Chapter 34: Labyrinth (34)

Hans didn’t really understand exactly what Alje’s words meant.

Before entering the labyrinth, he had lived the life of an ordinary farmer, far removed from anything mysterious.

In truth, even after entering the labyrinth, that hadn’t changed much.

Though he was acquainted with a witch, she was never the type to offer clear explanations.

And while he had seen many mysterious sights, if seeing something was enough to understand it, it wouldn’t be called mysterious in the first place.

The Sacred Spear.

Moreover, what Alje had spoken of wasn’t even the witch’s mystery — it was that of a saint.

“Kooh…”

In the middle of the night, the ceiling’s light had grown faint, and after marching for a few hours following a quick wash, the two of them had settled in a rocky cave to sleep.

Of course, the only one sleeping soundly was Alje.

Hans sat leaning against the wall, drifting in and out of light sleep, easing his fatigue little by little.

There was no way he could entrust night watch to that innocent child.

It was more exhausting than sleeping soundly, but he was used to it.

After all, Hans had been a hunter who often worked alone.

“……”

Still, even for light dozing, he needed at least a little proper sleep.

Managing one’s condition was an essential skill for a hunter, yet Hans couldn’t seem to fall asleep at all.

His mind kept drifting back to what Alje had told him.

“It really hurt. I thought I was going to die, but somehow I didn’t.”

“I was clutching the hole in my chest, running and running, and then I fell off a cliff… And when I opened my eyes, I was in that strange place. The place where I first met you.”

“I think I was probably there for a very long time before you arrived.”

It wasn’t exactly a new story, but Hans could easily fill in the parts of the story Alje hadn’t said aloud.

Hans looked up at the labyrinth’s ceiling, where a night sky rippled.

He gazed at the desolate and eerie environment of the labyrinth, a landscape that could never be found on the surface.

And then, his eyes fell on the girl sleeping peacefully — a girl who bore no visible trace of the monster she had once been.

The things he had grown used to seeing suddenly felt unfamiliar tonight.

Maybe Hans had never truly gotten used to any of this.

Perhaps he had only convinced himself he had, because adaptation was the only way to survive.

Well.

Who could ever love a world like this?

*

“Mm… Mister?”

“You’re awake?”

In the end, Hans didn’t manage to get any real sleep before Alje woke up again.

The dawn of the labyrinth was breaking.

Unfortunately, the morning light projected on the ceiling was far dimmer than that of the surface — it stirred no sense of awe, just a dull awareness that another day had begun.

As Alje wriggled out of her sleeping bag, Hans began tidying up their temporary campsite.

Naturally, Alje just sat there, watching him with wide, curious eyes.

“Should I help with something?”

“No, just sit there.”

Having already experienced the “miracle” of their setup time doubling despite the extra pair of hands, Hans had no intention of accepting her help, however eager she might be.

After a bit of grumbling, Alje eventually plopped down on a wide rock and started yawning loudly.

The dim morning light brushed gently over the curve of her delicate jawline, soft and feline.

Even against the bleak backdrop and their rough, travel-worn appearances, the girl’s beauty remained striking.

In fact, like a wildflower blooming in a rocky crevice, her unyielding grace in such harsh surroundings only made her seem more remarkable.

Hans, momentarily spellbound, quickly shook himself out of it and returned to his work.

“Hmm~”

Alje hummed a little tune, looking cheerful about something.

Hans, having finished packing up, stretched out his stiffened body.

He wasn’t in the best shape after a sleepless night, but it was nothing he couldn’t manage.

Today’s long march — and those to come — would be no different.

Shouldering his now considerably lighter backpack, Hans gestured for Alje to follow him.

“Let’s move out.”

“Huh? What about the stuff we’re leaving behind?”

“We’re making this our base.”

The shallow cave they’d chosen for their campsite was well hidden — for now.

But what seemed like a good hiding spot to him would likely appear the same to others.

Hans sprinkled a generous amount of witchweed powder at the cave’s entrance and buried their remaining supplies under dirt and fallen leaves at the back of the cave.

Some of it would probably spoil, but this way, smaller creatures wouldn’t come inside, and bigger ones wouldn’t notice the hidden stash.

“A base?”

“Yeah. This is our first objective.”

“But… there’s nothing here?”

Their goals were clear: they had to collect three rare items — the One-Winged Angel, the Witch’s Bloom, and the Pentagram Serpent.

Of the three, the One-Winged Angel posed a danger on a completely different level.

There’s a big difference between something being rare and being both rare and deadly.

That’s why Hans decided their first priority was collecting the One-Winged Angel’s feather.

“Now we call it.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go, if you’re ready.”

Not in the mood for lengthy explanations, Hans simply jerked his chin to indicate the direction.

With a slight pout, Alje fell into step beside him without further protest.

The cave they’d chosen as their base was in a gentle lowland, but they hadn’t walked far before the terrain started to steepen.

It wasn’t quite a mountain, but it was definitely more than just a hill.

As they climbed for a while, Alje’s eyes caught sight of a location that seemed like their destination — a strange rock formation that, though clearly formed naturally, looked almost sculpted.

Thick at the base with a wide, flat top, it looked just like a giant mushroom.

But once again, Alje’s guess was off the mark.

The moment Hans glanced at the mushroom-shaped rock, he immediately changed direction.

“Aren’t we going there?”

“We will. Just not yet.”

Hans had the habits of someone who worked alone — he rarely bothered to explain his plans.

Maybe it was because he didn’t see the point, considering how little help Alje could offer.

Still, Alje didn’t seem all that upset this time.

At least now there was a clear sense of purpose, unlike when they’d just been wandering through the wilderness.

It actually felt like a real adventure!

And every adventure needed a fitting villain.

In their case, it was a true monster — something far worse than the giants or beasts of fairy tales.

The creature that saints called the “Exile of Paradise” and witches named the “One-Winged Angel” was notorious enough that even Alje had been taught to fear it.

Only the highest-ranking knights among the Holy Order could face it one-on-one.

 What kind of plan did Hans have in mind against something like that?

Unaware of the excitement brewing behind him, Hans kept moving — past the slope and onto flatter, more even rocky ground.

“……”

The brightness on Alje’s face faded quickly.

And for good reason — she had bad memories of terrain like this.

The ground was littered with hollowed-out pits, like the marks of something gnawing away at the earth — a sure sign of Executioner Bugs’ nesting grounds.

Which meant Hans had indeed brought them to the right place.

“You don’t like bugs, right? Stay back.”

“Mister… you’re not seriously—”

“Yeah.”

Without hesitation, Hans stepped forward.

He had planned to save this area for later — but it was fine.

He’d just have to be a little more careful.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The sound of his footsteps alerted the creatures beneath the surface, and one by one, their sharp, gaping maws began emerging from the ground.

They weren’t particularly fast, nor were they much of a threat if you were prepared.

In their juvenile stage, Executioner Bugs weren’t even very aggressive hunters.

Right now, they were only reacting out of territorial defense.

Hans picked up a branch and flicked it toward one of the gaping jaws.

Snap!

The branch was bitten clean in half in an instant.

Clearly enraged, the creature surged further out of the ground — and Hans stood just within striking range.

“Mister! You’re too close!”

The moment the bug finally emerged fully from the dirt, opening its monstrous jaws wide to strike — Hans moved with flawless precision.

He slipped his sword under its exposed underbelly, deftly avoiding those terrifyingly powerful mandibles.

The Executioner Bug’s bite strength was grotesquely overdeveloped, capable of crushing even creatures many times its size — but that same strength was its downfall.

“H-Huh?”

With a simple twist of his wrist, Hans sent the unbalanced creature toppling onto its back.

The bug could have used its powerful jaws as a lever to right itself — but Hans had no intention of giving it the chance.

Dodging the attacks of other bugs, he jammed metal rods, daggers, and spare swords into the jaws of the fallen ones.

No matter how strong their bite, even they couldn’t chew through solid steel.

Their instincts told them to keep biting down — and so they remained stuck, immobilized by their own strength.

Grinning, Hans kicked the disabled bugs one by one, sending them skidding out of the nesting area.

“Who’s in danger now?”

After all, if a lone hunter had managed to survive this long, there had to be a reason.