"Why propose a conquest of the Great Labyrinths?"
"Are you aware that in the chamber where the Core of the Great Labyrinth of the West once sat—on the 100th Floor, the innermost area—there are geometric strings of text inscribed upon the walls? They are entirely different from standard labyrinths or known spell formulas."
Roughly a year and a half ago, the explorer party led by Prince Felix achieved the historic feat of conquering the Great Labyrinth of the West. Since then, the Explorer Guild has been continuously investigating the site, as it lost its function as a labyrinth upon completion. The results of that investigation are public knowledge, including the existence of those geometric scripts.
Back in Daluane, Orun had shared a glimpse of the truth of this world with me. According to him, those inscriptions are part of a spell formula used to seal the Evil God. Beria undoubtedly knew this. However, publicly, the Explorer Guild maintains that the meaning of these strings has yet to be deciphered.
...It is entirely possible that no one in the Guild besides Beria actually knows the truth, and that they are currently being subjected to thought guidance by Philly Carpenter.
"I have heard of these scripts, but what of it?" someone asked.
"Even as the stampedes broke out across the various regions, our Guild was hard at work deciphering those strings. And at the exact moment the stampedes began, those characters began to glow with an intense light."
"—!?"
A wave of shock rippled through the participants at Solda-san's revelation. Given the context, it was only natural for them to conclude that there was a direct connection between the global stampedes and that luminescence.
Even if that conclusion was the result of intentional manipulation.
In truth, the Great Labyrinths are things called Sanctuaries—similar to labyrinths, but fundamentally different.
"Meaningless strings of text in the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth... Does that mean the Great Labyrinths are responsible for these stampedes!?"
"We have no confirmation of that," Solda replied. "However, if similar scripts are carved into the deepest reaches of the other Great Labyrinths, our analysis may progress as our sample size increases. This could be the key to answering the age-old mystery of 'what are labyrinths?' If we understand their nature, we may find a way to stop these stampedes."
"—Then it’s settled."
Gunnar-san of the Ludain Federation, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
"Even if there is no guarantee that conquering the Great Labyrinth will end the stampedes, if this is the only clue we have, then we must commit our full efforts to the task."
The moment the solution to the crisis was forcibly linked to the conquest of the Great Labyrinth, the endorsement of a representative from a major power like Gunnar-san became the final word. Thus, humanity adopted the conquest of the Great Labyrinths as its primary goal to break the current deadlock.
The conquest of the Great Labyrinth. It was synonymous with unsealing the Evil God—the very entity that had once driven humanity to the brink of extinction.
It seemed the breaking of the seal was now a predetermined course of action. This was precisely why the members of Amunzaas, led by Orun, had begun their preparations to slay the Evil God. Of the four Great Labyrinths—or rather, the three remaining—the seal would hold as long as even one remained intact. If all of them were conquered before Orun and the others were ready, it would be the end of everything.
Therefore, my primary objective from here on out was to seize the initiative in the conquest of the Great Labyrinth of the South.
And I had one more objective.
"—May I make a proposal?"
I spoke up just as the future policy seemed settled and the air of the summit meeting began to shift toward a conclusion.
"A proposal?" Gunnar-san asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
What I had to do here was clarify the enemy. Our true enemy was the Demon who sought to break the seal and destroy humanity. According to Orun-san’s speculation, the Demon had already integrated themselves into "a certain country" to the extent of being able to manipulate the state itself.
I agreed with that assessment. I already had a fair idea of which country it was, but my duty now was to force their hand and make the situation clear.
"It concerns the culprit who brought about this catastrophe: Orun Doura. He is the man who triggered the simultaneous labyrinth stampedes across the globe and murdered the former Grandmaster, Lord Beria."
Roughly half of the attendees widened their eyes in shock. I could likely exclude those people from the list of potential enemies. There was no reason for them to go so far as to feign surprise in this setting.
"What proof do you have that this man, Orun Doura, caused the stampedes...?"
"Because I saw him murder Lord Beria with my own eyes while the Grandmaster was visiting our kingdom. At the time, he said, 'It's all well and good that I released the magic beasts, but it would be troublesome if the Explorer Guild dealt with them immediately.' Based on his words and actions, the likelihood that Orun Doura is behind these stampedes is extremely high."
I felt a pang of guilt for forcing the role of the villain onto Orun, but I pressed on.
"Therefore, I propose that he be placed on the international wanted list. If he is indeed the one who caused the stampedes, he likely knows how to stop them. We must apprehend him and force him to divulge the method to end the labyrinth stampedes."
This was the plan Orun himself had suggested to divert the Cult’s attention away from Tsutrail. He had already staged an incident to help Oliver and the others escape and was currently a wanted man within Tsutrail. By expanding that status to the entire world and having me propose it, it would signal to the Cult that Orun and the Nohitant Kingdom had completely severed ties.
Furthermore, it would cement the impression within the Cult that I was on their side.
Now then, let’s see who takes the bait first.
My proposal was a perfect opportunity to further isolate Orun—a thorn in the Cult's side—socially and politically. For the Cult, this had to be a godsend.
"I am in favor," Gunnar-san of the Ludain Federation interjected immediately. "If that individual murdered Lord Beria and triggered the stampedes, then he is a clear 'Enemy of the World.' Furthermore, we are currently suffering from a severe lack of intelligence. If there is a chance he possesses information we lack, we should capture him for that reason alone."
"I agree as well," Prince Felix of the Saubel Empire added. "There is no reason to oppose the hunt for an Enemy of the World."
"I... I also... think that... we should do so..."
Next was Lady Nagisa Asagiri, the Head of the Imperial Family of Kyokutou. The girl, dressed in a rare white kimono and red hakama, gave her consent with a slight, apologetic tremor in her voice.
...Just as expected.
The three nations that jumped on the proposal were the Ludain Federation, the Saubel Empire, and Kyokutou. This perfectly matched the countries I suspected were under the Cult's heavy influence. With the major powers endorsing the move, their allies followed suit one after another. Ultimately, my proposal was passed.
"Orun Doura, the Enemy of the World... hm?" Gunnar-san of the Ludain Federation mused, seemingly in high spirits after the turn of events. "Perhaps it would be fitting to give him a proper designation?"
"A designation? You mean like an alias?"
"Exactly. Let's see... The Enemy of the World Who Rules Magic Beasts... How does 'Demon King' sound?"