The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed - Chapter 424
425 – Hourglass
A few days later, Raelan told us that all preparations were complete. We had already prepared everything and were waiting. As soon as we received the call, we immediately gathered at the square in front of the imperial palace.
Eunice, who was no longer challenging the labyrinth, said she would look outside to see if there was anything she could do to help us, and after asking me several questions, she and Amber left for Detroit City, where the Arcadia Academy is located. It was to find the hidden gem I mentioned before.
As we quietly waited in the corner, there were many people sneaking sidelong glances at us. While waiting to re-enter the 4th floor, there were over 100 names crossed out on the kill list, so it seems that this drew more attention than usual. Or maybe it’s surprising that the murderer is standing proudly in front of the imperial palace.
Finally, Raelan approached with what appeared to be a group of people. Those who followed him seemed to have failed to reach the realm of transcendence, but those who stood shoulder to shoulder with Raelan were not an easy opponent even at first glance.
The rescue team all wore masks, but Raelan did not wear a mask this time. He had planned it in advance, saying he would show everyone that Perlkus was with Lily. There was also the reason that if everyone was wearing a mask, those helping us would become more wary.
“You are our masters who must be protected on the fourth floor.”
In response to Raelan’s words, a woman wearing a fancy dress held out a hand full of rings to me.
“I am Valentine, the splendid magic tower lord of the Red Magic Tower. This is my first time meeting you like this. lily.”
Just in case, I wrapped my hand in magic and shook it. As expected, flames erupted for a moment from the two hands that were holding it, and then disappeared, leaving behind only smoke. The bearded wizard opposite Valentine introduced himself.
“I am Colton of the Blue Magic Tower. By order of the Magic Tower Lord, I will help you on the 4th floor.”
As I nodded, a quiet-looking, huge man wearing full body armor who was following Raelan glared at me and said.
“The guild leader of the Adventurer’s Guild, Derok. Behind them are executives who follow me and mercenaries hired under contract.”
Derroque pushed Colton’s shoulder and stepped forward, looking down at me and saying.
“We will definitely keep our contract, so you must keep your contract too.”
I don’t know what the contract is, but Raelan will take care of it. Instead of answering, I held out my hand and shook Derok’s hand. Surprisingly, he didn’t do anything childish like straining his hands. Still, it’s worth the price.
“Okay, then everyone, please show me the bracelets you are wearing and I will infuse them with magical energy.”
As Raelan was putting magic into each bracelet so that we could all start from the same place, Valentine with glowing red eyes glided up next to me.
“Is the 4th floor really a place where all you have to do is stop the monsters coming?”
I asked in a low voice on purpose as Valentine’s voice seemed to be trembling.
“Are you suspicious?”
“of course. As far as I know, there are people who went to the 4th floor, but no one has come out yet. Unless you have the means to communicate with the person on the 4th floor, there is no way to know the information on the 4th floor.”
It’s a reasonable suspicion. But there was no need to reveal the truth.
“This is information obtained from the best information guild. “It’s never wrong.”
When I gave a vaguely plausible excuse, Valentine smiled seductively as if he knew.
“… “I heard you had a fight with the guild leader of Modest, but it looks like he was still a customer.”
I forgot. There was a rumor among people that Estelle and I had a fight and split up. Still, I answered without showing any signs of embarrassment.
“I guess you didn’t know. “The guild leader has changed.”
“… yes?”
Valentine, who was embarrassed, suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at me.
“no way… “Did they change the guild leader?”
It was a misunderstanding that was easier to explain the situation than I thought, so I didn’t say anything. Maybe he’s someone who thinks silence is positive, but seeing him nodding alone seems like he misunderstood my intention.
Raelan said as he filled everyone’s bracelets with magic power and finally filled my bracelet with magic power.
“The other magic towers were too slow to help us because they were still on the third floor. “At least, we gathered those who could enter the 4th floor.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“The real trouble starts now.”
Raelan turned and clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Now enter. You will already know what the 4th floor is like because you have heard the explanation. This is a place where if we come together we live, and if we disperse we die. I think that anyone who takes personal action is unnecessary and I plan to kill or drive them out. “Everyone, please take care of yourselves and act wisely.”
From noble mtl dot com
***
[You have re-entered the labyrinth.]
[The current location is the 4th floor.]
As soon as the dark walls of the labyrinth came into view, Ellie swung her staff and created a huge sphere emitting light. The sphere rose into the sky without a ceiling and brightly illuminated the surroundings.
“It really has the same structure as the first floor.”
Valentine clung to me in admiration. Somehow, that action felt a little burdensome. This was partly because she was wearing a revealing dress, but it also seemed like an intentional action as her breasts kept touching her forearms.
What mattered now wasn’t the chest. Suddenly the floor started flashing orange.
“The shiny part of the floor is the area we must protect. When a monster wandering the labyrinth enters the area, an hourglass will appear above its head. “If you don’t clear out the monsters in the area until the hourglass completely falls, your head will explode.”
I felt like the adventurers were murmuring, as if they hadn’t heard the explanation about the head exploding. Raelan waved his staff and silenced the commotion with a flash of light.
“Anyway, if you don’t kill the monsters that entered the area before, they’ll run after you, so no idiot is worried about his head exploding later, right?”
The murmur disappeared due to Raelan’s harsh words. Still, they are talented people who have risen to the 4th floor. I had a rough idea of what to do on the 4th floor.
“First of all, everyone should check the end of the area along the walls of the labyrinth. It would be a good idea to start by figuring out how many paths monsters can invade and come up with countermeasures.”
As a tactician, Raelan gave orders skillfully. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to think that it was right for only one person to give the order, and even the high-ranking positions of magic tower lord and guild leader acted immediately on Raelan’s words. There are some things we can’t do because we have weaknesses, but the most important thing is to survive in the labyrinth, so we show unity.
“I floated a familiar above each person’s head. “The familiar will take care of recording the route, so all you have to do is go to the end and then come back here.”
Just as Raelan said, an ugly-looking opaque owl flapped its wings above my head. It was emitting a bit of light, so it seemed like it could serve as lighting even without Ellie’s sphere.
I headed along the wall to the end of the nearest area with Lamine, who was nearby. Fortunately, there was no fork in the middle. When we arrived, there were already traces of what appeared to be monster corpses. The area did not overlap with the person who entered the 4th floor first, and looking at the torn marks on the body, it seemed like the monster had killed the monster.
“Can we install a barricade?”
I nodded to Lamine’s question. When I wrote the story about the fourth floor of the labyrinth, I thought of the tower defense game I enjoyed at the time and wrote it. Of course, there are ignorant monsters that destroy barricades blocking the way, but most will decide that the path is blocked and take a detour to another path.
“If you block the path with magic, you might be able to lure it to the other side.”
“But we have too many numbers now. Considering the special environment of the labyrinth, the maximum number of people who can fight on one path is two.”
“Raelan probably knows. The plan is to put two people in charge of each area and block other areas. “Because it’s efficient.”
Lamine nodded, glanced back, and whispered to me.
“if… Do you know that Ellie has met Her Majesty?”
“… “You mean Ellie?”
It was my first time hearing it. Of course, Ellie wasn’t obligated to explain to me who she was seeing, but… The fact that she met Bella, with whom she didn’t normally get along, made her feel uncomfortable.
“It seems like you came here after receiving some advice from Eunice… I don’t know the details either. That’s why I asked you. But, you don’t even know.”
“This is my first time hearing it too.”
“… It might not be a bad thing. Because he likes you a lot. “You don’t have to worry.”
I turned away without saying a word when I saw Lamine trying to make things up, probably thinking that I was talking behind Ellie’s back when she wasn’t around. When I returned to the original location with Lamine, Raelan was using magic to draw a brief map in the air.
After completing the map, Raelan studied it closely and gave us orders.
“Forks in the road are blocked with barricades. It is impossible and inefficient to completely prevent monsters from entering an area. If you time it right, it’s okay to allow monsters to invade to a certain extent. “At this fork in the road, we will block them from behind and join forces to drive them out all at once.”
Everyone nodded to Raelan’s explanation without much dissatisfaction. Raelan must have memorized all the adventurers’ names and abilities, so he skillfully matched the combinations and assigned each of them to their own area.
“With no space restrictions, Lily will play the role of providing long-distance support to those in need. Unlike magic, there is no need to remove the body, so it will definitely be of great help. If you don’t want your head to explode, don’t be proud and immediately shout to the familiar above you for help. Then Lily will be happy to help.”
Raelan raised his staff.
“Remember that our purpose is survival.”
As soon as those words were finished, an hourglass appeared above our heads.