Recap up to this point: Rudeus was colored by despair upon hearing that Roxy had gone missing in the Teleport Labyrinth. However, in his hands was the "Teleport Labyrinth Exploration Journal," a book that documented nearly every detail of the labyrinth.
Roxy was in trouble.
Hearing that made me want to rush into the labyrinth immediately.
The location was the Teleport Labyrinth, but fortunately I had a walkthrough guide on hand.
I'd also looked into teleportation magic circles myself.
As long as I had time to observe even a single magic circle, I should be able to follow the book's instructions to clear the labyrinth.
But first, let me organize the situation.
Organizing the situation is important.
Roxy and Zenith might be in a race against time.
Even five minutes' delay in rescue could mean the difference between making it in time and falling short.
And yet, precisely because of that, I couldn't afford to panic.
I had to organize the situation, make thorough preparations, and rescue them with certainty.
In a flustered state, I'd overlook something.
Overlook something, make a mistake, take a detour — the probability of all that would increase.
As a result, I might waste not five minutes, but a day, or two days, or three.
I had to be cautious.
This was not a situation where I could afford to fail.
If I failed, it would lead to "regret."
No matter what form it took, if I failed to rescue Roxy and Zenith because of my own mistakes, it would remain as a profound regret.
"Father. I have here a journal written by an adventurer who ventured deep into the Teleport Labyrinth."
First, I presented the existence of the book.
"Teleport Labyrinth Exploration Journal."
The book that Sylphie — or rather, Senpai Fitz — had once taught me about.
It was a book that described in detail the shapes of teleportation magic circles, which were considered taboo.
A book containing descriptions that had been blacked out in other publications.
Whether it had escaped the Magic University's censorship simply due to good luck, or because it was an adventure log — either way, it had survived.
There was also the possibility that this book was fiction.
The Teleport Labyrinth was a labyrinth that no one had ever conquered.
It could be a fictional adventure story set in that location.
I thought the likelihood of that was low, though.
The shapes of teleportation magic circles described in this book closely resembled the real thing.
I had personally researched teleportation magic circles as well, and this book was the most accurate and detailed source.
That was the result of cross-referencing with other documents. There was no mistake.
But —
What if it was a different "Teleport Labyrinth"?
I couldn't rule out the possibility that there was more than one labyrinth full of teleportation traps in this world.
Even if the walkthrough guide had the same title, it would be meaningless if the contents were different.
"If the contents of this journal match the labyrinth we are about to head to,
then this book will be of great help in exploring the labyrinth."
When I said that, Paul and the others widened their eyes.
"Hey, Rudy... Wh-why do you have something like this?"
"I thought it might be useful, so I took it from the Magic University library."
"Is that so..."
I'd keep the matter of the teleportation magic circles under wraps for now.
What I needed to confirm now was whether the contents of this book matched the labyrinth we were about to enter.
"I'd like you to verify this. And if it proves useful for the labyrinth exploration, let's put it to use."
Paul took the book, studied the cover carefully, then handed it to Geese, who was standing nearby.
Geese accepted the book, then turned to me.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"...Please go ahead."
I could see why Geese would think he was the one to read it.
But since everyone wore expressions that said "of course," I didn't question it.
In Paul's party, Geese apparently filled that kind of role.
Because he could do anything, he did everything — I vaguely remembered hearing that before.
For instance, he was probably the one handling "mapping" and "organizing information" during labyrinth exploration.
"Father. While Geese reads, could you tell me about the labyrinth?"
I decided to direct a few questions at Paul, who was sitting right in front of me.
Everything was a confirmation of what the book had described.
"Sure, no problem."
"Types and names of monsters."
"Number of floors to the deepest level."
"The interior appearance, colors of the magic circles," and so on.
Paul rattled them off smoothly.
First, there were five types of monsters.
Since Paul had only made it to the third floor so far, there were apparently some he hadn't seen.
—
Vermilion Venom Spider. A giant poisonous spider. Despite being a tarantula-type, it shoots silk. Curable with basic antidote magic. B-rank.
— Iron Crawler. A caterpillar-like creature built like a heavy tank. Hard and heavy. B-rank.
— Mud Skull. A humanoid monster covered in mud. A human skull is embedded in the center of its body, which is its weak point. A-rank. It looks stupid, but it's highly intelligent and uses magic to fling mud.
— Armored Warrior. A rusted suit of armor with four arms. Each hand holds a sharp sword. A-rank.
— Eat Devil. A monster with long limbs and sharp claws and fangs. It moves by crawling along walls and ceilings. A-rank.
How many floors did the deepest level have?
That was unknown.
Rumor had it there were six or seven floors, but no one who had penetrated to the very bottom and seen the Guardian existed.
Where one floor ended and another began was a tricky question, but according to the book, the first floor was where spiders built their nests in large numbers.
The second floor was teeming with caterpillars and spiders.
The third floor was where both were led by Mud Skulls.
On the fourth floor, the spiders and caterpillars disappeared, leaving only Mud Skulls and Armored Warriors.
From the fifth floor onward, the Mud Skulls also vanished, leaving only Armored Warriors and Eat Devils.
From the sixth floor, it was Eat Devils only.
Beyond that, the book had nothing.
Interior appearance.
From the first to the third floor, the labyrinth's interior resembled an "ant nest" — complex, winding corridors with dead ends that led to rooms.
And at the back of each room, there was always a teleportation magic circle.
According to the book, from around the fourth floor onward, the labyrinth transformed into something resembling stone ruins.
Paul and his group hadn't made it that far.
However, information on the monsters and the conditions up to around the third floor had circulated to some degree through the trial and error of countless adventurers.
Appearance of the teleportation magic circles.
They emitted a pale blue light, with intricate, bizarre patterns drawn on them.
When I asked for more details, I concluded they were the same as the teleportation magic circles I'd seen several times before.
What Paul told me largely matched what I'd read in the book and what I'd seen with my own eyes.
"Wow, this is incredible... Haha! As expected of Senpai — she brought back something amazing!"
By the time Paul finished his explanation, Geese spoke up with a somewhat excited voice and closed the book.
He seemed to have finished reading it all.
That was remarkably fast.
Or perhaps he'd only skimmed the key parts.
Seeing Geese's reaction, Paul spoke up in surprise.
"Hey, Geese. Is it really that good?"
"Yeah, it's incredible, Paul. If what's written in here is true, it's practically the same as having already cleared up to the sixth floor."
Geese, in an excited state, handed the book to Talhand.
While Talhand started reading, Geese, unable to hide his excitement, explained the book's contents to Paul.
"It's got everything we couldn't figure out.
Which magic circles to step on, which ones to avoid.
And where you'll end up if you step on the wrong one, and what kind of hell you'll go through!"
According to Geese's assessment, the book appeared to be "the real deal."
However, Paul stared at Geese with a stern face.
"Got it. So does this book tell us what happened to Roxy and Zenith?"
"Well... no, it doesn't."
Geese's face fell, as if doused with cold water.
"Geese, don't get too carried away. We can't afford to fail this time."
Paul said that in a low voice.
Cautious.
He had no choice but to be cautious.
If they blindly trusted what was written in the book and it led to a total wipeout, it would be too horrible to watch.
"...I get what you're saying, Paul. But listen — in addition to the book, we've got reliable front-line and back-line fighters joining us. Let's at least celebrate that much, yeah?"
Geese said that while looking around at everyone present.
Paul followed his gaze, looking around as well.
Then his eyes settled on me.
"Yeah... you're right... sorry about that. You're absolutely right."
A slightly more relaxed smile appeared on Paul's face.
No matter how dire the situation, you needed a certain amount of composure.
Paul understood that much, at least.
"Alright, once everyone's finished reading, let's decide on our formation."
His voice returned to its usual energy, and the tension in the room eased ever so slightly.
---
The party entering the labyrinth would be five people.
Me, Paul, Elinalise, Geese, and Talhand.
With Elinalise and me joining, Vera and Shel were out.
The labyrinth was narrow, and entering with too many people would only get in each other's way.
Elinalise was an upgraded version of Vera, and I was an upgraded version of Shel, so they'd be completely replacing them.
Elinalise as the tank.
Paul as the sub-attacker.
Me as attacker and healer.
Talhand, who could fill both sub-tank and sub-attacker roles.
Those four would handle combat.
Talhand's role was ambiguous.
He could apparently use earth magic up to intermediate level.
But he was the type to adapt flexibly on the battlefield as a magic swordsman.
A jack-of-all-trades who could fight anywhere.
He looked clumsy, but he was actually quite versatile.
Then again, the Migurd race were all known for being dexterous.
"Nice to meet ya!"
He apparently stood right in front of or right behind me, positioning-wise, and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.
"Rudy, you'll basically be handling magic. After combat, you'll also need to handle healing — can you manage?"
"No problem."
Attacking and healing.
For my first labyrinth, the workload was quietly piling up.
But back when I was an adventurer, my role had been much the same.
There was nothing I couldn't do.
To these four, Geese would be added.
Useless in combat, but capable of handling every other small detail at a high level.
Checking the map, setting the route, managing food supplies, sorting and harvesting materials, deciding when to withdraw from the labyrinth.
He was a command tower and general-purpose support rolled into one.
More like a director, perhaps.
Labyrinth exploration wasn't just about fighting, so roles like his were naturally essential.
The remaining three — Vera, Shel, and Lillia — would stay at the town or entrance as support.
You could also call it babysitting, but that was apparently an important job in its own right.
I'd heard that large clans posted someone on standby when venturing into a labyrinth.
I'd leave most of the preparation to pros like Elinalise and Talhand.
I was a novice when it came to labyrinth exploration.
Drawing on my knowledge from my previous life, I could think of various things, but I'd set those aside for now.
First, I'd follow the pros' methods.
And when I thought of something relevant in the necessary parts, I could make suggestions.
Suggestions.
I didn't know whether knowledge from my previous life — the kind you'd pick up from roguelike games — would actually be applicable.
"First, our initial objective: the third floor."
After deciding on the formation, Paul made his declaration.
"That's where we'll determine Roxy's whereabouts for certain."
We didn't know if Roxy was alive.
But if she was, we'd secure her and return to the surface once.
Depending on Roxy's condition, we might have her join the party and press deeper into the labyrinth.
Six people exploring the untrodden fourth floor and beyond.
From there, we'd search thoroughly through to the deepest level, looking for Zenith, who was presumably somewhere inside.
We didn't know how many days it would take.
This would be a thorough, unhurried exploration.
---
That night.
I ended up sharing a room with Paul and Lillia.
It was Takumi's elegant consideration to create a space for the family to be alone together.
That said, I'd spent more time not being family with Lillia than being family.
From my birth until my own children were born, she had been a maid.
I couldn't help but see her as a maid.
Paul saw Lillia as his wife, but only as his second wife.
Zenith was first, Lillia was second.
Norn would probably come third.
Aisha fourth, and I'd be below that, I suppose.
"This is the first time we've shared sleeping quarters with you, Lord Rudeus."
"It is."
Lillia carried herself with such formality that it almost felt like she saw both Paul and me as her masters.
I found myself getting a bit formal too, pulled along by that atmosphere.
"If my husband's snoring is too loud, please don't hesitate to let me know."
However, Lillia's words were light and full of humor.
"Oh, yes..."
I couldn't match her with a equally humorous response.
I wasn't sure what to talk about.
How had Lillia and I used to converse, back in the day?
When we were at Buena Village, it had been quite businesslike, I thought.
"..."
Paul had been watching me silently for a while now without saying anything.
What was that about? He had a strange expression.
Not quite grinning, but his cheeks were starting to loosen — something like that.
"Um, Lord Rudeus?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Was Aisha behaving properly?"
At Lillia's question, I found my answer.
Family topics.
Right — we were a family.
So we should talk about family.
"Yes. Aisha has been working hard."
"She hasn't caused any trouble for you, Lord Rudeus?"
"No, not at all. She handles all the housework too. She's been a huge help."
"I see. I'm glad she hasn't been acting spoiled."
"Actually, it might have been easier for me if she'd been a little more spoiled."
When I said that, Lillia smiled softly.
A relieved kind of smile.
"How are Lady Norn and Aisha getting along? Are they fighting?"
"Well... they seem a bit awkward around each other, but so far there haven't been any notable conflicts. Their spats are almost endearing."
"I always told Aisha to defer to Lady Norn, but I'm not sure how it ended up like this..."
Lillia sighed.
"There's nothing to be done about it. Aisha is still a child, after all.
As parents, isn't it more important to love them equally?"
"You... may be right. Aisha is my child, but she also shares the husband's blood..."
"Blood or whatever doesn't matter.
We're family."
"...Thank you."
Paul didn't join the conversation.
He just listened to the exchange between Lillia and me with the same expression as before, looking somewhat sentimental.
"What is it, Dad? You've been grinning this whole time."
"Well, it's just... this is nice, you know?"
Paul scratched the back of his head and blushed with a bashful expression.
"What is?"
"That you — little Rudy — have properly grown into an adult and can have a conversation with Lillia like this."
An exchange between his grown son and his wife.
Lillia wasn't my mother, but to Paul, they were both family.
Perhaps it was emotional for him.
Would I understand that feeling too, someday, when my own children grew up?
"Come to think of it, Rudy — you got married, didn't you?"
"Yes. It's been about half a year now."
"Is that so... little Rudy, who just the other day was this small when I saw him..."
"My height has grown quite a bit in the last few years."
My height had, at some point, reached roughly the same as Paul's.
Around 170 centimeters, give or take.
Paul was still a little taller, but I'd likely keep growing and catch up eventually.
"When we get back, we'll have to throw a proper celebration for everyone."
"That's right. After all, Dad — you've got your first grandchild. You're Grandpa Paul now."
"Cut it out — I'm not that old yet."
Paul said that, but he didn't look displeased at all.
Then he grinned.
"So you've got a kid now, Rudy. That means you've become a 'man' too, huh?"
"Sir, I don't think it's appropriate to ask such vulgar questions..."
Lillia chided Paul, who was flashing a grin like a typical old man.
"What's wrong with it? I've always wanted to have a talk like this with Rudy at least once."
"But—"
"You're curious too, aren't you, about Rudy's business?"
"That's a rather unfair thing to say."
"So, so — who was your first? Was it Sylphie? Or Eris? I think you said you two split up, but did anything like that come up when you parted ways?"
Paul wanted to have one of those vulgar guys' conversations.
Part of me wondered whether this was really the time for that kind of talk, but...
Well, I couldn't say I didn't understand.
Paul was a little giddy from reuniting with me after so long.
He'd just been hiding that side of himself when everyone else was around.
And I was also a little excited to see Paul again, if I was being honest.
Paul and I — we got along well.
Starting the day after tomorrow, we'd be entering the labyrinth, and there'd be no room for this kind of leisure.
Today, at least, we could let our hair down and have a conversation like this.
"Fine, Dad — I've actually got a fair bit of confidence in that department. Ask me anything. You were quite the player in your younger years, after give me some credit."
Might as well play along.
I'd always wanted someone I could have these candid conversations with openly — someone like that, anyway.
"All right, then there are a few things I'd like to ask —"
"Good grief, even Lord Rudeus..."
"Lillia may talk a big game, but let me tell you, when it comes to the other side, she gets pretty intense —"
"Sir!"
"Oh, that reminds me — I heard Lillia made a pass at him at some point. Could you elaborate on what happened then?"
"Lord Rudeus, please stop! ...Honestly."
Lillia let out a sigh as she watched us carry on.
But she was smiling.
After that, we continued that kind of conversation deep into the night.
---
Late at night.
The lights were out, and I lay in bed.
Paul and Lillia had probably fallen asleep by now.
From the next bed, I could hear the steady rhythm of breathing.
They apparently hadn't started fooling around once they confirmed I was asleep.
Paul had said he'd remain celibate until Zenith was found.
He was apparently keeping that promise.
The conversation with Paul had left me somewhat wired, and I couldn't fall asleep.
To think a day would come when I could have an erotic talk with actual personal experience.
Life — you never know what's going to happen.
Well, I'd set that aside.
About this situation.
I had a feeling that once again, I was dancing in the palm of the Hitogami's hand.
That's how it felt.
Come to think of it, I'd only been able to get my hands on that book because I went to the Magic University.
If I hadn't gone to the Magic University and been told to investigate the teleportation incident,
I would never have encountered that book and would have challenged the Teleport Labyrinth with nothing.
That coy statement from the Hitogami, too.
About regret, about how I should make a move on Linia Persena.
It felt like he'd been deliberately saying things that would make me want to defy him.
If the Hitogami hadn't said anything, or if he'd told me to "go" —
I felt there was a high probability I would have chosen to "stay."
There was my rebellious feeling toward the Hitogami, and the matter with Sylphie carried equal weight on the scales.
In that case, I wouldn't have just irresponsibly left things alone, of course.
For instance, I might have dispatched Ruijerd, or Badigadi, or even Soldat.
Was the Hitogami's action calculated with all of that in mind?
To have me acquire what was needed to rescue Zenith by sending me to school?
Hitogami — who exactly were you?
What did you really want me to do?
Could it be that you truly just wanted to watch me for entertainment?
As always, I couldn't figure that part out.
But there was no doubt that he was on my side.
Would he appear again tonight?
The timing was almost too perfect.
If things went well, I'd leave him an offering of some kind.
I didn't know what he liked, so I wasn't sure if it would please him, but...
Thinking that, I drifted off to sleep.
The Hitogami did not appear in my dreams.