and bestiary for Floor 7 are incomplete, and the uncertainty of how Lucifer's Followers will act.”
The fact that there was a specific beacon color for Demon Followers, and his tone of voice, were evident.
I had a feeling that Labyrinth City Labyrinth had been tormented by Lucifer's Followers for a very long time.
“Do Lucifer's Followers frequently appear in the Labyrinth?”
At my question, Mayor Ragot chuckled.
“The Great Labyrinth is vast. Even after hundreds of years, we haven't mapped all of its Passages and routes. So, there are quite a few secret passages through which people can enter the Labyrinth.”
Mayor Ragot made a gesture as if a spider was crawling up his body.
“The Followers of Pride are using some of the secret passages we haven't yet identified. We often encounter them within the Great Labyrinth. We classify them as monsters and instruct Hunters to hunt them immediately upon sight within the Labyrinth.”
It was an extremely aggressive method, but also an effective one.
“So, do you light a Red Beacon every time you encounter them?”
Mayor Ragot shook his head.
“Not at all. The frequency of encounters is low, but we still meet them dozens of times a year. If we lit a beacon every time, there wouldn't be any beacon towers left. A Red Beacon is lit when more than a hundred Demon Followers start moving together.”
“Can we reach Labyrinth Floor 7 before them?”
“I cannot guarantee that, Saint. The Followers of Pride are known for capturing and controlling Magic Beasts. If they are moving on such a large scale that a Red Beacon has been lit, it's highly likely they've brought out one or two of the Magic Beasts they've kept hidden as Trump Cards.”
Mayor Ragot sighed.
“There's nothing in the Great Labyrinth that can be guaranteed. I apologize for not being able to give you a definitive answer.”
My fists clenched.
If the Ketratuss, the Soulless Assassins of the Black Fortress, and the Priests of the Cult of Silence had moved, the chances would have been much higher.
The East.
If the Curse Outbreak hadn't happened in the East, it would have been much simpler.
No matter how I thought about it, the timing felt strange.
It felt like a scheme orchestrated by the Evil God and Hell working together.
The Evil God and Hell were sworn enemies.
But at the same time, they shared a common goal: preventing the Pantheon from growing any stronger.
It wouldn't be strange to hear that both sides had temporarily set aside their grudges and joined hands.
However, we couldn't just stand by and watch while Lucifer moved towards Ponemkin first.
The Expedition Flag of the Last Hero Karim's Expedition Team had only recently been discovered.
It was highly probable that Lucifer's side had only just learned of Ponemkin's whereabouts.
Naturally, they would have thought to retrieve him first to prevent the Deity from going to the Pantheon and to ensure Asmodeus's Black Wing couldn't be eliminated.
That's why they conspired with the Evil God to cause a disturbance in the East, forcing me to enter the Great Labyrinth alone.
There was a high probability that they had prepared some kind of trap.
*Damn it.*
I'm anxious.
If this fails, it won't just be me suffering; all of Humanity could be in danger.
I absolutely have to succeed.
*Why does this feeling of unease keep growing?*
“Saint!”
Suddenly, a voice from beside me snapped me back to reality.
When I came to my senses, I realized I was biting my nails, chewing them nervously, and drenched in sweat.
Cecilia was looking at me with concern.
Mayor Ragot gazed at me for a moment, then nodded.
“I understand. Entering the Great Labyrinth is like throwing oneself into uncertainty. You don't know what will happen, what Magic Beasts you might encounter, or if the paths or terrain might have changed. But despite all that, Hunters enter the Great Labyrinth every day for their livelihood, and they return alive.”
The Mayor's words were nonchalant.
“There's no guarantee of success. But let me tell you this: we will assemble an Expedition Team with Labyrinth's strongest Hunters. Trust them and the Empire's strongest Troops currently riding before and behind you, Saint. There's no guarantee of success, but conversely, there's no guarantee of failure either. Isn't that right?”
Mayor Ragot grinned.
I smiled along with him.
Right.
Let's not get anxious already.
I sighed and nodded.
“I’ll get you some water. Please wait a moment.”
Cecilia assisted me well.
She found some water somewhere and handed it to me.
As the cool water flowed down my throat, I felt my mind clear a little.
“Thank you, Cecilia.”
“It may not be as much as the Princesses, Lady Kanya, or Lady Erfa, but I will do my best. We will definitely overcome this, Saint.”
A girl younger than me was comforting me.
At her words, I took a deep breath and no longer showed any signs of anxiety.
[Let's say it's a fifty-fifty chance. All we have to do is tip the scales in our favor, right?]
Kon was right.
All I had to do.
Was this Expedition a success?
As I looked up, incredibly rugged mountains began to appear outside the window.
Labyrinth City Labyrinth was drawing near.
***
“This is Border City Arad. The train tracks don't extend any further. From here, you'll need to travel by vehicle.”
The train came to a stop with the engineer's words.
The Golden Company, Cecilia, and I disembarked, and as if on cue, a convoy of trucks awaited us in Border City Arad.
The Empire's Northernmost Region.
This place was also known as the last region on the Continent where Magic could be used.
Naturally, the vehicles that would carry us further North from here were not powered by Magic Engines.
“Karia Tu! Limonera Kru Tanhoot!”
Incomprehensible words burst from Mayor Ragot's mouth.
As he spun his finger in mid-air and shouted, people who appeared to be Labyrinth Hunters, waiting in the Border City, immediately brought a Crank Handle to the front of a truck, inserted it into the engine, and started cranking it furiously.
A rattling sound began, and soon, black exhaust smoke, familiar to me, started spewing from the back of the truck.
“These are trucks that run on gasoline. Mana is thin in this Northern Region, making Mana Engines difficult to use, so most vehicles here use gasoline engines.”
Cecilia provided the supplementary explanation.
“Get in! Saint! I've specially warmed up a good seat for you!”
Mayor Ragot called out to me.
I carefully moved to the front passenger seat of the truck and sat down.
On either side of me sat soldiers from the Golden Company, and in the driver's seat was a Demi-human with a pale complexion.
A Vampire sat there.
“It is an honor to serve you, Saint. Please understand if my Continental language is a bit clumsy and I make mistakes.”
The Vampire, after politely greeting me, immediately received a report that everything needed was loaded in the back. He then said something in an unintelligible Northern language, before manipulating the clutch and gears, and the truck began to move.
Several trucks thus departed Border City Arad and began moving towards Labyrinth City Labyrinth.
And the closer we got to Labyrinth.
I understood why Foolish Emperor Nero was called the Foolish Emperor.
He continued a war for three years without giving up, even when the roads were cut off in these rugged mountains. I can see why he was called foolish.
Beyond the precarious cliffs and roads carved into the mountains, there was a checkpoint with a Machine Gun Nest.
If the roads were cut off and machine guns started firing from the checkpoint, an attacking force would be unable to do anything but take the hits. It was a structure where the defending side had an absolute advantage.
That place was the Great Labyrinth Region.
After about an hour of driving along the bumpy, rugged roads that made me feel carsick,
“We have arrived, Saint.”
As the truck crested a high hill, with the Vampire driver speaking in broken Imperial language, a spectacular sight unfolded.
A massive hole gaped open like a giant maw.
And a village was built, encircling the hole in a circular fashion.
A city built in the middle of a massive Mountain Range, rugged yet boasting incredibly beautiful natural scenery when viewed from the summit.
It was Labyrinth City Labyrinth.
Just for a moment, my gaze was captivated by the majestic yet beautiful scenery; then the truck stopped.
“Please disembark, Saint. Welcome to Labyrinth City.”
Mayor Ragot himself came out to greet me. As I stepped out of the truck, cold, fresh air filled my nose.
Looking around, I could feel that this was a city entirely different from the Empire.
“Ke Moshi Kartadan Imorza! Marza Imo!!”
The language I heard was also different.
Half of the beings walking around were Humans, and the other half were Demi-humans.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Beastfolk.
And...
“Dwarves?”
“They are the original Residents of this place, Saint. It's no exaggeration to say that all the roads carved into the cliffs were made by the hands of Dwarf Artisans.”
Dwarves.
There were Dwarves.
Just looking at it, it was a scene straight out of a fantasy game.
Hunters who hunted monsters extracted the magic stones within them, and lived off them.
Buildings that looked like Guild buildings.
Dwarf Blacksmiths are swinging hammers and making something.
And even Beastfolk, Vampires, and Werewolves.
It was exactly the landscape I knew.
Except for one thing.
The Dwarf Blacksmith, hammering away with his hammer, wasn't repairing a sword.
It was a gun barrel.
The Hunters walking the streets were commonly not armed with swords and shields.
They were armed with pistols, shotguns, and rifles.
The general store sold various types of bullets and potions, instead of arrows and potions.
Guns.
Guns.
Everywhere I looked, there were guns.
I stared blankly at the city, thick with the smell of gunpowder and gasoline, rather than Magic and fantasy.
“Let's move. The best Hunters, selected from each Guild, are waiting in the Central Hall. There, we will distribute equipment for the Golden Company members and give a brief operational briefing. It's only a 5-minute walk.”
Following Mayor Ragot's guidance, we began walking towards the Central Hall.
And we arrived at the Central Hall.
“Are those people Hunters?”
“They are Hunters. They are the best Hunters in Labyrinth.”
“What in the world are those... guns?”
“They are Portable Heavy Machine Guns firing 12.7mm rounds, 10-gauge Auto Shotguns, and Automatic Rifles firing 7.62x63mm rounds. These are ammunition types that use armor-piercing rounds containing fragments of Magic Beast bones. You need that much to penetrate a Magic Beast's hide.”
I began to think that perhaps the chances of success for this Expedition were slightly higher than the chances of failure.
The hundreds of Hunters packed into the Central Hall possessed enough firepower to literally grind a Dragon into dust.