Chapter 469 – The Guardian's Pride

“…No Guardian has appeared yet,” Claudia said, closing her eyes and touching her temple.

Hmm… Judging by the scale of the monsters we’ve subjugated, we might have some time to act calmly. First, I should check everyone’s condition, then move on to extraction.

“How is everyone’s injuries?”

“We’re fine. Just minor injuries, and we’ve already healed them. What about Theodore-sama?”

“My ears are still a bit numb from Cerberus’s roar. Other than that… just some minor burns, I suppose.”

Though I was using a wind field, this area was truly thanks to Tephra’s Blessing. Considering I engaged in close-quarters combat and only ended up with burns this minor, it’s a small price to pay.

When Ashley cast recovery magic on the burns from my palm strike, the stinging pain quickly subsided. As for my ears… well, they’ll probably return to normal with a little time. If I regulate my condition with circulating ki, there shouldn’t be any lasting effects.

“Ignis has some minor damage to its external armor. The internal structure seems fine for now,” Rosemary said. Ignis was rotating its shoulders, checking if its range of motion was smooth.

“I think I can patch up small wounds,” Rosemary added, hiding her expression behind her feather fan but narrowing her eyes.

“That’s reassuring, but since we’ll be removing the armor for a full inspection, it might be better to leave the damaged areas clearly marked for now.”

I see. In that case, repairs should wait until we return to the workshop. Viola and Princess Elham are more specialized in things like metal fatigue anyway.

Well then… let’s begin the extraction.

“What parts of the pumpkin should we bring back?” Grace asked.

“Hmm. The head, the pruning shears… and the magic stones seem good too.”

Regarding the Pumpkin Heads, from what I observed in our battles, despite being mass-produced combatants, each individual was surprisingly strong.

…Could there be a part equivalent to the Snow Golem’s core? Let’s check the internal structure for now.

The inside of the pumpkin was hollow… Ah, there it is. A medal-like object shaped like a flame was embedded inside.

When I removed it and channeled magical power into it—the medal began to glow faintly with heat. This must be the fire version of the same component found in Snow Golems… seems quite useful.

I extracted magic stones from several of them… these are also quite high quality.

“If we bring back both the magic stones and the Pumpkin Heads themselves, they could serve as references for Sigritta’s drawings. For now, it seems best to separate what we extract from what we transfer as-is.”

“Understood.”

Should we transfer the huge pumpkin back as-is too? We can consider uses for the Pumpkin Heads while processing them. The large shears that can be separated seem like a masterwork. Taking them to Viola and Princess Elham would be the right move.

“What about that big one?” Sheila asked, tilting her head.

The Amphisbaena… Now, what to do with this? If we consider it a type of dragon, we can use every part. However, given the uniqueness of its tail, there’s a sense of aversion to using it for food.

Fangs, claws, scales, and magic stones—there seem to be many parts we can collect. Blood and hair might work as catalysts too.

“If we dismantle it thoroughly and extract magic stones from the remaining parts, we should get something decent, don’t you think?” Claudia said.

“…So we’re bringing this back too, then.”

“If we choose the right transfer location, we can manage.”

Since this is an unknown area, we’re dealing with monsters we have no prior extraction experience with. In such cases, the standard approach is to carefully dismantle them and assess the quality of the materials.

Next—the Grim Reaper… It seems we can touch it normally after defeating it.

Whether it’s because it was defeated by the Dullahan or not, the bone parts had crumbled into something like sand. But this sand—bone powder—radiates quite strong magical power. Mixing it with metal materials or something… there might be some interesting uses.

The tattered cloth… Ah. It really does seem to be just tattered cloth. Even when viewed through the monocle, I don’t sense any particular magical power, but it might serve as wrapping for the bone powder…?

Let’s collect the scythe too. This also seems like quite the masterwork.

Now then… The problem is Cerberus.

According to Claudia, the Guardians and Sub-Guardians of the deep floors are fundamentally different in purpose and construction compared to labyrinth monsters and upper-floor Guardians.

Because they’re made with high-quality construction and possess strong power, their souls sometimes develop fixed individual characteristics… That’s what she said. Probably, Sion and the others gained self-awareness through a similar principle.

Regarding the deep-floor Guardians, while they each have personality differences, they’re basically under the influence of the Last Guardian, with labyrinth defense and intruder elimination as their primary objectives. Their attitude toward Claudia depends on the extent of the Last Guardian’s influence, apparently.

And once we stop them, that aspect becomes neutralized. Alpha actively helping us isn’t just because Claudia is with us—it seems I’ve also earned Alpha’s favor.

Now then… Returning to Cerberus—as a Sub-Guardian, if left alone, it would probably revive as a guardian again after some time. I think we should draw it to our side. Otherwise, defeating it would be meaningless.

The Guardians of the labyrinth’s deep floors are Claudia’s escorts, closer to being the deep floor’s protectors. They’re essentially running amok because of the Last Guardian. Plus, given they have individuality and self-awareness, we can’t simply dismiss them as mere enemies or monsters.

“The method… should work the same as before, right?”

Meaning, converting it entirely into a magic stone like that. That worked because Alpha willingly latched onto my technique… Now, what will happen this time?

“That’s right. Since we can be more conscious about drawing it in compared to with Alpha, the conditions are better. We might want to use a Blessing too,” Claudia said.

Marlene nodded at Claudia’s words and made a praying gesture.

As I was enveloped in the Moon Goddess’s Blessing, I touched Cerberus’s body and incorporated it into my circulating ki.

Drawing it to our side… huh. I’ve had quite a few conversations with Orichalcum in this manner.

Closing my eyes, I spoke to Cerberus as I did in the workshop.

What should I say? Right. For example… that the labyrinth has already fulfilled its original purpose. Or that the Last Guardian has gone out of control.

The Moon’s internal conflict. Claudia’s seemingly eternal time. Her loneliness and suffering. About Irmhild, who had to leave her village due to her magical aptitude. Conquering the labyrinth, liberating the goddess… and then what we desire—.

And—about the previous battle too.

I think I understand why Cerberus fought that way. It has pride as a guardian, so it fought like that to not let anyone pass. Because it takes pride in its position, it can fight to the death to fulfill its duty.

If that’s the case, then I have something to ask regarding Cerberus’s pride. Namely, if it’s a guardian of the deep floors, then what is it fighting for, and what is it protecting?

Within the wavelength of the circulating ki, a pulsating wave spread. It felt like a single nod in response to my question. It understands—is that it?

As I deployed the magic circle, I could feel everything that was Cerberus beginning to crystallize. Yes. Just like with Alpha, Cerberus latched onto my spell formula. From its body to its soul, leaving nothing behind—it melted into light.

And—there, a black crystal rested. Inside, it held a flickering like flames.

“Cerberus’s magic stone—”

“Same as with Alpha, right? It latched onto the spell formula from its side.”

When I picked up the faintly warm crystal and handed it to Claudia, the inner flame blinked like a living creature. Claudia smiled slightly at the reaction.

Even crystallized, a guardian remains a guardian.

If Cerberus were to speak, it might say it came to our side purely to protect Claudia.