Published: September 9, 2025
Satou here. There was a PC game about labyrinths I played long ago where samurai and thieves appeared as enemies. Back then, I never really thought about it, but did those thieves live inside the labyrinth?
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“I’ll reach you in about 15 minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”
I confirmed the situation over the “telephone” with Arisa.
Apparently, the bandits surrounded Arisa and the others but had reached a stalemate. They planned to flee once Liza and the others appeared, and take advantage of the gap to rush into the small room by sneaking along the narrow corridors and the labyrinth’s dark walls.
Moreover, the bandits’ leader, a bearded man in his 30s, and a sniper team using paralysis poison blowguns were causing trouble, making it hard to switch to offense. Arisa complained about this. Given their strength, eliminating them should be easy, so they were probably holding back to avoid killing.
The bandit leader, growing impatient with the stalemate, ordered his subordinates to create a monster train and charge the small room where Arisa’s group was.
Checking the map, stamina and magic power had slightly decreased, but no one seemed injured.
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Lulu and I, accompanied by the prefect’s Guards, were charging down the corridors.
“M-Master, there’s something ahead again...”
“Lulu, don’t look.”
Lying in the corridor were the corpses of bandits half-eaten by monsters. How many had fallen already? Naturally, leading monsters was a life-threatening task. Judging by the Collar of Servitude one wore, he was probably a slave.
I swung the Fairy Sword to slash away the monster swarming like bees around the corpse. Despite its tough appearance, it was as soft as tofu.
As we advanced, Lulu and I killed stray monsters that slipped from the train. The Guards following behind seemed exhausted, as they had been quiet for a while.
On the radar’s edge, bandits appeared.
As we turned a corridor corner, I fired a remote stun bullet aiming at the bandits surrounding Arisa and the others. Unlike the Magic Hand, the stun bullet’s launch is noticeable, so I waited until it was out of the Guards’ line of sight behind us.
At the same time, I threw a bundle of wires taken from storage, grabbed them with the Magic Hand, and tied up the stunned bandits. It was harder than I expected.
I reached a bandit rolling on the ground, tied up.
“Sir Noble, who are these?”
“Probably bandits captured by my retainers. Sorry, but they only tied them—they haven’t secured them properly. Later we’ll take them to the surface, but for now, could you bind them to that pillar?”
“Yes! Hey, gather the bandits in one place!”
The Guards secured about twenty bandits to a nearby pillar-like structure. Leaving them to the Guards, Lulu and I proceeded down the corridor. About half the Guards, including the captain, followed. There were no monsters between here and Arisa’s location.
I heard the clash of swords up ahead.
We rushed down the curved passage. At its end, two red lights crossed in the darkness.
One was Liza. It seemed the red glow extended from her spear to her armor. Because of that, her magic power looked dangerously low.
The other was the bearded bandit leader, looking like a dwarf despite being human. That impression came from the magical battle axe he wielded. Seeing someone fight with a battle axe was only the second time since Old Dohal.
“Master~!” “Yes!”
From behind Nana guarding the small room’s entrance, Pochi and Tama waved frantically, so I waved back.
The bandit leader fighting Liza deliberately swung his weapon wide to create distance, then pulled a flash bomb from his pocket and slammed it to the ground.
A situation straight out of a manga.
Just before the flash bomb hit the floor, I moved in front of Lulu to shield her eyes from the intense light. It was a bit dazzling, but thanks to the light intensity adjustment skill, we weren’t blinded.
“Releasing your sword hand, that’s amateurish!”
With the flash behind him, the leader approached me at Nana-level enhanced speed, trying to take me hostage. Maybe it’d be interesting to be captured and have Liza rescue me.