There was a place in Orario that even outsiders, and even locals, never approached carelessly.
Daedalus Street, the labyrinth on the surface.
Created by the hand of some master craftsman in the distant past, it was an unknown region where nothing could be fully discerned, even in Orario, a city full of adventurers who could be called experts at exploring labyrinths.
Even though it was clearly a place under the sun, on the surface.
For that reason, the city's poor mostly lived here, and even they rarely wandered anywhere unless they knew the roads.
It was no wonder a local legend had spread that if you ever got lost here even once, you would never be able to leave again.
Daedalus's notoriety was that famous.
And precisely because of that.
"Yo."
"...So you came."
No one could possibly have expected it.
The unpleasant fact that beneath it all, an unfinished "evil" still crouched and lived on, carrying its stubborn legacy to this very day.
"Hmm, was I a little too late? Your reaction is pretty cold."
"No, you came at exactly the right time."
"Really? Then I suppose that was just my imagination."
A labyrinth in the dark.
Yet unlike the Dungeon's naturally formed cave walls, this was clearly an artificial maze shaped by the hand of civilization.
At one of its entrances, two shadows flickered.
"What is it? If you have something to say separately, say it now."
"What exactly is your goal... no, what in the world do you want to do?"
"Hm? What's that supposed to mean... ah, I see."
Under the faint light of the lantern hanging on the wall, the two figures were vaguely visible, similar yet slightly different.
The masks covering their faces and the large black robes hiding their entire bodies were the same.
But one wore a grotesque mask, while the other wore a skull mask.
That alone made their difference obvious.
And the black robe draped over their bodies was different too, since the skull-masked one looked no better than a bundle of filthy rags. There was no way anyone could mistake the two for one another.
If such a person existed, then either their eyesight was terribly poor, or they were an extremely rude person who didn't care at all about other people.
"Ghk! What's with that look?"
"No, nothing. More importantly, you said 'my master.'"
"What master? You..."
"What my master told me is not all that special."
"...So you're just ignoring me."
In that sense, the grotesque-masked one, Ein, was beyond baffled by the skull-masked figure's behavior.
It was more than just covering one's eyes and pretending not to see.
Did he really think that would make people unable to tell?
No, thinking about it under the assumption that the people around them didn't know the circumstances, maybe they really wouldn't recognize him.
In any case, the person in front of her and that man were separate beings.
"This is a kind of 'game.'"
"A game? You mean... play?"
"Yes. It has real stakes, and if you're unlucky someone can lose their life, so there is practical danger involved. But in the end, its essence is nothing more than a game."
But that was that, and this was this.
For once in a while, Ein asked a question out of pure curiosity.
She simply could not understand the skull-masked figure's behavior or circumstances.
Perhaps the skull mask understood that too, because in an unbothered manner it kindly explained the reason.
"There are two players."
One expects humanity's despair.
The other believes in humanity's future.
"The difficulty of the game is the same. They proceed together on the same side. But the ending each desires is different."
"What meaning does that have?"
"There is no meaning."
Both players simply want to confirm humanity's possibility, that which comes "after."
Only the shape of the happy ending they desire is different.
"That is why my master joined hands with your master. They decided to share the game. What they want at the end of that conclusion will be different, but until then there will be no petty betrayal or treachery either. To enjoy the process together, as people with similar tastes in their own way. Because they are a small minority of like-minded people who can at least vaguely understand one another."
"I... cannot understand that."
"A slave's understanding is unnecessary to one in the position of a master."
"A slave, huh. Well..."
It wasn't exactly wrong.
The muttered words came out with a deep sigh.
Was that regret, or resignation, or perhaps a lingering attachment she could not even hope for?
"Fine. Then I'll follow my master's will and work with you. But let me say this in advance: I hate you, and I also hate that idiot half-wit who's still wandering around unable to choose a path because of someone like you. No, I don't just hate him—I despise him. Every time I see that face, I want to tear him apart and kill him."
"A case of hating your own kind, then? No, that stage is already past. In that case... because he's a hypocrite?"
"No, because he's disgustingly stupid. Even though he already chose his path long ago. It's truly pathetic beyond words."
"I see. That does make sense."
Unexpectedly, perhaps.
Though the two of them seemed like they would never agree on anything, this time they shared the same thought after a long while.
However, the emotions behind it were still completely different.
The chance of these two ever understanding or accepting each other was as close to zero as it could possibly be.
"Then let's quickly finish the remaining greetings and wrap up the preparations for the party. The invited guests will be arriving here before long."
After finishing that trivial yet important exchange, the two of them moved their feet.
The destination was, naturally, the deepest central part of this artificial labyrinth.
There, the collaborators and customers of this event were waiting.
"I hope they can be satisfied."
The invited guests as well.
And the host's companions as well.
*
At the same time.
"This is a trap..."
"A challenge thrown at us, is it."
An artificial labyrinth on the surface.
At another entrance to that place, a party of adventurers appeared.
It was Loki Familia, who had been tracking the remnants of Evils on a Guild request.
"Wow, this gate. It's really made of orichalcum?"
"I-I wonder. Probably?"
"Well, there's no doubt this is their hideout."
At a glance, it sounded like casual chatter so relaxed that there was not the slightest trace of tension.
But everyone here knew and felt it.
Before their eyes stood the gate of the artificial labyrinth, carved with a demon statue.
Even though no one had approached it or touched it, the gate had opened wide on its own, and an odd tension began to spread through all of Loki Familia.
"Finn."
"Yeah, I saw it."
A figure had briefly appeared and disappeared in the passage beyond the gate, far ahead.
It was definitely someone familiar to his eyes.
"No doubt about it. It's that masked bastard from before."
"Looks like that grotesque fellow opened the gate for us."
Nodding in agreement with Riveria's words, Finn turned his gaze and gave orders to the members waiting behind him.
"Bete, Raul. Infiltrate the interior and scout it out. But don't go too deep. Come back immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yeah."
The two of them nodded and answered his order, then quickly slipped into the passage.
And a few minutes later.
"There were no people or monsters near the entrance. But after walking for a while, the path kept branching in complicated ways, almost like a maze... no."
It felt like a Dungeon.
Finn fell into thought as he listened to Raul's report.
What came to mind was a fortress under siege by an army.
Surely there would be traps and threats lying in wait that they had not imagined, or even everything they could possibly anticipate.
Then what should they choose here?
Retreat?
No. If they wasted too much time, the danger of the corrupted spirit advancing to the surface would only increase.
So in this case, there was no need to think twice.
What if they collapsed or destroyed the whole labyrinth from the outside?
No. They didn't know the structure inside, and there was a village on top of this artificial labyrinth.
And not just any village, but a place where other people were clearly living even now.
They couldn't simply force sacrifices on them when there were still other ways.
"Then let's smash our way in from the inside!"
At that moment, apart from Finn, who was still thinking alone, a voice rang out through the passage from among the members discussing their opinions.
That straightforward, cheerful voice.
It was Tiona.
He thought, they'd probably be walking right into the enemy's provocation.
At first glance, her opinion might sound like nothing more than simple-minded recklessness, with no thought behind it at all.
And yet, it was also the direct, orthodox answer that struck at the heart of the matter.
"Yeah. There's no other choice."
So Finn made his decision.
They would take the risk and enter the labyrinth at once.
Even if this was a trap, it was certain that they had driven the enemy into a corner.
Only...
There was one thing that bothered him.
"It's strangely throbbing."
His thumb.
Based on his experience so far, this was never good news.
And with it came a strange sense of foreboding.
But if someone asked whether it was bad enough to make him give up this hard-won opportunity...
That didn't seem to be the case either.
A faint sense of relief hidden within the unpleasant foreboding.
What did this uneasy mix of contradictory feelings mean?
There was no way a man, not a god, could know that.
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