Chapter 33

PROLOGUE The Twilight Room District Five, the White Night Brigade’s lodgings, Trillheim. The first taste of success—along with the subsequent monetary reward that improves one’s lot in life—brings hope to Seekers new to the Labyrinth Country. Before long, the share of these Seekers who embark on seeking expeditions for the sake of those monetary rewards grows. They eventually fail to advance any further through the districts and resign themselves to the daily grind simply to sustain themselves. Yet not a single person in Johan Centrale’s White Night Brigade fit this description, nor should they, in his opinion. The Brigade’s thirty-two members lived in a spacious mansion among the most luxurious accommodations in District Five. Johan sat still as a statue in one of the rooms of that great house as Agnes, leader of the Brigade’s second party, came before him to give her report. “…All members of the second party have safely returned. Captain, would you kindly explain the meaning of this?” she asked. Agnes was wearing what at first glance would appear to be Shinto priest garb. However, her job was Shinto Warrior Priest, an advanced version of the Warrior Monk job that excels in hand-to-hand combat. Her style was second to none, not even Johan’s. She kept her long flaxen hair in a French braid and carried herself with perfect poise, though her eyes could not conceal the intense emotion burning within them. Her words were full of rebuke for the younger Johan, though he gave no hint that they affected him in the least as he sat in his throne-like chair. The relic had once belonged to the royal family who had ruled the Labyrinth Country, but it now served him, a Seeker. He rested his chin on his hand and gazed off into space. The evening sun filtered in through the stained glass windows, drenching his blue-streaked hair in various colors. “How could you let Shirone leave? Did you really have to pressure her like that…?” “I do feel bad for what I did to her. She’s given everything she had to the Brigade.” “Then, why…?” Agnes began, but her breath caught in her throat when Johan turned his gaze toward her. He was smiling as always, but that grin wasn’t appropriate for this conversation. “Charm Master is indeed a valuable occupation,” said Johan. “However, it is also one a Seeker can choose to switch to, so long as the proper conditions are met. In other words, our Charm Master does not need to be Shirone.” “…Shirone has contributed more than most to the Brigade, even back when she was a Dual Fencer. I’ve heard she’s been with the Brigade since shortly after you established it.” “Which is precisely why I tried my best at uncovering whatever potential she had. Still, it’s not like I’ve expelled her. She will have a place here if she comes back,” said Johan. He placed a red pawn upon the chess board on the table in front of him. It seemed to imply that the piece represented Shirone. “… Is ascending through the districts truly that important to you? So important, you’ll allow only those members who manage to retain the smallest shred of their sanity in the grip of a cursed weapon to stay at your side?” Agnes asked him. “Time waits for no one, cruel as that may be. If I don’t make it to District One while I’m in my prime, the only path I’ll have left is down. And none of our seeking to this point has uncovered a means to preserve youth, if such a thing even exists.” “That may be…but I’m sure we could find a way to climb up the ladder without relying on those weapons…” “The ladder, huh? We will never be able to avoid the least likely misfortunes with any certainty, no matter how much time we devote to climbing that ladder,” he replied with that ever-present smile. He continued, as if relishing every word that left his mouth, “We’ve been fortunate to avoid attacks that guarantee sudden death. We’ve outwitted the traps hidden in the labyrinths and established a cooperative, if passive, relationship with a Hidden God. But the smallest slipup could have meant death for any one of us, including me.” “But you… You possess the most powerful equipment in District Five. And at your level…” “Level-fifteen Seekers have lost their lives to Named Monsters as low as level ten. You can be the strongest Seeker there is, have the most powerful equipment around, and death will still come for you unless you get your hands on something with Sudden Death Resistance. All armor is imperfect at best.” The Brigade had achieved the number one rank in District Five and had District Four within arm’s reach, yet pessimism lined every word their captain spoke. Nonetheless, Agnes didn’t feel that he was complaining. “…Will you still not tell me why you’re searching for color-inscribed equipment?” At Agnes’s question, Johan reached out for the sword resting against his throne, wrapped his fingers around the hilt protruding from the black sheath that housed it, and raised it in front of his face. “The curses choose us. We must be prepared to fend off what death lurks in the labyrinths when we come face-to-face with it. Death scares me more than anything. I’m just like everyone else,” he replied, a boyish, carefree grin playing on his lips. Sometimes Agnes had to wonder if the White Night Brigade’s stoic commander and the boyish figure before her were, in fact, the same person. “The Scarlet Emperor is diametrically opposed to your sword. Knowing that, why did you give it to Elitia…?” “Colored weapons only reveal their true powers before the chosen few. From day one, nothing about life as a Seeker is fair… You should know that best, Agnes. You, a reincarnate, acquired a job that by all rights should only be available to this country’s natives.” “…Do you care nothing for the safety of your family? You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten about Rury…,” Agnes pressed, referring to Elitia’s close friend, the young girl captured by the Simian Lord. No one in the White Night Brigade spoke of her any longer. Agnes, however, was one of the few who hadn’t completely given up on rescuing Rury, even here where Johan’s word was law. “It’s true that Elitia had shown some fencing talent before we raided that labyrinth, but only enough to give her an edge among other swordfighters her age. She didn’t have what it takes to get to District Five. She got all the strength she gained by leeching contribution points off the party.” Agnes had wondered what Johan thought of Elitia as her older brother. Not once since coming to the Labyrinth Country had he put his family first; he treated his sister as any other Seeker in the Brigade. Even so, Agnes held on to a slim ray of hope that Johan still cared for Elitia, that he would reach out to help her if she ever truly needed it. But Johan dashed those hopes without ever losing that faint grin as dusk began to plunge the room into darkness. “Elitia’s new name, the Death Sword, is proof that she’s still alive. She’s using the powers of the Scarlet Emperor to survive. She gained that cursed blade at the cost of her friend and is making it her own.” “How can you be so cold…?! Ellie has done nothing to deserve—” “She’ll abandon her little ‘goals’ before long. The kingdom that the Simian Lord built from the ground up is a finely tuned machine… It’s a wonder the Guild has managed to contain him and his underlings at all. Just imagining the kind of stampede they would cause gives me the worst headache.” Anyone who had ever set foot inside that labyrinth knew all too well why the Guild Saviors could not lay a hand on the monster living there. Seekers were free to make their way to the upper districts by raiding easier labyrinths, a choice that inevitably led some labyrinths to fall into complete neglect. It was in one of these abandoned lands that Rury, a member of the White Night Brigade and Elitia’s close friend, had gone missing. “I warn all new members as soon as they join us that if they fall behind in a labyrinth, we won’t attempt a rescue if the risk is too great. Many parties in this country run on a similar rule for the sake of protecting their group.” “…Even assuming you agreed to such a rule at the outset, not everyone could actually follow through with it.” “I admit, it was a tough decision. I hated the thought of losing a valuable Healer… But she made a grave error when she chose her skills. And I’d bet we’ll find another Healer whose skills complement our Brigade even better than hers.” “…Then it’s only a matter of time before I, too…,” Agnes started, but she dared not finish the thought. She knew that the moment it reached Johan’s ears, she’d no longer be qualified to remain in the Brigade. “Elitia will eventually return; I have no doubt of that. She’ll be stronger and an even greater asset to us,” predicted Johan, still smiling, completely unaware of the last thing Elitia had said as she left the Brigade. Agnes made no mention of it and kept the memory to herself. “…I will await your next orders in my room. I only ask that you allow me to do all I can to trace Shirone’s whereabouts.” “I can’t have you leaving District Five, too. Use whatever means you like, so long as they’re within this district.” Agnes left the room and turned into a hallway lit with magical lamps. Her thoughts spilled out almost unconsciously as she treaded along the crimson carpet: “Elitia…Shirone…please, please be safe.”