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Volume 13 Chapter 5 Part 5

Roxanne puts in some strong emphasis into her words.

So that’s it, huh? That’s what this is really about?

「However, there is a small problem. 」

「A small problem? 」 asked Sherry, trying to confirm exactly what the problem was.

To be honest, the problem is the single member of my Party who thinks there are no problems with us climbing up the Labyrinth floors like crazy.

「First, the Labyrinth itself is located within the territory of the Earl of Selmar. Liberating it would benefit the current Earl of Selmar, but is that okay with you, Rutina? 」

We might not be able to find out about it if we go by Warp, but it would be better to check with Rutina anyway, especially since there’s a strong possibility that we might end up getting discovered at some point. It’s best not to raise any suspicions if we can help it. There are many other things we’re hiding, after all.

「No, I don’t have any objections. Liberating the Labyrinths is only the natural thing to do, so we should do it for the sake of the people of the Earl of Selmar’s territory. 」

Rutina has readily accepted the idea. I guess she also is convinced that the liberation of the Labyrinths is the responsibility of a noble. The Duke of Hartz has totally has her dancing in the palm of his hand.

「I see. 」

「Besides, if we liberate it, it would be much better than having it be liberated by someone under that man’s control. 」

Who is this 「that man」she’s referring to? The same one who killed her father, of course. And let’s not forget that technically, the person under his control is me.

「Well, if you think about it, then I guess you’re right. 」

「Yes, of course. 」

I then dropped the biggest problem onto the girls.「And one more thing. The Labyrinth we were supposed to be introduced to was meant to be liberated on the 50th floor, but it seems to have up to 51 floors. In other words, we’ll be aiming to defeat it on the 51st floor. 」

「That’s wonderful! 」a certain someone cried.

Yup. I knew it. The biggest problem seems to be a virtue to Roxanne. It’s turned into a point of praise, even though it’s a problem for me

「In any case, we’ll be challenging the 51st floor from now on, so it won’t be a problem. It doesn’t seem like it will be difficult just because it’s the top floor. If the difficulty has gone down even a little since the surrounding Labyrinths have been defeated, then it’s probably the most suitable Labyrinth for us to challenge right now. 」 Sherry coldly analyzed the situation.

That’s true, though. Since Roxanne is here, if we weren’t introduced to the Yezera’s Labyrinth, we’d just be challenging the 51st floor of the Akishima Labyrinth like we planned to do before.

There’s no way to escape the 51st floor. There’s no escaping the Great Demon Lord.

「Let’s do it, desu! 」

「I think we will be fine. 」

Yes, yes, I heard those same words a million times before.

「For the sake of the Lord’s Assembly, it won’t hurt to gain some experience in that Labyrinth. Whether it’s the 50th or 51st floor is irrelevant. 」

「I see. 」

Everyone said they were fine with doing it. I knew it.

「No. In fact, the 51st floor is better. If you defeat a Floor Boss for the first time on the 50th floor, there’s a risk that they’ll think you’re trying to act like you’re doing them a favor and show off, but defeating it on the 51st floor would mean that they’d have no choice but to recognize your skill. Both amazing and correct! 」

That’s a subtle way to praise me. Well, it’s true. If we do well on the 51st floor, The Duke of Harz won’t have any excuse to act all big-headed.

「I see. 」

「As expected of your crisis avoidance abilities, master. 」

Was she really praising me?

What was Duke Harz thinking when he arranged for the Labyrinth to be conquered on the 51st floor? If he wanted to do us a favor, he should have allowed us to conquer it on the 50th floor. People who can defeat it on the 51st floor should be able to defeat it more easily on the 50th floor, so it’s of no benefit whether it’s their first time or not. I’m not grateful to him or anything.

Once you’ve passed the 50th floor, you’ve practically defeated the Labyrinth, so maybe that’s why it doesn’t matter anymore. I may have done something bad to the Duke of Hartz. To be honest, I feel a little bit sorry.

「Well, that’s beside the point. So, is it okay if we challenge the Labyrinth that I was introduced to? 」

「Yes. I’m looking forward to it. 」 Roxanne answered on behalf of everyone.

I don’t think you should force someone to be excited about it, Roxanne. At least not to such an extent. This time, I choose to believe Sherry is the one who is looking forward to it, wondering what it’ll be like to liberate the Labyrinth. I feel like she would agree with something like this.

Rutina was probably on that side to begin with. In other words, at least half of her is on the side of excitement. It would be tricky to ask Miria and Vesta if they’re not looking forward to it. They may have been so poisoned by Roxanne that it’s too late for them now.

The situation is unfavorable… No. Our Party does not use a majority rule. It’s a one-party dictatorship. Democratic centralism. The principle of leadership is my rule, and I want you to follow the principle!

「W-well, that’s beside the point. The Labyrinth I have been shown includes the 50th floor in addition to the 51st floor, but would it be better to start from the 50th floor? 」

「No. The 51st floor should be enough. 」 My idea was quickly rejected by the frightening Roxanne dictatorship.

I guess it was impossible after all. I had made it possible to go to the 50th floor in case something like a choice happened. But it never happened. It might have been better to just go to the 50th floor without saying anything, but it would be troublesome if I was found out later.

The Explorer at the Labyrinth entrance doesn’t need to be worried about this time, but someone like Gozer might let it slip. And the Duke of Hartz is especially suspicious. I’m not saying it’s reckless or careless; but it’s better not to hide things from him or tell too many lies to him

No. In the first place, it would be a question of how we knew we couldn’t defeat the fifty-first floor, so it makes sense that we would go to the fifty-first floor. If we just went to the fifty-first floor without any hesitation, then the question would be raised of why we chose the fifty-first floor.

Someone like Sherry would probably interject that.

We could say that it’s been a while since the Labyrinth came out into the open, so it seems impossible to defeat it on the fifty-first floor, but it would be difficult. Piling lies on top of lies means greater damage when you get found out, and if one of them turns out to be untrue, both lies will be seen through, so the chances of being exposed increase. Simply put, the probability of getting outed doubles, even if it’s not such a simple calculation. But, well, it’s close, so it’s better to stop.

「I want to see the monster combinations as well. 」

「Even so, the 51st floor is a combination of 51 floors, so it’s not something we need to place so much importance on. 」 Ugh. Even Sherry coldly rejected the idea.

「I see. 」

「At the very least, I don’t think there’s any immediate danger or risk in fighting on the 51st floor of the Labyrinth that was just introduced to us. 」 Sherry continued.

「Hmm. 」

Labyrinths are dangerous places.

「If we fight on the 51st floor once and feel it’s a bit too tough, then we can just go to the 50th floor. We should have that much leeway. Just because it’s a Labyrinth you’ve never entered before, there’s no reason to start from the 50th floor. 」

She always uses sound arguments, Sherry does. It’s true, starting from the 50th floor might not be optimal. We were able to fight on the 51st floor of the Akishima and Quratar labyrinths, so it’s not like we’ll be completely unable to compete on the 51st floor of the new Labyrinth. In that case, it would be the right choice to try it out first.