After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
“Martial law?”
A soldier stationed at the border nods at my words.
“Yes. Currently, our country is under martial law as declared by the President due to a state of emergency. There are no restrictions on adventurers entering the country, but we ask that you remain aware of the situation.”
“What happened? I hadn’t heard anything like that in Welmeria.”
“Perhaps the information hasn’t reached there yet. A few days ago, a mysterious structure suddenly emerged from underground in the ‘Old Capital,’ and it seems that the surrounding monster activity has intensified. In the Noed Autonomous District, even the towns are experiencing damage.”
The word “Old Capital” catches me by surprise.
“If you’re heading to the Old Capital Jō-Koco, please be very careful.”
“Understood. By the way, do you know anything about the ‘Seventh Order’?”
“I feel like I’ve heard the name… maybe not…”
“I see. Never mind then. Thank you.”
I give a slight bow and return to the driver’s seat.
There, Rain is peering into a tablet with a troubled expression.
“What’s wrong, Rain?”
“Mm. I can now access the official broadcast of the Edright Republic.”
“Since we crossed the border, huh?”
“I’m looking for a broadcast about what they were talking about earlier.”
I see.
If it's serious enough to warrant martial law, then chances are some information has been archived.
Even so, this situation feels similar to Finis.
If the monsters really are the work of the ‘Seventh Order’… then could the mysterious structure the soldier mentioned also be related to them?
“Teacher, since we’ve crossed the border, let me take over driving. Please take a break.”
“Alright. I’m counting on you.”
I nod lightly and stop the horses.
Driving while lost in thought isn’t great, and I’m feeling a bit tired.
Let’s leave it to Silk.
“Then, I’ll sit with Silk-san. If anything happens, I can head out for reconnaissance.”
“Good idea. Be careful, Nene. Stay alert.”
Silk takes the reins from me and nods to Nene.
With two scouts together, they should be able to handle any situation. It’s probably a good combo.
“You’re being cooperative today?”
As I get into the carriage, Jamie hands me a cushion with a smile.
She must have been preparing a jab or two in case I refused.
That was a close one.
“I just wanted some time to think.”
“Want me to help?”
“No, my thoughts aren’t clear yet. I’ll talk once I can put them into words.”
“Alright, I get it.”
I appreciate Jamie’s consideration like this.
Since joining Clover, she’s gotten used to dealing with me.
“Rain, are you watching the broadcast?”
“Mm. I want to check out the incident.”
“You mean the one we heard about earlier? It kind of reminds me of what happened in Finis.”
As Jamie says this, I nod internally and begin organizing the information.
The monster attack incident we experienced in Finis.
The ominous broadcast and letters from the ‘Seventh Order.’
And now, the anomaly occurring in Old Capital Jō-Koco, believed to be their base.
It all feels… orchestrated.
It’s still too early to say it’s connected to Marina’s disappearance, but confirming that is part of our mission.
If it’s unrelated, that’s one less thing to worry about.
“There it is.”
Rain points to the tablet showing a broadcast clip.
The footage is slightly grainy. It’s probably not from an adventurer-grade device, but a clip from an emergency live stream using the commonly sold GoPro-kun.
“Hey, isn’t that the same kind of monster we fought in Finis?”
“Yeah. Looks like it.”
Jamie and Rain both point at a monster rampaging in the video and look at me.
“Yeah, no doubt. That’s the one-eyed giant, a Cyclops-lookalike we saw in Finis…!”
“Look, something’s coming out of the ground…!”
Behind the rampaging monster, something begins to emerge with a rumbling sound.
Breaking through the beautifully arranged circular plaza, a white structure gradually reveals itself.
Its shape… is strangely familiar.
“…It’s a tower.”
“A tower?”
“It does look like a tower, but…”
The two still don’t quite seem to get it, but I feel a strong sense of certainty.
Sure, the details are different. This one is a bit smaller.
But ever since becoming an adventurer, I’ve seen it in illustrations in the Finis expedition records—and I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
“That’s the tower at the entrance of the ‘Achromatic Darkness,’ right? Doesn’t it look familiar?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“Yeah, now that you say it, it really does look similar.”
Most likely, I’m not mistaken.
What we’re seeing in this broadcast footage is a tower.
It’s from the dungeon we call the ‘Achromatic Darkness’—its true name.
The origin of all labyrinths, and a stairway that pierces and connects different dimensions.
“Hey, Yuke. If this is what we think it is, why did it appear in Old Capital Jō-Koco and not in Finis?”
“I don’t know. Maybe similar structures exist in other countries too.”
“Could they… be connected inside?”
That’s possible.
In fact, we once traveled to the root of the labyrinth—the ‘Achromatic Darkness’—by passing through the King’s Tomb located in the Valley of Death in Salmutaria.
It was a risky move that took advantage of the instability caused by the emergence of the Inverted Labyrinth Tenebre… but perhaps there’s some method to summon it outward, in reverse.
Like in this broadcast.
However, the design, shape, and size are all different from what’s beneath Finis.
Even if it is a tower, it’s not the exact same one.
“Wait a sec! Rain, rewind it a bit.”
“Mm.”
Rain manipulates the tablet, rewinding the footage to an earlier scene.
It’s the part just after the tower appeared, where the now-multiplied monsters start attacking the surrounding people.
“Hey, look at this…!”
Jamie points to a spot on the tablet screen, frowning.
The GoPro-kun is focused on the monsters, making it hard to see—but there are several figures walking toward the tower.
They wear familiar white robes. Though the image is blurry, the distinctive emblem can just barely be seen.
And among that group… was someone who looked like a red-haired girl.
“Marina…?”
“It’s too hard to tell, huh…”
Due to the limitations of the GoPro-kun, everything outside the focused area tends to be blurry.
And this footage likely came from a consumer-grade model. Toward the end, the GoPro-kun itself was destroyed.
With just this grainy, fragmented video, there’s no way to definitively say that the person is Marina.
But still.
We can’t say for sure that it isn’t Marina either.
At the very least, it’s possible that someone who might be Marina is traveling with the Seventh Order, heading toward the tower in Old Capital Jō-Koco.
And for now, that’s enough.
“Let’s go find out.”
“Yeah…!”
At Rain’s words, I nodded deeply.
Comments
Post a Comment