章節 100: Finding the Next Great Labyrinth
{A/N: We made it to chapter 100. Unfortunately, the book hasn't even hit half a million views yet. And to be honest, I'm starting to lose motivation to keep going. So, if you want me to keep writing this story, leave some comments and reviews to let me know. As for the Power Stones, although they're nice, I'd rather have my book reach more readers than fight for the popularity rankings.}
Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Reisen Gorge.
After meeting Ulfric from Verbergen, Tatsuo returned to training the members Of the Haulia Tribe while Sumire and Aletia continued to train Shea. Like that, the three remaining days until the extra thick fog surrounding the Sacred Tree passed. However, instead of going to the Sacred Tree as soon as they were able to, the training continued.
The reason they decided to continue training the members of the Haulia Tribe was simple. During the time they spent with the Haulia Tribe, Tatsuo noticed some people with bad intentions watching the Haulia. And he was pretty sure he knew who they were. Because from what he could remember, at some point in the canon, the Haulia Tribe was attacked by the bearmen led by Jin Vanton.
Therefore, Tatsuo made sure that the Haulia Tribesmen would at least be able to conceal their presences to a certain degree. That way, if… Or rather, when Jin led his tribe to attack, the Haulia would be able to either hide or attack from the shadows. And if the Haulia decided to attack from the shadows, it would be up to them whether they killed or let their enemies live or not.
As for Shea, because of Tatsuo's decision to stay and train the Haulia for longer than originally planned, her feelings for ended up increasing exponentially. And that was all due to a misunderstanding.
By the time Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia were originally slated to leave the Haulia Tribe's settlement, Shea had yet to reach the standards Sumire and Aletia put forth for her to follow them. And because Tatsuo extended the duration of their stay, Shea had convinced herself that Tatsuo was trying to give her a chance to come with them because he could not stand to leave her behind.
Naturally, that could not have been further from the truth. Instead, because Tatsuo said he would make it possible for the Haulia Tribe to protect themselves, his pride would not allow him to leave before he was certain he had done so. And Shea getting more chances to meet Sumire's and Aletia's criteria was just a biproduct of that decision.
In the end, Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia stayed for an extra twenty days. As a result, the Haulia Tribe, thanks to their natural endowments, were able to pass as a suitable group of assassins and Shea was able to land a hit on Sumire and Aletia, reaching their requirements to join them on their journey.
After that, Cam and the rest of the Haulia Tribe led Tatsuo, Sumire, Aletia, and Shea to the Sacred Tree. However, they were not able to explore the Haultina Great Labyrinth because they did not meet the prerequisites.
And those prerequisites were to have proof of conquest from four of the Great Labyrinths, including the Sunken Ruins of Melusine. Meaning, Tatsuo and the others would have to visit at least three more Great Labyrinths before they could explore the Haultina Great Labyrinth.
At the current time, however, Tatsuo, Sumire, Aletia, and Shea were all riding in the Hummer with Tatsuo behind the wheel, Sumire and Aletia sitting next to him in the front seat, and Shea in the back seat. And they were currently driving along the Reisen Gorge, looking for another Labyrinth whose entrance was hidden within.
"Any idea what this Labyrinth will be like?" Shea asked in a happy tone while she looked out the back window while her ears stuck out of the sun roof and flapped in the wind.
"Not really." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "But the chance of death while trying to conquer it shouldn't be any less than the Orcus Great Labyrinth."
"Meaning, it's not too late to go back to your tribe." Aletia said in a scathing tone.
"No way!" Shea exclaimed as she lunged forward and hugged Tatsuo around the neck from behind his seat. "I worked so hard to get your approval. I'm not gonna go back just because it could be dangerous. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for me to try so hard in the first place."
"That's enough, Aletia-San." Sumire said in a reprimanding tone. "You already approved of her coming with us because of how much Shea-San had improved. It's too late to be acting like this now, isn't it?"
"Hmph!" Aletia snorted while looking away.
"It really will be dangerous, though." Tatsuo said. "And with us not being able to use magic as we like, it will be even more dangerous."
"But that only applies to using magic outside of our own bodies, right?" Sumire asked.
"Yeah." Tatsuo said with a nod. "At least, that's how it should be based on the effects in the gorge, anyway."
"Hmph!" Aletia snorted once again. "I don't' like this."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you, Miss Aletia ." Shea said while releasing Tatsuo with one of her arms and flexing it to show how strong she was.
"Like I need your protection." Aletia muttered. "Even restricted, I'm still stronger than you, you worthless rabbit."
"Now, now, be nice, Aletia-San." Sumire said while smiling amusedly. "We're a team now. So, try to get along, okay?"
"Hmph!" Aletia snorted for a third time.
"Anyway, any idea where we need to look for the entrance to this Labyrinth?" Sumire asked after shaking her head at the annoyed vampire princess.
"Not exactly." Tatsuo replied. "But it's probably near the middle of the gorge. It wouldn't be much of a challenge, otherwise. So, when we get close to the middle, we'll have to get out and look on foot. Because we'll probably miss it if we try to look from in here."
"Understood." Sumire replied while nodding solemnly. "Still, it would have been nice to go to that that town Cam-San told us about before coming here. Brook Town, I think."
"Yeah, I know you're right." Tatsuo said while smiling wryly. "But that could have been a problem, you know."
As Tatsuo said that, he glanced over his shoulder to the back seat where Shea sat.
In response, Shea tilted her head cutely as she gazed back at Tatsuo with a smile and a blush spreading across her face at the eye contact.
"What's wrong, Tatsuo?" Shea asked in a somewhat bashful tone.
"Oh, I see." Sumire said in an understanding tone while nodding her head. "Bringing a free beastman into a human town might have been a problem, huh?"
"Worthless Rabbit." Aletia muttered while looking out the window.
"Huh? Wha…? What do you mean?" Shea asked in a somewhat panicked tone.
"Right." Tatsuo said with a nod as he turned back to look out the windshield. "And as exotic as she looks compared to normal rabbitmen, I have no doubt that someone would have tried to kidnap her and sell her into slavery."
"*Sigh* And that's where the real problems would start." Sumire added in an exasperated tone.
"Yup." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "And we would have been swept up in all the trouble because we would have tried to protect her after she finished protecting herself."
"Huh?" Shea intoned confusedly. "Does that mean I would never be able to go into a human town or city. Wait, more importantly, were you worried about me, Tatsuo~?""
As she spoke, Tatsuo could see tears starting to form in the usually cheerful rabbitman girl's eyes. However, just as she asked her next question, her smile returned, wider than ever as she started poking Tatsuo on the cheek with her index finger.
"*Sigh* There is a way around it." Tatsuo said while ignoring Shea's poking. "But I really don't want to do it. I mean, even if it's just for show, I hate slavery."
"What do you mean?" Shea asked curiously.
"He's talking about putting a collar on you." Sumire said, her tone making it clear that she did not like the idea, either. "And like Tatsuo-Kun said, it would only be for show. But it would still make you look like a slave. Someone's property."
Contrary to what Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia expected, instead of hearing groans of disagreement, Shea's somewhat excited squeals could be heard from the back seat.
"Huh?" x 2
While Tatsuo and Sumire were surprised by what they were hearing, Tatsuo brought the Hummer to a stop. Meanwhile, Aletia was already glaring at Shea, having turned around when she heard the strangely excited squeal.
"Does that mean I'll become Tatsuo's property?" Shea asked with an excited blush while her hands covered her cheeks and her ears twitched from side to side. "If it's Tatsuo, I don't' mind being his. I'll be his forever and ever."
"Perverted Rabbit." Aletia muttered in disgust.
"That was not what I was expecting." Tatsuo muttered while looking into the back seat with disbelief.
"Yeah, me neither." Sumire muttered.
'In the novels and the anime, wasn't Shea completely against being treated like a slave at first.' Tatsuo thought to himself, trying to remember the little things about the plot that he kind of overlooked for the overarching story line. 'Then again, it might be because of the way Nagumo put the collar on her, with no warning that did it.'
"Anyway, we can talk about that later." Tatsuo said while shaking his head. "for now, let's set up camp. It's almost sunset. And I'd rather not be driving around here at night. Not that anything in this canyon could hurt our ride. But still…"
"Yeah, I'm getting a little hungry." Sumire said, agreeing with Tatsuo. "And when the camp is set up, I can start cooking dinner."
"And I'll help." Shea said excitedly, the change in topic pulling her out of her fantasies about belonging to Tatsuo forever.
As for Aletia, she looked at Tatsuo while nodding her head in agreement.
With everyone in agreement, the group of four disembarked from the Hummer. Then, Tatsuo put it away in his [Inventory] while simultaneously pulling out everything needed to set up camp.
The item that would be necessary for setting up camp was basically just a collapsable metal house with all the necessary magic circles for showering and cooking engraved into it. The only issue was that there was no way to create portable plumbing. So, after every shower, they would have to dump the water. And there was no bathroom in the collapsable house, either.
But after a couple of days, the quartet had gotten used to the routine necessary to have a life more comfortable than sleeping in regular tents.
Not long after it was taken out of Tatsuo's [Inventory], the collapsable house was set up and Tatsuo had set up a magic circle around it that would keep beasts, monsters or normal beasts, away. Then, Sumire and Shea started preparing dinner while Aletia sat in Tatsuo's lap and fed on his blood.
"That was good as always." Tatsuo said in a satisfied tone while patting his stomach after dinner ended. "And eating regular food instead of monster meat makes it so much better. I still don't' know how you managed to make that monster meat taste like anything other than disgusting for so long."
"I've had a lot of practice cooking." Sumire said with a sweet smile.
"Well, if you'll excuse me." Shea said, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I need to go water some flowers."
"Just don't go too far." Sumire said before Tatsuo could say something to tease Shea and put her on the spot. "Even though you're strong enough to take care of yourself, I'm sure you don't wanna fight any monsters in the dark."
"Yes, Ma'am." Shea replied as she started walking towards the collapsable house's exit. "I know…."
Reaching that point, Shea's voice quieted significantly. Still, it was not quiet enough to escape the senses of everyone else in the room.
"Still, I gotta go far enough away that you won't be able to hear me do my business." Shea added as she lowered her head and quickened her steps.
In response, Tatsuo and Sumire smiled at Shea's antics. Meanwhile, Aletia only snorted in annoyance.
"Stop acting like that, Aletia-San." Sumire said with a smile on her face. "It's obvious that she's starting to grow on you."
"Be silent." Aletia said without a change in her expression. "Do not tell me how I feel."
"*Sigh* If you're always so grumpy, Tatsuo-Kun is gonna get annoyed, you know?" Sumire said in a playful tone.
That statement gave Aletia a moment of pause. However, she did not retract her statement. Instead, she only turned her face away, deciding she did not want to continue the topic.
In response, Tatsuo and Sumire could not help chuckling a little, causing Aletia to pout a bit. However, the relatively peaceful atmosphere was broken when Shea's voice could be heard from outside.
"Hey! Hey! Everyone, I think I found it!" Shea shouted. "I think it's the entrance to the Labyrinth!"
Immediately, Tatsuo, Sumire, and Aletia's heads snapped in the direction of Shea's voice. Then, they all got up and moved towards Shea.
When the trio exited the collapsable house, they saw Shea leaning out from behind a large stone and waving in their direction with a big smile on her face.
"*Sigh* She should have just come back and told us." Tatsuo muttered while equipping his pistols from his [Inventory]. "Now we have to deal with all the monsters who were alerted by the shouting."
"Well, she's still learning." Sumire said as she took her shield and spear out of her spatial ring. "But I'm sure you'll get used to it soon enough."
Not long afterwards, an proverbial monster of corpses lay on the floor of the Reisen Gorge with holes in their heads, crushed heads, burned corpses, or missing body parts. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Sumire, Aletia, and Shea had disappeared behind the large rock Shea was shouting from earlier. And that rock was concealing a small cave behind it.
"This better not be a false alarm." Aletia said with a huff.
"it's not, I promise." Shea replied while skipping forward, clearly happy that she could be helpful. Then, when she reached the end of the cave, she pointed at something written on the wall. "See, it's right here."
At the location where Shea was pointing, there was a sign board carved into the wall with handwriting that looked quite feminine that read: "Please come in, into Miledi Reisen's thrilling Great Labyrinth."
For some reason, those inscribed words gave everyone who read them a sense of annoyance and irritation.
"I get the feeling we're not gonna like what we find inside of this one." Sumire muttered.
"Probably not." Tatsuo replied.
"Anyway, let's go inside." Shea said excitedly. "We just gotta find the entrance. I wonder how we get inside, though?"
While speaking, Shea hopped around the wall in front of her while tapping it in various places.
*Clap!*
However, before she could touch something that might activate a mechanism, Tatsuo [Blinked] next to Shea's side and grabbed her hand.
"Huh?" Shea intoned in confusion. Then, when she realized Tatsuo was holding her hand, her face reddened in an instant. "Tatsuo, you're so bold. We're not even dating yet."
Rolling his eyes with an amused grin on his face, Tatsuo pulled Shea away from the wall.
"Didn't you forget something?" Tatsuo asked while pulling Shea over to Sumire and Aletia.
"Huh?" Shea exclaimed while tilting her head in confusion.
"Didn't you need to water some flowers? You know, in this place where there were no flowers growing?" Tatsuo asked with his grin widening into a teasing smile. "Or did you plan on holding it until we were done exploring the Labyrinth?"
Immediately, Shea's blush turned nuclear. Then, she shook off Tatsuo's hand and ran out of the cave as quickly as he could. And with her mana increasing her physical parameters, that was pretty fast.
"*Sigh* Did you have to tease her like that?" Sumire asked while shaking her head. "Now, it's going to take forever for her to come back. She'll be too embarrassed to come back right after finishing her business."
"Good." Tatsuo replied. "I mean, we've been on the road all day and we just finished eating dinner. I think exploring the Labyrinth can wait until tomorrow morning."
"I guess you're right." Sumire replied while continuing to shake her head. "but you could have just told her that we would explore in the morning instead."
"Yeah, but that wouldn't be nearly as fun." Tatsuo replied without missing a beat while smiling refreshingly.
Seeing Tatsuo's smile, both Sumire and Aletia were dazed for a moment. However, they recovered quickly enough.
"Anyway, I'm going back to the house." Sumire said. "One of you should stay here to wait for Shea-San."
"I'll stay." Aletia said quickly, surprising both Tatsuo and Sumire. Her following words, however, let them know exactly what she was thinking when she offered. "It's unsafe to leave that perverted rabbit alone with Tatsuo."
While Tatsuo snickered in amusement, Sumire rolled her eyes before raising her right hand to her ear with the thumb and pinky fingers extended as if she were taking a phone call.
"Hello, Kettle. This is Aletia-San." Sumire said in a dry tone with a deadpan expression on her face. "I just wanted to let you know, you're black."
Although Aletia did not understand the gesture Sumire made with her hand, she did understand that she was being called a hypocrite. As a result, she glared at Sumire. Though, there was not much heat behind it, as the two women had bonded quite a bit during the time they have spent together since Aletia was saved from the sealed room in the True Orcus Great Labyrinth.
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