Labyrinth Chapter 84/85

Chapter 84: Future

Underground Labyrinth – Villa Conference Room

Carrion slapped his palm on the table.

"Alright, it's settled then."

"Chishiya, from now on, we're allies!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Carrion really was the Beast Kingdom's top dog. Straightforward to a fault.

He immediately had Albis draft up the agreement on the spot and got Chishiya to stamp it with his fingerprint.

Honestly, with a personality like this, he didn't feel like a Demon Lord at all—more like the head of a yakuza gang.

The terms of the agreement were basically a copy-paste of the one with Gazel Dwargo.

Non-aggression, technology sharing, road development, and trade.

"Hahaha!"

Carrion slapped Chishiya on the back like an old drinking buddy.

"The moment I saw you, I knew we'd get along."

"You've got that spark!"

"Unlike this guy, always stiff-faced and no fun at all."

He shot a glance at the Dwarf King, who was sipping his wine in silence, totally ignoring him.

...So the reason you've never established diplomacy with Dwargo is just because your personalities clash?

The Beast Kingdom—Euranazia—is a superpower in agriculture, boasting farmland bigger than all of Lapris combined. The variety of crops alone could fill a whole trading book.

If we can get a grip on their agricultural tech, it'll save us a ton of trouble moving forward.

Chishiya tucked the agreement into his briefcase and raised his glass.

"Then I'll be counting on your guidance."

"Hahaha, of course!"

Carrion grinned and downed his drink.

—

Meanwhile, Fuze and Youm were seated across from each other, silently locking eyes across the table.

Youm was… surprisingly calm.

He thought, I've made progress… I can now eat at the same table as a Demon Lord…

And since he'd already joined up with Chishiya, there was no need to voice any opinion. Just sit tight and let the world sort itself out.

As for Falmuth?

Whatever. He'd long lost faith in that greedy, idiotic king.

On the other side of the table, Fuze looked visibly tense.

He took a sip of wine and glanced around the room.

A stoic, speechless Dwarf King.

A loud, lion-faced chatterbox of a Beast King.

He furrowed his brow.

Damn it!!! I can't get a word in edgewise!!!

He hadn't even gotten to the part about establishing diplomatic ties with Chishiya yet!

Would you two old fossils just finish talking and leave already?!

This is a negotiation table, not an izakaya!

Fuze's frustration flared, but he didn't dare say it aloud.

So he just stared at his wine, then downed it in one go...

Narrowing his eyes, Fuze made up his mind.

He had to solidify his connection with Chishiya.

It wasn't just coincidence that so many powerful figures were gravitating toward him.

This was a convergence—strong attracting strong.

If the world was entering a storm, then Chishiya Shuntaro was at its very center.

And Blumund needed to ride this wave, no matter what.

—

Meanwhile, in the Crimson Demon Village

"Frieren-sama, morning! You need to get up now!"

Fern knelt next to her, shaking the dozing Frieren, who had drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.

She sighed.

I should've known…

Frieren-sama is just not a morning person…

Holding her forehead with one hand, Fern looked completely done.

"Ugh…ugh..."

Frieren clenched her eyes shut and burrowed deeper into the blankets.

"..."

Fern stared at her for a few seconds.

Seeing no movement…

Swish!

She grabbed the blanket with both hands, yanked it up in one smooth motion, and hoisted her upright in one go.

"Yamete yo~!" Frieren squeaked, curling up into a ball, half-asleep in baby talk.

Fern ignored her and dragged her into the living room, calmly brushing her hair and dressing her like it was routine.

It took almost an hour just to make her presentable.

Yuiyui clasped her hands together, her smile like sunshine.

"Wow~, Fern-chan is so thoughtful."

"You're like Frieren's mother."

"...Sigh."

Fern exhaled, her expression full of complicated emotions.

"It's just… Frieren-sama is extremely lazy…"

"She always needs someone to take care of her."

"I'm sorry, Fern," Frieren mumbled, swaying like she might fall asleep again at any second.

"I'm sorry to cause you trouble."

Fern gently pressed her back down as they bowed together toward Yuiyui.

"It's fine~, Fern-chan is adorable. Please visit again anytime."

Yuiyui smiled.

"And you too, Stark-kun."

She gave Stark a thumbs-up of encouragement.

"Lastly… Frieren."

Yuiyui stepped forward and adjusted Frieren's collar with care.

"You'll always be welcome here. Don't forget us when you return to your world."

The trio froze for a moment, then all nodded.

"Take care," Yuiyui said with a wave.

"Goodbye," the three replied in unison.

"Let's go," Megumin said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"It's about 10 kilometers south of here."

"If we find the Master, we might be able to go home."

"Got it."

The three followed behind her.

Ten kilometers… would take a few hours on foot.

Stark and Fern turned back.

Yuiyui and Hyoizaburoo were waving at them from a distance.

This might be the last time they ever saw them.

"We'll come back."

Frieren didn't even look back.

"After our journey's over, let's return here and tell everyone about it."

The other two paused.

Then nodded.

Their hesitation vanished. They turned to face forward.

"...Yeah!"

—

Since the journey would take some time, Megumin chatted casually as they walked.

Mostly just swapping adventure stories.

Megumin shared her tale about the Orc Lord.

Fern responded with how they'd defeated Aura the Guillotine.

With her outgoing personality, once Megumin got talking, the conversation really started to flow.

"Wait, the demons in your world are totally different from ours," Megumin said, surprised.

Fern nodded. "Demons in our world are basically talking beasts."

"They learn human speech just to hunt us."

"After the Hero Himmel destroyed the Demon Lord, peace finally came to the land."

Megumin looked up at the sky, Milim's innocent face flashing in her mind.

"…That's completely different."

"Here, there are good demons and bad ones. Honestly, they're no different from humans."

"Even Demon Lords and demons who could wipe out a city don't necessarily harm humans."

Fern and the others stared blankly.

In their world…

Humans had tried to coexist with demons before—but every attempt failed.

Even Himmel had once believed it possible.

That maybe, with a shared language, understanding was possible.

But the truth was—

A language born only to hunt humans… was never meant for understanding.

There's only one reason for a predator to learn your language.

And that's to deceive you.

(To be continued.)


Chapter 85: Too Good

After snapping out of it, the three resumed walking.

But as they moved forward, memories of those who had died at the hands of demons in their world began to surface.

Megumin's words made them realize something. Not all demons are like that. Not in every world.

In some places, humans and demons really can live in harmony.

That's amazing…

They didn't feel envy.

Just… lucky.

Lucky that not every world had to go through the tragedies they'd seen.

Still, all three looked a bit weighed down by thought.

Megumin clapped her hands to change the mood.

"Okay, okay! No more gloomy stuff!"

"Let's talk about your journey instead!"

"What made you all set out in the first place?"

"I like Explosion Magic, and I want to become the strongest Explosion Arch Wizard so that the big sister who taught me can see how far I've come!"

Megumin raised her staff high toward the sky, eyes sparkling.

Stark looked up too.

"I wanted to repay my master's kindness… and bring him some cool stories from my travels."

Fern followed his gaze skyward.

"I want to tell Heiter-sama that I've become a competent mage. That he doesn't need to worry about me anymore."

"What about you, Frieren?"

Megumin turned to the elf.

"Me…"

Frieren blinked. Just then, a butterfly landed on her hand.

She gently lifted it up, letting it flutter into the air.

Her eyes followed its path upward.

"I had a chance once… and it made me want to understand humans better."

The small smile on Frieren's lips caught Megumin off guard. It wasn't just an answer. It was a memory.

"Good!"

Megumin came to a stop and held out her hand.

"Then here's to us all reaching our goals!"

"Let's do our best!"

Maybe it was her boundless optimism, or the way she said it like it was already true.

The other three smiled and placed their hands on hers.

"Yeah. Let's do this!"


---

"Achoo…"

Chishiya rubbed his nose.

Something felt off.

Was someone bad-mouthing him behind his back?

"Chishiya! Come to Euranazia sometime! I'll give you the royal treatment!"

Over in the city square…

Carrion waved enthusiastically, laughing his lungs out.

On the opposite side, the Dwarf King gave Chishiya a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Chishiya, you're welcome in Dwargo anytime."

After saying his piece, he mounted his Pegasus, side-eyed Carrion, and muttered…

"How dull."

Carrion ignored him completely.

Instead, he threw an arm around Chishiya's shoulders like a drinking buddy.

"Don't listen to him. Our country's way more fun than Dwargo."

"You come over, I'll roll out the carpet. Guaranteed good time."

Please just leave already… I'm so tired… Chishiya smiled. "Sure."

Satisfied, Carrion turned to leave.

But just as he was about to board his carriage, something hit him.

"Wait a sec… you and Milim haven't formalized diplomatic relations yet, have you?"

"Huh?"

Chishiya paused.

…Now that he mentioned it… he hadn't.

"Yeah, that's true." Chishiya nodded.

"Hahaha! So I beat her to it!"

"Awesome! See you next time, Chishiya!"

Carrion waved one last time and climbed aboard his carriage.

But Chishiya's eyes twitched.

Wait. Crap. I forgot to remind him.

Just as the carriage started moving, Chishiya jolted into action.

He sprinted up, stopped the carriage, and jumped in.

"Carrion, there's something I need to tell you!"

Chishiya looked deadly serious.

"What is it?" Carrion tilted his head, confused.

"If, one day, Milim suddenly shows up acting like she's being controlled, just say this line to her: 'Chishiya knows you're faking. If you keep messing around, there'll be no snacks next time.'

Got that?"

Chishiya repeated the line for emphasis.

"…What are you even talking about?"

Carrion blinked, totally lost.

"Just tell me whether you remember it or not."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. If that ever happens, I'll say it."

He waved it off, thinking Chishiya was just rambling after a few too many drinks.

Milim, being controlled? Not a chance.

He waved goodbye, kicked Chishiya out of the carriage, and left with his delegation.

Whether he actually listened or not…

Hard to say.

But if the story played out like it did in the original timeline…

Milim would pretend to be brainwashed by Clayman, for fun.

And her first target would be none other than Demon Lord Carrion.

The result? The entire Beast Kingdom wiped out in one shot.

Fortunately, thanks to an early civilian evacuation, there were no casualties.

But if that country collapsed, Chishiya's entire plan to import food and build free trade routes would go up in smoke.

I really hope he remembers what I said…

—

Back at the central administrative office—

Chishiya pushed the door open and walked in.

Now that diplomatic relations had been established, the shopping carts had officially been delivered to both Dwargo and the Beast Kingdom.

Once staff training was done, the new branches could go operational.

As for Blumund, Fuze said he'd return and personally push the negotiations forward.

It would take some time before those were finalized.

Meanwhile, Youm was still in the Labyrinth.

This whole event had made him realize how powerless he really was.

So he chose to stay and train under Hakurou to improve.

In response, Chishiya said, "You've got guts. Hope you don't end up regretting it."

With all those things wrapped up…

Chishiya finally had a full week of downtime.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched.

Tired.

At long last, he could take a proper break.

A hot bath and full-body massage sounded like heaven.

Without hesitation, he stood up.

Time to enjoy life.

But of course, life had other plans.

Just as he was about to leave—

Knock knock.

"Chishiya-san, I need to talk to you."

Rimuru walked in, for once in human form.

"Go ahead."

Chishiya took a sip of water, already sensing the headache.

"I need to be away for a while."

Chishiya: "…"

Why do I even try? I knew peace wouldn't last…

"What happened?"

Rimuru shook his head.

"Not an emergency. I'm fulfilling a friend's last wish."

"Before she passed, she entrusted some kids to me. I want to go see them."

"I'd meant to go sooner, but I've been swamped."

"Now that things are settling down, I think it's time."

It had to be Shizu's last request.

Rimuru's current form came from devouring Shizu.

The kids she left behind had been summoned from another world, just like her.

But the country considered them "failures" and dumped them in a school to die off quietly.

If nothing was done, they wouldn't survive another five years.

In the original story, Rimuru fused them with high-level spirits to stabilize their conditions.

Chishiya nodded. "Go."

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Chishiya-san. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"At the school…"

Rimuru hesitated.

"I'll figure it out. You just go relax."

"Here. Ten gold coins. Just in case."

Chishiya handed him a pouch.

"Ten?!"

Before he could protest, Chishiya cut him off.

"No need for speeches. Just take it. Let me know if anything goes wrong. Go. And don't die."

"…"

Chishiya's words hit Rimuru square in the gut.

Even though he hadn't been here long, he could feel it.

This place… it felt like home.

It felt warm.

Safe.

Comforting.

He was really starting to love it.

Rimuru clenched the pouch tightly, bowed deeply, and left.

Once the door shut behind him, Chishiya sighed.

Man…

I really am too good of a boss.

(To be continued.)