"Am I the useless one this time?"

"Finally understanding how I feel, huh."

Exchanging light banter with Eunice, who stood behind him, Ziel couldn't help but feel this way from the depths of his heart:

Heavy.

This labyrinth waiting beyond the second door—everything about it was just too heavy.

"If there's anything I can help with, let me know. Watching someone struggle while I leisurely stroll alongside feels kind of wrong."

"...It would be nice if I could hand off a task quickly, but unfortunately, I can’t think of one."

"You're kidding."

"Eunice, would you like to switch roles with me as the healer?"

Recovering physical fatigue, unlike wounds, isn't very efficient if it's me, Eunice said to Lililia. Even as they spoke, Lililia gently touched Ziel's arm with her fingertips, easing away the weariness and grime from their battles against the beasts.

Ziel let out a thin sigh, thinking: Lose focus for a moment, and it could mean serious injury.

The quality of the beasts had suddenly and dramatically changed.

Eunice’s advanced magic wasn’t as effective as it used to be. While each beast might not match the colossal horse they’d fought before, comparing them to the weaklings encountered earlier felt like an insult. If even one of these creatures managed to escape the labyrinth's core gravity and enter the outside world, it could easily destroy a small village.

These creatures had strength comparable to what might be expected of a floor boss in an A-rank labyrinth. Even Ziel, who lacked prior labyrinth exploration experience, was almost certain of this.

"...I’m more worried about my sword breaking."

"Want me to turn it into a pretend holy sword?"

"Please do," Ziel said, handing over his sword.

Lililia murmured a short incantation, and the sword began to glow faintly.

"Hmm… I really do feel like I’m useless right now."

"No, no. Just guiding us is plenty helpful."

"Eunice, don’t you have any weapon-enhancing magic?"

"Well, since I don’t usually use weapons myself… I can boost raw attack power instinctively, but I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for, right?"

"And Ziel, you're still cutting through everything in one stroke, even now."

What do you mean by “even now”? Ziel muttered to himself, swinging his sword again.

A scraping sound followed as the beast lunging at them was cleanly split in midair. Eunice cast a short spell to redirect the momentum of the beast's two severed halves so they wouldn’t fall on them.

Eunice clapped lightly, saying, "Really, a marvelous job. Maximum result with minimal movement."

"You could probably manage this much if you tried," Ziel replied.

"Well, I don’t think it’s impossible, but spamming high-powered, fuel-draining advanced magic back-to-back isn’t very practical."

Ziel nodded in agreement.

"Running out of resources at a critical moment would be disastrous. When we run into the floor boss, I’ll be relying on you. By the way, if I weren’t here, how would you handle this place?"

"I’d probably pour all my magic power into burning down the entire floor. That way, I could create a safe zone…"

But it’d take a while to recover the spent magic, so we wouldn’t be able to progress as quickly, Eunice added.

"Still, if it gets much heavier, that might be a good option," Lililia said.

"Ziel, it must be exhausting to stay focused like this all the time. Maybe we should stop and try that approach at some point."

"…You’re right. If I fail to take something down in one stroke or get injured, let’s do that."

"Got it. Let me know if you feel tired otherwise, too. I’ll gladly take on the job."

"Will do," Ziel said with a nod, cutting down another beast in one swift motion.

The optimistic mood from before opening the final door had now subdued somewhat. Though the three of them hadn’t sunk into outright gloominess, their attitudes were more serious than ever.

"Maybe this is what a labyrinth is supposed to be like…"

"Wow, adventurers really have it rough," Eunice mused.

"If that’s the case, I wouldn’t want to delve into one repeatedly. Unless it’s with dependable companions like you."

Ziel thought to himself:

If he’d continued this journey with Next Apex, he doubted they would’ve made it here.

Opening the second black door alone required a high level of magical and holy knowledge. He wasn’t sure if anyone in that party possessed those skills. And once inside… could they have fought beasts this formidable?

Furthermore, moving as a trio kept the number of encounters manageable and allowed Ziel to cover their surroundings with his sword. A large group would likely struggle with additional monsters, quickly becoming overwhelmed.

It was because of this trio that they’d made it this deep.

Reflecting on this, Ziel thought suddenly:

"…Maybe there’s a reason I ended up here."

He murmured the thought aloud.

"Hm?" "What?"

"No, just talking to myself."

"You talk to yourself a lot, Ziel," Lililia noted.

"Do I really?"

"Definitely," Lililia said with a smile.

"Like that time you said, ‘…I see, so that’s how it is,’ all on your own."

Digging through his memory, Ziel thought: That night, huh?

"Well, that was…"

"People who live alone tend to talk to themselves more, you know," Eunice remarked.

"Isn’t that just because their total speech doesn’t decrease, but there’s no one else to direct it to?"

"Now I’m curious. Maybe we should test—oh, sorry. Was that distracting?"

"No, it’s fine," Ziel replied, shaking his head.

"It actually helps to stay a bit distracted during watch—"

He stopped, halting his steps at the front of the group.

"A dead end. What now?"

"…No, it’s not," Eunice said.

"It’s the main chamber."

"Oh," Ziel nodded, squinting.

"It’s hard to tell. I can barely make out whether it’s a door or just a wall."

"Should we turn back?" Lililia asked.

"No," Eunice replied firmly.

"We’ve explored most of this floor. There are marks on all the paths we’ve taken. To move on to the next floor, we have to pass through here."

Finally, Ziel tightened his grip on his sword.

"Our first time facing one after three days."

"Honestly, I’m worried. If the gap between the regular beasts and the floor boss is as big here as it was before…"

Ziel nodded solemnly.

As a swordsman, his purpose was to slay powerful creatures. He had faced poisonous dragons and opponents far mightier than himself.

But Eunice and Lililia weren’t warriors.

Though their abilities had been invaluable, they weren’t accustomed to combat as their main focus.

It was only natural they’d feel apprehensive about the imminent battle.

“...Shall we just stay here for the night?”

“Huh?”
“What?”

Both responded with surprise.

“It’s barely midday, isn’t it?”
“Do you have some kind of plan?”
“Not really a plan, but...”

He scratched his cheek, contemplating.

“It might be better to reset ourselves. On the way here, we’ve had the strength of these small beasts drilled into us. Since we don’t know how strong the floor master is, I think it’d be good to take a break and forget that bias.”

It wasn’t a suggestion with much basis.

The strength of the floor master was unknown. Given that, it was only logical to assume the worst-case scenario. Something vastly beyond the small beasts that had tormented them here—perhaps an opponent that would force them into a life-or-death struggle, one they might still lose despite their best efforts. That was the level Ziel believed they should be prepared for.

However, if such an opponent truly appeared, it was likely their minds would falter.
They might think: We handled those small beasts, so this one shouldn’t be that much stronger.
A kind of wishful optimism, bordering on escapism, could take hold.

To avoid that, Ziel thought it best to reset their mindset before moving forward.

However—

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to at least take a look today?”

Eunice voiced his own opinion.

Then, with a quick “Ah,” he added in a flustered tone,
“Sorry, Ziel. I’m not trying to dismiss your idea...”
“No, it’s fine. Say whatever you think. Honestly, I don’t have enough experience in situations like this to act with complete confidence anyway.”
“Really?”

Encouraged, Eunice continued,

“If we’re being cautious, I agree that tackling the floor master tomorrow is a good idea. But in that case, why not peek into the boss room now? That way—”
“We can assess the floor master’s strength and come up with a strategy.”
“Exactly.”

Floor masters usually don’t leave their boss rooms.
Theories abound to explain this: that the room is the nexus of magic power for the floor, and the floor master would lose its strength outside of it; or that floor masters derive their power specifically from being bound to the room. None of these hypotheses are definitive, but the fact remains: they stay put.

So Eunice proposed a reconnaissance.
Step inside, observe, and then retreat. Armed with information, they could make better use of the night to prepare.

Ziel didn’t seem opposed to the idea.

“That does make sense.”
“Right? And if it’s weaker than expected, we could just finish it off right then.”

Still, involving a third person in the decision felt prudent.

“What do you think, Lililia?”

But no response came immediately.

“Lililia?”
“Hmm...”

Her hesitant voice was uncharacteristically uncertain.

“I know this might sound weird, but... I feel like neither of you will like what I’m about to say.”
“It’s fine. Just say it,” Ziel urged.

She finally spoke.

“I don’t think we should open this door.”

Her words directly contradicted their entire discussion.

“What do you mean?” Eunice asked.

“I have this feeling... ‘Nothing good will come of this.’ But at the same time, I also feel like, ‘If we don’t open it now, something worse will happen.’”

“I’m sorry,” Lililia added apologetically. “That probably doesn’t make much sense.”

“No... not entirely,” Ziel muttered, unsure how to respond.

“I kind of understand,” Eunice murmured thoughtfully.

“You do?” Ziel asked.

“Yeah. I’ve been sensing something strange since earlier, but Lililia’s words helped me pinpoint it. That’s the feeling.”

“Well, I don’t feel anything like that,” Ziel said bluntly.

“Maybe,” Eunice speculated, “it’s the same ominous presence that the Three Saints sensed, and we’re just picking up on a trace of it.”
“Ah, that would explain it.”

Ziel nodded, finally convinced.

“So, something truly dangerous related to the Ruin King might be lying ahead? If that’s the case, it makes sense I wouldn’t pick up on it with my weaker magic perception.”
“Could be a high-tier Apocryphal Beast,” Eunice offered.

Ziel mulled over the term high-tier in his mind—beasts powerful enough to raze entire nations.

Whatever the case, Ziel made his decision.

“Alright, let’s open it.”

“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Eunice’s suggestion makes sense, and Lililia also feels we should open it now, even if reluctantly.”

When Ziel asked, Lililia hesitated before finally nodding.

“I can’t sense what you both can, but if we have a reason to open it, we should. After all, the idea to wait was just my spur-of-the-moment thought.”

He added one caution.

“Switch your mindset. Given the difficulty of this floor, it wouldn’t be surprising to take critical damage just from reconnaissance. Don’t overestimate your strength. Be ready to retreat if necessary—even to abandon this altogether.”

Eunice nodded.
“I’ll follow your lead. How much despair should I expect?”
“About thirty times more than usual. Against a superior beast, assume every attack is fatal. Don’t relax just because it’s a first encounter. Half of battles are decided by the opening move.”
“I’m already regretting my idea,” Eunice joked lightly, though his tone carried weight.

Ziel turned to Lililia.

“Are you okay with this?”

“Ziel.”

“Hm?”

She gently gripped his fingertips.

“Huh?”

“I’ll cast some seriously heavy defensive magic on you.”

She began chanting, a warm light enveloping his body.

Testing his movements, Ziel flexed his fingers and then frowned.

“Sorry, but could you lighten it up a bit?”

“Why?” she asked, puzzled.

“With such a high-level spell, it stiffens my movements. My elbows and knees feel creaky.”
“...Hmm.”

“You’re not mad, are you?”
“I’m not mad,” she replied tersely.

Lililia dispelled the magic and recast a lighter version.

“How about now?”
“This feels just right.”

She then cast the same spell on herself and Eunice, though theirs remained slightly stronger.

“Ziel,” she said with a hint of mischief,

“If you still die, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Ziel muttered with a strained smile. He couldn’t help but think her warning was apt.

“Well, are we ready?”

Placing a hand on the door, he looked to them.

“Ready.”
“All set.”

Hearing their affirmations, Ziel nodded.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

With force, he pushed the door open.

The moment it swung wide, half of his body’s mass was obliterated.