Chapter 528 Omen

A new report arrived in the Mayor’s office. It was an exploration report summarizing the peculiarities identified by the Labyrinth Investigation Team not long ago.

Lucia, the Mayor, muttered while staring intently at it.

’Hmm... The monsters haven’t increased, but decreased?’

’I’ve never heard of such a phenomenon before.’

Leona, who was examining the report alongside her, spoke with a puzzled face.

This was the time when the Labyrinth should be teeming with monsters. That those monsters were nowhere to be seen was an unprecedented anomaly.

If anything, there were often times when too many monsters poured out, but for them to have vanished instead.

’It certainly seems like something is about to happen....’

’Yes. How comforting.’

Lucia sighed upon hearing Leona’s worried words.

Leona recalled the previous appearances of rare monster species. They were incidents that surely would have caused great damage to the city if they hadn’t prepared in advance.

Recalling that seemed to be the same for Lucia. The concern reflected on her face seemed to deepen further.

’Should I call Captain Ian for you?’

’...Forget it. We’ve already heard what needs to be done.’

Lucia shook her head and looked at Ian’s proposal lying on one side of the desk.

Since it arrived here, this document had never left her desk.

Even if she called Ian again and sought advice, she would likely just hear the same stories written here all over again.

She had requested to hear more details if he had found out anything else, but Ian refused, saying that knowing in advance might actually ruin things due to strange preconceptions.

...If it weren’t for the track record he had proven so far, she would never have let him brush it off like that.

Leona glanced out the window and said to Lucia.

’Well, what could possibly happen? We even built something like that.’

’You mean our new tourist attraction?’

As she said that, Lucia also turned her head to look at the large spire visible outside the window.

The [Archmage’s Spire] poking up between the city buildings.

It referred to that extravagant structure where the donations gathered from the merchants had been poured in all at once.

And as is the case with all ancient structures.

That building was rapidly establishing itself as a new tourist attraction for this city, rather than for its original purpose of defending the city.

Since it was a renovation of an old military watchtower, the surrounding area used to be a desolate alley with no particular shops.

But thanks to such a structure taking root, people flocking to see it had caused the value of the buildings in that area to skyrocket immensely, she heard.

’The ones in other big cities can only be used for tourism, but ours is different. It should be quite helpful.’

’Things like output and storage capacity written there... honestly, I didn’t really get it. I’m not a mage.’

’I don’t know much about magic either, but anyway, they said it would be worth the money.’

’Then that’s a relief.’

To be honest, she didn’t have a sense of just how much performance it would display.

However, seeing that smirking fellow Hermann’s face stiffen after seeing the amount of money that went in there was quite a sight to behold.

In terms of cost alone, it was likely the invasion into which the most defense expenses had been poured in several decades.

If they still couldn’t block it, she could only accept it while thinking the city’s fate was doomed.

’In the end, haven’t we always overcome it? We just need to thoroughly do the work we’ve been entrusted with.’

’...That’s true.’

Lucia, looking down at the document once more, spoke toward Leona.

’Then, shall we do the resident evacuation drill just one last time?’

’...Are you serious? You’re starting to go a bit overboard.’

’Didn’t you just say to thoroughly do the work I was entrusted with?’

The words sounded good, but.

Where on earth was there a resident who liked evacuation drills?

If the drill was carried out forcibly, everyone would follow along.

But since the work of each guild would stop during that time, a minimum amount of compensation had to be provided. This year’s drill hours, during which the guilds and residents were mandatory to cooperate, had already been long exceeded.

Of course, this city has a budget specifically allocated for such things, but this year’s portion has already been completely exhausted.

As said before, it was a year in which a record-breaking amount of defense costs had been invested.

’Where are you going to divert the necessary budget from?’

’Tell the merchants to put out more. Didn’t they say they wanted to voluntarily help with Captain Ian’s work?’

’Are you for real.’

Perhaps because she was in danger of being recorded as the Mayor who stepped down after only one year if this matter didn’t go well.

Lucia was truly going all out.

* * *

As the days passed like that, the scheduled invasion date drew near.

’...’

A heavy tension hung within the city.

Tension and fatigue were deeply etched into the expressions of the soldiers monitoring the Labyrinth from atop the walls.

It was natural for the atmosphere to become like this during every invasion period, but this year the intensity was uniquely severe.

It was because rumors that something strange was happening in the Labyrinth had spread bit by bit. It was inevitable when delivering the scheduled invasion date and future prospects to each guild in the city.

’...It’s not coming at all.’

’Tell me about it.’

The people looking toward the Labyrinth from atop the walls all muttered with the same heart.

Waiting indefinitely like this and monitoring for monsters to appear was something done every year, but this year the degree was much worse.

’I heard that when the expected date is missed by this much, the scale of the monsters also changes drastically. Either extremely few, or extremely many.’

’Who says that?’

’A mercenary who said he retired about 10 years ago. You know that inn on that inner street over there....’

It was also inevitable for so many speculations and rumors to circulate among the soldiers and mercenaries.

To look into it more deeply, the expected invasion date hadn’t even been properly set in the first place.

Normally, they looked at the density inside the Labyrinth and compared it with past data to estimate the invasion date, but this time there were no monsters in the Labyrinth. There were no materials to compare with at all.

In the end, they had simply announced an expected date by picking a time similar to an average year for the public.

And that date had already long passed.

At this rate, stories were even circulating that an invasion might not come at all this year.

Leona, who had been quietly listening to such explanations while walking along the wall, shook her head.

’Good grief. Be careful not to let the tension slacken because of such rumors. Tighten the guard even further.’

’Yes. Understood.’

Leona, who had come out to personally inspect the wall, gave instructions to the commanders and then looked toward the Labyrinth.

Strangely... the Labyrinth was still quiet.

To the point where not even the ominous feeling that was always felt normally could be felt at all.

* * *

Frenda opened her eyes in bed.

Between the curtains, deep darkness was leaking in instead of dazzling sunlight.

It seemed she had woken up in the middle of the night rather than the morning.

Just before Frenda, thinking it was no big deal, was about to fall back asleep, the Elf’s voice suddenly rang in her head.

- It’s here.

What do you mean it’s here? What is?

...She couldn’t ask that.

Frenda was seized by a chilling sensation that washed over her entire body, and she froze in bed, unable to even lift her body.

- Calm down and breathe slowly.

’Wh-what is this because of? Is it some kind of curse?’

- It’s not a curse. You’re just paralyzed by fear. Fear numbs a person’s reason.

’You’re saying I just can’t move because I’m scared? Because of what on earth....’

- It’s a phenomenon any living thing naturally experiences. Don’t you already know what it’s because of.

Frenda took a deep breath following the Elf’s words and barely managed to raise her body from the bed.

Even by the time she stepped outside, the trembling hadn’t stopped.

’Ms. Frenda? Is something the matter?’

A priest passing through the hallway asked Frenda with a puzzled face.

No matter if it was dawn, they wouldn’t necessarily ask a priest of Frenda’s level about her business one by one, but Frenda’s expression looked so serious.

The time was still late dawn.

It was an early hour when almost no one had woken up yet, even in the Temple where the daily routine started early.

Stepping into the hallway, Frenda shouted toward the priests on night duty.

’Wake everyone up!’

’Pardon?’

’Something... something is coming!’

Seeing Frenda’s face, which looked terrified, the priests ran into the Temple without a word, asking nothing.

’Emergency!’

Since it was the monster invasion period, the people of the Temple had all been preparing for an emergency situation to some extent.

The priests who woke up in a hurry all rushed out into the hallway.

’What on earth is the matter?’

’Priestess Frenda said....’

Priscia and her knightly order members, who had been staying at the Temple, also rushed out from their rooms.

──!

Almost simultaneously with that.

The night sky brightened in an instant.

It wasn’t that the sun had risen, but because of the light emitted by a massive pillar of fire that shot up toward the sky.

That flame, rising from the direction where the Labyrinth was located, emitted an aura so chilling it was suffocating.

Frenda, turning her gaze toward the sky, belatedly realized that it wasn’t a real flame.

A burning curse. It was the erosion of the Labyrinth, manifested so vividly that it was visible to the eye.

* * *

’It’s here.’

’Pardon? Ouch.’

Ian muttered as he looked out the brightly lit window.

Rin, who had hurriedly raised her head from under the desk and hit it with a loud thud, belatedly stood up while rubbing the back of her head.

A massive pillar of flame burning with a dismal light.

Beyond it, a single name, invisible to the eyes of anyone but Ian, had appeared.

[Omen of the End, Calamitas]