Until dinner, I spent time with everyone as well as yesterday, but after we broke up, I headed to the labyrinth of trials by myself.

　I'm relieved to see that I was able to use the card to run the magic elevator without any problems as I proceeded to the entrance of the labyrinth.

It's a bit smelly inside the labyrinth... Okay, let's drink some Object X and get fired up before we go in. I haven't been able to level up at all lately, and it's not like we're going anywhere.
　I whined slightly and took out the object X and poured it into my mug and started drinking it for the first time in a long time.
　The next moment I felt my consciousness recede as I remembered the taste of it, but when I managed to poke one knee in the air, my consciousness was awakened.

　Muttering to myself, I left the shop and opened the door to the Labyrinth of Trials.

　I began to walk through the labyrinth of trials, I immediately found a ghoul, defeated it with my heel and picked up a magic stone. But then I realized an important point.

'Why would a ghoul appear on one level?'
　That's right, a demon that normally would not appear until you get past the 20th level has suddenly appeared.

'This is so weird from the start... we can only hope that this isn't something that Estia has set up.
　The number of demons increased as I went down the levels. After defeating those demons and advancing, I finally arrived in front of the boss room on the tenth level.

''If there are quite a few demons inside now, it would definitely mean that the labyrinth is active again.
　I opened the door to the boss room and proceeded to the center of the room. When I reached the center of the room, a light came on and a demon appeared.
''Less than the first time I visited here...?''

　He cast a cleansing spell and ended the battle quickly.
　But the memory of death ... or more accurately, the memory of almost dying, was regained.
'How could you not die after being put in here with no magic back then? I managed to defeat the boss, but if I had moved or thought a little differently, I wouldn't have been in this world already.
　Remembering the old days vividly, I picked up the magic stone and decided to move on, relieved that the boss itself hadn't resurrected.

'I don't know why a demon that shouldn't normally come out of the shallow floor is resurrected. Since we usually stepped through the labyrinth, the power of the labyrinth should be diminishing. Then why?

　I decided to go further down the labyrinth for the time being, without being able to collect my thoughts.
When I waved my illusory staff containing holy purification magic, the undead didn't suffer, but were transformed into magical stones.
It is known that the adventurers in the labyrinth where the fire dragon lived touched the magic stone, which is a trap, and activated the labyrinth. But this is a place where only church officials are allowed to enter. Furthermore, this labyrinth is difficult to traverse unless you have a high mental tolerance.
　Then the person who activated the labyrinth would be the one who could enter this labyrinth and have a high mental tolerance and high fighting power.
　And in this situation, the most suspicious person would be Estia.

　If the spirit of darkness is controlling me, what exactly is the purpose of the spirit of darkness... I dismissed the fantasies that leapt out of my head and hurriedly walked to the next level of the labyrinth, but I got important information The time was up without a hitch.

''If we have to go any further undercover, there's a risk that the culprit will get the message, and if Esther is the culprit...''
　There was no boss in the boss's room on the thirty level, either. I was relieved to hear that and decided to turn back, deciding that it would be better to inform the Pope of this situation, where the labyrinth would be more active.


　The next morning, after finishing breakfast, I was visiting the Pope's private chambers.

'Thank you for paying the man.'
　I thanked him as I took my subject's thanks.

'Don't worry about it. The other day, my mistress didn't have much to say to Luciel. Besides, it must have been quite an occasion for your Lord to visit here alone, right?
　While talking through the cloth, I decided to ask the Pope to check out the situation inside the Labyrinth of Trials that I saw yesterday and the matter of Estia.

''Thank you.
What? The Labyrinth of Trials becoming active... do you have any idea what's going on?
　The fact that the Pope is so surprised, means that this report has not yet come up.
　If the Pope doesn't know about the phenomenon of activation, then he may not know much about the labyrinth.
　With that in mind, I started to explain.

''As for the Labyrinth of Trials, I went inside yesterday and noticed that it would have become active... But as an example of a similar situation occurring, the Labyrinth of the Lost Heart in Yenis, where the fire dragon was located, also became active after stepping through it.''
What is the cause?
''There is a trap in the innermost part and that trap is a large magical stone, but it seems that if you touch it, the evil gods will know about it, and we found the adventurers in an undead state.
'If that's the case, then someone must have entered the Labyrinth of Trials... is that what Luciel is speculating?
''Yes. It's most likely my replacement exorcist, who until recently went under the Labyrinth of Trials, or the Esther I brought with me.

　I wasn't sure if I should say this, but it was because if I was possessed by a dark spirit, I might not have to worry about the smell of decay, and it was conceivable that the dark vibrations could activate the labyrinth.
　However, that hypothesis was immediately destroyed by the Pope's objection.

''That's not true. That's because she's a spirit magician. That's why we need to find out who's going to replace Luciel.
''Wait. Why doesn't being a spirit magic swordsman mean that you have entered the Labyrinth of Trials?
That's because she is a spirit summoner. Of course, we have the blessing of the Spirit King, but the mistress is supposed to be in charge of selecting the person who is destined for you, not the person who is destined for you.

　It doesn't help that for a moment, I thought the Pope was my wife candidate.
　It's a secret that my chest started to heave.
　I wasn't sure if this high pitch was due to my surprise at hearing the Pope's statement or the fact that I had been drinking Object X since yesterday.

　But looking at her face alone, she was in her early twenties and very beautiful and my type, so I thought that was that.......
　However, while I was surprised that the Pope was like a mother-in-law, I decided to stop feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the Pope had the final say in the matter, and decided to listen to what I needed to hear for now.

''........Is the fact that the Pope has the blessing of the Spirit King a recognition of his predecessor?''
The Spirit King's blessing can only be inherited by a Spirit Master. The blessing of the Spirit King can only be inherited by a spirit user. When I saw the spirit knight in Luciel's job, I was surprised. If I handed you the spirit king's blessing, it would go against the spirits' wishes.

　If I become a spirit knight, will I have the blessing of a spirit king?
　Honestly, if I have no use for the blessing, is it ego that I feel I don't need it?

'Is that why you postponed my promotion back then?
It's true that if this happens, you won't be able to use holy attribute magic. It's also true that if that happens, you won't be able to use holy attribute magic. It's because the spirit knight can only use spirit magic.
In that case, I'll keep it that way.
　The only thing in my identity is not to die.
　I don't know how many times I would have died if I couldn't use my recovery magic in this world.
　How can I let go of that?

No change. Why don't we get back to the subject at hand?
Yes, sir.
　The Pope smiled softly and began to speak, returning to the subject.

''The concubine who has the Spirit King's blessing can know the approximate location of those that have the spirit's blessing. And the closer they are to each other, the more accurate they are.
''Is that even if Estia is possessed by a dark spirit?''
How did you know that Estia could be possessed by the dark spirits? The reason I called Estia to the church headquarters was so that the dark spirits could see what I was seeing. So even if the dark spirits are possessed or use dark spirit magic, it is useless because they can track Estia.
　As expected, the Pope knew about the spirit possession.
　But I tried to be relieved and came up with a worst-case scenario to assume.


I don't know. This is a problem. We must check with all the staff immediately. And we must bring Esther and the Forêt noir to the hospital.
　You know where the one with the spirit's blessing is, but you don't know where the spirit itself is.
　While making a new discovery, I decided to let Forenoir out here.

''The forenoir is in the hermit's stables. I can get it out right here, though?
'What! Are you sure? Let me see Forêt Noir.
　The Pope, who was frolicking like a child, had an expression that suited the word "innocent" instead of the sorrowful look he had earlier.
　I turned the hermit's key and the Pope shouted to the stables.

''Forêt noir!''
　As soon as he heard the voice, Forenoire came out of the hermit's stables.
　Unlike usual, Forenoire also happily approached the Pope and began to lick him.

'It tickles,' he said. Forenoire, I've missed you.
　The Pope hugged Forenoire's neck and began to talk, but it was a sound I couldn't hear, or maybe it was different from the one that felt like the day before yesterday, when Forenoire and the dark spirits communicated with each other in a luminous way.

　Then for a while, the Pope and Forenoire continued to talk. And now that the conversation is over, the Pope has asked me to take care of Forenoire.
'May I keep the Forenoire for a while?
　He didn't even have to think about going against what the Pope said.
　Because I had the feeling that Forenoire wanted it too.
'Forenoire seems to want it too, so I'll come back to you later.

Thank you. "Thank you, and please let the maids come in and head for Esther. You are now in Granharto's private chambers.

　A private room is that torture room?
　Even though I only had a completely bad feeling about it, I left the Pope's private room and told the maidservants that Forenoir was inside, and then headed to Granhardt-san's private room.