The Primal Labyrinth possesses a childish, underdeveloped ego.
That fact was only revealed toward the end of a specific heroine’s route in CHOICE//MAZE. It was uncovered by deciphering the cryptic remarks she made during the exploration and by studying records of a forbidden practice known as Labyrinth Cultivation—a taboo once performed by a nation that was eventually swallowed and erased by the labyrinth.
Long ago, there was a small country.
Among its neighbors, it was an insignificantly weak nation, impoverished and devoid of any redeeming qualities. Its only unique characteristic was the sheer number of labyrinths manifesting within its borders; they appeared several times more frequently than in any other land.
While the surrounding nations flourished and grew wealthy, this country—lacking resources, failing to foster industry, and unable to properly equip its military—continued its steady descent toward ruin. On top of that, the government was struggling to manage the labyrinths opening their maws across the countryside. The nation was at its breaking point.
(As a result, the king of that era committed an unspeakable taboo...)
The king set his sights on the labyrinths that appeared with such unnatural frequency.
Though highly dangerous, the labyrinths were famous for the abundant resources they yielded upon conquest—ores, medicinal herbs, monster materials, and more.
And so, he devised a plan to exploit them.
He attempted to transform them into permanent supply stations for infinite resource harvesting by deliberately leaving the Labyrinth Cores intact. Claiming he would stop at nothing to enrich his country, he cast aside all ethics and threw children into the labyrinths—children who were deemed immature laborers who did nothing but consume food.
Thanks to those sacrifices, the experiment succeeded. The labyrinths grew, and the country successfully turned them into a source of wealth.
The nation evolved into a major power in the blink of an eye, but the overgrown labyrinths eventually acquired an ego. Perhaps because they had feasted on nothing but children, they developed a child-like psyche. Driven by a pure, simplistic desire to "play," the labyrinth swallowed the entire country.
It used monsters to slaughter the adults outside, and whenever it found children, it lured them deep into its bowels as if participating in a game.
Safe within its own body—an environment of absolute advantage—the monster basked in the joy of watching those children struggle, cry, and suffer like insects. That was the true nature of the Primal Labyrinth.
■
"……"
The next morning, I was in a carriage heading toward the Primal Labyrinth as planned.
Surrendering to the rhythmic swaying of the vehicle, I glanced to my left and right. To my right sat Lene with a beaming smile, while to my left, Elysia had claimed her spot with an elegant, knowing smirk. Both were pressed so close that our shoulders were practically fused.
Elysia had gone so far as to interlace her fingers with mine, clinging to my arm with enough force to make her intentions clear.
"Hey. Is it really necessary to sit this close? It’s a bit cramped."
I couldn't help but mutter the complaint.
"I am Rai-sama’s personal maid, so this is only natural!" Lene said, her smile never wavering.
It was true that Lene often claimed the spot right next to me. She had done the same in the carriage to the academy, and even back at the ducal estate, her sense of personal space was strangely intimate. She left most of her actual maid duties to the Head Maid, anyway... Perhaps this was just her version of "normal."
Then, as for Elysia.
"In that case, I am Rai’s fiancée. There should be no problem, right?" she countered with a smile as elegant as Lene's was bright.
She claimed this was the appropriate distance for a fiancée, but I wondered if it was really a fiancée's duty to press her body against mine and so blatantly emphasize the feeling of her ample chest against my arm.
I couldn't stop a wry smile at her devilish behavior. She seemed determined to break my resolve after I had declared that I wouldn't hold her until we conquered the Primal Labyrinth. Even with the memories of a past life, I was still a teenage guy. I had a sex drive, for crying out loud...
"As for you, I’d welcome your advances anytime. Honestly, we could start right here if you liked."
I really wished she wouldn't whisper in my ear with such an unnecessarily sultry voice.
As I let out a sigh and struggled to endure Elysia's seduction...
"Elysia-sama. I believe such behavior is unbecoming of a lady."
Supporting fire in the name of common sense arrived from Lene’s side.
Glancing over, I saw that while Lene was smiling, her eyes were cold. Her tone, unlike the sweet one she used with me, was stiff and professional.
"Fufu. This is simply the intimacy shared by a betrothed couple. Isn't that right, Rai?"
"……I wonder."
When I gave that non-committal answer, Elysia narrowed her eyes playfully.
She tightened her grip on my fingers and pulled my arm even closer.
"What’s wrong, Lene? Rai's other side is perfectly open. Why don't you join us?"
"…!!"
Lene’s shoulders gave a small twitch.
She pouted and stole a fleeting glance at my free arm.
"His arm is quite comfortable, you know. He’s wonderful to hold onto."
With another temptation from the opposite side, Lene’s body began to tremble. Eventually, looking quite timid, she reached out, took my hand, and clung to my arm.
"T-This is a natural duty for a personal maid... It is o-only right to stay close like this for the sake of R-Rai-sama’s personal protection..."
Lene muttered the excuse to no one in particular.
I couldn't help but think that for the sake of "personal protection," it would be much easier to move if she weren't currently attached to me like a limpet, but seeing her hang her head with a beet-red face, I remained silent and looked up at the ceiling.
Elysia smiled with satisfaction at Lene’s reaction, though her expression soon grew serious as she spoke.
"Even so... a labyrinth with an ego, huh? That’s an intriguing theory."
"Do you believe it?"
"I won't dismiss it. There are records from five hundred years ago stating that the academy student who supposedly reached the Core was met with overwhelming, disproportionate force near the end."
She narrowed her eyes.
"An appearance of high-tier entities in numbers that cannot be explained by standard spawn rates. Dismissing it as mere coincidence strains credulity."
"You mean the labyrinth was being cautious?"
"Or perhaps it took an interest in them..."
As we talked, I felt a squeeze on the fingers of my right hand.
I looked over to see Lene looking up at me, her brow furrowed with worry.
"If that is true, then wouldn't Rai-sama be in danger as well...?"
"Yes, exactly. Rai stands out. Whether he wants to or not."
"It’s hard to call that an exaggeration—which is the part that worries me."
Between a mana capacity great enough to shatter a Mana Measurement Crystal and combat abilities capable of destroying a mock-battle golem in a single strike, I highly doubted the labyrinth would let me pass quietly. From its perspective, I was likely the exact kind of person it would want to keep from reaching the deepest depths at all costs.
"If the labyrinth has an ego, there’s a high probability it will react to an 'interesting individual.' Since there’s a precedent, we have to assume the worst."
"Is that why we're doing this reconnaissance?"
"Yeah. It would be a nightmare if it shifted its behavior the moment I stepped inside on the day of the actual conquest."
That was why I needed this preliminary check.
I needed to see the patterns of the traps, the spawn intervals, and the strength of the monsters. It would almost certainly take some kind of action the moment I entered.
"I won't push too deep alone. Today is strictly for observation."
"……Rai-sama, please don't do anything reckless, all right?"
Lene looked up at me with pleading eyes.
"I promise."
As I gave my short reply, the carriage came to a halt.
The door was opened by the coachman, and a gust of chilled air rushed in.
Shuddering slightly as I stepped out, I saw a massive abyss gouging the earth before me. A deep darkness with no visible bottom sat there like a silent, open maw. Ominous moans echoed from the depths, making the atmosphere feel even more oppressive.
"Well, shall we?"
With that, I set foot onto the spiral staircase leading into the abyss.
With every step down the jagged, unmaintained stairs, the light from above grew more distant, and the clinging darkness grew heavier.
Even though I had seen this sight countless times in the game, experiencing it in person was genuinely terrifying. Feeling cold sweat prickle my skin, I advanced into the deep darkness with the companions I trusted to watch my back.