After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
Just as Nene said, this floor was different in nature from the ones before.
It wasn't a maze, there were no traps, and no monsters.
In fact, not even the cultists were present.
It may sound strange to say, but... it felt almost like the serene atmosphere of a temple dedicated to some deity.
The presence of the otherworld, however, was denser than anything we had encountered so far.
"You’ve come all the way into a place like this. Isn’t that rather rude of you?"
A voice called out to us as we proceeded further into the spacious area.
It was a voice I had heard during the broadcast.
From the direction of the voice, a man walked toward us.
He wore the same white robe as the other cultists, but his was a special version adorned with golden threads.
He was the man I had seen in the broadcast.
"...So, you are the representative of the ‘Seventh Cult’?"
"I am called ‘Papa.’ I would say ‘pleased to meet you,’ but I’d rather you leave quickly."
The representative of the ‘Seventh Cult’ said this with a gentle smile on his gaunt face.
Naturally, we couldn't comply with that.
"Give Marina back."
"How strange. She was ours to begin with."
With a small shake of his head and a faint smirk, ‘Papa’ responded.
He had the arrogant attitude typical of a cult leader, and it was more than a little irritating.
"I don’t care what you mean to Marina. But she is our companion… my lover. If this is her choice, I will respect it—but first, I want to talk to her."
"I see. So you became quite close to her, did you?"
The moment he referred to Marina as “that girl,” he had already revealed his true colors.
I rested my hand on the small sword at my hip and took a step forward.
"Oh dear, adventurers are so savage. No wonder she became so disobedient."
"Stop referring to Marina like that."
"Am I not free to call my possession whatever I like? Or do you think you have the right to decide that?"
With an exaggerated, theatrical sigh, ‘Papa’ lightly raised his hand.
I braced myself for an attack, but instead, from behind a curtain-like partition at the back of the room, two figures emerged and began walking toward us.
One was a woman in cult robes.
The other—being led by the woman—was Marina, dressed in a strange outfit.
She wore a thin, pure white robe that revealed the lines of her body, and a blindfold adorned with intricate patterns.
The delicately wrapped golden chains around her looked beautiful but gave the impression of being restrained.
"Even if only in name, I am ‘Papa.’ As a merciful leader, I will allow you to see my daughter."
"Marina!"
"Marina-san!"
Despite Silk and Nene calling out to her, Marina showed no reaction.
Seeing this, Rain's expression turned grim, and she asked:
"What… did you do to Marina…?"
"What, you ask? Marina is the last surviving child of ‘Ankelias.’ She has many duties to fulfill."
That wasn’t an answer at all.
But it was enough to tell me that this man intended to use Marina for something terrible.
"Come now, Marina. Your friends have come to see you."
"..."
Even when urged by the female cultist, she showed no response.
She just stood there like a puppet during an intermission.
"Well then, I must ask you to leave now. The promised day is near."
Before I could say anything, ‘Papa’ interrupted.
"Why are you doing this!?"
"What do you mean, ‘this’?"
‘Papa’ looked down on us with pity in his eyes.
"You activated the ‘Tower’ and unleashed monsters on the city. If you continue this, the balance of the world will collapse—it will lead to a great ‘cull!’"
"That’s incorrect."
To my words, ‘Papa’ shook his head vigorously.
"We are working to correct the world, to bring happiness. The current world is wrong."
"What are you saying…!? Do you not know what a ‘cull’ will bring?"
"That’s precisely why, Yuke Feldio. Brave hero of this era."
Papa’s words made me realize something again.
As I suspected—this man knows a great deal.
At the very least, there’s no doubt he deliberately triggered this entire situation.
"Now that ‘culling’ is spreading, it is the time for transformation. As chaos overflows and the dimensional boundaries blur, now is the moment… to welcome the god Ankelias."
"God Ankelias…?"
"Yes. The true god of this world. The hidden Creator. Through Marina, we will invite Her presence and remake this world entirely."
With an ecstatic expression and almost trembling with excitement, Papa wrapped his arm around Marina’s waist.
The gesture filled me with revulsion, but he continued speaking as if unaware of my reaction.
"What the hell are you talking about…?"
"I’m well aware that this is beyond the understanding of the ordinary. I have no intention of asking you to comprehend it."
Papa sighed mockingly, as if ridiculing us.
"There’s no need to rush. The ‘Festival’ will begin soon enough. Our true god, Ankelias, will descend and recreate this world properly. Once a world arrives where everyone can live in peace, you will naturally come to understand."
Papa gave us a thin smile that radiated distrust.
Yeah… this guy is definitely not okay.
There’s something missing—no human warmth, no sign of being a living creature of this world.
It’s as if he’s observing the world with malice, harm… or from some inhuman perspective altogether.
"…I understand what you're saying. But we’re still taking Marina back."
"I believe I told you from the start: she was never yours."
"She’s not yours either!"
"Wrong. She is ours. This girl was made by us, for us."
Papa fixed his eerie gaze on us and flashed a disturbing smile, pushing back slightly against our presence.
I’d faced many threats before, but could a human really radiate something this sinister?
"Made…? You’re saying Marina was created?"
"Exactly. Marina… all the ‘Children of Ankelias’ were created. By us—by the Seventh Cult."
Even though I knew better than to listen to such nonsense, my body still froze.
"That rare job she has—one in ten thousand—was the result of our success. She is not human. She’s a type of artifact—an artificial magical construct designed to imitate people."
"What… are you saying…?"
That’s impossible. Marina is human.
She’s warm, soft, and shines like the sun.
There’s no way she could be anything else.
"Stay calm, Yuke."
"…Yeah."
Jamie’s voice from beside me helped bring me back to my senses.
Letting myself be swayed by the enemy’s words like that… I’ve still got a long way to go.
"Everything has been prepared for the ‘Festival.’ Marina was a slight irregularity, but in the end, she served her purpose. I suppose fate has sided with us."
"Regardless of your plans, we’re still taking Marina back."
I didn’t care whether what he said was true or not.
We came here to save Marina. That hasn’t changed.
"I don’t know what this ‘Festival’ is supposed to be, but whatever it is, this is where it ends. And we’re taking Marina back with us!"
As I drew my short sword, my companions followed suit and took up their weapons.
"Mama, it seems they’re intent on fighting."
"Yes, Papa. Shall we dispose of them here?"
"No. It’s time. Let’s move on."
Papa and Mama, standing on either side of Marina, gave us polite, serene smiles and bowed respectfully.
Then, in front of our ready weapons, Papa unrolled a single magical scroll.
"Well then, goodbye, members of Clover. We take our leave."
"Wait!"
"Teleport: Activation check."
As we moved to stop them, Papa grinned.
In that moment, mana gathered and twisted the space around them—Papa, Mama, and Marina were enveloped, and vanished in a flicker of soft light.
Comments
Post a Comment