第５９６堀：不思議の空間 (Part2)
"I wouldn't say I'm 'fine' exactly, but I've heard similar stories before. There are even tactics that involve leading enemies down similar paths to confuse and stall them."
A castle designed like a maze is meant to delay invaders, and in large-scale warfare, there’s that "Stone Sentinel Maze" strategy used by some eccentric military strategist. Ah, wait—was that just a fictional scenario from the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, or was it actually referring to a flexible, ever-changing formation? Well, the intent to confuse the opponent remains the same.
"I’ll say it again: the worst thing you can do right now is panic. If you lose your head and can't cooperate, that’s when you’re done for. I know this is your first time and you're scared. That’s exactly why you need to stay calm."
"Y-yes! I-I’ll calm down!!"
She is absolutely not calm. I thought Micos would be fine, but she’s more rattled than I expected. With no other choice, I reach out with my free hand and grab hers.
"..."
Both of them fall silent, eyes cast downward, perhaps reflecting on their behavior. *Sigh.* My hands are tied up, which is bad news. I should leave one of them to Ria. Just as I think this and turn toward her, I notice her hand pressed against her ear.
"What’s wrong?"
"Oh, no... I thought I heard a voice..."
"A voice? Like the rumors of whispering?"
"I felt like I heard something, but Cleena and Kirue say they didn't hear a thing."
"Shuten and Suiryu?"
"We didn't hear anything."
*I didn't hear any such voice either.*
An auditory hallucination, then? Or was there someone else here? No, if someone else had been caught up in this, we would have spotted them when we walked through earlier. Is it really just a trick of the ears?
"Ria, where did you hear it?"
"Where? Right here."
"No, I mean the specific spot. It might only be audible from one location."
In ghost-hunting stories, it’s common for sounds to be heard only from specific points due to gaps between books or the building's architecture.
"Um, I think the first time I heard it was over there..."
Ria points toward the block where the mechanism was triggered—the very spot that pulled us into this infinite loop. A theory forms in my mind.
"Maybe it’s only audible to someone standing on that trap."
"Why do you think that?" Cleena asks, looking puzzled.
"This is a library. Normally, when you start researching books, you end up staying in one place."
"Mm. That makes sense."
Well, meticulous people might borrow the books or read them in the first-floor reading area, but there isn't one on this third floor. Anyone who wants to read immediately is forced to stand right there.
"And this is the history section. I bet the front of this trap is... yeah, just as I thought."
I look at the bookshelf where the trap block is located; it’s packed with history books related to Haiden.
"As you can see, this was likely designed to target people trying to research Haiden. After reading the message on the stone monument, this is the first place anyone would come to investigate."
"The logic holds up, Master," Kirue agrees, looking convinced.
"But who would actually stand on it to hear the voice?" Kagura asks, and the group falls silent.
I can't exactly say, *'Well, it would be you, wouldn't it?'* It’s tough because Kagura is terrified of this bizarre situation, and it seems no one wants to be the one to tell her. I’m just thinking that either I, Ria, or Kirue will have to do it, when suddenly, a faint, cracking sound echoes.
"Ah, it's back."
*Indeed. It has returned.*
Shuten and Suiryu respond to the sound.
"Returned?"
"Mm. Mother. It has come ba—"
"Aaah!?"
Before Shuten can finish, a voice from another direction makes the situation clear. I turn toward the shout and see Rurua and the others, who had been waiting away from the history section.
"Oh, thank goodness! You're back! Master!"
Rurua lunges at me with teary eyes. My face is buried in her chest, but as a husband, it’s my duty to catch my wife, so I do my best not to suffocate. After holding her for a while until she calms down, I pass her to Ria and start talking to Deryu and Taiki.
"What happened on your end?"
"It felt like you just vanished into thin air."
"Yes. The moment you stepped on the trap, everyone in this hallway disappeared."
"How much time passed?"
*About ten minutes.*
"Ah, Taizo-san. Sorry for the worry."
*It’s fine. I was tracking your magical signatures, so I wasn't too worried.*
"What do you mean?"
*You existed within the dungeon's call system monitoring, even if you couldn't be seen with the naked eye.*
"...Are you keeping a record of this?"
*Of course. But let's discuss the details once we're back.*
And with that, the first library investigation came to a safe conclusion. In horror stories, panicking is never a good idea. You have to stay calm.
"I've had enough! I'm going home!"
That right there is a classic death flag.
"It's all your fault!"
"Same to you!"
That one is also a textbook flag. If you watch horror movies, hearing lines like that makes you think, *'Yep, they're done for,'* doesn't it?