Vol 3: Chapter 12
Muge-san returned to the group – the writings on the wall seem to be a verse of poetry, so it was quite difficult to understand – and I explained to everyone about the things that had been bothering me since we entered the dungeon (I flicked Zerry-san in the head cause she seemed about to doze off while listening to my explanation).
「I understand all that. But, Reiji, you were saying something about the relationship between adventurers and the party… and the same applies to the dungeon?」
「Yes. First, let’s stop the notion that “anything can happen since it’s a dungeon”. This Labyrinth of Fear is an artificial dungeon created by a person named La-Fisa. Everything happening here has its causes and gimmicks.」
「What does that have to do with a party?」
「I realized that was the relationship between the automaton and the dungeon. Automatons are powered by sorcery. And on the other hand, mana circulates in the dungeon. General dungeons repair damages to the walls and so on, right?」
「Yeah. But I don’t know how that works.」
「So the circulating mana is being restored, right? Another possibility is that the “dungeon” itself is a kind of monster.」
「Ah, that’s the theory advocated by some dungeon researchers who are said to be heretics.」Mimino-san said.
As I expected, there are indeed people who have such theories. But “heretics”, huh.
「Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s a monster or not this time, because it’s not that important. What’s important is, the person who created the dungeon, created the automatons, and circulated mana within the dungeon are all the same person.」
「Well, yes, they are the same, but… how does that help?」Dante-san asked.
「I tried to think from that person’s point of view. If I were to build a dungeon, I would let the automaton use the mana of the dungeon.」
The mana on the walls of the dungeon is small when viewed individually, but when viewed as a whole, it is enormous, and it is circulating. Even the very air is full of mana.
That’s why it seems that monsters also occur naturally, but that’s besides the point.
「If I design a dungeon, I’m going to implement a gimmick on the dungeon itself and let the automaton use it freely.」
「Ah!」Mimino-san half-rose to her feet.「It is using a trap that induces the feeling of “fear”!?」
「Correct.」
「Trap!?」Muge raised his voice as if he was surprised.「But isn’t what the automaton used a kind of magic spell?」
「I can’t say for certain that it’s not magic, but the automatons that you have investigated until now, did you find any magic, or rather sorcery from magic tools that can induce that kind of effect?」
When I asked in turn, Muge-san cocked his head in puzzlement.
「No… but it’s the first time I’ve heard that an automaton can induce emotions.」
「That’s true, but it’s overwhelmingly easier to use the dungeon.」
「Easier?」
「Just by inhaling and exhaling, the mana of the dungeon accumulates inside us. It uses that to control the emotions of the people in the dungeon. Since the mana is inside the body from the beginning, it’s a lot easier than casting magic from the outside.」
Even among skill orbs, there is a kind called “mysterious characteristic”. This is a type of magic that deviates from normal magic.【Healing Magic】and【Support Magic】are famous among them.
However, there are also skills that influence very specific aspects such as【Soul Magic】and【Human Magic】.【Human Magic】, in particular, can truly “exert influence on the emotions of others”, I’ve heard.
By the way, I have never seen these two skill orbs. Nor do I know anyone who uses it.
However, if it exists as a magic spell, it is not impossible to reproduce it with sorcery.
「To look at it from another perspective, the automaton can only induce “fear” specifically in places where the trap is placed.」
Places like that stage we went through. Traps are probably set up in such easy-to-tell places. I initially thought that the “distance” from the automaton was the most important, but the presence or absence of traps is also important.
「I don’t think the automaton will be able to manipulate our emotions unless we get caught in a trap. Well, it’s just a guess at this point.」
「How accurate would you consider that guess to be?」
「About 80%?」
「That’s a level where it’s almost a fact!」Dante-san said, smiling bitterly.
「No, not until I verify it. But there is evidence that the dungeon itself is a trap. Until we came here, we hadn’t encountered anyone other than the Golden Brigade, and we haven’t caught up with them either. On the contrary, there is not even a trace of the Labyrinth Capture Division or the Golden Brigade who should have been ahead of us.」
「Now that you mention it, that is true.」
「Zerry-san. You said earlier that the air has changed, correct?」
「Oh right, that happened. But maybe it’s just my imagination.」
「I don’t think so. Probably the path the Golden Brigade took is different from the path we took.」
As I said that, Dante-san tilted his neck.
「Hey… isn’t that strange? It’s been a straight passage since then.」
「Yes. So maybe the dungeon has a few pre-laid routes. And when no other intruders are looking, it secretly switches between them.」
「What!?」
「Look at this seamless passage.」
I touched the ground. The walls of this small room were different, but the ground felt like touching mortar or cement.
「If you use tiles or cobblestones, the tiles may get out of alignment when the passage bends, but with such a smooth material with constant surface, you can connect and disconnect. I am assuming it is made of some kind of material that can be fluidized under some conditions.」
「I-Is there even such a material?」Mimino-san sounded surprised.
「It seems there is. The ground here seems to melt like water when a certain amount of certain kind of mana is applied.」
When I asked【World Ruler】about it, it gave me that answer. Just looking vaguely at it doesn’t give me the answer, so I have to think about it as well.
But due to needing a specific kind of mana, I am unable to reproduce the same effect with the ground.
「In that case, it would be true that the dungeon itself is a trap. And there are still a few other things as well. The blade flew downhill and it was recovered. Isn’t that really strange? Such a physical trap is still operating smoothly in a construction that is hundreds of years old.」
「That’s because of the oil… No, even the oil will become no good in a few years or at most a few decades.」
「That’s right, Dante-san. Even though it was old, it seemed that oil was still being used. Maybe there is someone replenishing it?」
I also considered the possibility that the descendants of La-Fisa, who created the labyrinth, might be in the Empire.
「We can’t rule out that possibility, but I don’t think they can continue to do something like that for hundreds of years in this confined Empire without standing out. Instead, I think there is some kind of mechanism in place that uses magic that can refine the oil and keep it preserved for hundreds of years. Just like the recovered blade, there is a circulation system that reuses a trap that has already been used once.」
「Is that even… possible?」Dante-san asked.
「Such a person is the one who created this very labyrinth itself, after all. I think that if it was designed with intelligence, then it can also be solved with intelligence. So, since the dungeon itself has a high design structure, the automaton is also making full use of the dungeon to operate, is what I concluded. This is also thanks to Non-san’s hint.」
「Me?」
She told me that I was a member of the party.
She said that my worries were also her worries.
That was a hint—the automaton is also simply an extension of the dungeon.
Though, I don’t say out loud what Non-san said because it’s a little embarrassing.
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