Time left until I can unfold the Mini Sanctuary again: 24 hours.
Even if I count 8 hours for a good sleep, that still leaves a whopping 16 hours of time.
If I were outside, I could chat with Ellie, take a stroll, read novels from this world, or continue the story I’ve started writing lately—plenty of things to keep me occupied.
But in this empty cube, nothing is possible.
All I can really do is stare blankly and train—nothing else, right?
By the way, the former is boring, and the latter is hard and also boring, so let’s forget about that.
I just faced a life-or-death battle and defeated a formidable opponent. I just want to relax and have some fun!
And here’s the silver lining: I’m not the only one trapped in this cube.
Benny was flabbergasted by the fact that we could use the Mini Sanctuary once a day. I grinned at her and said, “Benny.”
“Uh? Yeah… why?”
“Just to confirm, there aren’t any other issues, right? We just wait, and it’ll be over?”
“Uh, right?”
“Then what should we play? What should we play?”
“…….”
Benny widened her eyes like a person who learned that the platypus has excellent eyesight but keeps its eyes shut when diving underwater.
In simpler terms, it meant she was thinking, ‘What on earth is this creature up to?’
“Oh come on. Don’t be so serious, Benny. We’ve won, and for now, we’re just temporarily trapped in a safe space, of all places.”
“But… this is still a labyrinth.”
“It’s a labyrinth without monsters or traps.”
I shrugged it off, causing Benny, who seemed ready to protest, to merely mumble and hang her head.
Maybe it’s because her connection with the Shadow is wavering. Benny looked more dejected than usual.
Or more accurately, her resolve seemed weakened, perhaps?
The very thing that she was so wary of—the influence of erosion—had lifted, and strangely, she felt weaker.
Until now, Benny hadn’t even realized this, but the right amount of madness from the Shadow had been bolstering her fragile mind.
So then, what impact does whatever is leaking from Benny have on the Shadow?
And right now, what state is the Shadow in, having lost Benny…?
It’s only natural to worry, but on another note, I’m somewhat relieved.
After all, isn’t the Shadow an immortal monster, devoid of the concept of death?
I don’t think anything will happen on the second floor, but even if something did, it wouldn’t die.
That would be enough. Honestly, the ones I’m worried about aren’t the Shadow but the other adventurers exploring the Second Floor.
Should they be unfortunate enough to encounter the Shadow, it’s pretty clear they’d face a slaughter.
I can only hope that it doesn’t come to that… but if a problem arises, I’ll just blame it all on Morgana.
After all, it was because of Morgana that Benny and the Shadow got separated.
Of course, I can’t tell Benny this. I can’t dump worries on someone who’s already feeling so down.
That’s why I suggested we play and have fun. To keep the weakened Benny from descending into negative thoughts.
“Well, what I thought of is coin guessing.”
“Coin guessing? Like putting a coin under a cup and shuffling to guess where the coin is?”
“That’s just a shell game… it’s all a scam, and you’ll definitely lose money, so don’t do it.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, really. Want me to show you something similar?”
I dug into my pocket and pulled out a 1-copper coin. It probably was just some change I stumbled upon…
I had already squandered my emergency fund of 1-silver in a gacha, so this is pretty much all I have.
I placed the 1-copper coin into my palm and closed my fist. Then I pretended to rub the inside of my fist with my index finger and thumb.
That’s right. Just pretending. While doing that, I secretly slipped the coin onto the back of my hand.
From Benny’s angle, it likely wouldn’t be visible.
All that was left was to slowly open my hands while being careful not to let the coin fall. Then, from Benny’s perspective, it would seem like the coin had vanished into thin air.
“Wait! Where’d the coin go?! Is it magic? A magical device? No, I didn’t feel any signs of that…”
Benny murmured with a serious expression. It was pretty fantasy-like how she jumped to tracking magic signs, but there’s no way she’d catch me.
This is just a simple sleight of hand trick. Pure dexterity and misdirection; no signs of magic would show up no matter how much she searched.
Back in my childhood in my previous life, there was a time when magic tricks became all the rage on TV. I practiced some tricks during that phase.
By the way, this is about the only one I can do. I lost interest and didn’t learn any others.
“Well? Isn’t it cool?”
“…Yeah. I know you hid it in a way I don’t understand. The shell game was likely the same too. Those bad guys. I thought my eyes were just bad because there were no signs of magic, but I can’t believe I was fooled all this time.”
“You’re a Mage, Benny. It’s not weird for you to have a habit of looking for magic first when something can’t happen normally. Did you ever think about using detection magic?”
“Well, that’s really not my forte. Even if I knew how, finding it with magic would be cheating.”
“That’s a strange area to be so principled about.”
“Ha… Yeah, I didn’t think I’d have a blind spot in this area. Anyway, where’s the coin?”
“Hmm… where could it be…?”
Grinning, I extended my palm that was still held open towards Benny.
“Hmm?”
As Benny hesitated and tried to back away, I said with a firm tone, “Stay still.”
“Ah, okay.”
Benny froze up. I quickly brought my hand behind her head and quickly retrieved the coin from the back of my hand.
I showed the coin, which had returned to my hand, while grinning.
“Oh my! It was behind Benny’s head!”
“Why is it there…?!”
Benny jumped in shock, her reaction always being so entertaining.
Unlike Lydia, who is oddly composed, or Ellie, who only reacts amusingly to risqué topics, Benny’s excitement even over trivial matters is her charm.
Benny, puzzled as to why the coin was there, was flailing her arms, so I clapped my hands lightly to grab her attention.
“Okay, now you know that the coin guessing isn’t about figuring out the position, right? You can manipulate that however you want without Benny knowing.”
“Right. So what are we trying to guess then?”
“It’s simple. Just flick it with your finger and try to guess whether it’s heads or tails.”
“That’s way too easy.”
“Huh?”
“A high-ranking adventurer like me can see it! Mages primarily grow their magic and concentration when going into a labyrinth. So if I focus, I can easily tell which side it’s going to land on.”
“Wait, what….”
Unless it was something I couldn’t catch at all, once it was within their range, it’d be practically impossible to deceive.
Then again, considering how much I’ve changed since entering the labyrinth, a high-ranking adventurer who has reached the Seventh Floor must be insane.
Sighing internally, I adjusted the rules a bit.
“Then let’s first decide whether it’ll be heads or tails before tossing the coin. We’ll take turns.”
“If that’s the case… okay.”
Benny nodded, looking completely certain it would be a fair game of chance, without a hint of suspicion.
So naïve…
Oddly enough, coin tossing has an image of fairness, but when you analyze it, it’s not a game that leaves everything to chance.
There’s research showing that with a bit of practice, one can manipulate which side turns up.
Of course, it’s not a 100% guarantee; it’s only about 70% at best. But since I gained the skill of silencing my footsteps, my senses have developed to the point where I won’t be outdone.
So my chances are probably even better than that. And that’s enough. A far more favorable condition compared to a mere 50-50.
So I decided to add a little condition.
“To make it more fun, how about the loser takes off a piece of clothing?”
“…What?”
Benny flinched for a moment; her gaze nervously darted as she reflexively examined my collarbone and abdomen.
How lewd. Well, I understand. If I put myself in her shoes, it’d be like saying, “Wanna toss coins and take off a piece of clothing with just us two in the area?” I’d probably react like Benny too.
“Ah, no way… I can’t do that. Besides, Jonah, you have Ellie, don’t you?”
“She’s not here. It’s fine. In here, whatever we do, Ellie won’t know… so, what do you say? I’ll let you take the first turn.”
With a subtle smile, I pushed the coin into Benny’s hands.
Gulp.
After a long hesitation, Benny finally accepted the coin. And then…
“I pick heads!”
“Wrong! It was tails! Since you lost, it’s time to take something off!”
“Ugh… Is this for real? It is, right?!”
I took off my shoes, socks, and leather armor, leaving me in just my undergarments.
As for Benny, she was left with only her body-hugging dress.
Hat, shoes, socks, and jewelry… she had lost all of those already!
“Benny! Hurry up! If you want to see my body, you have to be prepared to unveil yours!”
“I’ve never heard of that kind of preparation!”
Benny hesitated for quite a while. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind and tightly shut her eyes.
“Here goes!”
In one swift motion, Benny shoved her hand into her dress. She fumbled around and eventually pulled out something round and sticker-like.
“…Phew. Is this sufficient?”
“…….”
I helplessly stared at the tiny sticker in Benny’s hand, feeling emptiness wash over me.
And without realizing it, a voice slipped out.
“Gg…”
“Gg?”
“Gg!! How dare you use such sorcery! What do you think the sacred gambling of undressing is?!”
There’s no way you’re pulling a nipple patch out here!!
