PROLOGUE Escape from the Blazing Mansion and Thawing Snow Just as we found ourselves poised to move up from District Seven, an opportunity to advance even farther, and quicker, fell into our laps. Third-Class Dragon Captain Kozelka requested we assist with responding to a stampede in District Five, giving us the chance to temporarily skip District Six entirely. With Guild Savior Seraphina officially joining our party, we rose to the challenge with more battle strength than ever before. Nonetheless, immediately upon arriving in District Five, we found the expected stampede well underway—and learned firsthand by fighting the swarms of Death Stalkers and The Calamity, the Named Monster leading them, that the monsters in this district were far and above more formidable foes than those in District Seven. And yet we managed to overcome the perilous situation. Working together with Kozelka and Khosrow as well as Yunata, a District Five Guild Savior, we activated a powerful weapon embedded in the city itself and successfully vanquished The Calamity. Our efforts earned us the designation of Most Distinguished Seekers, an honor that also gave us leave to remain longer in District Five. Our stay secured, we resolved to ask our artisan friends we’d met along the way to join us; they’d agreed to exclusively support our party. We were making real progress—at least, that’s what I’d thought. However, I failed to recognize how seeing our party members wounded in the vicious battle had affected Elitia. Afraid to risk injury to anyone else, she elected to rescue her friend Rury from the clutches of the Shining Simian Lord on her own, even if it meant abandoning everything we’d been through together. I understood just as well as my other party members the mental anguish that drove Elitia to choose that path; none of us meant to blame her for her actions—in fact, it only hardened our conviction to save her at all costs. Rather than waiting and praying for her safe return, we went to her. We knew it might pit us against the Shining Simian Lord in an extremely dangerous battle, but we considered no other alternative. And so we delved into the labyrinth where the Shining Simian Lord lurked: the Blazing Red Mansion. After racing through the ever-crimson foliage of the forests in the first level, we had Adeline—Seraphina’s subordinate who had accompanied us—activate her Arrow Familiar skill to survey the area and locate Elitia. No sooner had we reached our friend already engaged in battle against the Simian Lord than we realized why it had never yet been defeated: The vicious Named Monster had the power to subjugate innocent seekers into its minions. Unable to bring ourselves to fight the evil primate’s brainwashed captives, we had no choice but to retreat. Alphecca hurried us out of the Simian Lord’s clutches, only to be caught by the monster’s chains. But unbeknownst to us, Theresia had surreptitiously slunk behind the Simian Lord for a sneak attack, giving us the chance to escape. However, she did not get out of the ploy unharmed. The devious ape branded her with the mark of its curse—a heinous hex that forced Seekers to obey its every command. We had two important goals to accomplish in the short time we could remain in District Five: rescue Rury from the Simian Lord’s control, and defeat the Named Monster once and for all, releasing Theresia from its evil spell. As we left the second floor of the Blazing Red Mansion and returned to the first, we passed through vermillion gates that reminded me of Shinto torii. I was struck with the familiar sensation of being teleported, and the scenery around us changed. The dense forest of crimson trees grew so thick, we couldn’t even see past its canopy. Though the bright red leaves continuously fluttered to the ground, they didn’t appear to be piling up—an effect I attributed to be this labyrinth’s unique environment. “…Ellie…,” Igarashi called, but received no response. The two sat in the back of the chariot; Elitia, her eyes blank and empty, lay listless in Igarashi’s arms. Elitia’s dear friend, though captive to the Simian Lord, was still alive. It was an encouraging discovery, to be sure, yet far from the happy reunion she’d hoped for. “What we saw back there must be one main reason no one has defeated the Simian Lord all this time. Advanced Seekers would almost certainly have what it takes to slay it, but when the monster deploys its captive Seekers as its shield, then…” Anyone who took on the Simian Lord would first have to fight not monsters but fellow human Seekers, captives who turned all their hostility and their most devastating techniques toward challengers, collaborating among themselves in a twisted sort of party. Seraphina and Adeline’s sullen grimaces confirmed that even the Guild Saviors had their hands tied. We had already confronted monsters that could manipulate their enemies: Both the Vine Puppeteer and Silvanus the Enchanter’s Messenger possessed similar skills. Armor or equipment could be modified to protect us from ailments like Charmed, but I knew practically nothing about the Simian Lord’s brand of enslaving techniques. It occurred to me that if the masks the monster’s hostages wore held some special significance, perhaps breaking those could snap them out of the spell. But I couldn’t guarantee that would work. These simian masks appeared different from those donned by demi-humans. If we could only get our hands on one, we might possibly discover how they truly worked—but the idea would be moot if they weren’t something you could safely remove from their wearers. Maybe there are others like Elitia trying to rescue these imprisoned Seekers. If so, they might have more intel on the Simian Lord… Still, even assuming such people do exist, are we gonna be able to find them in the few days we have left here…? This marked the first day, meaning we had six more in District Five. We could technically request an extension, but given that we’d already broken precedent with our District Skip, I found it hard to imagine we’d convince anyone to bend the rules even further for us. “Atobe, I know you’re still processing all this yourself, but could you tell us what you’re thinking?” Igarashi prodded. “We could all use a little hope…” The severity of our situation had evidently dampened her spirits. She had a point; ruminating on all our troubles alone would only make the group more anxious. “Of course, once we get home,” I told her. “But for now, I need more time to get my thoughts in order.” Seraphina, Igarashi, and Theresia nodded. Though by all rights she should’ve been the most distressed of us all, Theresia displayed incredible fortitude that at once comforted me and made me painfully aware of my own cowardice. The Etch-a-Hex the Simian Lord had used on her had already begun to gradually overwrite the demi-human Slave Seal on the nape of her neck. At this point, the edges had barely started to smudge, but it must’ve been a painful process; a fever continuously burned through Theresia’s body. “We didn’t find any other primate monsters on the second floor aside from the Simian Lord and its one companion. Granted, we can’t be sure it isn’t keeping any other regular Named Monsters. Is it safe to assume that as long as these monsters don’t explode in number, we won’t see a stampede?” I asked. “That is our working theory,” replied Seraphina. “I’m afraid I’m not very familiar with this labyrinth, but monsters that operate in organized groups do sometimes try to trick Seekers. Some set traps or establish strongholds to try to fend off their own demise as long as possible, and a subsection within that class also builds fortresses which significantly increase the difficulty of overtaking them.” If the Simian Lord and its minions had, in fact, constructed that fortress, it meant they must wield some degree of masonry. How had they learned it? Or did they come by it instinctively? Either way, it was safe to say a monster that intelligent would inevitably devise schemes to protect itself. And for the Simian Lord, its ability to enslave Seekers played a crucial role in those strategies. “…Why do you think it chose the second floor?” Igarashi wondered. “If there are other monsters on the third floor, is there a chance they’ll cause a stampede?” Her question made me realize for the first time that both of the stampedes we’d seen so far had been led by a Named Monster and the normal versions of that species. Both Death from Above and The Calamity rapidly proliferated, making them challenging to defeat. “Let’s get our hands on as much information on the Blazing Red Mansion as we can. Maybe we’ll find some answers,” I suggested. “District Five has an archive, one you should be permitted to peruse with your All-Star Seeker designation,” explained Seraphina. I’d heard of these archives located in odd-numbered districts before but hadn’t had the time to check any out. Hopefully, this one would provide useful information—though if tomes with details about the Simian Lord’s skills that enslaved seekers were readily available, the monster probably wouldn’t have gained such infamy as an impossibly formidable foe. “…I’m sorry… I—I knew I couldn’t do anything, but I…left on my own…,” Elitia choked out. “Elitia…,” I murmured as tears once again streamed down her cheeks. What was I supposed to say in situations like this? Something along the lines of “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters” wouldn’t give her even a moment’s comfort. “You must’ve had a reason for going off on your own, right, Ellie?” Igarashi offered gently. “…I saw…these awful guys… They wanted to kill Rury…to steal her equipment…but the Simian Lord got them, too…!” “That’s despicable…,” I spit in disgust. “Wouldn’t stealing armor like that raise their karma?” Seraphina lowered her eyes and shook her head—clearly, the people under the evil ape’s control didn’t count as normal Seekers. “…My license registered them as monsters. I imagine the system judged the binds which behold them to the Simian Lord as status ailments that will not naturally come undone.” Once faced with the harsh reality, even the people who tried to rescue the enslaved Seekers could easily lose the will to fight. And so the Blazing Red Mansion remained untouched. Leaving it undisturbed wouldn’t put the district in any danger, and few deemed it worthwhile to defeat the Simian Lord at the cost of human life. “Well, we’re going to have to find a way to lift those theoretically incurable status ailments. If slaying the Simian Lord can break the curse, we’ll have to find a way to take only it and its monster minions down,” I declared. Even so, I couldn’t yet see any rays of hope illuminating how we’d manage to throw ourselves at an enemy exponentially stronger than us, satisfy very trying conditions, and win—without losing anyone. “……” Still as a stone in my arms, Theresia had listened to the discussion quietly, but now she turned her head toward me as if to check how I was doing. I couldn’t explain her injuries away with the excuse that I hadn’t seen her action coming. It was only because she’d snuck up on the Simian Lord that we’d all managed to escape from its fortress. We’d only gotten this far because every single member of our party worked together. That’s why I’d hoped to face the Simian Lord once we’d all earned the proper qualifications to do so, not on a frantic race to retrieve Elitia after she delved into the labyrinth on her own. “Ms. Elitia,” Seraphina began, “I understand you previously came to District Five as a member of the White Night Brigade, and this affiliation granted you official permission to enter five-star labyrinths. However, you kept this secret from your party and decided to take individual action. The story you’ve just shared with us has sufficiently explained your motives in doing so. Nevertheless, your actions were exceedingly reckless. Could you not have placed more faith in your party with whom you have overcome all manner of trials…?” “…I…I didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt… I…couldn’t bear to lose someone again…for something so selfish…” Elitia always stood on the very front lines for us, bravely battling any monsters we came across. Occasionally, it seemed she scraped away years of her life to take on enormous monsters many times her size, and all to save us—to make sure she never lost anyone again. And yet I’d gotten the feeling she thought we were leagues and leagues behind her. Even so, I hadn’t wanted to pry too far into her private concerns, completely convinced that was for the best. Deep self-disgust now roiled within me for ever believing such drivel. “…I’m a Death Sword,” Elitia began. “…I shouldn’t even be around people anymore. Deep down, I know you’re all actually terrified of me…” I’d thought I’d understood. The Blue Butterfly had conjured illusions of the last things I wanted to see. It had also shown similar nightmares to Elitia, unearthing her primal fears. Then, during our battle against The Calamity, there was only one conclusion Elitia could take away when she saw our party member injured before her eyes. I knew all along. But playing the role of the understanding authority figure, I let Elitia walk off alone. “…Listen to me, Elitia.” “…!” Be the adult, make sure you keep the balance, and no one will hate you. I’d firmly planted myself in that stance this whole time, only for it to bring us to the foothills of an impenetrable impasse. And yet it was by no means too late. From the moment I met Elitia, I’d never once felt the urge to give up on her. And that was exactly why I had to get it all out in the open, even if I hurt her, or myself, in the process. “If you’ve really thought this whole time we were holding on to some secret fear of you, then all the trust we’ve built in each other was purely superficial—and it’s my fault for letting that doubt fester. I didn’t want to press you to say anything you didn’t want to share, and I thought it’d be okay if you opened up to us one day. But that day came and went, and still I tried to convince myself nothing had changed.” “Arihito…,” she whispered. “Atobe…” For a second, Igarashi seemed to waver over whether to stop me. I’d tried to keep up my “good employee” and “good subordinate” roles in front of her, too. Even now, I couldn’t say with any conviction whether we’d work best as a team if things stayed that way. Every organization depends on people who hold their true thoughts to themselves in favor of keeping the peace. And yet even with my friends’ lives on the line, I still chose to be the “good person”—like a complete idiot. “Elitia…I’d like you to tell me everything you’ve been through with that sword of yours. You can tell all of us, if you prefer. I’ll leave that up to you.” “…Mr. Atobe, perhaps Ms. Elitia is not in the best condition for such a request…,” Seraphina softly objected. “Every single person in my party is important to me, regardless of when they joined. That goes for you, too, Seraphina. I never want you to get hurt, and if you’re worried about something, I’ll do everything in my power to try to find a solution,” I replied. “But Elitia hasn’t been entirely truthful with us, and to me it feels as if that omission has kept her a step removed from the group. If we don’t deal with this now, one day it’ll drive us to a dead end.” Everyone erects protective walls around their heart. They keep others at a distance, setting boundaries they don’t want anyone to cross. But sometimes, those walls also prevent them from getting close to anyone else. No matter how much it may have appeared Elitia had opened up to Suzuna, Misaki, and the others, her outward smiles had no heart to them. “…My job is one I can’t do alone. That fact took me to the Mercenary Office, where I met Theresia, and for the first time, I thought I might be able to make it as a Seeker. But Theresia, Igarashi, and I would never have made it this far with just the three of us. I can’t tell you how touched I was when your countless attacks and my skills came together for the first time. I couldn’t even believe it was possible. And when Suzuna and Misaki joined us, I felt like together we could reach any heights.” Though Elitia’s eyes remained hollow, I believed my words were getting through to her, and I pressed on. “No matter how powerful our enemies may be, there will always be a way to defeat them. But we need every last one of us to pull it off. I can’t count the number of times you’ve saved us, Elitia, but I’ll remind you again and again until it feels real to you. Theresia wanted to help you; that’s why she threw herself into that awful danger, doing what I could never have done… And it wasn’t logic that moved her; it was her desire to save you. Nothing more, nothing less.” “…I don’t know what I’ll do…if that ape…gets Theresia, too…” “I won’t ever let that happen—never. But to make sure of that, we all need to get stronger. Though I’m now painfully aware of how quickly we rushed through to this point, it’s better to realize late than never.” Anxious concern for Rury and the unimaginable treatment she might be facing had tortured Elitia’s mind this whole time, through every single battle we’d fought. And while worries about whether a Seeker could even survive imprisonment plagued her more than anyone else, she also believed more fervently than anyone that her friend still held on—just like I believed I would one day make Theresia human again. “…Rury’s alive, Elitia,” I told her softly. “You wouldn’t have gotten to see that if you hadn’t been brave enough to act.” “…Ah…” Her eyes wavered with emotion. “So let’s run this race together, till the very end. I’m going to make sure you never leave us behind again before we save her—or after. You can’t get away from us anymore, Elitia.” “…!” Light returned to Elitia’s eyes, and tears spilled down her cheeks once more. She covered her face, mussed her hair, and started bawling. “…Uwaaaaaaah…!” Igarashi drew the sobbing girl into an even tighter embrace. For now, at least—but no, I hadn’t earned that right yet. “……” “…Theresia?” Theresia lifted herself into a seated position. I thought she wanted to get down from Alphecca at first, but I was wrong. She placed her hand on the top of my head and petted it—then gently traced the moisture that ran down my cheeks. “……” Her mouth moved but made no sound. Then, surprisingly, she brought the finger with which she’d wiped away my tears to her lips, though I couldn’t begin to imagine why. Swallowing the embarrassment and every other emotion that stirred within me, I simply rested my hand on Theresia’s mask, then fell silent.
Chapter 47
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