Paradigm Parasite

I head out of town, carrying a ridiculously large seed.

On the way out, I got a lot of stares from various people, but... well, it was a minor problem.

The gatekeeper gave me a hard stare on my way out, but I ignored it.

After making sure the people were gone, I called Savage.

After a while, Savage came strolling in.

I let him hold the seed and straddle Savage.

Savage looked uncomfortable with the seed in his hand, but I didn't care.

We entered a nearby forest and stopped at a random spot. I let Savage watch the area and put down the seed.

Now, the reason why I went through all this trouble to bring such a big thing is because it reminded me of Dusty, whom I saw in the arena.

He had complete control over the plant parts.

Then I should be able to do something similar.

And the seed in front of me is a giant Rafflesia seed.

I extend the "root. ...It's hard.

I peel off the surface with magic and connect it. Assimilate the seed and bring it under my control.

It has no memory of any kind, so I need to find a way to use it.

Fortunately, the example is scattered in the dungeon.

Changing arms.

...like this?

My arm has changed into a flycatcher. I move it to try it out.

I tried moving its mouth with a clack. Wa-re-wa-re-ha-u-chu-u-u-ji-n-da.

......... What am I doing?

I tried changing it into other plants such as gourds... seems to work fine. Well, I got what I got and I'm done with the seeds.

But it would be a shame to dispose of them.

I thought about it for a while and came up with an idea. I'm going to plant a clump of "roots" inside the seed to break the assimilation.

If I control it with the root, can I use it for something?

But I can't grow it here...

That's right. Let's push it to Fatima.

It's a good idea, even for me. This is exactly the time for her to come in.

I decided to contact her immediately.

--Fati...

--What is it! Mr. Rothfeldt!

I told you it's too early...

--I have a favor to ask.

--Anything you wish.

I explained briefly about the species and the dungeon.

Fatima would occasionally ask me if I had anything on my mind.

She is a very good listener. She would be a good woman if it weren't for her usual antics....

--Ah, as expected. I would have loved to be there to witness your activities if I could. Oh, I'm sorry ...... for imagining it. May I go change my underwear for a moment?

Here it is. She used to be a little more polished.

--I don't care about that kind of thing. Here's the thing...

--You want me to take care of the seed...?

--.......

I was at a loss for words when she said it first.

Fatima, perhaps satisfied with my response, gives a small laugh.

--That's right. I'll have it delivered to you soon.

--I understand.

I'll also ask about the people I sent there.

--Speaking of which, how are the guys I sent over there doing?

--Yes, they are doing very well. They work like cart horses with just enough money for food, so they are very useful.

Well, okay.

--Well, if everything's OK, then fine.

I've heard what I want to hear and was about to cut off communication, but she must have sensed that and interrupted me.

--I have a little favor to ask you...

What is it?

--After this, would you please stop by Tirani?

Tirani? The neighboring territory to the west.

As I recall... it's famous for its slave market.

--Yes, it is. I would like you to buy some slaves there.

Slaves? And for what reason?

-We are in need of additional labor as we have recently been short on staff. After purchasing a large number of slaves at throwaway prices, could you please repair them and send them here?

I see. I understand what you're saying, but repairing them....

I've been thinking about something similar, but I'm not sure how I feel about it when people actually say it.

I heard that the price of the dead and sick is relatively low, and the store would like to sell them before they become unsaleable.

I'll let Patrick take care of the money and transportation.

--Okay. How many people do you need?

--Well...I don't care how many there are, but I'd like at least ten.

I replied that I understood and cut communication with Fatima.

Patrick is next.... Switching the target of the communication.

--Patrick.

--Oh. Mr. Ro. It's a beautiful day...

That kind of thing is fine.

Why does everybody always have to preface everything?

--I have a favor to ask.

--Do as you please.

When I tell him what happened, he immediately sets up the transportation arrangements.

Fatima's the same way, but he responds immediately when I ask him about this kind of thing.

It's good that they are capable.

--So, we should transport the seeds and the purchased slaves to Fatima in Oratorium, is that right? First of all, let's send people from here for the seeds. The place...

-- No, there is no need. We'll go directly to Strata. With his legs, we should be there tomorrow. Please pick him up when he arrives.

--Yes, sir. Then I will leave the carriage waiting outside the city. The slaves will precede the carriage to Tirani. Peggy will be with them, so please let her know when they are transported.

--I understand. Okay, then, please take care of it.

I hung up and called Savage.

"...... phew."

I - Heidi - squinted at the first rays of sunlight in days.

"Oh! I'm glad we made it out of here alive. Thanks for all your help, girl."

The adventurer uncle who came here with me tapped me on the shoulder.

"To be honest, we might have died if you hadn't told us to go back there."

"No..."

"The request ended halfway, but life is worth a lot of things. We'll see each other again when the time comes!"

I said a brief farewell to him and parted ways.

I headed back to the inn. I was really tired this time.

The quest I had accepted this time was to explore a labyrinth, not to conquer it, but to obtain something of value.

This time, instead of a success fee, an up-front payment was made first, and the rest was paid upon success.

The amount of money was also very high, so my wallet, which was not so secure, was considerably enriched.

Although I was making a good amount of money, my wallet had been hit hard by the new equipment I had purchased at Willead's, so I had to cut back a bit on food and other expenses recently.

He had never been seen to be in need of money, which was strange.

When I pay him, I sneak a peek into his wallet, and I see that the amount is regularly increasing.

I wonder how he earns his money?

...and there it is. I was worried about the road fund, so I took on an expensive labyrinth-related request.

In fact, the limit was unlimited, but he didn't seem to be interested in labyrinths, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to make him go all the way to dangerous places with me.

On the day of the trip, I met with the client and his colleagues who had also been contracted for the job, and after a brief discussion, the meeting was over.

The next day, I set out.

It was dark inside, and torches and other lights were not to be left behind. My first impression was that it was green.

The entire field of view was covered with plants, which accentuated the strangeness of this labyrinth.

The word "labyrinth" suggests something man-made, but there were no signs of human intervention here, which made me wonder if it was really a labyrinth at all.

If anything, I felt a vividness like that of a living creature.

With these thoughts in mind, we continued deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

For the first half day or so, nothing happened, and we proceeded peacefully, chatting with each other.

The client who was accompanying us said that he had made a fortune as an arms dealer and was now wealthy, and that he wanted honor this time.

Would he be honored if he brought something back from the labyrinth?

After that, he began to talk endlessly about his business successes and saga, which honestly annoyed me.

I could see that the other adventurers who were accompanying me were a little uncomfortable.

To be honest, I didn't find it interesting either. I didn't get much out of him, so it sounded like he was just bragging.

As I was going along, listening to my client's story, I saw the thing.

At first I thought it was something small moving, but when it was close enough to reach the light, my cheeks twitched.

It was a severed human arm.

For some reason, something that looked like plant ivy was sticking out of the severed surface, and it seemed to be moving the arm.

As if attracted by the ivy, a series of them crawled out of the darkness.

A severed leg, head, lower body, and upper body.

Each part of a human being was being manipulated by a plant parasite.

They must have died here. And even after death, they are still wandering around this labyrinth.

And the most bizarre is a corpse with full arms and legs, but what happened to it is that its torso has almost turned into a plant.

Since some of them are still human, they were probably killed by making a huge hole in their torsos.

The manner of their deaths told of the horror of this labyrinth.

The other adventurers were surprised to varying degrees, but quickly recovered.

"The frontier undead? Is it some kind of moving corpse zombie? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure they're the enemy. Let's do this!"

Everyone, including me, takes up their weapons and starts to slash at them.

"Damn! What the hell are these guys? I can't get a blade through!"

"Magic! Magic! Is there no mage?"

"No mages! I know a mage when I see one!"

What? There's no mage?

I look at my client.

"What choice do I have! I couldn't get them!"

Looking around, there doesn't seem to be anyone who could be of any use...at all.

It seems I have no choice but to do it.

I hit the nearest enemy with a [Fireball II]. Since they move slowly, it is not difficult to hit them.

It hits the target and doesn't burn up.... Why?

"Hey! Why ain't it burning?

"No, it's burning on the surface. If you give it a few shots, it'll burn."

After the third, fourth, and fifth shots, it caught fire and wandered off and collapsed.

"...gh!"

I felt dizzy and fell to my knees. I used too much magic all at once.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

The other adventurers run up to me.

"We're doing it, too! Don't let the women handle everything!"

A few of them pulled it down to the ground, poured torch oil on it, and lit it on fire, which quickly flared up.

"All right! Catch the little bastards and put them in the fire!"

Enemies moving only with their arms or legs are caught and thrown into the fire.

Enemies that try to escape from the fire and come out are kicked and knocked back into the fire.

After a while, all the enemies stopped moving, as if they were completely burned out.

"... we did it... fu. What was that?"

Each of the adventurers exhaled.

"Are you sure it's a frontier species?"

A frontier species.

An existence in which the corpses of humans and monsters have risen again for some reason and begun to move.

I have heard a lot of stories about them, but there are not so many examples that I have actually seen them.

It is said that special conditions or magic is required for the reanimation of corpses, since it does not always happen if corpses are left unattended.

The most famous rumor is that there is a place called "the border of the frontier," which is also called a forest or a valley, where there is a paradise for the dead who cannot die.

Let's get back to the story.

I have a feeling that the enemy that was obliterated in front of us is a little different from the frontier species.

The other adventurers were also concerned, but it was not something we could judge anyway, so we put it aside.

After that, we were attacked several times by plant-possessed walkers.

I was burning them to death as I had done the first time, but gradually the amount of oil became insufficient, and a feeling of impatience began to well up in my chest.

Finally, there was a victim.

Our attempts to conserve oil had backfired, and several of them had been ganged up on, breaking their necks and tearing off their arms and legs.

From there it was a roll downhill.

Each time we encountered the enemy, our numbers dwindled by one more person.

It must have been about two days after we entered here.

There was a change in the scenery. It was a fork in the road.

At that point, the number of people had decreased to almost half, and I decided that it was impossible to go any further.

I told my client about it, but his reaction was not good.

There's nothing to be gained. In a way, it's a natural reaction.

But it's not safe to go any further. We have fewer people, and the amount of oil we rely on is not enough.

If we use any more, we will run out of oil for lighting.

I explained to him, but in the end, he did not listen to me and dismissed me.

After that, I decided to return with the other adventurers who had been dismissed for expressing the same opinion as mine, but the client took all the oil away from us.

I had no choice but to make lights with my magic and go back.

Before we left, I thought I saw something pass above us.... Was it my imagination?

I ended up leaving with the other adventurers, but surprisingly, nothing happened on the way back.

On the way, we passed a party of adventurers and exchanged information and torches with them, which made it much easier to move around without the need to use magic. ...... In the end, we returned safely from the labyrinth without any problems.

The knight guarding the entrance was quite happy to see us return safely.

I heard that not many people really come back, but there was one more person who came out not too long ago.

He said he was quite surprised when he came back with a huge rock-like object.

I tilted my head inwardly. A rock? Was there such a thing?

And a while ago? It was strange to be alone.

There were many things that bothered me, but I was too tired to think about them.

The other adventurers were just as tired as I was, so we broke up without even saying goodbye... and here we are.

I returned to the inn, dragging my tired body, to find him waiting for me.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm home. Somehow, I made it back safely."

He only said, "I see," and then shut up.

I was tired, too, so I fell asleep on the bed.

The next day.

Tired and energized, I decide to talk with him about the future.

While we were having dinner at a nearby bar, I asked him.

"What are you going to do now?"

He gestures as if he is thinking a little.

"I'm going to the Tirani next door. If everything is all right on your end, we'll head there today."

I'm done with my request, and I don't have any plans. Just the up-front money, but I've got the street funds.

But still, Tirani? I've never heard good things about this place....

"Well...? Tirani..."

"Famous for its slave market."

He says so in a matter-of-fact tone.

Slaves?

"...Slaves...you buy?"

His voice hardens.

"I have a request."

He tells me that he has to go to Tirani to buy a slave on someone else's behalf.

He seems reluctant to do so, judging by the somewhat troublesome tone of his voice.

He sighs lightly and puts the rest of his meal in his mouth, then stands up.

"When you're ready, we'll leave."

I nodded at his words.