68 67. The end point of Christ Eurasia.txt (2/2)

I was wrong for reaching out to him with half-hearted determination.

My fault for being ambiguous after that.

My fault for tricking myself into pushing Maria.

My fault for being so overprotective.

I wish there was no hope!　If I had died as a slave, I don't think I would have suffered as much as I do now!　It's mind-boggling to be left behind even if you want to get close, and to be turned away even if you want to know!

My fault for putting off the explanation.

I'm sorry I kept running away even though I knew I was in love.

To top it all off, my fault for making excuses and leaving Maria alone.

It's my fault for being the one who realized it too late.

All of this was causing Maria pain.

As a result, Maria is being instigated and toyed with by the monster called Arti.

I want to punch myself in the face when I thought everything was fine after rescuing Rustiala unharmed.

What's ”everything is going well”.

What do you mean, ”I'm so glad”?

As usual, nothing is going well.

When I'm conscious, the skill ”?” is crawling right beside me. When I'm aware of it, the ”??” skills are crawling right beside me.

If you are in your current state of mind, if you reach for it, it will surely be activated immediately. He would sacrifice everything but the labyrinth. It will throw away all the congestion and everything without hesitation and give you a simple answer.

It's a sweet temptation.

If I activate it, I will surely kill Maria, who threatens my life.

And that's it.

Whatever the outcome, it will be easy.

I can erase all the pain, the sadness, the anger, the worry.

But no.

There's no right answer to any of that stuff.

So I think desperately.

With my not-so-sober mind, I gather all the information I have and decide what action I should take.

By my own will.

It's the only way (・・・・・・)

My throat trembled and I spoke my decision.

-- Now, I chose the answer (...).

And then I did not activate the skill ”? I'm not going to be able to get it right.

I'm going to aim to wrap Maria in cold air just like in the morning.

I wield all of my power and start running.

''-- Magic 《Midwinter of the Overcrowded Dimension (Di Overwinter)》!

Struggling to connect with distant consciousness, he scrapes for life, building the greatest magic possible.

He expands the realm to encompass Maria and wields his sword, taking away her heat.

The cold air of the magic chills Maria as it impedes her movements.

There are more than a thousand sources of heat from the enemy. The circuits of the brain scorch as it tries to understand them all and distribute the magic power optimally. The brain, sensing danger, secretes a great deal of drugs. Pain-relieving substances pass through the ducts (kuda).

I reach the other side of the pain and understand the source of all the heat with my inhuman processing power.

Obviously, my magical alchemy is different from the earlier Battle of the Seven Knights of Heaven (Celestial Knights). Is it due to his status, or is it due to his increased skill level that he is able to remain conscious--

Intuitively, I knew that it was the difference in the quality of the magic power.

The magic power created by cutting down on maximum HP was clearly different in quality.

I would use my freezing magic to block both Maria's flames and her movements.

As a result, I suppressed both Maria's and Arti's flames, dodging the flaming sword with a single piece of paper, and my ice sword was placed around Maria's neck.

But that's as far as I can go.

Maria moves to swing the flaming sword again, as if she doesn't care if she gets her head cut off. With my extra hand, I grab my wrist to prevent it. I have no intention of letting go, even if the palm of my hand is burnt.

Thus, I'm in a position where I'm staring at Maria, right in front of my eyes and nose.

In that position, I slowly talk to her.

I knew from my repeated failures that this was my last chance.

'Maria, I will not give up ....... I will definitely not stop exploring the labyrinth and aiming for the 'deepest' ......

'I don't want to go ....... I don't want to go, I don't want to go. Because I don't want to be alone anymore--

'I don't want to be alone either (...), so I'm ....... So I've decided to go to the 'deepest' .......

With power and fire, I hold down Maria, who is about to shake my hand, and reveal my true intentions, which are not false.

At the same time, I let go of the treasure sword attached to my neck and drop it to the ground.

''--Huh?''

Maria loosened up a bit.

I leaned back against Maria, letting the cold air permeate my body as I summoned up the true feelings I'd been hiding for so long.

Once I say them, my mind will lose control.

Just thinking about it would drive me crazy.

Once you become aware of it, you can't stop crying.

I can't stand still, I can't stay calm. I know that.

But this is the only way I can think of to save Maria.

For the past few days, I've been suppressing my skill ”? It's worth it for the past few days of suppressing the ”? I'm sure now I'll be able to articulate my feelings in a truthful way. I'm sure I'll be able to express my feelings about my family again. The other day's skill ”? The only thing that the ”?” paid for was my feelings for Rastiala.

You'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time and energy.

In a moment, I felt dizzy.

Just facing it was enough to make me feel swallowed up by anxiety, and I couldn't stop myself from nausea.

But I will never activate the skill ”? is not to be activated.

It's of my own volition, I say it.

”If Maria is one, I'm one too ....... Because I'm the only one in the world. I'm the only foreign body .......

What are you talking about?

'I'm not a (・・・・・・・) person from this world (・・・・・・・). I'm just a student, called from another world far, far away. So I want to go home. I want to go home ....... I don't want to die in this incomprehensible place ....... I don't have a family here!　She's a veritable one-of-a-kind!　I was scared ....... I was so scared to die alone in a place like this ......!

Of this world, not human ......?

For the first time, the feeling of being lost in this other world - the skill '??' I managed to dig up the feeling that I wasn't in - and I didn't hide it, I didn't hide it, I made eye to eye contact (・・・・・・・・) and told Maria.

'Go home, my precious family!　I want to see my ”sister”!　Partly because I miss him, but more importantly because I'm so worried about him!　We were our own family, so ......!　Without me, that guy is truly the only one ....... He can't live without me, and I've been trapped in this world for over a week now ....... I'm struggling to be alone in this world too. But!　I'm sure my sister is alone on the other side of the world, suffering more and more!　That's why I have to go back!　And for that, you've got to get a miracle!　We need a miracle at the back of the labyrinth!

Master ...... and sister ......?

'Oh, it's a girl who looks just like Maria. So I was consoling myself by helping and patronizing Maria, who looks like my sister ....... I kept me in the house by keeping Maria at home instead of my sister. ...... Just to distract myself, I helped Maria!

'Ah, ah, ....... So .......

That Maria alone with her dark hair reminded me of my former 'sister' in appearance, age, attitude, and circumstances.

I didn't want to admit it.

I tried not to think about it.

Just remembering it, just talking about it, twisted my mind.

My heart aches as if my flesh is being twisted with pliers.

The people I care about are too far away to reach.

That alone is such a painful experience.

I can't bear the anxiety.

--but (...)

This pain, Maria has been experiencing this all along.

Unlike me, she's been in it the whole time.

And I'm the one who's been giving her that pain.

So I apologize to Maria, even as my hands, feet, neck, and body are burned.

You can burn as much as you want.

But in return, I will help Maria. If I don't free the girl who is suffering because of me from the flames of her suffering, she won't be able to return to her world.

As I 'display' the status, I see the lives being whittled away.

One by one, the cells are dying, and I can taste death from the back of my tongue.

Still, it never stops. In the extreme, I won't stop until my HP is at 1.

The penetration of cold air is intensified further.

But Arti, who refuses to admit it, tries to interrupt me.

'Well, wait, Maria ....... That's the truth--'

'Please shut up, Mr. Alty!

Maria silenced it.

She didn't seem to allow anything to stand in my way as I began to speak the truth.

For Maria, it would be a gateway to the truth she had finally found.

'I'm sorry, Maria ....... I did a terrible thing to Maria. I was aware of Maria's love interest, but I treated her like a sister to no end. It was the easiest thing for me to do, so I kept running there .......

With a serious look on her face, Maria listens to my confession.

I thank her for that, and without pretense, I express my decision in words.

'So I've made up my mind. Maria--

If it didn't work and you're going to make it work, there's a price to pay.

And the price has to be paid by me now.

I can burn you in this place and you can become Maria's. I don't care if I end up dying at the end of it. There's only one condition: ....... I'm willing to cut off your hands and feet right now if you'll take that one condition: ......

This is my answer (...).

I just assumed that the answer and my purpose were incompatible.

That's not true (・・・・・・・・).

'Promise me that Maria (・・・・) will go to the 'deepest' part of the labyrinth. Promise me that you will definitely help your sister instead of me. Now Maria can do it if she works with Rustyala and the others ....... I'm sure you can do it. ......

I don't have to do it (・・・・・・) (...).

I don't care what happens to me, as long as I have someone to carry on my will.

Now I have a Rustyala who has redeemed himself. His talent is undoubtedly the stuff of heroes. He has the makings of a leader. He is trustworthy and above all, a seeker who doesn't want a miracle.

We have Radiant, Mr. Hine, and Dia.

If the five of us work together, we will be able to reach the 'deepest' part of the labyrinth. If Maria and the others are willing to carry on my will, then that kind of end is fine.

Rastiara's 'covenant' is also a condition that even Mary can fulfill.

The feelings of the explorer, Christ Eurasia, are of little importance.

It doesn't matter that I am whole and complete.

My return is not necessary either.

The only thing that matters is ”my sister's happiness” (...).

Because that's what Aikawa Uzumi really wants--

My real name is Aikawa Uzumi, and my sister is Hitaki. And my sister is Hitaki. When you go to my world, look for Yotaki: ....... If you help Yotaki, I don't need anything else: ......

It must be a stupid idea.

If the skill '?' I'll never forgive you if the skill '?

But that's what people who can't afford it are like. If you have the right emotions at the end of your life, and if you were able to waver, you can make this choice.

You can even bet on a little bit of irrational hope.

When Maria heard that, she repeated my name.

'Kanami ....... The master's real name is ....... Aikawa, Kanami .......

The skill ”? There is no ”?”.

There is also no lie of Christ Eurasia.

It's not just a matter of a mere ”Aikawa Uzumi”, Maria repeated as if she were biting down on the answer she got.