Upon hearing Zera’s request for a “place where we can talk calmly,” we returned to the spot at the descending staircase where we had taken a break earlier. I think we’re less likely to be attacked by monsters here than in the middle of the road. Well, at least we won’t have to worry about being caught in a crossfire.

“Lark-kun, do you still have those… Grilled onigiri from earlier? Could you take them out?”

Zera asked me this as soon as we reached the bottom of the staircase, so I took out some grilled onigiri from my handy box. I figured I might as well take out some for myself and Shafal, so we all started eating together.

Shafal had been wary of Zera all the way here, but once I handed her a grilled onigiri, she began eating it as if she had forgotten about Zera. When food is in front of her, she immediately turns into a glutton.

Leaving Shafal aside for now, I start talking with Zera.

“I want to ask again, why were you collapsed in a place like this, Zera-san?”

“Uhmm, that’s a bit of an embarrassing story…”

Zera began her story, seeming hesitant. Apparently, Zera was living in a world called the Demon Realm where demons dwell. Although demons typically do not leave the Demon Realm, there are some who occasionally visit the human world where we reside. One of Zera-san’s friends lives in the human world, she said.

“So, you came from the Demon Realm to the Human World to visit that friend of yours, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Crossing worlds to see a friend… As expected of a demon, it’s on a grand scale. Zera-san continued to explain.

“But I hadn’t used the magic to move between worlds in such a long time, and I made a mistake in adjusting my magic power… I used up all my magic power and mistakenly came out in this labyrinth. And the labyrinth absorbed the aftermath of the magic and swelled up.”

“I see… So that’s why the labyrinth became unstable with a massive generation of layers. And when Zera-san exuded killing intent, the labyrinth was stimulated, causing a large-scale tremor and fissure, is that it?”

“I’m embarrassed to say, but yes. I’m really sorry, Lark-kun.”

Zera apologized with her hands clasped together.

“No… Accidents can happen to anyone. You don’t need to apologize.”

When the conversation subsided, Zera began to eat her grilled onigiri.

“Ah~ This is really delicious!”

She commented and proceeded to eat with a relaxed expression. As I munched on the grilled rice balls, I asked her.

“Let’s see… I’ll visit that kid another time. I’m tired from consuming too much magic power. Firstly, I have to escape this labyrinth.”

“Do you want to go with us?”

“What are you saying, Lark!”

Upon hearing my words, Shafal, who was happily eating her grilled onigiri, abruptly turned towards me in protest.

Zera asked back in surprise, “Are you sure? You do know I’m a demon, right?”

“The best thing for those in trouble is to help each other out, isn’t it?”

“…Lark-kun, you really do have the personality type to lose out.”

“Is that so?”

Then, Zera leaned closer with a laugh and whispered in my ear. “Yes, after all, helping a demon is unheard of. I understand that as a reincarnated person, Lark-kun thinks differently from the people of this world, but I really think you should be more cautious.”

“Haha, I’ll bear that in mind… huh?”

Just now, did Zera refer to me as a “reincarnated person”? In my confusion, I whispered back to her.

“Um, how did you know that I’m a reincarnated person?”

“Eh? I can tell by looking at the shape of your soul. There were traces on your soul that you’ve died once, so it was immediately clear you’re a reincarnated person.”

“Can demons see the shape of souls?”

“Some of the higher-ranking demons can. I may not look like it, but I’m strong, you know?”

As Zera pulled away, Shafal, who had heard her words, grabbed my shoulder and glared at me.

“Lark, it’s crazy to bring a high-ranking demon with you.”

“Heh, are you scared of me, Shafal-kun?”

“Ha! I’m not scared, I just want to say that your existence is dangerous! If there are demons who can freely act in this world, the world will surely fall into terror!”

“…Oh? In that case, it’s fine if I can’t act freely, right?”

Zera placed a hand on her chin and pondered for a moment before gently grabbing my hand.

“Just for a moment, may I borrow Lark-kun’s power?”

The moment she said that, something flowed into me from Zera’s hand, and my body reacted strongly.

“What are you doing to Lark, you!”

“Don’t get so angry. From now on, let’s get along as fellow familiars of Lark-kun.”

Zera showed her upper arm, hidden by her dress, to Shafal. Looking at it, a familiar’s emblem had appeared.

Surprised, I asked Zera, “Did you… force my special ability to activate?”

“Yes. I also made a little improvement so I could become a familiar.”

Improvement? I hurriedly checked my status.

[Evil and Divine Subjugation Magic]

The ability to command all monsters, divine beasts, and demons becomes possible. Whether they become a familiar or not is left to their will, so failure is possible.

“……Even the special abilities granted by God can be rewritten, huh?”

It seems it’s true that demons possess power comparable to gods.

“Yes, but since I used up the magic power I just recovered, I won’t be able to do anything for a while now. Shafal-kun, does this mean it’s okay for us to work together now?”

When Zera spoke, Shafal frowned.

“……Enough, I don’t care anymore! Lark, you’re going to have a tough time from now on too!”

“Ahaha……I guess I’ll have to rely on Shafal’s power then.”

“……Well, as long as I’m here, you can’t just do as you please.”

Despite everything, it seems that Shafal has accepted Zera-san.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you from now on. Lark-kun”

“Yes, same here. Thank you, Zera-san”

I shook hands firmly with Zera-san.

After finishing lunch, we resumed our search to find the stairs leading up.

Thanks to Zera-san and Shafal, I could walk with ease. Even if we encounter a monster, the two of them will instantly kill it. Shafal, who had so much resentment towards Zera-san, surprisingly worked well with her in battle. At this rate, they seem likely to make a good team.

Without much trouble, we were able to find the stairs leading up.

“I wonder how much further until we reach the surface?”

As I muttered while climbing the stairs, Shafal responded, “The journey is still long. Given that the demon’s magic power has been absorbed, the newly formed layers should be more than just one or two layers.”

“I see…… But, since I have Shafal and Zera-san with me, I can feel at ease during the journey.”

“Well, we shouldn’t struggle too much against monsters of this caliber.”

As Shafal said this, Zera nodded, “That’s right. Even if I can’t use magic, I can handle creatures of this level.”

How reliable.

After that, the exploration proceeded smoothly, and we were able to ascend about five layers in about an hour. However, we still hadn’t reached the surface. Not to mention, we hadn’t even reached the fifth layer where Asura and the others visited. When we found another set of stairs leading upwards and I was beginning to feel tired, Shafal suggested we take a nap. Since pushing myself would be dangerous, I decided to rest obediently. 

I used earth attribute magic to create a wall and laid down on the ground. Shafal and Zera said they would keep watch while I slept. I felt a bit guilty, but since they both seemed fine without sleep, I gratefully accepted their offer.

Closing my eyes, I fell asleep almost instantly.

After a while, I woke up and slowly sat up.

“Uhmm…… Shafal, how long have I been sleeping?”

“About five hours.”

“I see, that means it’s been over six hours since I fell into the lower layer……”

That means Leticia-san and the others should have returned to the royal capital and informed my Father about my fall by now…… Maybe they’ll come to rescue me tomorrow. To meet up as soon as possible, let’s try to go up a few more layers.

Just when I was about to undo the earth attribute magic and climb up the stairs… I heard the sound of someone coming down from above. As we cautiously looked up the stairs…

Surprisingly, it was Idel-san. I thought he might come to rescue me, but I didn’t expect to meet him so soon.

“Lark!”

When Idel’s eyes met mine, he rushed down the stairs. In his momentum, he grabbed my shoulder.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, I’m fine. But Idel-san, why are you here? No, I understand you came to rescue me, but how were you able to get here so quickly?”

“I had business in a village near this labyrinth and when I visited using teleportation magic, I ran into Leticia and the others who were about to board a carriage in a hurry. After hearing the situation from them, I sent them to the royal capital and came here alone to look for you,” Idel paused for a moment, cracked his neck, and continued speaking, “Even so, is this really a C-rank labyrinth? It’s surprisingly deep.”

“Well, there’s a bit of a story behind that……I’ll explain it in detail next time.”

“I see. Lark, you really do get wrapped up in all kinds of troubles. Are you unlucky by nature?”

To Idel’s joking remark, Shafal agreed saying, “That might be the case.”

“Hmm, you’re Shafal, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s me. It’s been a while, Idel. Since the time you invaded the Holy Kingdom.”

“Hmm. You’ve become small and human-like, you’re a busy guy. So, who’s that? Did they fall into the labyrinth with Lark? Or rather, are they even human?”

Idel turned his gaze towards Zera. And it seems like he’s figured out she’s not human.

“Nice to meet you. My name is……”

“Woah, hold on a second, Zera-san!”

I hurriedly covered Zera-san’s mouth, who was about to introduce herself elegantly, and asked Shafal through telepathy.

(What should we do, Shafal? How should we explain this?)

(How should I know…… But well, we can’t say she’s a demon, so just explain that she’s a monster who can transform into a human like me.)

That makes sense, I’ll go with that.

“Well, this person is Zera-san, my new familiar. She’s currently transformed into a human. Right, Zera-san?”

While emphasizing casually, I took my hand off Zera’s mouth. Zera, with a knowledgeable look on her face, restarted her self-introduction.

“Nice to meet you. I am Zera. Thanks to a chance encounter, I have formed a familiar contract with Lark.”

“I see. I’m counting on you to take care of Lark. To think that he found a high-ranking demon capable of transforming into a human after falling into the labyrinth. I’m not sure whether Lark is lucky or unlucky… Anyway, we should hurry back. I’m sure Guldo is running amok again.”

After saying that, Idel reached out to me.

“Here, Lark. Grab my hand. We’re going to teleport.”

“Ah, yes, understood. Then, Shafal and Zera, please get inside me.”

Upon my request, Shafal and Zera nodded and entered my body. I was a bit worried whether the demon Zera could properly enter my body, but it turned out to be an unfounded concern. I grabbed Idel’s hand, and at the same time, Idel activated the teleportation magic.

With that, I finished my first labyrinth exploration.

The place Idel teleported to was the guild master’s room at the Adventurer’s Guild. Just as I was about to open the door, someone jumped out from inside, we collided and we both ended up falling on our backsides.

“Ouch…”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize someone was there… Wait, Lark!?”

The person in front of me was my Father.

Upon hearing his shout, Fia and Lala peeked out from the guild master’s room. They looked relieved when they saw me.

“I’m glad Idel found you. For now, please come inside.”

Upon Fia’s instruction, I stood up and entered the room with Father and Idel. After sitting on the sofa, Lala asked what happened since I got swallowed up by the fissure in the labyrinth, so I explained everything. However, I didn’t mention Zera because I didn’t want things to get complicated. I also pretended to not know the cause of the fissure. It felt a bit guilty, but I didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. Idel didn’t say anything either. After I finished speaking, Fia started talking.

“I see… It’s the first time the labyrinth has caused such a disturbance, so I was worried. But I received a report that the other adventurers on the fifth floor were able to return without falling into the hole.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry… I was just so focused on trying to help everyone.”

With that, my Father spoke up, “I’m not blaming you for your actions, Lark. However, please don’t do anything reckless.”

Looking at his face, I could see that his eyes were slightly swollen.

“Yes, I’m sorry…”

Afterward, Lala told me that Leticia and the others were on the first floor of the guild, so I left the master’s room to go meet them. As I approached the three of them sitting at a table with anxious expressions, they ran up to me crying and hugged me tightly. I hugged them back and apologized for making them worry. 

After the joy of our reunion subsided, we left the guild and parted ways. The sun had already set, and it was completely dark outside.

As I was walking home with Rin, she spoke up, “Lark, I know it’s late but thank you for saving me back then. But, please don’t ever be that reckless again.”

“Yeah, I understand. I’ll be careful from now on.”

Upon arriving home, Rin and I each went to our rooms.

As I sat on the bed, Zera came out.

“Ah, Zera-san. Thank you for going along with the story earlier.”

“It’s okay, don’t mention it.”

“I’ll introduce you to my Father and everyone else tomorrow, Zera-san. I didn’t mention it today because I thought they’d be too overwhelmed with everything that happened. Of course, I can’t tell them you’re a demon…”

“That’s fine. Thank you for not hiding my existence. I hate being alone.”

When Zera said that, she seemed relieved and returned inside of me. In her place, Shafal stepped outside.

“What’s up?”

“Zera is absorbing magic power from within you to recover her own. I, on the other hand, recover faster when I’m outside. That’s why I’ll sleep outside tonight.”

“Heh… that’s kind of you. You were so hostile at first.”

“Well, now that Zera has become Lark’s familiar, as a senior, I must show the minimum level of courtesy. Lark, could you bring out a futon?”

“Sure, just wait a second.”

I took out bedding from the “Convenience Box”, and laid it on the floor. Shafal laid down there and fell asleep.

(Despite everything, Shafal is a good guy…)

Thinking this, I went to the prayer room before bed and performed my daily prayer. Then, the next moment, I was suddenly transported to the divine realm. Surprised, I noticed that Samady was in front of me, unusually angry.

“…Lark-kun.”

“Uh…”

I couldn’t help but flinch at his tone. He was probably angry about me making Zera-san my familiar. Immediately, I bowed my head and apologized. Then, Samady sighed and began to speak in a resigned tone.

“…I knew you were a kind soul, Lark-kun, but I never imagined you’d go as far as helping a demon.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave her alone…”

“Yes, I’m not denying your kind heart. Fortunately, it seems that the demon named Zera likes you and, though I don’t know why, she made a contract with you as a familiar. I think you don’t need to worry for a while… but don’t forget, this is an exceptional case.”

“…”

I listened to Samady’s words, bowing my head.

“Well, I won’t say more, but please think a bit more before acting in the future. Do you remember how Zera was spreading murderous intent around just because she was hungry? It was a miracle that it wasn’t directed at you.”

“Yes, I understand…”

After that, I returned to the prayer room.

If Samady-san is speaking so seriously, then demons really are dangerous beings. I’ll be careful next time… not that I know if there will be a next time.

I then lay down on the bed in my room and fell asleep.