TDFOC 11

Chapter 11

And so, Daisy’s group safely reached the exit.

—If only that had been the case.

“Ah, these crazy bastards are really going all the way to the end…!”

“You should probably stop talking and keep running!”

Daisy’s group ran endlessly.

The number of monsters clinging to their trail also continued to increase.

Chrrrik!

Graaaargh!

Creepy sounds clung wetly to the backs of their heads.

If they stopped even for a moment… No, she didn’t even want to imagine what would happen after that.

“Which way do we go?!”

“Left!”

Following Monica’s directions, Daisy’s group turned left.

“I’m seriously going to die.”

No matter how much stamina a teenager had, it was already four in the morning.

Even if they found the dormitory immediately, they would only be able to sleep for two or three hours.

No, even before that, the strength was already slowly leaving her legs.

It felt as though the monsters’ chilly breath was right against the back of her neck.

Daisy squeezed her eyes shut against the pain that felt like her lungs were being torn apart and shouted,

“Please tell me the exit is up ahead now!”

“It’s the exit!”

“Damn it, don’t joke around!”

“I’m serious! It’s the exit!”

At Monica’s words, Daisy’s eyes flew open.

Monica was pointing toward the end of the corridor.

A brass plate hanging above a small wooden door was gleaming.

[↓Labyrinth Exit↓]

GRAAAAAARGH!

The roar of the giant that had just stomped on Mr. Gregor made their ears ring.

“Waaaaah, scary!”

Milo Everett, his eyes brimming with tears, reached the wooden door first and turned the handle.

Click, click!

“It’s, it’s locked…!”

“Move!”

Daisy shouted harshly and kicked the door with all the momentum she had been running with.

CRACK!

With a vicious sound, the half-shattered door toppled over to the other side.

Daisy and the others immediately turned around after entering.

They were preparing for an attack.

But, surprisingly, there was nothing beyond the wide-open labyrinth.

The monsters that had been hot on their heels until just moments ago were nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the gloomy corridor of the labyrinth.

Naturally, their gazes fell upon the remains of the door Daisy had so thoroughly smashed apart.

“……”

“……”

How…?

“Well, at least the door broke easily. Maybe it’s because I’m a teenager? I guess I am pretty strong.”

“……”

“……”

Aren’t we teenagers too…?

Shh. Quiet.

Mhm…

Completely oblivious to what the children were thinking, Daisy slowly looked around.

And then she realized.

“What the hell is this?”

Damp stone walls covered in moss.

An uneven stone floor.

A leather sofa covered in blue mold growing along deep cracks.

A fireplace that looked as though it had never been lit even once.

Dim, gloomy lighting.

This was the dormitory hall.

…The one that had collapsed before they entered the labyrinth.

“Whew, I’m dying…”

“Let’s catch our breath. Is there somewhere comfortable to sit…”

Flap.

“……”

“……”

Daisy’s group sat on the picnic mat Stroud Burnham had casually spread out and caught their breath.

With hot tea as well, it almost felt like they had come out for a picnic.

The surrounding scenery still looked like a grim underground dungeon, though.

“Somewhere… else, right?”

Monica asked as she looked around.

“If this is the dormitory hall, it definitely collapsed…”

But there was no confidence in her voice.

Of course not.

The dormitory hall spread out before them looked exactly the same as it had at the beginning.

Right down to the tiny stains and the wrinkles on the sofa.

[↓Labyrinth Dormitory Entrance↓]

Even the brass plate that had tilted downward to one side was identical.

No matter how much they looked around, there was no path leading to the bedrooms.

There was only the labyrinth entrance they had entered through and the half-destroyed exit.

Then—

<Zzzzt!>

A sharp burst of static rang through the hall.

“Waaah!”

“Gasp.”

Milo covered his ears, while Monica drew in a breath.

<Ahhh, my cute little baby bears!>

The voice of the winged sparkle coming through the communication orb gave them an eerie sense of déjà vu.

It felt as though this exact thing had happened before.

<I forgot to tell you something.>

Daisy slowly opened her mouth.

“‘The dormitory hall will collapse after ten minutes’…”

<The dormitory hall will collapse after ten minutes.>

As though following Daisy’s words, the announcement echoed belatedly through the hall.

The exact same dormitory hall.

The exact same announcement.

<And the time remaining is 5…>

And the exact same collapse.

Daisy suddenly looked around.

Everything about the hall looked exactly as it had before.

But there had been something bothering her for a while.

Right.

That was missing…

<4, 3, 2…>

“W-We need to move!”

The children hurriedly got to their feet and ran toward the labyrinth entrance.

This was already the second time.

Anyone who wasn’t an idiot could understand that they needed to leave immediately.

Just as they arrived at the labyrinth entrance and were about to open the door—

BANG!

Daisy stepped in front of the labyrinth.

“W-What?”

“Daisy?”

Looking at the bewildered faces of the others, Daisy said,

“We’re not going.”

“What?!”

“We’re staying here.”

“What are you talking about?!”

<1! Good luck!>

RUMBLE!

The dormitory hall began collapsing from the edges.

“Sableheart! Move!”

“W-What are we going to do…!”

“We don’t have time!”

Despite their desperate pleas, Daisy didn’t move.

“We have to stay here. Because…”

Daisy’s gaze was fixed on the collapsing floor.

“There’s no poker here.”

“Daisy must have gone crazy!”

The puppy shouted with a face that looked as though he was about to cry his lungs out.

Ruuumble!

“Damn it, move!”

“Are you trying to get us all killed?!”

“I-I don’t wanna die!”

“Damn it!”

Stroud, his normally cold expression twisted to the limit, charged toward Daisy as though he could no longer stand it.

The ground beneath their feet was already trembling.

There was no time.

“If you don’t move right now, I’ll use force…!”

Stroud put strength into the arm he had grabbed to pull Daisy away.

“……Ugh!”

But surprisingly, the groan came from Stroud.

‘What kind of strength…!’

Daisy didn’t budge an inch.

While the startled Stroud fell silent, Milo burst into tears.

“I-I’m scared! We’re going to fall! We’re going to fall!”

The collapsing floor had passed the center and was rapidly approaching them.

Monica shouted with a pale face,

“Sableheart! Are you crazy? If you want to die, die alone! I want to live…!”

Rumble!

At last, all that remained above the gaping void was the stone floor near the labyrinth entrance.

“Daisy!”

Milo, stamping his feet in panic, grabbed Daisy around the waist.

“N-No…!”

“Damn it!”

Monica squeezed her eyes shut, while Stroud continued using all his strength to pull Daisy away.

And then—

Whoosh!

“Aaaaaah!”

“Waaah!”

“Ugh!”

The last piece of ground beneath them collapsed.

As the floor gave way, darkness opened its mouth wide.

The four of them, tangled together, fell into the black maw.

Crackle, crackle.

Somewhere, the sound of sparks could be heard.

Along with the smell of burning firewood, a warm sensation brushed against their cheeks instead of the damp chill of the cave.

When Daisy placed her hand on the floor, she felt something soft.

It was definitely an expensive carpet.

Her exhausted body grew drowsy.

Ah, this would be the perfect time to sleep…

Ba-ba-bam! Ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ra-bam!

“Guh!”

Daisy shot upright at the loud fanfare.

“My adorable little baby bears!”

An incredibly lively voice came from above her head.

When she looked up, the winged sparkle was shining more brightly than ever.

“Four in the morning! What an incredible record!”

The sparkle clapped loudly.

“You arrived before dawn! You can sleep for a whole three hours!”

We really should kill it.

Daisy stood up and looked around for something she could use as a weapon.

And then…

“Holy crap…”

Daisy’s mouth slowly fell open.

“This is the Bear’s Labyrinth Dormitory Hall!”

Had she ever seen a hall this extravagant in her entire life?

The first thing that caught her eye was the enormous domed ceiling, decorated with intricate constellation patterns in gold leaf.

Below it, five chandeliers made from thousands of crystals floated in the air, casting a soft yet elegant glow.

And that wasn’t all.

A luxurious purple carpet.

A rusty poker lying on top of it.

Numerous portraits hanging on the walls, along with a dark purple tapestry depicting a roaring bear.

Heavy, antique-looking leather sofas.

On top of the black fireplace mantel, blazing with fire, stood countless glittering ornaments.

The winged sparkle, seemingly moved all over again, wiped away a small tear at the corner of its eye and said,

“It’s such a wonderful place. We really… really worked so hard to create such a magnificent dormitory hall…”

“Did you sell your organs or something?”

It was a joke.

“…We sold a lot of things…”

Huh?