'No!　
What is this?
It was like this when I arrived.
'There's that old lolly hag screaming again.


　We were getting ready to leave in the morning today, and we had gathered to get ready. But Marie's guy was stubbornly refusing to move.


I can't move when I get this comfortable!　I will not go!
You said you were going to cooperate with us.
"Leif's a**h*le!　The human mind can't just change!　You a**h*le!
Hey...?　Do you mind if I punch this guy in the face?
Well, relax.


　I soothe Rafe and force Marie off the bed.

'Don't ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!　Don't take me away!


　It was too noisy, so I used alchemy to quickly restrain Marie, handed her over to Leif and the four of us headed to the fifth labyrinth.



''Gusun........you don't have to treat her like that.......''
I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Marie.


　When I go outside, Marie starts to make a fool of herself, so I manage to calm her down. It's like I'm really dealing with a little girl when I'm dealing with her like this. But she's 45 years old. It's not at all in line with how he looks, what he says and does.

　Well, I won't say this because if I say this, I'll create a stir again.


''Hm?　Isn't there something wrong with those guys?
Well that's certainly odd.


　Just as we were using the transfer to move to the Yigal Republic, where the fifth labyrinth is located.......a strange group of people surround us. Their entire bodies were wrapped in robes, and their faces were difficult to see. At a quick glance, there are probably about 20 people in number.


"Hey, get into a fighting stance. These guys are trying to kill us.
'Oh...'
Yeah.
.... hmm. I understand.


　Then the four of us shifted into battle formation. We had a formation in mind for such a time as this, and the front line is me and Leif. The rear guard is Marie and Fee.


"..........


　He was staring at us, and he was inching closer and closer. I thought they were bandits or wild thieves of some sort, but it was odd for that. That's because they're all alchemists. I was able to firmly perceive the First Pledge 《Primamateria》 that was leaking out slightly to me.





　Rafe shouts out and goes charging at his opponent. I follow suit and pull out the thin-winged dragonfly. I raise my body functions with alchemy and first try to prevent the opponent from moving.


''........d*mn it!


　I let out a gasp. The opponent's attacks aren't that big of a deal. His alchemy skills are also adequate and not so much that he can't handle it. But right now I can only rely on the vision of my left eye. A slightly deranged sense of distance. That's why the attack of the thin-winged dragonfly doesn't hit you.

　But more than that, I was........terrified.

　It's called the resolve to slay a person.

　The realization that I killed someone in the sixth labyrinth still lingers in my mind. That's why I'm tormented by the question of whether it's okay for me to continue killing people in the future.


''Elle!　Oh, shit!


　The moment Leif said that, the attack that the opponent had unleashed was right in front of me. It seems that some of the opponents are good at white knuckle fighting, and a sword was about to be swung down in front of me.


　The defense will be in time... no... what are we going to do!


　


　When I turned around to look back, I found Marie there, staring at me seriously.


What are you doing?　This is killing each other!


　I was reprimanded and reminded of that. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. That's right. And that's where we stand now, fighting for our lives. It's nothing unusual. Brigands, bandits, thieves, they attack and slaughter. Or they get hit back and killed. I know from hearsay that it happens. But when I actually see it in front of me, my hands are shaking and my vision is blurred. It's not just that I'm wearing an eye patch for anything. Unlike the demon, I'm still not ready to kill the same person.


　In the meantime, Leif seemed to have cleared out all but one of them and captured the leader human.


''Hey, you guys. Who are you?　It's not like we're just thieves.　Who sent you?
................


　When the man who is being held said that, he suddenly lost his strength and fell down on the spot sluggishly.


You have poison in your mouth or something. Does he have a pulse...


　Rafe checks the pulse and pupils of the fallen man.


"I don't have a pulse and his pupils are completely open. Instant death.
Hmm. It's quite gallant of you to include a poisonous substance in your own body that can kill you instantly. But it could also be due to brainwashing.
Yeah. But this is odd. I'm the first type of guy you've ever met. What's your purpose in the first place?
Hmm. I don't know. Did they target us, or did they just happen to be here, and that's why they targeted us...


　I stood there, dumbfounded, while Rafe and Marie talked like that.


'Elle, are you okay?'
'Fee. I guess I'm not ready for that yet.
Being prepared to kill someone is not something that is easy to do. I don't want to do it, and I'm scared.
'Well I guess you're right,'


　In the end, it's just a matter of getting used to it. Later, Rafe told me that, and Marie told me the same thing. Once you get used to killing people, you can swallow that fact. No matter how callous it is. This world has developed through alchemy. But at the same time, alchemy is also very useful as a means of killing people. Therefore, when such a sudden battle arises, there will be cases where they have no choice but to kill.

　The result of having too much power over each other.

　I was still ashamed of my inexperience, and used the transference to move beyond it.


　◇


I'm cold....
'It's really cold. This is something I'll never get used to.


　The four of us had already entered the Igal Republic. The group we just talked about remains a mystery, but our goal now is to traverse the Fifth Labyrinth.


''The fifth labyrinth is further north from here. But even so, it's cold...''


　Rafe says so, but it's definitely colder. Colder than when we were here a week ago. I wonder how much it has dropped, in terms of temperature. That's why I decided to stop by the city's Alchemy Society.


''As a matter of fact the cold has rapidly worsened since last week and it's currently below freezing.


　When I spoke to the person at the reception desk, this phenomenon started a week ago. He said it was the first time this had ever happened in Igal. The temperature is much lower than usual. Apparently it's slowly eating away at the city. And apparently, they believe the cause is the fifth labyrinth.


''........The fifth labyrinth is the cause of the cold weather?''
'Leif was right, there must be something in the labyrinth.
'Isn't that the kind of ice that wouldn't work on Levatain?　Isn't that the reason?
'Hmm ... but it's hard to imagine that's all. Something may have happened inside the labyrinth.
'Well...'


　The four of us discussed it and decided to head to the fifth labyrinth right away. From what we heard at the association, it seems that some alchemists in this city have headed to the fifth labyrinth. However, it was not for the purpose of attacking the labyrinth, but just to investigate.


　But in front of the fifth maze, we saw an unbelievable scene.


"Hey, this is....
'Oh...'
Hey, hey...
It's like art. Well, that's not very nice.


　In front of the fifth labyrinth, there was some kind of avant-garde art-like object. At first glance, it could be understood to be a highly artistic object. But the problem is what's inside.

　It was a human being trapped in the ice. It was also dismembered in all four limbs. On top of that, heads distorted by fear were gathered and arranged in a circle at the top of the ice.


''Bad taste.......or is this what a demon did?''
'No I don't know. But the labyrinth is still a mystery to me, even if I'm willing to attribute it to a person.
Look, there's no ice at the entrance.
'Hmm. Maybe he's asking me out....


　But we can't stop here. The four of us walked past the object and entered the interior of the fifth labyrinth.