The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 105
Chapter 105: The Fat aristocrat loses his retreat
The room was bright. The numerous candlesticks on the walls were lit with blue flames.
Magical fire.
Nobody was aware of how or when the labyrinth, built with ancient wisdom, functioned. Yet now, the labyrinth had chosen to light up this room.
Upon entering the room, Mitrof immediately recognized Blanc Manje’s figure from behind.
She was alive. For now, he could breathe a sigh of relief.
Mitrof ran towards her, standing in the middle of the room.
“Blanc Manje, are you okay?”
His voice startled her, and she turned around.
“——Mitrof-san? Why are you here?”
“I came to pick up something I forgot, and Apélie Tiff asked me to.”
“I told her I would handle it… but now, more importantly—”
At that moment, a branch of light flashed above Blanc Manje.
Looking up, Blanc Manje furrowed her brows. Her legs wouldn’t move. They couldn’t.
Mitrof had already opened the package. The “iron rod” that Gran had assembled was a simple and foldable structure. Mitrof assembled it, raised it straight into the air, and suddenly the air popped.
Lightning struck.
The lightning that was aiming for Blanc Manje strangely bent halfway through.
“——It worked!”
Mitrof applauded.
The lightning was “caught” by the iron rod that Mitrof was holding.
“What is that?”
Blanc Manje was perplexed, and Mitrof proudly declared:
“This is a lightning rod!”
The iron rod that Mitrof was holding was nearly twice the size of a regular sword. It was hollowed out in the middle to reduce the weight, and a chain extended from the middle ring halfway down. When the lightning struck the lightning rod, it flowed down the metal chain to the ground.
This was an invention of the “alchemist” for catching lightning. It was originally designed to be mounted on the roof of a building to minimize damage, but Mitrof decided to carry it himself.
Wrapped around the handle was the skin of a monster, the “electric catfish,” known for its resistance to lightning. It seemed to be working well, as Mitrof didn’t feel any numbness in his hand.
“Don’t worry! With this, we can win!”
Mitrof exclaimed confidently.
“…That’s good to hear. In that case, please escape while you can.”
“What do you mean?”
As he turned around, Mitrof noticed Blanc Manje’s leg. The hem of the robe was burned and crumbled like charcoal. The pants and boots were also burned, and she probably had injuries all over her body.
Understanding what had happened, Blanc Manje spoke to Mitrof with kindness.
“Thank you for coming to help me. I really appreciate it. Honestly, just standing is already a struggle. That “demon” is beyond imagination in strength. My attacks don’t work against it, and it seems to have an endless amount of magic power—take this information back to the guild and come up with a plan.”
Once again, a lightning strike came flying in from the side. Mitrof caught it with his lightning rod. The thorns of the brambles clung to the metal rod as they flowed towards the ground.
Mitrof stared sharply into the shadows of the room’s pillar. There, the goat-skullhead-oldwoman was hiding. The walls and pillars had blackened from the aftermath of Blanc Manje’s sword, which produced flames.
The goat-skullhead-oldwoman had avoided attacks by utilizing the shadows and firing lightning strikes, which clearly differed from just any monster. It was not simply a creature that attacked without thought, but one with intelligence.
As goat-skullhead-oldwoman peeked out from behind the shadows, Mitrof spotted his sword in her hand. She had apparently discarded her old sword and now used his thrusting sword as a cane.
Mitrof bit his lip. However, he had already made his choice.
“Let’s retreat.”
Without taking his eyes off the goat-skullhead-oldwoman, Mitrof squatted where he was.
“Get on—the lightning rod is here—don’t be afraid of lightning.”
“…You have an impressive back.”
Along with some teasing, Blanc Manje leaned against Mitrof’s back and wrapped her arms around his thick neck.
Mitrof lifted her up in a piggyback position while holding her legs with one hand, and Blanc Manje moaned softly, perhaps due to her injury.
Mitrof had read in a book that when a strong “electricity” flows into a person’s body, it causes fatal wounds. It boils their blood, burns their skin, and stops their heart.
The goat-skullhead-oldwoman’s lightning magic was probably not exactly the same as natural lightning. Nonetheless, he still needed to take her to the hospital as soon as possible.
Mitrof slowly backed away.
The goat-skullhead-oldwoman appeared and raised Mitrof’s sword that she had in her hand.
Lightning Bolt.
Mitrof lifted a lightning rod in his right hand. The lightning bolt was drawn straight to the iron bar, flowed down a long hanging chain, and fell to the ground.
“Good,” Mitrof nodded. “It worked. We can escape without any problems—but wait, just a little more until we reach the door.”
And then it happened.
“Cl-Click.” The door that Mitrof had left open shut naturally.
“What?!”
He guesses that the door was closed from the outside and denies it. Outside was Apélie Tiff.
“…Looks like we’re in trouble.”
Blanc Manje whispered in his ear.
“The ‘Guardian’s’ room is designed so that the door is closed to prevent challengers from escaping.”
“What kind of cursed room is this? Wait, we escaped before.”
“The room’s function was inactive because the Guardian was absent.”
“…Which means it’s active now, in other words…”
Mitrof couldn’t finish his sentence. It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it, saying it wouldn’t change reality.
Blue light began to gather in the center of the room. It was coming from the magical bonfires set into the walls that surrounded the room. Soon, it turned into a vortex.
“It must have recognized that ‘demon’ as the Guardian, or maybe…”
A hand emerged from the blue vortex. Crawling out was a “goblin.” However, the color of its skin was unmistakably that of a goblin, but its physique was incomparable. It was like a giant troll, but without any visible fat on its body. It was dressed in leather armor, wielding a wide axe in hand, and wearing a horned iron helmet.
“——It seems that a ‘new guardian’ has been born.”
Blanc Manje’s tone was terribly quiet. She was just facing reality and accepting it. Therefore, Mitrof could also calmly observe it.
This robust goblin sentinel…the goblin soldier, was the new master of this room, possessing the power under the name “guardian”.
And beside it was the goat-skullhead-oldwoman. She was a spiritual body that could freely wield lightning and possessed intelligence and invincibility against attacks.
One of them alone would be too much to handle. But there were two, and escape was blocked. Blanc Manje could hardly move, and Mitrof did not even have a sword.
‘How do we get out of this?’
When Mitrof asked a question, there was only silence in response. Nothing came to mind, and he had no way out.
The realization of death had taken hold of Mitrof’s legs.