This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

Central Hall of Labyrinth City.

Humans, demi-humans, vampires, beastkin, fauns, and goatkin were all staring at one old man.

Cecilia and I were also staring at that old man.

Of course, it was Ban.

“He says he’s already suited up in armor and has the weapon his grandson made him. All that’s left are mana stones and bullets, and he’s asking us to hurry up and bring them.”

At Lou’s interpretation, I looked at Ban with a troubled expression.

The other guild leaders all wore similar expressions to mine.

“They’re telling him it’s insane to leave his grandson John behind and go on this expedition to the 7th floor. Now that he has his body and voice back, they’re saying he should just spend quiet time with his grandson.”

At Mayor Lagot’s words, I nodded in agreement.

Three hundred years.

His family had developed labyrinth exploration technology over three centuries, never resting, never being believed by anyone.

No one would blame Ban for finally handing things over to the next generation and taking a break.

But the old man was resolute.

He looked at me and spoke clearly—not in Northern dialect, but in the Empire’s common tongue.

“I will die in the Labyrinth, even if it kills me.”

“Ban... no one will speak ill of you if you don’t go. You’ve done more than enough. Please, stay by your grandson’s side.”

At my words, Ban smiled.

“This rotten old man would only fight if he stayed with that boy. He’s already sick to death of all that talk—about family duties, heroic destiny, saving the world. My grandson hates me. He doesn’t understand what I’m trying to do.”

Ban tapped firmly on his chest.

“Even if John can’t understand, that doesn’t matter. The greatest treasure a warrior can pass down to their descendants is honor. I want to prove it with my own hands—that the thing everyone thought was a lie, the thing no one believed for 300 years, was real. And I want to hand that proof to my grandson before I die. Please take me with you.”

The guild leaders looked at him with faces full of sorrow and guilt.

And so did I.

What should I say?

Was this really the right choice? I couldn’t decide.

“...What if we let him come with us?”

Cecilia’s gentle voice broke the silence.

“If Saint, you had told my father that the only way to protect you was to quit business forever... do you think he would’ve been happy? I don’t. I think helping this old man’s 300 years of hardship and effort bear fruit is the right thing to do.”

At her words, I looked down at the shotgun Ban was holding.

The long, graceful frame.

The lovingly carved and oiled wooden stock.

The leather cover over the barrel that looked like it had been tanned by hand.

It was a weapon that screamed with every part of it: Don’t you dare die, old man!

I bowed my head for a long while, thinking, then let out a deep sigh.

“Mayor Lagot. Is Ban really still skilled enough for this?”

At my question, Mayor Lagot chuckled.

“Every guild leader here grew up hearing tales of Grandpa Ban’s legends. Every Hunter here has benefited from the legacy Ban’s family built. He’s also the first Hunter to discover the path to the 7th floor. Do you really need more proof of his capability?”

“You’re saying he’s more than qualified, then?”

“Of course. No one’s trying to stop Ban because of his skill. He was bedridden for 20 years, and now that he’s barely recovered, he wants to go down without even spending proper time with his family... that’s what we’re all struggling with.”

I turned my eyes to Ban.

He was nervously gulping, watching me for a reaction.

After meeting his gaze for a moment, I smiled faintly.

“Stay by my side, Ban. I’d like you to be part of the escort alongside the Golden Company. That way, even if you get hurt, I can make sure you’ll never die.”

A radiant smile broke across Ban’s face. He rushed up and grabbed my hand with both of his.

“I’ll never disappoint you, Saint! Never! I’ll make this a success, no matter what! I’ll show the one buried down there in the dark the light they’ve waited 300 years to see!”

With that, Ban turned and ran off to Mayor Lagot.

He said something in Northern dialect, thrusting his hand out.

This time, Cecilia interpreted instead of Lou.

“He’s demanding a weapon worthy of a great warrior.”

Ban’s wrinkled face looked impossibly bright and full of life.

He didn’t look like someone walking willingly into a death trap.

Three days later, after final preparations were complete, the expedition was ready to depart.

Even after running around nonstop to the point where I wondered if her shoes might wear out, Cecilia still had energy to spare as she followed us all the way to the departure ceremony. She looked at me with calm, steady eyes, showing no sign of fatigue.

“Cecilia. You really overworked yourself yesterday, didn’t you? You should take a break today.”

At my words, she shook her head and stepped closer to me.

She took my hand and softly pressed her lips to the back of it.

“My life has belonged to you ever since the moment you saved me from that rotting plague. Please come back alive. You are a miracle, and I have no doubt you’ll work another one.”

I smiled at her.

“I’ll make it back. Let’s meet again on the surface.”

Cecilia gave me a parting wave.

All around us, Hunters were exchanging what could be their final goodbyes with their families.

Some cried. Some smiled as if to say they believed in their loved ones.

The Golden Company, trying to reassure [N O V E L I G H T] everyone, stood tall in their pristine uniforms, looking more polished than ever.

After a short and sharp closing speech from Mayor Lagot—

The expedition to the 7th floor officially began.

One hundred members of the Golden Company, along with Ban, were guarding me.

I rode in a small wagon pulled by a draft beast called a Barag, alongside my interpreter Lou and Priest Mathieu.

The Barag looked like a bizarre hybrid of cow and horse. It let out heavy snorts as it plodded along faithfully.

The wagon was small enough that we were all within arm’s reach of each other.

I didn’t have any immediate duties, being both the secret weapon and the designated healer in case of injuries.

Naturally, I ended up chatting with Lou and Priest Mathieu.

“I didn’t expect even you to join us, Priest Mathieu.”

At my comment, he chuckled.

“I’ve spent half my life in the Labyrinth. I’m basically a Hunter at this point. And besides, we’re going to recover a lost divinity, aren’t we? If we do happen to meet Lord Ponemkin on the 7th floor, someone may need to calm him—and who better than one of his faithful?”

“Well, you’re not wrong. Every god probably needs at least one believer at their side.”

I turned to look out the window at Ban, walking alongside us.

His belt was stuffed with 10-gauge shotgun rounds.

Mana stones processed into artifacts dangled from his wrists.

His booming laughter, speaking Northern dialect, echoed in all directions.

“Why did the Hero Order and the Empire ignore Ban’s family for so long? If they’d offered support earlier, we might’ve reached the 7th floor far sooner.”

At my question, Priest Mathieu nodded with understanding.

“Now that Karim’s banner has been found, it’s easy to question things. But from the Empire and the Order’s point of view, their stance was unavoidable. Do you know which two religious orders scammers love the most?”

It was the first time I’d ever heard of such a thing.

When I tilted my head, Priest Mathieu silently pointed at me—then at himself.

“The Grace Order and the Hero Order. As for the Grace Order... well, you of all people should know. Since the ‘Saint without a divine backing’ makes for an easy grift. Scam artists found it a very convenient narrative to exploit.”

Old Yodel had once told me there were still con men down south pretending to be fake saints.

Fine. That explains the Grace Order.

But what the hell happened with the Hero Order?

“Why do scam artists love the Hero Order?”

“It’s because the last Hero, Karim, was so legendary. And he had an especially recognizable trait in his appearance.”

Mathieu pointed to his eyes.

“Hero Karim was said to have sacred blue eyes, like shards of the sky itself. They say his gaze could pierce straight through a person’s soul and see every sin inside it. The problem was... those sacred blue eyes that saw into souls? They were too easy to fake with simple magic.”

Mathieu let out a weary laugh.

“Scam artists with even a hint of magical talent began casting a cheap illusion spell to make their eyes glow blue. Then they’d go around claiming to be descendants of Hero Karim. Of course that happened.”

The real issue was the desperation of the Hero Order.

Their god had fallen to the earth, and they were desperate to find Him. So they chased down every person claiming to be Karim’s descendant to verify them.

By this point, the picture was clear.

Ban’s eyes had no hint of blue in them.

“In a world full of people claiming to descend from Hero Karim, no one was going to believe Ban’s family.”

“Exactly. Why would they trust a family without even the signature blue eyes? Ban’s family only survived because they were way out in the Labyrinth region. Most of the fakes were purged by the Order.”

Naturally, the Hero Order assumed Ban’s family were impostors, too.

But because Dumbperor Nero had caused such a mess, the Pantheon couldn’t send troops into the Labyrinth to wipe out Ban’s well-respected Hunter lineage.

And so, Ban’s family survived. They shifted tactics—focused on bringing back proof to the world instead of trying to gain belief through words. That’s what Priest Mathieu explained.

“Then... does that mean Ban’s family isn’t actually descended from the Hero? They don’t have the blue eyes.”

“We don’t know.”

“...What?”

“Hero Karim took all the Hero Order’s veteran priests and paladins with him on that expedition. None of them ever came back. And during the Celestial War, worshipers of Evil Gods and demon cults targeted the Hero Order’s headquarters. Most of our historical records were lost in that attack. There’s a reason our Order is now considered a minor sect, Saint.”

Mathieu sighed deeply.

“We have no idea how those sacred blue eyes actually manifested. Were they hereditary? Or a divine gift? We don’t know. All we can do is hope that once we rescue the God of Courage, we’ll find out.”

“...That’s exhausting just to listen to.”

My interpreter Lou piped up, clearly frustrated.

“What kind of con artist sacrifices three hundred years and their entire bloodline just to reach the 7th floor of a labyrinth? If someone’s put in that much work and faith, maybe it’s time to just believe they’re the real deal.”

Mathieu gave a wistful smile at Lou’s words.

“It’s not that we’re trying to dismiss three hundred years of devotion. No one understands their passion better than I do. But ironically, maybe that’s exactly why the Order couldn’t believe them.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it all sounded too perfect. There were two infamous frauds—real masters of deceit—who each pulled off similar acts. One 200 years ago, and another 100 years ago.”

Two hundred years ago, a noble family had wandered in pure sincerity for a century, trying to trace Karim’s legacy.

“And then an Evil God targeted that noble house for corruption. One of Its followers disguised himself—flawlessly—as a descendant of Hero Karim and infiltrated the family. They fell for it completely. In the end, the entire house was corrupted, and the entire region died in a massive curse outbreak.”

By now, even I was getting curious.

“What about the one from a hundred years ago?”

“A man appeared, so perfect that even the senior priests of the Hero Order were taken in. His eyes were brilliant blue, and he could supposedly see into people’s souls. The Order was split in half fighting over him. When it was finally revealed that he was a fraud, nearly half the Order had already fallen into apostasy.”

Mathieu clenched his teeth slightly.

“He was a follower of Lucifer. After being deceived so catastrophically twice, the Order changed its stance. They declared that they would no longer recognize anyone claiming blue eyes as proof. Only someone who brought back the Hero’s relics would be acknowledged as a true descendant.”

“...So that’s why Ban...”

“I believed in Ban and his family’s sincerity. But not everyone in the Order agreed with me.”

I looked at Ban with a sympathetic gaze, but then something occurred to me. I turned back to Mathieu.

“I’ve heard that demon and Evil God worshipers can live far beyond a normal human lifespan.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“That follower of Lucifer—the one who acted a hundred years ago. Is it possible he’s still down here in the Great Labyrinth?”

There were reportedly over 2,000 Luciferian cultists active now.

There was no way they’d send anyone but their best to a place like this.

Which meant that the legendary fraud who once shook the entire Hero Order to its core... might be among them.

“...It’s not impossible. If you encounter him, be especially wary of the beasts he controls.”

“What kind of beasts?”

“They have two he—”

Mathieu’s words were cut off by gunfire.

“ELEVEN O’CLOCK!! BEASTS!! OPEN FIRE!!”

Shouts in Imperial and Northern dialects mingled together for a brief moment—

Then, in the next instant, the ground shook as overwhelming firepower erupted in one direction.