Paradise

The next day, I told the young lady and the others about my midnight meeting and the information I received.

The young lady frowned the moment she heard it.

“Ninety percent, no, ninety-nine percent suspicious. It’s fishy beyond belief.”

“Mhm… honestly, I think so too.”

A complete stranger who knows everything about us, refuses to state his motives, drops exactly the intel we need, then vanishes…

Anyone would find it spine-chillingly suspicious.

Calling it a trap wouldn’t be an overstatement.

But…

“Even if it is a trap, it’s still one of the very few leads we have.”

“Exactly~ How will we know if it’s real or fake unless we check it ourselves?”

Beglit chimed in from the side.

“Besides… I’m super interested in that item~ A container that can isolate and store only a consciousness? It doesn’t fit into any existing system!

Neither magic nor curses can do anything like that!”

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

She really does love strange, novel things.

“Ailena, I understand how you feel…

If you want to save that girl, I’ll support you. However…”

The young lady puffed out her cheeks.

“You’re being so devoted to another woman—it’s making me a little unhappy.”

“Is this jealousy?”

The young lady looking jealous is just too cute… My heart is overflowing with affection.

“…Save the flirting for somewhere else! Stop flashing your lovey-dovey aura in front of a gloomy person like me!”

Beglit’s tsukkomi yanked us back to reality.

“But… we have no idea what kind of danger is waiting there. There might even be an ambush…”

The lack of concrete information was still a fatal flaw.

The young lady understood what I meant. She planted her hands on her hips and said, a little angrily,

“Are you planning to go alone? That would be even more dangerous!”

But… Young Miss, I don’t want to see you get hurt…

“I feel exactly the same! And didn’t I already tell you? I’m the one who protects you!

How could I let you put yourself in danger alone?”

…Fine.

Seeing how resolute she looked, I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it.

“I’m not exactly an outdoorsy type, but this time I’m interested too.

I’ll graciously accompany you all~”

Even Beglit wanted in.

The young lady narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Hm… Are you sure you won’t just hold us back?”

“How rude! My personal combat power may be zero, but I have defensive tools!

They might not be super strong, but they’re more than enough to protect myself.

Besides, there’s strength in numbers!”

She had a point.

And even if we refused, there was a high chance she’d sneak there on her own…

Better to just let her join from the start.

Very well.

That made four party members—the absolute maximum.

A big, burly guy suddenly butted into the conversation.

“Can I join the Sophia rescue squad too?”

Adam!?

Talk about unexpected reinforcements.

…Had he been eavesdropping this whole time?

“I… I want to help too!

My magic skill rating is only A… but I should still be useful somehow!”

Right after Adam spoke, Miss Rome popped out of nowhere and volunteered.

At this point, the more the merrier.

There was no reason to refuse…

I exchanged a glance with the young lady; after receiving her silent approval, I nodded.

All right.

Thus, the party to conquer the «Paradise» was finalized.

Following the mark on the map, we arrived at the so-called «Paradise».

It was easy to find, at least…

“La la la lu la la~ ♪”

But no matter how you looked at it, this place was an amusement park!

In the distance stood a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, even a pirate ship.

Cheerful music was blasting everywhere!

No matter how you sliced it, this didn’t belong in a western fantasy setting!

“Wooow… this is…”

Even Beglit was stunned.

“A masterpiece! To think someone built structures that require ultra-high-strength materials in a world with such primitive technology!

How on earth did they manage it? I’m dying of curiosity!”

She was stunned for that reason?

“What is this place…?”

The young lady and the others stared blankly at the amusement park.

It was completely beyond common sense, so their shock was understandable.

And right then, a figure suddenly materialized in front of us.

He wore a mask with a loudspeaker-like mouth revealing rows of jagged shark teeth in a creepy grin, and on his head sat a three-colored jester hat.

His robe matched the hat’s colors, but where joints should be there was only void; a pair of white-gloved hands floated in defiance of physics.

…Another demon?

But something felt different… I didn’t get the bone-chilling sensation I usually did around demons.

Whoosh!

The instant he appeared, a stone tile flew straight at his head.

Yet when it struck, his figure merely flickered; he took no damage at all.

He didn’t even glance at the young lady who threw it, simply continuing his performance.

…A projection?

“First time meeting you all~ I am the «Lord of Paradise»—Jester Dahlia!”

He bowed perfectly at ninety degrees.

Unfortunately, his jester hat wasn’t secured and slid right off, exposing a shiny bald head.

“Oh dear~”

He scratched his bald scalp.

For some reason, I could sense faint embarrassment from that mask.

He quickly picked the hat back up… but instead of putting it on, he casually tossed it into the air.

Mid-flight, the hat suddenly exploded.

Poof!

A cloud of smoke burst out, blocking our vision.

I immediately raised a wind wall immediately to keep the smoke away in case it was poisonous.

The smoke cleared in moments.

When Jester Dahlia reappeared, he was inexplicably holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.

“Honored gentlemen and ladies, welcome to my «Paradise»!”

With that, he threw the flowers skyward.

In the blink of an eye, they transformed into colorful balloons that floated away into the distance.

“Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest today!”

He snapped his fingers after readjusting the somehow-recovered hat.

“I guarantee that while you are here, you will forget all your troubles—

And when you leave, you will do so with nothing but smiles!”

The moment the words left his mouth, my consciousness blurred for an instant.

When I came to, the scenery had completely changed.

We were surrounded by mirrors—but unlike normal mirrors, every reflection was grotesquely distorted…

In other words, a funhouse mirror maze.

When did we even enter the amusement park!?

I reached out to grab the young lady…

“Young Mi—eh?”

The instant I spoke, I froze.

Why does my voice sound so childish!?

…No, not just the voice.

Why are my hands so tiny!?