Chapter 12: Manifestation
The weather showed no signs of improvement. Among the townsfolk, there was widespread concern that if the rain continued, the crops would be completely destroyed, and discussions about potential landslides were rampant.
In response to their anxiety, the Fog continued to increase, making our burden even more severe. It was a gradual but undeniable worsening of the situation, and everyone involved in the extermination of the Fog felt a sense of crisis, as if they were being slowly strangled by a silken thread.
On this day, the information shared in our meeting brought more bad news from Anon.
“The Liquid Lifeforms have finally appeared in Arrogance and Virtuous. Naturally, they’ve brought along their ghoul companions.”
From our previous experiences, it seemed that whatever happened here would occur with a slight delay over there.
“With the increasing frequency of their appearances and the rising difficulty of extermination, everyone is feeling the strain. However, if we can get through this, the Labyrinth should reveal itself. So, I ask you to endure until then.”
Anon asserted that the emergence of the Labyrinth was imminent, but it seemed there was no other way to express the situation.
While it might not be exponential, the current rate of Fog appearances was abnormal. On top of that, there were mutated types that even Sensei had no memory of.
The Berserga Mercenary Corps, the Old Capital’s forces, and the numerous adventurer parties that had been added later were all exhausted.
It wasn’t that the front lines would collapse immediately. However, it also meant that if things continued this way, that moment would not be far off.
Anon consistently tried to keep the mood from darkening and concluded the report.
Anon slumped back against my sofa, utterly drained. Even the tough Anon couldn’t hide the signs of fatigue. That’s why I hoped they could at least relax here for a moment.
“Ichiro, we’ve finally exceeded the number of Fog we were originally planning to exterminate.”
Apparently, this was based on predictions derived from Sensei’s discussions and folklore about how many monsters we would likely need to deal with in this situation. The fact that we had surpassed that number without showing any signs of decline made it clear just how dangerous this Sealed Domain was. For me, facing countless enemies that could appear at any moment was far more challenging than the boss of the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth.
I sighed, wondering how much better it would be if just one stronger enemy appeared instead of countless Fog.
And there, lying on my bed, was Sensei.
“Mmnnnn—!”
She stretched her body luxuriously, her toes pointed like a relaxed cat. It was a secret, but I was inwardly anxious that her kimono might slip open.
“The Sealed Labyrinth might be evolving,” she mused, her brow furrowing at Anon’s words.
“Sensei…”
The Labyrinth was generating irregularities that surpassed our previous responses. If there was some kind of will behind it…
That was the worst possible scenario.
“That said, we managed to act quickly, so we’ve avoided the ‘worst-case scenario.’ Besides, last time, we were just unlucky.”
“Unlucky?”
When I asked, she sat up with a grunt, hugging her pillow.
“Yes. The last time the Sealed Domain manifested, there was a famine due to poor harvests and an outbreak of disease, leading to death all around. Under such circumstances, gathering the necessary supplies to fight and calling in enough personnel was incredibly difficult. In fact, it was practically impossible.”
I wondered how they had struggled so much even with Sensei around, but if she said so, it must have been true. Still, it made sense. The powerful individuals and rulers of that era, including Sensei, had given up on conquering the Sealed Labyrinth and opted for sealing and neutralizing it instead.
“I saw it in the documents too. The country itself was in a terrible state back then.”
Oise and Anon straightened their backs.
“Before the Sealed Domain started causing trouble last time, the number of graves was already staggering. And then came the inexplicable horde of monsters. There were countless bodies that couldn’t even be buried and were instead burned.”
The land was covered in graves as far as the eye could see. Emaciated people wept, and with too many dead to bury, they burned the corpses, apologizing to the lost souls, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” while countless decayed arms reached out from the ground, grasping at the fleeing people’s feet, dragging them down into the earth—such scenes naturally came to mind, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
At that moment, we were enjoying a brief respite to regain our strength, but once that image surfaced, it lingered in the back of my mind, refusing to fade.
The following day and the day after, we were forced to continue our extermination efforts under dire conditions.
Whether they knew of our anxiety or not, the proliferation speed of the Fog remained unchecked. And then it finally came. That day, the growth rate of the Fog reached the very limits of our extermination capabilities.
From this point onward, it was certain that we would only be worn down. Moreover, I could feel that just one mistake could tip the scales of our situation like a seesaw—an overwhelming sense of foreboding settled over me.
The members of the Berserga Mercenary Corps and the Old Capital were visibly fatigued, even if they didn’t voice it. If even these seasoned warriors were struggling, the additional general Seekers assigned by the lord must have been even worse off. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that the general Seekers were holding on and not fleeing.
And then, three days later.
The rain—finally stopped.
The sky was blue, with not a cloud in sight. It was that night when we finally let out a sigh of relief.
Just as we were about to fall asleep, the atmosphere trembled.
With a rumble so powerful it was difficult to stand, the Sealed Labyrinth finally revealed itself.