Potimas, eh? I've been hearing it a lot lately. The system seems to like it, because it gives me its name straight away, compared to the Queen of Demons, who is still unknown to me. On the other hand, the name Potimas, even average humans in the labyrinth seem to know it. It's a strange thing. I know he's the leader of the elves, from what I understand, but he doesn't seem to be very popular with the humans, given the way Gried reacts to that.
Anyway, not that it's any of my business. I don't have any problems with elves at the moment and I prefer to stay out of trouble as much as possible. But I do need to understand why elves seem to be experimenting on human children and throwing them at spiders to kill them. Is there something I've missed?
Because if elves are capable of harming human children, then harming monsters a bit like me - since I look like one - is going to be a real pain in the arse to survive on the surface.
"Anyway, he's turning it into a giant laboratory, isn't he, system?
[Exactly. According to the latest information, that's his plan.]
A madman, I tell you! Anyway, let's ask these humans, they must be a much crisper pile of information than the system.
Ahhh, just thinking about it makes me drool with anticipation. How unladylike of me...
"Do you know anything about Potimas?"
Everyone turned to me, and even the woman who'd held a knife to my throat looked shocked. The chief looked at me strangely.
"Potimas, eh? He's an extremely dangerous person... I've asked the system, but it's having trouble finding information on Potimas in real time. It's complicated."
Wait, he asked the system? Honestly, this is the first time I've seen anyone use the system. Even the monsters I came across didn't seem to use it. Are the humans in this world so powerful that they can use it to their heart's content, and so much more developed than me? God, I'm so jealous...
But I mustn't think about that. After all, the system had warned me that it had spread to the whole Earth and that it was just 'normal'. So, if they don't care that an emotionless entity can dominate them, then they're pretty sado-masochistic on this planet!
"The system has always had a problem with anything to do with Potimas. I even wonder if they don't have a special bond between them... After all, isn't the aim of the system just to have strong living beings and kill the weak ones?"
"Orman, you know better than to question the system! Do you want to die?"
Die? Question the system?
I'd heard that nobody ever questioned the system, but now I'm hearing the opposite...
Frankly, I don't know who to believe any more: humans who seem to have an unjustified hatred of me - well, I did unleash an Arch Taratect on them -
or a system that has saved my life several times and helped me to improve...
It's a no-brainer!
"Oh dear system that I love so much and that makes the heart of this girl I am beat faster!"
[ ... ]
I've just taken a beating from the system... or am I dreaming?
I hope not. It would be an absolute embarrassment for a hottie like me. But look at the body I've got!
Without realising it, I'd started admiring myself in front of the humans, who look at me as if I'd had a bit to drink.
"Selina, are you sure you didn't drug her before bringing her here?"
"No, Gried! What do you take me for? I'm not like you, losing my nerve at the slightest drop of alcohol!
Shit! While I was dancing in my head, I hadn't even noticed that I was also doing it in real life...
The result: I was twerking in front of humans, even though I look like a monster...
What impression are they going to have of me now?
Anyway, it's not as if she was already good...
"Umh umh, excuse me, I wasn't myself for a while, my thoughts were drifting."
There, that's good. I'm going to look like a model daughter, just to change the subject!
I looked up to see their reaction, and they looked dejected. They looked at me as if I was an orphan who hadn't even been educated...
But I did get a good education! And I got the best marks in my class...
Well, my class wasn't the most intelligent in the school either - not by a long shot - given the level of some of the students...
"Dear adventurous humans!
I'm going to pretend I'm a video game NPC who's going to spoon-feed information.
"Can you tell me more about Potimas? Having saved the life of one of his experiments myself, it's natural for me to know what I'm risking."
At that moment, my throat spurted a little blood, with a pain that arrived almost simultaneously.
"Little Oni, don't think you're trying to trick us with fine words, because we know all about yours!"
Nani!? I look like a criminal because of my species! Aren't they a bit racist? Just because I'm a bit red... frankly, I'm disappointed in you humans.
[The Oni have generally been on the side of the demons for many years now. It's only logical that hatred should develop between them. ]
Oh, now the guy who gave me the shaft is back with a piece of information...
Well, we've been going round in circles for a while now and I'd still like my baby back.
I can see myself turning him into a future soldier at my command, or my personal butler when I'm some kind of goddess... that is, if I don't die by then.
"Can I have my baby back?"
I try to look all cute, but instead their faces stiffen a little.
Am I really that bad?
"Your baby? You just saved him, and as an Oni, you don't deserve to touch him. Anyway, you're going to show us where you found him, so we can check what you've said and save any other children if necessary!
Bunch of filthy mutts!
What a lack of politics they have!
[This is the pot calling the kettle black.]
System... you dare...
Anyway. It's true that saving other babies would be interesting, and would help me understand what's really going on with the elves.
I sighed and looked at the group of humans.
"It's not like I've got a choice after all, is it?
The leader of the group smiled.
"You're starting to get clever, aren't you?
Starting to? How dare he criticise me!
I'm boiling with rage. If it wasn't for that bitch holding me back, I'd have jumped him already.
Well, there's also the fact that he's holding the baby... a bit, I admit.
"So follow me if you like.
And without wasting any time...
Well, yes, because I had to move forward without straying too far and stay at a safe distance while the old mage was always on the lookout to cast a spell on me.
And given that they managed to defeat the Arch Taratect, the fossil must be pretty powerful.
Oh, speaking of the Arch Taratect...
I couldn't think about it because I nearly died, but now that they've killed her...
Maybe I could eat her afterwards?
That'll give me the skills!
Anyway. In the meantime, I need to know if I'm ever going to leave them.
As we walked in the opposite direction to the chase, we got closer to the area where Arch Taratect had killed the Guneseven in a matter of seconds.
Honestly, that spider was so powerful it practically ran right through him.
Makes me hungry...
"Stop thinking about food, Oni, and get a move on," Orman shouted at me.
Yeah, now I'm starting to remember first names.
Here's a quick recap!
There's Orman, a bitter old mage who seems to have a sense of humour, given the way he and his colleagues sometimes talk.
Then there's Selina, the Barbie ninja who could kill me at any moment, and who seems to have a crush on the group leader because she looks so much at him...
Or maybe she just likes taking orders. To each his own.
And finally, Gried, the leader of the group, who tries to look brave, but in reality seems to have very few balls.
As the corpse comes into view, the group looks shocked.
"Bloody hell, how did you get her angry enough to bother crossing a Guneseven without stopping?"
I cough as I look up, then point to a hole in a wall in the distance, close to a huge lake - the one I'd jumped the creatures from earlier.
"As I tried to flee, I jumped from this spot, and then from creature to creature to land here."
They burst out laughing, as if they'd found my story both extremely funny and normal.
Are they fucking kidding me?
As we continued to approach the huge lake, I turned to ask them a question:
"How do you plan to get back up?"
The leader approached the edge, leaned against the wall and did something - because a few seconds later, a huge staircase appeared, carved directly into the wall, leading up to the tunnel.
Don't fucking tell me that's what they've just been laughing about...
"We've been living in the labyrinth for over a year now, so obviously we've got some special techniques," boasted the group's burly warrior.
A year? And they've managed to survive?
But wait a second... why do humans even live here?
Did Potimas mess things up so badly that they're all scared?
As we climbed up the path and came to the tunnel, to my surprise, there were no spiders left there.
They're probably back with the rest of the colony, eating human babies!
God, I'm disgusted with myself...
I seem to want to eat them too.
What did I take for cannabis?
As we continued on our way, we came close to the place where I had found the famous baby hole.
We finally entered the designated area, and just as I was about to show them the centre...
There were no more bones. No more spiders. There was nothing.
I looked up.
The hole was gone. As if it had never existed.
"And? Where is it?"
"Er, Mr Gried, it's here! But the hole... it's gone!"
"You've got to be kidding me, girl!"
"Mrs Selina, I assure you, it was up here!
I was beginning to feel stressed.
This could clearly be detrimental to me, to the point of death, if they reacted badly.
How could they have made so much evidence disappear in such a short space of time?
And just as the leader of the group was starting to get annoyed,
an arrow was shot in my direction without me realising.
But the other woman in the group - the one I hadn't labelled yet - caught the arrow just centimetres from my face.