The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 233

“You’re kidding me…”

“You didn’t know? The labyrinth also drains vitality—well, stamina too. Back in the day, they even called it the Labyrinth Diet.”

“Huh…”

“The labyrinth provides us with magic stones like that. It’s a give-and-take relationship. That’s why you mustn’t kill it.”

…Huh?

“It can be killed?”

“Somewhere inside the labyrinth, there’s a heart-like core. Destroy that, and the labyrinth dies, reverting to nothing more than a cave. That core is a magic stone of incredibly high purity, worth a fortune. But if you harvest it, the labyrinth will never produce magic stones again. That’s why it’s a forbidden act on the Demon Continent. Even we demons—called barbaric as we are—uphold that rule. Without magic stones, survival on the Demon Continent would be impossible.”

“I see…”

“AI-chan, is this common knowledge on this continent?”

“No… At least, it’s not in the information I received from Ilva-san.”

So I thought.

“Huh? You don’t know? Over there, it’s something literally everyone is aware of. I guess since there’s been no contact for so long, there are things we know and things you don’t.”

Hmm…

“What if we just play dumb and take the core?”

“I would strongly advise against it… I can smell nothing but trouble from that path.”

Yeah… fair point.

“Merell, since I’m letting you stay, tell me more about the labyrinth.”

“I’ve pretty much said most of what there is to know…”

“Any tips for going through it efficiently?”

“Well… spacing out your visits, I guess? I don’t recommend going in day after day. Yuuma-san, you’re male, you’ve got stamina, and your mana’s strong, so you’d be fine. But for the others, entering consecutively will take a toll. As you probably know, it’s hard to notice stamina and mana decline in that place.”

At that, I glanced over at the girls.

“Yeah, it is tiring.”

“…Mm. I felt more exhausted than usual, and now that you mention it… I think I burned through more mana too.”

“I didn’t really get it, but I sure slept well.”

“I was normal.”

Looks like we really should take breaks in between.

Even Annie, who said she was normal, was out cold today.

“Think you can go tomorrow?”

“That’s fine. We rested today.”

“…I can go.”

“No problem.”

“I’m fine too, but… do we all really need to go? From how it felt yesterday, it didn’t seem necessary for everyone to be there.”

True enough…

“Wait. You all went? The proper party size for a labyrinth is four people, you know?”

Merell looked surprised.

“Proper size?”

“The labyrinth is basically a cave. Taking a large group in doesn’t accomplish much. Worse, just being inside drains stamina and mana, so a big party only wastes more resources.”

Now that I thought about it… Ilva’s party and Blaine’s party had both been groups of four.

“AI-chan, do you have that sort of information?”

“No. But now that you mention it, most of the parties I saw around town seemed to be around four people. It may have come about empirically.”

The Fifth Guild is where the advanced folk gather.

Maybe those who couldn’t form a proper party died, or maybe experience simply pushed groups toward fours. I don’t know the causal link, but four still feels like the right number.

“Four people, huh… well, not everyone is always available…”

What should we do?

“Master, first of all, I feel Natalia, who’s good at healing magic, is essential.”

“Yeah…”

But Natalia doesn’t have much stamina. And, compared to Annie and Alice, her magic is a notch lower.

“…I can use healing magic, just in case.”

“Me too!”

“Me as well. Still, Natalia’s the best at it. It’s her specialty.”

That would be fine for a normal adventure… but—

“Shall I give an impartial outsider’s opinion?” Merell said while chewing on a potato.

“Say it.”

“A mage of that level trying anything reckless will just die. Mages need to be specialized to matter. So leave it to Natalia. Besides, that one is head-over-heels for you and will do something reckless. You need to manage them properly. There’s a saying among the demons: ‘Let mages be cowardly.’ Mages who try to show off really do die young. That’s advice from someone who used to be in the military.”

Thanks for that.

“Have Natalia rest while she accompanies us.”

“That would be best.”

There’s no need to rush. Let’s take it slow.

“Natalia, Alice, can you come with me tomorrow?”

“Got it.”

“…And the fourth one is AI-chan?”

Alice asked.

“She can use fox fire. Tama-chan will guide us, so let’s count her as part of our force.”

AI-chan is a shikigami, so she doesn’t get tired.

Or rather, if she’s erased and summoned again, she’s completely restored.

“Leave it to me! I’ll show you the flames of this AI-chan!”

“Sit. We’re eating.”

It’s bad behavior.

“Yesss!”

AI-chan plopped down neatly and started eating her potato.

“Then Lily-san gets the day off. Please teach me to cook again tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.”

Get better for Sven’s sake. And also… try to be a little gentler.

“I’d like to make some restorative tonics for fatigue recovery too.”

Annie, impressive as always…

“Pamela, are you working?”

“Sort of? There’s nothing much to do…”

Sad. But I’ll bring the magic stones back.

“Leanne?”

“I’m going to visit my uncle and tell him what happened today.”

Ah, that’s right.

“Give my regards to His Majesty.”

“Understood. I’m sure my uncle will be pleased as well.”

No.

He definitely won’t be.

TL Note: Some of these chapter titles are so creative guys.