Eventually the vast sea of lava comes into view, and Frosty stops and turns to us.

''Here it is. His Majesty the Demon King's Palace ...... The Fifth (...) Lost (...) Palace is just a stone's throw away.
The Fifth Labyrinth?
The Fifth Labyrinth?

　Unintentionally, my voice and Norzuri's voice overlap.

　But the emotions in the remarks are the exact opposite, and the reasons for the surprise are completely different.

　Norzuri and I exchange glances silently, then we both know what each other is thinking, and I step aside to let Norzuri take over the order of our remarks.

'...... Frosty, you are serious. The fifth labyrinth is His Majesty's residence in this hierarchy. You could have prepared another safe place ...... such as inviting all the humans on earth to such a place.
"To my surprise, it was His Majesty's own decision. I have only played my part accordingly.

　Norzuri's expression is twisted bitterly.

　From the reaction, it seems that there is a fifth labyrinthine hierarchy in this dungeon that we didn't know existed, and that is definitely the current base of the Demon King's army.

''If Your Majesty has said so, it can't be helped. Humans should rejoice at the honor of witnessing His Majesty's residence.
'That guy's fine, but ...... the administrator of Asropolis never said there was a fifth labyrinth.
''Of course. We discovered the fifth level only after Demon King Fraxinus abandoned his position and moved to the second level.

　If Norzuri's explanation is correct, it's only natural that we were unable to grasp the existence of the Fifth Maze.

　It's fundamentally impossible for us to know, since the only favorable source of information was unaware of it.

But there is only a sea of lava in front of us: ......
Use your 'right eye'. You'll know it when you see it.
...... I can't help it.

　Normally I didn't want to abuse it, but this would definitely be an appropriate use.

　I held my left hand over my right eyeball and activated the 'Right Eye of Wisdom' as I normally would, being conscious of not drawing out excessive performance.

''This is ......!
What's the matter with the white wolf?

　The moment my vision switched, I immediately understood the meaning of what Norzuri was saying.

'That lava is an illusion. It's just a disguise for appearances. It's really just a sunken terrain ...... with a big gate and stairs at the back .......
You saw it. That is the entrance to the fifth maze. The illusion is only a visual disguise, but we can't disarm it one by one. We'll keep going.
Wait a minute. I'll explain the situation to the other guys. Otherwise, they're not gonna follow us.

　After convincing the dumbfounded Norseli, I first deactivated the Right Eye of Wisdom and began to explain and persuade the other group leaders.

　However, it didn't take much time.

　Theodore, the leader of the adventurer party, agreed with me in two replies, the Golden Fang Knights declared that it was up to the delegation to be escorted, and the all-important Duke of Kingswell promised to convince his men.

''Have you finished ......?''
Yeah, you're waiting. Let's get going then.

　With Norzuri and Frosty leading the way, we, the White Wolf Knights, stepped into the vast illusion of lava.

　First of all, I, who was convinced by the Right Eye of Wisdom that it was an illusion, took the lead, and without a moment's pause, Garnett followed suit.

　Seeing that Garnett and I are unconcerned about dipping our legs to our knees, Sakura and Chandler walk at a normal pace down the gentle slope - though it's hidden by the illusion of lava - and we're not able to see it.

　Nagi and Melissa saw this and decided that their safety was guaranteed, so they walked off as if there was no lava to begin with.

　The remaining members of the group didn't immediately follow them, but only Mark and Eddie were the only two who had been second-guessing themselves out of caution.

　Hild and Ambrose, both wizards and researchers, stopped to show their interest in how the illusion worked, while Ezell the Brave bent down and put his hand on the illusion of lava, amused by the way its surface rippled like the real thing.

'...... can you do that on the way home?'
'Oops, I'm sorry. I thought that with an illusion this large, the ground must have magical measures on it, so I just had to look for it.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!　Wait for me, Garnett!

　At best, he was fearless and imposing, but at worst, he was too much of his own pace.

　In a sense, not only Mark and Eddie, but also the members of the delegation looked at the many behaviors of the big shots with a mixture of surprise.

　They continued forward without slowing their steps, and when their eyes passed the surface of the illusion of lava, the landscape in their vision changed completely.

　The lava disappeared from sight without a trace, and the cobblestone road covered with an arched roof stretched out in a straight line from our feet to the gate on the wall.

　It's like the garden of an old castle.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more information on this topic.

　The fifth labyrinth - it's a man-made underground labyrinth that bears no resemblance to a cave.

　To put it simply, it was the castle itself.
　The interior of the castle looks as if the entire windowless castle was buried underground, with lights that use magic as a light source arranged in spots.

　The corridors are wide and the ceilings are so high that it's hard to believe it's underground, and all of them are decorated with ornaments that give you a sense of history.

　And as proof that this is not an archaeological site, lightly armed dark elf guards are stationed here and there, telling us that this is a military facility that is still in use today.

'This guy is ...... awesome. Isn't it comparable to the Demon King's Castle on the first level?''
Of course. "Of course. The castle over there is nothing more than a front-line base. This is our headquarters. This is our home base, and that's why we never dreamed of inviting you in. ......

　Eventually, Norzli stopped in front of a luxurious door at the end of the corridor.

'This is the audience chamber. You will find His Majesty Gandalf waiting for you in here. Take care not to be rude if you are mistaken.