47 - another feast

Thor's knees buckled for a moment, and he kicked the ground with maximum force.

At the same time, he draws his sword, instantly drawing the sharpest edge of his blade.

With Mu hanging around his neck, Thor rushes toward the monster, which turns into a gale and begins to move.

But...

But he is still unable to close the distance between him and the girl.

Thor's sword tip slices through the air, leaving a gap the size of a strand of hair.

The monster's arm reaches out beyond the tip of the blade, grabs Sora by the hair as she tries to escape, and pulls her close.

The Lord of the Labyrinth comes back to life and lifts the girl he has captured into the air.

Thor stopped moving abruptly at the sight of the girl, who was held out like a shield.

In his mind, a scene comes to the surface, rapidly, like mud, through the layers of memory.

Nine years ago.

Nine years ago, a swarm of imps broke through the outer wall and attacked the residents.

A girl who failed to escape was caught by the monsters, and Thor was the only one who happened to be nearby at the time.

The rest is a common story.

As a result, Thor was injured so badly that he lost the grip on his left hand and the girl was left with a scar on her back that will never go away.

The monster's head was quickly regenerated in front of Thor, who was unable to move with his sword held up.

Convinced of the effectiveness of his hostage, the master of the labyrinth lets out what seems to be a muffled laugh from his restored mouth.

Suspended by his arms by her hair only, Sola stares at her companions, not moving.

Thor instantly regained his composure at the sight of the girl who showed no signs of pain or fear, but only a trusting gaze.

"Moo-chan!"

"Rairai!"

Moo, instantly realizing the meaning of Sola's call, called the purple serpent to her.

The effect is immediately felt by the girl, who violently recoils from the monster's hand gripping her hair.

The master of the labyrinth, his expression of anguish on his face for a moment, reaches out with his regrown right hand to seize the girl again.

--

The monster's attention is slightly diverted as his arm moves in an unexpected direction.

That brief moment is enough for Thor.

Before he knew it, Thor had stepped into a distance that almost took his breath away.

Cut up.

Slash down.

Side cleave.

And a thrust.

Then another slash, and finally a straight downward swing.

Thor, who has accomplished this series of actions in almost a single motion, lightly shakes his blade as he drops back, sending the blood stains flying.

The sword, which had been sharpened to the utmost sharpness, returns to its sheath, spotless.

The next moment, the monster, its entire body in pieces, crumbles to the ground, spilling its contents.

Breathing out heavily, Thor rushes to Sora and gently holds her in his arms.

The girl who buried her face in the breastplate immediately looked happy.

"............ are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Thor."

"My tummy is already burning!"

"I'm sorry I worried you. Moo-chan."

"Don't apologize. That was my fault. I'm sorry.

But Tall-chan helped me out. But Thor, you helped me out.

At Sola's words of thanks, Thor silently tightened his arms around the girl.

"But it doesn't hurt too much when you pull my hair, does it? Is it because of the characteristic you just showed me?"

"Maybe so."

"Then I was very lucky, wasn't I?

They look at each other and laugh a little, and then Moo, who has noticed something, points from behind Thor's back to the back of the plaza.

"Tor-chan, Tor-chan!"

"What's wrong, Moe?"

"The lid's closing again!"

Just as Moo had said, the miasma pit was once again covered by a stone lid.

Thor approaches cautiously and gently reaches out to touch it.

His eyes widen slightly at the power that flows into them again.

Thor's skill tree has added a new characteristic, .

"It seems that this stone lid will return the labyrinth itself to the way it was before it was conquered. ......"

"Oh, really?"

"You two, touch the stone."

"Oh, I'm tingling!"

"Mmm, just like before!　Tor-chan."

Sora had , and Mu had .

Activation: Automatic / Effect: Small / Range: Self

"Oh, Moe's a winner."

"You've become strong again."

"I love you, Moo."

Thor thinks quickly as he watches the child's cheeks relax lazily as Sola grinds on his whiskers.

The number of times can be used is currently six.

He would like to try it, but it would probably be impossible to stop just before the stone lid comes out.

If we consider that the master of the labyrinth will come back to life, we also need to maximize the sharpness of the iron sword.

We can only try twice, but that should be enough, since we risk to meet a crowd we can't avoid on the way back.

Thor, having made up his mind, checks the position of the scattered monsters and tells them

"Okay, let's try two more times."

What are you going to do?　Tor-chan."

"Oh, are you going to open the lid again?"

"That's the plan. Moe, take care of the thorns and the lightning rods. Sora, stay with Moo.

This time, Thor and the others, well prepared and prepared, reopen the miasma pit.

Thor approaches the resurrected hobgoblin chief as before, waits for him to get up, and then cuts him to pieces with a crunch.

For the third time, Thor gets , Mu gets , and Sora gets .

The fourth time, Thor exhaled with satisfaction after confirming that everyone had all four traits.

"I feel refreshed. Okay, let's go home.

"Yes, sir. Hey, aren't your arms getting a little fat?"

"I'm hungry, To-chan!"

"Don't let your guard down. You'll be exploring the labyrinth until you get back up there."

However, the return trip was uneventful, and Thor and his friends easily made it to the surface.

They were congratulated by the waiting miners, the four young men, and for some reason, Bettina and the others.

After a short wait, Thor and the others headed for the city, escorting the chief miner who had confirmed the collapse of the cave.

The other miners are already on their way home, escorted by Sisan and the others.

By the time they returned to the city, the sun was setting.

A familiar face, Enna, greeted us at the assessment desk.

She greeted Thor with her usual gentle smile as she presented him with the ears and magic stones she had collected during today's hunt.

"I see you are back safe and sound, Thor. How was it?"

"Yeah, I managed to finish. It's been a tough couple of weeks.

Thank you for your hard work. Have you conquered the other side?

Yes, I made sure the cave was gone. I've been in this business a long time, but I have to admit I was surprised. I never thought I'd make it on my first try. And with only three men, one of them younger than my daughter. I must say, it's quite an accomplishment. They are the true adventurers, aren't they?

"Thank you very much for your very high evaluation."

No, no, no, I'm the one who wants to thank you. It was a pleasure working with you. I look forward to working with you guys in the future.

Thor held the offered hand tightly.

After shaking hands with Mu and Sola, the chief miner signed the certificate of defeat and left with a big wave of his hand.

"Now, I would like to congratulate you again. Congratulations, Mr. Thor, Ms. Sola, and Mr. Mu.

"You're welcome."

"Hehe, I'm kind of embarrassed."

"Oh, no. Don't you have any treats for me?"

Sorry, no food or drink is allowed at the counter.

"I see. Tor-chan, you still haven't eaten yet?

Well, let's hurry home. I'm sure Mr. Yuril is cooking up a feast for us today.

At Thor's words, Moe's purple eyes light up.

"Then tomorrow, we will have new adventurer's tags ready for you, so please come to the office.　

"Thank you, Miss Enna. I'm looking forward to it.

"Ah, Ms. Sola, today is your 30th day. Congratulations on your successful completion of one month as an adventurer.

Oh, it's only been a month. Thank you for all your help. Well, please keep up the good work.

After saying goodbye to Enna, who bowed with a beaming face, Thor and his friends headed for their familiar lodgings.

The amount of money earned in the kobolds' cave this time was one hundred and six silver coins, five large copper coins, and forty copper coins.

They spent 16 silver coins on equipment, 7 large copper coins and 1 medium copper coin on renting a magic stone lamp.

The total profit was 89 silver coins, 7 large copper coins, and 90 copper coins.

The skill points earned by Thor and Mu were about 2,400, and by Sora about 1,700.

The three return home and enjoy a pot of stewed wild boar meat prepared by Yuril.

They laughed until late at night.