Chapter 10 – Explanation of the Labyrinth and Father

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The labyrinths are basically managed by the nation or local governments.
Because of that, there are guards at the entrance and a knight order’s barracks nearby.
This is to prevent monsters from overflowing out from within.

Monsters do not naturally occur outside the labyrinth.
So if you see a monster outside, it means it has come out from the labyrinth.

Although the fee to enter a labyrinth varies by location, they are never completely closed off; explorers are widely welcomed as a measure to help prevent such situations.

Even though the knight order periodically conducts extermination operations on the developed layers, it seems that alone isn’t enough.

The rule that any treasure found within the labyrinth belongs to the discoverer effectively serves as an incentive for exploration that leads to extermination. After all, no one would volunteer to risk their life otherwise.

If, hypothetically, the treasures and monster materials acquired inside belonged to the nation or local governments, that area would undoubtedly become a hellish landscape overrun by monsters.

—Because no one would ever enter.

They could deploy only their own personal troops, but doing so would naturally exhaust the military. In that case, other nations might see it as an opportunity to invade.

The labyrinths are vast and deep, and there isn’t just one labyrinth managed by the nation.
When there are multiple labyrinths, very few nations have the capacity to keep tens or even hundreds of soldiers rotating inside throughout the year for extermination operations.

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“…So that’s how it is.”

While heading toward the labyrinth, I listened to Atty’s explanation and nodded, thinking, “I see.”
I only had a vague understanding of labyrinths, so such an explanation was very welcome.
After all, I hadn’t had much to do with labyrinths in real life…

I thought to myself, if things are going to be like this, I should have asked more while my father was still alive.
My father used to frequent labyrinths and was fairly well-known, so he must have known a lot about them.
But when he taught me how to use a spear, he kept saying, “You don’t have much talent. You have to work harder,” so I ended up thinking that labyrinths had nothing to do with someone as weak as me—and I never asked him about it.

Well, it wasn’t just that I never asked.
Despite his reputation, he lived like a pauper. I never knew what he spent his money on or what he did during the times he wasn’t at home teaching me spear techniques.
There were so many things about him that I never knew.

Before I could learn any more, one day ten years ago, my father died suddenly.
He entered some labyrinth and never returned.

What he aimed for was the final destination of the labyrinth—the deepest point, far below even the developed layers.
He could have been content with just exploring layers where he could safely earn money.
What was he thinking when he set his sights so high?
And to think, even though he was skilled, he went armed with a spear that would be unwieldy in tight spaces.

I don’t know.
All I understand is that not coming back meant that he died.

My father is a mysterious man.
He had a personality and way of acting that was impossible to pin down.
Thanks to that, even the neighbors didn’t know that he had entered the labyrinth.
He made a name for himself through his abilities, yet he had few acquaintances or friends.
The only person who might have known more about him—my mother—had died of illness at an early age.
In other words, there was no one left who really knew what kind of man my father was.
Not even his own son, including me.
That was my father.

And furthermore… his end has affected me.
When Atty said she wanted to enter the labyrinth—because she appeared to possess incredible abilities and might even be able to make a living—I insisted that she must never push herself too hard.
I can’t say that this background didn’t play a role.

…Now, I’ve been dwelling on the past for too long. Let’s get back to the story.

“ I see. Atty, you’re quite the know‐it‐all. Thank you.”

“ …N-no, it’s nothing like that.”

When I thanked her for the explanation and offered her a sincere compliment, she looked down shyly.
A girl’s heart is so complicated.
I wonder if, when the day comes that I can hold her, she’ll still be so bashful?
If so, that would be perfect.
I might even try so hard that we end up making a baby.

While indulging in all sorts of perverse thoughts, we arrived at the entrance of the labyrinth.
There were quite a few people, and the place was bustling with explorers.
Several guards were standing about, talking with those coming and going—perhaps chatting with acquaintances or even telling people to pay the entrance fee.

“—Wait.”

As I tried to slip into the labyrinth among the crowd, a guard called out to me.

“Is something the matter? Does it perhaps cost money to enter?”

“No, this labyrinth doesn’t charge an entrance fee.”

“Then why?”

“I’m issuing a warning. There’s been a bit of trouble.”

It seems there is something we need to be careful about.