Chapter 37.5: Labyrinth of Unsolicited Familiarity

Jacques had never expected the Magical Dungeon to ever take the form of a labyrinth, resembling a very familiar underground structure.

So it was only natural for him to panic for the shortest while when he first saw his surroundings.

No... This place was different. That was place was already gone. Destroyed.

He looked down.

This is water.

This is water.

This is water.

This is water.

This is water.

Yes... It was water.

He even tried to take a step forwards, and the water parted easily enough. It was too thin, and too fluid... Yes. It was w a t e r.

“Jacques, you alright? You look like someone stained your white suit in a ball, or something.”

Jacques.

Yes.

That was his name now. Jacques of the Moonblade House. He was adopted by the Countess years ago.

He wasn’t 15426. Not anymore.

“Don’t worry... I’m fine.”

Take deep breaths. Do not strain yourself. Those were the thoughts which circulated in his head.

He was a Party Leader now. He always had been the Leader.

Analysis of the Situation was tantamount to Survival.

Face the darkness of your past.

He reluctantly did.

The tunnels were only too familiar, yet too distant at the same time.

You’ve been here before.

It was haunting. Nauseating... There was something almost wrong in the air.

“You pick up anything, Bastille?”

The Sorcerer reported to him about the magic in the air. The Sorcerer said that it was good enough to the point where he of all people could sense.

But for Jacques, it was almost too choking. Ever so familiar.

Then the Sorcerer and the Soldier went into their idle banter again.

And the Sorcerer revealed that there might be a monster who might be able to use Magic.

Well, well... If it wasn’t ever so familiar...

And The Sorcerer admitted that he would be of no use because his magic was widespread, unless they could get to an open area.

“Alright.”

That was fine.

“What about you, Clara?”

She said the same as the Sorcerer.

That was also fine.

“This Dungeon is a pain...”

It is.

It was.

“Alright. Tobias, you mind if you take vanguard? I’m going to take the rear guard.”

He was not brave enough to be on front.

But it was only logical for him to guard their back.

It was a cowardly decision.

But the Soldier only nodded, and agreed easily.

He really was a Soldier.

He only followed orders, after 15426 Jacques had proven his Leadership Skills and Commanding Intellect time and time again.

It was not enough to save them.

It will be enough to let them survive.

If only you lead them properly so they could escape.

“Alright, line up then. Tobias in front, Bastille following him, then Clara.”

They instantly complied.

Efficiently, quickly, and silently following his words, more so than usual.

Yes. Indeed.

How easy it would have been if your previous friends were also this disciplined.

He nodded to Tobias. And with those words, they walked into the tunnels.

The pictorials.

It is a pictorial.

Those are carved pictures, not numbers.

It was a wooden sign.

Those were numbers, not carved pictures.

Each step forwards only brought him one step back into his past.

“Jacques, there’s a path to the right. What do we do?”

There was a path to the right?

But you are only staring at a prison cell.

“Keep going straight.”

There was no path to the right.

There was only a pile of bones in that cell.

A wooden label above it read 12634.

He was only a child. Eight years younger than you. He is already dead. His remains would happily tell you so.

Cause of Death: [REDACTED]

“Jacques, there’s a path to the left. Where do we go?”

There was a path to the left?

But there was no path to the left.

That only led to the Dissecting Table.

And above that table, was a mangled corpse.

That face who only stared at you.

It only belonged to 311220.

Cause of Death: Death from Shock.

Use of anesthesia was not even considered.

Her birthday-based code was only a single day away from a new year.

She was a cruel reminder of how long you had been there. But you loved her all the same, didn’t you?

“Jacques...?”

“Keep going straight. There’s also nothing there.”

They obeyed him.

Not a single shred of hesitance from the Soldier.

But the Sorcerer was looking back at him with concern.

A grin would placate him well enough.

The Archer in front of him also said nothing.

She was too absorbed in her own thoughts as well.

... That was fine.

“The path forks in two directions. Do we go left or right?”

But when he looked at the left, it was blocked a door.

A wooden sign on top of it was labeled as ‘Mana Battery Facility’.

“Keep going right.”

Mana Battery Facility?

How innocent.

It was obviously the room where the human bodies were [REDACTED]

and used to power large-scale-rituals.

“Which direction?”

“Right.”

“... Understood.”

Were they hesitating?

No matter.

He only gave them a thumbs up, and his grin.

That was always enough.

They walked once again.

It was amazing to know.

It was amazing to think.

How lucky the Soldier was.

To be granted something that was forced upon you.

But he did not know.

He would not know.

He did not need to know.

Why did they stop?

Why did Bastille take the lead?

Why did he throw [Fireballs] on either side...?

Ah, the path finally came to an end, was it?

There was only one path, though.

“We go right.”

So they followed him.

When they turned right, he only looked behind him.

What path was there?

He could only see another cell.

It was empty.

But it was familiar.

There was a wooden sign above it.

It read; 15426. Recipient 4th.

The Soldier spoke, asking him if he had ever navigated through a Labyrinth.

“That’s an oddly specific question, Tobias. Whatever made you ask that?”

He said that too tensely, and he only realized that after saying it.

But no matter. Your Soldier is not one to pry secrets open.

... No, he did try to ask how he managed to lead them towards the exit in the end.

Was it so unbelievable?

If he told them that he felt like he knew this place?

“No. I just got lucky, that’s all.”

And with those words, the Soldier only nodded. And then, they began to climb the stairs.

The Sorcerer and Soldier bantered on once more.

And when they reached the top of the stairs – they only found a large door.

This is it. Your Freedom.

“This looks like the entrance to the Boss Room.”

“That only means we found what we were looking for. Let’s go.”

And with his command, the Soldier slowly pushed the door open.

It creaked loudly. But when it opened, it revealed a bright sky.

No. There was no bright sky. That was he expected.

But expectations were not reality.

Instead, it revealed a cavern.

Filled with stalagmites and stalactites.

... Something wicked comes your way.

It was large – but it was within human comprehension, even with how disgusting, pitiable, or inhuman it might be.

Well, what is it?

It was time to use the gift graciously given grafted to you by Gods Monsters, was it not?

“[Analysis]”

His eyes burned white. The panel of white light only he could see appeared, and it was forever stained by black, almost too cursed cracks.

[Analyzing...]