Vol 1 Chapter 5: The Desire for “Death” Born from Solitude (Great Labyrinth Arc)

Deep underground within the Grimoire Great Labyrinth, known as the Demon King’s stronghold, I found myself in an area of considerable depth—judging by the sheer strength of the monsters I had fought along the way.

The beasts here were practically feral, monstrous in nature, and the vast caverns had required several days of exploration. It wouldn’t be surprising if this were an abandoned sector, either discarded or sealed off, even by the Demon King himself.

And in this abnormal, perilous underground realm—there was an unmistakably man-made section.

Within it stood a door, seemingly guarded, leading to the depths where something was bound in chains imbued with magic-suppressing properties. The one imprisoned within called herself an Ancient Elf.

If I were to explain the current situation to a party of ten adventurers, they’d likely panic. Even those who hadn’t been part of the discussion would surely interject, urging me to turn back immediately.

And they wouldn’t be wrong.

Even someone from the countryside like me had heard the tales—Ancient Elves wield power so terrifying that their very existence became the stuff of legends.

They were said to have rampaged against both humans and demons alike, ultimately being exterminated by the heroes and the demons of their time.

Some stories claimed they enslaved the wills of dwarves, dragonkin, and other demi-human races, turning them into weapons against other species. Even their fellow elves feared them.

In fact, there were theories that Ancient Elves were responsible for the widespread persecution of demi-humans in history.

To put it simply, they were a calamity incarnate, feared by every race.

And yet, despite all that, I couldn’t bring myself to turn back.

If this were a normal dungeon expedition, I wouldn’t hesitate. I would retreat, report to the Adventurers’ Guild, and let the proper authorities handle it.

But this was no ordinary place.

This was Grimoire Great Labyrinth.

For all I knew, I was no longer even within the labyrinth’s structured layout—I could have wandered into a completely separate underground domain. If my earlier suspicions were correct, this could very well be an area the Demon King had either sealed away or discarded entirely.

Regardless of the truth, I had to face reality—escaping alone was not feasible.

I needed information and strength in whatever form I could obtain them.

And if what I’d heard was true, this Ancient Elf possessed unimaginable power.

Perhaps she still remembered the path she had taken before she ended up chained in this forsaken place.

More than anything…

“…What is the matter? You’ve been silent for quite some time…”

Her voice was empty, devoid of emotion. Her eyes were hollow.

The elf girl stared at me.

Elves were known for their longevity, and it was said that once they reached adulthood, their physical appearance barely changed.

Even half-elves, with human blood mixed in, remained youthful for over a century.

For High Elves, that number stretched into millennia.

But an Ancient Elf—a being of legend wielding unfathomable power—would likely exist for an eternity, unchanged.

Though this girl, Yuu, appeared no older than sixteen, just how long had she truly lived? No… more importantly—how long had she endured this darkness?

This was no mere punishment. This was too cruel.

I let my thoughts wander for a moment before finally directing my question to the elf who had called herself Yuu.

“How long have you been here?”

At my words, Yuu closed her eyes.

She murmured something under her breath before finally shaking her head.

“I tried to count, but… after two hundred years, I stopped remembering… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

I had asked hoping for even a rough estimate.

But Yuu, unable to provide an answer, simply continued muttering apologies, over and over again.

The phrase “like a broken doll” was often used in stories to describe such behavior.

But in Yuu’s case, it wasn’t that at all.

Her voice, devoid of emotion, repeated “I’m sorry” as if she feared something.

Even though her hoarse throat made speaking painful, she repeated it over and over.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m… sorry… I-I’m sorry…“

“W-well, I understand! At least I now know you’ve been here for over two hundred years, so that’s enough. Don’t force yourself to apologize so much!”

“B-but, you are the only one who has finally come here… I cannot risk offending you…”

“You’re a strange one… How exactly do you expect to please me? Could it be that—”

you want me to break these chains?

I was about to continue, but Yuu shook her head and interrupted.

“I want you to kill me.”

“Wha—! Y-you want to die!?”

“…Because it is the only ‘hope’ I have left from living on.”

For the first time, I heard genuine emotion in Yuu’s voice. And yet, it was an emotion of “hope.”
It wasn’t superficial at all; her words carried heartfelt, true hope.

There are many religions that preach that death is salvation, but this is the first time I have truly heard someone find hope in death from the bottom of their heart.

Honestly, I was shocked the moment I heard it. I could understand if she wanted liberation from here, but to actually ask to be killed—

But then again, if you think about it a little, it wasn’t entirely unfathomable.

If she wanted to be freed, she wouldn’t have introduced herself as a dangerous Ancient Elf in the first place.
At most, she could have claimed to be a long-lived High Elf or even a hostage of the Demon King—something along those lines.

But she didn’t. Even before we had much conversation after meeting, Yuu revealed that she was an Ancient Elf.

Under different circumstances, that alone would have been enough to have me cut her head off. That is how terrifying the legend of the Ancient Elf was.

However, if she desires death rather than liberation, I can use that to my advantage.

After spending over two hundred years here, most likely scarred and tired of living, she probably wishes to die.

Then, I should accompany her despair that longs for death, heal the wounds etched into her heart over centuries, and comfort her as a woman.

That way, she will depend on me, and it will be easy to make her a source of strength for our escape from here.
I could even take her along as a fighting force in battles against Sieg and the Demon King.

And if I keep her true nature as an Ancient Elf hidden, I could even make her an ally in the party after everything is over…

“—To hell with that damn backwater village! I’ll leave that wretched hometown behind! But I’ll make sure they regret ever kicking me out! Even if I’m cursed, I swear to that person, I’ll become the ‘hope’ of the world!”

I had almost given up on escaping the Grimoire Great Labyrinth, and just as my heart was about to be swallowed by a glimmer of dull hope shining through, the words I had sworn with Asterion held high in the sky—even as I was cast out from my hometown—resonated from deep within my soul.

“…Ah, damn it… I understand. I know that what I just thought is the most rational, the safest way—not only will it get us out of here, but it even ensures our safety afterwards. And yet… if I were to do such a thing purely for selfish reasons, I would be…”

I cannot bring myself to sneer at the traitor, Sieg. I cannot laugh even after we overcome this predicament.

I cannot face the dream of becoming the “hope” of the people as the Sword Saint.

In this world ravaged by war and rampant racial discrimination, I want to become a symbol of hope as the Sword Saint who defeated the Demon King.

By chance, that achievement—combined with exposing the Hero’s hidden truth—would shine even more brightly as a beacon for the people.

But in the process of achieving that, no matter how painful the path may be, I cannot bring myself to exploit a girl who wishes for death in a despicable manner, nor can I kill her.

“I must not do that.”

Rather, what I should do for this girl who longs for death is—

After exhaling deeply, I turned back to Yuu and said,

“Even if someone pays a fortune, I’d never kill you… Instead, live. I’ll help you with that.”

With that, I raised Asterion and cut the chains that bound Yuu.

“Eh…”

As the chains fell away, Yuu collapsed weakly onto the floor. Although she seemed unable to grasp the situation, I kept a wary eye on her, concerned about what might come next.

Perhaps, driven by centuries of resentment, she might once again rampage through the world.

Even if not, I had unleashed an entity known as a calamity.

In any case, I don’t know what she might do. If she happens to go on a rampage, I’ll have to take responsibility for having freed her on my own accord.

If she turns against the world and becomes its enemy once more, I’ll defeat her right here. Otherwise, I’ll handle it somehow.

But if possible, I want us to escape together and, after that, for her to live—even if she must hide.

I want her to live in the world I have saved, with hope in her heart.

So, I repeat,

“Don’t wish for death. Now that you’ve finally gained your freedom, live. From now on, I’ll fill the world with hope.”

I knew my words were blunt, but when I said them, Yuu, who was watching her limbs move in wonder, eventually asked me with an expressionless face,

“These chains should be uncuttable… No, rather than that—”

Yuu fixed her gaze on me, slowly opening her mouth to ask,

“Why did you help me?”

“If you weren’t going to kill me, you could have just left me alone…!”

I recalled a tale I had once read, about a witch who, upon being released from a long seal, transformed from a beautiful maiden into an old hag… Could it be that I have been cursed in a similar way?

“Why? Why? Why? Why did you—”