117 Secret Five.




 We're almost there. Follow the signs and proceed with caution.

 It took a lot of effort to make my way through the dense labyrinth, fending off the marauders. Especially when you have to endure the sable curse that torments your entire body.

 I managed to keep my consciousness from being distracted by the pain. The labyrinth was truly vast, and there were many traps lurking within.
 What makes this labyrinth more difficult is that it is not a two-dimensional labyrinth, but a three-dimensional one. There are loopholes and narrow passages here and there in the high ceilings, and assailants will attack you from there, and on the contrary, there is a possibility that the right answer is at the end of such passages. If you didn't have the ability to sense the crystals in the night like I do, you wouldn't have known if the goal even existed.

 The castle of the Demon Lord of the False Shadow was located on a steep cliff. It would be difficult to create a vast labyrinth underneath it, unless one had the magic to twist the space described in the legend.
 The multilayered structure of the underground labyrinth may be a solution to this problem. It's not too convenient, but the golems won't complain, and the undead won't complain either.

 However, what I'm curious about is the identity of this "enemy".
 It can't be that the defense mechanism from the time when the Demon Lord of the Void still exists. Too many years have passed, and we should assume that we've been trapped.

 Normally, the most suspicious person would be the employer of Razal and the others, and the mayor of [Descend], who revealed the existence of this place to Senri and sent him here.
 However, as I felt earlier, these traps and labyrinths are not the kind of things that people would build.

 In response to my question, Senri was silent for a while and then said in a small voice.

"Undead created by necromancers are basically incapable of using magic.

"What ......? But I can. Besides, vampires have magical powers.

 I've only learned a little bit of magic myself, but it's still magic.
 And the reason why vampires are so good at curses and attack magic is because they have a huge amount of magic inside them. In response to my question, Senri replied in a quiet voice.

It's just something you have. It's a source of resistance and powerful physical abilities, but it can't be turned into a phenomenon called magic. You were special.

"............ I see. Safety, huh?

 Deadly wizards are cautious. And the master's advantage over the undead, with their physical strength and immortality, is magic.

 I've always wondered. The definition of "King of the Dead" is a special kind of undead mutated by necromancers. So what is this "special"?

 Why aren't powerful undead who have grown through repeated rank mutations called "kings of the dead"?

 At first, I thought it was an undead with a special curse, like a "sucking curse.
 But perhaps that's not the only condition. If that's the case, then there must be many more "kings of the dead.

 The answer is necromancy. The first time we met, when Sable saw me use necromancy, his face changed.

 I'm sure the "special undead" are the ones who can use necromancy. And I'm sure that ordinary undead can't learn necromancy afterwards.

 Even vampires have a resistance to necromancy. You don't know how long your absolute command will last.
 If a time-honored vampire gains access to magic, he can break the shackles he has placed on himself. No master would allow that.

"Yes. The undead with intelligence can eat their masters, so necromancers put restrictions on learning magic.

 The only reason I don't have those restrictions is because the Lord intended to use my body. All kinds of luck came together to bring me here now.

 I cut down the golem's arrow with a cool sound. In the darkness, a poisoned arrow rolls across the floor. Senri said in a serious voice.

It will only be removed by the heart.

 He didn't know how many golems he had already slaughtered.
 I didn't know how many golems I'd already slaughtered, but the ones that came at me in the dark weren't strong, but they weren't weak either. But that's just for me. If these golems attacked the city in a mob, a small city would not be able to handle them.
 I don't know much about golems, but if you can create and control this many golems, you must be a very powerful magician.

So, ............ is a nasty opponent.

The longer the undead live, the stronger and smarter they become.

 I hate that. I don't mind fighting. I don't mind fighting because it makes me feel alive.
 However, I like to fight battles that I can win, and try to avoid fighting to the death like I have been doing so far. If the opponent is not only strong but also smart, it's different from the ones I've fought in the past.
 This time, Senri would be there, but the opponent would have taken countermeasures against the Demon Knights, and I would feel safer without her just in case.

 I wonder if undead can learn recovery magic. As I was thinking about this in silence, Senri added.

"End, you're strong enough already, and you're very annoying.

"............

 I want to suck your blood. I'm still walking around in pain.
 I'm amazed at the fact that I can move this far. I feel like singing my own praises.

 It doesn't matter who I'm talking to. I try to say in a cheerful voice.

"Get it over with, go back to the inn, and get some blood.

 This is what drives me. I glanced at Senri's face, and he gave a small sigh.



 That means it's OK. I suddenly felt motivated. I'm a cash cow, and even the pain is a little fun when it happens.

 I stretched my back a bit and increased my walking speed.

 But it really was a complicated labyrinth. No matter how large it is, there must be a limit to how far it can go, but I can't reach the sign of the night crystals that should be nearby.
 If the sign was on the other side of the wall, I could destroy the wall and go on, but that's not the case. How big is this place?

 I love miasma, so it's not too bad, but it would be too much for a human senri to stay in this place with no oxygen for too long.

 I stopped. Senri, who had been following me cautiously, stopped immediately without bumping into me.

 Then I slam the Blood Ruler down hard on the ground.
 I close my eyes. Ignoring the pain, I feel the sound, the vibration, the impact, and the trembling of the air.

 My five senses are not dull, although my sense of smell is the best due to the effects of inhaling albatross.
 Although it's a bit of a learning curve, I can get by to some extent even if I do things at random because of my high physical performance.

 The information rushes into my brain, which is writhing in pain. Then I opened my eyes.

There's something wrong with ....... This labyrinth doesn't look that ...... big.

 I can see the topography, roughly. The path is certainly intricate, but it's not big enough for such a long walk.
 No--it's absolutely ridiculous that we haven't reached the night crystal in the first place.

 As I frowned, I heard a shrill voice in my brain.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm sure you've got something to hide. ......

 It was the Lord's voice. The Lord inside of me is talking to me.
 The Purgatorial Maze. A ward of confusion. The spell the Lord used to hide his stronghold.

 As I recall, it works by making intruders wander unless they're guided. Hmmm ......, does that mean we're being led in circles?

 I was drawing a map in my brain while enduring the pain. I was confident I wasn't lost, but when magic is involved, I'm in over my head. Sometimes the road is useful.

No, Senri. It looks like there's a ward of ...... wanderlust.

No! Yes, ............ we need to destroy the base of the jutsu or find a guide.

"It would be foolish to destroy the source of the wards underground. It will collapse.

Destroying the source of the wards underground is a fool's errand. It will collapse.

"Foolish idea. ............ Yes.

 Senri's tension is a little lower than before. I didn't say that. Lord said it.
 I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you out.

"Let's leave chasing signs for now. End, search the perimeter.

 Apparently the Lord has some thoughts of his own. I wonder if Lord, who always comes out when I'm in a pinch and disappears after saying something useless, has changed his mind.
 I don't have any hints, so I follow the directions of the Lord in my head and look around. Perhaps sensing my change in appearance, Senri quietly accompanied me.

 I opened the door, climbed up the ceiling, and checked the stairs leading to the basement. There were golems and traps everywhere. However, it was when we approached the night crystal that we encountered the most golems.
 If it weren't for the wards, I'm sure I could have easily gotten there.

 After a few tens of minutes of research, I was getting a little bored despite my vigilance, when the Lord in my brain spoke up.

"Hmm ............, I see. I'm not sure what to make of that.

"Hmm ............ I see. You're the King of the Dead, you're very elaborate.

"Did you find out what ............ is?

 Apparently, the brain-load has figured out something that the brilliant Senri has not. Of course, I don't understand it either. All I know is that it must have been a lot of work to build this underground labyrinth.
 As I blinked my eyes and waited for the next line, Lord said with some amusement in his voice.

"You idiot. What were you looking at? If you haven't noticed, this underground labyrinth itself is a ritual '3D magic circle'.