Volume 1, Chapter 17: Lord of Underground Labyrinth?
Four days later, Lambert, along with Fiona and Co., went to visit Ainsaz’s Underground Labyrinth which was located in the outskirts of the city.
The entrance to the underground labyrinth was a huge stairway. There was a post beside the underground labyrinth’s entrance with plenty of government officials standing nearby. They were there to check the identity of the people who entered the labyrinth. And, right now, Lambert could see a group of adventurers, consisting of 2-5 people, enter the labyrinth after they had spoken to the government officials in the post.
Uhm… It’s an old facility indeed, but…I’ve never seen or heard this facility built when I was alive.
Lambert thought. Originally, he had expected that the facility might be related to him, but he didn’t recall seeing this kind of facility during his life, so he assumed that it was made after his death.
Of course there’s a possibility that this place was built when he was still alive through methods like building it furtively or covering it with barriers during and after its construction. But, who was Lambert? He was one of the four demon generals of the Kingdom of Regios. There was no army’s secret that he didn’t know.
Furthermore, considering the size of this facility, it most assuredly was not one of those nobles’ personal properties. Thus, it’s more likely that the royal family or nobles families were involved in its creation. And, if perchance, this facility was built when Lambert was still alive, then it’d be stranger that he, Lambert, had never heard of its existence.
Besides, he really couldn’t imagine the Kingdom of Regios would spare the efforts to build this gargantuan structure when they were in the war-torn era.
「… Uhm?」
While Lambert was looking at the entrance to the underground labyrinth, he suddenly saw a strange crest of an egg with the laughing face of a human carved on its shell, which was split in the middle and then there were carvings of folded wings looking as if it came from inside the split part.
「WHAT THE!? WHY IN THE HELL IS THIS THING HERE!?」
Seeing that crest, Lambert unintentionally screamed out loud. Ignoring everything and everyone, he jumped down towards the stairway, hand trailing the wall as he finally recalled the crest’s owner.
「Lambert-san!?」
Meanwhile, Fiona also rushed in, calling out Lambert’s name when she noticed his action.
「P-Please wait a minute and get back here for now!」
N-No doubt about it… This is sage Dominione’s crest!
However, Lambert did not listen to her. His mind was already far away to one name.
Sage Dominione――That was the name of a supreme sorcerer in the era when Lambert was still amongst the living. And Dominione was an evil warmonger who was labelled as the most dangerous person in Regios Kingdom during the warring era due to repeated inhuman acts, ambition and dangerous ideas.
So, in spite of her numerous contributions toward Regios Kingdom, which had boosted the Kingdom’s power, Aurelia still in the end ordered Lambert and his subordinates to raid Dominione’s research facility and subjugate her.
Even though he followed his order faithfully, the scene he saw during the subjugation wasn’t something that Lambert, a man who’d managed to survive many battlefields and had already witnessed innumerable hellish scenes, wanted to remember.
Flesh golem that was created by a combination of who knew how many human bodies, an extremely cruel trap which was designed to only immobilize its victims without killing them, berserkers who were created through injecting drugs into her own subordinates’ brain. At that time, Lambert and his twenty subordinates he brought along with him to subjugate Dominione, faced all of this.
However, all of them save Lambert were slaughtered by her vicious creations. It was only after a deadly one-on-one battle that Lambert managed to slay Dominione, and yet, not too long after that, Lambert himself was assassinated by the hands of his Lord’s conspiracy.
Only Dominione used this kind of crest… In short, this place is… that sh*tty woman’s research facility! I guess it won’t be that strange for that woman to make two or three research facilities and hide its existence from the kingdom!
Even though it was just through remembrance, the memories of that woman were enough to make Lambert tremble in fear. Considering the current situation…
「Oi, YOU BASTARD!」
At that point, a government official, whose duty was to monitor the labyrinth’s entrance, shouted. He was irritated with Lambert’s action of ignoring him and entering the labyrinth as he pleased. Thus, he poked Lambert’s armor with the butt of his spear with the intention of knocking him down from the stairway.
「GUOOOO!」
Alas, it wasn’t even enough to leave a scratch on Lambert’s armor. Instead of that, it was the official’s spear that broke into two as its splintered section fell to the ground.
I-Is this guy’s body actually made of a lump of metal?
The official thought, fearful of Lambert’s sturdy armor. Despite his fear, he was still even more vexed with Lambert’s attitude of completely disregarding his existence.
「… What’s the matter?」
「The hell you are asking about! You bastard is the one at fault for trying to enter the labyrinth without going through us first!」
「Send away those adventurers who want to enter this labyrinth. This place isn’t a safe place. I’ll go inside and help the ones inside to leave.」
「Haah? You bastard, what in the hell……」
When Lambert was trying to persuade the government official, Lloyd had jumped forward to pull Lambert back.
「Listen to him and get back outside already, Uncle Lambert! Oh fuck, he isn’t budging at all!」
「But, the situation is……」
「That’s why please listen to us, Fiona has told you already, right?! Someone needs an identification from their guild and reason for entering the labyrinth before they can enter!」
「… Uhm.」
Even though Lambert was reluctant, he still followed Lloyd back to the surface.
「Humph… When I think what’s the matter, it turned out to be a member of theSpirit’s Dusk guild.」
The government official muttered such complaints as he looked at Lambert, who was following behind Lloyd to the surface, unaware that Lambert had heard everything he spoke.
「Good grief! I should’ve told you before right? Please wait until Fiona finished taking care of our entrance application.」
「Oi Lloyd, the member of your guild…were they marked by government officials?」
「Eh? No, I don’t think so but…」
「I see, it’s fine then.」
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