The Poison Labyrinth

A group clad in black cloaks.

That alone gave off a different air than usual.

Matching outfits… the impression a color scheme created really was significant.

The cloaks looked cool, but the black made them look less like an adventurer party and more like a suspicious group.

If they weren't a gathering of beautiful women, someone might have reported them.

"As a cloak, it's also far superior to anything on the market. It was sourced from a high-difficulty labyrinth, after all."

"The fit is certainly nice…"

Alexia fingered the edge of the black cloak, feeling the material.

"Well then, let's head out. Safety first. Lives take priority, agreed?"

"Absolutely. That's how we always do things."

"Good, good. A lot of people say adventurers are reckless, but no matter how talented or strong you are, that kind of attitude will get you killed."

Ramiza-san nodded in agreement, then set off with Azu and the others.

From here on, all he could do was pray for their safety.

May nothing go wrong.

"Hmm hm hmm."

I watched Ramiza-san's back as she walked at the front, humming a tune.

I'd heard she was a renowned alchemist, but I hadn't known she'd been an adventurer.

Yet she was nothing like any adventurer I'd ever seen. She seemed full of openings.

It was a force of habit for adventurers: no matter who they were, they always maintained some level of alertness, even in everyday life.

The most obvious examples were Alexia-san and Finn-chan.

Any time someone moved close to them, they always reacted in some way.

It was probably trained into them at an instinctive level.

Elza-san could be a bit absent-minded, but even she had far fewer openings than Ramiza-san.

In daily life, too, Ramiza-san's slovenliness was conspicuous. My impression had been that she got by purely because her skills were exceptional.

Even so, she was an attractive, mature woman whose charm never diminished.

"What is it, Azu-chan? Did you need something?"

"Nothing. Was I bothering you?"

"Not at all. It's perfectly natural to wonder whether a new companion for a labyrinth run can be trusted."

She'd caught me staring.

Maybe I'd been a bit too obvious about it.

The Adventurer's Guild registration card she'd let me verify would result in immediate suspension if forged, so it had to be genuine.

It clearly stated a rank higher than ours.

So I didn't doubt her ability, but I was very curious about how someone this relaxed actually fought.

Depending on her combat style's compatibility with ours, it might be better to have her stay in the back.

"I've always wanted to do something like this with Yohane-kun's prized pupils. Usually Yohane-kun is always with you, so there's never been a chance. You know, like a girls' get-together."

"A girls' get-together…?"

"Ah, you're thinking I'm too old for that, aren't you?"

"No, not at all… You look very young and beautiful."

That was the truth.

Given her background, even accounting for making her name at a young age, she had to have accumulated a fair number of years. Yet none of it showed on her appearance.

She looked only slightly older than Alexia.

"Hehe. Sorry for fishing for compliments. But for me, appearances are something I can more or less control. Remember a while back? When I had you retrieve those special peaches."

"Oh, that was when we delivered aroma to the Empire's duchess, right? Those rare Silver Peaches."

"Right, right. I'd just run out."

That had been my first meeting with Ramiza-san, if memory served.

… She really hadn't changed one bit since then.

It was hard to believe that this person's potions had saved hundreds of lives.

"Remember what they do?"

"They rejuvenate the skin and give it a healthy glow… right?"

"Hmm. Oh, right. We diluted the extract and used it that way back then, so maybe that's how it seemed? The actual effect is literal rejuvenation. More precisely, it extends your lifespan. Didn't you eat any on-site?"

"I think I did, actually. But I didn't feel anything like that."

The memory was coming back to me. I'd heard it extended one's lifespan, but eating it hadn't produced any noticeable effect.

It had been quite delicious, though. That much I remembered.

"Well, on its own, the effect lasts about a day at best. But when combined with a certain food, the effect multiplies dramatically. Interesting, right?"

"Really? What food is it…?"

"Not telling. This is something only I know. Other people might know too, but nothing's been published. Since the effect only lasts about a day, nobody bothers to go to great lengths to acquire them. They also spoil quickly if you don't eat them on the spot. But if word got out about the real potential, the rich and powerful old folks would start scheming. Those types are scary."

Exactly the kind of person Master was currently dealing with, like the Finance Minister.

"Oh, keep this between us. Just knowing it exists is probably already a problem."

"Then don't bring it up in the first place. Now I'm curious."

"Ahahaha! Well, if you girls ever manage to acquire the ingredient on your own, I'll tell you the secret. You'd want to stay as beautiful as possible by Yohane-kun's side, right?"

"That's… well, yes."

People aged.

That was unavoidable.

But if you could slow it down even a little, stretching out those years of beauty—

The allure of that was compelling enough to tempt even someone as young as Azu.

Still, the way she'd phrased it… could the ingredient be obtained from some labyrinth somewhere?

"Well, look at that. We arrived while we were chatting."

"This is the labyrinth we're looking for?"

The labyrinth the viscount had asked Master to conquer, back at the royal castle's salon.

Since our reputation was what had prompted the quest, I wanted to succeed no matter what, for Master's sake.

That said, setting the mission aside, my honest impression upon seeing the labyrinth was…

"Hideous is the word."

"Agreed."

I nodded at Alexia-san's assessment.

Toxic fumes poured constantly from the entrance. The surrounding vegetation had withered, and the ground had rotted into sludge.

It didn't seem to affect the area beyond a certain distance, but you could tell at a glance just how dangerous it was.

"If we'd come here without preparing, we would've had to turn right back around."

"Going in there without countermeasures is certain death."

A bird flying above the labyrinth inhaled some of the poison and lost its strength, plummeting toward the ground.

Elza-san extended her right hand toward the bird and healed it with a miracle.

Just before slamming into the ground, the bird regained consciousness and soared back into the sky.

"I can treat it, but just inhaling the fumes is extremely dangerous. If I lost consciousness, there'd be no one to heal anyone."

"Exactly. If you girls want to become upper-rank adventurers, it's time to start thinking about resistance equipment, not just combat ability. Having or lacking the right resistances can completely change the difficulty. Now, put on the rings I gave you."

As instructed, we slipped the borrowed rings onto our wrists.

The moment we did, something like a membrane seemed to envelop our entire bodies.

"From now on, for a limited time, poison won't affect you. But if poison enters your body directly, it can't be blocked, so be careful of monster attacks. Elza, make sure you heal even minor wounds. Got it?"

"Yes, leave it to me. But wow… I had no idea magic tools like this existed."

"She who masters poison masters medicine, as they say. I've also brought antidotes just in case, so speak up if you start feeling unwell. Now then, shall we go?"

As casually as if heading out on a picnic, Ramiza-san stepped into the poison labyrinth.

We followed her in, cautiously.