A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

Above was an endless library stretching as far as the eye could see.

Its design brought to mind the tower they'd seen through the hidden passage. Bookshelves covered every inch of the walls, crammed with volumes of varying colors, shapes, and sizes. Yet there was no spiral staircase, and the stone floor beneath their feet felt cold to the touch.

The only sources of light were numerous lamps cradling flickering flames, and as the air shifted, the light danced and shimmered. The atmosphere was heavy with a strange tension, as if something was holding its breath, watching them from the shadows.

There was complete silence.

Into this painfully quiet stillness, Rizel and the others stepped, their footsteps echoing.

"There's nothing here," a calm voice said, spreading softly through the vast room.

There was no strain or urgency in the voice, effortlessly breaking the unbreakable silence.

"This has to be the boss room, no doubt," Eleven murmured.

They had reached the forty-fifth level, and the only thing before them was a large door leading into this room.

Usually, the deepest part of a labyrinth holds only the door to the boss and a magic circle, nothing else. If there were more paths beyond here, the labyrinth would continue, but there was no sign of that, so they were certain.

Eleven licked his lips and let his gaze glide smoothly over the library as if searching for something. But the shelves yielded no hints; his eyes drifted upwards toward the unseen ceiling.

"It's a bit nerve-wracking facing an unknown monster, but I'm looking forward to it," Eleven said.

"You get nervous?" Jill asked.

"I do," Eleven replied.

Jill sighed in exasperation at the serene smile on Eleven’s face, which betrayed no sign of nervousness.

There was only one boss per labyrinth. Unlike normal monsters that might appear elsewhere, the monster they were about to face in this unexplored labyrinth was, as Rizel said, an unknown creature.

That was also true of the boss in the previous labyrinth, Mermaid Princess's Cave. But unlike that labyrinth, which had been thoroughly explored and cleared except for the boss over many years, this time Rizel was tackling a genuinely fresh labyrinth from scratch. Maybe that was quietly exciting.

"You’re sometimes quite the adventurer, you know," Jill remarked.

"Because I’m an adventurer," Rizel replied with a smile.

Jill nodded, deciding it was fine to let Rizel be a bit excited. If it interfered with battle, he’d say something, but if not, let them enjoy it.

"If we defeat the boss today, would that make us the first to clear it?" Jill wondered.

"I haven’t heard of anyone else clearing it," Eleven responded.

"Unless someone beat us to it, I suppose so," Rizel added.

They moved slowly forward and stopped right in the middle of the room.

Every direction was filled with books. Rizel felt calm but also sensed a tension that didn't fit the usual library mood. Jill and Eleven found it uncomfortable but somehow stimulating.

Something was definitely there.

"Maybe it’s an invisible monster. Remember, we faced something like that before," Rizel suggested.

"Then it would be weird if we weren’t attacked already..." Eleven began, but suddenly cut off his words as he looked up and swung his sword.

At that moment, Rizel was gently pushed on the shoulder by Eleven and moved toward Jill.

Without resistance, Rizel allowed his arm to be wrapped around and operated his magic rifle.

In the split second before they could identify the giant shape silently dropping onto them, Rizel fired.

The sound of a sword being deflected and mana dissipating barely reached their ears before being drowned out by the heavy thud of a massive body hitting the ground.

"Thanks," Rizel said. "The magic and sword strikes were deflected."

"Even the underside’s impenetrable," Eleven added.

Before them stood a huge spider, towering so that Rizel had to look up. Two long, enormous spikes curved from its back like horns, reaching toward the ceiling.

The spider slowly moved its many legs, its jet-black body writhing as it turned to face them. Its face came into view, revealing four large round eyes that shimmered with an eerie glow, and beneath them, sharp, scissor-like fangs.