Chapter 146
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be a monster sensitive to sound. It didn’t get agitated, and instead just bit the wall like something that didn’t exist.
Crack, krakakak…
The monster struggled, trying to force its way through the gap. It was on a completely different level from ordinary monsters. It felt as if divine power was urging us to run away immediately.
Zer instinctively realized that even he would have a hard time defeating it.
Zer, who had somehow regained his mental control, looked to the opposite side and bit his lip.
The opposite side was blocked.
―Kii…
Thud. Thud.
Little by little, the gap in the wall widened, and the monster began to squeeze its way in.
“It knows we’re here.”
If that was the case, there was no need to stay silent anymore. I exchanged a glance with Zer.
If we couldn’t win, the plan was to strike hard and escape. It was a demon anyway, so divine power would work best.
Just as I was about to compress divine power to attack while it was suffering—
“Here! Over here!”
The voice came from below. Looking down, someone suddenly poked their face up from the floor. It was a cute girl with short hair. When we flinched without realizing it, she giggled and waved.
“That thing can’t see or hear. It only smells things if it gets close. And you two are in a very dangerous situation right now.”
She waved her hand, saying there was no time to explain.
“Hurry and come down! Unless you want to be melted by that monster!”
“But…”
The floor is down there.
The sight of her head sticking up from the floor was eerie, and as we flinched, the girl laughed and suddenly raised her hand from the ground.
“It’s a trick! Just come down!”
Although hesitant, we followed her gesture and quickly moved before the monster got any closer.
What she said was true. The moment the floor seemed to disappear and we felt like we were falling, Zer quickly supported me.
“It’s a staircase going downward. You just have to follow your instincts and go down.”
“I’ll carry you.”
Before I could say I was fine, he lifted me again and followed the girl down. Walking through the floor felt surreal.
But nothing stopped us. We descended smoothly, and above us was a semi-transparent surface where we could still see the upper area. The monster was still struggling to force its way through the narrow gap.
“You two really get along well. Is it that thing? Lovers?”
“That’s right.”
Zer answered quickly before I could even speak.
“Haha. The guy seems to like you more!”
“That’s true too.”
“Whoa!”
Even in this situation, the girl congratulated us, saying we made a beautiful couple.
Through the girl, we made our way back up from the maze-like underground. We originally wanted to explore further below, but after her warning, we hurriedly came out in fear.
“There’s something worse than that monster down there.”
After hearing that, there was no way we could stay underground.
Anyway, we exchanged brief introductions. The girl’s name was Yuri. She said she was fifteen years old. Even though she was alone, she was surprisingly calm. She’s going to grow into something great.
But this girl, Yuri… she felt strangely familiar.
“Yuri, have we met somewhere before?”
“Huh? Titia too? I feel really familiar too…”
“You kind of look alike.”
Zer tilted his head while looking between me and Yuri. The girl had pink hair and pink eyes, while I had black hair and blue eyes—there was nothing similar between us.
“Really? Saying I look like such a pretty person makes me happy.”
Yuri smiled and scratched the back of her head while staring at me.
“But why do I feel so familiar?”
“That’s probably because Titia is the Great Angel’s—urk.”
I elbowed Zer in the side.
“Hmm, maybe I’ve seen you before? I got a bit famous when the divine beast appeared too.”
“Huh? A divine beast appeared? When?”
“…?”
Did she live in a rural place?
Yuri sat down on the floor, saying she wanted to rest. Her dress looked quite expensive, so I asked what kind of family she came from—but the answer was unexpected.
“Huh? I’m a commoner… I don’t have a family name.”
No family name.
Both Zer and I frowned at the same time.
Even commoners usually had family names. But she said she didn’t because she was a commoner.
“Why don’t you have a family name if you’re a commoner?”
“Because I’m a commoner!”
That didn’t make sense…
Then Zer narrowed one eyebrow.
“Seems like there’s still a village stuck with some trash history from 800 years ago.”
“800 years ago?”
“From what I know, 800 years ago commoners weren’t given surnames. Only noble bloodlines could have family names. It was a privilege of nobility. But when the Fourth Saint sealed the demons and a new emperor rose, everything changed, and now everyone—commoner or noble—can have a surname.”
What kind of backward village is that?
“800 years?! Wow, your kingdom must have a deep history compared to ours.”
“…Which country are you from?”
From her speech, she seemed to be from our empire, but her pronunciation was slightly strange.
“Brisen!”
“Brisen? Where is that?”
“…I’ve never heard of it. Is it a village?”
“It’s not a village, it’s a kingdom. A kingdom in the north.”
“There’s only Sernte in the north.”
Zer’s memory would not be wrong. Then where was this Brisen Kingdom she was talking about?
We both fell silent for a moment. Then Zer flinched.
“Oh, Brisen.”
“You know it?”
“…This doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?”
“The northern Brisen was a kingdom that existed a thousand years ago. I read in history books that it collapsed because everyone froze to death in the harsh weather.”
“It is really cold, but not that bad…”
The girl lightly protested.
That was the problem. Zer clearly said Brisen existed a thousand years ago. Then from her perspective, we must look like people from the future—but she didn’t even question it properly.
“A thousand-year-old kingdom and you’re not surprised?”
“I am surprised!”
…That’s it?
This girl was strange. She didn’t even ask the obvious questions, and instead just looked at us with a bright smile.
“How long have you been in the labyrinth?”
“Huh? Not long. Everything suddenly changed and I ended up like this.”
“You seem very familiar with this place though.”
“Ah, I just feel like I know it… but I might be mistaken, so I can’t really say anything… I’ll tell you once I’m sure!”
She smiled brightly. I wondered if she wasn’t human, but her shadow clearly appeared under the flickering torchlight. I tried to find something strange, but I couldn’t.
She really was human.
“Could she be an illusion like the Crown Prince’s hallucination?”
Zer and I looked at her in confusion, but she didn’t seem to notice our gaze and just stood up, brushing herself off.
I whispered to Zer.
“Zer, could it be that this labyrinth isn’t tied to a single timeline?”
“Maybe. Or it’s just that the girl being here itself doesn’t make sense.”
“If there was a divine beast, I’d ask it… but since this is the demon’s territory, maybe it’s hiding.”
Divine beasts couldn’t kill Serael’s demons. So there was no need for them to waste power here.
I just wished it would appear in front of us and use that overwhelming power to protect me, Zer, and our people.
While thinking such selfish thoughts, I asked quietly.
“Maybe she’s an illusion?”
“That’s more likely than her coming from another timeline. But Terrence’s illusion only moved in one place.”
Compared to that, the girl moved freely.
“So illusions aren’t all the same.”
“Let’s observe for now.”
Just as our conversation ended, the girl’s clear voice cut in.
“By the way, how do we get out of here? I need to leave quickly… my dad will faint if he finds out I disappeared.”
“Your dad?”
“Yes! He’s really handsome and kind! He’s extremely overprotective.”
That was strange too.
The labyrinth suddenly formed, monsters started appearing—but this girl had no doubts at all.
Whether she was doing it on purpose… or simply didn’t feel the need to question it.
