Blankon Announcement

489 Prize Exchange, and the Labyrinth Garden

Yumina released the arrow she had drawn tight. The arrow flew straight and pierced the forehead of a distant zombie with a sound effect, then vanished like in a game, leaving behind the number "20." So zombies are worth 20 points.

Since zombies and skeletons can be defeated with one hit regardless of the weapon, we aren't struggling. We're not, but...

"This number is just too much, isn't it?"

Enemies keep attacking one after another. No matter how many we defeat, more keep coming at us. It's like a never-ending supply of soba noodles.

"Ugh... I want to annihilate them with magic..."

"I feel the same."

Linze and Lean sighed as they muttered. I get it. It makes you want to clear them out with a wide-area spell.

While the rear guard, including me, feels like this, the front guard is happily defeating the approaching zombies and skeletons.

"Ahh! Mother, that's mine! No fair!"

"First come, first served. If you're frustrated, train more."

In front of me, Frey and Hilda, a mother-daughter pair, mercilessly defeated the skeletons. Elsewhere...

"Alright! That's 500 points! How about you, Father?"

"I'm almost at 600 points."

"Ugh! I won't lose!"

In another area, Alice and Ende, a father-daughter pair, were competing while defeating zombies. They seem to be having fun.

"Yup! Mother Yae! It's coming your way!"

"Got it!"

Responding to Linne's call, Yae's sword flashed in a horizontal slash. Two zombies disappeared simultaneously under her attack.

"Mother Yae," huh? We have no blood relation, but since Linne's mother is Linze, and Yae is also my wife, it's not strange in terms of relationship.

Yae seemed slightly pleased to be called "Mother." I wish Yakumo would come over here too.

"Ah, Touya-san, look at that..."

"Whoa."

Following Linze's finger, I saw a graveyard teeming with zombies. Further in, the ground suddenly swelled up, and accompanied by an ominous BGM, a giant decayed dragon appeared.

A dragon zombie? Is it the boss here?

"Mine!"

Alice punched the dragon zombie with her knuckle-equipped fist. The part she struck flickered and changed color, but the dragon zombie remained.

"That's the last enemy. It can't be taken down in one hit."

Hmm. It seems we have to hit it multiple times to defeat it. Indeed, defeating something that big in one hit would be dull.

"Grahhhhh!"

"Everyone, dodge!"

The dragon zombie exhaled a purple, poisonous breath. I don't think it's real poison breath, but we should avoid it anyway.

"Eww, it stinks!"

The foul smell made me pinch my nose. What is this!?

It's not unbearable, but it smells like rotten eggs mixed with ginkgo nuts on the street...!

Compared to a dead Sludge-slime, it's much better, but everyone else is also wrinkling their noses and holding them.

"Don't worry. It's just stinky and has no effect on the body. It'll disappear once the dragon is defeated."

No, no, it's twisting my nose! This is unbearable. I want to finish this quickly, but...

Unlike us, Mel, Nei, and Rise seemed unfazed. Huh?

"Mel, are you guys okay?"

"Yes, we can freely cut off our senses. Alice, however, can't do that."

Mel glanced at her daughter Alice, who was holding her nose beside her.

Being a pure Phrase, Alice probably lacks that feature. Her father, Ende, was also covering his nose.

"Wait, Alice. I'll take care of this."

"Yes, as Nei said, leave it to us, Mothers."

Nei, wielding a large axe, and Rise, with dual swords, were about to move towards the dragon zombie. Hold on!

I pulled the two of them back and whispered a warning.

"We can't take away the children's fun. We are support; the kids should be the main ones enjoying this."

"Hmm... You mean we should leave everything to Alice and just watch?"

Nei glared at me with a dissatisfied look. No, not like that. As I hesitated on how to respond, Ende answered from the side.

"It means to do it together with the children, not just Nei. Isn't that right, Touya?"

Yes, that's about it. It wouldn't be fun if parents cleared a difficult game for their kids.

"I see... Okay, Alice! Let's defeat it together!"

"Yes!"

With Alice in tow, Nei and Rise headed towards the dragon zombie. Perhaps inspired by this, Frey, Kuhn, Elna, and Linne also grabbed their weapons and charged at the dragon zombie. Elze, Hilda, Yae, and Ende followed suit.

The rest of us prevented the surrounding zombies and skeletons from interfering with their fight against the dragon zombie.

I swung my spear and dispatched the zombies. If these are worth 10 or 20 points, how much is the dragon zombie worth?

"Gurgaaaaah!"

Finally, under the continuous barrage of attacks, the dragon zombie turned into particles of light. Points like '520' and '750' were added to everyone who attacked the dragon zombie. Are they distributing its points?

"We did it!"

Frey shouted, raising her great sword. The other children also seemed happy. The parents watched them with smiles.

The foul smell disappeared, and a fanfare sounded. Does that mean we cleared it?

The surroundings brightened, and a monolith appeared in the white space again.

"Congratulations. Based on the points you earned, we will present you with prizes. Here is the list."

Sheska touched the monolith, and a prize list appeared in midair. The children, with excited faces, frowned as they looked at the list.

"...I can't read this."

"It's in ancient Parteno script. Considering this facility is over five thousand years old, it's only natural."

Responding to Frey's muttering, Lean explained. Dr. Babylon was in the Holy Empire of Parteno, which occupied almost a third of the continent five thousand years ago. It seems they used that country's script.

"My apologies. Please wait a moment."

Sheska placed her palm on the monolith, and a small magic circle appeared and vanished. Eventually, the floating list was translated into a readable script. Did she install a translation tool? Well, whatever...

Seeing the list, I regretted it a bit. Being Dr. Babylon's prizes, it was only natural they wouldn't be normal.

"Mother, what's 'Melo Melo Byaku'?"

"Ha...!? Um, well, Linne. It's, uh, a potion that makes men and women, um, get along better..."

"'No Satsura Jeli Set'...? Mother, what's this...?"

"Eh, Elna!? I think it's too early for you to know!"

Not all, but about half of the list items were nonsense. I'll deal with her later.

Elna, Linne, and Alice seemed confused, while Kuhn had a cynical smile. This kid seems to get it.

At ten years old, some knowledge is to be expected. Besides, Kuhn is a very inquisitive child.

"...I'll take this 'Bath Salts Set.'"

Frey, surprisingly, had a red face and averted her gaze from us. Well, she's the oldest among the children, and only a year younger than when I met Yumina, so it's an age-appropriate reaction.

"Hey, this 'Bath Salts Set' is normal, right?"

"The effects are for stiff shoulders, cold sensitivity, neuralgia, insomnia, and fatigue recovery. Nothing else."

Sheska responds to my suspicion. It seems to be something decent.

I managed to guide the children and avoid them acquiring any strange items.

However, Nei and Rise were more troublesome than the children.

Mel is a Fraise ruler, but she has traveled through various worlds and evolved into a different being. Moreover, while she was imprisoned in Babylon, she spent her time reading books in the "Library," so naturally, she had such knowledge. Thanks to that, Alice might have been born a few years later.

However, Nei and Rise, who are pure rulers, lack such knowledge and, like the children, honestly voice their questions.

"Hey, Endemion. Is this 'Triangular Horse' a horse meat dish?"

"No, um, I don't think it's something to eat..."

"And what is dangerous about this 'Dangerous Swimsuit'?"

"Ah, well, you see... Touya, help me out here!"

Well, even if you say help me out. Ende clings to me for help, but I don't want to explain it in detail either.

As the two of us struggle, a helping hand reaches out to us from the side.

"Nei, Rise. How about this 'Accessory 10-Piece Set'? I think it would suit Alice..."

"Oh! Accessories are decorative items, right!? I see! As expected of Mel-sama!"

"Anything would suit Alice. She will become even more beautiful."

Nei and Rise are easily swayed by Mel's lead. Too easy, aren't they?

Everyone chooses something safe. Honestly, there are things that interest me, but choosing them in front of the children is still inappropriate.

I should probably choose something random like this 'Animal Ear Set'... huh, why is everyone looking at me like that?

"Oh, that's cute..."

Elna shows interest in one of the 'Animal Ear Sets' that appeared in my hand.

"Huh? Oh, Elna, do you want to try it on?"

"Yes!"

Elna comes running with a smile. My child is really cute. Alright, let's give her these droopy dog ears.

When I put the dog ears, which are like a headband, on Elna, the dog ears changed color to match her hair.

The ears on Elna's head twitch. Oh? There's even a tail now? Ah, the tail is a hologram.

The tail is wagging in sync with Elna's emotions. Wow, my child has turned into a beastman.

"Oh, I see. You chose that to give to the children. Makes sense."

Well, yeah. ...I think Yae would look good in it too. Of course, everyone else as well. I didn't choose it to put it on my wives, okay?

"Elna onee-chan, that's nice. Daddy, I want one too!"

"Sure thing."

Alright, I'll give Linne these wolf ears. It's the same dog type as Elna.

Just like Elna, a tail appears on Linne, wagging left and right vigorously.

"Wow... It's super cute! They were already cute, but now they're even cuter... that's unfair!"

Linze mutters something incomprehensible while patting Linne's head. She's saying they were already cute, but since she looks just like her daughter, it's self-praise. Not that I'll deny it! Both are cute, after all!

"Oh, how cute. Father, can I have one too?"

"Oh, I want one too!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Me too!"

Kuhn, Frey, and even Alice come running up to me. I ignore Ende's resentful gaze.

Alright then, let's give Kuhn fox ears, Frey cat ears, and Alice rabbit ears.

The cuteness level of the children has skyrocketed, and they are complimenting each other. Wonderful, truly wonderful.

There were mouse ears too, but considering we're in an amusement park, that might cause some trouble, so I skipped it.

"I'm glad they are having fun."

"Yes. An amusement park where they can achieve something together is quite popular, it seems."

Watching the children having fun, Yumina and I start planning the amusement park. After all, it's all about enjoying the amusement park.

"Where should we go next?"

"Hmm... Since they've been moving around a lot, how about a place where they can use their brains next?"

Leen suggests in response to Sheska's question. A place to use their brains? What would that be, a quiz corner or a puzzle corner?

"I see. A place with intellectual play equipment. Then let's go to the [Tree] area. This way, please."

Sheska touches the monolith, and the Monolith Gate activates again. Passing through the open transfer gate, a bright light spreads before us, revealing a different scenery.

"This is..."

What appeared before us was a garden. But not just any garden. From the elevated position of the gate, we could see the wide garden below, which looked like a maze with hedges.

A rather large green labyrinth.

"Wow, amazing!"

"This is the 'Labyrinth Garden'. To tell you the truth, this is a facility produced by me, Francesca."

Sheska proudly puffs out her chest and explains. Oh, really?

Sheska manages the 'Garden' of Babylon. Her landscaping skills are honestly incredible. Even the royal castle's gardeners were amazed.

The huge maze before us isn't just a simple hedge maze; it has gazebos here and there, and places like rose gardens with beautiful flowers in full bloom. There was a similar garden maze on Earth too.

"This could be made in Brunhild as well."

With earth magic, it could be done in other countries too. It might be interesting to have a small maze in a noble's garden.

"Please don't underestimate the labyrinth garden I created. It's a facility full of fun tricks, unlike any ordinary garden."

"I'm suddenly filled with anxiety."

This guy’s idea of "fun traps" is never anything good. Honestly, I’d prefer to turn around and head back...

"Ara? That open area at the very end is the exit goal, right? Where exactly is the entrance start point for this maze?"

Looking down at the maze from the high platform, Lean posed this question. Hmm? ...She’s right. While there’s clearly a goal, there doesn’t seem to be a start. What’s the deal?

In response to Lean’s question, Sheska pointed to a circular stone platform about the size of a manhole at the corner of the high platform. It looked like a magic circle was inscribed on its surface. There were two of these stone platforms, each with a different magic circle—one white and one blue. What’s this?

"This magic circle here is a transfer array. The blue magic circle is connected to the exit, while the white magic circle will randomly transfer you to a certain distance away within the maze."

"I see. So the starting point is random."

"Yes. After a certain amount of time, everyone inside the maze will be transferred to the exit, so you won’t be stuck. For those who do not wish to participate, please head towards the exit with me."

Oh, I don’t have to participate? It does seem pretty tough. In that case, I’ll sit this one out...

"That sounds fun!"

"Father! Hurry! Let’s go already!"

Freya and Linne, excited, pulled at my arms. Their tails were wagging full force. Damn it, there’s no way I can say no to my adorable daughters pulling on my arms! I’m in!

Elze, Linze, Hilda, Lean, and those with children, along with Sakura and Sue, who seemed very interested in the maze, decided to participate. However, Yumina, Luu, and Yae chose not to. They said they weren’t good with things like this.

Elze and Hilda also seemed not too thrilled about it but couldn’t say no in front of their daughters. Lean didn’t look too enthusiastic either, but since Kuhn was there and she had specified the "intellectual area," she couldn’t exactly back out.

As for Ende’s group, Mel and Rise chose not to participate. Alice, however, was all fired up.

"Now, please step onto the transfer array one by one. You’ll be randomly transferred to a location equidistant from the exit, so the order doesn’t matter. There are also blue transfer arrays throughout the maze for those who wish to forfeit."

So there’s a way out if needed. That makes it more relaxing. If I get tired, I can just retire.

"See you on the other side!"

Linne, with her wolf ears, was the first to step onto the white transfer array and disappeared in an instant.

"Ah, Touya-sama. Linne is over there."

"Huh?"

Following Luu’s pointing finger, I saw Linne’s small figure far away from the goal. She got quite a ways away. If I aim for the goal from there... uh... hmm, no idea...

While I was staring at the maze, everyone else had jumped in one by one.

Eventually, it was my turn. Standing on the transfer array, the scenery changed in an instant. I was now surrounded by three-meter-high hedges, with a T-junction ahead. Behind me was a dead end.

I moved forward to the T-junction. Now, do I go right or left?

There are a few methods for escaping mazes, but the most famous one is to keep one hand on the wall and follow it, eventually reaching the goal.

However, this requires starting from a proper starting point. If I’m near the center of the maze and keep my hand on the wall, I might end up circling the same area repeatedly.

"Well, let’s just pick a direction for now..."

I decided to turn right at the T-junction. Why? Because I’m right-handed. No other reason.

I turned right again on the straight path. Suddenly, I found myself facing a door.

"What’s this?"

I grabbed the knob and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. Pushing or pulling didn’t work either. On closer inspection, there was a golden plate attached to the door with some writing on it. Looks like ancient Parteno characters.

As I reached out to touch the plate to use the translation magic [Reading], the characters transformed on their own into something readable. Huh? Did Sheska do something again?

Whatever. Let’s see what it says...

‘If you sing a song with all your might, the door will open.’

Oh, this can’t be good. I should have opted out.