Labyrinth: Chapter 71: Swimsuit Beauty!!!

29 years after the Hero Himmel's passing.

A wisp of smoke rose lazily above the northern forest.

“Uuuh…”

A white-haired elf with twin ponytails lay curled under a blanket, leaning against a tree.

Her lashes trembled. She let out a soft moan.

She must have been dreaming.

A bustling underground labyrinth city appeared in her dream.

Next—

Treasure chests. Dozens of them popped into view.

“So many… treasure chests…”

Frieren’s lips curled up unconsciously.

And then, the scene faded away.

“.....”

Frieren slowly opened her eyes.

A cold gust of wind blew past, making her shrink her neck and tighten the blanket around her shoulders.

“So cold…”

Her voice was soft, barely a whisper, and trembling.

Up ahead—

Fern and Stark were working on the campfire.

“Huh?!”

Hearing rustling behind them, Fern turned around in disbelief.

“Frieren-sama, you’re up this early?!”

“Huh?”

Stark looked up. “Really?!”

Then—

Fern carefully scooped porridge and brought it over.

Meanwhile, Stark positioned himself behind Frieren and started giving her a shoulder massage.

She had resisted this sort of thing when she first joined the team.

Now? She was used to it.

“Fern, I had a dream.”

“I dreamed about a labyrinth city.”

Frieren still looked dissatisfied.

There were so many treasure chests she hadn’t opened yet…

Fern froze, then set down the bowl and spoke seriously.

“Frieren-sama… You’re not planning to take a detour again, are you?”

“You stayed in that village for three whole months last time. Isn’t that enough?”

Fern pouted. Her expression looked slightly gloomy.

Oh no…

Fern’s mad…

Both Stark and Frieren had the same thought.

Fern was terrifying when she got upset…

“Fern, it was just a dream! I already admitted the last time was a mistake…”

Frieren waved her hands and shrank back.

“Yeah, Fern, relax…” Stark chimed in quickly.

“Really…”

Fern sighed, stood up, and dusted herself off.

“Then let’s move out.”

Just as they were about to leave…

A mechanical voice rang in their ears.

[Ding!]

[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise sincerely invites you to visit.]

Right after—

A light screen shimmered into existence behind them.

The three of them froze and turned to look.

A light curtain… appearing in mid-air?

Some kind of refraction magic?

Frieren was stunned.

She hadn’t felt any magic being activated nearby.

Fern immediately stepped in front of her, staff raised protectively.

“Please stay back, Frieren-sama.”

“It’s alright, Fern.”

Frieren placed a hand on her staff.

Words floated across the glowing screen.


---

[Underground Labyrinth Enterprise]

[Offering the finest services and most thoughtful amenities.]

[From Magic Shops to Relaxation Cafés.]

[From the Goddess of Wisdom to the Cross Knight.]

[Here, you’ll experience something unforgettable.]


---

Goddess?

Frieren raised an eyebrow slightly when she saw those words.

Could this be connected to...

She stepped toward the screen.

Her curiosity about magic couldn’t let her ignore it.

But the moment she touched the light—

Space warped.

[Thank you for accepting our invitation.]

[Transferring…]

Whoosh!

Under the shocked gazes of Fern and Stark, Frieren vanished into thin air.

“Frieren-sama!!!”

“Frieren!”

Fern and Stark rushed forward.

The moment they touched the screen—

Space twisted again.

Whoosh!

The forest returned to silence.

In the clearing…

All that remained was the dying campfire, still trailing wisps of smoke.


---

The next day.

Sunlight bathed the white sandy beach.

Waves lapped at the shore, and the cool sea water splashed across everyone’s faces.

The light scent of salt and sea filled the air, soothing and refreshing.

Under a large beach umbrella—

Three lounge chairs were arranged neatly.

Chishiya lay stretched out in the middle.

Black sunglasses on. Hands folded behind his head. Legs crossed.

To his right, Kazuma reclined with his sunglasses pushed up on his forehead, fanning himself lazily with a palm-leaf fan. He looked extremely satisfied.

To the left—

A blue slime lounged on the recliner.

A straw extended from the Coke on the table straight into its mouth.

The warm sea breeze drifted past.

The three of them spoke in unison.

“Ahhh~, it feels so good~.”

As promised—

The entire company had the day off.

Chishiya brought everyone to the beach for team bonding and a BBQ.


---

“Let’s go again!”

Chishiya’s ears twitched.

He turned toward the commotion up ahead.

A row of long-legged swimsuit beauties came into view.

Yunyun wore a sleek black one-piece.

Shion and Wiz were rocking classic bikinis.

Different styles, different vibes.

Wiz had that elegant big-sister look. Shion… well, she was just wild.

Darkness wore a yellow-and-white backless swimsuit.

The four of them were deep into a game of beach volleyball…

“I got it!”

Darkness clenched her arms and received the ball with perfect form.

Shion smirked, watching the ball soar.

“Leave it to me!”

A flawless run-up.

Shion leapt high, her body twisting midair into a powerful form.

BANG!

A thunderous spike.

The volleyball sailed across the net, landing in a blind spot on the other side.

“Wiz-san, it’s coming your way!”

“Eh? Ehhhhh?!”

Wiz froze.

The volleyball hit her chest at full speed.

Duang, duang, duang—

Didn’t seem to hurt. Her chest definitely absorbed most of the impact…

“One point for Shion-sama!”

Treyni, acting as referee in a white swim dress, raised her hand.

“Yay—!”

Shion and Darkness high-fived enthusiastically.

Chishiya leaned back on his chair, quietly admiring the masterpiece unfolding before him.

If you were to paint this scene—

One word: perfection.

Then he glanced toward the shore…

At Rim, Megumin, and Milim splashing around in the water.

“….”

Hey.

Who brought those three kindergarteners?

Can you please scoot over?

This is the adult zone.

On the shoreline—

Rim wore a school swimsuit, barefoot, happily splashing in the waves.

Clearly, she’d been cooped up in the Labyrinth too long and was finally letting loose.

Chishiya checked her status.


---

[Name: Rim]

[Energy Level: 35%]

[Labyrinth Resource Production: Normal]


---

While he was away…

Rim had eaten nearly every monster in the Labyrinth.

Yet her energy level didn’t rise at all.

Which made sense.

The Labyrinth’s energy was essentially her own.

If she could actually grow stronger just by consuming her own output, she’d be invincible.

On the shore—

Shuna waved to everyone in her white halter dress.

“Everyone! BBQ’s ready!”

“Come eat!”

Rim’s eyes sparkled instantly!

“Steak!!!”

“Oh my~, Rim-chan! Let’s see who eats more!”

Milim grinned, kicked off the ground, and shot toward the grill.

“Rim, I’m not losing this time!”

(To be continued.)