Chapter 587: encounter with a 謎の女

encounter with a 謎の女

* * *

A mysterious voice suddenly echoed from a speaker, probably embedded in the corridor ceiling!

I don’t understand anything, but!

There’s no time to hesitate!

I followed the mysterious voice’s instructions… and turned right at the intersection!

And what was waiting for me there…!

…Was a tsunami of sludge, surging towards me, blocking the path!

『Ah! I meant right from MY perspective! You were supposed to go left! My apologies! Kakaka!』

“DON’T SCREW WITH ME!!”

I slammed on the brakes, digging my heels into the floor!

From that position, I jumped towards the ceiling!

I did a vertical half-turn to change direction, and then kicked off the ceiling!

This time, a horizontal half-turn!

I landed on the floor!

And then, I jumped headfirst into the correct path!

I fired mana from the nozzles on my back, accelerating rapidly!

I reached the correct side path, landed on the floor with a forward roll!

I regained my footing, and started running again!

At the same time, the sludge tsunamis, surging from two directions at the intersection behind me, collided with a tremendous roar!

THAT WAS CLOSE!!

『Next, go up the stairs ahead!』

I want to complain to this mysterious voice, but I don’t have time.

The sludge has already started moving towards me.

I can’t let it catch up!

“RAH!”

I jumped up the stairs that came into view!

I kicked off the wall of the landing, and jumped to the next floor!

『And then, turn right at the next T-junction! I’m not mistaken this time!』

You better not be!?

This is not the time to be lamenting like that, Extra-sama!

n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

No, I don’t want to rely on divination!

And what’s a Godronbo!?

I don’t know the constellations of this world!

Don’t make something like that a constellation!!

That’s huge!?

Well, I guess that would be a constellation!?

…Well, I guess I’m a little… more composed now!

I started running forward, exchanging light banter with Extra-sama.

But I can feel the rumbling sound approaching from behind again.

The sludge has climbed the stairs.

Around that time, the T-junction, which the mysterious announcement foretold, came into view.

I kicked off the wall, jumped, and proceeded to the right, as instructed.

And what continued beyond that… is the same scenery as before, with empty cells on both sides.

But.

“HAAH!?”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice in anger.

Because what was at the end of the path—

Is a dead end.

Extra-sama also screamed!

『Kakaka! Don’t worry! Run straight into the wall, without slowing down!』

But the voice in the announcement is laughing cheerfully!

“Tch…!”

Confused, I followed the instructions, ran towards the wall… and raising my fist, I was about to punch it with all my might!

But!

“…Huh!?”

My fist, thrust forward with all my might, cut through the air.

There’s nothing where the wall should be… and my body completely “passed through” the stone wall!

『Kakaka… It’s an illusion! This Great Prison really likes to play petty tricks…』

The voice in the announcement said, chuckling… sounding exasperated.

『Anyway, the goal is near! It’s the door, straight ahead!』

And regaining my composure after hearing those words, I ran at full speed!

『Hmm, you can accelerate even further!? Good, good! Illusions probably don’t work on sludge! It’s important to put as much distance between you and it as possible! By doing so…』

At the same time as the announcement said ‘By doing so’, I heard the sound of something like a button being pressed—Pachiin.

And then.

『I can drop the bulkhead! Kakaka!』

At the same time as the voice in the announcement said that, laughing.

A heavy sound—Dosun—echoed from behind me.

Looking back, I saw a heavy, metal wall appearing in the corridor behind me, blocking the path!

And not just one.

Dosun, dosun, dosun!

With that roaring sound, the bulkheads, as the announcement called them, are falling from the ceiling, one after another.

Extra-sama cheered!

I also breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down… but.

『Ah! Don’t stop!』

…It seems that I can’t rest yet.

Why?

Dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun!

The bulkheads, blocking the corridor, are falling closer and closer.

I glanced up.

Right above me, there’s a line of a different color than the normal ceiling.

That line is probably a bulkhead.

In other words, if I just stand here…

“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

I ran with the last of my strength!

Dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun, dosun!

It’s getting closer!

The sound of the falling bulkheads is getting closer and closer!

『I-I’ll stop deploying the bulkheads for now… Ah, crap.』

What!?

What’s with that last, quiet ‘Ah, crap’!?

The next moment, after I had that question!

DODODODODODOOO!!

The falling speed of the bulkheads… increased!

An incredible sound echoed from behind!

『I made a mistake with the controls. My apologies.』

“DAMN IIIIIIIT!!”

I ran!

I ran, and ran, and ran!

My stomach started growling!

Looking ahead after hearing Extra-sama’s voice, I saw a futuristic-looking door, incongruous with the stone Great Prison.

The door, leaking yellow light from the gaps, opened by itself—Shoo—despite no one being near it.

It’s an automatic door!

『Now, jump in!』

“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

I jumped headfirst into the room beyond the door, almost at the same time the last bulkhead fell.

ZUZAZAZAZAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Unable to break my fall from exhaustion, I slid across the floor, face down, to the center of the room.

“…………Hmm.”

And I somehow managed to sit up.

The first thing that came into my view is… a giant, yellow, transparent… jewel-like thing, installed in the center of the room.

Extending from the floor to the ceiling, it’s faintly glowing… and I can feel the immense mana contained within it, even without using 【Mana Perception】.

Next, I looked around.

Unlike the stone walls from before, this is a truly futuristic room.

The floor, walls, and ceiling are made of some unknown, whitish material… and there are large machines of unknown purpose installed here and there.

It’s similar to the innermost part of the Sky Kingdom… which I infiltrated before.

Clap, clap, clap.

Here.

I heard applause.

“You’ve made it to the control room. Well done!”

…It’s the woman’s voice… the one that guided me here through the PA system.

Turning towards the direction of the voice, I saw—

A breathtakingly beautiful woman… wearing a shabby prison uniform.

Large, round eyes.

Her eyes are a shining purple.

Her hair color is also purple.

Glossy and wavy, it reaches down to her back.

She has a small face, and is probably tall.

I say “probably” because she’s sitting in a chair… but her legs are crossed, and her legs, from the knees down, are very long.

And her most prominent physical characteristic is—

Her breasts are incredibly large.

But, well, that’s not important.

“Who are you?”

The problem is… who is this woman?

Since she’s wearing a prison uniform, she’s probably a prisoner…

I didn’t raise my fists.

Because it’s clear that she guided me here, to this presumably safe room, and helped me.

But I’m still wary.

So this person… is an Enemy of the Gods…?

She doesn’t look like a bad person…

“Kakaka! My, my, what a cute young lady!”

The beautiful woman, looking at me with a gentle gaze as I tilted my head, chuckled.

“Then, let me introduce myself. The first step to becoming friends is self-introductions. I always want to be friends with cute young ladies! Now, listen closely, and be amazed!”

And then, she stood up.

“I am the ‘man’, called the greatest inventor of modern times, as well as a special-rank adventurer! A long-time resident of the world’s greatest academy! And my name is…”

Putting her hands on her hips, puffing out her large chest… she declared her name!

“‘The Great Mage’… Majurog!!!”