The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

With a pale, lifeless face, the poor girl ran toward me and blurted out,

“Here… this is a real labyrinth. It wasn’t created by monsters. It was a real monster infused with magic.”

The words of the mage who suddenly unleashed fire magic in a place with limited oxygen.

Naturally, I didn’t believe it.

Why would I?

I wouldn’t have believed it even if my former comrades had told me. No, those guys wouldn’t even consider this shabby labyrinth as real in the first place.

Just like me, they’d likely be gushing and sightseeing.

What if this is, indeed, a real labyrinth?

Then she’s gone senile.

It means I’ve become weak enough to easily kill her right now.

Anyway.

This labyrinth is not real.

“If you really think it’s true, just press the bracelet and forfeit.”

“Are you stupid? This is a real labyrinth, not an artificial one, so that bracelet can’t possibly work!”

“Then, just press it. You’ll know if you do.”

“…Ugh.”

As I pointed to her bracelet, the poor girl flinched.

I chuckled, looking at her.

“If you’re so sure, then go ahead and press it. If it doesn’t work, that means, according to you, this is a real labyrinth. If it does work, that just makes you a complete fool.”

Then, a sharp glare pierced through me.

“You… are you saying…”

“No?”

“I’m not a fool… But, you are right.”

She doesn’t seem to be the emotional type, apparently.

“Then, press it. If you’re too scared, should I just press it for you? Hand it over.”

I stepped closer and grabbed her wrist.

“Yikes…!”

“Hey, stay still. Your wrist will break.”

Her slender arm fit easily within my small hand. The frail body of the magic user couldn’t resist my grip.

“Ugh…! W-what are you doing?”

“I’ll press it for you. Just give it here.”

“D-Don’t…!”

Looking at her face, even paler than before, I grinned.

“Scaredy cat.”

Then, I released her wrist and placed a macaron on her trembling hand.

“Think about it while you eat. If you’re still scared after that, then press it. If you don’t escape, then tell me.”

“What are you going to do if I tell you?”

“At least I can do more than you.”

I turned and began to walk away.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. If you want to follow me, then do. If you want to stay there, then stay. I have one more macaron, so if you want it, just say so.”

I heard sounds of rustling behind me.

She apparently didn’t eat it but put it in her pocket.

Pat pat-

Clack clack-

By the way.

Seeing her quiтtly following me even though she was scared, it seems she’s still a kid.

She has a green, youthful taste.

“Are you really going to catch a basilisk?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“Just fight hard.”

“What if it’s a real labyrinth, and that basilisk is a real one?”

“Then I’ll fight really hard.”

“You’re insane…”

I heard her click her tongue.

And then the fastening clack clack clack- of footsteps approaching.

“I don’t know how strong you are. But I know how terrible a real labyrinth can be.”

“Is that so.”

“I… have been trapped in a labyrinth before.”

I stopped and looked back at the poor girl.

She flinched as she trembled.

“Alone?”

“…Yeah.”

“You survived, huh?”

“…I almost died.”

“How long were you trapped?”

“Five days.”

As if recalling the memory, the poor girl shuddered.

“Five days? You must’ve even drunk your own piss?”

“Ugh… Why would I drink piss?!”

“From the third day, you have to drink it if you want to live.”

“W-what…? I didn’t drink that. I… brought a lot of water…”

Finding the path in the labyrinth right away and having that confidence, she must have been to Gebihenum before.

What the heck would a little kid like her do in the demon realm?

In this godforsaken era of peace, where the Demon King is sealed and the Legion Commander has stopped moving.

I quietly gazed at her purple pupils hidden underneath her robe. Even while trembling in fear, she glaring at me with sharp eyes.

Even if I asked why she went, I doubt she would answer.

And I don’t want to ask, “How is the demon realm these days?”

She seems too weak to be doing this to kill the Demon King.

She won’t last long either.

So all I said was.

“Anyway, you must have had a tough time.”

I roughly said and turned my back.

“You said I have to drink pee… no, urine? How do you know that? You’ve been trapped in a labyrinth before, haven’t you?”

Then the poor girl, who was diligently following me, caught onto my words unrelentingly.

Trapped in a labyrinth.

I’ve had my share.

I’ve had to tear into the meat of monsters raw.

I’ve been trapped long enough to understand how the taste of urine changes without hydration.

Of course, I couldn’t answer that.

“No, I read it in a book.”

“A book…? Ha! Reality is nothing like those writings.”

“I suppose. But it’s still true that there won’t be a lack of hydration, right?”

“That’s… true. But if I can use water attribute magic, then in here—”

“What do you think will happen if you pull moisture out from a completely blocked area?”

“Still, I can secure enough drinking water to not die right away.”

“Drinking water? Can water soaked with magic be called drinking water? If you can drink that, then that bastard is no longer human but a demon race, right? So, are you a demon?”

“Ugh…”

The poor girl couldn’t respond to my words any longer.

Instead, she started chattering about something else.

“It’s dangerous, you know?”

“I’m not in danger.”

“Without a single weapon, what kind of confidence do you have as a martial artist?”

“I can hit women too. Especially those who chat like bitches.”

“…How do you even use such vulgar words?”

“I learned it from a book.”

“You’re really annoying…”

Yet, the poor girl was trailing behind me.

Cute.

*

After some time passed.

When the poor girl took out the macaron from her pocket to eat, I popped a new mint candy into my mouth.

Krrrrr…

At last, we encountered a monster.

A monster that perfectly matched the basilisk said to be at the end of the labyrinth.

A Lizardman.

A monster with an ambiguous head between a lizard and a snake, walking on two legs like a person.

Naturally, this monster would have sharp claws and teeth, and it spits venom from its maw.

And it also uses weapons.

Usually, they wield spears, but they also use swords and bows, utilizing various weapons to match their roles.

We were hiding behind a small podium and watching this Lizardman.

Held tightly by the poor girl.

“Can you still call it a created monster after seeing that?”

I chuckled in disbelief.

Can they still say that’s a real monster after seeing that?

Of course, misunderstandings could happen.

The distinct fishy smell of the Lizardman, the oil on that spear, the blood-stained odor.

Even the sticky, painful sounds clinging to its skin.

Everything resembles what I know as a Lizardman.

Yeah. It’s similar. Not the same.

In the end, it’s different.

With faint magical energy, a small size that doesn’t quite fit the Lizardman, and its dull sense of smell.

If this were the real labyrinth, and that were the real Lizardman, we would’ve engaged in battle long ago.

But what about now?

We’re hiding behind a podium that can barely conceal the bodies of two girls, watching that monster.

The monster hasn’t discovered us.

Thinking all of this, I firmly confirmed once more.

This place is definitely not the real labyrinth.

“See? I told you. This isn’t a real labyrinth!”

But the poor girl seemed to take my laughter as a sign of affirmation, pulling on my shoulder.

“This is why Martial Artists… No, never mind. Just run away for now.”

“What about you?”

“It’ll soon catch our scent. Then, somehow, it’ll chase after us.”

“So, you’re saying you’re going to catch that?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m alone right now, but to find us, it’ll have to group up. When that happens, I’ll have no choice but to use fire magic.”

Though trembling in fear, she had a look in her eyes that seemed to indicate she was confident she could kill the Lizardman.

From what she said, it seems that she encountered a group earlier and used fire magic.

The fact that she claimed to have been trapped in a labyrinth also means she seemingly understands monster characteristics.

She seems to have experience knowing not to use fire magic in a ceiling-covered labyrinth.

But—

“Didn’t you hate me?”

“…What?”

“No, you kept acting like a jerk since the written test, so I thought you hated me.”

“Jerk? A jerk? You always talk in such ways…”

“Isn’t that right?”

“No, you see? Why would I hate you? We’re just strangers.”

Her purple eyes wavered greatly.

She really can’t lie.

“I don’t know.”

“Forget it; we don’t have time to chat right now. Let’s hurry and escape. I’ll silently handle things and regroup.”

“Why not just kill it together and leave?”

“What if things go wrong and a different party shows up? Are you really stupid?”

As if to illustrate her point, she tapped her chest and glared at me.

Hah. So, this fiery little girl’s words mean,

“You want me to step back so I don’t get hurt, right?”

“Hah. Hah! Not at all. It’s got nothing to do with whether you get hurt or not. I just don’t want to be hampered.”

“Then I won’t get in the way; go ahead and catch it.”

“Why should I listen to you?”

“Then you won’t catch it?”

“…I will catch it. Just because of your orders doesn’t mean I’m doing it. I’m doing this myself. Got it?”

“Right. You think for yourself and act accordingly. You’re quite the proactive little brat, aren’t you? How about I reward you with a macaron? This one’s milk-flavored.”

“I really hate you.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the poor girl’s reaction, where every word of mine turned her face red.

“You don’t hate me?”

“…Shut up. Just shut up and watch.”

Getting all flustered, the girl gritted her teeth and looked at the Lizardman.

“Hah…”

The girl closed her eyes.

She steadied her emotions, stretched out her staff, and ignited her mana. Violet mana, draped like a curtain, rippled in the air and shaped itself at the tip of the girl’s staff.

What appeared was a stone. A sharply honed awl. This awl, resembling a lion’s tooth, began to spin fiercely, greedily sucking up the surrounding mana.

There was no sound in that process.

The flow of mana was calm.

Finally, when the girl opened her eyes.

Whoosh—!

The awl shot out.

Smack. The Lizardman’s head burst wide open with a hollow sound.

And then, the late wind that blew.

With that wind, the girl’s hood was blown off.

“…What?”

I was stunned, murmuring in surprise at what I saw.

“Hmph. You saw that?”

Meanwhile, the poor girl wore a triumphant smile upon seeing my expression.

Did she think I was surprised by her magic?

That’s not why I was astonished.

“Why are you wearing your clothes half on?”

I was shocked at how thin the girl’s clothes were.

“…What? My clothes?”

“Is it… ripped?”

Did she not have the money or knowledge to repair them?

Or perhaps, she left behind parts due to a lack of funds?

Is the world really that harsh these days?

“What in the world are you talking about?”

“Your clothes. They look all torn up. Why are you wearing such clothes?”

Was that why she wore a hood?

I mean, I expected she wouldn’t have the money, but this is just pitiful.

Meanwhile, the poor girl, seemingly unaware of the issue with her outfit, lifted her hood to look at it.

“What’s wrong with my clothes? They are fine!”

“Are you kidding me? They’re just rags!”

“Rag… rags?! Hey! Do you have any idea how expensive this is?!”

“Seriously? If that’s expensive, then whoever sells that should have their fingers chopped off!”

The poor girl’s face turned strange.

My face must’ve looked strange too.

“This is the most expensive brand among adventurers’ clothing these days?”

“Huh? Is that how kids dress these days? What on earth is happening that such clothes are trending? If I were your parent, I would’ve just ripped it all off.”

The moment I uttered the word “parents,” the poor girl’s face turned pale.

“…Shut up.”

“Oh ho.”

There must be something happening with her parents.

“They say women should stay warm. Wrap up tightly like this. And here, this is a reward. Your assertive and proactive behavior was excellent!”

I covered the frozen poor girl’s thin outfit with her hood and handed her the milk-flavored macaron into her trembling hand.

Seeing me, the poor girl shouted,

“Ahhhhh! You are really infuriating!! I totally hate you!!!”

She screamed loudly!

Yet, the macaron in her hand was carefully tucked away to avoid breaking.

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