Published: March 21, 2026
The girl, who had been staring at my face as if she'd just woken up, suddenly formed an O with her mouth and let out a scream. Her expression didn't change, it was only her mouth making the sound, which made it even more eerie.
Whoa — women's screams really are that high-pitched. It was loud, so I tried to calm her by offering some roasted demonic beast meat and the last of my bread.
Her scream stopped immediately, and then, without saying whose, her stomach growled. Simple and honest — appreciated.
"…"
At the speed of light she snatched the food from my hand and, like a wild cat on guard, slipped away into a corner. Pretty nimble. While I was impressed, she finished eating unbelievably fast and fixed me with a stare asking for more. I handed over the meat I had been saving for myself.
"…Ah, thank you."
She said thanks in a hoarse voice; I nodded and poured water into a cup for her. Life magic is convenient. With this, I don't have to worry about fire or water. Even in a labyrinth with no gas or plumbing, I can still cook.
She ate voraciously and finally breathed out after gulping down the water.
"…Thank you for saving me."
Her voice was much improved thanks to the water as she thanked me again.
"Yeah. Why were you inside with the demonic beasts?"
"I don't know."
"Oh, right."
Because we were both taciturn, the conversation died again quickly. I had a ton of questions, but first I wanted to poke at the status plate floating in front of the girl.
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Amelia Rose Quartz
Race: High Elf Profession: divine child Lv.51
HP 500 / 25000 Attack / 400 Defense / 350
Magical power / Unable to measure
Skills: Royal Family's Dignity Lv.4 Magic Generation Lv.4 (gravity magic · revival magic · curse reflection · evasion magic)
Extra Skills: archery lv.8 Divine Dance Strategist World Eye Lv.3
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
So she’s an elf — a High Elf at that. And what’s this, magical power unable to measure? Magic Generation is broken too!! And she has World Eye. I wonder if my own status plate is visible to her.
"…Why are you here, Akira?"
My name’s already out? At least ask my name first. If it weren't me, she'd be staring at me like I was a weirdo.
"Leveling skills."
"I see."
The conversation died again.
Come to think of it, I'd heard elves generally have golden hair, but Amelia's hair was pure white. Her eyes weren't blue either — they were red. Some kind of congenital albinism, maybe.
Most people would find it creepy, but I don't have ordinary sensibilities. I thought it looked very mystical and beautiful. Of course I didn't say that to her face.
"Do you want to return to the elf island, Amelia?"
"…No. I'm not going back. I plan to stay with Akira."
She'd already decided for both of us. Well, judging by her status plate she shouldn't be a hindrance, but walking around with such a beautiful girl would probably make things complicated.
"I plan to go back after I clear this labyrinth."
When I said that, Amelia tilted her head slightly and stared at me with emotionless eyes.
"…No."
"Huh?"
"Akira's place isn't in the Human race's castle."
"…How do you know that?"
I understood what she meant — that everyone had been brainwashed. But if we broke the crystal the king and princess were hiding, the curse removal should be possible like it was for the hero.
"…I can tell. I have the same sight as you."
"If you're talking about World Eye, mine's not high enough yet."
"…No. Akira's the one refusing."
"…"
She must be talking about my earlier decision not to look into the future. I felt like everything was being seen through, and I looked away from Amelia.
"…I'm going to sleep."
"Good night."
"…Good night."
I tossed my own blanket to Amelia and leaned my back against the labyrinth wall to sit.
We were at a dead end of the maze, so we'd notice anything approaching immediately. From experience, I knew demonic beasts only come out of walls when some trap is triggered.
I widened my presence detection range to cover Amelia. She was already breathing in sleep. Too quick to adapt. She is supposed to be royal family of the elf, right? The status plate wasn't a mistake, was it?