Published: August 10, 2026
A weakness of Lizel's party when conquering labyrinths is traps.
No, "weakness" might be a bit much. It was only that they were bad at them; it wasn't as if they couldn't get past them.
But Gill usually dealt with traps after they had already been triggered. Lizel, who had learned from him, had slowly picked up basic knowledge about traps, but there was no way for him to properly study how to disable them the orthodox way. Only Eleven was relatively good at spotting and disabling traps, but that was only because he had plenty of experience as the one setting them. He was weak against the especially meaningless, contextless traps found in labyrinths.
And today, they were conquering a labyrinth with one more person who was even worse at traps.
"It's been a while since the four of us went into a labyrinth together."
"I'll do my best."
The one who nodded was Quattro.
He had fallen head over heels for adventurers' life and lately had been taking requests and delving into labyrinths quite often, but he was still falling headfirst into traps just as much as ever. The reason was simple: since he could take the hits without any real problem, he lacked a sense of danger. He did keep watch in his own way, but it was at a level where it made no difference whatsoever.
Perhaps because of that, Lizel smiled at Quattro, who was brimming with enthusiasm, and laid his hand on the labyrinth's door.
"For someone who says he's bad at them, you don't seem to hate traps very much."
"I don't dislike them."
"I like seeing really amazing traps too."
"Are there traps that can surpass your father's?"
"Well, in terms of scale, sure. But not in the other sense."
The four of them stood before the labyrinth's door.
It was a labyrinth called the "Shrine That Rejects Intruders," and as the name suggested, it was full of traps. The request they had picked up on a whim happened to involve this labyrinth, and after the guild staff casually said, "It's a labyrinth with lots of traps, so please be careful," Lizel had decided to invite Quattro since they were here anyway.
And that was how they ended up here.
"I figure I've been improving little by little."
"I bet you have."
"You could do pretty well if you weren't so lazy, Niisan."
"Lazy...?"
Under the clear blue sky of a day perfect for training, the four of them stepped into the forbidden shrine while chatting casually.
A voice said, Turn back.
The shrine was in ruins. The solemn decorations that once showed its former prosperity were now cracked and gave off a neglected air. The ceiling overhead was high, and dust drifted through the light.
Again, the voice said, Turn back. It faintly echoed through the space, but none of the four seemed particularly alarmed as they looked for its source.
"Where's that voice coming from?"
"Maybe from there?"
"Don't stick your hand in there."
In the center of the front door was a carving shaped like a human face.
If you peered in, the eyes and mouth were hollow. After waiting for a while, the words "Turn back" came again from the empty mouth. It might have been mistaken for the sound of wind passing through, if it had only happened once.
"To go forward, we have to open it, right?"
"It won't open?"
"No, the doorknob turns normally."
"It's just saying that?"
"We're still on the first floor," Eleven said indifferently, grabbing Quattro's wrist.
Ignoring Quattro, who looked at him in confusion, Eleven shoved his hand straight into the carving's mouth without hesitation. Quattro screamed as his wrist was swallowed up by the carving, but Eleven's grip on him didn't loosen, and when Quattro tried to pull free, he couldn't move.
"Quit whining. It doesn't hurt, does it?"
"I'm surprised!!"
"You didn't get bitten or anything, did you?"
"Being bitten is... no..."
As Lizel soothed him with a hand on his back and said it was fine, Quattro's irritation began to fade.
Now that he knew nothing was wrong, he seemed to relax, and keeping his hand inside, he started moving his arm around inside the hollow space. Once he had settled his nerves, he was the type to steel himself and get on with it, and he rummaged through the cavity.