He followed the red marks left on the floor of the maze.
The path that had been straight suddenly turned, curved, or cut off completely, throwing Raimund off before smoothly connecting to a hidden side path as if nothing had happened.
The deeper he went into the maze, the more Raimund found himself preoccupied with thoughts of the person who had entered before him.
Were they someone out for a walk in the park when the anomaly appeared? Were they a man or a woman? How old? Were they terrified after suddenly finding themselves trapped in a strange maze, with no idea what had happened?
And how far into the maze had that person made it by now?
After walking for quite a while, Raimund pulled lightly at his shirt to fan himself. Maybe it was because he’d been tense and on high alert, but his back was drenched in sweat.
Even as he looked around, all he could see were the green walls. The guideline had said to be very cautious, but apart from the loud cries of birds, there wasn’t a single insect in sight.
Raimund carefully holstered Justitia and let out a sigh.
He felt like he had already come pretty far, and yet the markings hadn’t stopped—they kept guiding him forward.
Troubled, Raimund paused and fell into thought.
Maybe searching the inside of an anomaly alone really was too much. And he was just a beginner on his very first assignment.
Wouldn’t it be better to turn back, report to the Foundation Federation that a civilian had entered, and request experienced personnel?
If someone like Cozet showed up, they’d probably find and retrieve the person in just a few minutes.
Frustrated at the thought that everything he’d done until now was pointless, Raimund let out another long sigh.
Yeah, I should just turn back.
He came to that conclusion and was about to retrace his steps when—
"…yo! Any…"
A faint voice could be heard.
The moment he heard it, Raimund took off running without even thinking. He didn’t care whether there were red marks or not—he relied entirely on his ears for direction.
By the time his breath caught in his throat and he rounded a corner on the left side of the winding path, he saw someone sitting collapsed on the ground.
But the person there—
"Who’s there?"
A woman around his age looked up. Raimund blinked and shook his head.
Why does she feel so familiar? Do I know her? But I’m sure I’ve never seen her before.
"Are you… are you looking for a way out too? Thank god! I thought I was completely alone in here, that no one was coming!"
She seemed so relieved to see him that she tried to stand up on the spot and nearly fell over.
Raimund rushed over with wide eyes to support her.
"Are you alright?"
"It’s just, I suddenly relaxed, and my legs gave out… Thank you. What’s your name?"
"Raimund Geppert. Please just call me Raimund."
"I’m—"
–Caw, caw.
The woman’s name was drowned out by the cry of a crow. Ominous.
Annoyed, Raimund glanced up, then gently pulled her to her feet.
"We probably shouldn’t talk here for too long. How did you end up in the maze?"
"I was just out for a walk, and when I came to, I was in this maze. At first, I thought it was some kind of new facility, but no matter how much I looked, there were no signs, no exits."
I knew it. A shelter civilian caught up in a sudden anomaly.
Something occurred to Raimund, and he carefully asked the timid woman a question.
"Did you… happen to see anyone else?"
"Someone else? No, besides you, Raimund, I haven’t seen anyone."
"Then… did you leave this note?"
He pulled the paper he’d found at the maze’s fork from his pocket and handed it to her. After reading it, she shook her head.
"No. I didn’t write this. Where did you find it?"
"On the way into the maze."
"On the way in? Then… there’s a way into the maze from outside? That means we can get out?"
"I deviated a bit from the path when I heard your cry for help, but I still remember the way. I was following the markings left by whoever wrote that note."
"Markings?"
"Someone came in before us and left safe path markings. I followed those and heard your voice along the way. I’ll guide you out as safely as I can."
"Finally… thank you, really. I don’t know how to repay you."
"It’s fine. There could be danger, so just stay close behind me."
He hadn’t found the author of the note, but at least he had found one shelter civilian. That would be enough for now.
Raimund retraced his steps, relying on his memory of the path he had just run.
The woman clung close behind, carefully watching her surroundings as she followed.
The quiet echoed with the sound of two sets of footsteps rustling softly.
"Um, Raimund? Can I just call you Raimund?"
"Of course."
"How did you end up here? You seem kind of familiar, I mean… not as shocked as I was."
"Ah, I…"
Raimund almost said he had come in to deal with the situation, then bit his tongue.
He probably shouldn’t mention the Foundation Federation carelessly.
He subtly pulled up his shirt and slid Justitia’s barrel into the front of his waistband, then lowered the shirt to hide it.
Making sure his other supplies were still in his pockets, he answered.
"I’ve been wandering the maze for quite a while. I guess I’ve gotten a little used to it by now."
"But aren’t you afraid of running into the monster?"
"Of course I’m scared. But I haven’t seen it so far, so I’m just hoping I can get out without being spotted."
"You’re brave. That’s really impressive."
Light conversation continued from there.
The woman asked most of the questions, and Raimund mostly answered, but strangely, just talking helped ease his nerves.
It was strange. All they’d done was exchange names, yet he already felt calmer.
–Beep.
"What was that sound just now?"
"Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it."
Raimund quickly turned off the wrist display without even checking the alert.
He didn’t want to be questioned about what it was—it would only cause problems.
The woman widened her eyes at his flustered reaction, then let out a small laugh.
"This is so strange. Just having someone else here makes all the fear seem like a lie."
"Well, I’m glad you feel more at ease. Ah, do you see that red mark over there?"
"I do! That’s what you mentioned earlier?"
"Exactly. If we follow those markings in reverse, we should get to the spot where I entered. I know your legs must be tired from wandering, but please hang in there a little longer."
"This is nothing! Let’s go. We need to get out of this weird place."
The woman cheerfully followed the markings.
Raimund followed after her. With the markings, getting out of the anomaly was practically guaranteed.
Or so he thought as he followed them—
—but what greeted them was not the statue at the mossy entrance.
It was an abruptly broken-off trail of markings and the center of yet another endlessly unfolding maze.
"R-Raimund? Weren’t we just supposed to follow the markings?"
"I swear I came this way. There’s no way it changed while I was gone…"
He frantically looked around, but nothing had changed. The same straight path leading to the first fork, the dim lighting.
So the entrance to the park should definitely be just up ahead.
Why…?
The woman, frightened, clung tightly to Raimund. Dizzy from the unexpected development, he still tried to reassure her.
"For now, we can’t just stand here. Let’s walk a bit further. I’m sure the exit is nearby."
"You think… we’ll really be able to get out of here?"
"Of course."
But even as he said it, Raimund couldn’t be sure.
Inside anomalies, common sense was reversed—and now even the entrance he had used had vanished.
Maybe, just maybe, he should follow the contents of the note like he’d first thought. He still didn’t know who wrote it, but it had to be better than wandering the maze all day without escaping.
Or maybe not? The identity of the person who wrote the note was unknown, so shouldn’t that be the suspicious part?
Should he try a path without markings instead? He had followed the marks, and still couldn’t find the exit. Maybe he should forge a new path…
–Rustle.
A sudden sound made the woman yelp in fear. Raimund stepped in front of her and slowly moved his hand toward the back pocket where the Vorpal Blade was.
But what emerged from behind a nearby clump of foliage was—
"What is it?"
"You!"
Friedrich brushed a leaf off the shoulder of his black coat, giving the tense Raimund a once-over from head to toe.
"You marched in here so confidently, and yet, did you even find anything? From the looks of it, I’d say no."
"What I do here is none of your business. Why are you even in here?"
"You seem to forget—I’m also someone under external contract. Of course, investigating anomalies is part of my assignment."
Raimund glanced nervously at the woman clinging behind him.
He’d noticed it earlier, but this guy really had no sense of awareness.
Talking openly about the Foundation Federation’s operations even with a civilian right there—what arrogance.
Raimund hurriedly changed the subject.
"So you must know the way out, huh? Seeing how confident you are."
"You’re the one who failed to observe what should’ve been obvious. Ah, or maybe you’re the one who got lost in here, is that it? You look pathetic."
"You really know how to get out?"
"If you want, I’ll kindly show you the way. But if you leave here, you’ll have to forfeit this assignment."
What should he do.
Taking Friedrich’s help and getting out would be a serious blow to his pride.
He didn’t want to owe this man even a single favor. But the woman behind him was just a civilian dragged into this by chance.
He couldn’t let her keep wandering this place just because of his own stubbornness.
Raimund swallowed his pride and answered Friedrich.
"I’ll forfeit the request. So please, show us the way out."
"Huh."
Friedrich, surprised by the answer, put his hand in his coat pocket and stared at Raimund for a moment.
Raimund braced himself for another sarcastic jab, but Friedrich turned and began walking without a word, catching him off guard.
But if he didn’t pick a fight, that was even better.
Raimund gestured to the woman to follow.
"It’s okay now. Let’s go together."
"Raimund, do you know that man? And what did he mean by assignment?"
"I can’t explain everything, but… he’s someone you can at least trust in a situation like this."
"He seems kind of scary."
"Still, he says he knows the way out. You must’ve been really anxious, so let’s get out of here quickly."
Raimund took the woman’s hand and hurried after Friedrich.
Friedrich walked up front, and a short distance behind followed Raimund and the woman.
The three of them, walking a path they hadn’t taken before, said nothing as they moved forward in silence.
How long had they been walking?
The white hair that swayed lazily with Friedrich’s movements suddenly came to a stop.
"You."
"My name is Raimund Geppert, actually."
"Before we leave this place, I need to ask you one thing."
What’s he going to ask. Does he want to confirm that I’m really giving up the assignment?
Raimund glared at the white hair in annoyance and asked,
"What is it?"
Friedrich turned around.
In the dim light at their feet, only the white of his hair and the blue of his eyes glowed clearly in the dark.
The man with eyes like a frozen winter sky,
asked the reckless young man who had thrown himself blindly into the anomaly,
"Who have you been talking to all this time?"