Arriving at the place guided by Ignis.
We discovered the corpses of six members of Iara’s group there.
“I can’t even recognize their forms…”
Iara scanned the corpses with a gaze filled with horror.
All the bodies were charred black, making it difficult to identify who was who.
Boglebogle—They’ve just turned into charred remains.
Pururu—Ugh. Ignis, you cruel bastard.
Mysticism—😠
Rize Nova—At this rate, collecting the corpses has little meaning.
Yumi—It’s not completely meaningless. We can still pay our respects and bury them.
The Necro Puppetmaster stared at Iara and lightly tugged on the thread connected to Ignis while speaking.
[Ignis. Apologize.]
[…I’m sorry. It wasn’t my doing, but the original owner of my body’s doing; still, I will apologize for it.]
Next, he tugged on the thread connected to Lilith Morphea.
As a side note, Lilith was made into a puppet the moment she was killed.
[Lilith. You apologize too.]
[Me too? Upon reviewing my memories, I have no connection to those corpses. Ignis acted alone.]
[Still, do it. It’s collective responsibility.]
[Got it. I’m sorry…]
“It’s okay, no need to apologize. They’re different beings and only resemble their original owners.”
Iara shook her head and said that, then crouched down and gently touched her fallen comrades’ bodies.
Her face was filled with sorrow.
“Sigh… If they were going to abandon me and run away, they should have at least survived… What a state this is…”
Pururu—But I really respect Iara’s character. If it were me, I’d be happy thinking they got what they deserved.
Yumi—How trashy.
Mysticism—Buregi.
Rize Nova—Pururu, you truly have the worst character.
Boglebogle—Pururu is being honest. It’s natural to have such thoughts. Who would mourn for someone who betrayed them? I wouldn’t either.
Pururu—Seems like Alice and I see eye to eye.
Mysticism—😶
About 10 minutes.
It was the time Iara spent in mourning and praying.
We silently waited for her.
“…The prayer is over. Thank you for waiting.”
Iara finished her prayer, stood up, and bowed her head to me.
She had such good manners.
It would have been great if someone like her could be my assistant.
For now, there was no way to make her an assistant, so I just placed her on the list of candidates.
“But where should we bury the corpses? I don’t think we can bury them back in their hometown…”
“I’ll find a spot for you.”
I already had a place in mind.
The place where I first met the Centauress and the Hedgehog Summoner; the meadow would be perfect for burying the bodies.
‘It’d be easy to bury them there.’
Overall, the Ancient Labyrinth has a sturdy structure.
There are plenty of places with walls that can’t be breached or ground that can’t be destroyed.
However, there are soft spots too.
Finding a place deep enough to dig was a bit difficult.
I wanted to bury the corpses at a good depth.
Thus, I thought of the meadow.
I heard from the Hedgehog that the ground in the meadow can be dug deep.
And it’s also visually better to bury them in the meadow than in a cave.
“Centauress. Is it okay to take the already dead bodies to the meadow?”
[Yes. As long as it’s not killing in front of Solorb, most things are allowed.]
“Then we’ll bury them there. Iara, gather the corpses. I’ll guide you to a good burial site.”
“Ah, yes!”
We gathered the six bodies and moved to the meadow.
*
Upon opening the massive door, a vast field spread out before us.
Close to the entrance, we used monsters’ assistance to make six graves.
“Thank you for even helping with making graves.”
“What are you talking about? This is the least we can do. We’re not outsiders.”
Pururu—?? Not outsiders?
Boglebogle—If you’re not outsiders, what’s the relation?
Rize Nova—Did something happen between the time the broadcast got turned off?
Yumi—No way that happened. ㅡㅡ
Mysticism—😠 Sounds suspicious. Tell me what happened when the broadcast was off at night!
“Not being outsiders just means we built up a lot of inner intimacy,” I thought.
It was easier to open one’s heart to such kind-hearted beings.
Anyway, after making the graves, Iara once again knelt down and prayed in front of them.
In the midst of this,
[That up there looks just like our Solorb. It’s a friend.]
[Hmm. Does that Solorb also have a unique world inside? I’m curious.]
Bastet Daong and Anubis Dragon mumbled while looking up at the sky.
“Hey, kids, don’t look at it. Getting involved with that Solorb wouldn’t bring anything good.”
[Understood.]
[Got it. I find Solorb scary too.]
All the other monsters looked down as well.
If we inadvertently anger Solorb, we’d do nothing but perish immediately.
And after some time passed,
“The prayer is over. Thank you for waiting again.”
Iara dusted off the dirt on her knees and stood up.
She slowly scanned all of us monsters, then fixed her gaze on me and bent at a ninety-degree angle.
“Well then, I should return to the world I originally lived in. Thank you so much, Explorer… No, Gauntlet-nim.”
Pururu—At least have dinner before you go!
Mysticism—Stay a bit longer!
I had no intention of holding her back.
Wishing that we could meet again someday, we slowly exchanged farewell greetings.
Afterward,
Iara Un tore her return ticket, waving to us with a calm smile as she vanished back to her homeland.
Now, only two drifters remained.
*
Day 49 of the Labyrinth.
Oomoom. Delicious!
Don’t eat my share!
Lilith and Ignis adapted to our group in just one day.
With their trash-like souls gone, they were reborn with mere memories, and their personalities remarkably improved. They must have taken after the character of their master, Necro Puppetmaster.
Pururu—Are you feeding the corpses too?
Yumi—Though they’re called corpses, they’re not much different from living creatures. They’re full of bodily vigor, and it’s just the soul that’s missing; they have an ego as well.
Pururu—I’ve heard they can survive even without food.
Boglebogle—That doesn’t mean they can’t taste it. Excluding them from meals when everyone else is eating is not good.
The tamed monsters and the Puppetmaster’s puppets were all cozied up, enjoying their meals when a guest arrived at our hideout.
A woman with the word “Drifter” floating above her head.
The Creator God, Author of the Abyss.
Niarah Nepensys.
Danger level A-Class.
But her actual danger level was SS-Class.
She seemed to have tracked down Ignis and Lilith who had gone missing.
“What’s present there… is it a being that’s not Ignis or Lilith?”
Niarah immediately recognized that Ignis and Lilith had transformed into different beings.
And unlike with other gods,
Niarah’s gaze had been fixed on me from the start.
Her eyes, void of pupils and only showing white sclera, felt eerie as if they contained a deep abyss.
“Are you the Explorer?”
“How did you know?”
I replied as I stood from my seat.
I couldn’t simply sit still facing someone like her.
“I recognize at a glance. The energy is different from other beings, and the level of your soul is high as well.”
“So, is your intention to kill me like the others?”
“…You are aware. I’m sorry, but I intend to do just that. In order for me to evolve into an Explorer, I must annihilate all existing Explorers. I believe this to be the only way to achieve that. I hope you can understand.”
“It’s refreshing to hear that you’re honest as opposed to the others.”
The monsters, who were sitting, halted their meals.
They all stood up and surrounded me protectively.
Watching this scene, Niarah stroked her face with her slender hand and began to speak.
“Noble and illustrious-souled Explorer. I offer you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“To be honest, I doubt I can win against the monsters you command. Since I began meeting you, my strength has also weakened. Therefore, I wish to ask you if we can have a one-on-one fight.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Why would I fight you one-on-one? Are you out of your mind?”
“…Let us listen to the story to the end. I know that your strength is sealed. If you agree to my proposal, I shall liberate that strength for you.”
“You’ll unseal my strength?”
“Indeed.”
“……….”
I paused for a moment.
Then Niarah raised her right hand.
“Not responding means… shall I take that as tacit agreement? Very well, then I shall personally unseal your power.”
Snap!
The moment Niarah snapped her fingers.
Pururu—Huh? A sealing formation on Ken has disappeared!!!
Boglebogle—Did she really unseal it?
Mysticism—Only 3 seals remaining! 😮
Rize Nova—Oooh. Since one seal has been released, I am now in a two-stage liberation state.
Yumi—So now Ken is A-Class?
I could feel a part of the power that had been sealed returning to me.
She truly had unsealed my power.
“What the…? She really unsealed it?”
“Unsealing is my forte. With most seals, I can release them just by looking and thinking.”
It was astonishing.
Even if it was just one level, to uncork a seal so effortlessly was incredible.
“Thanks. I never thought an enemy would unseal me.”
Despite her intent to kill me, I needed to express gratitude since she had lifted my seal.
“Then you should bite all the monsters.”
“What are you talking about? Why should I bite the monsters?”
“Hmm? Didn’t you promise? If I unsealed you, you’d fight me one-on-one…”
“I never agreed to any such thing!”
While I appreciated her deed, I had absolutely no intention of facing her one-on-one.
Even if I had become A-Class now, Niarah was still A-Class too, and I couldn’t guarantee the outcome of the fight.
“We beings with noble and illustrious souls must keep promises, you see.”
“I never promised anything!”
I had promised nothing, nor had I agreed to her proposal.
Niarah had unilaterally unsealed me.
Spouting nonsense about tacit consent.
“And I only engage in fights I can be certain of. I won’t engage in battles I think I’ll lose or against contests with uncertain outcomes.”
Boglebogle—?
A fight where I might lose my life?
Why should I do that?
What’s the benefit in getting into that?
In the first place, fighting was meant for my tamed monsters.
As a Monster Tamer, it’s basic strategy not to step into battle myself.
“…You’re quite a piece of trash. I like you.”
Pururu—??? Why do you like me?
Suddenly, Niarah’s eyes narrowed into crescents.
Instead of being angry, she appeared to be pleased.
Yep, she definitely isn’t normal either.
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