Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"[Ecstasy: Fimbulb Winter]!!"

The three blizzards shot out and hit the vicinity of the entrance and exit.

The entrance and the "door" that was pushed up to the ceiling were frozen, creating a scene that resembled an ice cave.

"That way..."

Yes, in that case...

Even if the enemy uses the "key", the door can be kept "open" temporarily.

"Miss Philvis... please leave here and bring Lady Riveria here. I need to turn back."

"Wh...what are you saying!?"

Upon hearing Lefia's words, Phil Weiss panicked.

She shouted sharply, but then suddenly came to her senses and looked around.

Philweis moved close to Lefia's eyes and nose, and whispered:

"You're going to turn back? Back to this maze? Don't talk nonsense. What good would it do to go back alone?"

"I know Miss Philweis is right. If I go back alone... it might not make any difference."

Philweis's crimson eyes were already glaring, but Lefia's attitude was resolute as she looked back at her.

"But if we just wait here for rescue... we might not make it in time."

"...!"

"I already know the direction of the exit, and the 'door' can remain open for now. If we take the initiative to meet them, it will shorten the time it takes to reunite with the leader and the others."

Philweis was stunned when she heard Lefia's proposal.

She shook her head weakly, "This is too reckless..." she objected in an almost inaudible voice, believing that Lefia's statement was nothing more than foolish optimistic speculation.

Her expression was tearful, as if she were pleading.

However, Rafia's mind was made up.

She slung her cylindrical backpack back on and spoke her mind:

"I'm sorry, Miss Philvis... I don't want to leave my fellow members of the Familia to die."

This was also a cruel answer for Phil Weiss.

The girl was startled, her eyes widened, and then she bit her lip and lowered her head.

She was saved by her companions in the "27th Floor Nightmare," and the fact that she left them to die is like reopening her wounds.

That's why she couldn't stop Lefia.

Unfortunately, Philweis understood Rafia's determination very well, as if she were experiencing the pain herself.

Silence enveloped the surroundings, with only time passing by.

The elven girl gazed at her feet, then finally looked up.

"...In that case, I'll go with you."

"Huh...? But, Miss Philvis, someone has to go and call for help...!"

"I can't leave you alone!!"

Phil Weiss interrupted her, shouting loudly.

Lefia was so startled that her shoulders swayed and her breath hitched for a few beats.

"Why are you so willful, so stubborn... so...worrying..."

"Philwines, Miss..."

"Why won't you consider my feelings... I don't want you to die either."

"...!"

"My feelings for you..."

Phil Weiss seemed to overflow with emotion, turning her feelings into words.

Seeing the unsteady crimson eyes of her compatriot, Lefia felt a pang of sorrow and sadness. The girl's concern for her filled her with guilt.

Even so, Lefia couldn't take back what she had said.

She remained silent, exchanging a sorrowful glance with Phil Weiss.

"...I will go with you, whether you stay here or return to the labyrinth. If you choose to stay true to yourself, I will not waver in my resolve."

Finally, Phil Weiss regained her composure and practically glared at her to tell her.

Lefia gave up and stopped trying to persuade her.

I am so much like her, like a mirror image.

Lefia tried to force a smile, but couldn't manage it.

Because Lefia understood that it was her own willfulness that had dragged her into this mess.

"..."

She looked at the frozen wall; despite being infused with immense "magic," the ice had already begun to slowly melt.

Lefia stared intently at the maze wall containing the "demon-slaying stone," then looked around.

(I have no choice but to believe you... Lady Riveria, please...)

She placed her wand, "Forest Tear," on the boundary between the labyrinth and the secret passage.

Lefia shattered the "magic gem" installed at the front to confirm that the azure magic essence was rising before turning her head to look at the thin, dark expanse ahead.

"let's go."

Phil Weiss nodded silently, and together with Rafia, they returned to the artificial maze.

"Miss Philweis... thank you."

"..."

The girl who walked a step ahead of her didn't answer.

★

Ais is running.

In order to find the whereabouts of their companions who had fallen into the trap, and to find a way to rescue them.

"An artificial maze... have they been building this all along?"

It's so magnificent! When was this thing built?

The further Ais walked, the more she couldn't help but think this way.

This place is so vast it seems meaningless, its complex labyrinthine structure rivaling that of a dungeon. The numerous branching paths that appear and disappear have long since numbed Ais's sense of direction.

Perhaps somewhere in my heart, I'm being a little too naive.

Perhaps I had this mindset that I was okay with those weirdos like Revis, but the remnants of the dark faction were far less powerful than me and my companions, and no match for them.

Every corner of the maze sent a chill down Ais's spine, making her realize the unfathomable depths of the enemy's forces.

(Although I'm very worried about Tiona and the others... what I must do now is make contact with the enemy!)

The immediate goal is to capture Baka, who can open and close "doors," but since they don't know where he is, they can only make marks and search thoroughly as they go. But Ais also has another idea.

She didn't believe that such a large maze could be freely traversed by only one person, Baka. There was likely some kind of "key" that could open the "doors," just like how the masked man opened the "door" at the entrance before Ais and the others entered the maze.

When Ais encounters a monster, she instantly slashes it as it passes by, while simultaneously sharpening her senses as a first-class adventurer to search for human presence.

"ladder……!"

This is the fourth one.

For some reason, there was no human scent on this floor. Dust, resembling that of a decaying monster, was accumulated everywhere, and the walls and passageways were filthy, giving the impression of abandonment. Ais instinctively felt that this floor was deserted, and seeing a staircase leading downstairs in the distance, she decided to go down that path.

"——!"

Unexpectedly, just a moment before...

Ais, who was in a hurry, stopped in her tracks.

Golden eyes were fixed on a fork in the road.

That side passage was no different from the other passages, except that it was a passage shrouded in darkness.

Ais found it impossible not to look at that passage.

As if drawn in, she stared intently into the depths of the darkness.

(This feeling is...)

Thump! My heart pounded loudly.

The "blood" flowing through her body was telling Ais something.

“!…”

A sense of bewilderment arose in his mind, and Jin Tong glanced in the direction of the stairs.

Finally, the girl's boots turned her toes toward the fork in the road.

As I walked through the completely silent, dark passageway filled with the magic stone lamps, my heartbeat quickened.

A faint light, seemingly leading to an exit, called out to Ais from afar.

(The door is open...)

After passing through a long corridor, Ais arrived at an open space.

“——”

It looks completely different from the labyrinthine landscape that is still covered by stone slabs today.

Several pipes meandered across the paving stones, throughout the circular hall, and all of them led to large flasks set up against the walls.

It evokes images of a magician's workshop... no, it's another word: "laboratory".

As if telling visitors that this place is no longer of any use, the room is filled with dust and dirt, exuding an atmosphere of desolation. The only thing that still shines is the huge magic stone lamp in the center of the ceiling, emitting a bluish-white phosphorescent light that illuminates the gloomy room.

"……This is……"

Seven flasks were placed in the large room, as if to surround the room.

These large containers (flasks) were large enough for an adult to curl up inside, but the glass was broken. Of course, there was nothing inside.

The green aqueous solution remaining at the bottom of the bottle emitted a foul odor, and Ais reached out to touch the broken flask.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud!

The "blood" stirred even more intensely.

What followed was the same dizziness and nausea she had experienced in the labyrinthine inn town. Ais's "blood" detected deformed remnants of "fairy essence".

Can't go wrong.

This place once contained a "precious pearl fetus".

"So, this room is...?"

These are facilities where "precious fetuses" transported to the surface of the earth are preserved and nurtured.

The number of broken flasks—does that represent the number of fetuses?

A chilling sensation swept over Ais.

"Fairy Spirit Clone".

Seven of the "Seeds," the monsters that Loki's Familia barely managed to defeat after mobilizing all its first-class adventurers on the 59th floor to corner Ais and the others, have already been transported to the surface.

Ais gasped and looked around the abandoned room.

"—So you really did come here."

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out.

Hearing someone speak to her from behind, Ais turned around sharply.

"Who are you……!"