Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth (WN)

Chapter 52: Collaborator

I walked past the reception area and towards the wards.

The breezy path had been patched and was just barely functioning as a corridor. Proceeding through such an unattractive space, I entered Dias room.

Inside, Dia wasnt alone, there were also some unknown faces.

Visitors, Dia?

I asked Dia, who was sitting on the bed, then I turned to the three unfamiliar men who were standing around in his room.

Those three visitors were dressed like priests. I focused my gaze on them, and sure enough, their classes also stated Priest. Over their clean, light-colored garments, they wore what looked like patterned stoles draped over their shoulders. Parameters-wise, they were a bit stronger than the average person.

Christ?! Ho-hold on a minute.

Yeah, sure.

I replied calmly and stepped out. I was still angry, but no thanks to the ??? Skill, I wasnt in a hurry.

After spending some time in the hallway, the three priests came out and greeted me as they left. Seeing that, I entered Dias room.

Heya, Dia.

Christ, its rare you come over this early in the morning

DIa looked troubled. He probably didnt want me to see that scene. Id guess that Dia was tied by a lot of circumstances himself, seeing from the fact that he was acquainted with Lastiara.

To begin with, Dia was marginally more talented than Lastiara. It would be strange if someone like him suddenly existed out of a vacuum. Putting that in mind, I started talking.

Were they priests from Whoseyards?

Uuh Theyre not from Whoseyards, but you guessed pretty close.

Dont force yourself to tell me if you dont want to.

No, Ill spill it. Those Fathers are from my country They came chasing after me.

Dia didnt even try to hide it. He probably thought he could no longer hide iteither because I learned he was an acquaintance of Lastiara or because the Holy Birthday was coming up I had no idea.

Chasing after you?

Im sorry I kept it a secret. Actually, I was someone important in a certain country and am a fugitive from said country

Dia told me honestly what had happened to him.

An important person I knew it, he must have had some special circumstances around him. Otherwise, there was no other explanation for his talent surpassing even the artificially perfected being that was Lastiara.

Dia might think he was telling a shocking truth, but for me, I was finally able to see some sound reason. Unable to see Dia looking so guilty, I answered him gently.

I see. But dont beat yourself over it. Whatever happens, Dia is still Dia.

Christ!!

Dia looked at me, awestruck. I assumed he was prepared to be condemned to some degree.

But I was having none of it. My freezing rage urged me to quickly move on to the next topic.

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So, Dia, youre not going back to your own country right away?

No, I am supposed to, but not right away. I have to attend the ceremony of the Holy Birthday tomorrow. I was assigned to represent a religious faction.

The fact that Dia belonged in a higher position than I expected raised my heart more than a little. I couldnt blame it. Dia had looked nothing more than a ragged little girl about to starve to death when Id first met him. First impressions really were important.

I suppressed my desire to ask for more details and talked only about the technicalities of his situation.

Are you going home after you attend? Is there anything I can do to help?

No, I wont go home, of course. Ive decided Ill make a killing here. Besides, I dont need your help to convince them, Christ. I dont want to bother you. I want to handle it on my own, at least for now.

Dia expressed his intentions clearly.

He was very different from a certain person. If only she and I had been as honest about our feelings and as decisive as he, things would have been much easier.

Got it. But I want to help you as much as I can. You can count on me if you need anything.

Yeah, Christ. Thanks.

The trouble Dia might have had been concluded in just a matter of seconds. Of course, that shouldnt be all Dia had to deal with, but the immediate problem had been talked over. I got right to the point then.

And so, Im really sorry to trouble you with this, but Theres something I need to ask you.

Ask me?

Dia wasnt insane like Lastiara and I were, and neither was he trapped by strong personal feelings like Maria. Not to mention, there was the difficult situation of Dia as the only person in this other world I could trust.

And thus, I wanted to ask for his opinion.

That was the purpose of my visit. For that, I began to explain the relationship between Lastiara and the Holy Knight. Dia, with a quiet look, listened.

* * *

* * *

I see now.

After giving a general overview, Dia examined the information Id provided him with. He wasnt at all unfamiliar with the Holy Birthday of Whoseyards and readily embraced the ridiculous story. He then went on to express his opinion.

I dont think its all on the part of her education. There must be some kind of mental magic involved. A spell that has been casted on her since she was little. Otherwise, she wouldnt be so stubborn.

Dia pronounced just how far worse Lastiaras condition was than I had thought. He was the one who was most familiar with Holy Magic, and he seemed to have a spell in mind.

However, I had checked Lastiaras Constitution in her Status. At the very least, there didnt seem to be anything odd there. If I had to guess, I would say that her Doll and Fake Gods Eye Skills would be the most sketchy.

If she was indeed under some kind of mental magic, would you be able to break it, Dia?

No, I dont think so. If it was something obvious, I would have disabled it the first time we met. My guess is that its a level of magic finesse that is ingrained in her flesh and blood. Whoseyards higher-ups should be able to do something like that with ease.

Dia spoke so surely as though he had Lastiara in front of him.

Which means Ill have to give up on breaking it

But I think they will disable it before the ritual of Saintess Tiaras descent. Its hard to think they would give a body riddled with a spell that makes you think lightly of your life to a great person of the past.

Before the ritual, is it

If so, then the ideal would be to take Lastiara out of there after the magic was disabled. Failing that, the only other way was to get someone who knew how to disable the magic somehow.

So what are you going to do, Christ? Ill help you out. Im back in top shape, you see.

After Dia finished listening to me to the end, he asked me what I wanted to do. He even hinted that he was willing to cooperate, despite himself going through a hard time. As always, he was such a good kid.

Unfortunately, I didnt have any concrete answer to his question. No, to be precise, my answer had been changed by the ??? Skill.

Dia. Can I ask something weird?

S-sure.

What would youno, what would someone in their right mind do, normally? Would you help her?

I asked the bare question.

I no longer trusted my own judgment. Everything I had ever had in my mind seemed to be decisions manipulated by the ??? Skill.

Huh? Me?

Yes. Even if I have an obligation that takes precedence over everything else Should I still go to save Lastiara?

Dia was startled and looked at me as if he was looking at something odd. However, he then took a breath and gave his question with a serious expression.

Right As for me, even if I had an obligation that needs to take precedence, I would go to save the person irreplaceable to me. No matter what But thats me. I dont know if thats the normal thing to do.

Dia insisted, looking at me passionately.

Dia would go to save them, but he didnt know if that was the right thing or not, huh

I had gained an answer, but not enough to make my own. With no other choice, I spilled the beans.

Then Say, what if Just, what if I loved Lastiara, then should I go and save her?

Eh? H-hang on? EH?? Christ, you love Lastiara?

Dia suddenly panicked and tried to get confirmation. Yeah, it was understandable to be surprised when he was suddenly presented with an analogy like that, but I had to know the answer with love as an added presumption.

No, I dont love her. Just what if, just a hypothetical question, whats the answer then?

I-I see A hypothetical question, huh

Yes, hypothetical. Hypothetical is fine.

Then If you loved her, then I think youd go and save her. If you loved her, then regardless of your obligation, youd go running to her side, normally, I think Hypothetically speaking, that is. Only hypothetical!

Without a cloud of doubt, Dia answered. As I had guessed, if I loved her, I wouldnt hesitate and would go and save Lastiara, no matter what Id lose in the process That must be why the ??? Skill erased that emotion from me.

Got it. Ive decided Ill save Lastiara then

After confirming that my thoughts and Dias opinion matched, I made up my mind.

Eh?

Ill go to the cathedral in the Whoseyards for a bit.

I leaped to my feet.

Perhaps I had always known the answer that whole time. Even with my lacking experience in life, I had found my answer.

It was not normal to abandon the person you love. It was only right to save her, step through the Labyrinth, and return home to my family with a chest filled with pride. It wasnt rational, but it was the right thing to do as a rational person.

Wait, Christ! Thats too sudden! Going there now wont help! I just told you that the mental magic will be dispelled right before the ritual! Lastiara might fight you back if you force yourself to bring her out, thats what this Hein person worried about, isnt it?! What would you do if the spell caused Lastiara to change suddenly and she said shed undergo the ritual, no matter what the cost?! Could you handle her then?!

Right. That was why Hein-san had set me up and tried to get Lastiara out of the country, even if he had to chop my leg off in the process.

In that situation, I would be in danger of being confronted by Lastiara herself.

Seeing as though I just recalled it, Dia sighed. Then, muttering theres no helping it, he continued.

Now Im painfully aware of how much you want to save Lastiara, Christ If so, what you need to do is wait.

Dia told me not to take action. He continued.

I will be the one saving her, Dia declared with as much determination as I did.

You will, Dia?

I can be right where she is right before the ritual is completed. At the moment of the completion of the ritual, I could collapse the cathedral and approach Lastiara in the confusion. I would ask Lastiara, after shes unbound by any of her obligations, what she really wanted. If she has any wish to escape, the both of us will head to you immediately.

What a bold and reckless plan. However, it was also true that it was the only time when Lastiara would not be bound by any ties of obligation.

If I succeed, Lastiara and I will surely be hunted by Whoseyards. Well immediately flee to the maritime nation of Grillades to the south, and we can start exploring the Labyrinth together again.

Dia continued to talk matter-of-factly. He was so casual about it that I almost couldnt believe my ears.

Still, I couldnt understand why he would go to such lengths. I wondered if Dia and Lastiara were closer than I thought. However, seeing how both of them were being reserved to each other just the other day, it didnt seem likely.

When I began to question Dias reason, he noticed it and spoke up.

Well, its just an extension to my own fugitive life thing Not to mention, someone as strong as Lastiara is reliable to have as a companion, too

But if you help Lastiara, youll have more enemies. A huge enemy, in fact. Dia, are you really resolved to save Lastiara, even if it means making an enemy out of a country?

Resolve? I have my resolve. If she is a companion that you are willing to go to such lengths to save, then she is obviously someone I need to save, too. Im fine with making an enemy of one or two countries, dont you worry about it. Our exploration in the Labyrinth is just beginning, you see.

Dia immediately answered with a smile.

Even though he himself had the dream of making a fortune in the Labyrinth, he still decided to help Lastiara, fully knowing that it would increase the obstacles to that dream.

I felt incredibly small in front of such a large character as a human being. I was so ashamed of myself, I froze from all the self-pity.

Dia was too dazzling. How I wished I could be like him.

Thank you, Dia But you dont need to do that, Dia. I will. Thats my role, Im sure of it.

Christ?

Let me be the main culprit. Ill jump in just before the ritual is completed and kidnap Lastiara. I cant have you go that far, Dia.

I copied Dia and pretended to be confident in my answer.

Hearing that, Dia simply said, thats the Christ I know, showing no sign of disagreeing. As always, he seemed to have an excessive amount of trust in me.

Got it. If thats what you want, then lets do it that way.

Thus it concluded.

After that, I asked Dia for as much information as possible about the cathedral. However, Dia wasnt very much informed about it either. As a guest of honor, he only knew the schedule of the ceremony and the minimum floor plan.

However, that information would make a huge difference.

It told me when and where to jump in. It was many times better than raiding the cathedral while I was in the dark.

After exchanging as much information as we could and confirming each others plans, I parted ways with Dia and headed off to Whoseyards, alone.