Chapter 38. Farewell
11th day in the labyrinth.
Rizenova discovered a door in Cave No. 8.
“I thought it might be dangerous to explore beyond the door, so I only marked its location on the map and returned.”
Rizenova handed me the map.
Upon checking it, I saw that the door wasn’t very far away.
It was even closer than the door that led to the field.
【Yumi】─I wonder where that door leads.
【Mysticism】─🤔
【Yumi】─By the way, isn’t Pururu coming today?
【Mysticism】─😐
I thought the Centaurides, a nomadic race, might know something about the door.
After all, she had wandered all over the labyrinth.
That’s why I had assigned her the role of guide.
I called her over and showed her the map.
“Centaurides.”
［Yes. Have you finally decided to mate with me?］
【Yumi】─Someone really needs to sew her mouth shut.
“Stop saying weird things. Do you know where this door leads?”
［A door, you say?］
Centaurides furrowed her brow and scrutinized the map closely.
［Hmm. Just looking at the map, I can’t quite tell. Since it’s not far, I’ll go and take a look myself.］
With that, she took the map and ran off toward Passage No. 8.
***
It wasn’t long before Centaurides returned.
［I’m sorry, Explorer. I don’t recognize the door marked on the map.］
“It’s fine. If you don’t know, then there’s nothing we can do.”
I wasn’t disappointed.
It’s understandable that she wouldn’t know.
Even though the Centaurides are a wandering race without a permanent home, they couldn’t possibly have explored the entire labyrinth.
【Mysticism】─😠
【Yumi】─That’s surprising. I thought she’d know almost everything, given her nomadic lifestyle.
“No matter how much she’s wandered, it’s impossible to know every part of the labyrinth. It’s much bigger than we can imagine.”
Centaurides returned the map to me, scratching her head sheepishly.
She seemed a bit embarrassed.
It was understandable.
She had confidently claimed to be able to guide us, saying she had explored many parts of the labyrinth.
［Maybe it’s been so long since I’ve been there that I’ve forgotten. If we open the door and go through, I might remember…］
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll decide later whether to open the door or not. For now, forget about it.”
［…Understood.］
She mumbled to herself, “I should have made a map too… I really should start keeping records.”
With a sullen expression, Centaurides turned away.
Then, the Dog Spider scurried up to her.
［Sii, sii!］
The Dog Spider climbed onto her back and patted her head with its legs, trying to comfort her.
【Yumi】─How sweet, comforting others like that.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【Yumi】─I want to comfort her too…
【Yumi】─Centaurides, don’t be so down. How could anyone remember every path? Memory has its limits.
【Yumi】─Geon, could you pass on what I just said to her?
I nodded and relayed Yumi’s message to Centaurides.
［…Your Assistant must be very kind-hearted. Thank you for the concern.］
Centaurides’ face brightened a little at last.
***
12th day in the labyrinth.
While exploring Passage No. 8 in the morning, we discovered a pond.
【Pururu】─Water! Water!!!
【Mysticism】─😃
【Pururu】─By the way, where has that Yumi woman been lately? She’s barely showing up on the broadcast.
【Mysticism】─🤔
After marking the pond’s location on the map, we returned to our base for lunch.
Once we finished eating, I brought all the monsters and Orakans to the pond.
“Wow! There’s water in a place like this!”
“Finally, we can bathe!”
“Thank goodness. I’ve been itching since yesterday.”
Splash!
The Orakans quickly stripped off their outer clothes and jumped into the pond.
Because they were sexless, Rizenova didn’t hesitate to take off everything, including their underwear, while Therio and Ayulla kept their private parts covered.
After they entered, the monsters started following one by one.
［Sii!］
［Pii!］
［Biiiii~］
The Dog Spider, Jellyfish, and Medical Mushroom all entered the water.
［Therio! Ayulla! Today, I’ll teach you how to dance in the water! Watch and follow closely!］
Without hesitation, the Hedgehog Summoner jumped high into the air and dived into the pond.
Then,
［H-Huff! Huff! The water is too deep! I’m floating away! Save me!!!］
He flailed about, desperately calling for help.
It seemed he couldn’t swim.
【Pururu】─LOL, what’s that dumb hedgehog doing?
【Mysticism】─🤣
For reference, the pond wasn’t deep.
It was just that the hedgehog was too small for his feet to reach the bottom.
Therio and Ayulla clapped as they watched the Hedgehog struggle to stay afloat.
“Oh. Is this the water dance you’re talking about?”
“What a flashy dance. I’ll make sure to remember it, Master.”
［Blub! Stop talking nonsense and… Blub! Save me already!!!］
The Hedgehog began to sink deeper into the water.
［Blub-blub-blub! Hurry, someone save me! This isn’t a dance!!!］
At that moment, Psycho Clown, who had entered the water while giggling, grabbed the Hedgehog with both hands and lifted him up.
［Kirik. You’re an idiot.］
［Th-Thanks… I almost died!］
［Kirik. Your legs are short, so just sit on my shoulders.］
［Got it! But my legs aren’t short! I’m just short overall!］
There were still two monsters that hadn’t entered the water: the Black Magma Slime and Centaurides.
Centaurides stood by the edge of the pond, staring blankly at me.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to wash up?”
［I was waiting to enter the water with you, Explorer.］
【Pururu】─That’s a lie. She was probably just waiting to see you undress.
【Mysticism】─😠
“You could’ve gone in first.”
［I want to go in with you.］
“…Alright. I’ll undress now, so wait a moment.”
I pulled down my pants.
【Pururu】─Whoa!!!
【Mysticism】─😀
【Pururu】─LOL, you’re still wearing the panties Mysticism gave you.
【Mysticism】─😋
I heard a gulping sound.
When I looked up, I saw Centaurides licking her lips as she stared at my lower body.
“What are you looking at?”
［I’m sorry.］
Centaurides blushed and turned her head.
She muttered something quietly to herself.
［Impressive… heh heh.］
Crazy woman.
I heard her but pretended not to.
In any case, I was ready to enter the water.
I hadn’t been wearing a shirt to begin with.
【Pururu】─Geon, wait a minute! Aren’t you going to take off your underwear?
“How can I? You’re all watching.”
【Pururu】─But your underwear will get soaked if you leave it on.
【Pururu】─We’ll just close our eyes, so go ahead and take it off.
【Mysticism】─😊
“You’re not even suggesting I block you all before I undress, huh.”
【Pururu】─LOL;
【Mysticism】─😏
At first, I thought about blocking the Assistants and taking everything off.
But I gave up on that idea when I remembered there were females among the Orakans.
Not to mention that perverted horse was also female.
So I entered the pond, underwear still on, with the Black Magma Slime in my arms.
Finally, Centaurides entered the water too.
【Pururu】─Why’d you bring the Magma Slime with you? Do slimes wash off in water too?
I hadn’t brought the slime to clean it.
There was another reason I’d brought it into the water.
“Black Magma Slime, can you heat up the water a little?”
［Sss!］
The Magma Slime released a small amount of its power.
Steam began to rise from the pond.
This was the reason I brought the slime into the water.
“That’s enough. This should be fine.”
［Sss!］
The cold pond was now warm and cozy, like a hot spring, thanks to the Magma Slime.
【Pururu】─So you used it to heat the water.
【Mysticism】─😶
“The water’s warm now!”
“This temperature is perfect.”
“Ah, it feels so good…”
The Orakans seemed to enjoy it.
The monsters also showed relaxed expressions as the water warmed up.
‘It feels so refreshing to soak in water after such a long time.’
The uneasy feeling that had lingered on my skin melted away, and the warmth spread through my body, making me feel relaxed and relieved of fatigue.
【Pururu】─Geon, should I send you some shampoo and body wash later? I can throw in some foam cleanser too if you want.
“That would be great, thanks.”
【Pururu】─Okay, let me know when you’re ready for it.
I told Pururu to send me a washbasin as well since we needed to use the shampoo and body wash outside the pond to avoid contaminating the water.
Anyway, today was a happy day because we could finally wash up after such a long time.
***
13th day in the labyrinth.
“Lord Gauntlet, thank you so much for everything. We will never forget the kindness you showed us by saving and taking us in. We will repay this debt someday.”
【Pururu】─Good riddance.
It was time to say farewell to the Orakans.