“So, what should I do?”
After completing the soul bond, Tiamat now needed to transform Yujin into a dragon as per the contract.
From the beginning, in order for him to escape from here, he needed to become a dragon and use the powers of a dragon. With Yujin’s current strength alone, it was impossible to escape the labyrinth created by the gods by himself.
[First, take your hand away from my heart and approach my bones.]
“Can we still communicate even if I take my hand away from your heart?”
[Since our bodies are already bound by souls, is there anything that wouldn’t work? If you want, we can also look into each other’s hearts.]
“…I see.”
Yujin felt uneasy at the thought of his heart being read, but he had no choice. The terms of the contract dictated it. Thinking that, as he removed his hand from Tiamat’s heart, Tiamat spoke.
[See? We can still talk, right?]
“Yes, we can.”
[Now, approach my bones.]
Yujin began to approach Tiamat’s bones as instructed. He placed his hand on one of the rib bones that seemed to be embedded in the ground.
“Is this alright?”
[Yes. This next part is important. From now on, I will voluntarily transfer my knowledge to you.]
“Transferring knowledge… Ugh!”
Suddenly, a tremendous wave of information struck Yujin’s mind. Tiamat was directly transmitting knowledge to Yujin through their souls. Because of that, Yujin must have felt as if his brain was melting in an instant. His head became hot and he was unable to do anything.
How much time had passed? After almost 30 minutes of Yujin standing there blankly, unable to do anything, Tiamat spoke.
[…Um, are you alright?]
“…Hmm… Yes, I’m fine. Although, I’m a bit dizzy.”
[I’m sorry. I momentarily forgot about a mortal’s ability to process information. I think I tried to cram too much of my knowledge into you.]
[No, there’s no need to apologize. After all, isn’t it the knowledge I need?]
[Mhmm, that’s right.]
It’s the method to evolve a human body into that of a dragon. For a human mage, magical knowledge that is like fragments of absolute truth was injected all at once into Yujin’s mind. If he hadn’t been an awakener, his brain might have really melted. But Yujin remained calm.
“Hmm… I understand the method itself, but… it’s more complicated than I thought.”
He only thought about the “method to be reborn as a dragon’s body” that Tiamat had conveyed. There was too much information, and some knowledge he didn’t know, so he couldn’t grasp the exact principles, but he knew what to do for the time being. However, it was complicated. He never thought it would be simple in the first place, but it was much more complicated than he had expected. Moreover…
“Writing this formula won’t be easy with just my magical power.”
What Tiamat had conveyed was a kind of alchemical knowledge. It involved transforming a human body into a dragon’s body using dragon bones as a catalyst.
The field of magic created to transform one substance into another had many similarities to alchemy… No, in fact, knowledge that was like a dream to alchemists had been granted to Yujin’s mind.
Naturally, since alchemy itself was a type of magic, its foundation was accomplished through magic formulas such as magic circles. Whether it was using an object as a catalyst to perform magic, magically processing a catalyst, or transforming a catalyst into something else, all of these were achieved through a kind of magical process via magic formulas.
However, such magical processes were often difficult, and insufficient with simple magic formulas alone… No, it was frequently challenging. The magical processes of alchemy were carried out with the help of various tools and instruments necessary for the process.
However, Tiamat’s magic formulas enabled all these processes solely through the formulas themselves, without the help of such instruments. Consequently, the magic formulas applied to these processes became more complex and required a greater amount of magical power.
Although Yujin might have been able to devise the magic formulas himself if he dedicated enough time, he lacked the sheer amount of magical power required to activate the formulas.
[Ah… I see. In that case, let’s begin by using my heart.]
“Do you mean Tiamat’s heart?”
[Yes, I’m talking about using the magical power embedded in my heart. How about extracting and using the magical power as if you were using an orb?]
“However, the magical power embedded in Tiamat’s heart is incredibly powerful. Can I actually extract and use it?”
Tiamat’s magical power… To be honest, it was nothing compared to Yujin’s magical power. Yujin was not an awakened mage with exceptionally strong magic, but extracting magical power from the heart of an entity equivalent to the leader of dragons was beyond his abilities.
Could he, with merely the skill to manipulate his meager magic, steer that majestic flow according to his will? Yujin was doubtful.
[Of course, under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t be able to use my magical power. But if I grant permission, wouldn’t that change things?]
“…Hmm, very well. Then, let’s give it a try.”
But in response to Tiamat’s words, Yujin nodded his head and returned with Tiamat’s heart. He then placed his hand on the bone once more.
Yujin began to extract the magical power from Tiamat’s heart that he held in one hand.
Wooooooong!
That majestic magical power began to flow, moving according to Yujin’s will. Feeling this, Yujin let out a long breath.
“…Hoo.”
He had only made it move according to his will for a moment, but he felt a profound omnipotence. If he were to swallow this heart and make this magical power his own, what kind of feeling would that be? A moment of greed flashed through him, but he shook it off.
He must not forget what he had to do. Being intoxicated by the sensations of power would definitely turn him into a beast-like being.
He slowly began to manipulate Tiamat’s magical power to start crafting the magic formula.
And then, the magic formula was inscribed onto the pillar. The dark red magical power was etched into the bone that looked like a massive pillar with circuit-like patterns.
They looked both like writing and, as previously compared, like circuits. Mysterious, incomprehensible patterns gradually etched themselves into the bone.
However, the speed was by no means fast. The magic formula, which began spreading slowly from the point where Yujin placed his hand, seemed as though it would take an entire era to fully fill this colossal bone. Initially, Yujin had only used magic for gate raids as an awakener and was completely unfamiliar with alchemy, making this process even more challenging.
[Keep going. I’ll help you a little more.]
At that moment, Tiamat said so and began doing something.
“……..!”
Whoooosh!
Yujin felt his head becoming incredibly refreshed. His brain started working faster, and the speed at which he crafted the magic formula increased dramatically.
“I temporarily enhanced your potential. I sharpened your senses and maximized your concentration. You can consider it enlightenment.”
Yujin didn’t even hear those words. He was already pouring his energy into crafting the magic formula in a trance-like state.
The magic formula spread rapidly across the bone. The dragon bone, with its extremely high magical power conductivity, allowed the magic to extend without any blockage.
In that way, the magic formula began to spread through the giant bones.
***
The Great Labyrinth.
A prison where the gods who had won the great war among the transcendents imprisoned the traces of dead transcendents and those who were defeated.
Within the labyrinth, countless things lay dormant.
Traces of deceased transcendents, transcendents who had stood unchallenged before the great war but could not move freely due to the constraints of the Great Labyrinth, and treasures and riches befitting the numerous crises and trials encountered within the labyrinth.
All of these things uniformly stimulated the greed and adventurous spirit of mortals.
The precious resources that could be obtained from the labyrinth, the incredible treasures imbued with some of the power of the transcendents, the traces of the dead transcendents, and the power that could be obtained by being chosen by the transcendents imprisoned inside were naturally things that mortals coveted. Therefore, mortals wanted to enter the Labyrinth.
And, in response, the gods opened the gates of the labyrinth to the mortals.
And the mortals began to willingly choose adventure, hoping to gain new opportunities and power from the labyrinth.
And so, the so-called era of Great Labyrinth exploration had opened.
Countless opportunities lay dormant within the labyrinth. If they could seize even one opportunity, they could become winners in life and enjoy wealth and honor.
Those who already had sought to explore more than they possessed, while those without ventured into the labyrinth in search of new opportunities.
However, the labyrinth also held its fair share of dangers and trials. The various monsters that existed within the labyrinth, the trials that increased as you progressed through the labyrinth, and the ploys of the transcendent beings who had ill will toward outsiders while they were trapped there…
Although the transcendents of the labyrinth were restricted by its rules in how they could interfere with mortals, even that was fatal for the mortals.
“Heh… Ugh…!”
For example, this girl.
A white-haired girl who appeared to be in her late teens was twisting her body in pain. Like many who challenged the labyrinth, she had challenged the labyrinth and came out with some aftereffects.
The only difference between her and the countless others was that she was of noble birth.
As if to prove this, she was surrounded by individuals who seemed to be high-ranking priests and a woman dressed in knightly attire.
And they looked at the girl with expressions of anxiety or bewilderment.
“…Phew.”
Soon, a blonde woman in priestly robes tightly closed her eyes and turned her head. Resignation was evident on her face. Seeing this, the woman dressed in the knightly attire asked,
“…Saintess of Purification? Why are you…”
The Saintess of Purification.
An apostle of the transcendents… who had received some of the divine power of Fripian, the goddess of purification.
Since she inherited the power of one of the gods present in the heavens, her status was high. Especially compared to other saints and maidens who were apostles of different gods, there was no one above her in the field of “purification” except for the gods themselves.
Curses, diseases, pollution, and so on….it was extremely rare for her to fail to purify something. However…
The fact that it was extremely rare meant that it was not impossible.
There were certainly curses that could not be purified with the power granted to mere mortals.
Transcendents.
Even though mortals possessed the power granted by the transcendents, mortals could not eliminate them.
“…For me, it’s impossible.”
“…Wh-What do you mean? Impossible?”
However, to the woman dressed in the knight attire, it seemed like nonsense. A curse that even the saintess chosen by the goddess of purification couldn’t erase….was that possible? Yet, despite the desperate question from the female knight, the Saintess of Purification shook her head.
“…I can’t purify everything. To begin with, this isn’t a simple curse.”
“If you say it’s not a simple curse…”
“…It’s a demon.”
“…….!”
Demons.
Or what were called evil gods, they were beings that stood in opposition to the gods.
Transcendents who possessed magical power, which was a force that stood opposite to the divine power of the gods.
The names of beings who were defeated during the Great War and should have been imprisoned in the Great Labyrinth were mentioned.
“Ah, did a demon cast the curse directly?”
“…No. According to the rules of the labyrinth, demons cannot cast curses that even I cannot purify upon mortals without any restrictions.”
Indeed, the transcendents trapped in the labyrinth could only exert limited influence on mortals in the form of trials. Even those trials could not be solely designed by the transcendents to torment mortals.
Moreover, if a mortal overcame a trial, he or she had to be rewarded according to the difficulty of the trial, resulting in a loss to the transcendent imprisoned in the Labyrinth. As a result, the transcendents generally imposed trials that mortals could handle, and most of them were merely trivial pastimes to alleviate their boredom.
Furthermore, whether to undertake a trial was entirely up to the mortal, and if they failed to overcome it, they would meet death according to the rules of the tower.
This was the mercy of the gods. If transcendents who bestowed trials were allowed to determine the consequences for mortals who failed to overcome them, the outcome would most often involve the mortals being treated as mere playthings…..they would eventually end up broken and discarded.
At least dragons or giants, who typically showed little interest in mortals, might mercifully grant them a swift death or even let them go entirely. But demons were another matter.
In reality, most transcendents who imposed trials were demons. As mentioned before, dragons and giants rarely showed enough interest in mortals to bother with trials.
But demons were different. They found endless joy in creating trials designed to torment mortals. If demons were allowed to decide the consequences of failing such trials, what might happen?
Mortals who challenged these trials would invariably suffer in pain until they perished.
However, if there were no price for failing a trial, mortals would recklessly challenge the trial without being able to discern right from wrong, so the gods compromised the failure of the trial with death.
As a result, it was highly unusual for someone to be cursed in a way that even the Saintess of Purification couldn’t cleanse.
Transcendents of the labyrinth could only wield limited influence over mortals. To exert a greater influence than usual, they needed to impose a trial.
And the rules of the labyrinth were clear: failure in a trial resulted in death, while success brought a reward.
But what, then, was this girl’s current state? She looked far too tormented for someone who had received a reward. And if she had failed, she would already be dead.
It wasn’t uncommon for mortals who returned from the labyrinth to suffer lingering aftereffects, such as injuries, curses, or illnesses. But for someone to bring back a curse so powerful that even the Saintess of Purification couldn’t dispel it could only mean that a transcendent had intervened directly.
“In that case, what on earth…”
“…The reward itself must have been a trap.”
“….…!”
At those words, they turned to look at the girl’s right eye.
Instead of the eye that should have been there, a flower had bloomed.
A pure white, beautiful flower.
Its fully blossomed petals covered part of the girl’s face. If not for her expression of pain, it might even have looked strangely mystical.
“…This flower…”
“Yes. It was said that this kind of flower did not exist on the Princess before she ventured into the labyrinth, correct?”
“…Yes.”
The female knight nodded, and the Saintess of Purification sighed as she continued.
“This flower itself is not merely a curse placed by a demon… No, it is the demon.”
“…Huh”
The knight asked in confusion, unable to comprehend. The flower was a demon itself?
“I mean it literally. This flower is the demon.”
“…What does that mean…”
“According to the rules of the labyrinth, when a mortal overcomes a trial, the transcendent trapped in the labyrinth must grant a reward. But could they possibly offer a curse as a reward?”
“……”
“Of course not. The labyrinth wouldn’t allow it. So, this flower must have been the reward. However…”
The Saintess of Purification glared at the flower as if enraged by its presence.
“…The reward was a trap, as I mentioned earlier.”
“……”
“The demon who granted the Princess her reward… placed itself as the reward.”
“….…!”
The knight’s eyes widened in shock at those words. She looked down at the girl…no, at the princess.
“What does that mean…”
“I can feel it. This isn’t simply imbued with the power of a demon. The demon itself resides within it.”
“……”
“So, of course it cannot be purified. It is a transcendent being. It’s only natural that it can’t be erased with the power given to a mere mortal.”
“That… that can’t be…”
The knight collapsed to the floor, as though consumed by despair.
Bang!
At that moment, someone threw the door to the room wide open and entered.
He was a very handsome man with white hair like the girl and purple eyes. His expression was twisted with anguish as he approached the girl lying on the bed.
“…….”
“…Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“I’ve heard everything, Saintess. So, you’re saying that my sister…”
The man, referred to as the Crown Prince, bit his lip before continuing.
“…is possessed by a demon?”
“…That’s what I believe.”
“…How is that even possible? The labyrinth wouldn’t allow something like that…”
“…Occasionally, the labyrinth grants dangerous rewards that the user cannot control.”
“……..!”
“But if one can control it, it can become a powerful weapon. This demon is presumed to be one of those.”
The Crown Prince glared at the Saintess with a face that twisted further in frustration.
“But this is a transcendent being! And not just any. It is an evil god, a demon! If the gods were in their right minds, how could they allow a prisoner they sealed themselves to be set free…!”
“Your Highness! That is blasphemy!”
“Shut up!”
At the suggestion that the gods might be unworthy of trust, an old priest scolded him sharply. The Crown Prince whose face contorted with fury barked back. The elder priest flinched and stepped back.
The spirit radiating from the crown prince made even the devout believers armed with faith step back.
“My sister is possessed by a demon and dying right now! Do you think your petty accusations of blasphemy matter to me?”
“…This…!”
“…Your Highness, please calm down first and listen to me.”
The Crown Prince bit his lip again, evidently restraining his anger. No matter what, he could not bring himself to lash out at the Saintess chosen by the gods themselves. He took a deep breath and asked,
“…What exactly is going on?”
“…From what I can deduce, this is not a complete transcendent being. It’s likely the remnants of a demon who died during the Great War, sealing its essence in the form of a reward.”
In addition to the trials given by the transcendent, various trials in the form of missions were given to mortals in the tower. Rewards were also given accordingly.
While a dead transcendent cannot directly impose trials, objects imbued with their power can sometimes serve as rewards to those who overcome these trials.
“So, you mean to say…”
“…It’s the residue of a dead transcendent. You could say it lacks consciousness. It was likely deemed harmless enough to be brought outside the labyrinth.”
“………”
“However… the Princess’s body is changing rapidly. It’s possible that a new demon may be born on this earth.”
As the Saintess of Purification examined the Princess’s condition, she determined that the girl was transitioning into something far from human. Perhaps even something closer to a demon.
“…Are you saying…”
“…A decision must be made quickly. Before it’s too late.”
The statement that the Princess might need to be killed before the demon fully manifested hung in the air.
It was only because the other party was the Crown Princess and the Saintess of Purification, one of the more gentle Apostles of the Gods, was present that the matter ended with just words. If the Apostle of the God of War had been here, he might have smashed the head of the princess who was showing signs of turning into a demon without hesitation.
Even some of the priests present suggested that the Princess should be killed immediately. However, the Saintess wanted, at the very least, to allow the family some time to come to terms with what was happening.
“…Is there no treatment, no way to cure her?”
The Crown Prince asked desperately while seeking any possible solution. Yet, even the Saintess of Purification could not provide a definitive answer.
“…If a transcendent were involved, there might be a way. But due to the aftermath of the Great War and the creation of the Great Labyrinth, the gods can only exert limited power on the mortal plane. Hoping for their direct intervention is… impractical.”
“………”
“As for other transcendents… there are those in the labyrinth, but beings like dragons and giants care little for humanity. Even if they were willing to help, it’s unlikely they’d offer a solution capable of eradicating the demonic essence entirely. As for demons… that’s out of the question.”
In reality, this meant there was no real solution. Still, the Crown Prince clung to a sliver of hope.
“Then… is there any way to overcome it?”
“…A vast, overwhelming energy would be necessary.”
“…A vast energy?”
“Yes. Your Highness’s own energy won’t be able to withstand it. It’s impossible for a mortal to withstand the demon’s magic with the… so-called inferior energy.”
“……”
“However… if an energy as powerful as that of a transcendent, such as the divine power of the gods, the aura of a giant, or… the magical power of a dragon, could be continuously infused, there is a possibility of overcoming the demonic essence.”
The saintess continued her speech with a somewhat dark face.
“Even though I have received the blessing of divine power, the energy I possess is still mortal in nature. It doesn’t reach the level of true divine power.”
“……….”
“As I mentioned earlier, the help of a transcendent is essential. Even if curing her is impossible, for the Princess to suppress and control the demonic energy within her…”
But no transcendent existed on the mortal plane. The gods drained by the Great War and the creation of the Great Labyrinth could only exert their influence from the heavens. Meanwhile, other transcendents were either dead or confined within the labyrinth.
The Crown Prince eventually lowered his head in despair.
It was then.
“Is there a way to buy time, at least?”
“…Your Majesty!”
At that moment, a middle-aged man with white hair and a crown entered the room.
Even the Saintess, who had only briefly bowed her head to the Crown Prince, immediately knelt and offered her greetings.
“I greet the sun of the empire.”
“Enough with formalities, Saintess. More importantly, is there any remnant of a deceased transcendent that could buy us some time?”
“That is… yes. If there is an artifact imbued with a transcendent’s power, it should be able to buy us some time.”
“…Understood.”
At those words, the Emperor nodded and turned his gaze to his daughter who lay on the bed.
“…Then we must find a way to buy time and somehow find answers within the labyrinth.”
Having said that, the Emperor turned his back and addressed the knights standing outside the room.
“In the name of Emperor Julius von Arcedium, I command you to open the palace treasury.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“And as soon as the emergency treatment is complete, the Second Princess, Elicia von Arcedium, will be sent back to the Academy.”
“Father!”
The Crown Prince, who had been bowing his head, raised it in shock and exclaimed.
“Father, what are you saying? This is a situation where even immediate rest may not be enough!”
“Do you think merely resting will change the situation, Allen? Nothing will change just by buying time.”
“………”
“She must return to the Academy and, after that, enter the labyrinth. It is there that the answers must be found.”
Unable to argue against those words, the Crown Prince lowered his head once again.
“God…”
The Crown Prince closed his eyes tightly and prayed.
May the gods watch over us.
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