"…A person?"

"Ah, yes. A person."

It was a person.

Ziel couldn’t make out much. To his blurry vision, the figure appeared as a white, elongated form, something vague and indistinct. He had initially assumed it was some sort of plant-type magical beast adorned with white flowers, emerging suddenly to attack him.

So, he started to draw his sword—but before he could, he heard the white figure say, "Oh no," and managed to stop himself in time.

"Do I look like anything other than a person? That's… a bit of a shock."

"Ah, no, my apologies. I lost my glasses and can’t see well."

"Is that so? Well, then, how about this? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Thirty-eight."

"Wow. It seems like losing your glasses has been a real problem for you."

"The correct answer, by the way, is four," the woman said.

Her voice was calm and gentle.

What’s going on here? Ziel thought, still wary.

This was a labyrinth of the highest difficulty. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to enter such a place. Even S-rank adventurers could only proceed after assembling a full team and making thorough preparations.

And yet, the figure before him seemed to have entered this place alone.

Closing his eyes slightly, Ziel extended his senses. At most, he could detect the presence of a magical beast about fifty paces away.

A lone woman, standing in this labyrinth.

Magical beasts didn’t speak human languages—so this was unlikely to be some trap set by the labyrinth itself.

Her true nature was unknown.

That’s why Ziel couldn’t take his eyes off her.

"Ah… I see. So, this is it," the woman muttered.

She turned her back to Ziel, crouching down on the ground as if entirely unconcerned about him. It was an utterly defenseless posture, her back—a back, Ziel assumed—completely exposed to him, as if inviting a fatal blow.

At the very least, it didn’t seem she bore him any hostility.

Still cautious, Ziel asked, "What is ‘this’?"

"The thing on the floor here… You can feel it with the sole of your shoe."

She gestured, almost beckoning him.

Though suspicious, Ziel figured things couldn’t get much worse. If it was a trap, he could just leap away after it was triggered. Following her lead, he pressed the worn sole of his shoe against the ground.

"…A groove?"

"I think it’s a magic circle. What do you think?"

"You’re asking me? I’m just a swordsman; I wouldn’t know."

"I think I got teleported here by this thing. It’s how I ended up here."

The pieces started to come together.

"Are you here to conquer the labyrinth?"

"That’s right. The people from the Church brought me here."

"And then you got separated and ended up here alone?"

"Exactly."

Ziel almost broke into a celebratory dance.

But a sliver of remaining rationality barely restrained him from such a humiliating display. If he had met her three days later, his mind might have regressed entirely into primal instincts, and he would’ve done so without hesitation. It was a close call.

"So… you were also stabbed in the back by your comrades during a battle with a floor boss?"

"No, not at all. What are you talking about? I think I just fell into a teleportation trap. I’m not an expert, but I’ve read about such things in adventure novels."

"Oh, I see…"

"Why do you look so disappointed?"

The woman’s voice took on a slightly offended tone.

"The Holy Knights who escorted me did their jobs perfectly, you know. They took me all the way to the previously unreachable Fourth Floor. It’s just that I was clumsy and triggered a trap by myself."

"The Holy Knights?"

Ziel latched onto the phrase.

"You’re not an adventurer?"

"Nope. …Should I tell you this? Ah, why not. The truth is, we came here on a mission to investigate."

"Investigate the labyrinth?"

"That’s right. About three months ago, some of the Church elders felt an intense, malevolent presence in this area. I don’t know much since I was bedridden from overeating lunch that day, but…"

Ah, that explains her height, Ziel thought. Judging by the silhouette and the sound of her voice, she seemed slightly shorter than him but notably taller than the average woman. She must’ve eaten well and grown well.

"I see… By the way, I know this is sudden, but could I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Since you’re from the Church, can you use cleansing magic? As you can see, I look like a stray dog caught in the rain. If you could, I’d really appreciate it…"

"I’ve been waiting for you to ask that."

Her voice took on a bright, smiling tone.

"I was debating whether to bring it up myself. You smell like sewage sludge."

"Sewage sludge."

"Yes, sewage sludge. But don’t worry too much about it. Anyone wandering around this place would end up smelling like sewage sludge. It’s only natural. Sewage sludge—"

Ziel swallowed his pride and bowed his head. "Please."

"Of course," she replied cheerfully. Touching his arm lightly, she cast her magic.

A brilliant white light spread through Ziel’s vision.

When it faded, the stench that had clung to his nose was completely gone.

"There you go. All clean now. You look great."

"Thanks. That really helped."

Even as he expressed his gratitude, Ziel was calculating in his mind.

It was undeniable. Even for a simple cleansing spell, its effectiveness depended on the caster’s skill. For her to instantly remove the filth accumulated over three months in the wild meant she was a highly skilled magic user.

She was likely telling the truth about being a Church affiliate.

Allowing a stranger to cast magic on him was risky, but the information he had gained made the gamble worthwhile.

She seemed trustworthy enough.

Just then, Ziel felt a gust of wind and drew his sword.

The motion of unsheathing and resheathing his blade was so swift that an inexperienced warrior wouldn’t even see it. It was an advanced technique, and the beast that had leapt at him from a blind spot was cleaved in two.

Both his swordsmanship and instincts had sharpened. Ziel himself could feel it.

"That was incredible," the woman said, clearly impressed.

"Are you… stronger than the Holy Knights? It felt like they struggled a lot more…"

"This is all I’ve got," Ziel replied, scanning the surroundings.

There were still magical beasts lurking nearby.

"For now, let’s head to a safe spot. I’ve got a secure area I’ve been using—it’s close by. I know it’s hard to trust someone you’ve just met, but…"

"No, no, it’s fine. Lead the way, please."

"…?"

Surprised by her unexpected willingness, Ziel hesitated for a moment before deciding to move quickly, lest she change her mind.

"It’s just up ahead. It won’t even take five minutes."

Five hours later, they arrived.