397 - - I'm sorry about episode 395.

When I went to Marie and asked her what she wanted me to make for the core of the labyrinth, she requested me to make a medicinal herb called "rejuvenation grass," which sounds like a pun and is likely to cause bloody fights among humans. Is it my imagination that it would cause more commotion than Jinryoku-so?

Koa... cue... Genki? Kukoo""Koubun!"" ......"

As they descended to the 101st layer, Bell and his men charged toward the labyrinth's core. The core is flashing and flickering, so it seems to be happy.

Well, I can't see them and they can't hear me, so does that mean they're happy that I'm here?　I'm a little embarrassed.

But since I asked Sylphy to take a restroom break and didn't make any other stops, we got there in a fairly short time. I think it took about 15 hours.

"Yuta, dinner. I'll see you later!"

Belle cheerfully requested breakfast. We had planned to finish breakfast while we were flying, but since Belle and the others wanted to eat with Koa, we had a late breakfast today.

"Okay. I'll get it ready now. Um, Koa is going to have breakfast too, right?"

Koa flashes once with a big light. He remembered how to reply. Bell and the others were looking forward to feeding Koa, so let's hurry up and get ready.

They start their breakfast, taking out skewers and sandwiches from the food stalls from their magic bags, thinking about feeding Koa.

Koa, I'm going to eat this!

Belle immediately charges into the core with a grilled skewer. Thinking about it, I have to eat my meal while translating for the core.

Well, Bell and the others seem to be enjoying themselves, and Koa seems to be happy as well, so I'll do my best at least when I'm near Koa.

I finished my breakfast, which was not so easy, interpreting for Belle and Koa, and taking care of Belle and Koa's meals while eating my own breakfast. Phew, I think again. Childcare workers are hard work, aren't they?

"Well, ...... I don't know how I can say this when breakfast has just finished, but I brought a lot of materials that are to be discarded or something...do you want to absorb them?"

After breakfast is over and we've had a little time to relax over a cup of coffee, I tell the core what I originally wanted to do. I don't know how to say it, but it feels strange, as if I'm offering him another meal after he's finished eating.

A single flicker. Well, it's the core of such a huge labyrinth. There's no way that eating breakfast would prevent it from absorbing the materials it's supposed to discard.

I ask the core what I should do, and it tells me that if I place the materials to be discarded in the room, they will be absorbed by themselves. It is possible to absorb materials from anywhere in the labyrinth, but the closer to the core, the more efficient the absorption is, according to the core. Then, it's easy. All we have to do is to release the materials to be discarded into this room as fast as we can.

"Then I'll release them. Oh, Sylphie! I'm sorry, but please make sure the smell doesn't reach me."

I don't want to smell again the blood, sweat, and tears of those nasty adventurers. And I feel a little bad that I'm trying to feed it to the core. Well, you know what? Koa doesn't have a nose, so I guess it's okay. I won't check the details, but .......

Sylphy says ok, so I take the materials to be discarded out of the magic bag and pile them up in front of the core.

The core of the labyrinth flickers and sucks up the materials to be discarded one after another like a vacuum cleaner. I see, the closer the cores are to each other, the more efficiently they absorb the materials.

The core cannot directly absorb the materials outside of this location, so the nutrients have to be transported to the core through the labyrinth. In this process, the farther away from the core, the more loss will occur.

"vermoo", "queue", "help", "coo", "I'll take care of you!" ......"　

...... Oh, hey. The belles, who had been watching the absorption of the core with amusement at first, now wanted to try it themselves, and picked up the materials and carried them out into the core.

They walked to the core with the material in their hands and dropped it into the core. They were overjoyed to see their materials being sucked into the core, flapping their arms and legs.

"Sylphy. You're not going to get caught in this, are you?

If you get sucked in, it won't be so fancy, will it?

"Well, I have a contract with Yuta, so I won't be sucked in so easily. And if the core does something stupid, I'll chop it up in an instant, so you don't have to worry about it.

Sylphy, you're scary but reliable. Besides, if we didn't have a contract, would the spirits be sucked in too?　Ah, so this is one of the reasons why Meral refused to enter the labyrinth before signing the contract. Since she is not well connected to the world, there is a possibility that she could be taken into the labyrinth at any moment.

I thought the core of the labyrinth ...... was just a harmless glimmering light, but it was dangerous.

Well, it seems that Sylphy is there to help, and the core doesn't seem to be trying to suck Belle and the others in, so we can rest assured.

Having confirmed that everything is fine, I take the materials out of the magic bag with peace of mind. A lot of garbage ......, no, it's going to take some time to get the materials. It would be easier if we just float in the sky and release all the materials to be discarded, but since Belle and the others seem to enjoy helping us, now is not the time. Let's wait until they get tired of it.

****

"How did it go?　Does this give you a little more power?"

I took my time and finished handing over all the materials to be discarded to the labyrinth. It was a bit like feeding a pet, or maybe it was because the belles didn't seem to get bored until the end, which was unexpected.

One flicker of light means that they have a little more power.

"Have you built up enough power to create a new layer?"

Flickering twice. As expected, I wonder if the power to create a new layer can be accumulated just by delivering the material to be disposed of once.

"Is it possible to make a transition line connecting the first layer and this room?

One flick of the switch. That's not so bad. That'll get us to our first target. Even though it won't take a day if we ask Sylphy to do it for us, we are sorry to repeat the process every time we deliver materials to be disposed of.

I'd like you to set up a transition zone in the layer that is convenient for collecting materials, but it's hard to ask the core of the labyrinth that has been overfished to the point of losing its power from me to make collecting convenient.

"Oh, can you make the room with the transfer station in the first layer a hidden room, so that it can't be used without me being there?"

One blink. That doesn't seem to be a problem either. It does. You don't set up a transfer station that can be easily reached by yourself so that anyone can use it, do you?

Now we'll see what happens with the rejuvenating weed. Anyway, let's make a presentation based on the materials Marie gave us.

Surprisingly, the presentation ended easily. No, I didn't even need to make a presentation before that. Do you know what rejuvenating weed is? When I asked him, he flashed once.

When I asked him if he could make it, he blinked once. Everything is solved. What about the knowledge of the core of the labyrinth?

"Let's see, can you make a transition team and rejuvenating plants?　Just don't overdo it with the rejuvenation grass."

The core flashed once, and a ridiculously detailed magic circle appeared on the cobblestone pavement. That must be the transition zone. I don't really know what it is, but it is quite detailed enough to make people move instantly.

While I was paying attention to the magic circle, a corner of the core room started to move. Before I knew it, the cobblestones disappeared to reveal bare earth, and plants began to grow. Yes, that's the rejuvenating grass. .......

It's like watching a combination of earth spirits and forest spirits. In fact, Tulu and Tamamo are observing the place where the rejuvenating grass grows with great interest.

They grew the rejuvenating grass quite easily and over a large area. What can I say, if all of them are rejuvenating plants, it would be a tremendous amount of them.

"Thank you, Koa. Are you sure you're not overdoing it?"

One flicker. He's not pushing himself too hard. But I don't have the ability to read the expression on the labyrinth core's face, so I don't know what's really going on. I'll remember to bring the next material to be disposed of.

Me and Belle and the others gather rejuvenating grasses...... no, we harvest them. If it's growing in a place like a field, I feel very uncomfortable with the word "harvesting".

**

"Well then, Koa, thanks for everything. I'll bring you the next material to be discarded.

After collecting the rejuvenating plants, we all decide to have lunch together and go home. We had planned a three-day schedule, considering the fact that we would not be able to set up a transition team, but we were able to complete the schedule in almost one day.

"Yuta, wait a minute!"

As I was about to head for the transition zone, Sylphy called out to me to stop me.

Sylphy, what's wrong?

"I don't mind your lack of caution, Yuta, but you should learn to be a little more cautious."

I was suddenly given a light lecture. Did I make a mistake?

"Huh, Yuta. You tried to get on the transition line without thinking. You don't seem to realize it, but Yuta is the most terrifying person in the labyrinth core. Since you are going to get on the transition zone, which can be easily used as a trap, you have to ensure your safety at least a little.

Sylphy sighs and tells me that I don't know what I'm talking about. ......I see, there are cases where the destination is a dangerous place, or where the person cannot be transferred and disappears. ....... Wow, I was horrified. I wonder if I would have been in a stone, as they say.

"Thank you Sylphy. I am aware of the danger. But how do we know if ...... is dangerous or not?　I don't know anything about magic circles, okay?　Maybe we could check with Nomos and he could tell us a little bit about it, but he also said he doesn't understand all the grimoires in the labyrinth, so I guess it would be difficult."

It is possible to get a substitute monster for the sacrifice somewhere and have it transfer instead, but in the end, I won't know until I go to the destination to check it out, and it would be pointless if they mess with the magic circle while I'm gone.

"There's no need for such a petty solution. All you have to do is to make sure that Yuta will make my presence known to the core of the labyrinth. Then, tell him that if there is an accident, I will tear the core apart."

Hmm?　What do you mean?

I'm sorry about ............ core ...... something. I introduced the Great Spirit's presence in the core of the labyrinth with a demonstration, just as ...... Sylphy had said.

When Sylphy condensed the wind to an unfashionable degree right in front of the core of the labyrinth, the core was so frightened that it blinked erratically and would have died of shock if ...... Belle and the others hadn't stopped him from bullying the core.

After this, I told him that Sylphy will stay here until I transfer and summon Sylphy.

...... Let's move on and summon Sylphy as soon as possible. Core, be strong.

Without any excitement of the first transfer, I hurried to the transfer team, asked Bell and the others to confirm that I had safely transferred to the first layer, and summoned Sylphy. Oh, I have to tell you something.

Sylphy, I'm sorry for making you act like a villain.

"Hmm, I'm Yuta's contracted spirit, so I don't mind about that. But you should be a little better at risk management.

You're right. You know what? I can't sleep at night with my feet against Sylphy. Well, we don't know where she sleeps.