Chapter 90

The timeline at the beginning is immediately after Chapter 78 (when the battle between Orun and Amuntsaas ended).

After leaving the Great Labyrinth, I moved to an uninhabited back alley with the three who had regained consciousness and the girl who had come to help us.

(He's alive. Orun is alive. But he became an explorer. Why do I have to look at Orun like that...?)

My mind is a mess.

Not only Oliver, but Orun had also fallen into the enemy's hands.

(I will never forgive this. Phyllis Carpenter...! I'll make you regret being born. I'll throw you into a hell where you'll wish for death...!!)

"Still, Shion, why did you pull back? If you had continued, you could have killed the Dragon Slayer!"

The large man, who had fully regained consciousness, questioned me in a tone that seemed to blame me.

"...Can't you be quiet? I'm in a bad mood right now. If you keep making noise, I won't hold back from using Giba, okay?"

"---. S-Sorry."

He seemed to be intimidated by my anger and shrank back.

"---No, I'm sorry too. But I think pulling back was the right decision."

"What do you mean? We had orders to kill the Dragon Slayer, didn't we?"

"That's true. ---But, before that, Loreta, thank you for helping us just now. If you hadn't intervened, I would have been killed too. Thank you."

"I just did what was natural. Still, who is he to push Shion to such an extent?"

"Still, we were taken out quickly, but we are still quite capable, you know?"

Another woman criticized Loreta's comment.

"Hehe, I know. I would lose in a direct fight. But Shion is in a different league, right? I didn't expect Shion to be pushed to such an extent."

"Well, I agree with that."

"So, who is he?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you in detail. It's probably classified information."

The leader of Tenju Hakku, Chris, must have known that Orun was alive.

Even I, who have access to all the organization's information, was kept in the dark.

Sorry, but I can't tell you guys.

Still, even though Orun caught me off guard at the end, he managed to defeat me in that state.

If he had used his full power, I would have been killed instantly.

It seems he had partially released his physical abilities somehow.

The destination is still far away...

"---So, Loreta, did you come because there's some announcement for us?"

Loreta is one of the messengers of Amuntsaas.

She is responsible for relaying information and orders from the organization to us, who are active across the continent.

"---Ah, that's right! It's an announcement from the leader! The orders given to Shion and the others are to immediately stop their activities and withdraw because they were caused by the Poison Flower."

"Poison Flower!?"

Giba exclaimed in surprise at Loreta's words.

(As I thought.)

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect that there would be someone among the messengers who was in league with those scum."

"It can't be helped. The enemy has a harmful woman with the ability to alter perception. Perhaps she altered the perception of that person too."

"Is that why Shion pulled back?"

The lanky man spoke in a tone that seemed to understand.

"Yes. According to the information I have, the Dragon Slayer is an existence that should not be killed, even more so than the Hero. I only realized this at the end of the battle."

"Also, Shion is ordered to return to headquarters."

"So, we should head back east?"

"Yes. We have been ordered to return to the Great Labyrinth in the east."

"I understand the content of the announcement. Before we leave, I have a request for Loreta."

"What is it?"

"I want you to tell everyone else to withdraw from the Great Labyrinth in the south."

"---Why? The Great Labyrinth in the south has progressed to the 94th floor. We need to eliminate as many capable explorers as possible to delay the conquest. We managed to infiltrate several people."

"Yes, but I made a deal to let me go in exchange for everyone else withdrawing from the Great Labyrinth in the south."

"Such a deal---"

"I don't want to break my promise with him. ---Besides, I don't think it's necessary to kill explorers anymore. Please, I'm asking you. You can say this order is from me."

"---Understood. I will tell everyone to withdraw from the Great Labyrinth in the south."

"Thank you."

◇

After making the members of Amuntsaas withdraw from the Great Labyrinth in the south, I returned to headquarters alone.

I immediately moved to the room where the leader was.

The man in the office was in his late twenties and had a gentle aura.

His name is Christopher Downing.

The current leader of Amuntsaas.

"You're back."

"Welcome back, Shion. Did you meet Orun?"

"---Yes, I did. He attacked me right away. Well, I didn't think Orun was alive, so I intended to kill him as planned at first."

At first, I thought Orun was just a lookalike.

But after seeing his pitch-black magic, I was certain it was Orun.

Now that I think about it, there were many aspects of the battle that couldn't be explained without Orun's ability.

I should have realized it when he effortlessly dodged my time-reversal magic.

"More importantly, did you know Orun was alive, Chris?"

This is what I want to know the most right now.

"Yes, I knew."

"---If you knew---"

"If I had told you when you were still a child, you would have definitely said something like 'I'll save Orun' and run off on your own. I thought the possibility of Orun and Oliver being killed was low, and I couldn't afford to lose Shion too. You are a valuable asset. You can blame me if you want, but I ask you not to act on your own. Please."

Chris bowed deeply and pleaded.

Indeed, if I had known Orun was alive back then, I would have done everything to save him.

And I would have probably ended up like Orun and Oliver, or worse, been killed.

In either case, the likelihood of me being here now is extremely low.

"---I understand. I think Chris's judgment was correct."

"Thank you."

"Then? What's my schedule from now on? You called me here to talk about that, right?"

"Ah, yes. Immediately, we have received several reports that the cult is actively operating in the empire. They seem to be conquering labyrinths one by one. We have already dispatched a considerable number of people, but the cult seems to be serious. While we haven't had any casualties, we have suffered significant damage."

"In the empire? I don't think the cult has anything to do in the empire where the Great Labyrinths have already been eliminated."

The ultimate goal of the cult is the resurrection of the evil god.

Eliminating the Great Labyrinths, which hinder the resurrection, is believed to be the current goal of the cult.

Therefore, it feels very unnatural for the cult to still be active in the empire where the Great Labyrinths have been eliminated.

"This is purely my speculation, but I think the cult's aim is to move the Hero."

"To move the Hero, the cult is conquering labyrinths? ---No way!?"

The Hero possesses immense power.

After all, he is the same as me and Orun.

However, the Hero only acts for the empire.

We had assumed that he would not intervene in our battle with the cult after the Great Labyrinth in the west was eliminated.

But if this continues, that assumption will be shattered.

If such a powerful being goes on a rampage, the current power balance could be rewritten in an instant.

"If the labyrinths within the empire continue to be eliminated, it's quite possible that the empire will start invading other countries."

"Using the war-induced economic boom to accelerate the conquest of the Great Labyrinths...?"

Most of the current weapons are made from labyrinth materials.

If the production of weapons becomes active due to war, the value of labyrinth materials will skyrocket.

It will be a good time for explorers to earn money, and the conquest speed of the Great Labyrinths will inevitably increase.

Indeed, when a war broke out in the Juno Republic, which had the Great Labyrinth in the north, about sixty years ago, the conquest of the Great Labyrinth in the north made significant progress.

"But why would the cult do such a reckless thing...? They might be annihilated before achieving their goal..."

"Probably because Orun has come to the fore. Neither we nor the cult expected that Orun, whose memory and power were sealed, would become the most likely candidate to conquer the Great Labyrinths. We thought he could only support Oliver. But in reality, Orun has defeated the floor bosses alone. It's possible that the sealing magic is starting to fail. What do you think, Shion, who actually fought him?"

"---I think the sealing magic was functioning properly. During the battle, even when the conditions were favorable for using high-level or special magic, it didn't activate. It felt like his physical abilities were forcibly released, but only partially. If the sealing magic wasn't functioning, he would have been much stronger."

"Forcibly releasing the sealing magic...? That magic is considered Rens's masterpiece. To be able to remove it in a way other than the official method, your king is truly exceptional."

"I agree. He seems to be developing new magic too. The slash he used to try to kill me was quite heavy. If I had taken it head-on, I would have been cut in half."

"---Depending on Orun's future actions, the battle might turn into a quagmire. As planned, I want Shion to head to the empire. The possibility that it's already too late is quite high, but I want you to deter the cult. I don't want a scenario where the Hero goes on a rampage."

"Understood. This time, we were used by the cult. Next time, I won't let them do as they please."

Thank you for reading to the end.

I apologize for the sudden shift in the timeline.

I initially planned to include this episode only in the book version, but as I developed the plot, I realized this episode was necessary, so I decided to insert it at this point in the main story.

From the next chapter, the timeline will return to the original sequence, and the story will be from Sophia's perspective.

I hope you will enjoy the next chapter too.