āUnfortunately, Inquisitor Karen, we must part ways here for a moment.ā
āSince we entered separately, exiting differently will avoid any suspicion.ā
āIt was my idea to hide, so if anything happens, please tell me right away.ā
āThere shouldnāt be any trouble that would bother Sir Jonah.ā
āThat doesnāt mean you should suffer any losses alone. I might not have muchā¦but Iāve recently found someone I can rely on.ā
Now that itās time to slowly ascend to the surface, I hold back my tears, as I climb off Ellieās back. Ellie, who had been puffing on a Magic Herb cigarette and sighing beside her, tilted her head and asked,
āAre you talking about me? Even if my arm was fine, taking on the entire Temple would be madnessā¦ā
āWhat? No, well, Ellie is Ellie, but I was talking about someone else.ā
I said that and then subtly pointed upwards. Itās obvious, but when you look up at the sky from the first floor, all you see are dense branches and the sky peeking through them.
However, the meaning becomes clear when you add the actions I have shown so far.
āAre you really a saint, Jonah? I canāt believe it.ā
āOf course, since Iām not actually a saint.ā
āAre you really not?ā
āUm. If being a saint means being an agent of the Goddess recognized by the Temple, then Iām definitely not. However, it is true that the Goddess takes an interest in me and watches over me.ā
āā¦Isnāt that what a saint is?ā
Ellie tilts her head in confusion. Next to her, Karen, having listened to the conversation, makes the sign of the cross and speaks with a reverent attitude.
āThatās the standard for saints youād find in fairy tales before the War of the Fallen Gods. Currently, the only deity that remains is the Goddess of Love, and the Goddess is focusing on managing the Labyrinth. In other words, itās no longer possible for deities to roam the earth as in the mythic era.ā
āOhā¦ā
āAnd even in this era, Sir Jonah managed to establish a small sanctuary without divine power.ā
āOhā¦?ā
That was possible thanks to the fully upgraded Goddess statue; it wasnāt due to any skill of mine.
Was it a problem that I secretly activated the sanctuary without taking out what might be mistaken for a suspicious toy?
Karen, thinking that the Goddess opened the sanctuary simply because I was struggling, continued with a look of near-blind faith.
āNo matter how close this Labyrinth is to the Goddess, a sanctuary originally requires years of preparation to be established. Even if itās on a small scale, itās not something that can be easily seen.ā
āAh, um. About thatā¦ā
āIām not trying to deny what Sir Jonah thinks. It might be burdensome, you might really think that way, and there might be reasons why you have to say no. But I just want to let you know. The favor Sir Jonah receives is extraordinary. And Sir Jonah certainly deserves such favor.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
Having said that, Karen wore a tired face with a faint smile.
āNow that Iāve said everything, Iāll be going first. To the people who had become hostagesā¦ā
āAh, Iāll talk to Lemon and Apple.ā
āThen I will trust Sir Jonah and go ahead first. I will testify as we agreed beforehand, so please be assured.ā
āAh. I donāt really mind such things. Youāve worked hard today, and if thereās another matter to see each other about, weāll meet then. ā¦No, that would seem like Iām hoping for problems. Even if thereās no business, come visit the Fairy and Silver Coin when youāre bored!ā
āThank you. Then, Iāll take leave now.ā
Karen bowed her head and was the first to touch the tombstone and ascend to the surface.
When we entered the Labyrinth, Karen had inconveniently waited and then came around, so this time, it was our turn to leave later.
We still have about 30 minutes to killā¦
āEllie. Miss Lydia. When we go up to the surface, may I stop by somewhere before going straight home?ā
āAre you going to be alright? Even if your body has recovered, your mind must be tired.ā
āJonah. Are you planning to stop by Eden?ā fŠ³eeš¤ebɳoveÉ.cĆøm
āThatās right.ā
Lydia, who had once saved Lemon and Apple and gone to Eden with me, immediately caught on to my intention.
Ellie, who had been tilting her head alone, suddenly perked up her ears and tail as if she remembered something.
āAh! Eden, that place that sells cheap but oddly defective magical tools, right? Is it still not out of business? I was terrified when I stopped by a few times just as I was passing the second floor.ā
āYou, thatās too mean! Are you saying our Boss looks like she could go bankrupt at any moment?!ā
āStill, last time, she made a portable Safe Zone Kit that can be installed anytime, anywhere!ā
āOh. Thatās kind of interesting. The Safe Zone Kit is something the Mage Tower and the Workshop Union only started making not long ago. It must not have been easy to make it to a usable level, considering the price too.ā
āIndeed. But the Boss managed it. The price is less than half! Portability and secrecy. And it doesnāt lag far behind in durability either!ā
āExcept for the minor flaws like breaking out in unexplained hives all over your body when you go inside, and the astronomical amount of magical energy needed for maintenance, itās perfect!ā
āā¦Then itās trash.ā
āIs it really?ā
āThe Boss who insisted on this despite my objections is the one at fault.ā
Lemon and Apple quickly changed their stance after initially reacting defensively to Ellieās indifferent response.
Itās not that they were intimidated by seeing Ellie fight. Itās just that it really is trashā¦.
In the Labyrinth, even breathing must be done with caution.
It might be okay in the already mapped upper levels, but in the middle levels where the maps are incomplete, there are many times when one must physically confront challenges.
You might become poisoned without realizing it, or there might be monsters that rush towards the sound of your breathing, or perhaps there are bizarre spaces where trying to breathe only stops your breath.
The Labyrinth is a place where you never know what will happen next, so you must always be on alert.
The only place where you can relax is a Safe Zone created around a small tombstone.
But what if that Safe Zone is too far away? Or what if youāre unlucky and canāt find a Safe Zone for a long time?
Then, you have no choice but to forcefully camp out, which is even more dangerous.
Thus, the concept of a portable Safe Zone was devised.
To put it simply, artisans design the blueprints for prefabricated houses, then mages program each material with magic to assemble in a specific form, and finally, use spatial magic to distort the size so it can be carried around compactly. This is precisely what a portable Safe Zone is.
A high grade comprehensive magical device that instantly erects a small but sturdy house on an empty land in an instant, and all around it, various types of concealment magic are cast to make it invisible.
These are the portable Safe Zones that have started to appear one by one recently.
The promotion is so aggressive that every time I visit the Guild to sell materials, they either demonstrate it directly or forcibly hand out flyers, making it impossible to forget.
Itās certainly an impressive feat to have made it alone. To put it in Earth terms, itās as if the local hardware store owner saw the latest electric car, then went on to create a similar electric car himself.
However, I canāt purely admire itā¦arenāt the side effects too pernicious?
To be unable to rest properly in the suffocating Labyrinth, even in the safety zones set up for a breather due to hives, and the mana consumption is so severe that the partyās mage has to retire or use up all their mined Magic Stones?
This is just trash. No matter how much I cherish Eve, thereās no excuse.
I sighed deeply and patted Lemon and Apple on the shoulders.
āYouāve worked hard. But there are things I need to discuss with both of youā¦and especially, I owe Miss Eve from last time.ā
āAh.ā
āAn appraisal dagger.ā
Instead of production costs, I had promised to use the power of the World Tree for Eve someday.
I never thought a power that aids growth would appearā¦but anyway, shouldnāt it still be possible for me to make plants grow even now?
First, I should hint at what the ability is and tell them to call me if they need anything.
As I nodded to myself, Lydia, who seemed bored, was fiddling with the dirt with her toes and then looked up.
āJonah. If youāre hesitant to go alone, Iāll go with you.ā
āItās okay. I need to go and come back alone this timeā¦.ā
Saying this, I shrugged, and for some reason, Ellie and Lydia looked uneased.
It seemed not so much that they were worrying about the fight I had just been risking my life in, but something elseā¦.
āGasp! Ellie, Miss Lydia. Donāt worry! Iām just going to talk about work, Iām definitely not going off to cheat!ā
āWho-who said anything?!ā
āUh-huh. Iām not worried about such things. ā¦But if itās about work, shouldnāt I or Senior Ellie be going with you?ā
Ellie, as if stung by her own words, screams in denial. Lydia, finding Ellieās voice too noisy, covers her ears and continues speaking.
Both of their reactions made me chuckle as I responded.
āItās nothing big, so thereās really no need to go together. And since Iāll be going home early, Ellie, you can relax and get ready to grant my wish.ā
āAh.ā
āā¦Was that for real?ā
āIāve always been serious.ā
To the extent that Iāve even decided on a wish already.