Chapter 24: No obstacles on the true path│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com

“Can I borrow the map, Leon? Oh, it’s actually pretty rough.”

“As long as you can read it.”

Dee compared his map to the one Leonhardt had created during the exploration.

Lysette glanced around the corner at the work.

Dee’s map was meticulous. It looked like the actual passages had been written down. There were numerous notes about trap locations and so on.

Leonhardt’s map, on the other hand, is a crude map with lines and forks, spaces, and dead ends representing roads. The map is rough compared to Dee’s map, but there is no excess or deficiency.

“You two are amazing.”

“If you’re going diving, you should know how to map a labyrinth—let’s see, the only other area we haven’t explored is this one.”

They compare the two maps and determine which areas have not yet been explored.

And they make their way to an unexplored area, but the paths are still the same and unchanged. They would get lost if they didn’t have a map.

Lysette and the others come to a stop just before a fork in the road.

There were two choices in front of them. Above them is a sign.

“There it is again, that signboard. [No Obstacles on the Path of Truth]”

“There must be numerous traps—can you take the lead, Dee?”

“…Alright, but if you leave it to me, please follow my instructions.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Never go wandering.”

Dee says firmly, looking around and leaning against the wall. He picks up a throwing knife and begins tapping the handle here and there against the wall.

—Does he listen to the sound?

“…Maybe this way.”

Dee points down the path.

“Be careful, don’t put your hands on the wall, because there’s a trap there—spears and arrows will be thrown at you.”

“Y-Yes.”

Another fork in the road then appears. Again they follow Dee’s instructions.

“Stop! There’s an Arachne thread at your feet. If you are caught, you will be hanged.”

Although Dee points, Lysette doesn’t notice the thread.

But if she concentrates and looks closely, she can see a thread glinting in the light and rising slightly off the ground.

—If I hadn’t been told, I never would have noticed it.

“…My last group got lost here for a long time. We followed the board, but turned back when we hit a trap.”

Dee chuckles as they proceed.

“I think this is the right way to go, though. It’s just a guess. More traps will come up. Do you want to go back?”

“Why? I’ll leave it up to Dee so you can go your own way. Leon doesn’t seem to mind, does he?”

Dee looks at Leonhardt with slightly worried eyes.

“Experience and intuition are the sources of knowledge. And intuition backed by experience is very accurate. It pays to have faith.”

“You’re exaggerating—you can tell me when we’re safely through this.”

At that exact moment, a spear falls from the sky, which Leonhardt shoots with his 【Holy-Shield】 to save the day.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Likewise.”

As they walked on, they came to a wide, bright passageway.

“There are no traps here—this is the only place we can rest.”

“Right. Let’s take a short break here.

“I’ll set up a barrier.”

Lysette prepared for the rest by setting up a barrier to keep monsters and others out.

They laid their belongings on the ground, built a fire in the corner, and spread out their sleeping bags.

“How does Dee know about the traps?”

Lysette inquires as she prepares to sleep.

When it comes to finding traps in the middle of nowhere, Dee is a magician.

“Traps usually have clues.”

“Clues?

“Yes. The floor might be a slightly different color, or the walls might be hollow. Otherwise, the builders would have been caught by now, right? So you have to look at what’s there to look at and listen to what’s there to hear, like the sound of a mechanism moving. You can tell by listening for things like that.”

“I see…”

“But that’s a very subtle difference, so don’t judge it yourself, but leave it to a qualified professional.”

Lysette was surprised there were any qualifications at all.

—The world is really huge.

“I also have a simple question: why does Dee think  the road with the traps is the right way?”

Dee seems to have taken the opposite path from the plate.

—I don’t want to comment on Dee’s decision, but I’m curious why.

“That is, traps are placed near treasures you’re not supposed to take, or in special places you’re not supposed to go. If they say that the way without traps is the right way, I think they are lying.”

“I understand. [No obstacles on the path of truth] —isn’t that the trap?

“If you understand that, then go to sleep now.”

“Yes, Leon, Dee, good night.”

Having only one other friend in the group eases the burden of sleepless nights quite a bit. Lysette fell asleep quickly, grateful for the company.

—○█○—

After waking up.

She baked the leftover bread for breakfast. She sliced the bread thinly, spread butter on it to make it soft, topped it with cheese, and baked it up.

Lysette couldn’t wait to get to the next layer because the ingredients were running low. She was excited when Leonhardt told her that the next layer would be full of monsters that could be eaten.

Then Lysette and the gang move on, where they find themselves in an unprecedentedly large room.

There is only one straight corridor with deep holes on both sides.

The walls are far away, and the ceiling is much higher. The hole is so deep that there seems to be no floor.

“I see a trail over there.”

There is a straight passage that looks exactly like the one Lysette and the others are in, but it is lower.

And in that hallway are the members of Dee’s former party.

“Oh.”

“Oh, they’re all right. Thank goodness.”

They didn’t seem to have noticed them yet. That’s when it started.

The path the party was walking on below them began to lean sideways.

The group that had been walking down the slope fell down without resistance, like a ball rolling down a slope.

Below is a deep hole with no visible bottom.

“”””HAAAAaaaaa””””

It swallows all cries and hopes.

“Oh my goodness…”

“They have the returned death items; they’ll be fine.”

Dee murmurs, and at that moment four lights appear in the darkness. The lights rose vertically and disappeared from view as they passed through the ceiling.

A returned death item had transported them to the surface.

“All right, let’s move on.”

“Yes.”

A large door blocked their path as they continued down the corridor.

Dee peered through the keyhole, retrieved his picking tool, and inserted a bent piece of metal into the hole.

“All right, I think we’re good to go.”

Click

And the lock is loosened.

“Let’s see if there’s any treasure or monsters waiting for us. Are you guys ready?”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

Then Dee pushed open the door.

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