Chapter 13 – Crimson Butterfly

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It seems there is a door ahead.

I was thinking that it might be time to call it quits on our exploration, so perhaps after checking this out, we could head back.

“Since we’re here, let’s take a look. However, I was planning to wrap things up soon—once we confirm everything, let’s head back.”

“Understood. So, we’ll check it out and then head back. …Even if this is just the shallow part, there could still be traps, so I’ll lead the way. Harold-sama, please follow in my footsteps.”

Traps… now that I think about it, there probably are some.

At this point, I might as well follow Ati’s lead.

Ati proceeds slowly.

At one moment she walks straight ahead, and the next she’s moving diagonally or trailing along the wall.

I followed suit.

“…There are quite a few traps, more than I expected.”
“You’re quite observant; I wouldn’t have noticed them at all.”

It looked like nothing more than a regular passage.

How can one be so certain that there are traps here?

“I’m cheating a little.”
“Cheating…?”
“Yes, I’m using magic. Please look at this.”

Ati showed me the back of her hand.

Perched on it was a single butterfly.

It was a semi-transparent butterfly, extremely hard to spot.

The butterfly left her hand and flew off.

Is this magic…?

“This butterfly is a creation of my magic. I made it so that it favors locations where genuine malevolence or harmful intent can be detected. That’s why it lands on spots with traps.”

“Oh,” I exclaimed, surprised.

I marveled, truly astonished that magic could do something like this.

The only magic I knew was that—like the fireworks launched by magicians during festivals.

Besides, since magicians are so few and far between, if you’re just living your normal life, you’d rarely see anything like that.

“Normally, this butterfly is semi-transparent, as you see now; however, I can imbue it with color, or even make it so inconspicuous that only I can detect it. But since using magic tires me out, I generally try to conserve my energy.”

Although magic is versatile, overusing it tends to wear me out.

Magic is undeniably convenient.

However, it doesn’t seem to be something one can use without limits.

Just as I was thinking that…

Then, suddenly, the butterfly began to emit a faint crimson light, and apparently, the other butterflies in the vicinity also took on that same color.

Some butterflies clung to the ground and walls, while others flew about, seemingly in search of somewhere to settle.

They all emerged in unison.

It was as if a prelude to the arrival of fairies or sprites from a storybook was unfolding—a scene of pure fantasy.

I quickly understood that this was all the handiwork of Ati.

However… after just talking about conserving magic, is it really okay for her to use it this way?

I was about to ask her about that when—

“If it’s just this, it doesn’t tire me out, and besides, after confirming the treasure, we’re simply heading back.”

Before I could say anything, Ati chuckled softly.

She must have read my expression and understood my thoughts.

Either her insight is remarkable, or perhaps I just wear my emotions on my face.

No matter—either is fine.

In any case, I’m relieved that it seems to be fine.

“…By the way, I have other magical techniques at my disposal. However, none of them are the sort that can be directly used in battle. If there’s ever a chance to demonstrate them, I’ll do so then.”

I’m looking forward to that day.

Then I resumed walking slowly.

After a short distance, I suddenly noticed that Ati had placed her hand on her chin.

“Considering that there are a fair number of traps remaining, there might still be treasure.”

“Now that you mention it, indeed.”

“If the traps have been disarmed or show signs of having been triggered, it often means someone beat us to it—which is unfortunate…”

“If many remain, it means no one has been here, right?”

“That would be the case. … However, since there are so many explorers in the shallow layers, we can’t assume the area has remained completely untouched. Perhaps the treasure has just been spawned.”

Huh? Spawned…?

“They say that the labyrinth has a will of its own. Once the treasure is taken, the labyrinth takes several days to swallow that area. Then, after a while, it spawns new treasure in another location and resets the traps.”

Once the treasure is taken, it erases that area and prepares the next treasure in a new spot.

Now that I think about it, I’ve also heard that it spawns monsters.

I see.

It certainly seems alive.

It seems that the labyrinth is an entity full of mysteries.

But I don’t really intend to unravel its mysteries.

Although I am somewhat intrigued, it’s not something I’m determined to pursue.

For now, it’s enough just to know that there’s a high chance there’s treasure.

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I reached the door.

The butterfly did not perch on the door, and it appeared that there were no traps there.

“Well, it’s still the shallow layer, after all. I don’t think the labyrinth would have set up any full-fledged traps here.”

That suggests that the deeper you go, the more severe the traps become, doesn’t it?

“While in the middle layers, most traps are ones this butterfly can handle, but in the lower layers, they become insanely nasty.”

“What do you mean by ‘insanely nasty’?”

“There are traps that trigger the moment you use magic, as well as elaborate traps that only activate if several other traps are triggered. They tend to be incredibly troublesome.”

What the heck is that.

They’re definitely out to kill explorers.

Well… but then again, I’ve heard that the deeper you go, the higher the quality of the treasure. Maybe the labyrinth feels that the treasure shouldn’t be taken so easily.

“I see. I don’t plan on heading to the lower layers for now, but I’ll keep those traps in mind.”

“I’ll be extra careful, too. Even in the shallow and middle layers, I can’t guarantee there are no troublesome traps—it’s just that there are fewer of them compared to the lower and deeper layers.”

While we both expressed our intent to be cautious, we opened the door with a “gachari” sound.

Inside was a small room.

In the center stood a pedestal, upon which a single dagger was displayed.

―And in that moment, the butterfly that had been fluttering about landed on the dagger.

“……It’s probably a dagger that’s been cursed or something. It’s rare to see that in the shallow layers.”