Chapter 9

Three days after Yuusha finished her shopping, she decided that Matari’s physical and mental strength had fully recovered.

While dipping the bread into the soup, Yuusha announces that they will resume exploration.

“Now that your body seems to be completely healed, is it time to go in the labyrinth?”

“Finally! I kept telling you that I was fine a long time ago!”

“Be quiet while you eat.”

“Uu , I’m sorry.”

Matari, who had shouted out loud, shrinks into her seat. She bows her head to her surroundings, blushing.

When Yuusha finishes eating her breakfast, she calls out to the waitress.

“Hey, tell Master to get me some apple wine. Just one glass is fine.”

“Right away”

“Oh, and add honey. He’ll know how much.”

The waitress bows and walks away. That fruit wine is the one Yuusha drank the other day. It was made by Master and was quite good.

“A drink before you go into the labyrinth?”

However, she won’t get drunk if it’s just a glass of fruit wine, so Matari doesn’t condemn her any further.

She’s going to do her best to stop the second one, though.

“I feel a little stiff, so it’s cheer myself up. I like apple wine with honey. I don’t know why.”

“You don’t know why, you say. Isn’t it because it’s delicious?”

Yuusha received the glass from the waitress and savors the aroma.

Then she drinks the fruit wine all at once.

“I don’t like it too sweet, though. Well, it’s fine. As long as it tastes good.”

“How can you drink something that sweet?”

“It’s a perfect blend of sour and sweet, and has just the right amount of flavor. It’s also very nourishing.”

Matari tosses the carefully carved meat into her mouth.

“I shee”

“Swallow what’s in your mouth before you speak.”

Yuusha glared at her, and Matari shrunk even more.

They finished their breakfast after about thirty minutes, and then they returned to their room and prepared to explore. Once they were fully prepared, they went down the stairs to leave the Paradise Pavilion, which was crowded with customers.

As they were about to exit, a familiar voice stops them.

“Hero girl, I have a favor to ask you–“

“……….”

“Hero, I need to ask you a favor.”

Yuusha pretends not to hear, but she calls out even louder.

“…….What should I do? It’s probably going to be troublesome.”

“As soon as we stopped, we didn’t have a choice anymore. …Whether we take the request or not, we still have to listen to the details”

“Isn’t that right. It sounds like a huge pain in the ass, but we should at least ask for the details.”

“Yes, It’s a bother but it’s the only way.”

“I can hear everything you’re saying. And I even have a super easy way to make money, a tasty offer. You’re horrible.”

A brown-haired woman pretends to be angry in a slow voice. She is a woman named Remoncy who is in charge of all business at the Paradise Pavilion.

She wears flashy makeup and provocative outfits, but she’s not in charge of tavern services.

Yuusha and Matari were already acquainted with her, when they were given a piece of hardened bread as a sign of familiarity.

Her face has a tight, good-natured smile on it, but her eyes are not really smiling. Yuusha’s perception of her is that of an hard to stomach, unsavory woman.

“I don’t know any good offer, but I do remember you offering bread that’s so hard we could have died.”

“It was a mistake. I swear. Hero girl, trust me.”

Remoncy puts her hands together and apologizes. But they aren’t fooled by her feeble appearance.

She says she made a mistake, but didn’t replace the bread in the end, that’s the woman called Remoncy. Perhaps she had trouble disposing of the bread she had stored and didn’t want to throw it away, so she handed it out to anyone who caught her eye. The other customers were gnawing on the bread with a scowl on their faces.

“So, what’s your request?”

Yuusha decided to quickly ask what she wanted before she fell for Remoncy’s tricks.

“Well. I’d like to ask you to be this man’s escort. He’s a sorcerer.”

“Hey. You’re introducing me to a rookie.”

“They’re perfect for this. They’re the most promising newcomer around right now.”

“I think I’ll go look around the other taverns.”

“You can go back if you want, you need to pay the referral fee first. We’re not a charity.”

The young man dressed in solid, black cloak, and a black hat turns to leave, but Remoncy stops him.

The man let out a sigh and taps his staff several times in an irritated manner.

“Then introduce me to someone decent. I need someone who can at least be a meat wall.”

“Then you have no reason to refuse these two! After all, you know, they are the ones who took out Salvadore!”

Remoncy declares loudly. The gazes of the people around them gather.

Yuusha regrets regretted that he had gotten into trouble, as expected. Matari averted her gaze.

“……..These two?”

“Yeah. It’s and a good deal since they’re cheap. But they have a temporary permit, so don’t abuse them, okay?”

Remoncy uses a cute voice. Yuusha couldn’t help getting goose bumps.

“Then these ones will do. I don’t have much time to spare.”

The man hands the money to Remoncy and then turns back to Yuusha. Remoncy smiles.

Thank you. Then, hero girl, I want you to escort him. It’s okay. You can get in with a temporary permit, and it’ll only take about three hours. The destination is on the seventh floor and it’s very close. It’s super easy.

“…I never said we were gonna take it. Right Matari.”

“Yeah, yeah. I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Well, I’m gonna tell you now so listen carefully.”

“The plan is simple. I’ll be conducting an experiment on the seventh floor against a slime. Meanwhile, you will protect my back. I’m going to take care of all the monsters along the way, so that’s not a problem. I don’t care if you die once my experiment is over.

He looked down on Yuusha in a pompous manner, and her mood instantly deteriorated.

“There’s something annoying about the way you talk to us.”

“I don’t like to talk in a roundabout way.. There was originally no need for this kind of experiment, but I decided to make sure it was perfect before I leave. So let’s get going. I’d feel awful wasting any more time than this.”

“I’m the one who’s feeling awful. Since you’re so high and mighty why don’t you go by yourself?”

“Well, well, hero girl. You can get money just for accompanying him, and you can watch some unknown experiments, so you should give it a shot.”

Remoncy quieted Yuusha as if it didn’t concern her anymore. It was already someone else’s business when she got the introduction money.”

“Matari, what do you want to do?”

“Let’s see. The slime is a formidable adversary, so I’d like to see it at least once if I could.”

“Then, we’ll accept the request. I just have to endure for three hours. Three hours that look disgusting enough to die for, but we’ll put up with it.

“My name is Norman. I’m a sorcerer. Oh, you don’t need to say your name. I’m not going remember it anyway, and we’ll only be together for three hours. There is no need for me to get to know a meat wall. Let’s go then.”

As soon as he said it, Norman quickly left the Paradise Pavilion and began to head for the underground labyrinth.

Yuusha and Matari looked at him in a stupor. Remoncy is already dealing with another customer.

“…I knew it was a mistake to stop, don’t you think so?”

“…I agree completely.”

◆

“The upper levels are as unremarkable as ever. There’s nothing but rats here. This is why immature idiots die so easily in the middle levels.”

Norman muttered in exasperation as he wipes out the swarm of rats with ice magic.

Their current position is on the seventh floor of the underground labyrinth. They mostly saw only rats, but they also saw a poisonous worm and a blood-sucking bat, which appeared once.

Regrettably, though, Norman finished his chanting and took care of them before the Yuusha and Matari could make their attack.

“It can’t be helped since he’s here.”

“A meat wall shouldn’t talk. Just do what I tell you to do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“……….”

Matari, who hasn’t said anything, apologizes on Yuusha’s behalf.

At that moment when Yuusha decided that she would definitely kick his back.

A rabbit with sharp claws jumped out in front of Yuusha. Its eyes red and bloodshot, and its body hair gray.

It’s distinctive feature are the claws on its right hand. Only that claw sticks out like a knife.

It’s jump up and down in a rhythm, looking for an opening to pounce.

“It’s a head-hunting rabbit. There are some behind as well. These guys are good at ambushes. The fact that it went out of its way to show itself means that there must be several of them hiding behind us. Be on maximum alert.”

“Matari, you take care of the one in front. I’ll go kill the ones in the back. There’s three of them around the corner.”

“Yes!”

Matari steps forward to protect Norman. Norman begins chanting languidly.

Yuusha drew her cheap sword and began to run towards the corner.

『Kishaaaaaaah!”』

With a strange cry, the head-hunting rabbit leapt at Matari’s neck. Matari catches it with her new shield. The impact is not that severe.

When she thrust her sword at the rabbit, it evades with a mocking gesture. It then thrusts his claw at the shield and strikes again with a series of blows.

The power is gradually increasing. The shield shakes from one side to the other with the force of the blows.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. 『Freezing bullets』.”

The ice shards blast the neck-hunting rabbit’s face, who was swinging his claws in with vigor. The shards pierced through it, hitting the stone wall behind it and shattering.

The head-hunting rabbit collapses to the ground in front of them. It is twitching, but it’s certainly a mortal wound.

“Oh, well done.”

“The extraction part is the claw. You can take it if you want. I don’t need them anymore.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Matari took aim and swung her sword down and sliced off the claw. She put the part into a leather bag after shaking off the gore.

“What happened to that stupid, dull-witted meat wall? I though she said she will watch your back”

“She said there were three of them and that she was going to take care of them.”

“…..Well, I don’t care if the meat wall dies or not.”

Norman was about to give the order to move on when Yuusha lazily walked up to them. There were three pitiful rabbits sticking out of her sword.

The head, the body, and the head of each were skewered into a bizarre dumpling.

“It took me a little while. After I killed two of them, the last one tried to run away.”

“What kind of fight did you have?”

“Draw them in and pierce them. The moment they attack is when you have the most room to maneuver. It’s the easiest time to get in. For the last one, I aimed at it as it ran and threw my sword.”

“Oh, nice work.”

“……….”

Norman looks at Yuusha with eyes like he was looking at something strange. The head-hunting rabbits are agile and are the most difficult opponent for a fledgling warrior to deal with. Even the most skilled would be reluctant to deal with three of them together. Just like earlier, they would be locked down and hit with a series of attacks. It’s extremely difficult to get rid of them in such a short time.

“Where parts do we cut?”

“Oh, it’s the claw. Wait a minute.”

Matari deftly removes the dumplings and cuts off the claws.

“Do you think this rabbit is edible?　I can bring it as a souvenir for the Master.”

Yuusha bends down and pokes a rabbit that is missing its claws with her sword. Ordinary rabbit meat is valued as food.

“You shouldn’t do that. I don’t know what this rabbit was eating, and I feel like it might upset my stomach.”

“You think so? Demons really are useless. You can’t even fill your stomach with them.”

Yuusha, who had no intention of eating them to start with, stood up as if it didn’t matter.

Norman sighed and began to walk alone, only telling them to move on.

On the seventh floor, Norman went in a completely different direction than the stairs that led down. The lights that have been installed have stopped appearing as frequently and the surrounding starts getting darker.

The demons are no longer in sight at all. Instead, the moisture in the air increased and it was strangely humid. The walls of the passageway also have moss growing everywhere.

Yuusha mumbles that it’s hot and begins to fan her face with her hands. Matari wipes the sweat away with a washcloth.

Eventually the group comes to a standstill.

There, a translucent, green mucus covered the entire wall from the walls to the ceiling, noxious colored bubbles were forming continuously..

Where the green liquid is particularly concentrated, there is a decomposing corpse of a human being. It appeared to be an adventurer, but it wasn’t obvious by the appearance.

They had been killed by the slime and then slowly consumed over time.

Not even the labyrinth sweepers, the rats, come to this area. That is because everyone will get attacked without distinction whether they are humans and demons.

“This is the location for the experiment. This is a dangerous place where slimes are likely to appear, but on rare occasions, magical crystals are found. The slime is waiting for its prey. These guys are slow, so they are the type to wait in ambush.”

Norman drops his leather bag and prepares for the experiment. The slime continues its feeding without any particular reaction. Occasionally they hear an uncanny sound, as if something is evaporating.”

“You’re going to deal with th-this?　sh-shall we turn back?”

Matari backs away. Yuusha says as she grabs her shoulder and pulls her back.

“What’s the point of running away after coming here? Hey, can I kill that thing?”

“Wait. I’m going to start the experiment. The meat wall should stand in front of me, as you did before. The should stay behind. We must avoid a pincer attack.”

“Y-you want me to stand in front?　Um, I’d rather not”

“Weren’t you the one who said she wanted to see it. It’s a great opportunity to get a closer look.”

“I’ve seen enough. Let’s go somewhere else! To be eaten like that is a bit.”

Matari’s face paled as she looked at the corpse. Yuusha was dumbfounded that she was crying with her new magic resistant armor.

“I don’t have a choice. What can I do?…..I’m going to coax you. You are in front. I’m in the back. Come on, get going!”

“Okay, okay, just don’t push me!　Hey, we’re a little close!　It’s close!”

“Hold your shield up! Don’t take your eyes off it!”

“Y-yes, I understand!”

Matari buckles down and holds up her shield. Yuusha stands behind Norman and prepares for a surprise attack. She is also paying attention to the slime’s movements.

Slime is keeping a close eye on our every move. It may appear to be preoccupied with feeding, but they it can’t hide its killing intent.

“So, what is your experiment?”

“I will now begin testing a prototype magic bomb.”

Norman says that, and then throws a small orb in his hand at the slime. The slime, sensing that it has been attacked, leaps from the ceiling, floor, and walls at once at Matari, who is the vanguard.

The astonished Matari squeals and at the same time, Norman snaps his fingers.

As the sphere bursts, a tremendously cold air is is emitted along with smoke. The slime completely froze as it pounced on her. The cold spreads to the corpse, freezing it.

It looked like a strange statue, and Matari in the front could not help but be stunned.

“The experiment is over. The prototype magic bomb has no issues with power or detonation The slime has been completely frozen and successfully neutralized.”

Norman pulls a notebook out of his pocket and fills it with the results of the experiment while muttering to himself.

Matari lets out a deep sigh and slumps down. Yuusha has not yet relaxed her battle stance.

“If you have something this amazing please tell me first. Hey, there’s this thing called mental readiness.”

“A meat wall doesn’t need to know about the experiment.. There’s no point wasting time explaining it. Hmph, we didn’t even need three hours. Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”

When Norman dismissed her, Matari withdrew, her face twitching.

Yuusha sheaths her sword.

“Hey, black hat chick. Don’t people often tell you that you’re too lax?”

“…What are you talking about? And what do you mean by “black hat chick”?”

Norman closes his notebook with a annoyed look on his face.

“You have a black hat, so it’s a black hat. And you’re a chick. The moment you pass by it and show your back, that ice-cube will pounce on you.”

“What nonsense. It’s completely dead.”

“Well, why don’t you try bringing your face close to it?　I’m sure you’ll have a beautiful face.”

Norman responds to Yuusha’s provocation by moving towards the slime.

The moment he approach the frozen statue unguarded, the ice emits a green light. One part of it emits a red, ominous, monstrous light. It’s a slime core. The fact that this is shining.

“That’s ridiculous!”

–The slime is still alive. The green liquid attacks Norman. Instantly, the hero kicks Norman to the side as hard as she can.

“Ugh.”

“Get out of the way, Chick Black Hat.”

The slime, who’s attack had been evaded, spreads sluggishly on the stone floor. The red light disappears, it’s impossible to locate the core again. If you thrust your sword into it at random, the slime’s acid will dissolve it. If left unattended, it will prepare itself and jump at you again. This characteristic is the reason why it is considered a powerful enemy.

Yuusha plunges her hand randomly into the green liquid. The slime’s acid burns the hero’s hands, dissolving the skin, exposing blood vessels and scraping off flesh. Bones are starting to be exposed. Still unconcerned, she explores the liquid, clawing through it.

“Yu-yuusha, what are you doing! Pull it out, please! It’s melting!”

“Oh, here it is. Hold on a minute.”

Yuusha pulled out and squeezed the slime’s core with her half-melted hand. The force caused the blistered flesh and skin to blend together and blood to drip down. The slime’s liquid that was once green colored turned to black and eventually evaporated and disappeared completely. All that was left was the remains of the poor victim.

“……..What you just did is difficult to understand. Do you have a desire for self-harm? You urgently need a healer.”

“We need to wrap it up!　And, where are the medicinal herbs?　No, but first, you need a bandage, bandage!”

Matari quickly tries to roll off the bandage and wrap it around Yuusha’s hand. It’s wrapped crudely and doesn’t cover the wound at all.

Yuusha chuckles and calms Matari.

“Don’t panic, Matari. Just give me a washcloth.”

“No washcloth!　Anyway, you have a bandage!　I’ll crush the herbs in a moment!”

“Oh, well, a bandage will do. Just wrap it around and around.”

Yuusha snaps her fingers as if she were performing a magic trick. A blue-white glow envelops her seriously injured right hand. When the bandages are removed, an intact right hand with no abnormalities appears. Norman is also gasping for breath as if he was surprised by it.

“You were a healer?　And such a high grade…….. No, it shouldn’t be possible to instantly heal an injury that severe.”

“I’m a hero, so I can do anything. I’m not like chicks.”

“………Hmm, it’s actually healed. Does this mean that you have considerable skill, despite your dull appearance?”

“e, Unharmed?　What’s going on?”

Matari, who put on the bandage voices her wonderment

“Maybe it’s because of your bandages. Thanks, Matari,”

“Does it not hurt anymore?”

“The pain doesn’t really matter once you get used to it.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right. Heroes don’t tell lies that don’t matter.”

Yuusha sits down next to Matari. Norman also crouches in place silently. He takes one look at the corpse and turns to Yuusha.

“Thank you for your help earlier. And I didn’t know you could handle such advanced healing techniques. If you don’t mind me asking your name–“

“I don’t have a name for you, Black Hat chick.”

Yuusha nastily refuses, sticking out her tongue. Norman norts and chuckles.

“Humph, so let’s just go with meat wall and the black hat until the end, shall we? We only have about an hour left anyway.”

“You know, Matari. I knew he was going to be annoying. You can go ahead and kick him once. Looks he has a habit of looking down on people who can’t use magic. I’ll forgive you.

“Eh, I’ll pass on that. I don’t want you to get shot by magic.”

“Just hit them before he chants. That’s how you deal with a chick sorcerer, just hit them with your fist.

As Yuusha clenched her fist, Norman threw something at her. Yuusha reflexively catches it, it was a single silver coin

“I’ll give you your reward first. It was supposed to be three hundred coppers, but I’ve added some extra”

“Well, thank you”

At Yuusha’s seemingly indifferent response, Norman also snorts and turns away.

The three of them sit in silence, wary of the passage. Yuusha and Matari are automatically transported to the ground when the time comes. Norman could have made it out whenever he wanted with a transfer stone, but he didn’t.

“…the purpose of this experiment was to reduce the burden on the sorcerers.”

“Matari, the Black Hat started talking to a meat wall. What to do?”

“What to do?　He told the meat walls to keep their mouths shut.”

“I’m talking to myself. You can choose whether to listen to it or not.”

Norman glares at her, and Yuusha smiles with a huff.

“Well, I’ll be sleeping, so wake me up when the demons come.”

“What?”

“A sorcerer is able to use magic by taking miasma into their body and converting it into magic power. You can use magic as much as you want in the underground labyrinths where the miasma is produced. But in return, many sorcerers become ill.”

Because of their immense firepower, sorcerers are a force to be reckoned with when exploring the labyrinth. For that reason, using magic is mandatory, even if they have to use it irresponsibly. In the worst case, even abusing magical potions.

Experienced sorcerers who have a good grasp of their own abilities will use it with care. Even so, many people are ravaged by miasma and suffer physical and mental illness.

After seeing the crippled guild members up close, Norman began researching to see if he could do something about the situation. He was also involved in the development of more effective antidotes.

And finally, he completed a prototype of the magic bomb. It is a weapon in which a magician stores his magic power and detonates it at the user’s signal. It is a weapon that reduces the number of times the sorcerer uses magic and at the same time provides firepower to those who cannot handle magic.

He had already experimented with fire, and this was an experiment in activating magic of another attribute.

“If these magical weapons are put to use, the burden on us sorcerers will certainly be reduced. And since it would be impossible to manufacture them without sorcerers, they would not be considered obsolete.”

“Maybe they will be so exhausted by manufacturing that they’ll become disabled”

Yuusha teases him, but Norman doesn’t care and continues.

“My ultimate goal is to end unnecessary sorcerer deaths . The power of magic should be put to good use in areas other than the military. Let the incompetents do the dirty work.”

“What a noble idea”

Yuusha absent-mindedly muttered. She feel like he’s saying good things, but it’s somehow different. This this man is honest with himself, for better or worse, and with personality like that, he’ll have a lot of enemies. That’s what it means when a sorcerer who has a lot of influence goes out of his way to pay to ask for an intermediary.

His attitude towards those without magical talent is also obvious. As soon as he realized that Yuusha could use magic, his attitude began to change and he became more talkative. But he won’t even look at Matari, who can’t control magic.

“We’ve had to take the brunt of the combat just because we have magical talent. That’s ridiculous. It seems that the guys in the academic guilds are putting their efforts into developing anti-sorcerer weapons, but that will no longer matter. There will be no more sorcerers in the line of fire.”

“Aren’t sorcerers supposed to be fighting because they want to? You’ve come all the way out here to explore the labyrinth, haven’t you?”

“Many people are here because they want to, but others are sent to this city by their government. They’re forced to train and risk death in an underground labyrinth filled with miasma. It’s more efficient than above ground. And only those who have successfully completed the training can return home. I’ve been recognized for my abilities, and I was finally ordered to return home.”

Those who have been discovered and recruited by the state are sent to this city to be evaluated. If they succeed, they will return home to serve in the military. Few turn down this offer because of the promise of a bright future. If they don’t grow, though, they will be abandoned.

Norman has been ordered to return home by the ruler of the western part of the continent, his homeland, the Keyland Empire. As soon as he returns, he will be assigned to the Imperial Army’s Magical Technology Division, where he will be involved in the development of new weapons.

Hence, he was going to provide a prototype magic bomb to the Magician’s Guild as a final gift.

“Well, at any rate, it’s good to be able to go home. Good for you, Black Hat.”

“I’m not happy to be praised by a meat wall. –well, it’s about time.”

Norman stands up and takes out a transition stone. After pondering for a moment, he takes out one of the spheres from the leather bag and tosses it to Yuusha.

“I have a surplus, so I’ll give it to you. This is detonated after a timer. It activates five seconds after you pull the string.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“It’s just a whim. You should be careful not to use too much magic. It will be too late once you’re sick”

“You should also be careful. You have a habit of letting your guard down”

“I appreciate the advice, but that’s unnecessary. …I appreciate you taking my request. Farewell.”

A white glow enveloped Norman’s body as he raised his transition stone. After about ten seconds had passed, Norman’s figure had completely disappeared.

Only Yuusha and Matari are left in his place.

“He’s gone.”

“A lot of sorcerers are weird, aren’t they? It’s black and pink. Maybe orange is next.”

“I like blue!”

“I don’t really care about that.”

Yuusha looked at the sphere she was given for a while, and then tossed it to Matari, who seemed interested.

“You don’t want it?”

“I don’t want it. You know, it would probably be more useful if you had it, so take it.”

“Thank you!　It’s exciting to think that even I can use magic.”

Matari happily tucked it away into her own waistband. Yuusha leaned against the wall and raised her hands and stretched.

The ones who would be most pleased with that black hat chick’s research would be the ones who couldn’t use magic, she thought.

Returning to the Keyland Empire, Norman immersed himself in his research, forgetting to sleep and eat. And a few years later, he succeeded in developing a new type of magic weapon. Its power was immense even while it was a prototype, and it was expected to be effective at battlefields. The fame of the Norman who was in charge of the development of the weapon grew, his rank promotion was guaranteed. As he rose through the ranks, he would be allowed to conduct his own research. His original dream of researching magic not used for military purposes was finally about to come true.

However, he wasn’t able to achieve that in his lifetime.

The name of the sorcerer Norman was recorded in the history of the Empire as the developer of the new magical weapon and its first victim.