Chapter 04: Broken Return Array and the Genius Who Can't Go Home
Only dust quietly danced in the collapsed ancient coliseum‚ and for a while‚ no one spoke a word.
Where the giant rock titan had arrogantly stood just moments ago‚ only a massive crater now mercilessly gaped. I approached the wreckage of the 'Forced Transfer Array' that had sent us flying here and crouched down on the spot.
"One-way forced transfer... No‚ wait. If I can reconstruct the remaining spell formula—"
I began ultra-high-speed magical computation inside my brain.
"The causal lines of the transfer spell are not completely dead yet."
While glaring at the shattered ancient equations‚ I desperately tried to find a ray of hope.
(Reverse the magic power vector and fix the coordinates...)
However‚ to reverse the vector‚ the catalyst mass needed to anchor it was overwhelmingly insufficient. In this freezing underground fifth layer‚ the probability of conveniently procuring a substitute catalyst was close to zero.
But before my mental calculations could hit a dead end‚ fate began to move.
Rumble rumble rumble... .
Accompanied by a low earth tremor‚ faint golden particles of light suddenly began gathering at the center of the coliseum.
"...!"
Charlotte stood up vigorously as if she had been snapped up.
"Everyone‚ prepare to escape! Louise‚ about that one blow of yours... I'll question you—no‚ I'll have you tell me the story slowly later!"
The gathered light grew brighter‚ shining like hope itself.
"The labyrinth's management system has officially confirmed the subjugation of the floor boss!"
The two followers also looked at each other with joy‚ tears streaming down their faces.
"W-we're saved...!"
"It's the return transfer magic array to the surface!"
Sacred ancient characters began appearing one after another on the stone floor‚ and pale magic power drew out complex geometric patterns.
I see... I let out a deep sigh of relief and gently stroked my chest.
(Now I can finally go home. Above all‚ I need to replenish my test-use ammunition (panties) as soon as possible‚ or I'll really catch a cold. If I catch a cold here‚ my food expenses for half a month will vanish into nothingness just from the medicine cost.)
The damp‚ cold air of the underground fifth layer stung my skin more sharply than I had imagined. Especially for the current me‚ who had lost my absolute defense—my underwear (panties)—through equivalent exchange‚ it was literally a fatal temperature.
Right at the moment I was immersed in relief.
Boop. Toto poked my bare leg with his foot.
—In that instant‚ the slight physical interference caused the hem of my bargain-bin cotton skirt to flutter up. The faint change in airflow triggered an ominous chain reaction (bug) in my extremely sharpened no-panties sense of shame.
"Hyaa!? W-what are you doing‚ Toto!? If my skirt flips up in this extreme state‚ my social dignity will vanish without a trace! Plus‚ it's incredibly breezy and cold down there‚ so don't poke me carelessly!"
"I'm a little relieved. At least the fatal crisis awareness that you're currently going commando is still remaining in a corner of your head as a survival route."
"Of course it is! What if the elite Charlotte and the others say something unreasonable and humiliating like 'You're the top scorer but so poor you can't even buy panties anymore?'"
"No good‚ the direction of the dignity you're worried about is completely misaligned with general societal ethics."
Toto snorted in exasperation.
"More importantly‚ what do you want? I'm busy right now calculating future cold protection measures."
"You're trying to go home‚ but Louise‚ the boss dropped an item at the bottom of that crater over there. Aren't you gonna pick it up?"
"Ah...!"
I spotted the small treasure chest faintly glowing beyond the cleared dust cloud and let out a joyful cry as if I had been snapped up.
"Charlotte-san! The giant left behind rare supplies (drops)!"
Charlotte also glanced at the crater where the giant had been and elegantly brushed up her red hair.
"It's true. Well‚ but... you were the one who defeated it‚ albeit reluctantly‚ so it's your rightful claim. Go ahead and pick it up."
Charlotte declared magnanimously‚ as befitting a young lady from a prestigious family. One of her followers widened her eyes in shock.
"I-is that really okay‚ Lady Charlotte!? It's a fifth-layer boss drop‚ you know!?"
The other one puffed out her cheeks enviously.
"Lucky... I'd love to see what's inside a little..."
"You two...! Don't you have any noble pride as members of prestigious magic families!?"
Charlotte sharply scolded them.
"Eh‚ can I really take it?"
As I hesitated a little‚ Toto shrugged his small forelimbs.
"Well‚ if Louise is being weirdly reserved and won't pick it up‚ I'll gratefully collect it with my CEO privileges."
"Absolutely not! I'll take it! And even if you say you want it back later‚ no way! If I sell this‚ I can buy that expensive magic computation equipment I've always wanted!"
"Wait... You should buy adult fabric (panties) first before equipment! That's why I'm managing your assets!"
"No wayyy!"
Labyrinth boss drops appear as condensed magic power in a small box. Once the lid is opened‚ the item inside fixes itself to causality and pops out‚ never to return to box form again.
However.
(Amateurs often lose to the childish temptation on the spot and open it immediately.)
(Rather than gambling on the uncertain rarity inside‚ selling it as the 'Unopened Fifth-Layer Boss Drop Box' brand to enthusiasts yields a much higher profit margin when calculated by expected value.)
I made an extremely cold economic judgment and quickly shoved the dropped small box into the invisible pocket of my dress without opening it.
(At first I thought 'A dress with pockets? How impractical and unfashionable...' but... could Professor Elright have calculated that I would loot drops in the labyrinth when making this...? No‚ that stomach-ache uncle couldn't possibly have that much foresight.)
"Now‚ everyone!"
Charlotte turned around with a relieved smile.
"To the return array—"
"...No good!"
Toto's sharp cry rang coldly through the coliseum.
The one who cut off the relieved voices was a single chilly remark from Toto‚ who had been continuously gnawing on dried squid on my shoulder.
"What is it? Why that ominous voice?"
Charlotte tilted her head curiously.
Toto mercilessly pointed at the floor with his short forelimb.
"The return array... its construction stopped halfway."
"...Eh?"
Everyone's bodies froze in front of the transfer array.
Indeed‚ the magic array promising return to the surface was glowing pale blue on the cold stone floor.
—It was glowing.
However.
Only half of the geometric circle existed.
The remaining half of the magic circuits had vanished cleanly along with the space itself‚ as if it had never existed in the first place.
"…………"
"…………"
"…………"
A few seconds of heavy‚ lead-like silence.
I slowly approached the missing section of the magic array and quietly crouched down.
There was a massive spacetime rift as if the world itself had been gouged out. Scattered around it were marble pavement remnants‚ smashed by the extremely compressed wind claws‚ now lying as rubble.
Inside my head‚ the battle records from a few minutes ago rewound at terrifying speed and replayed vividly.
(Wind attribute‚ maximum output purge)
(Complete spatial rupture)
(Shockwave diffusion in all directions)
(Causal interference across the entire ancient coliseum)
(……)
(…………)
(…………Ah‚ it's because of my panties‚ isn't it.)
I quietly stood up as if nothing had happened.
"It seems..."
"It seems?"
Charlotte asked fearfully with amber eyes that looked ready to cry at any moment.
I gently averted my gaze to the floor far diagonally below.
"I seem to have perfectly blown the giant—along with the foundational coordinates of the return transfer magic array—off to the far side of spacetime."
"…………Eh?"
With that single sentence‚ time in the fifth layer completely stopped.
The two followers froze like Greek statues‚ Charlotte's graceful smile twitched with despair. Only Toto continued crunching on his squid with an extremely cold "I knew it" expression.
"In other words..."
Charlotte showed a dry‚ fragile smile that looked ready to break.
"A proper means for us to return to the surface...?"
"According to my high-precision calculations at the present moment—"
I puffed out my chest with complete seriousness and stated the facts coldly.
"There are none."
Further silence.
And then—.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"
The soul-shaking screams of the three echoed as if they would break through the ceiling of the abyss-like fifth layer.
"...This girl‚ Louise‚ is definitely gonna catch a cold from her crotch. I'm convinced."
Toto's merciless words of pity dissolved vainly into the space where cold winds blew.
"I-it's a lie... right!?"
Charlotte looked back and forth between the miserably half-destroyed return array and my face with a despairing expression.
"We can't go home... Really‚ there's no way back to the surface?"
"Yes."
I pointed straight at the ancient spell formula severed from the world's laws with a cold fingertip.
"More than fifty percent of the causal law lines that form the foundation of the transfer array have disappeared. It no longer functions as magical geometry."
"A-any possibility of repair?"
"Impossible."
"Alternative catalysts to forcibly rewrite the magic circuits here?"
"None whatsoever."
"……"
"……"
Faced with my utterly merciless Q&A‚ Charlotte lost the concept of words.
Please don't misunderstand—I am by no means giving up on living. I am simply reporting the objective facts (calculation results) produced by my brain cells in an extremely businesslike manner.
"No way..."
One of the followers finally reached her mental limit and collapsed on the spot.
"Are we going to spend the rest of our lives doing survival living in this dark‚ cold fifth layer...?"
"I don't want that... My skin will get all ruined..."
The other one hugged her luggage and muttered with large tears welling in her eyes.
"Our lives are over...!"
In the midst of the tragic despair enveloping the cold air of the ancient coliseum‚ Toto put his short forelimbs on his nonexistent hips with a "good grief" expression.
"Can't be helped. I'll specially share my indomitable energy with you all this once."
Without delay‚ Toto crawled shamelessly from my shoulder down to my chest and suddenly started rummaging around the abdominal area of my 'Invisible Magic Dress'.
"Wait...!? Don't touch weird places‚ what are you doing!?"
Before my astonished eyes‚ an unbelievable phenomenon occurred.
It turned out that inside my transparent dress‚ Toto had secretly sewn in a 'Spacetime Expansion Pocket' without me knowing.
From that invisible darkness‚ Toto pulled out five dried squids one after another.
"This one's on me‚ my generous treat! Chew well and turn it into flesh and blood!"
Saying that‚ he roughly handed one cold squid each to me‚ Charlotte‚ and the two followers‚ then tossed the last one into his own mouth and began crunching.
"What is this...! When exactly did you construct this illogical physical gimmick into my dress!?"
"Secret! Also‚ that special pocket is set as a dedicated expansion area that only reacts to my biological magic power‚ so no matter how much you search‚ Louise‚ there's nothing there."
"Then does this extradimensional pocket contain other useful survival tools or cold protection gear!?"
"It's squid-only!!"
I quietly shook my head with a completely cold gaze at the proud familiar who declared it with a smug face.
"Squid alone will cause a serious nutritional imbalance in survival. In the long term‚ there's a risk of developing scurvy from vitamin C deficiency and bleeding gums—"
"That's not what we should be worried about!!"
Still gripping the handed squid with her delicate hand‚ Charlotte sharply retorted with anger.
"I will mentally die if I can't take a rose bath (bath) even for one day!?"
"No good! Charlotte-han is also too much of an ojou-sama; the vector of her crisis sense is fatally misaligned!"
Toto slapped his own forehead with his short forelimb.
"Before worldly hygiene conditions‚ in this sub-zero temperature with cold winds blowing through all the gaps in your clothes‚ you'll all quietly freeze to death for real‚ not as a joke. Honestly‚ according to my survival probability calculations‚ we only have two days!"
"Ah... Indeed‚ that point is extremely reasonable."
Now that she mentioned it‚ it was true. Feeling the breezy cold air rising from deep between my legs‚ I quietly adjusted the priority order (tasks) in my brain.
(1. Set returning alive to the surface as the highest priority parameter)
(2. Resume multidimensional verification research after that)
(3. ...New purchase of test-use underwear (panties) comes... after that)
(No‚ from a cold protection perspective‚ I should raise the priority of underwear a bit higher...)
While conducting such futile internal defense calculations‚ Charlotte gently placed her hand on her chest over her crimson robe and took a quiet deep breath.
"...It's okay."
She murmured softly as if telling herself.
"My father will surely organize a large rescue team and come help us right away."
With those words‚ the expressions of the two followers‚ who had been sunk in despair‚ brightened up.
"That's right!"
"Sebastian‚ the butler who has served Lady Charlotte's father for many years‚ is one of the leading labyrinth conquest experts in the royal capital! A deep abyss like this will surely be traversed as fast as the wind—"
"Yes‚ that's right."
Charlotte nodded nobly‚ filled with the pride of her prestigious family.
—However‚ right after she spun those words‚ her lips suddenly stopped.
The cold air dominating the coliseum froze as if physically solidifying.
"……"
"……"
"……"
In the tense silence‚ Toto fearfully yet extremely cruelly asked a question.
"...Ojou-chan‚ can I ask one thing just to confirm?"
"W-what is it‚ lowering your voice so creepily?"
"That all-powerful father of yours... did he know in advance that you all were secretly sneaking into this dungeon today?"
"…………"
Charlotte's graceful smile completely froze with cracking sounds.
"You definitely jumped out without telling anyone‚ right?"
"…………"
"Plus‚ being instantly blown all the way to the underground fifth layer by a spacetime trap accident is something even God couldn't predict probabilistically."
"…………"
Toto sighed and thrust reality at them mercilessly.
"It's simple reasoning. You guys picked a flashy fight with us at the magic tool district's staff shop earlier‚ charged into the third-layer practice on momentum and pride alone‚ then stepped on an unconfirmed causal trap and free-fell all the way here. —There's no way you reported to the important adults on the surface 'We're heading to the abyss now'! Even a common labyrinth sewer rat could figure that out in a second!"
Heavy silence.
"Without telling anyone."
Even deeper‚ bottomless silence.
"Coming to this underground fifth-layer abyss..."
Blood draining‚ further silence.
"I hadn't told them in advance at alllllllll!!! (It was an oversight!)"
In that moment.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! (It's all over—!)"
This time‚ not just the two followers‚ but all four—including Louise and Charlotte—let out soul-crushing screams of despair that echoed violently and vainly into the deepest part of the abyss.
Only Toto let out a deep "good grief" sigh and skillfully twirled the half-eaten squid in his short forelimb.
"Wait a second... Did none of you really notice that major absurdity (bug) until just now...? Is the combined brainpower of all of you less than the squid's ear...? The shocking fact on this side is hitting me way harder mentally right now..."
For a while‚ no one spoke any proper words.
Only the damp‚ cold underground winds mercilessly blew through the collapsed ancient coliseum‚ and the fifth layer's cold‚ ruthless air sharply stabbed the skin. Especially for the current me.
(...It's incredibly cold.)
Against me‚ who had lost my absolute defense—my underwear (panties)—through multidimensional equivalent exchange‚ the labyrinth's cold air was launching a merciless attack focused directly on my lower body.
I desperately held down the hem of my bargain-bin cotton skirt with both hands and shivered slightly.
"Calculating the current environmental temperature‚ our physical strength consumption seems faster than expected."
"In other words... what do you mean?"
Charlotte asked with chattering teeth and a trembling voice.
"Continuing to stand around chatting aimlessly in this extreme cold is the height of inefficiency."
I looked around at the surrounding rock surfaces.
"First‚ let's secure warmth to maintain survival parameters."
"But there isn't any wood to use as firewood in a place like this."
As far as the eye could see‚ there were only cold stone pavements and marble rock walls. There wasn't a single burnable organic material in this desolate space.
"—No‚ there is."
I quietly picked up one white birch staff lying at my feet.
It was the three-hundred-crown test-experiment magic staff I had mercilessly thrown onto the floor during the extreme battle earlier.
"I'll burn this luxuriously."
"Eh!?"
The three voices of shock overlapped beautifully in the closed marble space.
"I-isn't that your precious research catalyst (item)!?"
"Yes‚ that's correct."
"Then you can't burn something like that!"
"However‚"
I answered with a completely straight face.
"If a human freezes to death‚ the important magic research itself can never be done again."
"That... is true‚ but..."
A slightly awkward silence flowed. I stared at the white birch in my hand and let out a small‚ blood-curdling sigh.
"...Originally‚ I planned to use it as a glorious experimental sacrifice for measuring multidimensional magic power conductivity."
"...It's three hundred crowns per staff‚ more expensive than panties at one hundred sixty-six point seven crowns each."
"…………"
"But it burns well."
"Don't mutter the purchase price like a curse with lingering attachment and then immediately set it on fire without hesitation!"
While receiving Toto's sharp retort on my back‚ I turned my gaze to the red-haired young lady.
"Charlotte-san‚ please provide initial ignition with your salamander."
"Eh‚ yes... It's reluctant‚ but we have no choice right now."
The fire spirit employed by Charlotte dropped a small fireball onto my blood-shedding research budget (white birch).
Crack‚ crackle crackle.
With a dry sound‚ the three-hundred-crown magic white wood began burning red.
"Ah... I know this fleeting scene very well. The Little Match Girl! I read it in the literary fairy tale column of the newspaper. The one that made all of America cry because it was too sad!"
"Toto‚ you know such a sad fairy tale as The Little Match Girl?"
"That's related to my delicate secret of birth (privacy)‚ so don't pry too deeply. It'll explode if you touch it."
"Well‚ Toto is a mysterious creature whose very existence is like a singularity. Even my brain computations can't calculate him—an unsolved life form."
The fire made from the white birch firewood flickered warmer than we had expected.
"...The warmth penetrates my clothes (dress) and revives my frozen cells."
Charlotte held both hands out toward the bonfire and murmured dreamily. The two followers were naturally drawn to the fire as well and let out small sighs of relief.
"I can see it... I can see it... Inside the fire‚ a thick juicy steak overflowing with meat juices and a giant bucket pudding are dancing..."
Completely ignoring the familiar who had started seeing convenient hallucinations from the cold and hunger‚ I stared at the fire and quickly did mental arithmetic on the remaining durability of the staves.
(I have two disposable white birch staves and one mid-grade oak staff on hand.)
Assuming the current burn rate for the magical white wood‚ the time limit for heat energy supply would be—.
(If one white birch burns out in thirty minutes... There's absolutely no way I can burn the top-grade oak staff that cost five thousand crowns as firewood no matter what. Maximum one hour and thirty minutes. Is this our survival grace period?)
(Ahh... My precious research budget‚ the crystallization of my blood and tears‚ is being converted into nothing but inefficient thermal energy and scattering into the air...!)
It was exactly at that moment‚ as I was tearing up my mental household account book and crying inside my head.
"...Kyui."
A tiny‚ delicate cry that was completely out of place echoed faintly on the cold stone floor.
Everyone simultaneously turned in that direction as if snapped up.
There sat a small turtle‚ about the size of an adult's palm‚ innocently perched there defenselessly.
Mysteriously sparkling‚ round red eyes. A compact‚ round‚ deep green shell. And an adorably innocent face that stared curiously at us.
"...Cute."
One of the followers unconsciously softened her cheeks and murmured.
"In the depths of this abyss... Is it lost?"
"Kyui."
The small turtle took one tottering step forward with its short legs. It crawled right up close to the bonfire and cutely stretched out its tiny front leg as if checking the warmth of the fire.
"Perhaps this child was cold too."
I crouched down on the spot and gently observed the tiny magical creature in my palm.
"Biologically speaking‚ I detect zero hostility on a probabilistic level."
"Not only that..."
The small turtle looked up at my face and‚ as if it understood words‚ gave a small‚ brave nod.
"Kyui."
Only Toto‚ with his short forelimbs stubbornly crossed on my shoulder‚ was giving it a sidelong glare.
"...Hey Louise‚ this thing's weird."
"What do you mean? It's just a lost‚ cute‚ weak little magical creature."
"No..."
Toto stared at the turtle's round red eyes and muttered suspiciously in a low voice.
"It's nothing‚ just my imagination."
—In truth‚ Toto had instinctively sensed an unsettling presence.
In the magic-filled abyss of the fifth layer‚ a weak magical creature that fearlessly approached humans should not exist ecologically. Above all‚ he felt a sympathy close to species aversion toward the overwhelming 'freeloader (natural parasite) waves' emanating from this adorable turtle's entire body.
Even so‚ there was no spare resource right now to deeply investigate it.
I casually tossed another white birch staff into the bonfire. With crackling sounds‚ the warm flames grew slightly larger in volume.
"First‚ let's prioritize recovering our stamina with this thermal energy."
"After that‚"
I looked at the transfer array that had been half gouged out and was eerily silent.
"I'll logically rebuild a physical escape method from here from scratch."
At my words‚ Charlotte and the others quietly but firmly nodded.
On the other side of the bonfire‚ the small turtle narrowed its eyes happily as if it had found the ultimate paradise and let out one more adorable cry.
"Kyui."
—Right after that.
Toto whispered into my ear in a voice close to a scream‚ as if every nonexistent hair on his body was standing on end in terror.
"Hey Louise! I just reevaluated you‚ or rather‚ I'm seriously terrified! I never thought you'd throw the second staff (three hundred crowns) into the fire without a single hesitation or doubt!"
"Right!? You can praise my quick decision-making that prioritizes my survival and my big-picture intellect even more grandly."
"No good...! Because of the extreme cold no-panties environment‚ your internal cheapskate calculation program is completely bugged! That Louise‚ the money-grubbing otaku Louise who gets excited or depressed over a thousand crowns‚ casually erasing her own money—this is a super-dreadnought national emergency level crisis!!! (It's the end of the world!)"
The bonfire flames crackled in the now-silent coliseum.
Everyone was entrusting their extremely exhausted bodies to the warmth of the fire‚ but I alone stubbornly refused to move even a step away from the half-destroyed transfer array.
"Hey‚ Louise."
Toto opened his mouth on my shoulder while crunching on cold dried squid.
"While we're at it‚ why don't you do a field test to see if you can force a coordinate transfer using that mid-grade oak staff you're treasuring? With five thousand crowns' potential‚ you might just make it to the surface in one shot."
At those bold words‚ I looked up with a start.
"...I see. That verification has sufficient probabilistic value to try."
Charlotte widened her amber eyes in shock.
"Spatial transfer magic...!? It's an extremely advanced‚ national-treasure-class super-grade magic even among spatial interference systems!? Can a new student like you handle such a mythical technique?"
"It's not ordinary spatial transfer magic from a previous-era system."
I gripped the mid-grade oak staff firmly and quietly channeled all my nerves' magic power into the silver ring on my middle finger.
"This is multidimensional coordinate transfer through mass equivalent exchange‚ temporarily borrowing Professor Elright's astonishing computational ability as a bypass."
(Explaining my unique purge constitution and this shameless magical system that offers my own clothes as compensation to these prestigious young ladies every single time is extremely inefficient. Above all‚ my slightly remaining social dignity would be fatally damaged at the atomic level. It's most rational to disguise it all in my mind as cheat functions of the ultra high-tech ring developed by the 'Living Myth (Professor).')
In my white‚ slender hands‚ the five-thousand-crown oak staff turned into pale particles with crackling sounds and vanished to the far side of causality.
At the same time‚ a refined semi-transparent magical hologram (UI) solemnly rose in the empty space before my eyes.
『Please input spatial coordinates or select a transfer destination.』
From the vast list of displayed spatial coordinates‚ I unhesitatingly pointed at one entry.
"Royal Magic University – Third Research Building – Underground Transfer Room."
Several seconds of brain-burning ultra-high-speed multidimensional computation.
Eventually‚ a cold new string of characters appeared on the hologram.
『Multidimensional transfer success rate with currently provided catalyst mass —— 5%』
I furrowed my beautifully shaped brows and stared at the data screen.
"...Only 5%‚ huh."
"Eh‚ what is 5%?"
Ignoring Charlotte's anxious question‚ I updated my mental household account book.
"With one mid-grade oak staff‚ the transfer success rate is a mere 5%. It almost matches my internal multidimensional theoretical value‚ but as a survival rate‚ it's far too low."
I then added the barely remaining three-hundred-crown white birch staff as a physical catalyst to the calculation.
The magical hologram's result blinked and updated with a beep.
『Additional catalyst confirmed. Multidimensional transfer success rate —— 7%』
"I see. The equivalent exchange efficiency per unit price is better with white birch white wood than pure oak. The conversion efficiency as a magic catalyst itself isn't bad‚ but there's simply not enough 'absolute mass' to connect the spacetime coordinates to the surface."
I let out a small‚ heavy sigh.
"This won't do at all."
It was exactly at that moment of hitting a despairing dead end.
At the bottom of my field of vision‚ the ring's advanced safety function automatically output 'another optimized calculation result' without reading the mood and tried to pop it up on the hologram.
『Optimal additional catalyst candidate detected: If rocket-purging the upper-body undergarment (high-grade silk bra) on the battlefield —— Multidimensional transfer success rate 89%』
—Beep.
Without changing my expression even by a millimeter‚ I forcibly shut down the magical hologram screen at the speed of light.
The pale‚ cold light vanished futilely into the empty space.
"Hey‚ you."
Toto on my shoulder glared sharply at my profile with an intense sidelong glare that showed he had completely seen through everything.
"Just now‚ you definitely saw some ultra-high-probability number that was supremely inconvenient for you (as a maiden's dignity) and erased the screen from existence in seconds‚ didn't you?"
"It's your imagination‚ Toto."
Maintaining a perfect poker face‚ I unnaturally averted my gaze to a crack in the cold rock wall.
"I simply made a highly scientific judgment that any further unplanned spatial transfer experiments would pose serious danger to our physical lives."
"Liar! You definitely hid some major state secret or shameless number just now‚ didn't you!?"
Charlotte pressed in suspiciously‚ but I didn't budge my ironclad poker face—which had survived countless explosion accidents—even by a millimeter.
"What are you talking about‚ Charlotte-san? You must have misseen an afterimage from the LCD dots."
"Kyui."
In the middle of that exchange‚ the small turtle that should have been warming itself by the fire at my feet climbed up my cotton skirt with unnatural agility‚ skillfully scaled my slender shoulder‚ and let out a short cry.
Toto stared intently at the green turtle lined up beside him‚ then smirked slightly and fearlessly. He brought his mochi-like face close to my ear and gently dropped a devilish whisper.
"...Well‚ if it comes to it‚ if you purge everything—top and bottom‚ including that transparent cursed dress—all at once and pay it as the equivalent exchange cost‚ the theoretical success rate for transfer to the royal capital would be a guaranteed 100% complete‚ right?"
"Completely rejected. Even though Professor Elright forced it on me‚ this high-quality supreme silk dress that I finally obtained has a sensual texture that is now part of my skin. I absolutely cannot let it go...!"
I immediately shook my head violently and rejected the familiar's utterly shameless demonic suggestion in one second.
"That final measure of returning completely naked is an extremely low-priority matter to be considered only at the very end‚ when our survival parameters are truly depleted and we're on the verge of starvation..."
While tilting her head curiously at our suspicious whispering‚ Charlotte regained her composure and gently stroked her chest over her well-tailored robe.
"In that case‚ let's first return to the fourth layer by ourselves by retracing the normal route. If we defeat the floor boss there head-on‚ a proper return transfer array to the surface should appear."
"That's the only way‚ ojou-chan. The problem is..."
Toto turned his round red eyes toward the deep darkness lying at the bottom of the labyrinth.
"We have no confirmation at all where the reverse-flow stairs (boss room) leading to the fourth layer above is located in this overly vast ancient ruin."
"Kyui."
Then‚ the small turtle that had firmly dug its claws into my shoulder and settled there turned its small face straight toward one of the countless passages leading into darkness without any hesitation.
We completely extinguished the disposable white birch bonfire and re-shouldered only the minimum supplies.
Our immediate survival strategy (objective) was completely decided.
"Return to the fourth layer above by ourselves‚ defeat the floor boss head-on‚ and activate the proper return transfer array to the surface. That is the only route we should take."
Charlotte quietly stood up on the soot-stained stone pavement and solemnly opened the expensive leather-bound magic book she held to her chest.
"——Wide-area terrain exploration magic array‚ spatial deployment."
In response to her dignified words‚ a pale blue magic array spread beautifully from her feet like ripples on water. Dozens of delicate rays of magic power were sucked into the depths of the labyrinth's rock walls‚ repeatedly reflecting and precisely reading the surrounding three-dimensional terrain.
Eventually‚ on the completely blank sheepskin paper page‚ a complex three-dimensional map of the fifth layer was automatically drawn in one after another like spreading ink.
"As always‚ it's a magic array with extremely beautiful magic power conduction waveforms‚ Charlotte-san. As expected of a young lady of prestigious blood."
I honestly admired it as a researcher for its efficient‚ low-waste thermal performance.
"Of course!"
One of the female follower students puffed out her chest proudly as if it were her own achievement.
"Lady Charlotte's high-precision terrain grasping magic is top-class even among all students at the Royal Magic University!"
"No matter how many times I see it‚ the beauty of the magic construction is breathtaking."
Charlotte smiled a little bashfully but quickly returned to the expression of a cold explorer.
"However... this spatial exploration alone doesn't reveal the exact location of the reverse-flow stairs (boss room) leading to the fourth layer."
The completed intricate map showed countless intertwined ancient passages. However‚ the crucial 'floor boss' spacetime coordinates—which became massive magic power pool noise—were not recorded anywhere in the magic book.
"Probabilistically‚ we have no choice but to thoroughly explore every single passage. It's extremely inefficient both time-wise and resource-wise."
It was exactly at the moment I slightly dropped my shoulders.
"Kyui."
The small turtle firmly settled on my shoulder suddenly pointed its nose without hesitation toward one of the countless branches leading into darkness.
"...Hm?"
Toto tilted his mochi-like round head and narrowed his round red eyes.
The small turtle continued staring intently at that specific single passage with unfathomable eyes‚ showing no hesitation whatsoever.
"You... could it be that you know the exact coordinates of the reverse-flow stairs (boss room) to the fourth layer?"
"Kyui."
"So it's deep in that dark right-side branch passage."
"...Louise‚ why does this mochi familiar know that with such certainty?"
Charlotte furrowed her brows in genuine puzzlement.
"It seems like wild instinct synchronized or something‚ ojou-chan."
Toto arrogantly crossed his short forelimbs on my shoulder and continued staring down the green turtle for a while.
"I unconditionally want to cheer on guys who are desperately trying to retire."
With those words‚ he lightly tapped the turtle's sturdy shell with his short forelimb.
"Perfect timing. Starting today‚ you're our glorious dungeon navigator (guide) in charge."
"Kyui."
"By the way‚ you don't have an official name yet‚ right?"
"Kyui."
"Navi."
"Kyui."
"Navi-suke."
"Kyui."
"Kameyoshi."
"…………"
"Which one do you like?"
"Kyui."
"...Do you maybe hate all of them?"
Toto‚ who had tilted his round head as if pondering a bit‚ grinned wickedly and distorted his face into a smile.
"Then‚ by my CEO privilege‚ it's unanimously decided."
"Starting today‚ your official registration code is 'Kameyoshi.'"
"…………"
The small magical beast (Abyssal Shell Emperor) made a supremely dissatisfied face‚ as if it couldn't quite accept the overly casual name that didn't match its stature at all‚ and let out a small‚ discontented cry.
"Louise‚ are you really okay entrusting our fate to this 'Kameyoshi'?"
Charlotte still wore a half-doubting expression and looked at my shoulder.
"It's just a tiny weak magical creature we happened to meet by chance over there that doesn't even understand words."
"That's my supreme feeling‚ ojou-chan."
Toto puffed out his chest arrogantly on my shoulder and answered immediately.
"I don't know why‚ but I feel an inexplicably bottomless 'sense of closeness (natural freeloader aura)' strongly from this newcomer. So my wild CEO instinct is telling me 'this guy's retirement ability is trustworthy.'"
"Instinct‚ huh... As always‚ it's supremely unscientific and utterly irrational."
I let out a deep sigh‚ exasperated yet somehow convinced.
There wasn't a single mathematical formula or logical basis here.
However—I had a strange conviction that this white mochi's absurd intuition‚ which had accurately counted down (announced) my many desperate physical crises (mainly full-naked purges accompanied by social death)‚ strangely never drew a fatal miss.
"Alright‚ the second act of our no-panties-prevention survival begins. Let's move out!"
Toto stared into the darkness ahead.
"Kameyoshi. Guide us along the supreme safe route."
"Kyui."
The small turtle—now Kameyoshi—raised its face as if puffing out its flat chest with its short forelimbs‚ then stared unwaveringly into the depths of the pitch-black branch passage and began walking reliably with its short legs‚ pattering along.
Thus‚ the absurdly strange labyrinth reverse-flow escape drama quietly began‚ starring the pitiful genius mage who continued exposing her lower body to the cold air‚ the showy red-haired young lady from a prestigious family‚ the unnecessarily capable sharp-tongued mochi‚ and the mythical-class parasite aiming for its own paradise (my home).
One hour later.
"Kyui!"
Kameyoshi pattered its short front legs and confidently turned into the right-side branch passage.
Another ten minutes later.
—What lay there was a completely dead-end rock wall mercilessly blocking the way.
"Kyui...?"
"You were walking at the front with crazy confidence!!"
On my shoulder‚ Toto clutched his round head with his short forelimbs and sharply retorted.
However‚ this small parasite (Kameyoshi)'s absurd behavior didn't end there.
"Kyui!"
This time‚ it spotted a magic ore emitting suspicious phosphorescence by the collapsed wall and crawled straight toward it.
—Gnaw gnaw‚ gnaw gnaw.
"...Louise‚ that guy is just eating the ore like a casual snack."
"Stop making irrational detours when you're supposed to be a wild guide (navigator)!"
Another ten minutes later.
"Kyui!"
Beyond Kameyoshi's short cry‚ what spread out after emerging from the darkness was—a natural magical hot spring (oasis) with sacred steam rising bubbling from underground.
"Why are you finding a supreme hot spring in the middle of survival!?"
"It's a hooot spriiiing——!!!"
Charlotte‚ who had been shivering from the cold until then‚ threw away all her pride and refinement as a prestigious young lady and let out a joyful scream loud enough to burst eardrums.
"Kyaaaaah‚ it's paradise!"
"My skin cells are coming back to life!"
The two followers jumped into the hot spring as if racing each other.
"I can't believe these are the same people who were despairing as if it was the end of their lives and the world just a while ago..."
While Toto was intensely stunned‚ I alone stood with my arms crossed in deep silence‚ still without even a swimsuit (※underneath was no-panties transparent dress).
"Louise-san!"
Charlotte called out loudly from beyond the steam of the hot spring.
"What are you doing over there! If you don't get in quickly‚ you'll really catch a cold from your lower body!"
"...Wait‚ I'm calculating thermal efficiency."
"Put the calculations later! Get in quickly!"
"...Indeed. Maintaining physical body temperature thermodynamically and ensuring skin tissue cleanliness are the highest priority tasks in the current stranding simulation."
Despite making various excuses‚ in the end all of us sank into the secret spring and thoroughly warmed our bodies that had been frozen by the underground cold air.
Another hour later.
"——I'm completely revived."
I changed back into my cheap dorm T-shirt and murmured while steam rose warmly from my whole body.
"However‚"
"Don't mercilessly pour cold water on the nice afterglow of the hot spring."
With a completely serious face‚ I stated the cold reality.
"The clothes (dress) are physically fine‚ but as expected‚ my panties have not returned even one micron from the far side of equivalent exchange."
"Reality is harsh no matter what‚ you."
Toto nodded on my shoulder this time with deep sympathy.
"Well‚ it's good that the cold-prevention parameters on the verge of freezing to death have warmed up. ...Though the chill after getting out of the bath is the scariest horror in a sense."
"Kyui!"
"Oh‚ finished snacking and bathing‚ time to resume heading to the fourth layer above!"
"Kyui!"
—What his nose pointed to was an eerie colony of giant‚ colorfully glowing mushrooms.
"Kyui♪"
"You're not a sightseeing tour (tour) guide!!"
I quietly let out a deep sigh as heavy as the deep sea.
"As expected‚ it's no good‚ Toto."
"This Kameyoshi... seems to instinctively know the general direction to the final destination (reverse-flow stairs)‚ but it completely lacks the 'route optimization ability (algorithm)' needed to calculate the shortest route."
"However. In terms of 'survival rate optimization ability'—sniffing out immediate dangers and continuously replenishing the most comfortable life resources—it's extremely high‚ as expected of a mythical-class magical beast."
I incorporated Kameyoshi's current movement speed and the frequency of pointless detours into the calculation parameters and recalculated the time to reach the boss room in my head.
"If we maintain this carefree pace‚ we'll arrive at the fourth layer boss room in at least two days at the earliest."
"If I wander around no-panties for two days in this extreme cold survival‚ I'll definitely freeze to death from the crotch!"
"Including three supreme secret hot spring visits and five elegant meal (magic mushrooms and rare ores) breaks along the way‚ physical exhaustion itself can be suppressed‚ but..."
"Don't calculate a luxurious labyrinth travel plan while stranding‚ you!"
(...If I keep going along with this lazy NEET turtle's sightseeing guidance any longer‚ I won't be able to sustain my life and‚ above all‚ my slightly remaining social dignity.)
I resolved to use my own intellect to provide reasonable assistance in this quagmire situation.
"Entrusting ourselves to Kameyoshi's wild instinct and relying on luck is an unscientific and foolish judgment that I‚ as a magical researcher of the Royal Magic University‚ can no longer approve of."
While coldly declaring so‚ I glanced down at the leather magic book map that Charlotte was holding as we walked.
I took out a well-used waterproof research notebook and a pencil from inside my robe and began accurately copying the three-dimensional labyrinth map floating in the magic book onto the paper at terrifying speed.
"——It's basic fluid dynamics. In a closed space like a labyrinth sealed by rock walls‚ the narrower and more complex the passage structure‚ the more the air stagnates. However‚ only around this passage‚ a weak airflow (wind) has been continuously and regularly occurring from a specific direction since earlier. ...My currently no-panties lower body's extremely sharpened skin sensation is perceiving these minute entropy fluctuations with extreme accuracy‚ so there's no mistake as scientific data."
"I-I see...? (In other words‚ please don't read the airflow for such a dishonorable reason...!)"
Charlotte murmured with a twitching face.
"In other words‚ beyond the source of this unnatural airflow‚ there physically and definitely exists a 'vast spacetime space' large enough to circulate the labyrinth's air."
Scratch scratch‚ scratch scratch—the pleasant sound of graphite raced across the paper.
Distance between passages. Intersection angles. Average thickness of rock walls. And the vectors of wind flow.
Following my multidimensional computation‚ beautiful geometric auxiliary lines were precisely drawn one after another on the notebook in my hand.
"At first glance‚ it looks like disorderly single paths randomly dug by ancient stonemasons‚ but this labyrinth has each passage systematically arranged based on certain advanced mathematical rules. The width of passages and angles of turns are not complete random chaos."
Charlotte peeked at my notebook from the side‚ held her breath in astonishment‚ and dyed her beautiful face with shock.
"...Auxiliary lines? What is this? How can a mere complex maze..."
"Yes. This labyrinth has a 'designer' who built a clear structure. Since the designer is an intelligent being‚ there must definitely exist a beautiful and rational 'design philosophy (architecture).'"
On the cheap paper‚ the dark maze that should have been complex and disordered gradually transformed‚ as if by magic‚ into beautiful geometric patterns.
"——Look here. Only in this area is the passage density unnaturally biased."
I sharply pointed with the tip of my pencil at the unnatural blank area near the center of the completed geometric map.
"...Eh?"
"Because there are no unnecessary mazes or small rooms around it at all. To be precise‚ even Charlotte-san's advanced wide-area exploration magic couldn't capture it as noise—the 'vast boss room spacetime space' not yet drawn on this map is definitely located right here."
Charlotte stood frozen‚ speechless‚ with her amber eyes opened to their limit.
"That is... the reverse-flow stairs we should aim for?"
"Yes. This is the true boss room spacetime coordinate connecting to the fourth layer."
"In short?"
On my shoulder‚ Toto crossed his short forelimbs and gave a sidelong glare.
"It's something you could've figured out in seconds if you had just calculated with your own brain (no-panties sensor) from the beginning. That NEET turtle's sightseeing navigation wasn't needed even a millimeter."
I gave a bitter smile at the pitiful situation and gently lowered my gaze to my feet.
There‚ the palm-sized small turtle—Kameyoshi—had been staring unwaveringly from the very beginning at exactly the same dark vector I had been pointing to with my pencil tip.
"——Fufu. Kameyoshi‚ you wanted to take us there from the start too‚ didn't you?"
In response to my question‚ the small magical beast cutely cried as if it had been waiting for it.
"Kyui."
"...No‚ acting like 'I knew it all along' and jumping on after we figured out the map by ourselves is the height of sneaky (freeloader) behavior. Seriously‚ this guy is no longer needed as a guide."
"Kyui (yep)."
"That's where you should completely deny it and appeal to your reason for existence!!"
While our comedic exchange nearly made me burst out laughing‚ the small turtle‚ as if nothing had happened‚ proudly faced forward‚ perhaps satisfied with having secured its master's back.
Ahead of its gaze stretched a single passage leading straight into the depths of the abyss—eerie‚ yet pregnant with definite hope.
We looked at each other's freezing faces and nodded to one another‚ small but full of conviction.
The destination we should aim for had already been beautifully derived within our calculation formulas.
——The lower-body ventilation is still in excellent condition‚ but the clue to our counterattack has now been completely constructed right here.
——— (Chapter 04 'Broken Return Array and the Genius Who Can't Go Home' ・ End) ———
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