Volume 1 - CH 3

Leaving the apartment of Rufa and Garnet, I headed to the Eternal Maiden as the streets were enwrapped in darkness. At the same time, I felt my heartbeat accelerating.

“The Devil of Demise, sealed inside the labyrinth to avoid the destruction of the world…” I know that I may sound imprudent, but I can’t help admiring the sound of it.

And, defeating a Devil to save the world, how can I not get excited at this! Fighting for my own sake isn’t half bad, but trying hard to save the people in this world, it just sounds so cool. It’s like a Hero of the old legends that I always admired!

“…I should calm down.” I realized myself I was getting a bit too excited, so I stopped in my tracks, taking a deep breath.

If what Rufa said is true, then the Devil of Demise will resurrect, and destroy this Empire. This truly isn’t the time to get excited about the idea of becoming a hero.

“For now, we have to make it to the lowest floor of the bottomless labyrinth.”

Once we find this Devil of Demise, the people who disregarded Rufa’s pleas will surely give their assistance as well. Even if the three of us can’t win ourselves, the adventurers and soldiers of the Empire combined might be able to do it. The time limit of one year is pretty tough, but it’s too early to despair.

“Yeah, I can see hope.”

I raised my head with more motivation than ever, and hurried my way home to get a good wink of sleep.

“Kyaaa!”

I heard a scream coming from a deep alley, making me stop on my feet.

“What?”

I ran towards the origins of the source, finding a single young girl with three dangerous-looking men surrounding her.

“He he he, don’t be like that.”

“We’ll take good care of you, so just stay calm.”

“N-No, let go!”

The men grabbed the arm of the girl, desperately trying to resist. Is this an abduction incident?! I thought things like these weren’t happening because of the red light district here, but the capital is a scary place…Wait, aren’t these the three men that were scared away by the bar employee!?

“Some shit happened, and I’m in a bad mood now. If you don’t listen to me, I might have to hurt your cute face, you know?”

“Eeek…!”

The leader of the group showed a fist, threatening the girl. Said fist was wrapped in bandages, so it must be the man. He really didn’t learn at all from his misstep yesterday. I can’t forgive that. You’re lowering the evaluation of people that came here from a rural area!

“Wait a second.” Filled with rage, I set foot in the back alley. “Let go of her.”

“Huh? What’s your problem, pu—Eek, a-a demon?!”

The men turned around, saw my black armor, and immediately showed a terrified expression. To think that being feared by people all the time would come in handy here…Filled with complicated feelings, I put my hand on the greatsword at my back.

“Leave.”

Only muttering this one word, I let free a great amount of black aura from my body. It’s fairly useful against bugs and flies during the summer, but apparently it had a great effect on humans as well. The men were shaking in their boots, quickly releasing the girl, and ran away.

“S-Shit, you better remember this!”

I didn’t think I’d hear the same phrase two times on a single day like this. Maybe I should report this incident to the town soldiers? But, will that knight really believe me after what happened before…Lost on what to do, I was taken by surprise when the girl suddenly jumped into my chest.

“Thank you very much, Dark Knight-sama. If you hadn’t passed by, then…” The girl broke out in tears, her body shaking.

No, I’m sorry for my fellow people, who caused trouble yet again. As a token of apology, I gently rubbed her back until she stopped crying, and separated my body.

“Then…”

“Please wait a moment!” The girl frantically clung to my arm.

I turned around in surprise, and was met with her dampened gaze, as if she was trying to appeal to me.

“Dark Knight-sama, please become our team member!”

…Now that sounds oddly familiar. Is it becoming a new fad? I tilted my head in confusion, when the girl let go of my hand, looking scared.

“Ah, I’m sorry! But, could you maybe at least hear me out!”

Her dampened eyes reminded me of Rufa back then. I wonder why. I got a really bad feeling about this, but turning her down right here would make me feel horrible all the same…

“I understand.”

“Really!? Thank you very much!”

I nodded, which let the girl’s face light up in joy, as she grabbed my hand, and we started walking. I was taken to a cheap-looking residence located in a back alley. Two other girls were inside the room, looking shocked at my appearance, but nodded in agreement after hearing the circumstances.

“First, I’d like to introduce ourselves. I am the leader and hunter Eclair.”

“I am the priest Jam.”

“And I’m a warrior monk, Cracker.”

They all had names related to sweets, something I haven’t heard before. Maybe they came from a location that’s famous for their sweets? As I was thinking about something unnecessary, the hunter Eclair-san started the conversation as the representative.

“In order to save our village that’s been in danger because of the drought, we became adventurers and came to the capital.”

Woah, that’s some noble cause.

“It was a lot of work and exceptionally tough at times, but we managed to graduate from the training grounds.”

I felt my chest ache, knowing that I never even went there in the first place.

“However, we couldn’t find someone that would form a group with people from the countryside like us…”

Please, stop, that makes me remember some tough times myself!

“We worked hard as the three of us, but haven’t made any progress inside the labyrinth. Without earning any money, at this rate…”

She must have remembered the situation back at their home village, as Eclair-san and the others all started to ear up.

“That’s why, Dark Knight-sama, please become our team member, and help us!”

“If you agree to do so, then…”

The girls said, removing the buttons of their clothes, flipping up their skirts to show their thighs. I thought only elves liked to undress like this? Is this yet another trend becoming more popular? I think you should do that when there’s no men around.

I grabbed Eclair-san’s hand to make her stop, and nodded.

“Understood.”

“This is what happened, and now we’re team members with the Dark Knight-sama!” Eclair-san declared, clinging to my arm.

She took the role of explaining the circumstances to Rufa and Garnet, seeing that I’m not exactly talkative, but I don’t like the way she’s clinging at me.

“With this being the case, please treat us well!”

“………”

Eclair-san gave another energetic smile, but Rufa just stood frozen, expressionless. Maybe she’s angry that I selfishly invited these girls after all…But, as fellow people who came from the same kind of place as me, I couldn’t leave them alone. And, I thought the more people we had to challenge the labyrinth, the better…

Rufa stood frozen still, as Garnet was the one to open her mouth.

“Let me just make sure, but do you understand just who this elf here is?”

“Yes, she is the 7th imperial princess, isn’t she.”

“You’ll be travelling with her. Are you aware of what the royal family might do?”

“As long as we have Dark Knight-sama, we aren’t scared of anything.”

“Our goal is to make it to the bottom floor of the labyrinth, what about that?”

“He saved me, and offered a helping hand in our time of need. We will follow him to the pits of hell.” Eclair-san answered Garnet’s questions without hesitation.

“That’s what she says, but what about you?” Garnet directed her gaze at Rufa, who suddenly flashed a smile.

“I understand the circumstances. To save your hometown, I will do my utmost to help.” She said, and shook hands with Eclair-san and the others.

Thank god. I knew that Rufa probably wasn’t going to reject them, but it seems like she’s not forcing herself. I sighed in relief, when Rufa declared.

“Now then, Dark Knight-sama, let us head to the labyrinth, shall we.”

Huh? I feel like her way of addressing me changed…I gazed over at Garnet to seek for help, who just shook her head.

“You really are a groundbreaking moron.”

She’s insulting me!?

“The more kind you are, the more poison you’ll swallow…Well, since you’re helping us, I don’t have any room to complain.” Garnet commented as she passed by me, walking on ahead with Rufa.

Maybe she really was angry after all…?

“Dark Knight-sama, let’s head on as well.”

I wasn’t given any time, as Eclair-san pulled on my arm, and we headed towards the labyrinth.

*

“Today, we’re heading to the first floor of the labyrinth to defeat the Guardian [Indolent Sloth].”

We entered the labyrinth early in the morning with no other person around, as Rufa announced this, handing out a parchment. There, she had marked down the layout of the first floor, as she pointed at a big room a straight path from the entrance.

“This is where Sloth is residing. Once you enter the room, you cannot leave again nor have someone enter it without fully defeating the Guardian, so please be mindful of that.”

Though this allows for no interruptions during the fight, it means that there’s no way of escaping.

“Dark Knight-sama, I’m scared…” Eclair-san clung to me as she shook, so I gently tapped her shoulder.

Crunch!

“Then, let us go ahead.” Rufa crushed the map in her hand, and started walking.

I figured, she must be angry. But, how do I apologize? Whenever I was having a fight with my childhood friend, Gramps would tell me to ‘Just keep quiet and act like you’re listening to them’! I walked next to Rufa, and decided to hear her out.

“………”

“………”

This doesn’t really help if the other person doesn’t listen at all!? Ugh, now that it’s come to this…Garnet~ Help me~!

—Again, don’t just rely on me!

She just glared at me. This is done for…It’s over…I dropped my shoulders in despair, when Eclair-san and the others showed worried gazes.

“Dark Knight-sama, what happened?”

“If you feel off, you can go and fondle my chest a bit?”

“You can have my butt if need be?”

The only person that would cheer up with that is Gramps!

“…Ptui.”

For some reason, I felt like I heard Rufa spit on the ground, but I’m too scared to check. In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, we moved along the path, when—

“Careful!”

At the third intersection we arrived at, I started dashing forwards, carrying Rufa and Garnet in my arms as I jumped up.

“Alba-sama!?”

“What are you doing!?”

At the location the two stood at a second ago, a transparent flabby lifeform dropped on the floor.

“A slime!?”

Rufa raised a shriek, and even I was shocked. Because we both thought that the 1st floor of the labyrinth only harbored human-type enemies like goblins or trolls. Maybe the slow movement speed of the slimes made it so that they rarely appeared on this 1st floor? Either way, the bottomless labyrinth is a place where you can’t let down your guard even once.

I let down Rufa and Garnet, and slowly pulled the greatsword at my back. In response, the slime tried to leap at me, but I cleaved it in two.

—My chance for a fanservice sceneeeee!

I felt like I heard an agonizing death scream coming from the slime, but it quickly dispersed into light, and disappeared. As for a magic stone…Nope, none.

“Alba-sama, um, thank—”

“Kyaaa, Dark Knight-sama!”

The second Rufa tried to say something, Eclair-san and the others raised words of praise and jumped at me.

“You anticipated the attack of the slime, and even defeated it in one attack, you’re amazing!”

“Wonderful, I’m falling for you!”

I’m happy about them praising me like this, but it really wasn’t anything great…If anything, I felt apologetic, and carefully pushed away the others. And then, I directed my gaze over at Rufa, who was previously interrupted—

“…Dark Knight-sama, I humbly thank you for the rescue. Now, let us move on.” She thanked me like we were complete strangers, and walked on ahead.

Ugh…even though she calmed me by name before…As I was left depressed, Garnet gave me a hand sign.

—You saved me there, thanks.

You don’t have to worry about that, we’re teammates.

—If only that idiot princess was as simple as you.

What do you mean?

—Anyway, just leave Rufa to me.

Thanks, Mom!

—Go. Die!

Oh come on, I was saying that as a compliment…I was depressed yet again, when Garnet lined up next to Rufa. They started talking about something I couldn’t pick up on, but as long as her mood gets better, I’m totally fine with that. Not too long after that, we finally made it to the room of the Guardian.

“So here will be the Indolent Sloth…”

Standing in front of a metal and sturdy door, Eclair-san and the others swallowed their breaths. Rufa equally had a tensed-up expression, as she exchanged glances with the others.

“Let us confirm our plan of operations once again. Garnet and Cracker-san will step in front, and gather the attention of Sloth. In the event that they get hurt, Jam-san will provide heals, whereas Eclair-san and I will deliver long-range attacks, diverting its attention.” Speaking this far, Rufa finally looked me in the eyes. “Once we’ve managed to create an opening, you deliver the finishing blow, Alba-sama.”

“Yeah!” I nodded with momentum.

Since she called me by my name, her mood must have improved drastically. To make up for my previous mistake, I’ll use my secret Black Shadow Style’s sword magic, and defeat him in one strike!

“Make sure not to destroy the labyrinth, will ya.” Garnet tapped on my waist with a wry smile.

Right as I put my hand on the big door, Eclair-san screamed.

“Dark Knight-sama, please wait a moment! The blade of your greatsword is chipped!”

Eh, no way!? In shock, I took a closer look at my greatsword—My ‘Demon Eater’. It can eat up the magical power in the surroundings, and fire it off in a different way, so even if it was chipped a bit, it shouldn’t hurt, but…maybe it happened during my battle with the slime?

“Lend it to me for a second.”

I grew worried, when Eclair-san reached for the hilt of the sword. She accepted it, and managed to easily carry it with her right hand.

“Eh!?” Rufa raised a shock-filled voice.

Is this really something to be surprised about? Judging Eclair-san’s real strength—

Push!

“…Eh?” This time, I was the one making a dumbfounded noise.

Eclair-san faced my chest, and pushed my body with her shoulder. Left in surprise, I couldn’t regain my balance, and bumped against the door—or so I expected, but I actually stepped inside the room.

“…Eh?” Another surprised voice escaped my mouth.

Cracker-san and Jam-san had actually opened the door while we weren’t looking. And, with a different smile from usual, as if they were looking at their prey, their gazes filled with lust, they closed the door.

“…Eh?” That was the third time.

No seriously, I had no idea what just happened. Excuse me!? I panicky tried to open the door, but it didn’t move an inch, as if ‘Time Stop’ had been cast on it. And then…

“Gugoooooo!”

I heard the ear-splitting howl of a wild beast at my back.

*

“Excuse me, what is this—”

“Don’t move.”

Alba had been locked inside the Guardian’s room, and when Rufa tried to protest, Eclair pointed the crimson red greatsword at her.

“Bastard!”

“You stay still as well.”

Garnet readied her mace to fight back, but the other two girls intercepted her, like a group of predators surrounding their prey. Seeing this, Rufa clicked her tongue as a cold sweat ran down her back.

“Tch, so you weren’t just parasites, but actual robbers.”

“That’s the genius elf princess for you, you catch on quickly even in a situation like this.”

Unlike her previous attitude, Eclair responded with a sharp voice, as the corners of her mouth went up to form a grin.

“The Dark Knight-sama’s equipment is actually just a bonus. Our real target was you, princess.”

“What did you say!?”

Were they spies from another country to abduct the princess and request high sums of ransom? Eclair apparently guessed that thought of Rufa, as she grinned, shaking her head.

“That’s an interesting idea, but not quite. Rather than being spies of another country, we’re actually the ones hunting them.”

“No way that—Well, I guess people like that exist.” Rufa stopped herself mid-sentence to fix her words.

Being the 7th imperial princess, she wasn’t entirely involved with politics, but with a country as large as the Goldot Empire, it makes sense that they would have to put up defenses against harmful people inside the country. And, since the Empire accepts adventurers disregarding origin and race, that in itself is a wide weakness.

“You secretly take care of enemy spies that snuck in the country as adventurers, so something like an assassination squad?”

“Correct! That’s the daughter of the current Emperor.”

“Tch.”

Eclair let out a snicker as she lowered the blade of the greatsword, which led Rufa to return a click of her tongue.

“An assassination squad like yours has that much free time that you follow the orders of my shitty old man to bring me back?” Returning as much cynicism as possible, Rufa glared at Eclair.

“Almost, you’re about 50% there. We’re actually just the grunts. We don’t get direct orders from the Emperor, and just taking you back isn’t our original goal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you can just ask the person in question for that.” Eclair said, and pointed at the path they passed a few minutes prior.

They must be observing this situation from the shadows, no doubt. But, no longer, as a knight in white armor appeared in front of Rufa.

“Sir Ox, so you set this up!”

“It is all for your sake.” The knight called Ox spoke with a calm down, even in the face of Rufa’s fierce glare. “Give up on defeating this Devil of Demise, and calmly return to being a princess.”

“You set up a trap for Alba-sama just to make me understand that!?” Rufa raised a harsh voice, pointing at the metal door.

Past this door, Alba stood all alone, most likely fighting the Guardian. Even if he possessed the strength of a 6th floor ranker, now that his weapon had been stolen, even he should have no hope of defeating Sloth.

“I don’t care if this is for the sake of the Empire! At least only aim for me!” Rufa screamed, as tears formed in her eyes. “Leaving aside Garnet, Alba-sama carries no sin!”

“Excuse me, I don’t remember doing anything bad here!?”

“You assisted the escape of the 7th imperial princess.”

“Ugh…I guess I did…” Garnet grit her teeth at the sharp argument Rufa made.

In the face of this banter, Ox did not relax his expression once.

“You seem to be in the wrong about something here. Our goal incorporated the idea of dealing with this Dark Knight.”

“What! Did you already figure out that Alba-sama aimed to become the next Emperor!?”

“Oho, so he was even more dangerous than we thought.” A glimmer of surprise reflected on Ox’s expression.

“Don’t just add more false information!”

“You keep quiet for a moment.”

Garnet raised a scream, but the warrior monk and priest immediately turned their weapons towards her. Rufa watched this, as a doubt came up.

“You didn’t know about his plans? Then, why is there a need to kill Alba-sama?”

He can’t be found guilty of any sin merely for the fact that he is wearing the armor of the 6th floor’s guardian, the Dark Knight.

“Alba-sama has never killed a single person, and even if he planned to take the throne, he has not put that plan into action yet.”

At this rate, Alba will really be treated as a traitor—is what Garnet thought to herself, but Rufa continued.

“More than anything, Alba-sama has sworn to defeat the Devil of Demise! Don’t you feel ashamed to plot and kill such a kind person!” She raised an angered voice like never before, showing how hurt she must be.

However, Ox showed no hesitation, and returned a calm voice.

“Princess, that exactly is his sin.”

“What?”

“This Devil of Demie had been locked away on the final floor of the bottomless labyrinth, but if he was defeated, that would be the biggest problem.”

Rufa’s expression distorted in shock.

“You believe in the Devil!?”

“Indeed. Not just me, but also the Emperor, a long time time before you even brought it up.”

“Why…”

No matter how much she pleaded in front of them, nobody dared to lend her an ear, and now they were supposed to have known from the start? Utterly confused, Rufa could only listen to Ox’s next words.

“You cannot be blamed for not knowing. This information written down in the forbidden book was something the first Emperor had left behind.”

“The first Emperor!?”

“Concerning the endless supply of monsters, and the mysterious construction of the labyrinth, that was the result of the Devil’s power, or so have judged many people hundreds of years ago.”

“Wha…”

“The reason we have led an investigation on the number of monsters was because we believed in the existence of the Devil in the first place.”

“………” Rufa couldn’t force out any words.

All that she had deduced from this forbidden book was already an established fact. No, that didn’t matter. If someone like her could arrive at this, then the countless geniuses before her must have had no trouble. But, that still left one question open.

“We are talking about the Devil of Demise, who will eventually bring ruin to this world, you know? And at the very least, it will utterly destroy the Empire. You believe in its existence, yet order the murder of Alba-sama, who has sworn to assist in fighting this evil!?”

What reason is there to trap and kill an ally? And it’s not like he arbitrarily kept Rufa prisoner from returning home. There could have been a means of negotiating. But, Ox just shook his head, tired.

“You have a fundamental misunderstanding, Princess. Defeating the Devil would be a problem for us.”

“Huh?” A dumbfounded voice leaked out of Rufa’s mouth. “Could you keep the jest for later? How would saving the Empire’s—No, the entire world from the Devil of Demise be a problem? Are you a follower of the Devil or something?”

“…Princess, what do you think would happen with the labyrinth if the Devil were to be defeated?”

“The monsters would disappear, and peace would be guaranteed.” Rufa didn’t even hesitate to answer.

Hearing this, Garnet was the first to realize.

“I see, that’s what this is about…”

“Hold on, don’t just consent to it all on your own. This makes me feel like I’m the only idiot here!?”

“That’s right, you’re too gullible of an idiot.” Garnet sent Rufa a tragic gaze.

While being the 7th imperial princess, and born as an elf, she received hate from her sisters and the other royal family, raised in an environment where you would naturally come to hate people, and yet she threw away her easy life to save the citizens of the capital, and became an adventurer. Even if she can be a plotting witch at times, she is probably as kind and gullible as Alba. That’s why she can’t catch on to the desires people can harbor.

“Think about it. If monsters disappear, you won’t ever be able to gather magic stones again.”

“Huh?”

“And it’s not just that. If monsters disappear, the adventurers, who have continued to strengthen their Aura, will lose all value.” Garnet hissed, as she glared up at Ox.

By doing so, Ox nodded in admiration.

“That is the trusted ally and daughter of Redberyl-sama for you. Unlike your appearance, you are quite reliable.”

“You didn’t need to add that last part!”

Ox didn’t lend an ear to Garnet’s roar of anger, and just returned his gaze back to the baffled Rufa.

“As you have said, this Goldot Empire has been built upon the labor of the adventurers. That is why, if the monsters disappear from the labyrinth, the adventurers will disappear, and the Empire will rot.”

“That’s…” Rufa must have grasped it as well now.

The reason the Goldot Empire’s hegenominial family has gained such an influence was because of the endless supply of monsters and magical powers. Magical casts like ‘Fireball’ are born from magic stones, allowing the soldiers of the Empire additional firepower, distinguishing them from soldiers elsewhere. And, you can’t forget about the Aura of adventurers that can best more than a thousand soldiers alone. It is so powerful that it can inflict damage on the one who striked first.

Even an average adventurer on the level of a 1st floor ranker can best up to 50 average soldiers. If you have the power of a 6th floor ranker, you might be able to even destroy smaller countries, which led the Empire to rise to its current power. That however brings up the question of what would happen if the Devil of Demise were defeated, and the vanishing of the labyrinth as a result.

They might be able to keep their status as long as the current generation of adventurers is still alive, but after that, the flames of war would surely erupt. Even the Ring Walls of the capital won’t hold a continuous siege, which will eventually close the curtains on the thousand-year long existence of the Empire.

“Do you finally understand it? The Devil of Demise cannot be defeated or the Empire will fall to ruin.”

“However, won’t the same thing happen in one year, once the Devil is resurrected!?”

Be it the monsters of the Devil of Demise, or the rebellion of the other countries, everything will be too late in one year. But, concerning the rebellion, something can still be done about this. Make peace with the other countries, allow them a certain level of automated authority, and pour water on the sparks of rebellion before it is too late. By doing so, the Empire should not fall to complete ruin, even if the Devil of Demise were to be defeated.

At the same time, if the Devil of Demise were to be resurrected, not only the Empire would fall into ruin, but also the entire world.

“Between the hegemony of the Empire and the lives of humanity, I don’t think you need me to tell you the answer!” Rufa screamed, using logic even a child would understand.

However, Ox was unfazed.

“Princess, do you have any proof that the Devil will be resurrected in one year?”

“Huh? That’s what…”

“It said in the forbidden book. But, that’s all you have, right?”

“You…”

Seeing Rufa’s reaction, Ox showed his first smile of the day.

“Judging from the mysterious construction of the labyrinth, the Devil of Demise must surely exist. Seeing that the number of monsters gushing out from the labyrinth’s depths has been growing highly indicates that the seal has grown weaker. However, we have no definite proof that the seal will break in one year.”

This forbidden book had been written a thousand years ago by the very first Emperor. There is no doubting that.

“However, that doesn’t mean that it will never be resurrected, right!?”

“Looking at the complex structure of the labyrinth and its width, another thousand years could pass before monsters start making it to the surface, don’t you think?”

“Ugh…”

Since Rufa could find no way to refute Ox’s logic, she was forced to stay quiet. Their different logical conclusions have been on parallel lines. Will the calamity happen in one year, or will it not? Will you throw away the hegemony for the sake of people, or will you ignore danger to keep living in luxury? There was no way that the opinions of the Empire and his subordinates, and Rufa’s would find a common ground. Hence, conclusion had to be found another way. In other words, the winner will be righteous.

“With this in mind, we cannot allow you to defeat the Devil of Demise. Hence, we will take you with us, and make sure you won’t do anything rash.”

So that Rufa wouldn’t try anything stupid, Eclair released her Aura that she had kept suppressed until now. Undoubtedly, she wasn’t an adventurer belonging to the 1ist floor. She must be a 3rd floor ranker at least. Adding Ox and the other girls to that, Rufa and Garnet had no way of winning. Rufa understood that, and that’s why—

“I don’t care what you do with me. However, at least let Alba-sama—”

“Not happening.”

Rufa wasn’t allowed to finish her words, as Eclair cut in. She readied Alba’s deep red greatsword in her hand.

“I have a high evaluation of his. Even if he’s a perverted bastard for falling to our bad performance.”

She had hired these ruffians to assault her at that exact time and place, hoping that Alba would come to her aid. Eclair herself was aware that, no matter how strong he may be, a man could not win against her charm. Although the circumstances were a bit different in this case, Alba still had been deceived by them.

“That fake Dark Knight might just make it down to the real one, and set foot to the Devil of Demise.”

If he and the other strong rankers like Godspeed Chidori worked together, it might not be impossible.

“That is why we have to kill him here.”

He has to be dealt with before he can gather more allies, and achieve the impossible. That is the job granted to the ‘Labyrinth Peace Preservation Squad’.

“Don’t worry. We will dismiss you from your position, and preserve his dead body in ice to not allow any revival.”

Of course, no way could Rufa agree to this. Eclair was using Alba’s deceased body as a means to threaten her. If she dared to rebel against this, his body would be destroyed, with no more hope of reanimation.

“Ugh…”

Unable to find any way out, Rufa couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Hehehe, don’t go crying now. We’re going to lock up that dwarf girl as well, so you won’t feel lonely.”

“…Well, I should have expected as much.” Garnet let out a sigh, as she glared at Eclair.

If she wasn’t the daughter of the renowned Redberyl, she might have suffered from the same fate as Alba.

“Now then, Princess, let us go back to the castle.” The knight grabbed Rufa’s arm.

“Alba-sama, I’m sorry…” She couldn’t back her tears any longer.

*

“Gugooooooo!”

A roar filled the wide open room I was in. Just its race suggested, it had sharp horns growing from its head, being a bear four times bigger than a human. As if it didn’t even care I was forced into this room, it slowly approached me, and attacked.

“Woah!”

With speed not befitting of its name Sloth, it leaped at me, as I panicked to dodge. The monster crashed into the wall, and turned around like nothing happened. I was hoping that attack could have broken the door open, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Now that it’s come to this, I have no other choice but to defeat it myself—But, I had borrowed my greatsword to Eclair-san, so I don’t even have a weapon.

“What to do?” I was hesitating for a second, when the monster leaped at me once again. “Oops.”

I saw its giant claw, about the size of a cart, soar at me, so I was forced to once again evade it. Considering its size, that speed is crazy. But, exactly because of this size, its attacks are easy to predict, and the initial movement is fairly slow. I don’t think I’ll have trouble evading it. But, I can’t come out victorious if I just keep dodging. What should I do about this then?

I continued to run away from its attacks while thinking about how to deal with this. The monster suddenly in its tracks—as it started sucking in the air around it, together with the magical power. Ahh, this is bad!

“Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Together with an ear-splitting roar, a wave of magical power shook the atmosphere. Following that, I felt like the air around me grew heavier. What just happened!? My movements are dull like I’m trying to run inside the water.

“Goaaaaah!” The monster leaped at me yet again, and I planned on jumping to the side, but my body felt too slow I couldn’t quite make it.

I was flung up, reaching the ceiling of this room. Ah, I think I’ll die if I fall down from here. Thanks to my oddly calm thinking, in a situation like this even, I directed my feet at the ground, followed by my but, so that I could roll up my back, and dampen the impact.

“Alright, it worked.”

I didn’t feel any broken bone in my body, and although I managed to stand out without problems, my body was aching all over from the impact that Sloth landed on me. If not for this jet-black armor Gramps made for me—this ‘Providence Guard1’, then I might have not made it out this easily.

“Still, what a bother.”

Sloth was observing its surroundings, when it finally spotted me again. Following that, it yet again gathered the magical power around us, and roared.

“Roaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

I tried evading this attack by leaping to the right, but the second I landed, the air around me grew heavier again. On top of speed, this attack also has a great range. Evading it seems to be very difficult. But, Sloth didn’t give me much time to analyze this, as it attacked again. By leaping up, I managed to somewhat lessen the damage of the impact. When I soared through the air again, I landed on the place where I was first hit by the roar.

“It’s normal here.”

The air around me, probably influenced by a magical spell in the form of a roar, was back to normal, allowing me to move freely. It seems like the speed and range of that attack might be pretty bothersome, but the time of effect was fairly short, huh. If there were more people in here, we could use the opening he shows during the cast, and defeat him quite easily, huh?

Speaking in reverse, just as one person, this fight is pretty tough. Hit by this slow attack, you’re fully open to any follow-up. If I at least had my greatsword, I could fight back in close distance…

“Can’t help it.”

I prepared myself for the worst, and glared back at the monster. While taking off my mask, I spoke.

“…’Emerge2’”

The metal fixtures holding together my armor fell off, as my armor dropped to the ground. When I showed this to my childhood friend, she burst out laughing, and said that a name like ‘Perv’ was a better fit of a name. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I gathered all the Aura in my body at my back.

“Guah!?”

All of a sudden, Sloth, who only showed killing intent this far, suddenly stopped its movements, staring at me in shock. But, I can’t blame it. Because Chinese peacock—or rather, the wings of a fairy were growing from my back.

“They told me not to show this to other people though…”

Grandma—the fairy princess Titania, mentioned that ‘You are a hybrid, so if you show that to others, you’ll be turned into an exhibition’, and those words stay with me even now. Since I never ran into any other hybrids besides me, I don’t know how rare of a type I am. But, the older lady that Gramps—the fairy king Oberon—cheated on Grandma with was apparently a human, and gave birth to my mother. But, since my father is also a human, the fact that I can still create fairy wings like this means that I’m a quarter fairy.

Worried that I wouldn’t be able to live with other humans, my mother asked Gramps to take me in to live at I Lapsel—but, my own origin doesn’t matter right now.

“You’re not a human, so as long as I can make you keep quiet, all’s fine.”

“Guu…Roaaaaaaa!”

I flashed a confident smile, when Sloth showed a terrified expression for a second, only to quickly fire away his roaring attack. However, I had already disappeared. My fairy wings allowed me to shoot up into the air.

“You really don’t get it.” I spoke, and slowly quickly descended again, reaching the head of Sloth to land an axe kick.

“Gufu!”

Sloth let out a loud groan, waving his hand in an attempt to hit me, but I already was up in the air again.

“Of course, the bigger and heavier you are, the stronger you seem. But, that doesn’t mean that smaller and more fragile beings are always weak.”

Fairies are small. Once you reach up to the age of Gramps and Grandma with their thousand and upwards, you can grow up to be the size of a human, but my childhood friend for example is just the size of a normal fairy, so about ¼ of me. That’s why the inhabitants of this world live under the assumption that fairies are weak. The fact that they live far away on a deserted island must probably enforce this misunderstanding.

However, reality can often be deceiving. Exactly because fairies are small to a threatening level, they are skilled in their Giant Killer techniques. One hit from a giant enemy, and they’re done for. That’s why they have no need to focus on defense. No weapon in the hands of fairies could hurt others, that’s why their techniques don’t rely on any tools. Using the aura they have accumulated, they charge head-on with their bare hands to fight. And, this is the highest level of the fairy bare-handed style that the fairy king Oberon came up with.

“Let’s do this!”

I leaped up into the air to where I could touch the ceiling, stuck out my right leg towards the monster bear, and had all the aura I gathered explode at my back. With speed faster than an arrow, I shot down at Sloth, who tried to intercept my attack with his fourth roaring attack.

“Roaaaaaaa!”

He probably tried to slow down my speed and land a counterattack, but it was already too late. My body moved faster than sound itself, breaking through the attack wave Sloth sent at me. My leg crashed right into Sloth’s wide open mouth, and I blasted right out through the back of his head.

Fairy Bare-handed Secret Technique – Meteor Kick

A giant would never expect a small fairy to basically commence a suicidal attack by jumping into its mouth. To be fair, I never ran into a giant that would make someone like me with a human body look like a fairy, but it’s not like that matters.

“……”

I arrived at the ground, and turned around. Any normal being would have died just from that, but the monster bear slowly turned towards me. And, as if it admired my efforts, it smiled, and scattered into particles of light.

“Thank you very much.” I clapped my hands together, and gave a slight bow.

Erasing the wings on my back, I walked to where Sloth had been standing. Sadly, he didn’t drop any magic stones. Instead, I found a single white medal on the ground. Picking it up, I could see an engraving that looked like the horned bear I just fought, together with the word ‘Sloth’. This was the proof of having bested the 1st floor’s Guardian, and the key to moving on to the next floor.

“Alright!”

Wrapped in a feeling of joy that made me forget all the pain aching in my body, I raised a cheer and jumped…Oh right, I almost forgot, but I have to go find Rufa and the others! I rushed towards the door. Unlike before, the door opened with just the smallest push. And, the second I stepped onto the path, I heard Rufa’s saddened voice.

“Alba-sama, I’m sorry…”

“About what? I asked in confusion.

By doing so, Rufa’s face shot towards me.

“Alba-sama, you were fine after a—Eh?” Rufa’s expression quickly changed from joy to shock.

Also, that knight from yesterday is suddenly with her…Just what happened when I was fighting Sloth? I sought for help and looked over at Garnet, when she was just staring at me in a daze, her mouth open…Now then, is she hungry?”

“Don’t treat me like a glutton!”

Ah, it’s the same Garnet as always. But why is everyone so shocked? Garnet let out a sigh that might just reach the Devil down on the lowest floor.

“I mean, everybody would be shocked if a snow-white prince appeared from a black devil, you know.” She said, and pointed at my face.

She must be talking about my white hair. I know that it might be a rare color to see, but I don’t think I deserve the title of a prince. I mean, I inherited the blood of the fairy king, so technically…Ah, wait, I forgot to put on my armor!?

I panicked and ran back inside the Guardian’s room, closing the door behind me. It’s fine, I erased my wings, so they shouldn’t have found out about me being a hybrid! Telling myself like this, I rushed to put on my armor again. Taking it off only takes a simple magic spell, but putting it back on again is quite time consuming.

Once I put on my mask, I checked that my armor was properly equipped, and I stepped through the door again. Thankfully, the door opened easily as before.

“So it really is Alba-sama…”

“Yeah.”

For some reason, Rufa was gazing at me with a beet red face, almost spacing out, but I just nodded along. Alright, she hasn’t found out! But, my joy was interrupted by the shaking voice of Eclair.

“Impossible…Even a 6th floor ranker shouldn’t be able to defeat Sloth without a weapon…”

Yeah, he really was a strong enemy. If I didn’t have my bare-handed skills, I wouldn’t have been able to win. I was going to offer that she could learn some about it as well, when I realized…That’s right, Eclair-san still has my precious greatsword.

“Could I have it back?”

“Eeek…!”

I took a step forward, which led Eclair-san to drop my greatsword on the ground. Was it too heavy after all? But, I was pretty sure she was strong enough to easily breeze through the first floor…I really doubt I had to step in last night when she was bothered by these three guys. I don’t know how much money they need to save their troubled hometown, but I’m willing to help until the bitter end, so she doesn’t have to worry.

I looked at her with a gaze filled with such emotions, to which she took another step back, looking terrified. Weird…she had been this friendly just a few minutes ago…I felt hurt, but I decided to instead focus on the fact that the knight had appeared in the group.

Don’t worry, we’re not using any more Alarm, okay!

Yet again, I looked him straight in the eye to convey these feelings, but he equally fell back with an expression distorted by fear.

“To think he would be fine after all this…Let us retreat for today. However, Princess, I have to warn you that, in the event of you continuing to look into the Devil of Demise, the Emperor will fly into a rage!” The knight screamed, and headed for the exit of the labyrinth, not to mention with Eclair-san and the others for some reason.

…Seriously, what happened? Utterly lost and confused, I looked over at Rufa. Her gaze met mine, and she suddenly started blushing furiously again. She took a few deep breaths, and tightly grasped my hand.

“Alba-sama, thank you very much.” She muttered, as a tear fell down her cheek.

I don’t think she has to be this thankful just because I defeated Sloth though. I looked over at Garnet to seek help again, who gave me a hand sign.

Eh, should I really do that? Won’t I get beheaded for doing this to the princess?

—Just. Do. It!

She sent me a glare. Given no other choice, I carefully wiped away the tear off Rufa’s face.

“Alba-sama?”

She raised her face in confusion, but I ignored that, just carefully, yet tightly embracing her slender body.

“It’s fine.” I don’t know why she suddenly started crying, but… “I will definitely defeat the Devil of Demise.”

If this stops her from crying, I wouldn’t mind getting beheaded.

“Alba-sama…!”

As if to betray my determination however, Rufa started to break out in tears again. Garnet you liar!

“You really are an idiot.” Garnet complained, and yet showed a kind smile.

Giving her a warm and thankful gaze, I continued to rub Rufa’s back until she stopped crying.

1 Guardian of Providence

2 Written as ‘Arrival’