210 209. Departure.txt (2/2)

'Is that so ......?　The 'family' for the children ...... and they needed someone to be able to confide in ......?

So Lord tried to stop me and Ryner from disappearing.

He wanted someone to laugh with, even if it was only a temporary one, like 'family'.

'I'll definitely bring your 'family' to you. So cheer up. Well, like Nosfy said. You look better with a smile on your face.

Staying with those words, I closed the final distance between me and the Lord.

Slowly, I walked around to the back of the throne and reached out to Lord, who was on the verge of collapsing.

'Smile and wait for me. It's not just me, Ryner's there too. You don't have to worry about anything else.

Lord re-focused his body and took my outstretched hand in his.

Then he stood up. He nodded his head yes, as if he'd gotten an answer to his years of suffering.

'Yeah, I guess so. There's a liner (・・・・・・・・) ....... Yeah, that's right, .......

Yeah, there's that Nosfy guy. He wanted to make up with you. Go see him later.

It's important to keep in touch with Nosfy.

Don't forget that and emphasize your presence. This should clear Nosfi's selfishness.

'Yes, there's a Nosphy ....... This will work (・・・・・・・), right? ......

Lord's face lights up as he confirms that he is not alone.

He doesn't seem to be sulking and shutting himself away somewhere anymore.

'Alright, you're feeling better. Then get your face out to Beth and Nosfi as soon as possible.

'Uh-huh. But I'm too embarrassed to do it right now, so I'll get to it a little later. After I get back to my normal face properly and get my thoughts together: ......

Yeah, that's fine.

If you look closely, you can see a blush under his eyes.

Lord, as a girl, seems to care about her appearance.

I'm not insensitive enough to force her to face me here.

It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

Then I'll go on ahead. I have to go to the labyrinth, you know.

I have to hurry to fulfill the promise I just made. It is necessary for everyone to make sure that I succeed in my search for the labyrinth.

The Lord nodded back at that.

Then, with a sure step - he sat down on the throne (・・・・・・).

''Yes, have a good day. Also, thank you Uzura Wave (...) ....... Finally, it looks like I'm going to get my real wish for a child (Warawa) .......

Playing with Midori's glossy hair, Lord smiled and looked away.

That too beautiful gesture made me shiver and get goosebumps.

The figure of the Lord, who had climbed over one of the valleys, looked a little more mature.

-- That Lord looks mature?

The sight was so unbalanced that it sent chills down my back.

Without a doubt, Lord was fine. Anyone would judge that.

However, the undeniable chill stuck to my back and wouldn't leave.

He hadn't failed, but he hadn't succeeded either - or so he thought.

'...... Yeah, I'll make it happen soon. Just wait and see.

I had to answer that.

With those last words, I leave the King's Chamber.

Then we walked to the outside of the castle.

First of all, it's the people who were waiting in front of the castle gate.

To reassure everyone, I deliver the good news with a bright smile.

''Everyone, the Lord would be fine. Maybe they'll be out in a few minutes.

I'll hide the fact that I was crying. I'm sure Lord would want that.

'How are you ......?　Then why didn't they come to town: ......?

Beth and the others were mystified when they heard the report.

They spun their thoughts fast and mended them.

'Oh, that's ....... I think it's because I brought an old friend of Lord's with me from the labyrinth yesterday. I heard that I stayed up late talking to that guy, and he overslept today.

Are you an old friend of Master Lord's: ......?

The murmur of the townspeople grows louder.

Would it be so surprising to have a friend on the road?

'Yeah, unlike me, they're friends of the same s*x, or maybe it's because they're friends of the same s*x, and they're incredibly excited.

Yeah, right: ......

I still don't believe it all, but I have to believe it because I, as the position of a Knight Commander, am saying it. It looks like that.

I'm sure it's true. I'm sure they will be out of the castle by noon or so, so you can ask the lord then. The others can be relieved as well.

There are things I haven't said, but I'm not lying. I'll make sure and insist to all of them that I'm not lying. The people who heard that were relieved.

'You're not sick. I'm glad then. ......

Fufu ....... What the hell, you scared the shit out of me. ......

As long as Master Lord is okay, I'm happy.

A sparse group of people, young and old, men and women, not separated, begin to disperse.

Of course, some of them are here to wait for the Lord to appear. The first of them was Beth.

'But ......, I'm not busy today, so I'll wait for Lord-sama here.

Yeah, okay.

'So what is the Knight Commander going to do now?

I'm going to the labyrinth. That's what I do, you know.

'I see ....... I would have been happy to wait with you .......

I'm sorry. That's not how it works. I really need to get to the ground as soon as possible. ......

No, of course not.

Beth looked disappointed, even though she said she didn't mind. Even though her mouth says she doesn't mind, her eyes are hanging on to me.

But we can't waste time here.

He quickly turns on his heel and heads back into the castle.

'See you later ......'

As I move away from the gates, I expand the Dimension again. The next step is to find Nosfi. I want to report early on that I've fulfilled her ego and cheered up the Lord. Otherwise, I don't know what she would have done.

I walked past the throne room where the Lord was sniffing and let the magic permeate the entire castle.

As a result, I find Nosfi in his room with Ryner.

Apparently, he had come to his room, having mistakenly switched places with me.

In order to save Ryner, who is turning blue alone with his natural enemy, I return to my room at a fast pace. And as soon as he opened the door and entered the room, Nosfy's greeting flew in.

''Good morning, Uzurinami-sama. And thank you. I'm very touched that you could cheer up that kittenishly dour Lord so quickly.

My body jolts.

After all, yesterday ended in an attempt, but the fact that she attacked me did not disappear. My body unconsciously tensed up.

However, without paying attention to my nervousness, Nosfi approaches me with a smile. I can tell from her greeting that she knows how the conversation between me and Lord went. I skip the greeting as well.

'Good morning, Nosfi. ...... I think Lord is fine now. I promised him that I'd beat the id and bring him back, and he's feeling great. I'm sure he'll be visiting Nosphy in a little while, so give him a warm welcome then.

Yes, of course I will. ...... and I'll wait here for the load. I'm very sorry, but I can't accompany you in your search for the labyrinth today.

'No, it's something that originally had to be done by just me and Reiner, so don't worry about it.

''Hmph, thank you. That's really sweet of you, Uzumi-sama. Then, let me let my ego go through with it. Ah, it's nice to be selfish. It's as if my heart is cleansed. Hmmm, this may be the disappearance of my unrequited love for you very soon.

He repeatedly interjects laughter between conversations to emphasize his own mortality.

But you can't take that for granted.

He says he's close, but I don't think he's going to disappear any time soon. I should have to listen to his ego a few more times, as measured by the intensity of his physical presence.

Leaving me in doubt, Nosphy chuckles and sits down on the bed in his room.

'Hmmm. Oh, Lord, please come quickly. I'll be waiting for you. Yes, always and forever ....... I'll be waiting for you .......

Baffled, he rests his back on the futon and lets both of his eyes wander in the air, and begins to look forward to the Lord's arrival.

...... Well, I have to go to the labyrinth now, since I have to get my id,

I have a role to play. If I don't fulfill it, even if the two of us make up, it will all come to nothing.

He begins to build magic next to Nosphy, who is lying down.

Nosphy looked away from it.

''Yes, I wish Uzurinami-sama success in her search for the labyrinth.

”......-- Magical Connection.

With her encouragement, I finished generating the magic door.

Then, Ryner and I walked into the labyrinth.

It's a shortcut to the end of the fifty-seventh layer.

We come back to a pure white space as far as the eye can see.

Thanks to Nosfy's magic, there aren't many monsters around. There are some monsters that are looking at us, but they don't seem to have any hostile intent at all. Right in front of us is a staircase leading to the fifty-sixth layer.

This is the fifth time I've explored the labyrinth. We're back in a party of two to explore.

Without making any kind of agreement, Ryner and I naturally start walking towards the stairs.

Christ, are you sure?　With such a cheap promise. You don't take the id so easily with this or that.

Now that they were alone, Ryner didn't hesitate to voice his doubts.

'That's what I had to say to Lord ....... We've got to do it. ......'

By reiterating his mouth, he strengthens his resolve.

It's a resolution to speed up the labyrinth search for Lord.

Until today, I've been searching the labyrinth for my sister in the 'fastest' way possible.

But that is the ”fastest” speed I've ever been able to go through to ensure my sister's safety and to make sure that she'll be able to clear it.

But I have to stop doing that now.

If I don't, I'll never make it (・・・・・・) - I feel like I have to.

The sharpened senses - the skill ”sensitivity” - have intuited this. The memory of almost dying many times in another world is appealing to me. The experience of fighting against vicious and powerful enemies recommends that.

At first glance, the two guardians (guardians) now have a bright air about them. Although they have managed to mend their ways by walking around the castle, there is no doubt that a disquieting atmosphere lurks within that cheerfulness.

Nosfi is smiling openly, but he has yet to reveal his true feelings.

Lord didn't look at me as if he wasn't looking at me, his eyes shining with hope.

I think I've grown up in a certain way even with this. I've stopped thinking about things based solely on the 'status' and 'condition' that I can see in the 'display'. I think I've learned to observe people, which I was devastatingly bad at, to a certain extent. I've met a lot of people and seen off a lot of guardians. Maybe that's why I understand their danger, even if it's just a little bit.

I feel the signs that the anxiety that has been sticking to me like a membrane for a long time - the possibility of Lord and Nosfi together becoming an obstacle - is about to become a reality.

Therefore, I declare that I will conduct the 'most difficult' labyrinth search without regret.

'Ryner, let's go to ground on this labyrinth search (・・・・・・・).'

Ryner isn't the only one who's been able to expose his true feelings now that he's been in the labyrinth.

Me too. I'm finally able to say these words.

”This, this time?　Are you serious, Christ?

Naturally, Ryner was surprised by the impossibility of this and asked back.

'Yeah, I'm serious. --let's get serious and get this over with.

But I didn't go back on my previous statement.