At the back of the room where we fought the Wheel, we walked through the open corridor - not a single wreckage is in sight, unlike the one that brought us here.

　There is only one person who has made it this far. Who built such a labyrinth and for what purpose? I don't want to think that it only exists to slaughter the searchers.

　Elitia, who was ahead of me, stops at the entrance of the room. In the center of the circular room, there is a transition floor similar to the one we came to here.

''If we transition from here, we can return home, right...?''
'Perhaps so, but once we get to Ariadne's. They say they can change the destination of this transition bed to Ariadne's.
'It's just a place with 'parts', so it must have something to do with a secret god.
'I've looked into what's bothering me, but I wonder if there's still some secrets...'
'As for the spirits that are lost, I had to do an 'exorcism'. At the very least, we wanted to appease them...

　Suzuna looks behind her. I can't see anything, but Suzuna can see it - the spirits of those who lost their lives fighting the Wheel.

　I look back and close my eyes. Then I at least say a prayer.

　I know that this is not an unusual thing in the land of the labyrinth. Still, if I had gotten there sooner, there may have been people I could have met while I was still alive.

That prayer is not in vain.

　No one said a word, but we all prayed. And then the floor beneath our feet shone and we shifted - to that sanctuary.

　◆ ◇◆

　--When I opened my eyes, we were in the room where Ariadne's "Covenant" was placed.

　Previously, we didn't get to look around the entire room, but this room had been set up with a camp for transitioning.

　However, Ariadne was able to transfer to one level of the labyrinth by simply holding out her hand to us. This transfer using this formation is considered to be a different and special kind of transfer.

''........I can use the magic of 'return'. It is of the same quality as the Scroll of Return, and from here, I can only transfer it to the entrance of the Field of Dawn.

　It's not a voice that echoes in my head.

　Ariadne, who had been lying on the Ark of the Covenant, was raising her body. However, she seemed to only be able to move her upper body, and poked her hand at the edge of the Ark of the Covenant, but she was unable to stand up.

''Huh........Ariadne-san!

　Igarashi-san runs up to Ariadne. He climbed up the steps and held out his hand to Ariadne in the Ark of the Covenant - but Ariadne did not take his hand.

''........With the two 'parts' in place, the operating range has increased.

　Ariadne said that once the 'parts' were in place, he would be able to operate outside for a certain amount of time. The fact that she got the 'wheel' means that only the upper half of her body could move.

''This room ... and this girl ...''

　I tell Seraphina and Melissa about Ariadne. That 'Guard Arm' has been summoned with the help of Ariadne - and that we have made a contract here and have received the blessing of Ariadne, the secret god.

You guys are in touch with the hidden parts of the labyrinth country that even the guild has not been able to grasp.
'I'm sorry I haven't been able to tell you more about it until now. Seraphina-san has asked me to participate in the battle against Ariadne's 'parts' twice. Other than that, I owe you countless times... that's why I wanted to tell you.

　Seraphina didn't answer right away. She just looked at us and closed her eyes - and breathed deeply.

''I am humbled by the news of such an important matter. I thought that it would be enough for me to be in a position to assist you. But now I wonder if it is safe to assume that I am a member of your party.
I'm glad you told me too. I'll have to teach Madoka a thing or two.
'Yeah, I'll bring him back eventually. I thought it would be hard to get back to the Eighth Ward, but now, Ariadne, I guess that's not the case anymore.

　Ariadne said - if we can replenish the power of the sanctuary by offering offerings, we can set up a transition floor outside that leads to the sanctuary.

''I'm late in my opportunity to tell you. That the offering is not only the material the 'faith' itself. Now that the Faith Value has risen, the scope of my ability to interfere with the outside world has expanded. It is now possible for me to work on the outside transition camp and change my destination to the 'sanctuary'.
Does that mean I can come here anytime?　Brother, isn't it exciting, like a secret base?
You cannot use it without permission, as it converts your 'faith value' into an interference power when changing your transition destination. It only needs to come to me on the necessary occasions.

　What Ariadne is using her skills to power - that would be the 'faith value'. If that's the case, then we need to raise it as much as possible.

　If Suzuna's 'Spiritual Medium' can also raise her faith value, then I think I can use her power, but will her 'faith value' increase even if she does 'Assist Charge' directly? Now that I've been able to wake up my upper body, I can try it - and then I realized now that I've been thinking about it.


''Yeah, well, even if you say God, you should still wear clothes...''
"....clothes can also be generated by supplementing the 'parts'. I don't need them now.

　Even so, what about the fact that her breasts are only hidden by her long hair - while Ariadne lies in the covenant chest again, wondering what to do with it.

'The 'silver wheel' will repair itself for a little while. As soon as it regenerates its functions, I will pass it on to Ariadne.
'The silver wheel ... Ariadne, that wheel ...'

　I'm sure it wasn't silver. Before saying so, Ariadne closes her eyes - perhaps because she's not yet used to moving her body?


'Oh I understand. Ariadne, I'm glad you came to see me once. Get some rest.
..........

　Ariadne does not answer. Only her lips move - and at the same time, the transition begins again.

　When I opened my eyes again, we were in a familiar place. It's the transfer station near the 'Green Pavilion' in the seventh district.

　I open the door and go outside. Since the time is midday, I think about stopping by the Green House once and greeting Louisa-san.

''Atove-dono.....Look. As I thought, the days were passing quickly in that treasure palace.''

　The way he says days implies that time is passing in days, not hours. Serafina-san bought a simple version of a newspaper or something like that sold nearby, and she shows me the date.

　--It's already been several days since we transitioned to the labyrinth the 'wheel' was in.

''--Atobe-sama.......Thank goodness you're back.......!

　Louisa-san comes out of the Green Pavilion and runs towards us. The fact that we hadn't returned for a few days was one thing, but her panic seemed to be unusual.

''Hah, hah I'm sorry, I saw you from the guild's office, so I came out in a hurry...''
'I'm sorry for worrying you, we had a bit of an unexpected thing happen to us and I think we worried Madoka and the others too. The girls......
'It's all right. Celes and the others have returned, and since I was resting in the same room as Madoka-sama, we all said that they would surely come back just because they were behind schedule.

　When you go into the labyrinth, even if you plan to return that day, it may take you more days than you planned - you need to keep that in mind. I need to apologize to Madoka and the others later.

''But more importantly, I'm sorry to say that you have just returned, but there is one thing I would like to discuss with you.
'The time we experienced in the labyrinth is less than half a day, so it's not a problem. What's going on?
'That's why... since yesterday, I was approached by a colleague who told me that the 'Four Seasons' have not come out of the labyrinth. They said that the girls were working on a no-pressure policy and that they hadn't been staying overnight in the labyrinth unless they had planned to do so in advance...

　-- A memory that seems only a few hours ago to me passes through my mind.

　I saw the four members of the 'Four Seasons' heading to the labyrinth - we didn't call out to the girls because we were also moving to transition with the 'Trap Cube'.

'Louisa-san, is the labyrinth that the four of you were going to is the 'Primary Color Plateau'?
''Ha, yes I've heard that. He said that they had made some progress in the attack, and yesterday he said that they expected to be able to enter the second level. He said that the first level was so vast that it took him some time to find the entrance to the second level, but when he finally got in.......

　The girls were making good progress in their attack. However, an unexpected event occurred on the second level - or for some reason, they were camping on the second level.

　The fact that they had communicated their plans in advance made it unlikely that they had plans to encamp. But otherwise, it would mean that something had happened to the girls.


''I'm sorry, the guild savers can't go out unless they can clearly confirm the situation that requires rescue... Adeline-san is now the acting captain of the fifty-threeth unit, and has begun the post-mortem investigation of the 'Ochuyang Beach'.
'Thank you for informing me. I've told my men to carry out their duties in my absence if they receive orders from the command center. Adeline would be aware of what happened at the 'Beach of the Falling Sun' and I don't think it would be a problem.

　Serafina-san is also concerned about the troops, but she says she's going to accompany us - she's thinking about the possibility of a situation where the 'Four Seasons' won't return, just in case.

'I'm sorry, guys, but we're going to continue on to the 'Primary Colours Plateau'. It's like a pretty big labyrinth, so those of you who are fatigued, take a break and don't strain yourself.
Bow!
Zion-chan, Madoka-chan too...!

　Madoka comes over here on Zion - when I look at Louisa, she pulls out her license and smiles at me. It means she was contacting us when she saw us.

''Brother, gentlemen.......Thank God.......!
Madoka, I'm sorry I'm worried about you.
'No, it's fine. I just want my brothers to be safe and that's all that matters...

　Madoka wipes her tears away with the handkerchief she was holding. Everyone gathered around Madoka and Theon, rejoicing - but they couldn't stay that way for long.　

'This time we want to go with a member who has the skills to move faster. We'll be back as soon as possible.
'Wow, I get it. Even if I ran as fast as I could, I wouldn't be able to keep up with Ellie and Theresa's super dash at all.
''I.......have a 'swarming wolf stance', so I can run faster with Zion-chan around.
'I won't slow you down either, even with my shield at the ready if necessary. I would be happy to accompany you.

　My speed may be the lowest of the members in this group - but by using 'eight boat jumps' at key points, obstacles should not be a problem.

　Current Party

　1: Arihito ×★* Level 6
　2: Theresa Rogue, Level 6.
　3: Kyouka Valkyrie Level 5
　4: Elitia Carth Blade Level 10.
　5: Theon Guardhound Level 5.
　6: Melissa, Demolition Shop, Level 6.
　7: Serafina Mobile Infantry, Level 11

　Standby Member 1: Misaki Gambler, Level 5
　Standby Member 2: Suzuna, Maiden, Level 5
　Standby Member 3: Madoka, Merchant, Level 4
　Standby Member 4: Louisa Guild Staff Level 4

Brother, take care of yourself... and the next time you come back, we'll all...
'I'm going to take a bath with my brother!　Also, no sleeping on the ground floor!
'Mi, Misaki-chan there's a time and place for that sort of thing now...'
The 'Four Seasons' folks......................
Yes, we'll be back. Everyone, let's go!

　We start running - to the entrance of the labyrinth that leads to the "Plateau of Primary Colors".

　◆ ◆ ◆

　The primary color plateau - it was a labyrinth with large puddles of water and sparse green leafy trees growing in places in the reddish-brown wilderness.

　The demon that I encountered ◆
　Mad Crowler A: Level 5 Vigilance Drop: ?
　Mudcrawler B: Level 5 Vigilance Drop: ?
　Bluff Frog: Level 5 Vigilance Drop: ?

"Piggyyyy!

　Seeing us advancing furiously, a caterpillar spits a string at us - but it doesn't get into the attack range and we just keep running.

'There are traces of a few demons killed... but I don't know if everyone in the 'Four Seasons' killed this one...!
'Let's get to the second level entrance.......this labyrinth, how big it is.......!
.........
''I was able to get some information in advance, but there is no mistake in this direction. If we hurry, I'm sure we'll be able to find those girls...!
Are you going to carry it on your back, Arihito?　I have some power in my own right.
It's okay........I have some skills like that........

　Current Situation
　Aricht activates "The Boat Jump".

　With each leap, he crosses from ship to ship - a movement that is approximately impossible with his own physical abilities, but as long as he wears the 'Hannya no shin pad', he can move without any discomfort.

(Still........this labyrinth is huge.

　Even without the monopoly of the Alliance, essentially, you always have to choose a labyrinth to avoid overlapping targets for the hunt. That's why 'The Four Seasons' chose this labyrinth.

　If there is less competition for searchers, the chances of encountering 'named' will increase. If the 'named' of this labyrinth's second tier hasn't been hunted yet, it's possible to encounter them - but generally speaking, it's only 'possible'.

　These women are brave searchers. At the same time, I thought they believed in the most cautious search possible - why did these women extend their hunting trip to the second level of the labyrinth, where just moving around would rob them of their strength?

''They were in a hurry.......that's what it was about. The girls had a reason to proceed. That is not to be blamed.
'Yeah I know. Maybe what we're doing could be called meddling. We shouldn't even think about being overprotective or anything so conceited.
It's okay.....because I'm worried about you....and if you don't hold back, you'll regret it....
Wow!

　Theon spoke more eloquently than my poor words - with his brave cry.

　When I was about to run out of magic power, I sipped the mana potion. I thought I had been trying not to drink excessively, but I had already used up another bottle.