Ankoku Kishi Monogatari ~Yuusha wo Taosu Tameni Maou ni Shoukansaremashita~
Chapter 50.1: Cockatrice’s Garden

My Apologies for the delay, you can blame the new server for this .

—-

◆ Black Haired Sage, Chiyuki

We were in a labyrinth located in the middle of the Minon Plain .

I didn’t know how long it would take until we conquered the labyrinth . At least it was located right in front of a human settlement .

There was a theory that the labyrinth was created by a dwarf . It seemed to be just another story from one of those Freedom Fighters since there was no dwarf inside the labyrinth .

There was also no indication from the dwarves that they were the ones to create the labyrinth .

Although I did not know who created it, I knew the labyrinth had a master . It was called Minotaur, a demon with a human body and a bull’s head .

The labyrinth had once been the capital of the Kingdom of Minotaurs . They didn’t allow any other demons inside their walls .

One day, for some reason, all Minotaurs entered the labyrinth . The Minon Plain lost its owners and was eventually populated by humans .

The humans who took ownership of the Plain prospered with the fertile lands and abundant natural resources .

However, from time to time one or two Minotaurs crawled out of the labyrinth, sometimes with other demons . They attacked the cities closest to the labyrinth and kidnapped the citizens .

The Freedom Fighters of Teseshia entered the labyrinth to save the citizens, but they couldn’t save all of them .

But they discovered traces that many people had entered the labyrinth .

Originally, the Minon Plain was a wealthy land . Especially in the middle, where the labyrinth was located .

The abundance of mana in that location formed crystals, making it possible for the extraction of many rare minerals . Thus, many people who aimed to hit the jackpot entered the labyrinth .

The reason the labyrinth was labeled as dangerous was because of the great number of demons residing inside .

But the humans entered the labyrinth regardless of the danger .

That was the place we were heading to .

It seemed to spread underground and we had no idea how deep it went, but the size of the floor was impressive .

The ground level alone was larger than Teseshia .

「Do you feel something, Nao-san? 」

I asked Nao, who stared at the labyrinth while hugging her pet rat to her chest . She brought the rat along since she couldn’t find a place to leave it .

I had thought she’d grow bored with it quickly but she seemed quite fond of it . Well, she’d grow tired of it someday .

「No… It’s impossible . There’s a barrier all over the place, and it blocks me . I can’t feel a thing . 」

「I see… My magic isn’t working either, huh . 」

Without Nao’s sensing ability and my clairvoyance magic, our vision inside the labyrinth was limited due to the mist around us .

We had no other choice but to rely on someone to guide us .

I looked at Shizufae and her comrades .

Her party was made of five people, all women . Female Freedom Fighters were quite rare since they tended to be mostly men .

One of the women had brown skin, black hair, and she carried a polearm on her back . Her name was Kenya .

Like Shizufae, she wore light armor . Her bare limbs looked very healthy . Her long and slender legs were mesmerizing, and they seemed very agile .

Perhaps she wasn’t the brute force type, but rather the hit and run type of fighter whose primary attribute was speed .

The shortest one had a childlike face, and she wore a magician’s apparel . Her name was Madia .

Her appearance suggested she was a magician, but I believed she wasn’t very powerful . I could barely feel her mana . But magic users were rare, so even with her weak mana, she’d be a welcome addition to any party . Having a magician as a comrade was quite reassuring .

Not to mention, Madia’s appearance was so adorable, anyone would want to travel with her .

There was also a priestess of the Rena Temple called Leylia, who seemed to be an apostle . Since she said she heard the voice of an angel, perhaps she wasn’t an apostle of Rena but an apostle of an angel who worked for Rena .

After becoming an angel’s apostle, she seemed to be able to use healing magic . Also, since her main weapon was a mace, I wondered if she was a master of close combat .

She gave off the feeling of being more like a familiar than an apostle, so her master might be aware of anything she does .

Our every action might be reported to Rena .

The woman with tattoos all over her body was an Elf called Nora .

I heard of a case about an Elf who left the forest and became close to a human .

Elves were especially obsessed with handsome men, to the point some Elven women would kidnap men while they slept and bring them to their forests . But an Elf who became friends with a human wouldn’t do such a thing .

I heard they ended up returning to their forest when they became pregnant .

Seeing the Elf named Nora mingling among girls made me think she wasn’t targeting some human male . But if that was the case, I had no idea why she left the forest . The tattoo on her face seemed like some sort of seal, probably preventing her from communing with spirits . Another mystery was why the Elves from her village seal her magic .

I didn’t know what happened, so I could only wonder if she was being punished for some sort of crime . But worrying about it wouldn’t change anything, so I let it go .

In the end, those women were Shizufae’s comrades and our guides in the labyrinth .

Then we found another traveler .

There were almost a hundred Freedom Fighters following us into the labyrinth . The one leading them was the Hero of Earth, Godan . They were the elite fighters we requested from Snefowl to assist us until the end of our quest .

Shizufae’s presence was unnecessary, but Reiji insisted she should be the one to lead the way .

There was also the Hero of Fire Novis, who was Shizufae’s acquaintance, tagging along .

A young man with flaming red hair whose height made him seem older than he actually was . Despite his young age, he was hailed as a Hero, so he must be talented .

From what I could tell, he had feelings for Shizufae .

Good luck, young man .

After analyzing every member of the labyrinth search, I turned to Shizufae .

「Shall we enter now? 」

The ground floor had been entirely explored . There was a huge stairway in the center of the floor leading underground .

It almost felt like we were inside a maze, with how we couldn’t move in a straight line to the center . Many ruined buildings blocked our path . Flying might be faster, but we couldn’t take so many people with us .

We hadn’t located any signs of the kidnapped citizens of Pashipea Kingdom since we entered, which suggested they might be on the floor below .

I was told there would be no danger if we completed the search .

「Sage-sama, the ground floor of this labyrinth is a den of Cockatrice . We must avoid this demon . 」

Shizufae’s words shocked me .

Cockatrice were demons with the body of a chicken and a snake tail . It spat a venom that petrified whoever touched it . It also had a sharp, tough beak .

For a normal human, a Cockatrice was a formidable opponent . But they shouldn’t be that much of a threat to Shizufae and the others .

If they had a hard time against a Cockatrice, how did they enter the labyrinth?

「Den of Cockatrice? Then how did you enter the labyrinth until now? 」

「Cockatrice don’t live in large numbers . Also, we can just turn around and take another route if we get spotted . They don’t give chase . 」

「Nothing else aside from them? 」

「It’s just Cockatrice on the ground floor . But I’m afraid so many people entering the labyrinth at once might attract them . 」

Even if the Cockatrice were the only demons on that floor, it didn’t mean we didn’t need to think of a plan to deal with them .

Thus, I turned to Reiji .

「What do you think, Reiji-kun? In my opinion, I think we should search around this floor, too . 」

「You’re right . We should enter in turns, dividing our people into several groups, then we search the ground floor . That way we can do our job without inciting those Cockatrice . Once each group is done, gather at the central building . Godan, my party can act as the vanguard but this is your turf . Will you go? 」

「Yes, please leave the vanguard position to us! Everyone, advance!! 」

Following Godan’s order, the Freedom Fighters separated into several groups and headed into the labyrinth with Godan leading them .

Behind them was Shizufae’s group, plus Novis .

I squinted at Reiji, wondering about his decision .

「You could exterminate the Cockatrices by yourself, so why didn’t you enter first? 」

「It’s troublesome and I don’t think the Cockatrice are all we have to worry about, so I let them go first . 」

Reiji let out his usual carefree laugh .

「Geez… So Godan and the others are just baiting for that ‘something’ you’re worried about? Still…」

Still, it would be better than us meeting such danger, since I could also feel that something was lurking inside .

Thus, we entered the labyrinth .

As soon as we stepped inside, I could hear the Freedom Fighters screaming .

「UWAAA――!! 」

I knew it .

◆ Freedom Fighter Girl, Shizufae

「Are you okay, Shizufae?! 」

「I’m okay, Big Sis Keyna!! WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THESE GOBLINS COME FROM??!!」

I was screaming .

The ground floor should only have Cockatrice, but Goblins attacked us as soon as we entered the labyrinth . Surprise took us because the entire ground floor was covered with mist magic .

The Goblins reminded me of the reason Reiji-sama entered the labyrinth: to save the Pashipea Kingdom citizens that were kidnapped by Goblins .

These might be the same Goblins who ran away from the farms .

I killed one of the Goblins attacking me .

「MADI!! Are you all right?!」

「Yeah! I’m somehow managing it, Shizu-chan . 」

I had to fight and protect Madi at the same time .

Because she was a magician, close combat was her weak point .