The head of the Minotaur fell to the ground.
It was a close battle for me, with the sanctuary and power explosion’s duration about to end, but perhaps it didn’t seem that way to others.
“…Is this it? Wasn’t this just a stall?”
“Who said that? Someone claimed the Minotaur was resistant to physical attacks.”
“It was resistant, for sure. And in the end, some special abilities were mixed in.”
“Still… does anyone know who this kid is? I’ve never seen their face before.”
“A cute boy with a dangerous vibe… huff huff.”
“First, tie them up….”
The nearby adventurers were buzzing. There was one strange person in the mix, but their reactions were mostly similar.
Astonishment at what I had done, and curiosity about the newcomer.
“…But what about our hunt now?”
“The whole formation fell apart because of that guy.”
And perhaps a little resentment? Blame shifting? Something like that lingered too. However.
Clank. Clank.
Lydia stood next to me, in her armor. Everyone was silent at her appearance.
That made sense; everyone present had witnessed how sensitively Lydia responded to insults about me and saw just how strong she was.
Lydia, who casually flicked her gaze around as if to dismiss the surrounding stares, extended her hand toward me.
“Jonah. Are you okay?”
“Um. I’m still okay so far.”
The sanctuary and power explosion were still holding. They seemed likely to wear off in 1-2 minutes, though.
…So am I just going to collapse like this?
Most adventurers nearby were either friendly toward me or in shock, but a few harbored discontent.
It wasn’t just simple emotional discontent; it was resentment tied to the interests of the hunt’s rewards.
While the proof would take ages, stirring up trouble could be done in an instant. Remembering that from my past life, I decided to throw the first punch.
“Eh hem. Everyone? It seems I handled this all by myself. So it’s only right I gather the most loot, right? But don’t worry! You didn’t even fill your contributions, right? If that’s the case, it won’t count as an official hunt, so you can always try again next time!”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
A moment of silence flowed. I realized the oddly sharpened atmosphere.
Maybe it was because the battle had just ended, and excitement hadn’t settled yet; my tone might have sounded a bit aggressive.
To summarize, it came off as “Hah~ losers! You want to claim loot when you didn’t even fill your contributions? There’s no loot for pathetic adventurers like you, so just try again later!”
Lydia must have picked up on this too as she glanced around and asked.
“Anyone have complaints?”
Just then, a middle-aged adventurer raised his hand, as if waiting for this moment.
He didn’t seem to have participated in the hunt himself; perhaps he was there as a protector.
“I agree with taking most of the loot. However, our share should not be completely zero. Depending on how much you give us, there could be complaints or not.”
A rare male adventurer. Despite being middle-aged, he had a rather dashing look, even in the eyes of other men.
The grayish hair mixed with white, and the neatly groomed beard had a steady demand style even on Earth, but how about in this realm?
Perhaps he had that kind of milfy vibe? Indeed, some nearby women were blushing as they stared at him with dazed expressions.
But Lydia, who had been watching this beardy dude like a street pebble, nodded at his words as if she agreed.
“Hmm. I’ll ask the person involved. Jonah?”
“Ah, yes. I suppose I’ll need to account for the cost of the potions and scrolls used. And it’s true I initially drew the aggro…”
After a moment’s contemplation, I pointed to a distant horn.
“How about we just split that one?”
“…That sounds fair.”
The bearded dude nodded in satisfaction. But perhaps his aim was never money in the first place. Despite the conversation seemingly coming to a close, he subtly tossed out another question.
“By the way, what is your name?”
“I’m Jonah.”
“And which clan do you belong to?”
“I don’t have a clan, but I do have someone looking out for me.”
“Oh, so you’re being mentored by Lady Lydia. What a remarkable individual.”
“Cough.”
“But the nature of personal support and group support differ. Above all, men often have difficulties they find hard to share with women. Our clan, the ‘Men’s Days,’ is composed solely of men…”
“Eh.”
Was that an invitation to join a clan? However, I had no intention of joining any particular clan. At least not now.
Especially if it’s a sausage party, I absolutely wouldn’t.
Ugh… just thinking about it gives me the creeps.
Though not all guys in the reversed gender world are gay, there’s definitely a strange discomfort.
Nodding hastily, I tried to pivot the conversation.
“About that part, let’s think about it later. Anyway, if just one horn is okay, is everyone else fine with that?”
“Well. The Minotaur’s horn is the most expensive part.”
“We won’t be losing out by splitting it.”
“If a single mistake knocks you down, then it’s a lack of skill. Back in my day…”
“If someone hears you, they’ll think you’re a relic from hundreds of years ago!”
The general atmosphere seemed accepting. Just when I thought I could finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Ah.”
Strength drained from my body. My legs began to tremble, and my vision started to swirl.
The effect of the power explosion was finally wearing off, and the backlash was kicking in.
Fortunately, the sanctuary’s duration was a bit longer, so I was still holding on thanks to its effects, but…
It was clear my sanctuary would end before I completely recovered.
Doing my best to hide it, I leaned my head on Lydia’s shoulder.
“Lady Lydia, Lady Lydia.”
“Yes?”
As if knowing everything, she effortlessly picked me up. The adventurers who had been noisy earlier fell into silence again.
“Now that I think of it, I feel like I ate something during the battle…”
“Was it some kind of awakening potion? Well, even with great talent, it’s impossible to overwhelm a tier guardian alone.”
“Even so, the fact that you overwhelmed other comparable adventurers doesn’t change.”
Whispers flowed. Good. Just as planned. I can’t avoid being the center of attention, but at least I could conceal about 30% of my power.
I had, of course, hidden the true nature of the sanctuary’s activation, and I hadn’t revealed the existence of the Basilieus or the invisibility cloak.
With Lydia carrying me, I waved my arms and spoke.
“Lady Lydia, Lady Lydia. So, can you please gather up the Minotaur’s remains?”
“Hm…”
Lydia let out a sound of slight discontent. She seemed to want something, looking back at me.
Well, it was obvious what Lydia wanted at this time.
Suppressing a chuckle, I dropped my voice. Imagining a fallen noble who clings to dignity without a shred of actual power, the last fragment of pride assembles itself in a certain form.
“Lady Lydia, my loyal knight. Will you collect the glory of victory for me, and for yourself?”
“As you command.”
Finally satisfied, she let out a puff of breath and pulled out an appropriately sized longsword. Easy peasy.
The adventurers who witnessed this looked aghast, but there was no need for that.
This was a kind of roleplay. Just a simple game.
As I shook my head and hummed a tune, Lydia expertly sliced through the Minotaur’s corpse with the dagger she had drawn.
Using a dagger to carve up this massive body was quite inefficient.
Moreover, someone like Lydia could exhibit enough skill with a longsword.
It seemed she was first stabbing the Minotaur’s belly vertically, then smoothly skinning it, taking home two of its remaining thigh bones.
And then, she lifted only the head with one horn left and called it a day.
After all, once a hero, this was a rather bittersweet end for him.
Of course, such bitterness would return in the form of loot, so I could endure it well enough.
She couldn’t fit it all into the subspace bag, so Lydia tucked the severed head into her side and finally extracted the mana stone.
Ssss.
The Minotaur’s body turned to ashes and scattered, absorbed into the heart of the Earth God.
Strictly speaking, that heart was an illusion, and the ashes blended into the labyrinth itself, but at least it visually appeared that way.
A God and a Champion. The fallen hero, whom they couldn’t bear to kill even after his corruption. Two beings laid side by side in the same grave, still searching for a cure until the very end.
There must have been unforeseeable twists and turns in the relationship between the Earth God and Asterios, even I, the author, couldn’t comprehend.
They ultimately didn’t reach a happy ending, and their divinity and greatness had fallen to mere prey.
Yet if anyone were to ask if the choices they made and their accomplished feats held no meaning, the answer would be no.
I paid a gentle tribute to the true remains buried in the unseen depths, not the echoes portrayed in the labyrinth.
“May you rest in comfort in the Mother Earth’s embrace.”
As I murmured this eulogy, a small warmth began to rise from deep within me, as if responding to my words.
Now, the familiar sensation of power inscribing itself returned.
…At the same time, my vision turned black.
