In the afternoon of the fourteenth day since the search began, we were to enter the "Great Labyrinth" with 100 of the ground troops to move the front line base.

　All 100 of us were transporters carrying large backpacks.

　One-eyed old knight Berland-san is said to remain at the camp base above ground and take command as it is.

　The mobile unit heading underground includes the four of us, the father and daughter of the Dardios family, and the two members of the 'Divine Fangra', and the 100 transport soldiers will be commanded by General Dardios himself.

　The other three Shumurian Knights were to stand by on the ground as they needed to contact the home country in case of an emergency.

''Please, take care of yourself, Lord Marl.
Yes.

　We shook hands and parted.

　Then more than a hundred people lined up in front of the stairs to the basement of the great hall, an ancient temple dug into the cliffs of the Tree Sea.

''Alright!　Then, all of you, let's go!

　At General Dardios's command, everyone descends the stairs leading to the depths of the darkness.　

(....I'm a little nervous.

　I, too, put my own backpack on and start walking.

　Thump, thump, thump.

　The sound of large numbers of footsteps echoed loudly.

　Eventually, we arrived at an aisle that was wide enough to hold ten people in a row.

　The height to the ceiling is probably 30 meters high.　Even if you hold up your lantern, no light reaches you, and the sky above you remains shrouded in darkness.

(The bottom level is an estimated 30 levels... eh?　(900 meters underground!)

　Considering the thickness of the floor and ceiling, it was almost a kilometer.
　This ancient ruin, built by Lord Grey Goddess Coalwood, was even bigger than he had imagined.

　There are other parts that I'm curious about.

"What is this stuff made of?

　Solstice muttered and touched the wall of the passage.

　It had a surface as smooth as obsidian, like a black mirror. The floor, walls, and pillars were stacked and composed of that stone.

　What was particularly strange was the interior of that black glow.

　A sentence of magic letters like the 'Divine Script' that Recto Alice had shown me before, sometimes glowing red, ran through the black walls and floor like blood flowing through a vein.

　Even Kilt-san and Illtimina-san seem to have never seen a scene like this before.

''As expected of a structure created by the hand of God?
Yes.

　A red glow illuminated and then passed by the two beauties they were looking at.

　Thanks to the advance troops, the route and safety of the ten underground levels had been secured. The shortest route, the passageway, was lined with lighting machines called magic lights, and thick cords stretched endlessly at the edge of the floor.
　It seems that there is no way to take a wrong turn.

(Thank goodness.)

　I walked on, feeling safe.

　But the rest of the place was in complete darkness and a little frightening. If they got lost in a place like this, without any light, they wouldn't feel like they could return to the ground.

　The people of the earlier troops were exploring in this kind of darkness, blazing a path underground.
　When I thought of that, I was really bowled over.

　We continued on to the second and third levels.

　It was about that time that we came across a scene where a lot of white human bones were scattered on the corridor.

''.........''
..........

　I couldn't help but look at Solstice.

　In the past, I saw a scene in the Dior Ruins - probably here, there was a battle between 300 advance troops and a large number of skeletons. Since most of the passageway is covered in white with human bones, there must have been quite a large scale battle.

　Snap!

　We stepped on them and proceeded with a hundred transport soldiers.　

　From time to time, you will also see the rotting corpses of giant bats, rats, and other decomposing bodies lying in the passageway.

(Hmm?)

　At the end of the aisle, there was a hole about half as wide as it was.
　I looked through it, but it was so dark I couldn't see anything.

　What is it?

Do you mind, Merle?

　You know the answer, Illtimina laughed gently and asked in that teacher's voice.
　I nodded.

　Then she lit the torch and dropped it into that pitch-black hole with a pop.

　Huw ... kalan.

　Reaching the bottom of the hole.

　Instantly, the darkness moved.

(Whoa!)

　Illuminated by the red flames were a large number of centipedes and poisonous spiders that filled the bottom of the hole. Only around the flames, those poisonous insects were fleeing.

''It's a classic dungeon trap (trap), a pitfall.
..........

　I can't speak for a while.

(Ky, I feel sick...)

　The venomous insects writhing in the depths of the darkness were scaring the hell out of me.

　When I looked closely, I found several human bones at the bottom of the hole, with backpacks on and clothes on, present.
　Could they be people from a former survey team?

　Mosquitoes and venomous spiders crawl out of the eyeball portion of the skull.

''--Oh!''

　bang

(Hee!)

　Suddenly, I was pushed back and almost fell into the hole.
　With all my strength, I stayed on the edge of the hole.

　My heart nearly stops, and I turn around.

Nya-ha-ha, that's a desperate look on your face!
..........

　Solstice is laughing hysterically.
　Hey, this kid~!

　whack

　Soon after, my sister dropped her knuckles and scolded me as hard as she could.

''You've been looking so hard all day, I thought I'd relax Merle a bit.

　Teary-eyed, such an excuse.

(............)

　I can't help but touch my own cheek.
　Have I always looked like that?

　Deciding that it was clumsy concern, I decided to persuade Illtimina-san, who still wanted to scold me, to forgive me for this much.

　I looked over and saw that Mr. Kilt was smiling bitterly.
　The transport soldiers who were watching us also seemed to be smiling somewhat.

　Soft air.

A feeling that hadn't existed for a while since I entered the Great Maze, which made me laugh a little too.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　On the way down the stairs from the fourth level to the fifth level, I suddenly smelled a strange smell.

(.........what is it?)

　It smells disgusting, like something has gone rotten.

'What's up, Merle?'

　I told Miss Illtimina who noticed me, and she immediately contacted Mr. Kilt and General Dardios as well.

'Merle's nose is sure,'
Hmm. Then let's slow down our march and keep a lookout for a while.

The General nodded at the testimony of the "Golden Mark Demon Hunter".

(Thank you, for believing me.)　

　In my heart, I thank them.

　Originally, there should have been no danger since the preceding troops were 'exterminating the demons'. Even so, here in the 'Great Labyrinth', you never know what will happen.
　It would be best to be vigilant, just in case.

　I also put my hand on the hilt of my "fairy sword" and proceeded to draw my sword at any time.

　Eventually, I found out the cause of the problem.

"...it looks like it's that one, right?

　Kilt-san muttered.

　The gazes of all of us, over a hundred of us, looked up at the pillars in the passage on the fifth level.

　Crunch, crunch.

　There, the upper half of the rotten man-eating demon (ogre) was hanging there.

　Its lower body and right arm were missing, but its head, left hand, and chest had been pierced and sewn in three places by the metal spears used by the Arun knights, with the black stones of the pillar pierced through and sewn in place.

　From his torn abdomen, his internal organs hung slenderly.

　Normally, the injury should have been life-threatening - but the half-body ogre was, to my surprise, still moving.

　Gujssh, kashish.

　He writhed, spilling rotten bits of flesh and blood, and scratched the pillar resentfully and forcefully with the claws of his left hand.

'It's an undead ogre, isn't it?

　Kilt muttered as he looked up at the illuminated demon figure, about seven meters above the ground.

　An immortal ogre.

　As its name suggests, it is a demon that never dies.
　It is said that it can never be defeated with physical damage, and the only way to defeat it is to burn it with purification magic or fire magic.

''Or we can only shred them to the point where they can't move, or restrain them like that.
..........

　Such an explanation from Dr. Illtimina.

　By the way, no matter what small shreds they are made into, they are still alive.

　And all the demons that are named 'immortal' have the same characteristics.
　So, as far as immortal(──) death(──) people(──) are concerned, it's preferable to defeat them with purification magic and fire magic to save their souls as much as possible.

(Immortal........)

　I thought that not being able to die was some kind of horrible event.

　Solstice looks at the leader, holding a large staff in her hand.

'Do you want to burn it?'
It's all right. It's not a monster. Let it go.

　'Spare me the magic of fire magic,' said Kilt.

'Yeah. 'Okay,'

　The girl nodded and drew her big staff.　

　And so we start walking through the 'Great Labyrinth' again.

　Cush.........

　From the darkness behind us, the eternally unstoppable sound of an immortal ogre writhing continues to reach our ears--.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　A few hours after our departure, we finally reached the tenth level.

　In one of the halls there, the 300 survivors of the elite of the Arun Knights who had preceded us gathered in one of the halls, setting up a tent and waiting.

''Everyone, thank you for your efforts!

"Haha.

　They responded to General Dardios' labor with a sharp salute.

　For the past two weeks, they had been fighting in the horrible darkness amidst the ancient ruins, all of them with several wounds carved into their flesh and armor, stained with the blood of themselves, their comrades, or demons.
　Moreover, up to the tenth level (here), about ten percent of their troops, thirty-two of their compatriots, had died.

　And yet, their morale has not been dampened.

　The eyes and expressions looking back at General Dardios were filled with strong supremacy.

''This is the Knight of Arun, Lord Marl.
..........

　Frederica said proudly.

　Indeed, there was something hot and heart-shattering in the way they were lining up.

　The general tells everyone to rest their bodies, and the 100 transport soldiers who came with us quickly unpack and start setting up the front base.

'Let's allow ourselves to have a drink tonight!　Hahaha!

　At those words, everyone sprung up.

　Tomorrow, the search for the unknown eleven levels would begin.
　There will be more deaths.

　That's why tonight, we're going to nourish our spirits not with preserved food, but with delicious meals and drinks brought from the ground.

　The four of us also did our best to help prepare for the people of the advance unit.

(.........really, thank you for your hard work.)

　Calling to them in my mind, I serve the stew I made in a large pot onto their plates as they line up.

　It's a great pleasure to see them return to their friends and eat their food with relish.

　Eventually, as soon as there were enough people, we were able to get our food, too, and we returned to our tents, holding our plates of steamy stew in our arms.

　Unfortunately, Mr. Kilt said he had a mission to discuss with General Dardios, so it was just me and my three sisters eating.

'You two are hot, so be careful, okay?
Yes.
Thank you for this.

　hummock

!　Ouch.........!

　The inside of the bitten potato was hot.
　Hi~.

Is everything okay, Merle?
You're an idiot.

　Illtimina, who is worried about me, Solstice, who is dumbfounded.

''Haha........''

　I laughed and fooled myself.

　And so we continue to eat.

　When it's almost over

Tomorrow, you'll finally get to the bottom of the 11th level. I wonder how long we'll be able to reach the bottom level?

　I muttered to myself.

　The two of us stopped eating.

　It's already been more than three months since we left the Kingdom of Shumuria.

　Before we left the divine imperial capital Astilio, a pterodactyl flight from the royal capital Moulia arrived, and it had been conveyed to us that there was no particular new information within Shumuria regarding the movements of the Son of Darkness.
　But the quietness of the situation was, on the contrary, frightening.

(.........What on earth is the 'Son of Darkness' doing now?)

　The silence of the darkness was just eerie.

　Also, the other 'God's Attendant' who has been summoned to the Kingdom of Shumuria has not yet been found, apparently.

(Somehow, all sorts of things are troubling...)

　I couldn't help but sigh.

　Iltimina-san's white hand gently touched my shoulder.

'Don't overthink it, Marle?'
..........
''It's all right. The Kingdom of Shumuria has eight Shumurian Dragon Cavalry, the strongest in the kingdom. Also, the Temple Knights of St. Shulianism. --Even if the Son of Darkness were to try something, I don't think it would be easy.

　Solstice nodded.

'Yes?　Now, let's focus on what's in front of us, shall we?
..........
You're not going to get back to Shumria any time soon, even if you think about it. It's no use, it's no use.
...Yeah, I guess so.

　I laughed and nodded at the girl who flapped her hands and waved her hand.

(Yeah, let's focus on getting the 'divine armor' now.)

　I don't know how many more days it will take to reach the lowest level, but for now, I have to believe that this is the best move.

　Illtimina-san smiled at my condition.

''But even so, Kilt, you're late, aren't you?''

　Suddenly, Solstice muttered.

　The three of us can't help but look at the doorway to the tent. Of course, it opens and there's no sign of anyone coming in.

(Is the conversation with the general prolonged?)

　Once she had eaten, all she had to do was sleep.
　Tonight, I wasn't going to wait for her to go to bed first.

(Hmmm?)

　I put down my empty plate and stand up.

"Merle?
I'm gonna go check on Mr. Kilt for a minute.

　I left those words with the two surprised people and went out of the tent, through the fabric of the doorway.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇　


What's the matter, Mister Merle?

　As we walked through the many tents and people eating, we met the beautiful Frederica-san in military uniform.

'Good evening, Frederica-san,'
Yeah, hi.

　She nodded, and at her small side she was holding a large bundle of paper tied with a string.
　She noticed my gaze.

This one?　This is a plan for supply.

　And then he told me.

(A plan on supply?)

'Yes. We don't know how many days it will take for us to explore from now on. To avoid running out of food and equipment, I've calculated the rate of attrition and prepared multiple plans for the pace of supply from the camp base and the God's Imperial City. --I'm about to deliver this to my father, or rather, to General Dardios.
Yeah,

　It was good to see you.

I was just about to go check on Mr. Kilt when he didn't come back.
Is that so?
Yeah. You can come with me if you want.

　Frederica was surprised, and then smiled a little happily.

'Of course. I'll come with you.
Good.

　I laugh too.
　Then, together, we walked toward the largest tent we could find.　

　Eventually we arrived at the tent that had just been set up to serve as a command center for the front-line base, but the two people we wanted to see were not there.

"....they're not there, are they?
Yeah.

　In the midst of the tent, I'm in trouble with her.
　And then.

(...hmm?)

　We heard faint talking from outside the tent.
　Frederica-san seemed to hear it too, and as soon as we looked at each other, we headed in that direction.

(Ah, there they were.)

　Outside the tent, in front of the campfire, I could see the backs of Mr. Kilt and the two generals Dardios.　
　As I was about to call out to them.

Maybe he wasn't looking at Merle the right way.

　I heard that muttering.

(----)

　He stopped suddenly and hugged Frederica's waist, forcing her to stop her steps.

''Ma, Maar-dono!
Shh.

　For some reason, I asked Frederica-san, who was red-faced and flustered, to be quiet, and together we hid behind the tent, killing any sign of her presence as we looked around.

　Fortunately, she doesn't seem to have noticed us.

　Kirt-san gulps down a glass of alcohol in one go and exhales heavily.
　I was a little surprised to see a weak smile on his profile, one I'd never seen before.

　Its lips quiver and move.

'The words of those raptors in the daytime have been sticking in my mind for a long time.
..........
Humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves, and dragons may look alike, but their values and instincts differ from race to race. That is to be expected. ........However, although he knows Marle is a 'Godgu', he only treats him as a 'human'.

　Then he nodded.
　With a beat, his silver hair, shimmering in the flames, spilled out of his thin shoulders in a smooth spill.

　General Dardios says.

You'll be able to find out more about the characteristics of the 'divine dog'. It can't be helped, can it?''
It's not an excuse.

　Kirto shook his head.

'I had received a report from Illtimina that Marle's balance of mind and body had recently been disrupted. But Warawa didn't take any action. All he did was make Merle endure.
It's the right choice.

　The general's answer was a warrior's voice.

The general replied in a warrior's voice, "I think it is the right strategy to preserve Mahr and his men. It is the right strategy to preserve Maar and his men, and it will directly lead to the preservation of Maar's life.
..........
You have done nothing wrong, demon girl.

　bang

　A large palm slapped Ms. Kilt's back.
　She giggled at the pain.

　Then those golden eyes looked up at the ceiling.

'But of course, General. In truth, I think I could have done something more.
..........
The Raptors only impose what is right, and in the end, they indulge in that man's understanding, making him caught between reason and instinct, and tormenting his heart. The words of the Raptors sounded like the screams of Mahr's heart.

　A moment of silence passed.

　Crackle, crackle.

　The flames of the campfire swayed, sending sparks of fire into the air above the two of them.



　I was surprised that I had made her feel responsible like that. No, I had rather thought that I was causing trouble for everyone because of my own weakness of heart....

　Frederica-san looked at me and Kirt-san's faces in turn, as if she was confused.

　General Dardios poured a glass of alcohol down his throat with a gulp.
　Then he laughed.

''Hahaha.......how that demon girl is starting to sound like a mother.
Hmm?

　Mr. Kilt looks out of his mind.
　Regardless, he says.

"But don't worry about it.
..........
"I didn't know what to do with my little girl when I lost my wife so young. I still don't. I wouldn't have been a good parent to Fiddy. But she was raised to be a good person, a good knight. As for the woman ... well, she's a good person, I think.

　Suddenly, Frederica-san's body stiffened as the topic of herself came up and she was touching it.

(............)

　The look on her face was a little tearful.

　I knew that she had been properly acknowledged by her great father in a way that she didn't know she was - that fact was seeping into her heart.

(................Good for you, Frederica-san.

　In my heart, I bless you.
　And I listened again.

　The General speaks a little sadly, but happily.

'After all, a child is a child, no matter what its parents are, and it will grow up properly. ........Don't worry too much, demon girl?
...hmmm.

　Mr. Kilt nodded.
　Then he stared at his cup of liquor.

　He let out a short breath, chuckled, and

I never thought I'd be talking to the general like this.
I'm as surprised as you are. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that that demon girl would become such a fiercely protective mother.

　Hahaha, said the General.
　Mr. Kilt looks sullen.

'Don't call me that mother. 'I'm not that old yet.'
No, not old enough?

　Yeah, I'm 30 this year.

　
　General Dardios looked at him with a look of sudden realization.

What is it?　I wonder if you might like a boy of that age--

　with a thud

　Before he could say it, Kilt-san's fist was slammed into his face.　
　Whoa!

Stupid. I'm gonna hit you?
"...and he's already hit you.　Totally.

　He rubbed the blood from his nose, but General Dardios didn't seem bothered by it, and smiled.

　Then the two of them poured their drinks into each other's cups and began to drink again.

(............)

　Can I call on you now?
　As if to confirm, I looked up at Frederica-san's face and she nodded.

(Ah.)

　I noticed that I was still hugging her waist.

　When I became aware of it, Frederica's body was thinner than it looked and smelled better than it was.
　I would turn a little red.

''.........''
..........

　Noticing my condition, Frederica-san, for some reason, also turned red.

　Not good.

　We took a deep breath and then stepped out from behind the tent and approached the two men who were having a drink.
　Noticing our presence, they quickly turned around.

''Hm?　Fiddy?
"Merle?

　A surprised face greeted us.
　We laughed and Frederica held up a stack of papers in her hand.

'Father, I've gone over and made a draft of the supply plan you asked for. Would you please review it?
Hmm, okay.

　A large hand takes the papers from my daughter.
　Mr. Kilt looked at me.

"What happened to Merle?
I came to pick you up because Mr. Kilt is late.
Strawberries?

　A slightly surprised face.
　I smiled and nodded.

'.............'

　Mr. Kilt looked at the General.
　He nodded.

　Turning to me, she smiled, her golden eyes narrowing, and nodded.

''All right. Let's go back to the tent together.
Yes.

　I held out my right hand and helped her stand up.
　I was a little surprised that the petite Ms. Kilt was lighter than she looked and was able to pull it off more easily than I expected.

'.............'
..........

　I exchanged a glance with Frederica.
　A small smile.

　Then she started talking with her father by the fire about the supply plan, and me and Mr. Kilt turned our backs on it and started walking to our own tent.

　Our hands stayed together.

　Kilt-san's hands were smaller than Illtimina-san's, and a bit harder.

'Sorry to bother you. I had to send for you.
Nope.

　I shake my head at the apologetic-looking Kirt.

"I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for interrupting your drinking with the general.
No.
But I'm going to miss you, Mr. Kilt.

　I said honestly.
　For some reason, Mr. Kilt took a small breath.

　A little bit of strength in his clasped hands.

'I see.'

　Short words.
　But he sounded very relieved.

'Hey, Merle?'
Hmm?
What is a straw for you?　A master swordsman?　The party leader?　Or is it ... my mother?

　Suddenly, he asked me that question.

(Hmm~?)

　I pondered for a moment, then replied.

"The man of my dreams, I guess.
...longing?

　Mr. Kilt looks surprising.

"He's strong, beautiful, good-looking, and he's the kind of guy I want to be in the future.
..........

　It's no lie.

　A man who hunts demons to protect people, who is respected by many, but who is not proud of himself, who is not defeated by fear, and who has a heart that is stronger than the strength of his fight.

　That is the Golden Mark Demon Hunter.
　That is Kirto Amandes.

(Someday I want to be as strong as her.)

　I'm trying to learn from all that strength.

You're not much of a straw man, are you?

　Mr. Kilt says, annoyed.



　I stare at her beautiful profile.

'So you want me to think of you like your mother?'
Hmm?
"--Kilt mom?

　I said it as a joke.

　Bob.

　Mr. Kilt's good looks instantly turned red. Oh, that?

No, no, you idiot!

　thud

(I-I hurt.)

　She hit me lightly on the head.

I'm sorry.
Totally....

　I gave him an angry look, but he laughed, quickly forgiving me.
　I laugh along with him.

Let's go home now, Mr. Quilt, since you two are waiting for us.
No.

　We laughed and nodded at each other.

　And so we hurried our steps through the ancient temple, hand in hand, to the tent where Illtimina-san and Solstice were waiting for us - and we hurried our steps.