The day after the negotiations with the district chief, the entire team met for a second time. After completing the thirty-one points of discussion that we couldn't address last time, we developed an exploration plan together.
"Hmm, if we want to go to the fifth floor, we'll have to prepare a lot of things."
"Can I leave that part to you? If you bring the receipts, I'll take it from the shared funds."
"Okay. I have business in Kommelby anyway."
The team name was decided at this meeting. I thought "Team Bjorn" was good enough, but Ainar wasn't the only one with a fancy idea for the team name.
Raven suggested one first. "Um... I thought about it, but what about the name 'Narak'?"
"Narak?"
"It means 'those who walk in darkness' in an ancient language. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
I didn't know anything about that, to be honest, but I did understand that there used to be a black flame dragon living inside the right hand of this 24-year-old wizard. Those who walk in darkness. "You... you have a unique taste."
"Are you making fun of me?"
Anyway, I was about to choose the team name based on Raven's claim that it was 100 times better than something as unanthusiastic as Team Bjorn when Ainar, who had been doing, rushed in to join the conversation. "No! I came up with the team name!"
"Excuse me? Do you have another idea?"
"Our team's name is Apple Pie!"
"Apple foot...? Like for dessert?" Raven asked, looking half-dazed. Ainar answered without hesitation. Apparently, it was her favorite. "What nonsense..."
"Because?"
Raven sighed at Ainar's insistence before suggesting a vote. Apparently, she was convinced we would never give power to such a name.
"I don't care what the team name becomes, so you guys decide." Mr. Bear abstained.
Unexpectedly, Missha voted yes. "Mm, I also think Apple Pie is good... It's sweet and delicious."
"That's it...! W-What's up with Mr. Yandel? He wouldn't use such a ridiculous name, would he?"
To be honest, it was a dilemma. If I sided with Raven, it would be a tie. Deep down, I wanted to side with Ainar and get this over with as soon as possible, but showing favoritism as team leader would hurt the mage's feelings. Inevitably, I suggested compromise. "Let's combine them and call it Narak Apple."
Raven was speechless.
"Oh, is Narak's cake better?"
"I'll take the first one."
"Ainar, you?"
"I think it's better too! I like how it sounds!"
Just like that, the team's official name was decided as Manzana Narak and the second meeting ended.
After that, quiet days followed. I read books at the library and met with the whole team every morning to practice working together in advance as a daily routine.
On the third day we met to practice, Hikurod came to visit us unexpectedly. «Hahaha! Long time no see, Ainar! Miss Raven!» It seemed that the dwarf had visited us after hearing Missha's news. We exchanged some conversation about current events. Construction to convert his house into a forge was already underway and he was apparently busy looking for a blacksmith these days.
«Oh, does your wife run a bar? I'll have to take a look at it later».
«Yes, come try the honey wine. My wife makes it herself and it is the exclusive delicacy of our store».
Since they both liked to drink, it seemed like he and Mr. Bear were going to become surprisingly good friends. They weren't going to become best friends later, were they?
Anyway, the weather continued like this and the day came before I knew it.
«I should prepare».
The maze would open today.
***
«Bjorn, are you ready?»
«Oh, just a moment.» I put on my full armor for the first time in a while and lifted the backpack I packed on my shoulder yesterday.
Crunch.
When I walked out the door, Missha and Ainar were waiting for me. «Have you forgotten something?»
«No!» ainar responded out loud.
Missha sighed next to him. «There won't be. Anyway, everything important is in my backpack».
«I see». I had had this thought more strongly lately, but I was glad to have at least her. This would have been more exhausting if he were alone.
«Oh, Bjorn. There's something in your mailbox.»
«Hey?» Just as I was about to walk away from the door, Missha pointed to the mailbox next to her. When I opened the mailbox, there was a letter inside.
The sender is... Niall Urbans?
It was a letter from the district chief. Since when was this in the mailbox?
Rip.
I opened it and read the content. Well, «through» may not have been the right word.
I won't ask you to pay the bill.
The letter was a single line. I seemed to perceive in her the pride of the district chief, but it was still a gesture of reconciliation. If she had wanted to continue the war with me, I would have sent a fine notice or a bill with her.
It was a good idea to break down the door.
To tell the truth, when he asked me what I wanted, there was also the option of asking for compensation. I didn't mention the word and just broke down the door like a bully. That was because I wanted to get it into his head that if he did me wrong, he would pay the price, and that price couldn't be paid with money.
So it looks like I won't have to worry about this part anymore.
I had revealed to him that I had neither allied myself with his daughter nor had any intention of doing so in the future. I also made him understand that if he was hostile to me, very annoying things would happen. Play tricks blinded by rage? It was certain that none of that would happen at least until the end of next year's election season.
«What card is it?», Missha asked.
«Oh, nothing to worry about». I tore up the letter and threw it in the trash can on the first floor as I left.
We headed to the meeting place, the central square of District 7. As it was a place often used as a meeting point, it was packed with explorers waiting for their companions.
«You're a minute late». As soon as we got to the alley heading at three, Raven smiled at us. However, she didn't seem bothered by our delay. No, he seemed to be enjoying it. «Come on, pay the fine. You promised, right?»
«Oh yeah. The fine...» For reference, the fine was one of thirty-one topics of discussion raised at the second meeting. «How much was it?»
«1,000 stones per minute. Since there are three of you, it will be 3,000 stones».
I obediently opened my wallet and paid the fine for three people. If I hadn't wasted time reading the letter, we wouldn't have been late. «But Raven, where's your bag?» I realized this while paying the fine. Raven was not wearing anything on her back. When I asked to confirm it, I received a strange answer.
«Oh, that?» Raven lifted the corners of her lips and tapped her index finger ring twice. Then it emitted a light and a small portal opened in the air.
«Subspace...?»
«Yeah. I thought it might be necessary for the maze. I cleaned up all my unnecessary possessions and indulged in that money».
Right. For you, this is something you can treat yourself to. A subspace, for you.
Jingle.
Raven put the ticket in her subspace as if to brag about it and closed the door. For some reason, that made my heart shrink. Was this what was called a feeling of deprivation? And she always complained about not having money... I thought I really didn't have any.
«Anyway, Abman is falling behind.» As I freed myself from envy, the topic of conversation changed.
«Is right. You're not going to leave us stranded, are you?».
«I'm not worried! It will have been lost».
Raven laughed like that was ridiculous. «How can you miss a guide?»
«Hmm, isn't it possible? I heard it's a useless skill in town».
«But he lives near here».
«That's... definitely true. So why is he late?»
«Maybe your stomach hurts?!»
The three women began to chatter about Mr. Bear's tardiness. I stayed silent. The plan was to reveal Mr. Bear's poor sense of direction within the maze. Anyway, after a long time had passed like this, the crowded square calmed down.
Just as we were starting to worry sincerely, Mr. Bear appeared. «Sorry I'm late. Have you waited long?»
«Pay the fine first. You are exactly 45 minutes late».
«Oh, I had forgotten about that...» Mr. Bear had 45,000 stones stolen as a fine before he even entered the maze.
«But why are you late?»
«It's the first time I come here at night. The atmosphere seemed somewhat unknown to me».
«Excuse me? What do you mean...?»
«Well, let's go. We will be late». I intervened quickly and stopped the conversation.
After Raven cast only binding magic, I led the group to Dimension Square. When we arrived it was after 12 at night, and the portal was slowly decreasing in size. Soon it would be time to copy experience points, but...
I will decide whether or not to let you know after this scan.
We entered the portal.
***
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor].
The crystal cave already seemed too familiar to me. As soon as I opened my eyes, Ainar's scream echoed and hit my eardrums. «Behell-aaaaaaaaaaah!»
«Kyaa! You scared me!» raven asked, «Why are you suddenly screaming?».
Ainar responded: «I just wanted to do it!».
Yes, I knew that feeling. I nodded as if I understood. It was his return after six whole months. For Ainar, who was a barbarian by birth, this must have had a very different feeling.
«Yes, there really is another barbarian on the team...» As Missha looked between Ainar and me and sighed, Mr. Bear was surprisingly indifferent.
«It's better than being quiet». Since I had been working alone for a long time, I figured I didn't hate this noisy environment.
Anyway, enough talk. «Abman, what's closer?»
Mr. Bear pointed somewhere to my question. When I checked it with my compass, it was to the south. In a word, our starting point this time was the ghoul district.
Again on the opposite side.
«Since we are going to the Goblin Forest, we can go this way. I will guide». Mr. Bear put away his compass and headed down the road. I wondered if it was better for me to guide with his initial direction, but...
Well, I need to know how good it is.
Knowing the seriousness of Mr. Bear's poor sense of direction would allow me to judge whether it could be corrected with effort or not. If there really was no answer, I planned to use Mr. Bear as a compass to find the way myself. He had learned a few things by watching Rotmiller.
Anyway, going north, we naturally passed through the center of the first floor, a dark area where four types of monsters appeared together. Without needing to take out a torch, Raven illuminated the surroundings with light magic. «Leait».
Whoom!
Unlike the gloomy red light of a torch, this spell illuminated the surroundings in pure white. My eyes felt comfortable, like back in town, but there was one thing to worry about.
«It's just the first flooroooo, don't you think it's better to save your mana?».
«Alright. Loads faster».
«Oh... I see?»
«Yeah. And do not worry. Having this on will not interfere with other magic».
Soon, Missha closed her mouth. He was clearly feeling the majesty of a real wizard, which Dwalkie had spoken of in a sad voice countless times in the past.
«It's fascinating that it loads faster. The wizard I was with in the past wasn't that skilled», Mr. Bear murmured and stroked Raven's ego.
«Ahem, I'm confident when it comes to mana, if I have to say so myself. It will be difficult to find another magician like me in the same class».
«Oh yeah? Now that I see it, you are a superb magician».
«I feel flattered. You are also a rank 5 explorer and guide, Mr. Urikfried».
While the two were urging each other through the cave, a cavity with a radius of about thirty meters appeared.
«Ah, this is the crack!»
«Ainar».
When I pronounced his name briefly, Ainar closed his mouth with his hand. That made her look more suspicious, but luckily attention was focused on the monument in the center of the cavity.
«I've only heard of this before». Like a magician, Raven approached the monument with intellectual curiosity.
As a fifth-year explorer, Missha also had an idea. «Is this? The monument erected by the Immortal King, in honor of the wizard who first discovered the labyrinth?»
«Yeah. It is commonly known as such.»
«Commonly?»
«The hypothesis circulating in the academic world is that they did not discover the labyrinth, but rather created it. To put it simply... The hypothesis is that the great sage did not create the portal by observing the coordinates of another dimension, but rather created the dimension of the labyrinth itself.»
Like a know-it-all, Raven's explanation dragged on. Ainar wasn't even listening and Missha seemed to play along, but I was curious. «Why do magicians think that?».
«For this monument».
«Monument?»
When I made her react, Raven immediately followed up with an explanation. «The labyrinth remains constant. Even if the terrain is destroyed, it will return to its original form the next time the portal is opened. That is why it is speculated that the dimensional jump includes not only spatial but temporal coordinates...»
«Phew... my head...» Ainar expressed his pain at hearing difficult words in a row.
Raven pouted and briefly abbreviated: «This monument is proof that space-time magic was at least several times more developed than it is now at the time the labyrinth was discovered. The spatial creation that is now impossible could have been possible then».
Even the abbreviation was long, but I understood the essentials. «I see». In short, magicians thousands of years ago were capable of casting dimensional magic.
You should investigate the great sage.
Maybe there was another way to return to Earth besides the Gate of the Abyss.
«Have you finished talking?» Mr. Bear had remained on the sidelines until now as if he were not interested in the subject.
«Oh yeah. Let's go».
When he urged us, we resumed exploration.
«Oh, the monument!»
We returned to this place in about fifteen minutes. Even as I watched his process, I couldn't understand by what mechanism he was finding his way. «How did this happen, Mr. Urikfried?»
«Oh, it was a mistake. I thought it would be faster to go that way...»
I immediately withdrew the plan to cultivate Mr. Bear as an explorer. It wasn't something that could be solved.