I'm Not the Mastermind

Chapter 17

A moment earlier.

“What do we do? They’ll all die at this rate!”

Eri fretted nervously, stamping her feet as she watched the party fight the demon from a safe distance.

“Can’t we help them somehow...?”

“We can’t,” Yujin replied. “If anyone interferes with a trial—whether by aiding those undergoing it or attacking the target of the trial—they’ll automatically be considered participants. And if you fail a trial, you die. Without exception.”

“...!”

“Eri, you’re not thinking of risking your life, are you?”

At Yujin’s pointed question, Eri’s face turned pale, and she hung her head. Shia, equally stricken, stood frozen, while Hans wiped sweat from his brow, looking deeply troubled.

Meanwhile, Yujin continued watching the fight from afar.

Tiamat’s voice echoed in his mind.

『So, what’s your plan?』

“I don’t intend to let them die, but there’s something about this trial that bothers me. It feels too simplistic. Honestly, the ability seems closer to conditional immortality than mere regeneration.”

『You’ve observed correctly. That’s no ordinary regeneration. It’s likely a form of conditional immortality.』

“I thought so.”

『Perfect immortality doesn’t exist, of course. You can erase something entirely, use curses that prevent regeneration, or even conceptually kill it... There are plenty of methods. And right now, all of those would be within your reach.』

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything quite that flashy... Wait.”

Yujin noticed the demon fling Hugo aside and begin advancing slowly toward Mirien. The shouts of those around him broke through his thoughts.

“What do we do?!”

“Gods, please protect them...”

“Damn it!”

“......”

Yujin stood silent for a moment before taking a single step forward.

And then—

“Huh? Yujin?”

In an instant, Yujin disappeared. Hans, startled by his sudden absence, looked around in confusion.

Before anyone could react, Yujin reappeared behind the demon-possessed orc, who remained oblivious to his presence.

The demon rambled on, obliviously.

[You mortals probably thought this body was imbued with regeneration, didn’t you? Wrong. For this trial, I granted it conditional immortality! Any attack that doesn’t meet the specific conditions will regenerate, without fail.]

“W-What...?!”

[Hah! It’s absurd, isn’t it? You don’t even know the conditions, so any attempt is futile. But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll tell you. This body must be bisected, or utterly annihilated, leaving no trace. Of course, neither is within your reach—]

“Understood. Thank you for the clarification.”

[Huh?]

The demon froze mid-sentence, clearly not expecting such a calm response.

With a small smile, Yujin extended two fingers, then brought them down in a clean motion toward the orc’s body.

SLASH!

A thin line of crimson-black energy streaked through the air, splitting the orc’s body cleanly in two.

[Wha—what...?]

The demon’s shocked voice rang out as the orc’s bisected corpse collapsed to either side.@@@@

THUD! THUD!

Beyond the fallen orc, Mirien stared blankly at Yujin, who now stood revealed.

“Wow, you’re incredibly helpful. Or maybe you were under some kind of compulsion to spill your own weakness? I can’t believe you just gave it away like that.”

Yujin’s cheerful smile only added to the surreal scene.

At that moment, a blue message window appeared.

As the glowing text hung in the air, Yujin glanced at it thoughtfully.

“This feels oddly like a game. Is the labyrinth itself just a form of entertainment?”

The thought crossed Yujin’s mind briefly, but his focus quickly returned.

[This is impossible...!]

“Hm?”

A low, smoky voice emerged from a dark mist that began swirling into a vaguely humanoid shape.

Yujin recognized it instantly.

“Ah, a demon?”

[How...? Why is someone as strong as you here?!]

The demon Enkeos cried out in frustration, his tone that of someone whose carefully laid plans had unraveled at the last moment. Now reduced to a formless spirit, he glared at Yujin.

“So, where’s my reward?” Yujin asked nonchalantly.

[Damn it... Don’t get cocky, mortal. You may be strong, but—!]

A dragon, standing unharmed in the labyrinth, participating in trials and claiming rewards—this was inconceivable!

The demon raged in disbelief, but Yujin merely shrugged.

“There’s an old saying: Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. And here I am, your truth.”

[How...!]

“Haha, isn’t it tiring to overthink things? Just clear your mind and accept it.”

Yujin turned slightly and addressed someone unseen.

“Tiamat, shall we?”

『Hehe, let’s.』

[Wait, Tiamat?! No, it can’t be—!]

Recognizing the name, Enkeos’s voice rose in panic. But before it could react further, Yujin raised a hand.

He recited quietly.

“『None shall escape my grasp, nor evade my gaze.』”

WOOOOOOOOOONG!

The power of Dragon Speech activated. Crimson-black mana etched itself into the space around Enkeos, forming countless overlapping magic circles.

Lines became planes, planes became structures, and soon they defied three-dimensional comprehension entirely.

[This is impossible!]

“It’s not.”

WOOOOOOOSH!

The spell completed its activation.

[ARRRGHHHHH!]

Enkeos’s smoky form was drawn into the magic circle, pulled toward Yujin’s hand. The black smoke coalesced and was absorbed into the demon’s horn, still in Yujin’s grasp.

And then...

“Not bad at all,” Yujin remarked with a satisfied smile. He hadn’t expected it to actually work.

[This can’t be... reduced to a mere tool...]

『Hehe, it seems everything worked out nicely.』

[What?!]

The demon’s voice trembled as another presence revealed itself. Tiamat emerged from within Yujin, her transcendent aura filling the air.

[You... you’re Tiamat?!]

『So pathetic... Compared to Yujin, who has just begun to ascend, you’re not even worth discussing.』

Ignoring the demon’s panic, Tiamat examined it like an unremarkable specimen, her tone laced with disinterest.

“Haha, if its rank had been higher, I wouldn’t have been able to seal it so easily,” Yujin chuckled.

『Indeed. Higher-ranked beings would have resisted. But you’ve already proven your growing potential.』

[How... how is Tiamat alive?! Wasn’t she dead?!]

Enkeos, still grappling with the situation, shouted in disbelief.

Tiamat glanced at the demon dismissively.

『You speak far too casually for someone of your rank.』

THUD!

[Argh?!]

Tiamat’s overwhelming presence, bolstered by her time spent with Yujin, crushed Enkeos further. Reduced to a trembling wisp, the demon could only grovel.

[M-my apologies! But how—]

『Must I explain myself to the likes of you?』

[N-no! My apologies!]

Yujin watched the scene with a hint of surprise. It was the first time he’d seen Tiamat radiate such majesty and dominance.

『Yujin, even tools like this can be of use. Keep it safe.』

“Of course,” he replied, noticing how Tiamat returned to her usual gentle demeanor when addressing him.

Snapping his fingers, Yujin restored the flow of time.

SNAP!

“...Huh?”

As the world resumed its motion, the party looked around, confused by the demon’s sudden disappearance.

“Where did the demon go?”

“No idea. I’m just as clueless as you.”

Hugo asked, but Yujin feigned ignorance with a calm smile.

“Well, the trial is over. Shall we head back?”

Though their expressions remained uneasy, the party nodded in agreement.