Labyrinth: Chapter 90/91

Chapter 90: Falmuth Shocked!

A few days later—

The Beast Kingdom of Euranazia and the Kingdom of Blumund officially announced to the world that they would be establishing diplomatic relations with the Labyrinth City of Lapris and launching free trade.

But that wasn't all.

A brand-new shopping model suddenly popped up.

Shopping carts. Remote orders. Online shopping.

This novel concept immediately grabbed the public's attention.

At first, most chambers of commerce were skeptical.

Just send out a brochure, and customers can place orders from afar and buy your stuff?

Seriously?

How could making money be that easy?

But when they noticed that every single magic device was stamped with the official authorization seals of multiple countries, jaws dropped.

This was international cooperation.

It was like a private company suddenly becoming a state-owned enterprise overnight.

No one could figure out how that monster-run city convinced actual nations to go along with it.

Maybe they begged?

Or maybe it was some kind of asylum deal in exchange for tribute?

No one knew for sure.

But that didn't matter. These merchants were sharp—greedy, cunning, and sharp.

After analyzing Lapris's location, plus factoring in its backing by not one but two superpowers...

They got it.

This place might actually replace the Kingdom of Falmuth as the continent's next big trade hub.

——————————

Meanwhile—

The banquet hall of the Falmuth Royal Palace was still lively and extravagant.

The palace rang with music and laughter.

Even standing ten meters away, one could hear the raucous music and the sound of nobles chuckling over their wine.

Inside—

Several nobles surrounded King Falmuth, flattering him with sycophantic smiles.

"As you predicted, Your Majesty."

"It's already been over a month. Even if Dwargon acknowledges the existence of that monster faction, it doesn't affect us at all."

The nobles were smiling wide. They had made a killing this past month.

A while back, the Dwarven Kingdom of Dwargon publicly acknowledged a group of monsters operating in the Jura Forest.

But just like the king had said back then—wild monsters roamed the forest, and no sane merchant guild would risk crossing that deathtrap.

Why take the risk when you can just pay a little more in tariffs?

King Falmuth raised his wine glass and smiled smugly.

"As I said, they're just a bunch of monsters. How could they shake the foundation of Falmuth's centuries-old legacy?"

"Besides, it's a bunch of monsters. How clever can they be?"

"Commerce is the domain of humans. They don't even know how to play the game."

With that, he took a sip of red wine, a sneer curling on his lips.

But—

There was one thing that still bugged him.

Where the hell did that investigation team he'd sent out disappear to?

It had been ages, and not a single report had come back.

Did they die in the Jura Forest?

Tch. Commoners really are hard to manage.

King Falmuth let out a cold snort and shook the thought away.

Whatever. He'd only paid five silver coins for the mission.

That wasn't even worth the wine in his hand.

What a waste…

He'd given them too much.

How could the lives of peasants be compared to his wine?

"Your Majesty, cheers! To Falmuth's bright future!"

"Hahaha! Cheers!"

But as they laughed, one of the nobleman's attendants rushed in and whispered something in his ear.

"What?"

The noble's face changed instantly. His expression soured.

"Your Majesty, I've just remembered something urgent. Please excuse me."

With that, he tossed his wine glass aside and hurried out.

Huh?

King Falmuth blinked, confused.

But he didn't think much of it and turned back to continue his chat.

But as time passed…

More and more servants began entering the venue.

Each one found their respective master and whispered in a panic.

And then—

All the nobles' faces turned pale, as if someone in their family had died.

One after another, they made up excuses and rushed out of the banquet.

In just moments…

Half the venue had cleared out.

What's going on?

Why is everyone acting like this?

King Falmuth took another sip of wine and glanced around at the suddenly thinning crowd of nobles.

Just then—

The Chancellor came barging in, visibly panicked.

"Your Majesty! We have a crisis!"

"Euranazia and Blumund have officially announced diplomatic relations with the monster faction in Jura Forest!"

"What?!"

King Falmuth froze, his expression completely blank.

Euranazia? The Beast Kingdom ruled by Demon Lord Carrion?

That arrogant Lion King who didn't even respect Dwargon was forming relations with a no-name monster nation like Lapris?

No way. That's impossible.

"Ridiculous!"

"Where are you getting this nonsense?!"

He erupted in rage.

But the Chancellor of the Exchequer responded anxiously,

"Your Majesty, it's true!"

"The news is spreading fast throughout the Western Nations!"

"A huge number of merchant guilds have already cut ties with us and switched over to Lapris!"

BOOM!

It felt like thunder had exploded in King Falmuth's brain. His wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.

He immediately grabbed a noble who was trying to leave.

"Where are you going?!"

The noble didn't even look at him.

"Your Majesty, the merchants I manage just informed me they're terminating all contracts—even if it means paying penalties."

"They're serious, Your Majesty. These commoners mean business."

With that, the noble pulled away and stormed out without looking back.

What the hell is going on?

Falmuth stood there in shock.

They don't even care about penalties?

This doesn't make sense!

Even if Lapris really signed treaties with those nations, it shouldn't have this much pull!

Enough to make merchants ditch their deals and jump ship?!

"Your Majesty!"

Another minister ran in, out of breath, clutching a well-made booklet in his hands.

"This was delivered by my personal contact from Dwargon!"

"The monsters at Lapris have started distributing these catalogs and introduced a shopping cart system!"

"This thing's already gone viral in the Armed Nation! Almost every household has one!"

"What is this…"

King Falmuth took the catalog and flipped it open, muttering under his breath.

"Underground Labyrinth Specialty Product Catalog?"

That was the cover title.

He flipped through it. And the more he read, the darker his expression became. His eyes started twitching.

"These monsters… they're selling food from the Beast Kingdom to Dwargon?!"

The Beast Kingdom was an agricultural powerhouse, blessed with fertile soil and famed for its crops.

But it had always been closed-off. Why would they suddenly let monsters act as their distributors?

And even worse, this damn catalog also advertised equipment forged by the dwarves!

King Falmuth's knuckles went white as he clenched the catalog.

Even Dwargon is backing them?!

How the hell did these monsters pull this off?

Gazel Dwargo and Demon Lord Carrion—what are you two doing?!

Why would you suddenly support these monsters?!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 91: Very Good. A True Close-Combat Mage…

And that wasn't even the worst of it. As he flipped further through the catalog…

In addition to acting as a distributor for goods from Dwargon and the Beast Kingdom,
there were plenty of items he had never even heard of before.

For example:

A sunny doll that removes dust from a room.

A cleaning rag that effortlessly wipes off greasy stains from dishes.

A velvet quilt that alleviates fatigue.

And so on…

"What the hell are these things?!"

King Falmuth was so furious he tore the booklet apart and threw it to the ground.

"Have these commoners gone mad?! Buying this kind of trash?!"

He couldn't understand why the chambers of commerce would partner with monsters.

Just then—

He spotted something. One of the torn pages had landed nearby.

He picked it up. On the page was a message:

[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise is actively recruiting investors]
[Now seeking partners. Enjoy 30% profit sharing. Limited spots. First come, first served.]

King Falmuth's entire body began to tremble.

"THEY'RE GIVING COMMONERS A SHARE?!"

In Falmuth, forget about profit sharing—merchants were lucky if the nobles didn't bleed them dry through tariffs alone.

Those tariffs were how nobles fattened themselves on the blood of the business class.

And now? These monsters were sharing profits with the commoners?

"Your Majesty!" One of the ministers jumped in panic. "Other nations are increasing taxes, but they're not only waiving them—they're taking a loss!"

"These monsters are breaking all the rules!"

"They're deliberately disrupting the market!"

"No wonder those untouchables are switching sides. These monsters are vicious!"

King Falmuth's pupils shrank. His face went pale.

At that moment, it finally dawned on him—something was seriously wrong.

This wasn't the kind of scheme monsters would come up with.

Someone clever was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Was it Dwargon? Or the Beast Kingdom?

Or both?

Just then, a man in a robe stepped forward from the back of the room.

White-haired, wrinkled, in his sixties or seventies.

"Court Mage!"

The ministers immediately bowed in respect.

This court mage was one of the most powerful people in Falmuth—second only to the king himself.

Not just because of his magical strength.

But also because he controlled three "heroes" summoned from another world.

Of course, in Falmuth's case, hero was mostly a PR term. These so-called champions each had different powers, awful personalities, and even worse behavior.

Giving them heroic titles just made them easier to manage.

"Razen?" King Falmuth turned toward him.

Razen gave a small bow.

"Your Majesty, this situation is seriously threatening the development of our nation."

"If we allow this trend to spread through the Western Nations, it'll be too late to act."

"Now is the time to suppress them."

"Indeed, Your Majesty."

As they spoke, another man entered—bald and robed in white.

It was Archbishop Reyhiem of the Western Holy Church.

"My King, the Holy Church has officially declared the Monster Kingdom an enemy of God. We are already preparing to launch an attack."

"You're willing to help?!"

King Falmuth's eyes widened in shock.

Hinata Sakaguchi… the Knight Commander of the Holy Church.

That woman had power on par with a Demon Lord.

If the Paladins moved, the Monster Kingdom wouldn't stand a chance.

Reyhiem nodded with a smile.

"The Holy Church is God's messenger. We cannot stand by while monsters run rampant."

However…

Reyhiem added, "But they haven't harmed any nation directly."

"If we want to strike first, we'll need a country to request aid."

King Falmuth thought for a moment.

Soon, the corners of his lips twisted into a cold smile.

"What if… our people were attacked by monsters inside the Monster Kingdom?"

"Ohh~"

The bald archbishop gave a satisfied grin.

"In that case, the Holy Church will send the Paladin Corps to rescue our believers."

The ministers all burst out laughing.

"Brilliant."

"With this, our nation can wipe out the monsters without facing international backlash!"

Beside him, Court Mage Razen said,

"Your Majesty, to demonstrate our strength…"

"I'd like to send the otherworlders as the vanguard unit."

King Falmuth nodded.

"Very well. Those monsters might be formidable, but we can't afford to underestimate them."

Razen replied, "Just in case, I'll instruct them to make a scene, then retreat."

Reyhiem added with a grin, "Fear not, Your Majesty. With the Holy Church's secret arts, those monsters won't be able to retaliate."

Their sacred magic barrier was designed to restrict the mana of monsters and significantly weaken their combat capabilities.

In the original conflict, Falmuth had relied on this technique to suppress Shion and the others—leading to their deaths.

"Excellent!"

King Falmuth laughed heartily.

"This is wonderful! We'll have the upper hand in both public opinion and military force!"

"Our people will be 'attacked' by monsters, and even Dwargon and Euranazia will have no justification to interfere!"

"I approve. Proceed immediately! Those monsters must pay!"

————————————

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Chishiya stood before a wide lake, one hand raised.

"Explosion."

He didn't even finish the incantation before several red magic circles lit up.

Then—BOOM!

A pillar of red fire came crashing down from the sky, shattering the massive rock at the lake's center.

The water shot up like a geyser, the lake boiled from the heat, and fragments of rock and steam blasted into the sky.

The attack was fast, violent, and overwhelming.

Chishiya blinked, stunned.

This was the power of Quickshooter, a skill he'd acquired after recruiting Fern.

The increase in casting speed was a perfect synergy with Explosion Magic.

What once took a full charge-up time was now… instant.

It was like having a nuke on a hair-trigger.

Chishiya's evaluation could be summed up in one word:
"Nice."

But that wasn't all.

Along with Quickshooter, Chishiya had also gained Frieren's precise mana control and Stark's explosive physical power.

He'd been experimenting with both over the last few days.

For example—

Chishiya made a finger-gun gesture with his right hand.

A flash of pure magical energy burst out with a loud bang.

The shockwave tore through the forest ahead, trees splintering apart and bark flying in all directions.

Chishiya lowered his hand and examined the gaping hole left in the trunks.

Thanks to Frieren's advanced mana control, he could now manipulate energy with pinpoint accuracy.

This was a pure magic-based attack.

In the first-level mage exam, Frieren's clone had demonstrated it with terrifying effect.

Since Chishiya's mana pool was significantly larger than Frieren's, his version was naturally even more dangerous.

As for the boost in physical power…

Chishiya clenched his fist.

Took a deep breath.

And punched the lake.

A shockwave burst from his arm, white vapor spiraling up to his elbows before scattering into the air.

The wind howled.

The lake split open down the middle, waves crashing violently to shore.

Chishiya lowered his arms, glancing down at his hands.

That wasn't even 30% of his full strength.

After recruiting Darkness, he'd gained monstrous defense and strength.

And after recruiting Stark, he'd gained stamina and raw burst power.

Chishiya clicked his tongue.

"…I just joked about it before, but I've really become a close-combat mage now, haven't I?"

(To be continued.)