This Isn’t an E*otic Game?
Chapter 121: To the Labyrinth City

“Baicorn?”

[That’s what a unicorn becomes when it falls to corruption. It grows two horns. And among unicorns, their hierarchy is determined by the length and thickness of their horn. The longer and /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ thicker, the more powerful the psychic energy they can wield.]

“Then since a Baicorn has two horns...”

[It’s fucking strong. Think of it as more than twice as powerful as a regular unicorn. The Great Labyrinth is crawling with those kinds of monsters. And didn’t I tell you Lucifer from Hell is sending his followers to cause chaos in Labyrinth City right now?]

“Yeah.”

[I get the feeling those corrupted unicorns are fighting for Hell’s side too. I don’t want to run into that bastard. He’s literally a trauma trigger for me.]

Corn was trembling.

The psychic amplifier was vibrating so hard it sent a shudder through my whole body.

“Don’t worry so much. We’ve got Asmodeus’s Authority on our side, right? Even a Baicorn wouldn’t dare touch us.”

[I know! I know that in my head, but inside... Damn it! I just can’t help but feel repulsed! That place is dangerous as hell! It’s swarming with all kinds of bizarre and grotesque monsters you’d never see in the South! And with demon worshipers running wild on top of that, why the hell are we going in alone? Why!!]

Corn huffed and puffed for a while, then suddenly gave me a confused look.

[Now that I think about it, why the hell are just the two of us going in and suffering? Isn’t the Empire fucking useless or something?]

My eyes widened at that.

“Useless?”

[Seriously!! Even if divine power and magic can’t be used, shit, conventional weapons still work in the Labyrinth, don’t they? Guns and cannons powered by gunpowder, and all sorts of melee weapons, they all work just fine! If the Empire deployed troops, it’d be an easy win! Numbers are numbers, after all!]

Corn grumbled.

[They could just send in the army, surround Labyrinth City, and threaten to bomb the whole place flat if they act up. Why the hell do we have to suffer instead?! Isn’t rescuing the God of Courage supposed to be a huge fucking deal? They were just going off about the balance of the Pantheon and Hell and the Abyss and whatnot, and now they’re too scared to get their hands dirty?]

I couldn’t see Corn’s form, but if he had a body right now, I was pretty sure I’d be looking at a small unicorn stomping his hooves and flaring his mane in frustration.

I know it’s rude to think this, but—

I couldn’t help imagining Shrek’s damn donkey.

[People keep calling you Saint, Saint, and they’d do anything you say, right? Let’s just go there and tell them to do what I said. Huh? Send the army, surround Labyrinth City, and say if they don’t want to see it turned into a crater, they’d better hand over the God of Courage. Didn’t you say there’s a bunch of criminals in the city too?]

“There are.”

[Perfect! That gives us a damn good excuse! Just kill them all! It’s an easy clean-up job—criminals plus demon worshipers in one go! Why the hesitation?! Why!! Can’t we just live a little more comfortably? Just let the Empire handle it!]

Corn really, truly didn’t want to go to the North.

A trauma, huh...

I mean, yeah—if there was someone out there who ambushed me and tried to kill me, I’d probably be scarred too.

But still, what can I do?

You’re the only item that can handle Asmodeus’s Authority, Corn.

“Come to think of it, Corn. You never studied Imperial history, did you?”

[Do I look like someone who studied human history?]

“If you had, you wouldn’t be saying this kind of shit. There was an emperor two hundred years ago who did exactly what you’re suggesting.”

[There was?]

“Yeah. And the people of the Empire call him Dumbperor Nero.”

[Dumbperor? Okay, that’s kinda funny.]

“It’s funny now, but it was serious back then.”

Anyone raised in the Empire, even if they didn’t major in history, would have heard bedtime stories about Dumbperor Nero.

“Nero had a lover he promised to marry. But one of the Empire’s degenerate nobles got drunk and raped her.”

[The emperor’s lover?]

“He was still crown prince then. But whether it’s the prince’s lover or the emperor’s, that’s something you just don’t fucking do. Anyway. That noble severed ties with the royal family and had to flee the Empire. The only place to run was the Great Labyrinth. Not long after, Nero became emperor.”

[I bet he tried to kill that noble.]

“He went way past that. Even back then, the Great Labyrinth was a shitshow—same as now. All kinds of criminals fled there to escape Imperial justice. They even had the HQs of untouchable crime syndicates. They’d pull strings from there, and if shit went sideways, they’d just vanish again. It was a serious problem.”

[Don’t tell me... that emperor actually flattened the city like I said?]

“Yeah. He had the justification. He had the personal grudge. Nero sent in the Empire’s army with conventional weapons and razed the whole city. Didn’t take long. Labyrinth City didn’t have a ruler, so no walls, no roads, no infrastructure—nothing. The Empire’s siege engines and sheer manpower just steamrolled them.”

[And they won?]

“Yep. The city was completely leveled to bare ground.”

[Then why isn’t the Labyrinth part of the Empire now? And why do people call that emperor Dumbperor instead of Conqueror or something?]

“Because the day after the city was flattened and every criminal inside, including the noble who raped Nero’s lover, was killed—on that exact next day—a massive number of monsters came pouring out from the inner Labyrinth.”

[Can’t the Imperial army just wipe them out?]

“They couldn’t. The monsters inside the Great Labyrinth are called ‘beasts of ruin.’ Unless you destroy the mana stone inside their bodies, they don’t die. And they’re absurdly stronger than anything outside. Over a million of them came flooding out.”

[That many?!]

“Well, some fairy tale exaggeration’s probably baked into that number. There were these things called Arachneids dragging along thousands of babies too. So they probably counted all those. Anyway, it wasn’t until then that the Empire finally realized what the Labyrinth had actually been doing all this time.”

That was when Corn finally caught on.

[Gatekeeping.]

“Exactly. It was gatekeeping. The city was acting as a seal, keeping the monsters trapped underground. And the Empire had just wiped out the people maintaining that seal.”

[So what happened after that?]

“What do you think? The entire North and even the capital were wiped off the map. Half the Empire was gone. Nero was killed in the war by one of the beasts. Every mage across the land, all the knights from noble houses, and all the holy knights from the Pantheon were scraped together to fight, and it still took twenty years to barely suppress the situation.”

[Talk about shit luck. Right the next day, seriously?]

“It wasn’t luck. That was Lucifer’s doing.”

[What?]

This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.

It might’ve been the first open-ended story Imperial citizens ever heard.

“It was only revealed later, but it was all orchestrated by Lucifer’s demon worshipers. Lucifer absorbed the massive grudge and resentment from those twenty years of war. That’s how he... got so damn strong.”

Just as the Evil God once tried to destroy the Empire by unleashing his curse in the capital...

Just as Mammon tried to turn Scrap Yard into a powder keg of worker–capitalist strife...

Lucifer, two hundred years ago,

Planned to throw the entire Empire into chaos by blowing up the Labyrinth City that was acting as a seal.

And he succeeded.

And now, that monstrously powerful Demon King

Is continuing his rampage in real time, sealing off the weakened and pathetic Pantheon.

“After that incident, the survivors who had fled deeper into the Labyrinth rebuilt the city. And an unspoken rule formed between the Empire and Labyrinth City. Don’t touch each other.”

[So that’s why sending in the army to crush them isn’t an option.]

“Neither Labyrinth City nor the Empire has anything to gain from a clash. If the city is flattened, there’s no effective way to stop the monsters from pouring out of the Labyrinth. Only the hunters of Labyrinth City know how to deal with those things. The war would be between the Empire and Labyrinth City, but the one drinking all the spilled blood and reaping the benefits would be Lucifer.”

Corn let out a hollow laugh.

[So what’s the conclusion? That just the two of us going in is really the best option?]

“That’s the best option. Of course, recovering the God of Courage is the most important thing. If it comes down to it, we may really have to mobilize the entire Imperial force stationed at the border city of Arad to surround Labyrinth City. But that’s a true last resort. I’d really rather not go that far.”

[Of all places... it had to be the damn Great Labyrinth. For fuck’s sake.]

Yeah.

It had to be the Great Labyrinth.

If the God of Courage had been anywhere else in the Empire, there wouldn’t even be a need for all this anxiety and hesitation.

The plan was simple: the Empire handles the followers, I handle the Demon King and the Evil God, retrieve the God of Courage, help him ascend, and it’d all be over.

One damn location ruined everything and turned it into a nightmare.

“From the God of Courage’s perspective, this must’ve been the best choice. The Pantheon has grown weak, and the Labyrinth was probably the only place left to escape the Evil Gods and Hell that kept hunting him.”

[Actually, now that I think about it, that’s some real bullshit. Didn’t you say the paladins of the Hero Order went into Labyrinth City? If he saw them, shouldn’t he have come right out to join them? Why the hell is the God of Courage still holed up in the Labyrinth?]

He’s right.

Logically speaking, what he’s saying makes perfect sense.

But I know two things about Labyrinth City:

First, the residents absolutely despise any interference from the Empire.

Second, in Labyrinth City, nonsense is normal. It’s a place where the irrational is the standard.

“Something must’ve gone wrong. Seriously wrong—bad enough that even after seeing the Hero Order’s paladins, the God of Courage couldn’t move. That’s why we have to go. To figure out what the hell is going on. And to bring back Lord Ponemkin.”

Corn was silent for a while.

[Seriously. Really. Can’t you just leave me behind? I really don’t want to go, Amayel. I’m begging you. If you could just leave me...]

I looked at Corn in silence.

Both of us stayed quiet for a long time.

[Fuck!! I can’t believe the day has come where I’m voluntarily heading back to the North!! If it weren’t for you, I swear I’d...!]

“Thank you, Corn.”

[When this is over, you better reincarnate me into the most insanely hot unicorn body ever! Got it?!]

“I promise.”

And with that, it was decided.

****

Border City Arad.

A vast plateau of open fields, where sheep grazed and sheepdogs herded them into pens.

At night, under a sky full of stars, it looked like the kind of place where a rich girl and a poor shepherd boy might fall in love in some short story.

“This artillery better be ready! If it comes down to it, we need enough firepower to wipe a whole city!”

“The North is freezing! Wrap blankets around the barrels!”

“Knights, paladins, and mages are all useless up north! All we’ve got is gunpowder! This is where the Imperial army—not aura, not magic—has to prove its worth!”

Tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers had gathered, and the atmosphere was dead serious.

They were building makeshift ammunition stores, setting up tents, establishing encampments—everyone moving in a frenzy.

After watching the busy soldiers for a moment, I headed toward the center of Arad.

There, in the city hall, all the key figures who would lead this mission were gathered.

[Saint. As you can see, the forces amassed in Arad could, if necessary, reduce Labyrinth City to a flat wasteland with bombardment.]

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m aware.”

[The Empire’s firearms have advanced far beyond what they were two hundred years ago. Even if monsters emerge from the ruins of Labyrinth City, we can contain them. That’s the worst-case scenario—but even that, we are prepared for. So please proceed without worry.]

His Majesty’s face beyond the crystal orb looked gentle, but I could sense the unease and nervousness behind it.

Sending the Imperial army into Labyrinth City was literally the last resort.

No one here actually wanted to go that far.

Of course, if things spiraled out of control...

Then there would be no choice.

“I’m ready. What about the Pantheon?”

Several of the high priests present nodded.

“The Ketlatrus and paladins from the White Sect, along with elite warrior-priests and paladins from various other sects, are on standby. Unlike the Imperial Army, we cannot enter the Great Labyrinth where divine blessings are severed. We’ll wait here.”

“Please. Once I recover Lord Ponemkin, you’ll be the ones responsible for safely escorting him back to the capital.”

“Of course.”

The Pantheon was ready.

The Empire was ready.

And so was I.

At last, I turned to the Karma Company representatives.

“Cecilia. Is my guide ready?”

“Yes. One person has volunteered.”

Cecilia gestured toward a man.

If the word “rugged” took human form, it would probably look like him.

Short, but with a solid, muscular build—an old man walked toward me, held out his hand, and looked me square in the eyes.

“The name’s Gortong. I’ve heard the situation from Lady Cecilia. I’ll do my utmost to guide you.”

“I’m counting on you, Gortong.”

I shook the old man’s hand and looked north.

Everything was ready now.

“I’ll do everything I can to keep this from turning into a disaster.”

And with those final words—

I ascended toward Labyrinth City.