#28
what–
Not a single footstep was heard.
It didn’t even feel popular.
It was still the same.
An elongated new model stands tall in the dark.
It was clearly in front of us, but as if there were none, there was no presence at all. But we were watching him carefully. If you stretch out your hand, it seems to be penetrated as it is. It’s like seeing a ghost that isn’t real.
Since when have you been there?
We couldn’t open our mouths as if we were dumb as a group. He couldn’t even move from his seat. It doesn’t move as if your feet are stuck on the floor. He still doesn’t exist. I can’t even feel the intense pressure emitted by superhumans like Tetra and Elena. And yet, why can’t we even wriggle a toe?
A long-haired man wearing a white, bizarre mask elegantly folded his arms and bowed slowly as if greeting a nobleman.
“It is an honor to meet you, folks.”
The quieter the surroundings, the clearer the voice.
At first I thought it was a man, but it was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman because of the neutral tone. Now, that probably doesn’t matter.
Recognizing Rubia and Yuri, who were stiff and unable to even take a step backwards, I, who stood at the front, moved my mouth.
However, lips that do not come off easily as if they were just pasted with glue.
I opened my mouth as hard as I could with the intention of breaking the jaw joint, and then I was able to make a deep, low voice from the thin gap.
“… who are you.”
“… … Five-?”
A man or woman tilted her head very slightly.
“Out of control… ? Well, it wouldn’t be so strange if it were you. My self-esteem has been hurt a bit, but it’s good. ‘Cause you mean you’re worth it Because it proves that my eyes are not wrong. I’m very happy with this, I’m glad. Whoops.”
very bad person Not only was he muttering to himself in an unfamiliar language, he was holding the mask over his face with his hands and smiling darkly.
Normally, I would have avoided it by thinking that I was a crazy person immersed in my own world, but that is not the case. Of course, it seemed that the premise of being a madman would not go astray, but again, it was more dangerous.
Countless thoughts run through my mind.
Not a supervisor, not a classmate. Then you are an outsider. Could an unauthorized outsider break in during the training at will?
No, never.
Then he has the right to enter and exit as he pleases. Except for professors and supervisors, there would be only one such person.
Before being sure, I asked quietly.
“I asked who it was.”
Whoops.
The man’s hand holding the mask stops.
It paused for a moment, though.
“Am I scared?”
“… … ”
“First of all, the two of you in the back seem to be very scared. This is the first impression of a fateful meeting… … ”
The man raises his voice with a smile.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I am not here to harm you.”
“… If you’re not here to harm us, what’s the reason you’re holding us up like this?”
“That’s because you might attack me or run away. I prefer verbal conversations more than body conversations. So, wouldn’t it be a lot more comfortable to talk to each other face-to-face like this?”
The man gently placed his hand on my chest.
“Even if you don’t believe it, you can’t help it. I am well aware that I look suspicious. People who shouldn’t be in a place like this are standing right in front of you… … Hmmm, the world is always full of exceptions, but I think it’s a bit of a problematic situation. I fully understand your feelings.”
“Okay, let this go.”
“… … ”
There was a feeling of something shining from the eye sockets in the white mask.
“… … From the beginning, I’ve been speaking kindly and respectfully with respect for you all, Ezio Cranill, why are you so fiercely hostile to me? Maybe I have a different heart, and all of you… … Ummm, no. That will never happen.”
“How is my name… … ”
“Is it weird to know the name of someone you care about? Furthermore. Don’t you even know my name?”
“… … ”
read at https://noblemtl.com
Doubt soon turns to certainty. The man looks at me intently. Frowning at the pressure of suffocation, I opened my mouth.
“… Nebiros.”
OK.
“No-! Wrong-!”
Nebiros shouted in denial.
“Neviros! That’s not my name. You can call me like that if I met you in an ordinary place, but now that I have a miraculous meeting with you in a special place on a special day like today, I need to approach you with a little more sincerity. So I am not Nebiros. … Please don’t call me that.”
His voice rose violently like a volcanic eruption, then lowered again, changing to a whisper-like tone before. Exaggerated gestures, as if in a comical play, were an added bonus.
On the other hand, it seems that my guess was not wrong.
He was Nebiros.
The owner of the vast labyrinth. The archmage presumed to be the culprit behind all of this. But he is denying his name. Why?
Nebiros looked at us.
“Ezio Cranil, and behind him, Rubia. Yuri von Artina. You all have really pretty eyes. It’s like a jewel.”
He knew not only me but also Rubia and Yuri.
“… Again, it is an honor to meet you all. I never expected such a great opportunity to come so quickly.”
He tapped the back of the mask’s nose with his hand.
“By the way, shall we put off the self-introduction a little later? There’s nothing special about such a quaint place. In a more meaningful place, let’s open our hearts to each other and have an honest conversation together. What do you guys think… ?”
“… … ”
“… … ”
“… … ”
When the three of us didn’t answer, Nebiros tilted his head and snapped his fingers—as if he knew soon enough.
“Hey, I made a mistake! We will open our mouth for a moment to obtain consent.”
Whoops… …
Breath comes out from behind.
“Now, can you speak?”
“… … Are you really Nebiros, are you?”
As soon as she could barely squeeze her voice out, Rubia asked. Nebiros paused for a moment at Rubia’s question.
“As I said, I am not Nebiros. However… I think I know what you mean. Yes, if that’s true—?”
“If you really are Nebiros-sama.”
“Yes—.”
“Why are you doing this… … ”
“… … do you do this?”
Moment.
Nebiros seemed angry.
“What the hell did you say I did?”
It was me who answered him.
“… … To show up in front of us and force us into bondage doesn’t it prove that what’s going on in the labyrinth is your fault?”
“So, what exactly did I do?”
“That’s–”
“I haven’t done anything yet. I didn’t intentionally injure you, and I didn’t touch anything like a device. Everything went according to the set schedule. It means that there is nothing wrong with the practice you have been doing so far. There was, arguably, none of my direct intervention. Still–!”
Nebiros roared loudly.
“… I keep emphasizing, but I didn’t come here with the intention of hurting you. Rather the opposite. I just wanted to have an open conversation with you guys. And, I am here to make your wishes come true. Do you know?”
“… … hope?”
“Yes, hope.”
Nebiros let out a deep smile.
It quickly hardened cold.
“… … It’s starting to make sense now, but it seems like there are disturbers coming from around. Please wait a moment.”
The monsters who heard the sound from the corner of the street and came to visit.
Looking at them, Nebiros slowly raised his hand and lowered it down as if squeezing it.
Slurp, slurp.
The bones and skin melted and the monsters that began to crumble like sand were soon absorbed into the labyrinth floor like water.
“If it’s alive, they’re going to bite it. Because I’m also alive, it’s really sad that I’m trying to attack without distinction. Of course I meant to do it that way.”
“… Did you make all the monsters in the labyrinth?”
“I made it, la… … I do not know. That’s a bit of a misnomer. I just lifted it up from the dirt. I’m not a creator, so I can’t create something that doesn’t exist. It is the realm of God, not just a creature.”
lift it up from the soil
It can deal with monsters, the Undead.
I muttered in a lower voice.
“… Necromancer.”
“Did you call me like that? It’s a good sound.”
An archmage called the master of space-type magic, a necromancer, the lord of corpses. A warlock who wields spirits and necromances. Gradually, the existence in front of me began to become more and more vague. When Nebiros did not deny, Rubia, who was behind me, was also startled and showed a feeling of distrust.
Rubia was honing her space magic while targeting Nebiros. How did you feel when you found out that your target was a corrupted wizard who betrayed humanity?
“Some people said that I made this labyrinth in a short time, so it must be a really great magic trick.”
Nebiros continues. seems to be laughing
“It can’t be, is it?”
The palms wrapped in black energy face upwards.
Bones and flesh that start to writhe from the ground and rise. Rather than being summoned from an artificially placed summoning circle, it awakens the corpses that had been sleeping deep in the floor to a false life.
Looking at the mass of corpses blocking the front and back except where we were, Nebiros opened his mouth again.
“My own treasure trove that has been carefully and meticulously created over a long period of time. Such a precious space… … I have personally provided it for you. Receiving goods that no longer mean anything to me. Where else can you find such free kindness? Of course, it’s not that I didn’t want anything at all.”
“… … What do you want from us?”
“To tell you that, we asked to move places for a while. To formally introduce myself. What would you like to do?”
Nebiros stares at us. He is wearing a mask, so his expression is unknown. The corpses raised by Neviros are screaming all around. While neither Yuri nor Rubia were able to open their mouths willingly, tired of the atmosphere, I thought of moving as soon as possible, so I spoke up.
“If you’re not going to harm us, why don’t you take us out of the labyrinth?”
“I’ll take it out when the conversation is over. safety.”
“What if that conversation doesn’t go well?”
“Isn’t that going to happen?”
“… … Why?”
Nebiros answered my questions graciously.
“I came here to make your wishes come true. You don’t even want to get hurt, do you? I have no hobbies to enjoy bloodshed.”
“… … ”
“Will it cause any harm to all of you by listening to me? I don’t think that’s it. Really, just, simply, I just want to have a conversation and make your wishes come true. That way, I too can achieve what I want. No one loses. Everyone is happy together. I don’t know why you reject such a good ending. … Like a sneaky cheater? Would you be satisfied with the contract? If that’s not the case—”
As if truly disappointed by our attitude, he puts his hand on his chest, shakes his head, and grabs the mask and asks.
“Because you think I am a demon?”
“… … ”
I really don’t know what the plot is.
There is nothing we can do right now. Nebiros is absurdly strong. It is a fact that everyone here is definitely aware of. You will become one of those corpses if you walk around carelessly. So, I couldn’t release my bondage and rush in with my fists clenched.
Judging by Nebiros’ words and actions, it seems that he has no intention of harming us yet. I don’t know the detailed reason. what you want from us. Considering the situation in front of you, it is best to listen to Neviros. First of all, this is because there is nothing we can do right now, and there is nothing we can do to buy backlash.
Still, the last reason I can’t get rid of my doubts.
“Didn’t I say it was a misunderstanding? I am a human being just like you.”
Nebiros denied it too lightly.
Can’t believe it with just words.
Nebiros knew that too, shrugged his shoulders and said nothing more.
“Okay, if it was explained roughly… … ”
“What exactly do you mean by making a wish come true?”
When I ask, Rubia stops me.
“Ezio… ! I think I can stop now… … ”
“It’s better to be certain.”
You can’t just follow along.
“Hope is… … Literally.”
Nebiros continued his speech without making any unpleasant impressions at all. It felt like the eyes behind the mask were staring at me.
“freedom.”
I stopped breathing momentarily.
The gaze that scanned the nape of my neck passes me.
“revival.”
“… … ”
Someone flinched from behind.
“or… … ”
At the end, the end of the speech is blurred.
“Anything you want.”
Nebiros finished speaking.
After a brief silence, I opened my mouth.
“It won’t cost anything.”
“The price—? Should I see it as a price?”
Nebiros creaked his head.
and.
“First… … Before I say anything else.”
He lowered his hand down and returned all the corpses around him to the soil, then flicked his fingers— lightly.
The bondage that had wrapped us around was released in an instant.
“Rubia, Yuri. backwards.”
“Uh, uh… … ”
With a free body, he quickly prepares for battle.
Nebiros glanced back at us.
“There are guests who arrived first, so I think I will have to go there for a while.”
Without responding, he turned his back.
“… … Weren’t you taking us?”
“I was originally going to do that. It’s not that far from here. As I just said, there are guests who arrive first. I will be talking to him first, so you can come slowly.”
bum bum, bum bum.
“and… I’m here simply because I think you’re feeling more confused than necessary. It was to guide you on the right path. So please rest assured. Your worries will not come true.”
Nebiros continues.
“If you successfully break through the labyrinth and reach the altar, then we will take you out of the labyrinth. I’m very sorry, but… There is no other way out except for him.”
Really, I don’t know what you’re thinking.
but.
“Wait for a moment.”
“… … What is it?”
I think I only know one thing.
I summoned Nebiros.
Yuri and Rubia look at me with anxious eyes.
“What do you want, me?”
“… … ”
Nebiros does not answer.
“I felt that way from the beginning. Above all, there are quite a few guys targeting me these days. I said there will be more in the future.”
“Eh, Ezio… … ?”
Rubia grabs my arm.
I inhale and exhale loudly.
“… take me Instead, get the rest of the kids out.”
“Hey, Ezio!”
“Hey, what… … !”
Rubia and Yuri swallowed their breaths at the same time.
#29
‘The atmosphere is really broken… ‘
In the end, there was nothing like a riddle.
Mew sighed and poked her head inside the crookedly open door and looked carefully.
Whoa whoa… …
When you open the door to the basement, it is normal that there are usually stairs. But when Mew pulled the handle upwards and opened the door, there was no such thing as a staircase.
‘really… … You want me to go down the rope?’
How did you design it?
When the heavy iron door was opened, it was an entirely black space. The moment you push your body into the abyss, it seems like it will fall endlessly. I’m engulfed in darkness and I can’t see the floor Is it okay to go down like this?
Whoops.
Once I picked up a stone that was rolling around.
Then he dropped it into the pit and listened carefully.
… …
… …
… … widely…
“… … ”
The floor is definitely there.
But it’s pretty deep.
‘I have to take out the rope.’
Whatever it is, the fact that it has to go down doesn’t change. If the prediction is correct, the ‘altar’ would be located inside this place.
Mew pulled out a rolled-up rope from her backpack.
After tying it up tightly around the firmly erected tombstone, he slowly pushed the long rope into the darkness.
it became this Now grab the rope and go straight down.
“Whoa.”
The worries didn’t last long. Grasping the rope with your hands, you step your feet into the darkness.
OK.
Tsuzuzuzuyu-. With her palms stained red from frictional heat, Mu was finally able to step on the floor of the space that had descended on the rope.
‘It’s dark… ‘
light is needed
Mew took out the mace he had put in his backpack and blasted it with magic power. no,
I was trying to
Hwaah–
“… … uh?”
The torches that had been extinguished were lit one by one, and gradually the surroundings began to be colored with a bright light.