Path of the Demonic Villain

The next day...

——

Dante was seated in one of his family’s carriages, though this particular one was not adorned with their crest and resembled that of a random merchant.

With his chin resting on his palm, he gazed out of the window at the passing scenery. It was snowing today, and he couldn’t help but feel a grim sense of anticipation as the city blurred past.

All of a sudden, he felt a head drop heavily on his shoulder, which startled him. When he turned to look with a raised brow, he saw Thalia sleeping on his shoulder.

Without any hesitation, he nudged his shoulder upward, causing her to slide sideways and hit her head against the opposite window.

"Ow..." She woke up rubbing her head, before using her other hand to wipe the drool from her mouth groggily. "Did I fall asleep?"

She looked around for a bit before mumbling with an exaggerated sigh. "Goddess. I really don’t understand what’s so appealing about the Sylverian Labyrinth that’s made you suddenly take an interest in it."

’Well, I need a good build for my character.’

Dante folded his arms as he rolled his eyes, then muttered, "Goddess forbid a man like me suddenly develops strange hobbies. I’m curious about what the labyrinth looks like and want to join an exploration. Why is that a problem?"

He looked at her. "By the way, why did you come with me? It’s not like I forced you to be here."

Thalia blinked a few times, before finally looking away, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

Without his annoying pest of a sister here to tease him, Dante smiled and looked away from Thalia.

Seated in front of them with his eyes closed was Lucian, the knight whom Dante had decided to bring with him. The handsome man had brown hair, an eye patch on one eye, and a scar on his right cheek.

Currently, he was folding his arms and his uncovered eye was closed as if he were sleeping, though Dante could tell that he was definitely awake.

’There is a lot that I still do not know about this world, and even more that I do not remember.’ Dante thought as he looked out the window again.

’I’ve read a lot of web novels with transmigration and reincarnation tropes such as mine. Though I can’t help but wonder. How is it that the protagonists of those novels are always able to remember almost every single thing in the story they read or the game they played. Some suddenly know where all the cheats in their world are located.

’And here I am, struggling to remember. If not for the fact that I managed to recall the character of Marco and the temple he found, I would have been completely hopeless.’

Dante suppressed the urge to chuckle.

Not long after, a smile tugged at his lips again as a large black obelisk in the distance suddenly came into view.

***

After some time, the small city of Sylveria suddenly gave way to a ruined district where no one lived. This place looked desolate and empty, giving off an eerie vibe.

There were old buildings that had long since crumbled, and the remains of stone arches lined the empty paths. In the center of the ruins, a large black obelisk jutted out from the ground, reaching high up into the grey winter sky.

Despite the fact that it gave off a grim and imposing vibe, a few people could be seen standing around it.

Not too far from the obelisk itself was a building which looked like a church, even though it wasn’t actually one. A few people could also be seen moving in and out of the building.

At this moment, the carriage Dante was in slowed to a halt near the building. It was then that he and the two other people with him alighted onto the snow-covered cobblestones.

They were going to walk from here, as the horses were neighing and didn’t seem to want to go any farther.

Since Dante was dressed appropriately, he didn’t feel terribly cold. He had a cloak wrapped around him that was long enough to reach his boots, and his sword was securely fastened to the belt at his hip, resting beneath the heavy fabric.

’Wow. Seeing a labyrinth in person is quite... uh, unnerving.’ Dante swallowed as they began walking toward the obelisk.

Despite being in this world for seventeen years, this was the first time he was ever visiting a labyrinth.

As for why he was dressed moderately? Well, that was because he didn’t want to stand out here as a noble. That was also why he had come here in a carriage that did not have their crest.

Right now, he was just a normal explorer.

When he finally reached the obelisk, he could see a group of about five people standing together. Two were women and three were men. There was a lady with a bow and arrows, while the other had a sword resting in the sheath on her belt. As for the three men, one had a spear, another a sword, and the last a staff.

They all had the high, fur-lined collars of their heavy greatcoats pulled up to their faces, masking their faces.

’These are probably the Purgers Father spoke about.’ Dante made a rough guess as he looked around.

Purgers were people who visited labyrinths to hunt monsters, among other things. Anyone could be a Purger. The requirement to become one was to either be able to use magic or be skilled to an extent in weapon mastery. In other words, it was a profession open to any capable mercenary or combatant, including those who were looking to make a living.

That aside, there was also a lady in her twenties who was dressed as a nun and was currently addressing the group. When she saw the trio arriving, she paused and put on a smile to welcome the newcomers.

"Oh, hey there," she said, turning fully to face them. "I’m Sister Clara of the Order of Night. Are you also Purgers?"

"No," Lucian replied coldly as he stepped forward with the permit.

Those who didn’t have a Purger’s license but wanted to explore the safe parts of the ruins could do so by obtaining a permit issued by the local governing authority.

Clara studied the permit for a bit before handing it back. "Okee dokie." She smiled, clearly possessing a bright, almost childish vibe.

"Is this your first time visiting this labyrinth?" she asked.

Lucian, acting as the group’s spokesman, gave a brief nod. "Yes."

"Then I must inform you that you can only visit the first three floors. Those floors have the lowest amount of danger." She studied Lucian’s broad chest and muscular arms. And as she did, her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "You look capable, sir. So even if something like a wolf monkey suddenly decides to confront you, you should be fine, heheh."

She wiggled her brows, which caused Dante to sigh and imperceptibly shake his head.

’I mean... I get it. Lucian is indeed handsome.’

Even though a few of those in the High Priest class chose not to marry, that didn’t mean they did not indulge in certain pleasures of the flesh. In fact, there were Orders that encouraged their followers to indulge in these pleasures.

Lucian didn’t seem to mind the flirtatious advances of this High Priest. He only watched in silence as she dipped her hand into her clerical robes and took out three obsidian stone pendants.

"These are the keys that will help you use the doors to move from floor to floor," she explained, holding them out. "I suggest you do not lose them. Unless you are a High Priest, without a key, you’ll be stuck on the floor without any means of using the doors."

She handed one to Lucian, and stepped forward to give the other to Thalia. When she turned to approach Dante, however, the boy politely raised a hand and shook his head.

"I have no need for one. I am a High Priest."

"Oh?" She arched an eyebrow before smiling and withdrawing her extended hand. "Then you guys have nothing to worry about in that regard."

True.

There were many things that made High Priests invaluable assets to the empire. The first was that thanks to their trait, [True Insight], they could automatically read and understand any language in the world. This helped them immensely even within the labyrinths, where the texts were often written in ancient or foreign tongues.

But more than just deciphering scripts, they were the only ones who could open the gateway into a labyrinth for others to pass through.

For some reason, just like how they had a high affinity with the divine, they also possessed a natural resonance with the structure of the labyrinth.

That was why, even when inside, they did not need keys to use the doors. In fact, the keys themselves were made by High Priests for others to be able to use the doors.

Clara turned away to the group who were waiting impatiently. Then, as she walked past them to the obelisk, she said with a smile, "Since we all have our keys and have been briefed, I will now open the gateway into the Labyrinth. May the collective grace of the Gods be with you."

She approached the imposing monument, then tapped it with her fingers, while muttering something under her breath.

In the next instant, the many word carvings on the surface of the obelisk lit up with a faint blue glow.

Seeing that, everyone began to make their way to the structure. The Purgers went first. It was as if the stone wall had turned to liquid. As they stepped forward, their bodies simply passed through the solid surface.

Among Dante’s companions, Lucian went in first, followed by Thalia, who had a slightly nervous expression on her face since this was also her first time in a labyrinth.

Lastly, Dante approached the shimmering stone. He reached out a hand first, but the moment he made contact, it simply went through the surface as if nothing were there.

After taking a breath, he swallowed and stepped into the first floor of the Labyrinth.