The World I Created is so Popular

Chapter 25: Labyrinth Shop - 1

"High Above Rudera Central Continent"

"The Backroom, Accessible Only to the GM"

A flash of light.

Albus and Carthesia appeared.

"Are you alright, Lady Carthesia?"

Albus caught Carthesia as she collapsed forward, exhausted.

"Albus... was it you who brought us here?"

"Yes, it was."

"I see..."

Carthesia bit her lip.

She had been utterly defeated.

Even though she had not fought in her true form, and had been protecting Albus, it was still disgraceful to lose to mere humans without ever gaining the upper hand.

If not for Albus, she would have collapsed pathetically right there.

Perhaps it was for the best.

'It's warm.'

She thought, nestled in Albus's arms.

"Who is that woman, Albus?"

Albus explained everything that had happened to Carthesia: the story of the divine powers and the saintess, the existence of the nuclear warrior, and finally, the tale of the Empress of the Empire.

"I see."

Carthesia nodded.

"So that's what happened."

It occurred to her that the Empire had such an Empress.

Her lack of recognition for the Empire's guardian dragon and the ruler who led the Empire to its zenith spoke volumes about her disinterest in humans.

"I wanted to discuss these matters with you, Lady Carthesia." Albus sighed.

He had initially intended just to ask Carthesia about the divine power, but so many unexpected events had occurred.

"The fortunate thing is that the Empress cannot leave the fourth floor of the Tower of Labyrinths."

Lea had achieved a state of incomplete resurrection, existing as a spiritual entity.

Despite gaining the status of a player, she wasn't properly registered in the system, making it impossible for her to use the internal warp of the Tower of Labyrinths.

Each dimension within the tower was independently existing; without warp, she couldn't move between them.

Lea was effectively trapped within the Miracle Great Jungle.

"We need to investigate why she is interested in me, but that can wait. The more urgent issue is the nuclear warrior."

"I'm unfamiliar with the concept of 'nuclear,' but if there's a being interfering with Rudera at will, and it's hard to track, why not set a trap?"

"A trap?"

Albus pondered.

The nuclear warrior's objectives were still unclear.

Could they lure it into a trap without knowing what it wanted?

"How can we set a trap when we don't know its identity or purpose?"

"A hunter never rushes. An unprepared hunter revises the bait in the traps repeatedly, driving the prey into them. We can modify the traps until we understand the nuclear warrior."