Chương 111: The White Void
***** Rudeus' POV *****
Roxy passed out in my arms. I panicked at first, but quickly realized that she was still breathing. She must be exhausted after being trapped down here for a week.
I put my helmet back on and lifted Roxy up on my shoulders.
"Let's go home", I told Eris happily.
"Hmm!", Eris nodded back with a smile.
I pulled out a teleportation scroll to send the three of us back to our home in Sharia, but when I fed mana into it... nothing happened.
"Huh?", I looked down at the scroll confused.
I carefully examined the magic circle drawn into the scroll and could find no flaws. Just to be sure I grabbed a second scroll and tried again. Same result.
"It seems like something in this labyrinth is preventing us from teleporting out."
'Perhaps this is for the best', I thought as I put the scrolls away. 'Geese said he was getting Elinalise and Talhand to meet us at the labyrinth when I rushed out on my own. If we just teleport back home without a word the three of them will think we've gotten trapped here as well and who knows how long they will spend searching for us.'
The two of us tracked our way back the way we came. The path back towards the second floor was a straight line seeing as I recklessly charged through a bunch of walls tunneling my way straight to Roxy. Luckily I hadn't stepped on any traps. We were a bit more careful on the way back.
After three or four hours Roxy woke up.
"Huh? Wha? Hey, let me down!"
"Oh, Roxy? You're awake!"
I gently let her down on the ground.
"I-I'm sorry", Roxy said as her face turned red.
"Sorry for what?"
"You don't have to carry me. I can walk on my own."
"It was my pleasure", I answered while giving a quick bow.
"I told you you should have let me carry her", Eris said in an annoyed voice.
"Hey, no need to be jealous. I'll carry you for a while if you want a turn."
*Smack*
Eris shook her hand in the air. Looks like it hurt a little as she hit me on the side of my helmet.
"That's not it", Roxy said timidly. "This dungeon is too dangerous to travel through while carrying someone on your shoulders. We're going to need your magic when we run into monsters."
"It's alright, we have Eris here with us too."
"You can't be serious!", Roxy objected. "You can't expect her to handle all of them! The Iron Crawlers are difficult for a swordswoman to deal with."
"Hmph!", Eris snorted at the remark.
"No need to worry", I assured Roxy. "Eris is a lot stronger than you remember. She's a Sword Saint now."
"That's right!", Eris exclaimed. "These guys are nothing to me!"
As she yelled that an Iron Crawler skittered around a corner at the end of the corridor. Eris crouched down and grabbed the hilt of her sword with both hands before launching a longsword of light, cleaving the Iron Crawler in two, killing it instantly.
"Eris!", I scolded. "Didn't I warn you not to run off on your own like that!? What if you step on a trap?"
"I'd be fine even if I did. I can handle these things on my own!"
Eris was obviously trying to show off. It would seem her prideful personality was returning now that we knew Roxy was safe.
*Sigh*
"I know you'd be fine, but this place is like a maze. I don't want you getting lost down here. Can't you tell how exhausted Roxy is? We need to get out of here as soon as possible for her sake."
As if confirming my statement, Roxy stumbled down to one knee. Her claiming that she was fine to walk on her own seems to have been a bluff. Roxy's face was slightly gaunt and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her entire body was covered in dirt and grime.
"Really Roxy, it's fine. I can cast magic perfectly fine with one hand. Let me help you."
*Growl*
Roxy covered her stomach as if embarrassed by the noise it made.
"I'm sorry... it's just, I ran out of food yesterday and I was rationing it even before then."
"Why don't we take a break?", I suggested.
"What? Right here? In the middle of the dungeon?"
"Why not? I can just section off a part of the tunnel with no traps using [Earth Fortress]."
"No, that won't do", Roxy argued. "There are monsters called Mud Skulls down here that are strong enough to break right through it."
"They won't be breaking through my [Earth Fortress]", I bragged a little. "I can make the walls harder than steel."
"Yes... I suppose you could", Roxy said while looking slightly downcast. "You'll have to forgive me. I'm not thinking clearly. I know you're not a normal magician."
"I owe it all to you, Master."
"... I really wish you'd stop saying stuff like that."
"I can't help it since it's true."
"You would have succeeded just as well without me. You've always had a natural talent like nothing I've ever seen before."
"Nah, you're wrong", I said confidently. "You taught me much more than magic. Before I met you I was terrified to even go outside. You taught me how to live."
"Really? You never seemed that way to me."
"I wouldn't lie to you, master. You saved me back then just like I saved you now."
I looked off into the distance as the memory of Roxy helping overcome my fears flooded back into my mind. Eris meanwhile made her way back to the two of us.
"So?", Eris asked. "What are we doing?"
"Take a seat", I said as I conjured a simple bench for each of us to sit on. "We'll take a short rest here."
As I said I would do, I sectioned off the tunnel to make ourselves a small enclosure. In addition to the chairs, I summoned a small table in the middle before taking out all the rest of the Salted Garuda meat that I had left.
I conjured up a small slab of stone before heating it to use as a makeshift grill. I tossed the meat onto the stone and dashed some spices and herbs onto it that I had in my traveling sack. Both Eris and Roxy stared at the meat as it sizzled.
"It's been so long since I've had a proper meal. This is delicious!", Roxy said in glee as she ate.
"Be careful not to eat too quickly. I know you're hungry but you need to take it slow when you're recovering from malnourishment."
Roxy blushed slightly as she slowed down her pace. Eris meanwhile scarfed down her portion in a couple mouthfuls before stealing a piece from my plate.
'Eh, whatever', I conceded. 'With everything she's done for me this past week she's earned that.'
After we finished eating I unfurled my bedroll and motioned for Roxy to get some rest. Eris did the same with hers and laid down with her hands underneath her head.
"What about you?", Roxy questioned.
"I'm fine. I'll keep watch. You need the rest more than anyone right now."
Roxy didn't argue and instead thanked me as she laid down and fell asleep almost instantly. It didn't take long for Eris to fall asleep either. Truth be told, I was getting a little tired myself. Eris and I have been up for over twenty-four hours straight at this point. We pushed ourselves hard on this last day being as close as we were to Roxy.
The next thing I knew I was awoken by someone knocking on the wall I had created.
"Where did this wall come from?", Geese could be heard from the other side. "I know this wasn't here before. I'm certain this was the path we took the other day."
I had fallen asleep propped up against the wall that Geese was knocking on. I said I'd keep watch, but honestly I felt pretty safe in here and ended up dozing off.
"Geese? Is that you? It's me Rudeus!", I called out to him as I opened up a small hole in the wall between us.
"Boss? Oh, it's really you! I can't believe we found ya' so fast."
"Nice to meet you again", Talhand said in his normal gruffy voice.
At this point it felt rather rude to talk to them through a small peephole so I dispersed the stone wall back into dust.
"Ah! I see you've already found Roxy!", Elinalise shouted in surprise.
"I can't believe you've found her already", Talhand agreed. "I was worried the two of you might end up getting trapped yourselves rushing in like that!"
"I never doubted the boss for a second", Geese said with a laugh. "Did you guys already forget he's one of the Seven Great Powers!"
"Ugh... Rudeus. How long was I asleep", Eris said as she sat up and rubbed her eye.
"I'm not sure, I dozed off myself", I admitted.
"Roxy looks much better now", Eris commented while staring at the still sleeping beauty.
Most of the color had returned to Roxy's face and the dark circles under her eyes had mostly disappeared. The meal and rest seems to have done the job.
"I'd hate to wake her up when she's sleeping so soundly", I whispered to the group.
"We've been through our own share of troubles to make it to the second floor", Elinalise admitted. "Let Roxy rest just a little while longer, we could use it too."
"I'll cook something up for us in the meantime!", Geese said excitedly while pulling out some dry branches from his pack to start a fire. Despite the fact that I could easily start a fire or even create a makeshift grill simply with magic, I let Geese handle it. This type of preparation was his specialty after all.
I conjured another small table and more benches for them to sit.
Geese was preparing a meal for everyone using food that they brought with them while the rest of us (excluding the sleeping Roxy) sat around the table to chat.
The four of us talked about what we've been doing these past four years. It felt like most of the time I was the one talking as they seemed enthralled by the stories of my second battle with the North God and my duel with the Sword God. By the time Geese was about finished with our meal, we noticed Roxy finally waking up from her slumber.
"Roxy! You're awake", I called out. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes. I'm feeling much better now."
Roxy made her way to the table as Geese was passing the food out. Everyone eating together and talking happily brought a warm feeling of peace that I haven't felt since we got the news about Roxy and left our house in Sharia. After all this time I could finally relax...
This feeling of relaxation was so great that I couldn't help but close my eyes and enjoy the moment. I was so relaxed that it felt like I might fall asleep. As I felt my consciousness being pulled away, there was just one thing nagging at me. Something that didn't feel natural or right.
For a moment, Hitogami's figure flashed into my mind.
'That's right! This whole thing with Roxy was obviously set up by Hitogami and I never found who his apostle was. I let my guard down because I trusted everyone here. The apostle must have been Geese. I've been drugged!'
I reached my hands to my face and began casting detoxification magic on myself, but it was too late. My consciousness was finally wrenched away.
The next thing I knew, I found myself in a pure white void. The feeling of warmth and relaxation was immediately replaced with rage and hatred.
'It's him!'
"Hitogami!", I cried out as I clenched my hand into a fist.
Only, when I looked down at my fist, what I saw was a set of gnarled, bony fingers wrapped loosely in weathered skin. I had reverted back to my old body. My aged body from right before I attempted time travel.
"Oh? So that's how you see yourself? Is that what you looked like before you mastered time travel? That's totally cheating by the way."
Hitogami revealed himself to me, his only distinguishable feature being the creepy wide grin. I lunged towards him the moment I saw him, trying to slug him in the face.
"Hahaha!", he laughed at me. "You should know that you can't harm me. You're not actually here, after all."
"One day I will be!", I yelled in anger. "I swear it upon my life. One day I will crush your skull beneath my foot! Just you wait!"
"I was concerned about that for a while, to tell the truth."
"That would be a first", I retorted.
"This is the first time I can recall that I spoke with you", Hitogami said, once again grinning gleefully. "Tell me, what did I do to you to make you hate me so~"
"Everything you've done to me will be paid back ten times over. I can promise you that!"
"Don't feel like chatting? Are you sure? This might very well be your last conversation."
When he said that I reflexively reached for my chest for some reason. True enough, Hitogami is definitely the type to show up at the last minute just to gloat about his victory.
"You knew this was a trap, but you still fell for it! How stupid can you be hahaha!"
"So Geese was your apostle... I thought you could only control humans."
"Hmm can I?"
"It doesn't matter at this point anyway. Even if you kill me, Orsted will finish you in my place. If anyone hates you more than me, it's him. At least I can die knowing that he's sure to make your death as painful as possible."
"Orsted, that fool? He'll never be able to reach me! Luckily for you though, my apostle was too spineless to do the job himself. He refused to use a lethal poison.
'He did? I looked down at my hand and saw that it was beginning to fade. I was starting to wake up!'
"It doesn't matter", Hitogami said, still smiling. "Even if he wouldn't kill you all directly, things are set up so that I will win in the end..."
As Hitogami said those last words, he, along with the white void, abruptly disappeared. I opened my eyes and I was back in the Labyrinth.
The first thing I did was look around to find Roxy. Everyone else was asleep at the table but she and Geese were nowhere to be found.
"Sorry Boss."
After hearing him speak, my head snapped to the side to find Geese holding Roxy further down the corridor, standing next to a glowing magic circle.
"Wait!", I yelled.
I reached out my hand to cast gravity magic and hold him in place but it was too late. By the time he had spoken those words he was already stepping forward into the magic circle, disappearing along with Roxy.
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