Episode 04 – What are you doing?!　※ Fiona’s PoV

"……Hmm, huh?　What…… happened?"

　When Fiona woke up, it took her a while to understand the situation.
　Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she looked around.
　There was a sense of having had enough rest.

　Under her body was a soft bedding.
　It should not have been there before she went to sleep. If so, it must have been prepared by that girl Maho.

　In recalling the memory, Fiona blushed as she remembered how she cried and cried while Maho hugged her shoulder.
　She was supposed to have challenged the labyrinth with a resolve to stay strong. But her nature still remained that of a weak and fragile girl. That was quickly exposed.
　
"……Where's Maho? "

　There was not a soul around.
　That "Hardware Store" or whatever it was called was still there, shining brightly, but Maho was nowhere to be seen.

"Maho!　Where are you!? "

　Feeling the anxiety return, Fiona ran through the Hardware Store.
　But she was not at the end of any of the corridors. Neither was she on the second floor.
　She was nowhere to be found.

"Or maybe she's back in her own world.……?　N-No. Please no……! "

　She found herself running around calling out her name.
　Fiona might be useless at times, but she was an explorer with a good deal of experience.
　She has hunted a good number of monsters, and her physical abilities are unmatched by humans who are not acclimatized to the labyrinth. She was a talented woman who had the blessings of a warrior and even made a magical contract with a god.
　It did not take much time to look all around, even in the large Hardware Store.
　But Maho was nowhere to be seen.

"Sh……She's not…… Anywhere……"

　She was really gone.
　Fiona was thankful for the supplies, but she was so afraid and sad that she was alone again that she was about to cry once again when she suddenly noticed something in her field of vision and rushed over to it.

"It's open!?　Why?　No matter what I did, it wouldn't open!? "

　Fiona, of course, knew from the beginning that there was a door leading to the upper level.
　However, she just couldn't get it to open. It was obvious that some kind of magical measure was probably being taken, so in essence, it was a dead end.

"……Perhaps Maho opened it.……?　While I was sleeping……?　Since I did not explain it properly!?　But I can't believe you went up there on your own……!　Above this, it's likely that――――"
　
　After running through the staircase, Fiona emerged on one level above.

"N……No way…………"

　There was a crimson dragon, which you could hear about in legends.
　This was the first time Fiona had seen it in person, too. For that matter, Fiona had never even seen a drake or a wyvern.
　These huge monsters didn't appear on the sixth or seventh level, where she was mainly active.

(A Red Dragon……!　What's more……a Dragon King variant……!?　With spirit-colored scales, a dragon with the same presence as a monarch, a special existence among dragons…… is that the final guardian of Melquodia……!? )

　The Dragon King, as told in heroic legends.
　A violent entity that understands human languages, uses ancient magic, breathes searing hot breaths, and tears everything apart with its mighty claws. Legend has it that an entire city that flourished in ancient times was destroyed at the whim of these dragon king species.
　Seems to be asleep now――

　The growl was the sleeping breath of the dragon.
　And, very close to it, a small figure.

"（That girl―― what is she doing?）"

　Fiona made her way over to Maho, trying not to make a sound with her footsteps.
　If the dragon were to wake up, they would be killed in a heartbeat.
　Of course, there was no hope of resuscitation at such a bottom level.
　
(Scary……!　Seriously……!　Why is she just standing there like that……!? )

　Still, when Fiona managed to slip and reach Maho, she saw her holding a small square slab to her chest and staring at the giant dragon.
　Wet eyes. An enraptured face.
　It's as if she's found her long-lost lover――

(W-what the hell……?　Maybe she's under some kind of charm spell or something.……?　But it looks like the dragon is still sleeping…… I just don't get it……)

"Look at this, Fiona. Such a magnificent creature…… Amazing……And beautiful, isn't it…………?"

　Maho, noticing Fiona, said, her voice trembling with emotion.
　These words were outside Fiona's comprehension, but in any case, they couldn't stay in this place forever. You never know when the dragon will wake up.

"Don't be ridiculous……!　Let's go back……! "
"Eh?　There's still something I want to see――"
W-whoa, don't be so loud.……!　Come on, already! "
"Whoa!"

　Fiona picked up Maho, who did not seem likely to move, even with leverage, and escaped from the room.
　The dragon did not wake up until the end.

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