Labyrinths and dungeons were similar, yet fundamentally different.
A dungeon had a natural environment with a slight mix of artificial elements, but a labyrinth was entirely artificial.
And unlike dungeons, labyrinths that were deliberately constructed had several dangers besides monsters.
Namely traps, pitfalls, and wards.
"Follow exactly where I step. If you step somewhere else, you'll fall into a trap."
"From here on, never lean against the walls. Anyone who wants to get skewered by spikes popping out of them is free to try."
"Don't make eye contact with that statue over there for more than five seconds. Those with weak mental fortitude will be ensnared."
Fortunately, Entler—who had served as a domain knight of the Evergrow Count's family for generations—knew every corner of the labyrinth like the back of his hand.
Thanks to his thorough knowledge of where the traps and pitfalls were and what kinds of monsters appeared, the subjugation force never once fell into serious danger.
* * *
"Dismantle the monster and secure the by products and the magic stone. I'll go on reconnaissance."
"Yes, Sir Entler!"
While the porters carried out their work with practiced ease, the mercenaries who had suffered minor injuries received first aid, and beside them the templars offered prayers.
It was a ritual they performed after every battle, and as mercenaries were typically susceptible to superstition, a few hurriedly made the sign of the cross and even tried to follow along with prayers they barely knew.
As for Eugene, he always moved to a place where he couldn't hear the prayers that somehow made him feel uncomfortable just listening to them.
"Wow! So there really is water in a labyrinth?"
Mirian chattered as she watched the mercenaries fill leather flasks with groundwater flowing from a lion-headed stone statue.
Eugene found it just as fascinating.
Unlike dungeons, labyrinths were equipped with the bare minimum conditions for humans to actually "live" inside them.
'If it weren't for the monsters, a labyrinth wouldn't be such a bad place to live. If the worst came to pass, hiding out in a place like this might not be so bad…'
"It certainly is a fitting place for wicked beings to hide and dwell, wouldn't you say, Sir Eugene?"
"…Well, I suppose so."
Eugene flinched slightly and raised his head at the templar's voice that had approached after finishing his prayer.
"To think the demonic energy here is so strong! A demonic realm like this should be purified in the name of God as soon as possible."
"Are you all right, Sir Eugene? If the demonic energy makes you feel unwell at any point, please let us know. We will pray for you. Demonic energy can be resisted through the power of prayer."
"No, I'm really fine."
Eugene hurriedly shook his head.
"Come now, brother—didn't you see it earlier? Sir Eugene cut down several wicked monsters in a single stroke! That couldn't possibly be done without the power of faith."
That wasn't faith—it was Eugene's monstrous strength and the sharpness of Wolfslaughter, a blade worthy of being called a legendary sword.
"Still, thank you very much for helping us earlier. If not for you, I would have been seriously injured."
"It was nothing—I was just fighting, that's all…"
Without even listening to Eugene, the templars raised their voices.
"Outstanding skill, deep faith, and even burning camaraderie! Sir Eugene is truly a knight worthy of the Templar spirit. Brothers, don't you agree?"
"No argument there. Sir Eugene is a brother of true faith."
"Kehehehe—khk! Kugh! Khk!"
Overcome with laughter at the templars' fervent reaction, Mirian ended up making choking sounds.
'What is wrong with these people?'
Eugene sighed inwardly.
He couldn't understand why the templars liked him so much when he hadn't done anything special.
But from the templars' perspective, their admiration was only natural.
Although this labyrinth's danger level had dropped somewhat after many subjugations, the fact that there had been no fatalities at all in the current expedition was thanks to Eugene.
Eugene had fought without much thought, but in doing so he had saved one templar and several mercenaries from near-certain death.
And despite such achievements, Eugene—unlike most knights—never once boasted about it.
To templars, who valued humility as an important virtue, that alone made him worthy of high regard.
That wasn't all.
Eugene had told them that he joined the subjugation force not for monster hunting, but to save a "close friend."
For templars, whose discernment of people was dulled by constant prayer and ascetic practice, that was more than enough reason to see Eugene as the embodiment of honor and loyalty.
In the end, the templars came to believe that such a noble knight would surely understand their lofty purpose.
"Sir Eugene. Trusting in your noble friendship, valor, and devotion to God, there is something I wish to tell you."
A templar named Robin glanced around, then suddenly lowered his voice.
"You know that one of the upper-tier monsters in labyrinths is the Minotaur, yes? But in the Morrison Mountain Labyrinth, a Minotaur has never been sighted even once. For over ten years."
"Is that so?"
"That's because everyone who's seen it has died. In other words, it may know humans extremely well."
"I see."
Seeing Eugene respond absentmindedly, Robin continued more excitedly.
"It's an extremely dangerous creature. We must never leave it alone. And you said your close friend failed to return during the last subjugation, didn't you? That's why we intend to deal with that Minotaur—"
Just as Eugene was beginning to show interest at the mention of Galfredic—
"Sir Eugene! Lord Romari!"
At that moment, Entler returned from reconnaissance with several mercenaries and called out to Eugene and Romari.
"Please excuse me for a moment, Sir. Let's continue this conversation later."
"No, it's my fault for talking too much. Haha."
Seeing Robin exchange glances with his companions and give an awkward smile, Eugene sensed that he wouldn't say any more and moved on, suppressing his regret.
* * *
"The plaza ahead in this area appears clear. Let's establish our camp there."
The true objective of this subjugation was to determine the fate of the missing individuals, including Galfredic.
That was why Entler planned, unlike usual, to secure a base inside the labyrinth first and then conduct search patrols.
"Is everything beyond the plaza unexplored territory?"
"No. If you go deeper from there, the passage splits into three. In the past, we confirmed that one continues for a while and then dead-ends. But the remaining two…"
In one of them, a scouting team had been wiped out with only a single survivor—the monster they encountered was a Cyclops.
As for the last passage, no one had ever returned.
In other words, one of those two led to the core of the Morrison Mountain Labyrinth.
After that incident, following the convention of halting exploration upon encountering upper-tier monsters, every subjugation force since had refrained from advancing further.
That was why it remained an unexplored region to this day.
"According to Sir Rugates's testimony, Sir Galfredic ignored warnings and entered the unexplored area. But no one knows which of the two passages he took."
"..."
Eugene nodded silently.
However, he couldn't trust Entler's words—or rather, Rugates's testimony.
Though hot-tempered, Galfredic had been cooler-headed than anyone else inside a demonic realm.
Eugene was certain Galfredic wouldn't have recklessly entered an unexplored area without reason—and even if he had, there must have been a sound justification.
"For the sake of the mercenaries' morale, let's first confirm only the passage where the Cyclops is said to be."
"And if we encounter the Cyclops?"
"As planned, Lord Romari should step forward first. Based on how effective magic is, we'll decide whether to fight or retreat."
"You're the subjugation commander, so I'll follow your judgment."
"Good. In any case, Sir Eugene, I'd like you to keep an eye on those troublesome fellows."
At Entler's words, Eugene looked at the templars, who were sitting together whispering among themselves. When their eyes met, they smiled brightly, which somehow made them look a bit pitiful.
"I'll make sure to keep them under control."
"Good. The templars of Saint Ragren Monastery are famous for being stubborn, but oddly enough, they listen well to you. You must have quite strong faith. Have you ever considered becoming a holy knight?"
"...Not at all."
"Khk!"
"Hm? Lord Romari, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, it's nothing. I just choked a bit. I'm fine."
"That's a relief. In any case, your contribution will be crucial in this subjugation, so be sure to keep an eye on your condition. Then I'll go issue orders to the mercenaries."
"Alright."
As Entler headed toward the resting mercenaries, Eugene turned to Romari.
"One more slip about my true identity, and you know what happens, right?"
As Eugene tapped Wolfslaughter lightly, Romari nodded quickly.
"I'll be careful. By the way, I saw you talking with the Templars earlier—what were they saying?"
"Those guys… it looks like they came here to hunt the Minotaur said to be in this labyrinth."
"The Templars? It's natural for a labyrinth to have a Minotaur, but why now…? And with only three of them, it seems reckless."
"I don't know either. In any case, I'll keep an eye on things, so you focus on finding Galfredic's traces."
"I've been doing that already. But so far, I haven't found anything in particular."
"Try harder."
"Well, if we go to the plaza, we might find something. They said the previous subjugation force stayed there for a long time."
"Alright. I'll trust you."
Compared to their first meeting, Eugene now even seemed to show a hint of mercy, and Romari felt relieved.
'Still, I shouldn't irritate him. Once this job is over, I'll never have to see him again anyway. Until then, I'll just go along with him.'
The Blood shadow School didn't care much about kings, nobles, or knights, but Origin Vampires were respected beyond fear itself. With that in mind, Romari steeled her resolve once more.
* * *
The plaza they reached after passing through the long corridor was fairly wide.
At its center stood a massive rectangular structure with stairways on all four sides—it looked perfect for the subjugation force to set up camp.
"Place the monster by-products in the center. And use the secured resources to build obstacles."
"Yes, Sir Entler."
Porters, slaves, and mercenaries alike bustled about busily.
Meanwhile, Eugene—having come down from the structure together with Entler and Romari—pointed at a wide-open hole in one part of the plaza and asked,
"Is that it? The path to the uncharted area?"
"That's right. Just in case, we should organize a search party to reconnoiter—hm?"
Entler suddenly narrowed his eyes.
The Templars, who had been wandering around the plaza pretending to investigate, were now casually heading toward the hole.
Sensing the attention on them, they suddenly broke into a sprint.
"Those crazy bastards!"
"Leave it to me."
As Entler opened his mouth to shout, Eugene stepped forward first.
"I'll go too!"
At Eugene's signal, Romari quickly followed behind, shouting to the flustered Partek.
"Follow Sir Entler's orders until I return!"
"Yes, sir!"
As Eugene crossed the plaza, Romari caught up to him using magic and spoke quietly.
"Sir Eugene, did you deliberately let the Templars go?"
"Hm. That way, we can head into the uncharted area ourselves."
"As expected! Truly befitting a noble of the Clan of Darkness—cunning, no, sharp-minded."
"Cut the nonsense and focus on finding Galfredic's traces."
"Yes!"
"I'll look too!"
A vampire, a spirit, and a mage raced through the labyrinth.
* * *
"Huff! Huff! Are they still chasing us?"
"It seems they've given up. Let's catch our breath for a moment, brothers!"
The Templars who had been running hard came to a stop.
"Phew! I feel ashamed before Sir Eugene. But unlike the knights of the Evergrow territory, he's a man of deep faith—he'll probably understand."
"Indeed! A true knight must destroy evil in any situation. From what we've seen of Sir Eugene, he would surely do the same."
"Yes. We are following God's will."
While catching their breath, the Templars finished justifying themselves through prayer and the sign of the cross, then exchanged glances.
Before them lay a passage branching in three directions.
"From here on, then. Let us begin, brothers."
With grim expressions, the Templars nodded and took something from inside their robes, swallowing it all at once.
"Ugh!"
"Oh, God…"
As vitality surged through their bodies, the Templars shuddered.
But their appearance was far from that of noble Templars devoted to God and the Church.
Their once-normal eyes were now bloodshot, and thick blue veins bulged from their foreheads and necks.
"Let us proceed. In the glorious name of God…"
"In God's name."
After drawing the sign of the cross, the Templars drew the shields and short swords strapped to their backs.
Clack, clack!
Radiating a strange heat from their entire bodies, the Templars advanced toward the central passage the one from which no one had ever returned alive.
(To be continued)