The immortal hero who thinks of the heroines as his daughters vs. heroines who want to make the hero understand them - Chap 4

Spirits are beings born from nature, and they control nature. For instance, a water spirit controls water, a fire spirit controls fire. Of course, a wood spirit would control wood, but what does the “King of Spirits” control?

The answer is that the “King of Spirits” controls other spirits.

“Oh… Fire…”

Rex is surprised by the miracle manifesting before his eyes, while desperately calming the ‘boy’ inside his heart.

It’s been about seven days since he challenged the “Labyrinth,” and although he was initially met with some distrust, he has now become so well-acclimated to the village that he even helps with the farm work. One day, Rex realized he hadn’t used his powers as a spirit for anything other than immortality, and he decided to test what else he could do.

And what he just performed was the “appearance of fire.” Since the queen of the spirits had controlled not only wood but also water, he thought he might be able to do the same. If he couldn’t control anything other than his specific trait, then as a former human, he wouldn’t be able to control anything at all.

The power of nature can be equated to the power of spirits. Natural phenomena are caused by spirits, and spirits are born from nature. Most of them don’t possess self-awareness, so they don’t have enough power to be observed by humans. Rex’s power is to control these weak, unconscious spirits. As for powerful entities like the queen, he still can’t control them yet—unless, of course, they accept his control willingly.

By controlling a weak fire spirit, he raises a small flame from the tip of his finger.

It’s far too small to be used for an attack, but for Rex, who had long admired such an ability, it was enough.

“Rex! We’re going to the ‘Labyrinth’!”

Just as he finished his testing and was considering whether to help with farm work, Linda appeared.

“…Again?”

“Yes! We’re going on an adventure!”

“We went just yesterday.”

“That’s exactly why. Yesterday more than today. Today more than tomorrow! We must keep advancing further and further, conquering the Labyrinth!”

Facing Rex, who looked at her as if he wanted to say ‘you must be kidding,’ Linda proudly puffed out her chest.

“…Alright, Princess.”

“As expected. Everyone seems to be calling you my knight.”

“Knight? Spare me. With a tomboy like you, there’s no chance to relax.”

“Oh my, how rude. The rumors say I’m quite the demure maiden, you know.”

Who on earth would say that?

He swallowed a sigh and followed the girl, who seemed as if she would wag her tail excitedly if she had one. She went into the village chief’s house and came out with a hoe that looked almost brand new.

“Here, Rex’s share.”

“…This poor thing probably never thought it would be tilling monsters instead of soil.”

“Isn’t it a promotion? Look, maybe it’ll be passed down like a sacred hoe or something.”

Linda chirped, smiling at something that was unlikely even in her thoughts. Rex looked at the hoe, feeling sorry for it. You were meant to live in a normal world.

“Come on, we are adventurers! People call us ‘Adventurers’!”

“I doubt anyone’s calling us that.”

“You’re probably right. But it’s all about the vibe, the vibe. If we declare it boldly, someone will eventually call us that.”

She shrugged, and he looked at her skeptically, wondering if that was really how it worked.

Today, once again, they challenged the labyrinth whose depths were still unseen.

“It’s really mysterious, but I wonder how the labyrinth was created.” 

Linda questioned, looking at the earthen walls. Her gaze followed a path that continued endlessly, with turns and corners, yet they hadn’t reached the innermost part.

“That’s true, but also, why do monsters emerge from this soil?”

“See, isn’t it like crops? The monsters must grow out of the soil.” 

“So that’s why using a hoe is appropriate?”

“Exactly!” 

She exclaimed, raising her hoe with full confidence. Somehow, its shine seemed to have dulled a bit.

Seven days had passed since they began exploring the labyrinth, but there were no forks in the winding path. Only the previously encountered slime monsters appeared, and the initial tension had disappeared. Even Rex, who was accustomed to fights that lasted only a few seconds, had relaxed, and he was less frequently warning Linda, who seemed to be growing complacent.

“…Oh?”

As they were walking, they saw a wooden box placed on the side of the path.

“What could this be?”

“Could it be a trap? We’re probably the first to come this far, so it can’t be someone’s forgotten item.” 

“You never know. It might belong to the entity that created the labyrinth.” 

Linda replied, excitement undisguised, as she reached for the wooden box.

Before Rex could stop her, Linda eagerly opened the box.

“…”

“…”

“What could this be?”

“A sword… maybe? I think?”

A puzzled atmosphere settled between the two. What lay inside the box was a considerably rusted object, something that could hardly be called a sword at all, let alone be used as one.

“What is it used for?”

“What do you mean ‘what?’ To cut things.” 

“With this?”

“With this.”

“Could this be what they call a treasure chest? Although it seems a bit off.” 

Linda said, lifting and examining the sword-like object. Since something was inside the blatantly placed box, she decided to think of it as a treasure chest, like those she’d heard about in stories.

“With that in mind, it only makes the labyrinth even more incomprehensible.” 

“Monsters are born, treasure chests… well, treasure chests are here… the reason for its existence is unclear.”

“But this adds to the romance of it all.” 

Even though it seemed to have no use, she decided to take the sword-like object with her, placing it in a bag. The rust was so severe that even if she pulled it out, it wouldn’t be likely to tear through the fabric bag.

“Rex, aren’t you curious? About what lies at the very depths of this labyrinth?” 

Linda asked, her face breaking into a mysterious grin.

“Yeah, I was forced into it at first, but lately, I feel like I’m taking on the challenge of my own accord.” 

“You’ve finally become honest with yourself. That’s what it means to be an adventurer!”

“Am I really an adventurer?”

“Yes! I’m adventurer number one, and Rex, you’re number two!”

With raised eyebrows, he asked the question, and the young girl bestowed upon him an unusual title.

And so, the girl who would be known as “Linda, the Ancestor of Adventurers” and Rex, who would be known as “The Staff of Adventurers,” had become adventurers in both name and deed. Although they were self-proclaimed at the moment.

◇

Happiness can be engulfed and erased by sudden malice. The greater the happiness, the more likely it is to be consumed by enormous malevolence, plunging into the depths of despair. It seemed that even the labyrinth, where monsters were born, was imbued with this malice.

“……………………■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”

“■■■■■■■■”

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”

“■■■■■■■■■”

In the depths of a hole that no one has reached since the birth of this world, a malice that had never been observed by anyone was about to take the stage for the first time.

◇

“Today was fun too!”

Linda flung her red hair around as she jumped into the bed stuffed with straw. Until he came, her life had been unchanging, and although she was content, she felt a slight boredom. But now, every day seemed colorful. All thanks to Rex…

“……………… Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Flap, flap, flap, flap, flap. Pressing her face, as red as her hair, against the pillow, the girl flailed her legs. In the small village, where there were few of her age, the days with Rex, who seemed about the same age in appearance at least, were apparently too exciting for her.

He goes along with her actions, albeit complaining…

“It’s not like I like him or anything!”

She doesn’t know to whom she’s making this excuse, but Linda shouted it anyway. Incidentally, if this remark were to reach the ears of the village head, Rex would likely be in a sea of blood by now. A pitiable victim indeed.

“――I wish every day could be like this forever.”

The wish, murmured as she hugged her pillow, was absorbed by the shadows of the night and vanished.