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[168] A Dangerous Deal (4)
"Ah…"
At Sirone's words, Amy realized it too. How had she not thought of it? Harvest was an arcane lifeform that had inherited all of Arcane's memories.
The Archmage Biltor Arcane, who once ruled the world.
If it was him, he might know secrets about the Kergo ruins that no one else did.
Sirone and Amy looked at Kanis with certainty in their eyes. But Kanis's attitude remained halfway.
"Hm. If I say what I'm thinking—half right, half wrong."
"Half and half? What's that supposed to mean?"
Kanis held his tongue. It was still premature. The secret tied to the Kergo ruins was a far more serious matter than Sirone imagined.
Amy thrust her face in.
"Are you going to keep this up? If you're going to say it anyway, say it now."
"I don't see why. Why should I? Don't tell me you're going to start nagging about paying for the food."
"That's included, of course. But there's another reason you can't help but come clean. You need us. Otherwise, you wouldn't even need to try negotiating like this, right?"
Kanis closed his mouth and let out a long breath. He had expected it would come to this. Timing was the issue.
"Fine. To be honest, there is something I want from you too. In that sense, we each have something the other needs."
"What do you want from us? You mean a pass?"
"That sort of thing we can handle anytime. With mental-type magic, we can hand over a blank piece of paper and it'll pass. Arin's telepathic sense can even govern the domain of language."
"Ah, so that's another way."
Sirone realized how the two of them had entered the altar without even an interpreter.
"Even so, the reason we didn't choose that route is because at least one person absolutely has to pass the trial gate. But as you know, we failed, and that's why we want your help. In that sense, I want to strike a deal."
Amy analyzed Kanis's words. Then, out of nowhere, a question sprang sideways.
"By the way—what score did you get?"
Caught off guard, Kanis blinked. Then he slyly averted his gaze and dodged.
"I don't want to say."
"Oh? Why not? How much was it? Hm?"
"Why should I tell you? If you're that curious, you tell me first."
"No, you say it first. Then I'll tell you."
"No. You first."
Sirone gave up listening and cut in. At this rate they'd repeat themselves till dawn.
"Enough. Let's get back to what we were discussing."
Maybe both of their legs were shaky; Amy and Kanis shut their mouths at once.
Once things settled, Kanis spoke again, his eyes hollower than before.
"Anyway, here's what I want to propose. The trial route—if you, specifically, pass through the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice, then talk to me again."
Amy knit her brows.
"That's a bit strange, isn't it?"
"What's strange about it?"
"You couldn't pass it either, right? If Sirone passes, there's no reason to bring you along. A deal only works if you have something to offer us."
"For now, maybe that's how it looks. But trust me. It absolutely won't be a deal that leaves you at a loss."
"Then prove it. You don't have to reveal the core, but you can at least prove something. If you don't, the deal's void. We're not going to let you use us without even knowing the goal."
Kanis glanced at Arin, conflicted. It wasn't a decision he could make alone.
When Arin finally nodded, he spoke as if he had no choice.
"Alright. Then I'll say this much. You said you're going to the autonomous zone to learn about the Labyrinth, right? Are you going no matter what means it takes?"
"Yeah. We want to know the Labyrinth in detail."
"In that case… the information I have might save your lives."
Feeling the hush, Sirone's heart pounded. Save their lives? He couldn't make sense of it. What in the world was in the autonomous zone for talk like that to come up?
"I'll be clear: if you approach the Labyrinth's spacetime without my information, there's a near–100 percent chance you'll die. If you join hands with me, you might live. In short, I'm trading with your lives as collateral."
"Why, you—!"
Amy sprang to her feet and shouted.
"You think that kind of threat will work? That's not proof. You're just trying to scare us. Even the Freeman organization has been in and out of there. No matter how dangerous, it's not a matter of life and death."
"That's why I said it: there's no particular danger in the autonomous district. The problem is if you enter via the trial route. And Sirone—"
Kanis turned to Sirone.
"I already know the method you're going to try in the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. You intend to open the Immortal Function in the Labyrinth's spacetime, don't you?"
All eyes turned to Sirone. Under everyone's gaze, Sirone held his silence for a long time before speaking.
"Right. When I first saw the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice, the structure itself was peculiar. If it were only to test a warrior's might, there'd be no need to revolve the Labyrinth's spacetime in eight directions. And the atmosphere there was too solemn to be merely decorative. So I wondered—maybe what the Angel's Pupil is watching isn't brute force at all."
Kanis nodded, as if to say the judgment was sound.
"For now, all we can do is hope that method is correct."
"Huh? I thought you knew."
"I told you—half and half. But I, too, suspect it's tied to the Immortal Function. Of course, I might be wrong."
"In that case, Kanis, what is it you want?"
"Let's discuss that after you pass the trial gate. I've said this much only because you're an Unlocker. Banking on that slim chance, I've given you quite a lot."
"Mm… what should we do?"
Meeting Sirone's eye, Amy nodded. They'd already decided to challenge the trial gate before meeting Kanis; making a deal wouldn't hurt.
Amy wrapped up the situation with instructions.
"Alright. Sirone, you go into the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. We'll use the passes and head to the autonomous zone first. No issues up to here, right?"
She asked for confirmation again. That was how strong the card Kanis had played felt.
"No problem. The smuggling route is just the comfortable way. Only one person needs to get a passing verdict from the Labyrinth's spacetime."
Amy's temples throbbed. She could sketch the outline, but with so little information, everything was blurry.
"Phew. I really don't know what's what. Anyway, we'll know if Sirone passes. Let's get moving. If we start walking now, we'll make it in time."
Once they left the tavern, they split into two groups. Amy's side and Kanis's side joined up, and Sirone would head to the altar alone.
"Then, Sirone—do well. Don't overdo it."
Amy was worried. Hadn't he forced open the Immortal Function the last time and nearly gone to a place from which he could never return?
"Yeah. I won't push it. If it doesn't work, I'll just give up. You be careful too, Amy. Something unexpected could happen."
At this point, with talk of lives on the line, she couldn't help the old-woman's worry. Amy turned her head and checked the party's lineup: Rian with his strong power, nimble Tess, plus defense-specialist Kanis and mental-type Arin joining in.
They were two mages she'd hated to death when they were enemies, but in a crisis they'd more than pull their weight. Thinking that made her feel reassured on one side.
"As for us… I don't think we've got much to worry about."
"Haha! True enough. Glad our firepower got reinforced."
Amy couldn't laugh it off. Sirone, too, seemed to sense this would be much more dangerous than expected.
As Sirone left and headed for the altar, Amy led her friends west.
"Arin, let's go too."
When Amy's group put some distance between them, Kanis looked back at Arin and spoke. But she couldn't take her eyes off Sirone, as if she'd found something curious.
"Arin? What is it?"
"Hey, Kanis… is Sirone blond by any chance?"
Arin's mechanism for receiving the world wasn't like normal humans'. Because she couldn't match the form and name of a given object, she couldn't even tell what its true form was.
So perceiving Sirone as blond, when he was blond, was certainly unusual.
"Sirone? Yeah, he's blond. Why? How does he look to you?"
Arin blinked, then turned her body.
"No, nothing strange. Let's go."
Kanis shrugged and went after Amy. Arin also walked, sinking into silent thought. Then, at some moment, as if she'd suddenly realized something, she looked back.
'Ah, I see. That child is…'
Arin couldn't take her eyes off Sirone for a long time.
Sirone arrived at the western altar. He approached the native glaring at him with fearsome eyes and spoke the passphrase.
"Kertia, ro hoima. Acrasia, Widmia benzen."
The native nodded and worked the mechanism to open the door. When he slipped into the pitch-dark entrance, a spiral staircase lit by torches appeared.
Sirone descended slowly. He'd been here before, but maybe because he was alone, the atmosphere felt entirely different.
At the bottom waited the same corridor as before. The natives said something as they guided him along.
He didn't understand the words, but he could guess the gist. It was just rules for the rite, so there was no need for further communication.
Past the iron door installed at the end of the corridor, a familiar sight spread out. Eight spheres hovering in an octagon over a broad altar. The Labyrinth's spacetime, called the Angel's Pupil, was waiting for Sirone.
The gatekeeper had changed, but the man with white tattoos on his face looked the same as before. Or maybe not. He still couldn't tell Kergoan faces apart precisely.
"May I take the trial?"
"This is the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. The Angel's eight eyes will judge you. To enter Kergo, you must pass through the Labyrinth's spacetime."
When the man finished explaining, Sirone stepped onto the altar. Before testing the Immortal Function, he intended to strike the Labyrinth's spacetime with Laser.
Resolving to go all out, he focused Laser in front of him. As a chilling red light flared, even the taciturn, white-tattooed man wore a surprised look.
Sirone fired Laser with all his strength. The number took longer than usual to appear on the Labyrinth's spacetime—probably because the impacts were coming in continuously.
At last, numbers surfaced on the Labyrinth's spacetime. The first number Sirone saw was a mere 200. Then, as the seconds ticked by, the digits climbed to a new place value.
From 400 to 782. From 1,311 to 2,643. It even shot past 4,874 and surged to 6,822.
Finding hope, Sirone clenched his fist. But at that moment, the numbers reset and began climbing again from 72.
It seemed the Labyrinth's spacetime itself had a time limit attached. As the counting cycle turned twice, the maximum score of 6,822 appeared one last time.
The Labyrinth's spacetime shed a red glow, announcing Sirone's failing verdict to every corner of the room.
"Phew."
Sirone let out a hollow breath. Laser had definitely had an effect. But the Labyrinth had anticipated even the trick of energy accumulation and set restrictions.
The bitterest part was that even though it was his personal best, he still hadn't passed.
Sirone suddenly recalled Kanis's talk of losing one's life. Just how far had the headmaster foreseen when he permitted this ruin expedition?
While he was sunk in such thoughts, the white-tattooed man spoke in a solemn voice.
"Will you leave, or remain? If you would prove your skill, pass through the Labyrinth's spacetime."
Sirone shook his head, as if to fling off fear. He couldn't give up after coming this far. His friends had already gone into the autonomous district.
"I'll try once more."
Arms folded, the man waited in silence. Taking that for permission, Sirone planted himself in the very center of the altar.
Immortal Function.
If this didn't work, that was the end of it. Whatever Kanis knew, he would cleanly give up.
"Hoo…"
Sirone calmed his heart and entered the Spirit Zone. As the defensive Zone expanded, it swallowed the eightfold Labyrinth's spacetime floating around him.
After a last inspection of the Spirit Zone's rim, Sirone widened his eyes and opened the Immortal Function.
"—Huk!"
At that instant, something unbelievable happened.
Mental power poured out beyond control and was all sucked into the Labyrinth's spacetime.
'Th-this…!'
The rate of mental absorption was tremendous. Under normal conditions, the Zone would have shriveled in an instant. But as much power as was being absorbed, force surged in from the realm of infinity, keeping a razor's-edge balance.
Sirone was afraid of this uncontrollable situation. It felt as if his self-value had vanished completely and he'd become merely a door linking the power here to the power there.
'No! Get a grip!'
In this state, his consciousness would disintegrate just like before. The luck of being reassembled by the Labyrinth's will would never come again.
"Urrrrrrgh!"
Sirone structured the defensive frame to its maximum and yanked the Zone taut. He felt a tight bearing, but the mental exudation was so strong that the form still wouldn't change.
From there he entered Adamantine and withstood it desperately.
He couldn't think anything. He only prayed for it to end quickly, and that he wouldn't scatter like this.
At that moment, the eight spheres of the Labyrinth's spacetime shone resplendently. Eight beams of light fired at once toward Sirone, swelling into a white globe centered on him and completely covering the altar.
"Huuuuuuh!"
Sirone shuddered with a fierce sense of deprivation. It was almost the same as when he first opened the Immortal Function.
"O—oooh!"
The natives cried out, faces astonished, staring at Sirone enwrapped in light.
Sirone's body was floating up to the ceiling.
As if an illusion were unfolding, his eyelids did not blink, and his pupils trembled with shock at whatever they were seeing.
Having drunk in near-infinite mind, the Labyrinth's spacetime now used that very power to transmit information to Sirone.
It could only be something the eight spheres could show once they were filled to the limit.
The natives screamed at the tops of their lungs.
"Ra! Anke! Ra!"
At that instant, a light bright enough to blind exploded and filled the chamber with the altar.
The natives turned their heads and squeezed their eyes shut.
And when the light faded again, Sirone was already standing on the altar, gasping for breath.
"Hah! Huff!"
Sirone still couldn't gather his wits. He couldn't even tell where he was.
What had he just seen? Was it really a place that existed? What had the Labyrinth been thinking, to make such a device and wait for an Unlocker?
'An illusion? Or real? I don't know anything. What in the world does this have to do with the Immortal Function?'
Sirone snapped out of it and turned his head. Every native gathered at the altar was down on one knee with heads bowed.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Sirone tried to stop them, bewildered. But the natives didn't even breathe loudly; they only held a posture of obedience.
The white-tattooed man looked up at Sirone and spoke.
"Please convey Ra's will, O messenger of God."
- End of Volume 7 -