The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker, Vol. 2

by Tôwa

  I went back to my room and saw Suzuna with her bedside lamp on, sitting on her bed and looking at her license.

  “You must be tired, Suzuna,” I said.

  “Just a little. Would you mind taking a quick look at my skills?” she replied.

  “Of course. Were you looking at them just now?”

  “Yeah. I was trying to figure out which ones would be good to take, but I’m really not sure.”

  I stood next to Suzuna, and she showed me her license before looking up at me and smiling.

  “Um, you don’t have to stand. You can sit if you like. I’m the one asking you for help anyway,” she said.

  “Oh, thanks.” I sat on her bed next to her. She handed me her license, which was currently open to her skills page.

  ♦Acquired Skills♦

  Auto-Hit

  Purification

  Exorcism 1

  Spirit Detection 1

  ♦Available Skills♦

  Archery Master 1:

  Increases damage from shooting a bow using proper archery techniques.

  Exorcism Arrow:

  Adds Holy attribute to arrows when using a bow.

  Cleansing:

  Adds Holy attribute to whoever is in a body of water with you.

  Medium:

  Allows a nearby spirit to inhabit your body to enable conversation.

  Prayer:

  Party’s success rate increases slightly.

  Salt Laying:

  Places salt around a set area to prevent monsters from approaching.

  Remaining Skill Points: 2

  “Ah, right… I remember you have both your Shrine Maiden skills and archery skills.”

  “Archery Master seems good, and Medium is a skill that I always wanted before I was reincarnated but never would have been able to do… I sort of want to know what it’d be like.”

  “The skill explanation mentions spirits, so I guess that means they really do exist here. Can you detect them, Suzuna? Is that something you can sense with Spirit Detection?”

  “Yes. It was like that in the labyrinth last time… There were the spirits of Seekers who died in there before they accomplished their goal.”

  If we could listen to the regrets of the people who died there…maybe we could learn some secrets about the labyrinth. Then we could get a different perspective from other Seekers and learn more about this place.

  Archery Master 1 could be good, but I thought it was better to focus on increasing the number of attacks instead of the strength of each attack. Shooting two arrows at once or some sort of scatter shot weren’t normal archery skills, but it was entirely possible they existed here.

  “All right. Since you want it, too, I think you should take Medium. Cleansing could be useful if we go into a labyrinth where the Holy attribute is really effective, but I don’t think it’s something you need to take right now.”

  “Understood. Thank you, Arihito.”

  “I think Archery Master is also a strong skill, but it’s not necessary at the moment since you’re in a party with me. The more important thing is increasing the number of attacks.”

  “I’d get really strong if I got a skill that let me shoot multiple arrows at once.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. I think we will be a very powerful party if we can get defensive skills in place, too, and not just offensive ones.”

  We didn’t talk about skills as long as I’d anticipated. We ended the conversation when Suzuna stopped being so worried about her skills. Well, everyone else was probably already asleep; we should get some rest, too.

  “Right… We’ll take care of some errands tomorrow and then take the day off,” I said.

  “Okay. Good night, Arihito.” I went to my own bed, lay down on my back, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep.

  I lay like that for a little while, but then I heard Suzuna moving in her bed.

  “…Arihito, could we talk a little?”

  “Hmm? Yeah, I don’t mind. Ask whatever you like.”

  “Thank you. I’m not sure I can just ask this, but I thought since it was just the two of us… I just sort of wanted to know…”

  “I don’t mind. I don’t really have anything to hide.”

  “…I was wondering if you could tell me about what you were like before coming to the Labyrinth Country— Actually, no, just about yourself in general…”

  She sounded really nervous, even though there wasn’t anything to be so hesitant about. I tried to decide what I should tell her, then ended up giving her a brief overview. I explained that I was an orphan with no close family and spoke about my time at work. After listening to me talk about my previous life, Suzuna then told me about how she went to an all-girls school and how she and Misaki had been together up until middle school, but that they’d gone to different high schools.

  “A high school sophomore… I hate to say this, but you had practically your whole life ahead of you,” I said.

  “I actually don’t think being reincarnated has been that bad. I was afraid at first, but sometimes, things happen, and you can’t stop them. That’s what I was thinking when I joined Ellie.”

  She’d kept her cool even though she’d just lost her life and was able to decide that going with Elitia was a good option. It seemed like everyone was trying to make their own path after being reincarnated, instead of just going with the flow. Well, Misaki did start off on a dangerous path, though.

  “But then I met you, and I realized something—I didn’t want to just go with the flow. I also wanted to make my own path and not just give in,” said Suzuna.

  “Not give in, huh… I’ve only managed to keep it together when things got rough because you’re all here. I’m able to keep going down my own path because everyone else is headed in the same direction.”

  “…That’s why everyone relies on you so easily. Because that’s the kind of person you are. I think it’s really amazing.”

  “Y-you do…? Suzuna, you sure you’re not just overestimating me? I’m really nothing special.” Suzuna was staring at me intently. She realized she was leaning forward and clamped her hand over her mouth before rolling over until her back was facing me.

  “…Please forget what I just said. I already know—I know I’m pushy and overbearing.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being open about how you feel. I’m not, so I’ve always admired those who are.”

  Suzuna didn’t say anything for a little while. She carefully smoothed her glossy black hair, which had gotten messed up when she rolled over, then turned over on her back and glanced sideways at me.

  “…Arihito, are you saying you’re not honest? I’m not sure that’s true.”

  “W-well… You’ll probably be creeped out when I tell you this, but when I got on that bus, I thought, Wow, that girl’s super pretty. Then you caught my attention again at the Guild after we were reincarnated.”

  “R-really? …I noticed you on the bus, too, but I thought you looked really tired… S-sorry…”

  “You don’t need to apologize. I was really tired. I was actually hoping to take a break while skiing, but I doubt it would have gone that well. I mean, I like to ski, but I’m pretty bad at it.”

  Suzuna laughed. Thankfully, the mood had lightened.

  “If we go to a labyrinth where there’s snow and it’s hard to get around, I’ll teach you how to ski,” she offered.

  “It’d be fun if there really was a labyrinth like that… Actually, I’d be willing to bet there is. You can teach me then.”

  “Yes… Good night, Arihito.”

  Suzuna turned her back to me again. I stared at her back for some reason, but my eyelids started feeling heavy, and I was soon drifting off into sleep.

  I feel like I’m…forgetting something… Must be imagining things…

  I thought I saw a faint light in the dark room, but I had fallen asleep before I could really think about what it was. That night, I had a dream that someone came and slept in my bed with me. Wh
en I woke up the next morning, Suzuna had vanished from her bed. She was already dressed and up, waiting in the living room, but she mumbled and shrugged me off without giving a clear answer when I asked her why she’d gotten up so early.

  CHAPTER 2

  What Emerges from the Labyrinth

  Part I: Stampede

  Once everyone had woken up, we rang the bell to call Millais and ask her to bring us breakfast. It featured eggs from a bird-type monster called a Sweet Bird and was topped with smoked meat from the same monster. Both were quite nice, and everyone in the party enjoyed the food. It came with a salad made from stalks of a plant-type monster called a Goblin Bush, which had a flavor and texture similar to watercress. The salad was topped with a sweet and tangy fruit-based dressing, which also wasn’t bad. Apparently, the root of the Goblin Bush looked like a strange, little goblin face, but it was similar to a turnip and tasted quite nice, though we weren’t served it this time.

  We finished breakfast and got ready to head out. Millais and the other Maids were all lined up in the entrance hall to bid us farewell, making me feel like the master of the house.

  “See you later,” I said to them.

  “Might I ask when you are thinking of returning? A general guess is perfectly fine,” asked Millais.

  “Uh, we’ll probably be back around six tonight,” I replied.

  “Thank you. I will have dinner ready around then. Have a wonderful day.”

  ““““Have a wonderful day!”””” chimed the remaining ten Maids in an impressive chorus. It made me think of the one time I’d gone to a maid café just to see what it was like…though these Maids seemed way more professional.

  Before we took the rune and ores to a smith, we decided to first make a stop at the Guild. When we arrived, we saw a leaflet with something written in red pinned up to the notice board. A bunch of Seekers were crowded around reading it.

  “If we don’t do something about the stampede, then monsters’ll just start coming out of the labyrinth, right?” one remarked.

  “The location’s not great… The Sleeping Marshes. Guess everyone’s been avoiding it,” said another.

  I squeezed my way through until I was close enough to read the notice.

  Due to the drastic decrease in the number of monsters defeated in the Sleeping Marshes, a Stampede Alert has been issued. We request the assistance of all Seekers level 3 and higher. Rewards and contribution points will be tripled until the Stampede Alert is lifted.

  District Eight Guild General Manager

  Louisa…must have a lot on her plate.

  I wanted to help out as much as I could since the Guild had put out this notice. Our test was tomorrow, so there wouldn’t be a problem if we went to the Sleeping Marshes today.

  “What should we do, Arihito?” asked Elitia. The rest of the party didn’t seem to know much about stampedes, so I wanted to check with Elitia that I was understanding it correctly.

  “Elitia, what exactly happens during a stampede?” I asked.

  “Labyrinth monsters are living creatures and reproduce as such, but they also spawn in order to maintain the conditions inside the labyrinths. Conversely, when there are too many monsters in a labyrinth, those monsters are forcefully ejected via the labyrinth’s first floor entrance. A ‘stampede’ occurs when there is an abnormally large number of monsters.”

  While the entrances to the labyrinths may look like simple stairs, I was aware that you were actually teleported part way down the stairs. Apparently, the monsters could also come out the same way.

  “Saying it like that makes it sound like a labyrinth itself is some sort of living thing… Like it has a mind of its own,” said Igarashi. I remembered Ariadne, the 117th Hidden God. If she was the 117th, that meant there were over a hundred of these Hidden Gods.

  …A hidden floor completely different from the previous floors—the obvious conclusion would be that the Hidden God sleeping there was closely related to the labyrinth. Like a representative of the labyrinth’s will, maybe… Although, Ariadne didn’t do anything to imply that.

  But if there happened to be a Hidden God in a secret floor of every labyrinth, if we could find Hidden Gods other than Ariadne, we could possibly get some clues as to what exactly the labyrinths were in the first place.

  “Good morning, Mr. Atobe. I do apologize for the fuss around here,” said Louisa.

  “Oh, good morning, Louisa. It looks like things are in pretty dire straits at the moment. Would it be all right if we help to hold back the stampede as well?”

  Louisa opened her eyes wide. I seemed to surprise her a lot, even though I thought it was a perfectly normal suggestion.

  “I appreciate your consideration. Your party is currently my… No, the entire District Eight Guild’s most powerful party. We would greatly appreciate your assistance.”

  “Louisa… You don’t need to be so hesitant to ask for help. It’s normal for us to help each other out in times of need, isn’t it?” I saw her wipe a tear from her eyes with a handkerchief. Apparently, the situation was that bad. The Guild employees most likely had a significant amount of extra work and pressure on them when stampedes occurred.

  There wasn’t much they could do about the fact that people avoided the labyrinths that had a lot of monsters, which could inflict dangerous status ailments, and instead went to the safer labyrinths, which were easier to advance in. There were most likely a lot of people who stayed in the easy and scenic Field of Dawn even after they got fairly strong. That’s probably what I would have done had I not found so many companions.

  “All right then, I will update you on the current situation. Please come into this room…,” said Louisa as she started to show us to a meeting room—but that’s when it happened.

  “—Monsters! There are monsters in the city! Call the guards!”

  “There’s too many of them! All Seekers, get in the building now— Gaaah!”

  A strange, inhuman something was flying outside the Guild entrance, attacking people. The Seekers had no way to defend against the attacks from above, instead getting brutally injured before scrambling into the Guild and collapsing. Louisa ran over to them, calling out bravely while she checked them over.

  “We need a Healer immediately! Everyone, please remain calm—the guards will be here any moment!”

  “Louisa, it’s no good! The guards are deployed at front lines across the city. It’ll be some time until they make it here!” replied one of Louisa’s junior Guild workers.

  “No… Then, wh-what can we do…?” asked Louisa, her voice shaky. I placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her. “Mr. Atobe… I am so sorry; a Guild employee like me should not lose their head so easily…”

  “We’ll fight, too. We’ve got some experience fighting flying monsters, so leave it to us… Everyone, are you ready?” I asked, turning back to see that the entire party had already drawn their weapons. I didn’t know what it was like outside, but the ruckus made it sound like there could be ten or even twenty enemies.

  “Suzuna, sorry to ask all of a sudden, but take the Salt Laying skill. Louisa, do you have salt? If you do, we can keep them from attacking the Guild,” I said. There were a lot of level-1 and level-2 Seekers in here who didn’t even have any equipment. If we could establish this as a safe haven, then we could go out to fight without worrying about the people here.

  “Salt… Yes, I’ll go get some. Mr. Atobe, please, the town…,” said Louisa.

  “We’ll protect it no matter what,” I replied. There were people in District Eight who had helped me so much. The only reason I’d been able to live as a Seeker was because Louisa had given me those Mercenary Tickets. Everyone here had been kind to me.

  “Arihito, I have the salt!” Suzuna called out.

  “Good! First, Elitia, push back the enemies coming this way! Then we’ll rush out together!” I ordered.

  “All right. Kyouka, Theresia, follow behind me!” said Elitia.

  “We’re on it! Misaki
, you follow carefully once we’ve gone outside!” shouted Igarashi.

  “Y-yeah… I’ll follow as cautiously as I can!” Misaki yelled back.

  Elitia made up our advance guard and leaped out the door. The monster trying to make its way in was strange: It was covered entirely in tentacles.

  First, let’s test whether I can still use Attack Support 1 even though I took Attack Support 2… Activate Attack Support 1…!

  “—Haaaah!”

  “KIIII!”

  Elitia ran out, sliding her sword from its sheath and lashing out with a Slash Ripper in the process. The ball of tentacles came flying down, and surprisingly, a gigantic maw opened from where it was hidden by the tentacles. Sticky saliva splattered out as it tried to gulp Elitia down, and—

  ♦Current Status♦

  > ELITIA used SLASH RIPPER Hit FLYING DOOM

  11 support damage

  > 1 FLYING DOOM defeated

  —the monster was sliced in half with one strike. The two halves still had momentum from when it had tried to swoop down and eat Elitia, so it continued on its trajectory and crashed through the door into the building, causing the young Seekers to screech in fear. I looked at the monster halves on the ground. Its upper and lower jaws were lined with sharp teeth and covered in green blood. No wonder nobody wanted to enter the Sleeping Marshes if it had monsters like this in it.

  I’d just used Attack Support 1, but I wanted to test out how effective Attack Support 2 was. But right now, we needed to focus on eliminating monsters, not experimenting with my skills.

  “Good. Everyone, stay inside! There will be less damage and injury if you leave things to the more experienced Seekers!” called Elitia. As a level-9 Seeker, her commands held some weight. The Seekers followed her orders, since there were none there above level 3.