## Chapter 1597 – 1597. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into A Baron’S Family
Fifteen days had passed since the 50th floor of the labyrinth collapsed and I became a fairy.
I had gained immense power as a fairy, but my smaller body also brought various inconveniences. The biggest one was that it was difficult to hold a woman in my arms.
‘There should be a certain pleasure in holding a woman… With this small body, I’m more likely to be held by women instead.’
It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t my preference.
I had been diligently moving around for the past fifteen days. Thanks to that, I found all the combat maids scattered across the 12th floor. However, not all of them had joined me. Maids like Melissa hadn’t been able to join. It seemed the floors were quite far apart.
“Baron, I apologize. It seems difficult for us to go down to the lower floors together.”
Claudia said to me. There were dark circles under her eyes. She had taken on important tasks for the past fifteen days. She drew maps to prevent us from getting lost in the labyrinth and discovered hidden doors and traps.
Moreover, she went into heat almost every one or two hours. I also knew that she secretly masturbated when I wasn’t looking.
“Is it really that difficult?”
“Yes. It’s our limit in terms of power. If we go with you, Baron, we will… no, we will only be a hindrance.”
I looked around. The maids who had joined me also looked exhausted.
“Master. I hate to admit it, but… Claudia is right. We’re tired. No, even if we were in perfect condition, it would have been difficult. The monsters coming out of the labyrinth are too much for us to handle alone.”
As we went down to the lower floors, the environment became more extreme, and the monsters that appeared became stronger. Now, even for them, who were Aura Experts, it was too much.
If we slowly made plans and went down, it might be possible, but I didn’t think we had that kind of time. I needed to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.
“I guess there’s no choice. You guys wait on this floor. I’ll go down alone from now on. It seems like we’re not far from the deepest part of the labyrinth, so it should be fine.”
It might be better to move alone. The monsters didn’t attack me first. I could ignore all unnecessary battles.
‘The problem is the path. I can move with proper advice from Claudia.’
I had found all the maids. Now, I just needed to find Yuria.
“Baron, there’s a saying among adventurers: Think ten times before taking a step. Don’t be overconfident in your fairy powers and act cautiously.”
“Okay, Claudia. Thanks for the advice.”
After that, I went down to the lower floor alone.
It was a sunflower field. Yellow sunflowers stretched out endlessly. The ceiling was as blue as the sky, and the wind blowing from somewhere was warm. It was a very peaceful-looking place that didn’t fit with a labyrinth.
‘On the surface, that is.’
This was a labyrinth. I had to be suspicious of everything. The ceiling that looked like the sky, the warm wind, and the pretty sunflowers.
I slowly flew towards the sunflower in front of me. The sunflower I saw up close was moving as if it were alive.
Noticing something, I picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it at the sunflower. The sunflower that was hit by the pebble swelled up.
It was a monster that looked like a sunflower. The part where the seeds were gathered split open, revealing a sharp tongue and teeth. The leaves and vines wriggled like living tentacles. The center of the sunflower’s yellow petals cracked open. A bloodshot eyeball appeared between them, rolling around and looking around.
I made eye contact with the gruesome sunflower. The sunflower ignored me, just like other monsters. After confirming that there was nothing else moving, it closed its mouth and eyes.
‘From a distance, it looks exactly like a sunflower.’
A plant-type monster that camouflages itself as a flower. That itself was not a problem. It wasn’t even surprising. The problem was the number.
‘Everywhere I look, there are only sunflowers. After a rough check, there isn’t a single real sunflower, and they’re all monsters.’
Even with a quick glance, there were over 2,000 of them.
‘It seems like they can move using their vines… It’s a good thing I didn’t come with Claudia and the others.’
These guys would have rushed at them as soon as they sensed Claudia and the maids. Thousands of sunflower monsters swarming like zombies? Just imagining it made me want to throw up.
‘To go down to the next floor, I need to find and deal with the gatekeeper. Where is the gatekeeper?’
I went up to look for the gatekeeper. The ceiling was higher than other floors. It felt like a real sky.
‘It’s not just the ceiling. The width is also much wider than other floors. Well, well. There are mountains, fields, and even a river flowing.’
I stopped after flying in the sky for a while. An unexpected structure caught my eye.
‘A castle?’
A black castle stood between the sunflower fields. I looked around again with a fresh perspective.
‘Looking at the castle, this floor is like… a noble’s territory.’
I flew towards the castle. The gatekeeper was highly likely to be inside.
The castle gate was firmly closed, but it was useless to me, who could fly in the sky. I easily crossed the castle walls and entered the inner castle.
I looked around. I didn’t sense any presence.
After a moment of hesitation, I decided to enter through the main gate. It was the moment I stood right in front of the main gate.
Clang!
As if welcoming me, the door opened on its own.
“……”
Feeling uneasy, I entered the castle.
I widened my eyes as I looked around the inside of the castle.
‘The structure is exactly the same as my mansion in Thebra!’
The only difference was the color. It was dark overall. It felt like the color’s brightness had been lowered.
“You’ve come. I’ve been waiting.”
It was Yuria’s voice.
I quickly turned my head to look at the source of the voice. And I was disappointed. It wasn’t Yuria, but a pitch-black shadow in the shape of Yuria.
“What are you? Why are you taking Yuria’s form?”
“I am Lavite.”
“That name is…”
Lavite was the name of the labyrinth city and also the name of this labyrinth.
“Yes. I am the will of what you call the labyrinth. To be more precise, I can be called the gamekeeper.”
“Where is Yuria? Where is Yuria?”
“She is in the administrator layer. She is undergoing the trial of the Shadow Master Grisha to obtain the Shadow Chain Glaive.”
“Administrator layer?”
“It’s below here, the lowest floor.”
“Isn’t the administrator layer below the lowest floor?”
“The administrator layer is an extra layer. It’s not included in the hunting grounds.”
“I need to see Yuria. Guide me to that administrator layer or whatever it is.”
“Even if you go, you will only interfere with the trial. Rather, the trial period will only be longer. Would you still go down to the administrator layer?”
“……”
My brow furrowed.
My head was a mess.
It didn’t make sense for the labyrinth to block me and waste time. The labyrinth gave me power. The reason I was able to get here so quickly was thanks to the power the labyrinth gave me. Of course, the idea that the labyrinth gave me power was just a hypothesis. But seeing the labyrinth being friendly, it seemed like the hypothesis was correct.
If Yuria was really undergoing that trial… I shouldn’t interfere.
“…I’ll make that decision later.”
“As you wish.”
I walked inside the castle. The hallways and decorations. Everything was familiar.
“The interior is familiar.”
“I temporarily granted her administrator rights. The interior of this castle is a recreation of the place she is most familiar with.”
I nodded.
The place I was currently staying was the Prucus Baron’s estate, but I had spent more time in the Thebra mansion. The Thebra mansion was still more familiar to me.
I entered the familiar study. I pulled out a luxurious chair and sat down. My body was too small to sit in the chair. I sat cross-legged on the desk.
“You were the one who gave me power on the 50th floor. Why did you do that?”
“Originally, it was for Yuria. I was going to give her power. But she refused. She was too adamant, so I gave up and chose you as a second option. I wanted you to ambush and kill the Demon King.”
“Unfortunately, I failed. And you’re still giving me power now.”
“Currently, I am being consumed by the Demon King. He is constantly using his power to completely dominate me. The Demon King has no right to possess me. I hope Yuria and you will defeat the Demon King.”
“Who has the right of ownership?”
“The temporary administrator, Yuria, has it.”
“Did Yuria tell you to give me power?”
“No. Giving you power was entirely my own will.”
“Why?”
“According to what I’ve learned, you are her master. I judged that alone was enough qualification. There was also a calculation that gaining your favor was the same as gaining Yuria’s favor.”
The labyrinth seemed quite cunning.
“You call the labyrinth a hunting ground. I can roughly guess what happened. Were you a hunting ground used by the ancients?”
“Yes. You understand quickly.”
“I have a similar ancient artifact. Shadow Master Grisha must have been the owner.”
“That’s right. All the words I prepared to explain to you have become useless.”
Lavite said with a blank face. It was probably just my imagination that I felt like even the labyrinth was ignoring me.
‘It’s a common story, so I roughly guessed it, and it seems I was right.’
If you read web novels and comics like you eat meals, you can roughly deduce this kind of setting.
And I had a similar item. ‘The key to the ancient warrior training center.’ If you use it, you can go to a training center in another space. It was an ancient artifact that allowed you to do real-life training. I was still using it to train the maids.
I stared at Lavite. The shadow in the form of Yuria was alien. It felt like looking at a well-made sculpture.
Suddenly, I became curious about Shadow Master Grisha. Judging by the name, she was definitely a woman.
“Can you take on Grisha’s form instead of Yuria’s?”
“Her form would be more familiar to you.”
“I’ve become curious about Grisha’s form.”
“Understood.”
The shadow wriggled and changed shape.
I let out an exclamation. Grisha was a woman with a neat face. Her wavy hair and sharp eyes were impressive.
I jumped up from my seat and rushed towards Lavite. I couldn’t touch it. My body just passed through it.
“I am Grisha’s shadow. I have no substance.”
My interest quickly faded.
“Ah, okay. Shall we get to the point? They say there’s no such thing as a free favor. What do you want from me?”
