We had good reasons… Most of the later party are individuals I’m expecting we’ll need for the fight against Vicius herself. I want to avoid their numbers getting whittled down for no good reason by encountering the disciples. And so, even if it’s just to give myself some peace of mind, I want the later party to enter a short time after the advance party. During that interval, the advance party will take down the disciples. That would be the best-case scenario.
“Here I go.” The next to enter was Munin, sandwiched in between Sogou and Seras in the hopes that she would have the best odds of meeting up with one of our two best fighters. She stepped into the teleportation chamber.
“Munin,” said Fugi. Munin smiled back at her.
“See you later, Fugi,” she said, and was teleported away.
Seras is up next.
“I will see you inside, Sir Too-ka.”
“See you there.”
Just as I finished speaking those words, Seras was gone.
Next up—Piggymaru.
Slei raised her right foreleg, as if cheering the little slime on. “Pakyuun!”
“Sqyuu~h! Squee, squee!”
After their brief exchange, Piggymaru jumped into the teleportation chamber.
“See you soon,” I said, raising my hand.
“Squee!”
Piggymaru was teleported away—and then it was my turn to enter.
After me comes Lokiella, then the Takao sisters. If all goes well, I can use my status-effect skills to take out those disciples without expending any of our stamina. The best-case scenario would be if I could take them out alone. That would let us preserve our resources for the coming fight against Vicius. Well…the best case would be if I could finish Vicius quickly, I guess.
I had Eve enter a little later, in order to take into account the random nature of the labyrinth’s teleportation system.
You don’t necessarily end up near the person you entered right after, so this distribution is in consideration of that.
I answered Slei’s hooves cheering me on with a wave of my own—and then it happened. A noise, like a ringing in my ears—
…Reeeeee…
From the inside of the labyrinth—I felt something. The sound seemed to sparkle. For a moment, a look of concern flashed over Lokiella’s face as she waited in line.
“Nh—ah, I see…”
I could see the outer wall of the labyrinth, even from inside the teleportation chamber. The air was sparkling—the last thing I saw were little particles of light falling like snow before my eyes. Aside from the ringing in my ears, I felt nothing strange.
“…”
I had teleported inside of the labyrinth. I saw a white passage in front of me with white walls. They were a little wider than the hallways of the academy we’d all attended back in the old world.
But sound—I can’t hear a thing. It’s so quiet. From the sound and the light, and the look I saw on Lokiella’s face just before I was teleported in here…
“I see. So that must have been it.”
Seems like Sogou’s managed to activate the anti-Vicius magical device on the inside.
Kashima Kobato
“HUH? WHAT, seriously? You’re comin’ too, Pidgey? This ain’t some sick joke?”
That was Ikusaba Asagi’s reaction to Kashima Kobato explaining that she would be entering the labyrinth. Mimori Touka had already been transported inside. Takao Hijiri had been left to make decisions in his absence, but she had now been teleported away into the labyrinth too. Upon hearing that the Wildly Beautiful Emperor was next in command, Kobato had immediately gone to ask him for permission.
“When I spoke to His Majesty the emperor, he said it was okay… He agreed, when I explained, that my unique skill might be of use to you, Asagi-san. I’ve got permission to enter.”
“Well it’d sure be convenient to have your management skill in there, Pidgey, so like, no notes, y’know?”
“For buffs, given that Mimori-kun, Sogou-san, and the Takao sisters will fighting in there. It would help to have my Disclose skill to manage their durations, right? Your buff skills are a little unique, after all.”
Kobato had heard the word buff so many times that the once-unfamiliar term now felt natural to her. Asagi had given buffs to the heroes right before they entered the labyrinth.
“But if you come up on one ’o them eucharists alone in there, you’re dead meat. Pidgey?”
“That’s why I… I waited until Sogou-san and the Takao sisters left.”
For once, Asagi looked genuinely surprised.
“Sogou-san, she… If I said I was going, she’d definitely be against it—well, no…but she’d be trying to protect me.”
“…Look, that’s fine. But what’s this gross, weird little gung-ho vibe you’re giving off? You thinking something like It was already over for us young people back in Japan, so who really gives a damn if you die in this world or somethin’?”
“No,” said Kobato, shaking her head. “I just can’t leave you alone.”
“Huh? What… Me?”
“You.”
“Man. That’s dumb.”
“Hah… I mean, you’re always saying I’m an idiot though, right…?”
“…So dumb.”
Asagi had talked the others into remaining outside the labyrinth. They believed that staying out there was for the best.
I don’t understand it, but Asagi seems to think it’s important that everyone in her group survives. But to Asagi—it’s like I’m different. There’s something there… I just don’t know what that something is.
Kobato tried to smile but wasn’t sure whether she’d pulled it off.
“I don’t want you…getting lonely, Asagi-san.”
“…You’re gonna die in there.”
There was no hint of a smile in Asagi’s eyes.
I feel like I’ve started talking to her a little differently now. It’s not because Sogou Ayaka might think that she’s dangerous either… I don’t really understand it myself, but…I just can’t seem to leave her alone, for whatever reason.
“I believe you now,” said Kobato with determination.
Asagi averted her eyes, clearly getting irritated. “You believe what?”
“I trust that you’re going to help us defeat the Goddess and get us all back to the old world.”
“…Whaaat~? Me? Pidgey I’m startin’ to seriously get worried about you… You all right in the head? Like, whatcha doing still callin’ Vicius-chin the Goddess, anyway?”
“If you really think I wouldn’t be of any use, then I won’t go… I’m scared… But…”
Kobato looked up at the Divine Labyrinth. “If me going in there with you will give you even just a slightly better chance of us winning, then…then it’s worth it.”
“…Yeesh, you’re annoying.”
“You can be annoying at times too, Asagi-san.”
“Srsly?”
“Ah—s-sorry… I just…”
Asagi turned her back on Kobato in irritation. “…Yeesh, you’re startin’ to get on all of my nerves.”
“It’s almost time,” said the Wildly Beautiful Emperor. He looked at Kobato. “Kobato, is your mind unchanged?”
“Ah—yes.”
“You will enter between myself and Chester. Nyantan Kikipat will also be close to you in the order. Once you have been teleported inside, do your best to meet up with one of us.”
“O-okay… Thank you…” replied Kobato, her pulse racing.
Oh wow…
Getting to see the emperor up close, it almost seemed ridiculous to Kobato just how handsome he was. Her heart skipped a beat, as if she was looking at a sort of beautiful doll. Kobato experienced many of the same emotions whenever she looked at Seras Ashrain.
“You are also a classmate of Too-ka’s, no? We must protect you for his sake as well,” said the emperor.
Asagi narrowed her eyes and made a duck face.
“Mimori-kyun’s a smooth talker too, eh… Sure wish he woulda done something with those talents of his before we all got teleported to this world and he got thrown away!”
“Asagi,” said the emperor. “I believe that I was right to join forces with you.”
Asagi cheerfully raised a hand in response and waved it in the emperor’s direction. “Sure, sure. I got this~! Leave it t’ me~.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor set off walking in the direction of the labyrinth entrance.
“Let us go.”
They followed.
“…”
Asagi’s true power doesn’t only lie in Queen Bee… It wasn’t that skill alone that defeated the banished emperor. If Vicius really is that strong, Asagi’s unique buffs might be what makes the difference to defeating her? That’s why I…I think I should go with her, so she can use those buffs to their fullest extent. Even though, well…there’s just a feeling I have.