Chapter 55 - The Labyrinth City of Lartania (4)

Silence descended over the meeting room. Every mercenary who had arrived late looked tense, while Maverick, Himan, and Argonia watched Alon from their seats.

Yet even with every eye fixed on him, Alon remained calm.

... Or rather, he only looked calm.

'Did I go too far?'

Behind his expressionless facade, Alon was breaking into a cold sweat.

'Should I have tried something else? No, nothing else would have made a definite impression. I only managed to freeze Myaon because I caught her by surprise.'

Even as he stared straight into Argonia's eyes, Alon kept track of Myaon at the edge of his vision.

'She hasn't broken free yet.'

He had cast Bitter Cold through the nail guard and poured in every bit of his mana—enough for five spells—so Myaon remained frozen.

'... I hope we can get the conversation moving before the spell wears off.'

Knowing Myaon's temperament, Alon was certain she would run wild the moment she escaped the spell. He watched Argonia, inwardly anxious. As long as Argonia, the strongest person here, acknowledged him, there would be no further fighting.

Indeed, part of the reason Alon had unleashed magic so abruptly was that he trusted Argonia. He had seen time and again in the game that Argonia assessed situations coolly and gave credit where it was due, rather than being pointlessly obstinate.

... More precisely, the protagonist's circumstances during a particular quest had been very similar to his current situation, and Argonia had reacted the same way every time. That was what he was relying on.

"..."

In the silence, Alon wanted to speak and force an answer out of them, but he held back. Now that he had unleashed his magic, whatever he said would make no difference.

It was up to the mercenaries to judge him now. Above all, if he wanted their recognition, he had to keep up a suitably imposing front.

A short while later, Maverick was the first to break the silence, his face creased in a scowl.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with us?"

Apparently offended by the sudden attack, he looked ready to draw his sword at any moment. Alon inwardly thought he was screwed, but—

"Enough."

To Alon's immense relief, Argonia stopped Maverick just before he drew his blade.

"What? You're saying we should let this slide after what he just did?"

"We were the ones who disrespected him."

"But still—!"

"I believe I told you to stop."

Argonia frowned slightly. Maverick stared back in obvious displeasure, but eventually clicked his tongue and sat down again, as though he had no choice.

"Tsk."

Himan also remained silent, apparently having no objection to Argonia's decision.

Having watched all this, Alon once again suppressed a sigh of relief and spoke.

"... When do you intend to descend into the labyrinth?"

"We intend to go down in two days."

Argonia's reply was courteous.

"...?"

For a moment, Alon wondered whether Argonia had ever been the sort of character to speak respectfully to anyone. For now, though, he continued.

"Then let's continue this meeting tomorrow. We can hardly hold a meeting with one of us in this state."

Alon glanced at Myaon. Once Bitter Cold ended, the manifested magic holding her would dissolve in an instant as well. She would certainly be furious when she was freed, so he decided to make himself scarce first.

"... Let us do that."

With Argonia's consent, Alon rose without hesitation, turned, and walked past the mercenaries.

CREAK

He left the meeting room.

In his wake, silence filled the room.

And finally outside, Alon thought:

'This is bad for my heart. I am never doing anything like this again.'

Clutching at his pounding heart, he let out a small breath and left the mansion at a rather brisk pace...

####

Immediately after Alon left the meeting room, Maverick sent the soldiers back out and spoke, his face full of irritation.

"Ha. The more I think about it, the less I like that bastard. Is it because he's a noble and no one's ever beaten the shit out of him?"

It was obvious whom he was taking a jab at.

But then—

"Just shut up."

"What?"

"I said shut up."

"What did you just say...?"

Maverick scowled deeply at Himan, who had remained silent until now. The two normally got along like cats and dogs.

"For fuck's sake... Why does this bastard keep bitching even after someone saves his life?"

"What?"

"Don't you get it? Argonia saved your life, you fucking moron."

At those words, Maverick looked uncomprehending, then disgruntled.

"... Enough, Maverick. Himan is right."

"What?"

"If you had drawn your sword just now, you really might have died."

"What the hell are you—"

With Argonia adding her voice, the scowling Maverick fell silent. Until now, he had been too irritated to take proper stock of his surroundings. Only now did he notice the faint trickle of cold sweat on Argonia's body.

"... Fuck."

The curse escaped Maverick before he knew it. He had never once seen Argonia break into a cold sweat like this.

Even Himan—whom he privately knew to be stronger than himself, much as he hated to admit it—was sweating as well. Maverick had no choice but to hold his tongue.

"... Argonia."

"What is it?"

"What in the world was that?"

Argonia, who was said to have lived for hundreds of years already, remained silent at Himan's question. He had asked in the hope that she might know something.

In truth, she did have some idea. But that knowledge was not something she had acquired herself. She had heard it from her mother, a red dragon who had departed this world long ago, one of the dragons that had now vanished from it.

"..."

She recalled her mother, who had declared that there was nothing in this world to fear, warning her to beware of this one thing.

Long, long ago...

["Remember this. If ever a black eye rises in the night sky, lower your gaze at once. Do not look at it."]

["If you have seen it, look away. Do not acknowledge it. Do not remember it. If you become a mage someday, cut that memory out."]

["Remember, my darling child. You must never look the 'Devourer of Stature' in the eye."]

That was what her mother had urged upon her.

... Recalling that advice—no, that warning—which remained vivid even now, Dragonia thought back to what had just happened.

The blue eye that had hovered behind Count Pallatio—and the black eye.

It had been infinitely ominous. Merely looking at it had made her feel as though her soul would slip out of her body.

A shiver ran through her.

That black eye had gazed at her, crinkling in a sly smile.

'What in the world... is that man?'

Dragonia quietly caught her breath.

####

The next day, contrary to Alon's fears that they might still refuse to acknowledge him and keep picking fights, the meeting proceeded remarkably smoothly. He learned two things from it.

First, the Outer God was on the twelfth floor.

Second, they intended to stop it on the fifth.

As soon as he heard that, he began explaining the plan he had already devised, point by point, before briefing them on the Outer God itself.

It took about thirty minutes.

Worried that someone might raise an awkward objection, Alon presented even his information about the Outer God as knowledge gleaned from an ancient book. Once he finished, he looked at the gathered mercenaries with some trepidation.

'... I'll probably have to compromise, won't I?'

Alon was confident that his plan was the best possible strategy for defeating the ascending Outer God with minimal losses. But that was only his own assessment.

The mercenaries here were not his subordinates. He knew perfectly well that he was in no position to order them to follow his strategy; he could merely propose it. That was why he was nervous, but—

"... Let us do that."

"I'll do that as well."

"No objections."

"Me too."

"...??"

Alon looked bewildered as his proposal sailed through in an instant, so casually and without a single complaint.

"... You really have no complaints?"

Alon asked again, just to be sure.

"None."

"Nor do I."

"Me neither."

"Me too."

As the four answered as though they truly had no objections, Alon couldn't help thinking:

'... Did I really make that strong an impression yesterday?'

He gave a slight shake of his head. He had certainly made an impression, but that alone could not possibly have made the mercenaries of the five great guilds, Argonia included, so obedient.

Which led him to wonder...

'... Could it be?'

Alon glanced at Rine, who had accompanied him to today's meeting.

"...?"

Despite her impassive expression, her puzzlement was unmistakable. He naturally looked away again, feeling even more confused.

'... Something's strange here.'

Alon tilted his head at the mercenaries, who were far more compliant than they had been in the game, even going so far as to speak respectfully to him.

It was strange that even Myaon was quiet, when she surely still resented him for freezing her. But it would be ridiculous to go out of his way to ask why they weren't complaining.

"Then we'll head down tomorrow. The preparations will take some time."

With that, Alon brought the meeting to a close.

####

Then came the day of the showdown.

Leaving Evan behind, Alon began descending toward the fifth floor with the expedition against the Outer God, taking along Rine, who had insisted on accompanying him.

'... It's even more dank and gloomy.'

He had seen it dozens of times in the game, but the labyrinth in person exuded a far more sinister atmosphere than he had expected. Monsters sprang out at every opportunity from darkness so deep that, without a torch, he could not see a thing.

The abyssal darkness beyond the reach of the light naturally stirred fear in anyone who saw it.

Of course, with so many mercenaries around, Alon's immediate surroundings were quite bright. But that did not banish the darkness entirely.

'I must never come in here alone.'

With that thought, Alon continued down into the labyrinth.

Some time passed.

During a break after they had passed the second floor, Alon was resting in a safe zone the mercenaries had established inside the labyrinth when a voice addressed him.

"Hey, do you have a moment?"

Myaon had approached him without his noticing.

"... What is it?"

Alon's expression grew a little tense. Had she come to pick a fight?

"I just wanted to talk?"

Yet, quite unexpectedly, Myaon sat down beside him with such an easy smile that his concern seemed foolish, and soon began chattering about this and that.

Alon listened in bewilderment.

"Oh, by the way, Count, do you have anything against beastfolk?"

"No, I don't."

"That's a relief."

"What is?"

Her answer left him looking puzzled.

"Say, Count, I was wondering—"

Myaon gave him a sly smile.

"—Would you be interested in mating with me?"

She delivered that outrageous remark as casually as could be.

"...?"

... Alon's brain temporarily ceased to function.