And so, we stayed at Anastasia’s Mansion for the night—the next day, we finally headed to the Labyrinth.

The members were Sofia and I, Romilda, and Anastasia. As before, Richard was kept in a state where he could be contacted, waiting at the Mansion—Romilda, meanwhile, had undergone a procedure using Anastasia’s Dragon Demon Stone to withstand enemy attacks.

The Labyrinth’s location was several hours away from Anastasia’s Mansion by Dragon… we finally arrived at the designated spot.

Surrounded by a Forest, it was mostly inconspicuous, and naturally, there were no signs of human visitors. Perhaps some kind of magic to ward off people was used around the Labyrinth Entrance.

“So this is the entrance. It’s quite ordinary, isn’t it?”

Anastasia’s words—what lay before us was just a Cave leading Underground. Well, only the entrance is plain.

“The inside is different even compared to the Angel Ruins.”

“Is that so? Hmm, if it’s interesting, I’d like to investigate the structures and such.”

Watching Anastasia muttering to herself, I addressed my companions.

“The monsters are definitely formidable. Stay alert.”

I gave the order and started moving. Lighting up our way, we proceeded deeper, and soon, a stone-built passage appeared.

However, it was different from the ordinary. The stone material was beautiful, like marble. Moreover, it emitted light itself, making the inside bright.

“Indeed, as Lord Ruon said, it’s different from other places.”

Immediately after Sofia spoke, a monster emerged from the passage ahead.

A black ogre… It was about the size of a human and wielded a sword and shield. Its name was ‘Chaos Ogre,’ if I recall correctly. It was undoubtedly a formidable monster, but its quality was inferior compared to the monsters that appeared in the game.

“That was quick.”

Just as I was about to draw my sword, Anastasia suddenly stopped my movement with her hand.

“Leave this to me. It’s been a while since I used the Dragon Demon Stone, so I want to move around as a warm-up.”

“Alright. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“There’s no need to worry.”

She declared, and Anastasia unleashed the power of her Dragon Magic Stone.

Sensing that magic power, even the ogre stopped moving.

“Now then, how shall I deal with you?”

She had only just released magic power from her Dragon Demon Stone. However, from the sheer amount of magic power leaking out, the enemy was clearly on guard. The monster was hesitant as Anastasia edged closer.

“It’s hard to tell who the real enemy is.”

Immediately after that comment, the ogre moved. Was it planning to crush us? To us, it was equivalent to having no strategy.

“So that’s how you’ll come… well, no matter how much you struggle, it’s meaningless.”

Suddenly, Anastasia’s entire body was enveloped in light. Sofia watched her intently, wondering what was happening, and at the same time, armor appeared, encasing the Marquis’s body.

It happened in an instant. A magnificent, golden armor, like that worn by a noble knight. However, due to her short stature, it felt like it lacked much impact.

And in her right hand, a longsword.

“There! First, a single flash!”

She declared, closing the distance herself and confronting the ogre head-on. Both released their blades, clashing at the midpoint. Given the difference in physique, Anastasia should have been blown away, but that didn’t happen.

The struggle lasted only a moment. Her sword calmly bisected the ogre’s sword and then cut through its torso. The monster, in turn, was blown away. The moment it hit the floor, it effortlessly turned to dust and vanished.

“Hmm, not bad for a first opponent.”

Anastasia smiled and swung her sword. The sound of it cutting through the air reached us.

“An ogre is no match, as expected.”

“Naturally. It was a light exercise. And I noticed a slight misalignment in my body’s movements. I shall correct it as I continue to fight monsters.”

At this, Anastasia turned to me.

“Even in the story, did I fight this way?”

“You had your subordinate knights do the attacking.”

“Ah, I see. I would give the weapons created with my power to my knights and have them fight.”

—The name of her Dragon Demon Stone is the ‘Dragon Armament Stone.’ While Exon and Shuon’s stones are strongly oriented towards self-enhancement, hers is for arming.

The most distinctive characteristic of its power is the ability to transfer created weaponry to others. However, there is a restriction: Anastasia must be nearby for the effect to manifest.

This time, Romilda has been given the armor she created—a bracelet that enhances magical barriers. If she were to move with us in the final battle against Nefmeiza, it would have been a significant increase in our fighting power. However, it’s confirmed that she will be acting separately during the final battle—well, relying on an ability that only activates when she’s nearby is also dangerous, so it should be considered unusable in the Final Battle. It’s a great shame, though.

In the game, she herself doesn’t move, but instead confronts the knights who arrive as reinforcements. You break through them and defeat Anastasia, but… her individual stats weren’t that high. There might be game-related reasons for this, but in reality, as a Dragon Demon Stone owned by a Marquis, it’s safe to assume it possesses considerable power.

“Well then, let’s move on.”

I gave the order and started walking—and again, monsters appeared from deeper within the labyrinth. Several ogres, and behind them—

“A Lich, then.”

“A troublesome opponent indeed.”

Anastasia said. A skeletal mage wrapped in a black robe, wielding an iron staff. Its abilities were quite formidable.

In addition to being a monster that primarily uses magic attacks, it also frequently uses debuff-type magic. Well, with this group, no matter how much magic is used, it should be fine… but just in case, should we prioritize taking it down?

At this point, Romilda made her move.

“I’ll take care of the enemy in the back.”

“Very well. Let me see it.”

Anastasia reacted before I could speak. Immediately after, Romilda held her hands together and produced light from her palms.

It was a thread of light—it emerged in bundles from the light, spiraling into a sharp, spear-like shape.

The Ogre braced itself, and the Lich also raised its staff, attempting to cast magic—at that moment, the light shot through.

It happened in an instant. The light, converged like a spear, shot out like a bullet, passing through the Ogre and piercing the Lich’s head. A popping sound echoed, and the Lich collapsed.

One strike… unlike the light I had seen before, its speed was considerable. And its power was also undeniable.

It seemed to require a bit of charge time, and this time, due to Anastasia’s magic power, the monsters’ movements were sluggish, allowing for a one-sided attack. Nevertheless, Romilda’s high offensive capability was once again proven.

“As expected. Now then,”

Anastasia closed in on the remaining Ogre. Having lost its rear guard, it was no longer a match for the Marquis.

As the Ogres simultaneously approached, I thought it would be a matter of defeating them individually… but then, Anastasia delivered a magnificent single strike.

Her wide swing nullified both the Ogre’s guard and its evasion. Perhaps she unleashed magic power from the tip of her sword; the one that tried to block the sword was cut in half, and the other, perhaps hit by magic power, suddenly burst from its abdomen like a windship.

“You’re quite merciless, aren’t you?”

Sofia commented. Well, it’s a Dragon Demon Stone owned by the Marquis. It shouldn’t be weak, and this much would be child’s play for it.

“Hmm, is the area around the entrance cleared?”

Anastasia murmured, looking around. In response, I moved beside her and replied,

“Perhaps, but don’t let your guard down.”

“Of course. Now, how deep does this Labyrinth go?”

Anastasia muttered gleefully. She shouldn’t be a naturally belligerent person, but perhaps the effect of the Dragon Demon Stone, like with Exon, is making her excited.

I pointed to the straight passage. Anastasia nodded enthusiastically and moved forward.

There, again, were monsters. This time, demons with bull heads. Monsters on the same level as Ogres.

“Is it Lord Ruon’s turn now?”

Anastasia’s gaze was fixed on me. I shrugged slightly… but still, I stepped forward.

“Sofia, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

She also moved forward. Simultaneously—they began engaging the monsters.