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I wasn\'t being cruel – there was just too much I didn\'t understand to prioritise others.

When I appraised them, Typhon was now at LV26, and with the majority of his skills more or less at LV10, I was confident he would evolve again soon. While Ophelia was the same, she was far more powerful after her \'accident\' with the Abyss. 

Just being near her was enough to be influenced by her enthusiasm.

[What if we go ahead and clear a path?] She asked. [Then the others can follow behind in smaller groups without meeting any monsters. It\'ll be much safer.]

Having come to a compromise, Typhon nodded before seeking my approval.

I really disliked the thought of facing them as enemies. 

But fortunately, of the things I didn\'t understand, there were certain aspects I could see working in my favour - their loyalty for one. 

They both seemed to like me, which was interesting. I guess having [Charisma] at LV4 was doing something. But whether or not they trusted me was still to be seen. 

And the one thing I could see becoming an issue were Ophelia\'s thoughts on my eating habits, but that could easily be remedied by not eating anything she liked.

In a way, my chances of winning them over were more just by being honest. 

So, first, I let them know everything I\'d recently discovered, including the underground ocean and the Lower Stratum.

Typhon and Ophelia were quite impressed and somewhat surprised to learn that the Labyrinth was so big. They also had plenty of questions for me, but answering them all would take too long, so I decided to see how far they would go with me. 

|[What would you say if I decided to make the Upper Stratum into a safe place?]| 

[Safe place?] Ophelia blinked confusedly. [How?]

|[Well, let\'s say I drove away all the monsters that could harm us and only kept those that won\'t.]| 

Ophelia\'s eyes went wide.

I found that leading with the most extreme version of a plan was the best way. But most of all I was interested to see how the two would react. 

[If we drive them all away, where will they go?] Ophelia asked after thinking about it.

|[They can go down below.]| I replied. |[The Labyrinth is large enough.]|

The idea of a united Upper Stratum was beginning to sound very appealing to me, considering the threat of the Serpent Clan. I looked to Typhon to see what he thought, as unlike Ophelia, he remained calm.

[How do we decide what to keep?] He asked thoughtfully. 

[I don\'t think that\'s a good idea at all!] Ophelia interrupted before I could reply. [They don\'t know any better and It\'s too cruel to force them to go where monsters are several times stronger than them. I don\'t think many will survive.] 

Hm. 

I could understand why she was hesitant and perhaps I was missing some key elements in the plan, but I did think she was underestimating a monster\'s survival rate. 

|[They won\'t die simply because they leave.]| I replied.

The same principles of survival could be applied anywhere.

However Typhon shook his head. [But those we drive away will only become problems later if we allow them to survive elsewhere.]

Ah.

Ophelia and I stared at him with wide eyes. Was he suggesting that they all be killed instead? 

And here I thought I was being extreme by driving them away.

|[That could be hundreds or thousands of creatures.]| I replied. |[That\'s not a good idea.]| 

[But forcing them to leave will only breed hatred in them and they will become an even greater threat later on.] Typhon replied. [If you really want safety, you need to consider  dealing with such a situation strictly and ruthlessly.] 

Ophelia didn\'t say anything, she simply looked uncomfortable with the whole discussion now.

I don\'t think she agreed with him, or the rationale behind his objections.

And even with all that it just didn\'t feel right to me.

|[I still don\'t think it\'s a good idea.]| I replied.

I only posed a hypothetical scenario that I would never actually put into effect, but from his responses, Typhon was already thinking far too deeply about it. 

This discussion had truly gone out of hand and I was a little concerned.

Perhaps I should\'ve started off with a lighter topic.

[Monsters die everyday.] Typhon stated. [It\'s no different if it\'s us doing it more than others.]

|[It\'s still terrible.]| I replied. |[I shouldn\'t have to explain why this is wrong.]| 

There was a clear line that shouldn\'t be crossed under any circumstance, so I was surprised he was insisting on this. 

But then, Typhon stared at me with a satisfied look. [It\'s good that you care about such things.] 

Ophelia also sighed, and almost seemed to wilt at his side because she was so nervous. 

[I\'m sorry.] she whispered.

What?

I couldn\'t believe it! Why did it feel like I was the one being tested?

[We understand, and we will support you in achieving your goals.] Typhon said as he and Ophelia lowered their heads.

I\'d just been tricked!

[I think it\'s wonderful that you want the Labyrinth to be safe.] Typhon nodded approvingly.

[Yes! We can invite all the monsters that feel the same to join us!] Ophelia exclaimed.

|[Y-You!]| I stuttered.

These brat really had some guts to assume they could test me like this!

I had a good mind to throw them all off a cliff.

But...I began to think more about the Labyrinth in general.

Not counting the elves and mortals above, the Ailith Labyrinth had a monster population that could rival several countries or even whole continents.

For the size that it was, it should have more than enough to support a nation of monsters. But so far, the Serpent Clan were the only ones who had any sort of history, even if it was mainly dominated by wars between clans. 

So why hadn\'t it happened for other monsters before?

I did think their intellect had something to do with it, as some monsters took longer to develop, but it was possible once they grew older. Plus, if more monsters became smart enough to function like the nestlings, there was nothing really stopping us.

|[I suppose that could happen…]| I muttered. It seemed like a great goal to work towards, considering I had some helpful minions.

So far, it didn\'t seem like Typhon or Ophelia knew I suspected their odd behaviour. If anything, it seemed like I was the one under their scrutiny, like they were trying to decipher me just as much as I was them.

I should have found it unsettling, but somehow I was intrigued.

They had made it clear I wouldn\'t be able to deal with them through normal methods, so perhaps it was time to push a little further. 

|[I\'m sure you have many questions about me.]| I said before glancing at Typhon. |[And maybe you don\'t trust me very well. But I have decided to trust you.]|

Typhon didn\'t even try to refute me, while Ophelia nodded with visible excitement. 

I sighed – they weren\'t making this easy at all.

I truly had no intention of driving away any one - I actually wanted every monster to come together. And since they both seemed to think the same as me, I believed it was worthwhile to combine our efforts.

|[I want to transform the Labyrinth into a paradise for monsters.]| I announced, even if it sounded so lame and way too ambitious. |[But I can\'t do it alone.]|

I wasn\'t foolish enough to think I could accomplish this by myself, and I was already nervous waiting for them to say something.

But even stranger, no matter how unrealistic my words sounded, no one laughed.

|[So what do you think?]| I prodded. 

[Your intentions are admirable.] Typhon stated. [But it\'s unrealistic to expect everyone to follow you,  because you have a goal. You\'ll have to be the strongest monster in the Labyrinth to make that happen.]

This. Was that even possible?

[I\'ll follow you.] Ophelia cheerily added. [You don\'t have to be the strongest to me, you just have to be the most reliable, and I believe you have the good judgement to lead us all to improve.]

Although Typhon acted stubborn and glared at her, she gave him an unflinching look. [It\'s true! Don\'t act like you don\'t agree with me.]

I couldn\'t stop smiling.

I didn\'t believe she said this just to make me feel better.

[That won\'t matter if another monster defeats her.] Typhon harshly added. [My point still stands. You need to be the strongest.]

[She also needs to be a fair leader.] Ophelia pouted. [One that won\'t punish those that are loyal or destroy something just because she can. It\'s not always about strength.]

Typhon wasn\'t completely convinced, but I still felt relieved. I didn\'t expect them to agree with me every time, I actually liked that they could say no to my face. 

Still, this was a better result than I expected. 

I was still eager to improve, and maybe even become the strongest just so I could protect them all!

And I would have done the same even if the Serpent Clan wasn\'t a threat.