Chapter 324
324 Bear-san Enters the Labyrinth .
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Karina holds on Swaying Bear as we carefully enter the passage .
[It’ll be difficult if you drop the crystal plate, so let go of Swaying Bear instead . ] Yuna
[……Yes . ] Karina
Karina reluctantly put Swaying Bear down .
Then we proceeded on entering the labyrinth . The order of entry was Karina in the front, followed by me then Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear are both at the back .
The passage is narrow and it feels even more narrow due to my costume .
[Karina, are you okay even if I’m not the one in front?] Yuna
[Yes, I’m okay . There is no danger unless you make a mistake on your steps . ] Karina
On the contrary, it is dangerous if you make a mistake on where you’re going . Karina being in the front is in the most dangerous position .
[Please don’t make a mistake . ] Yuna
[Yes, I’ll never make that same mistake again . ] Karina
Karina grips the crystal plate tightly and repeatedly look at the crystal plate map .
I use detection magic to check if there are monsters nearby, just to be safe . I heard from Balimsan that there are no monsters on the labyrinth path, but I can’t feel relaxed unless I check it with my own eyes .
There were monster reactions when I used detection magic, but not many . Well, the monster in the display were Golems .
Am I going to have to fight a golem if we make a wrong turn?
But a golem huh… I wanted a Mithril Golem, but I’m a little disappointed . As I thought, Mithril Golems are rare weren’t they? It was horrible .
(TN: (ハリボテだったけど。) can’t find the meaning but it is the closest I can get . )
As we progress, the path gradually widens .
Wide enough to make Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear return to their normal size .
[Karina . Doesn’t the passage feels less narrow?] Yuna
[I don’t know because the path changes every time . But when I came before, I don’t think that was the case . ] Karina
[Then, I’ll return Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to their normal size . Even if Karina made a wrong step, you’ll be safe . ] Yuna
[I’m not going to repeat that same mistake!] Karina
She puffed her cheeks .
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Why does it feel like I want to push those cheeks with my finger whenever I see her puff it? Holding down the , I cast a spell on Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear .
[Turn big! Turn big!] Yuna
Of course, I don’t need to chant a spell . I did it when I made them small, but it’s weird if I don’t do it this time .
Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear returns to their original size . I made Karina ride on Swaying Bear and I climbed on Hugging Bear .
[Swaying Bear, follow Karina’s instructions . ] Yuna
[Yunsan . Can you turn Swaying Bear-chan and Hugging Bear-chan even bigger?] Karina
[No, I can’t . I can only choose either a cub size or normal bear size . ] Yuna
By the way, there’s no middle size . I can only turn them into cubs .
[Is that so?] Karina
Karina looks like she’s feeling down like when she can’t get smaller .
[I thought that the overgrown Swaying Bear-chan had defeated a big monster . ] Karina
If I can make him bigger, it will be easier to fight, but when I imagine the scene of the fight, I’ll end up watching a battle of large monsters . Above all, it’s no good because I wouldn’t get my turn . Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear will protect me .
While Swaying Bear was walking, he stops when he arrives at a fork-road .
[Swaying Bear-chan, take the right . ] Karina
Swaying Bear turns right according to Karina’s instructions .
[Come to think of it, how did you come back when you lost the crystal plate map?] Yuna
We already passed a lot of fork-roads . It would have been a disaster when they didn’t have a map at that time . If they went the wrong way, they wouldn’t be able to go home .
[Because we haven’t advanced that far . ] Karina
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Karina said she was happy to receive the crystal plate from Barlima and when she went a little further, she got on the wrong path . So that’s why they were able to return .
Karina, who took the wrong path, then triggered a pitfall trap . They said that Balimsan quickly grabbed Karina, so she would not fall . However, the crystal plate seems to have slipped from Karina’s hand .
And the crystal plate fell deep underground to where we found it later on .
Karina cried because her father got injured and she dropped the crystal plate that had been handed down for generations .
But Balimsan said he’s not angry .
[My father said he was glad that I was safe, but at that time, I thought he would reach out to the crystal plate, and not me . ] Karina
[Don’t say that . Karina was more important to Balimsan than the crystal plate . It would be a pity for Balimsan to deny such feelings . Certainly, Karina may have failed . But Balimsan saved your life . The lost crystal plate has been found . I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, but Karina worked hard to get it back . So we should never fail again this time . ] Yuna
[Yes . ] Karina
Karina has a very bright smile . We absolutely must replace that magic stone .
Karina, who has become energetic, didn’t make a mistake in the path, she confirms it with the crystal plate when a split path comes and advanced cautiously . People learn from their mistakes and grow . Of course, there are people who never learn . But Karina is definitely the former .
Balimsan’s injury was not wasted either . It’s a cheap price to pay knowing it helped your daughter grow up .
[Karina . Can I see the crystal plate for a bit?] Yuna
[Yes, here you go . ] Karina
Karina, riding on Swaying Bear, lined up next to Hugging Bear, holding a crystal plate in her hand and stretching it out so that I could see it from the side .
The crystal plate has a blue dot in the center of the map . Is this our current position?
There is the path we just passed .
This map doesn’t seem to show the whole map . The map is displaying only up the path ahead .
The yellow path shows us where we came from and where we are going . I see so that’s how we proceed . In this case, there is no problem in returning .
However, if there is a problem, the map is zoomed in and I can’t see the whole map .
[It can’t show you the whole thing?] Yuna
[Yes, you can only see it up close . ] Karina
I used the Bear Map .
Yeah, this is clearly displayed . I can see the way we came . When you look at it like this, the path goes up, down, left and right . There are fork-roads in places .
I would never want to try this labyrinth without a map . I am confident that I will get angry and destroy it . (TN: Bloody Bear Smash!)
There is a saying, you will not get lost in a labyrinth with no walls .
However, if I randomly destroy everything, I might destroy the water amplification magic circle, so I cannot do it this time and there is no need to do it anyway because there is a map .
If I have to challenge it without a map, I will definitely bring Mumroot-san . The question is whether Mumroot-san remembers how to solve the labyrinth . That was hundreds of years ago after all . He must have most likely forgotten it .
It might be good to ask if Mumroot-san remember about it .
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[Swaying Bear-chan, head straight . ] Karina
Karina went straight at the crossroad .
Then, after going through the passage, we came out in a slightly wider space . At the end of the wall, we can see the stairs . I had a bad feeling and when I looked up, there was a spiral staircase on the wall .
It’s the kind of stairs I wouldn’t climb If I don’t have the Bear Equipment or Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear . I can’t climb it with my poor body . Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear will carry us while climbing the spiral stairs .
There are series of entrances and passages here and there . While looking at the crystal plate, Karina calmly gives instructions, so we go up the spiral stairs . Then, on the way to the spiral stairs, we pass a side passage .
I’ll definitely get lost here .
Going further along the passage, it will be a fork-road . However, it is different from the normal fork-road .
The right side is illuminated brightly and the left side is dark like an abyss . As a normal person’s psychology, I want to go to the bright side on the right . I don’t want to go to the darkness on the left .
But Karina’s word says [Left . ]
[I will turn on the lamp now, so please wait . ] Karina
[It’s okay . ] Yuna
I transfer some magical power to the Bear Puppet and create light . A light with a Bear’s face appears in front of me .
[… Bear-san . ] Karina
[Hey, come on, let’s go . ] Yuna
We took the dark passage . A Bear-faced light illuminates the dark passage . Karina is gazing at the Bear-faced light floating in the air . Be careful, if you look so much, it will make your eyes worse .
[Karina, look at the crystal plate properly . ] Yuna
[Y-yes . I’m sorry . ] Karina
Karina immediately shifts her line of sight to the crystal plate .
[Uh, why it isn’t an ordinary light?] Karina
[The Bear is cuter . ] Yuna
[Yes, it is!] Karina
Karina agrees with my words .
Of course, I can also create ordinary light balls . But if I don’t pay attention to it, it will become a ball of light with the Bear’s face to it . I wonder why?
I shake the Bear Puppets like I’m waving my hands .
We advanced under the light of a bear .
When we turn to the corner, we can finally see the light ahead . And again, a fork between a bright path and a dark path appears . This time, we took the bright path . The third time is divided into a passage going down and a passage going up .
Below is bright and above is dark .
After all, I want to pass under a bright light . But the destination that Karina pointed to is the dark path above .
After going up the path, we found ourselves in a slightly larger room .
[Did we arrived?] Yuna
[Not yet . ] Karina
Not yet?
I don’t think I’ve walked for an hour, but it’s a hassle to have another fork-road .
When Karina looks at the crystal plate, she walks into the room without warning .
[Are you okay? ] Yuna
[Yes, I’m okay . This time it’s choosing an entrance . ] Karina
I looked at the room and was stunned . There are five passages on each of the four walls . That would be 20 in total . The wall we entered was one of five .
Again, if there is a fork, there will be no adventurer who would want to try this .
It was a great challenge for Karina’s ancestors and Mumroot-san
Karina, looking at the crystal plate, walks to the fourth passage from the right on the right wall without hesitation .
I want to see what happens if I take the wrong way, but I can’t do such a dangerous thing because Karina is with me .
Then, as we proceed, we found a large door .
[Yunsan, we arrived . ] Karina
In front of us, was a large door about the size of the Bear Gate .
I get off Hugging Bear and touch the door .
Will it open if I pushed it?
[Please wait, Yunsan . I will open it now . ] Karina
Karina also gets off from Swaying Bear . Then she put the crystal plate in the niche next to the door and touch it .
Then the door opens slowly .