The Last Ruler: The Return of the Goddess
Labyrinth Duel

As Altair had expected, those people were actually carrying out a plan in their quiet times.

A messenger came the next day, at lunchtime as everyone gathered in the Guild hall and listened to what had been entrusted to him.

" I-I brought a message from the head of the Acrenea Guild to Miss Altair of the Kirial Guild."

A little boy who might not even be ten years old came in doubt and trembling when he saw the people there. Meanwhile... Altair stood in front of him...

...Seemed dreamy hearing his words,

" What? What guild...? Where'd that come from?" or rather he didn't know where it came from.

The people who heard those words just smiled clumsyly with their behavior, but it was only a few days ago that the guild people made a fuss here, and he forgot. Or maybe he didn't know where they were from.

A moment later, Remilia approached him and whispered to Altair, "The Acrenea Guild is where the people who rioted here came from a few days ago" he said from back there.

" H..!" judging from how he was surprised, it seemed that it was true that he only knew that.

" Give it to me." At the same time as that, Yi took the letter from the hand of the boy who delivered it. Then he opened it and read it aloud enough that everyone could hear it...

[ ...'Shoot me, Altair, the haughty Kirial Deputy.

We cannot tolerate your rude attitude towards our people, and your words insult us. With this, we propose a duel officially.

Meet us in front of the entrance of the 'Aila' Labyrinth east of the city, to carry out this duel.

It is our kindness, if you miss this duel. We will officially declare war to the Kirial Guild, and report Derrick Cashel, the guild chairman of Kirial, to the intercontinental Guild association that has violated the peace agreement.

~From : Guild leader Acrenea.~]

It was a fairly short letter, and definitely not a good thing..

Moreover, the permission of the association..??

They were a group built on the consent of the nations in the world, as the overseers and controllers of all Guilds so as not to cause trouble to the people around or war between Guilds.

It was built 78 years ago, and is led by 5 grand councils who became the heads of this association.

is the originator of the idea and is the second-highest ranking member in the grand council. He is a talented scientist who has created various advances in magic technology.

With the approval of the association and the magic council, the Acrenea guild had actually prepared for a war between themselves. And will bring error upon them.

Neither Altair, nor those who listen agree. They cursed the troublemakers in their hearts.

" The waji*gan fucking it..!!"

What is wrong is them, but they can throw mistakes at others.

" I should have killed them immediately after killing the bandits that night." muttered Altair with a look of unease on his face. Yeah, if he does that the problem will be solved quickly for him...

" If you do that, Derrick as the person whose name is being carried around will be in trouble too." Mira.

" I'll just take away everything related to the guild."

" Can't. You're gonna be a wanted fugitive all over the continent."

...And what he said was true as well. Altair gave up on the idea of obliterating.

Altair propped up his forehead and thought seriously enough. If he doesn't accept it, it'll be a problem too, and if he makes another fuss Derrick is in trouble too. In the end, it's a dead end...

Altair believes this was the shameless woman named Ninia. Remembering it again made Altair even more upset.

" What duel was put up there?" until then Derrick's voice distracts the people there.

Everyone immediately turned to the second floor, where Derrick who had just come out stood there with a robe on his shoulders and two hands folded in front of his chest.

His condition is now getting better and will get better, but Altair still forbids him to do the fight and its kind.

Then, after hearing Derrick's question there, the boy who became the messenger began to answer hesitantly.. " I-it... The chairman said it was just a simple gamble, where there will be a fight for an heirloom necklace in Aila's Labyrinth. The person who gets it and comes out first will be the one who wins" he said.

However that drew Aksa's doubts out, "What? It's more like a race than a duel" he said, which was also approved by people.

They believe that there is a shrimp behind the stone from this dueling contest. But...

" Okay, I take it!" Altair was excited about it. And it made all of her look dumbfounded.

Even Remilia who was still standing behind him, "A-Altair.it was too dangerous.." she was afraid that something would happen with Altair.

But Altair looked so relaxed, she turned to Remilia and smiled. " Don't worry. In the letter it is not said that this is a one-on-one bet, it means that I can bring a partner, right? I'll choose between you, so I hope you're prepared" he said to Remilia.

Then he looked back at the little boy in front of him, "Go! Tell that chief of yours, I, Altair Drosera take the dueling challenge from him." Altair said so confidently.

But a moment later....

Altair just sat there bored in Derrick's room, while the rest of his friends raved about his reckless actions without thinking about anything else. Especially Remilia and Aksa, they were the two people who lectured him the most with various words.

" Altair, tell me how can you have thoughts like this?? Although the name of the duel is official, but there is no official supervisor in this game! Their reason might be to create an accident scene and obliterate you secretly!" aksa said so seriously and was upset at the same time.

" That's right, it's dangerous! No matter how strong you are, danger is still danger. Altair, you're so important to us." Remilia also adds so dramatically.

Altair had no idea why the two of them were so protective of him, whereas Yi, Israhi and Derrick still looked so relaxed and silent where they were watching.

" I know, I know. But I accepted it not without a plan" said Altair who finally had a chance to talk.

" But it's still that..." Remilia was still unsure of that.

" Don't worry, Lia. I have Lumine by my side, and I can call Zico whenever I want." Altair said with confidence.

Meanwhile... Remilia and the others looked confused as to who he meant...

" Who is that? " and Yi who ended up questioning it.

He and the others sometimes saw Altair talking to themselves, of course they were curious as to who he was talking to. And it looks like, with someone or something called Zico, he's talking.

And Altair who heard the question then looked at him and realized, "Ah, I haven't shown it to you guys yet" he said.

Altair fell silent clumsily with it, whereas he thought they would know for themselves or Mira would tell them. It seemed that he did not pay much attention to the trivial things around him...

" Haha.. All right, I'll show you." Altair could say nothing more about it and relented. " Zico, come out" he said.

As his right hair seemed to move from the inside, a head popped out of it. Zico always appears in his hair, it makes him look like he lives in his hair.

His friends who saw it also looked surprised when there was such a creature with Altair. On the other hand, Altair looks relaxed, he takes a painting on the table and gives it to Zico. Which of course was directly eaten by him.

" Altair, is that your bond animal..? How old is he?" asked Remilia who seemed interested in it.

Altair who heard him thought of him, "Omm... I don't know, how old are you, Zico?" Altair never thought about it.

Kyu...

Zico answered him indifferently, Altair just nodded his head hearing that. While his friends were astonished...

" He said he's about 150 years old since he hatched, if not mistaken. But when in the egg, he had sealed lama~ once." said Altair also increasingly make them wonder.

Altair who saw them like that also became confused, "What's wrong with you??" tanyakanya.

" Can you communicate with him??" Aksa got straight to the point.

And Altair immediately nodded, "Yes, of course. Why do you think I'd talk to her if I couldn't communicate with each other??" said later.

Later, Israhi mediates the conversation. " More importantly, what exactly is it? Is he a lizard or something??" the question was that somehow looked alert.

Maybe it was because he realized the incredible energy from within Zico, not just him. Yi and Derrick are the same...

On the other hand, Altair was slightly aghast at those words. Unlike Zico who immediately looked at him sharply and disliked, another person who dared to call him a lizard in this world. Altair looked at him and said...

" Zico is not a lizard. He's a dragon" he said inexplicably looking at Israhi with anxious expectation.

While those who heard that, except Mira, were very shocked.

" What?!!" They even immediately shouted out in shock at hearing that reality.

" Ba-how can.." Remilia looked scared but at the same time was also amazed by what she was with and saw.

It was a real dragon.

But Altair just licked the crumbs of the paint on her lips hearing that, "I don't know, she's already my bond animal when I know." she said while thinking about it.

His friends increasingly looked at him in disbelief, of course, how could he not know when he himself signed a bonding contract with such a legendary beast. Even Mira as her teacher also just shrugged both of her shoulders not knowing when stared at by them.

Besides that... To be able to control the power brought by the dragon. Altair must have greater strength, or higher mental control.

" Altaire... Who you really are.." Israhi was really curious about all the privileges that felt so impossible in this one person before her.

" Echem... All right, what if we go back to our main conversation." Then Derrick took over the conversation and all the attention went to him. " Altair, do you know what the challenge is now??" tanyanya.

Altair who heard the question replied, "Don't stay fighting, huh? Colosseum his challenge so." he said innocently.

Ah, it is thought that whatever official duel Altair knows is only a knight duel and a colosseum match. Mira forgot to explain it..

Derrick who heard his answer then propped up his chin, "Yes, if it was a fighting challenge. But the challenge at the moment, is the challenge of speed and shrewdness" he said.

" What? So there will be no fight?." asked Altair later.

" Not really. But the main thing in the challenge given by the Acreneans is not like that. It's like a race run and fight each other over the roses that used to be done in the village." explained Derrick who then smiled at him.

Altair who heard it understood. And he remembered those times...

The race for roses held in the GoldenRose village each celebrates the founding day of the village. Children and adults will run around the square seizing one another with a rose, and the one who gets the most roses will be the winner.

He remembers him and Derrick being his champions, and they were crowned kings and queens of roses for a day. Altair misses times like that...

" Um... So, all I have to do is take the treasure in the maze and hurry out before it is snatched by them?" Altair really understands now.

Derrick nodded his head hearing that, "Right. The fight may not be inevitable, but it is not a life-threatening fight. So you have to be able to control your power. Then... Because the treasure in that place there is only one, so you have to know what it is." he explained later.

" Just one?"

Israhi nodded confirming, then he told me. " right. The Aila Labyrinth is a labyrinth that was conquered 3 years ago by a masked wanderer, 'Aila'. In the past, it was the most dangerous labyrinth and was filled with monsters. The monsters also sometimes went out and attacked villages near the labyrinth. Therefore, after the wanderer cleaned the labyrinth, his name was used as the name of the labyrinth as a tribute. There was no treasure in that place, but the wanderer left a necklace in there. And before he disappeared he said..."

... Those were words that continued to take root and made many people come there to try it out. But no one has ever seen or even managed to get it.

Most of them always came back out with injuries from not being able to avoid the traps, or being exposed to illusions.

Not a few also died because it still forced to look for the object.

" Whoah..."

Altair was amazed by the magnificent story, if he could meet the masked wanderer in the story told by Israhi, he wanted to ask about how he could defeat all those monsters. And also... What was the real reason he left the necklace there.

" So, are there really no monsters now?" asked Remilia who then disperse the daydreams of Altair, she also nodded her head to have the same question.

" no. All the monsters that were there, including their seeds and eggs had been lost. But there are still some traps in the labyrinth that will definitely hinder the people who enter it." Yi chimed in.

Aksa thought about it, "Hm... In that case, they would definitely use that trap to do something to Altair. It could also be that they have manipulated it before" he said of his assumptions.

" It could happen." Derrick agrees with that, too.

" In that case, we just need a fair and honest watchdog" Altair said later.

It solved their problem, but...

" Who's the right supervisor here??" ask Aksa, when... "Who..!" he also regained consciousness without hearing any other answer.

Everyone immediately turned to the same direction simultaneously, they focused on Mira who was just silent and also looked at them there. Mira who was stared at then raised her eyebrows high...

" You want me to be your supervisor??" tanyanya.