359 356. Whereabouts of another world.txt (1/2)

--freezing.

Winter is deepening everywhere. Today, from somewhere in the distance, I can hear the sound of many overlapping bells (bells). With that sound, the cold air passes through my ears and into my skull, and a thin film of ice sticks to my brain.

-- my thoughts creak.

But no matter how much my head freezes, the world I can see is only expanding. It's because my dimension is sharpening day by day due to the leveling of the Yangtaki.

The perception of that magic is growing, as if it were painting over your vision. It shakes and blurs again and again. Like a drop of water falling on a painting, it blurs and continues to expand. Endlessly, endlessly.

The overlapping worlds that I could see were truly diverse.

The scene of the killing of a girl who looks exactly like him on the top floor of Foozier's Castle in ”The Mainland”.

The scene of chatting with the apostles in the garden of Foozier's Castle in ”A Thousand Years Ago”.

A thousand years later, he and his sister are walking hand in hand in the peaceful streets of Fuzzyards.

In ”The Frontier”, she is fighting with her friend Dia, as the Allies are engulfed in an ice age.

Incidentally, the closest world I can see at the moment is the 85th layer of the labyrinth, where we are fighting against monsters.

To be honest, I felt as if my head was being doused with a shaved ice machine.

The past, present and future are all intertwined, and I have no idea where I am at this time and what I'm doing, and it's uncomfortable.

If this was the last realm the dimensional wizard could reach, I thought, it was still too early for me.

But the expansion of my perception never stopped.

Soon I try desperately to turn my head to see the time and place of my true self - but with my brain frozen to the core, there's no way I'm going to succeed.

It's a failure.

But I accept it with a familiar sense of ”Ah, I'm being interrupted again.

And I acknowledge my current time and place as the time and place where I am running through the 'labyrinth' that I am most familiar with now.

The time is a few days after I saw Dia off a while ago.

The place is the 85th layer of the labyrinth.

In that illusory world, Yotaki was next to me, as a matter of course.

We siblings and I were having a smooth - very smooth search, advancing the attack from the eighty-eighty layers that we had arrived at before and continuing to dive to the eighty-two layers, increasing the levels one by one.

The corridor of the labyrinth's eighty-five layers looked as if the remains of the eighty layers had been enlarged (scaled up) and had been turned into a stone jungle by countless decaying structures.

The corridor was filled with huge red snakes.

The snakes were lightly over a hundred meters long. Their scales were insubstantial, shimmering and possessing heat, melting the surrounding stones. It was a monster that could only be called a giant flame snake.

-- Only, that thing was not an enemy.

At first glance, it looked like an enemy of humans, but it was definitely an ally.

The fact that the monsters continue to burn inside the bodies of the giant flame snakes is proof of this.

The ruins were filled with a variety of monsters - golem, gargoyle, and elemental species - all of which had been eaten by the Giant Flame Serpent and were still digesting in their stomachs, ignoring their durability.

Then, having completed their task, the giant flame snakes crawled back to their owners, slowly breaking the ruins as they moved.

Maria, who was now the strongest flame wizard in the world, spoke to the giant flame snakes.

''Thank you for your hard work. --《Midgals Blaze》

I labored along with my magic name.

However, the giant flame snakes still hadn't disappeared, waiting around Maria like a knight protecting his master. Even after devouring the eighty-five layers of monsters, the firepower of the magic still showed no signs of abating.

I gasp at the perfection of its magic.

''Amazing ....... This is what Maria is really doing right now .......

Then Maria's face, on alert, slackened a little, and a blush tinted her cheeks. Then, somewhat proudly, she reaches out to the flaming snakes around her and tickles their throats.

Touched by their owners, the giant flame snakes cower as if they were alive.

What I admire more than anything else is their movement.

Maria's evolutionary fire magic, Midgalls Blaze, which has evolved over time, seems to have an independent consciousness. The giant flame snakes that were released during the exploration of the eighty-five layers left under Maria, the surgeon, and fully automatically explored the surrounding corridors and ate the monsters.

I can't help but wonder if they are really acting autonomously or not. However, when I asked Maria, who is a surgeon, she said, ”Since it's a snake, isn't it natural for it to act accordingly? It was returned to me. Very sensible.

Honestly, it's very possible that Maria is just unconsciously letting those giant flame snakes pretend to be snakes (...).

But maybe .......

Maria may indeed have gone so far as to give birth to magical life.

Just like the progenitor Kanami (me) of the past.

I'm going to be the first to admit that I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it.

Next to her, her younger sister Yotaki was chatting amiably with Maria.

''...... But we were just lucky that Maria joined us in our quest. We siblings don't have much of a plan to deal with physical operations. To be honest, we can't handle the number of monsters in the eighty-five layers.

'Hitaki-san, like Kanami-san, specializes in one-on-one. I'm glad I have an errand to run at Hoosier's.

Yes, it's really a miraculous piece of luck. As expected of the 'Holy Flame Raiseer' of the Valensies Continent, you're a master of magic as well as miracles. You're not just good at magic, you're also good at performing miracles.

'Ugh, Hitaki, ....... Please don't do that ....... It's very embarrassing.

'Phew. I won't stop. If it were the other way around, would you stop, Maria?　For example, if I had the opportunity to make fun of your brother.

However, their closeness is a real threat to me.

Maria listens to the example given by Yotaki and nods deeply, her mouth loosens and begins to agree.

'Oh, that's ...... yes. I'm confident you won't stop.

'That's the way it is. So, let's just give up and accept being teased by me this time. ”Holy Flame Raise Hand.

'Uh, uh, meh. ....... Huh, there's no way around it. Let's just accept it this time. For the sake of making fun of Kanami-san in the future, let's just accept it this one time.

It's a wise decision. 'It's a wise decision, because titles and nicknames are probably the most common for your brother. For the sake of future enjoyment, I'm going to be patient here. Maria.

The two of us always bantered amiably - somehow, I was the one who landed most of those conversations.

And this time, they had come to a promise that they would both play with my two names in the future.

I moaned in front of that unreasonable flow.

'Yeah. ......'

They're both kids who do what they say they're going to do.

When the two new names were added to the joke of the usual 'Aika Wakanami Christ Eurasian Waldhusiers von Walker' name, I could see them both starting to come alive.

'Hmmm,'

Yotaki and Maria looked at each other and laughed at each other.

The more they talked across from each other, the more they looked at each other, the more similar they were.

Maybe it was because of the similarity in their voices, but for a moment it even felt like one person's only laugh. Their matching black hair is like sisters.

It's not surprising, considering how they took Maria in, but they really were a perfect match.

During this labyrinthine search, they left me alone and continued to talk endlessly, just the two of us.

''--Heh. So, your brother went to the labyrinth right away?　And with Maria on your back?

Yes, ma'am. Piggyback. Piggyback. I can't believe it.

Today, it seems that Maria is talking about the time she met me.

The first time we challenged the labyrinth with a party of two, my sister found out about my plan to 'run the labyrinth as fast as I could with Maria on my back', a plan that I had taken for Maria's safety at a low level.

I look at Yotaki's face as if I were taking a test grade.

There was my sister's dumbfounded face as she insisted, ”That's not true. Before she can say anything sarcastic, I quickly turn away and look at Maria, who is nostalgic for the past.

'Back then, I was alone in the Confederacy ....... I didn't know what to do, and I was heartbroken ....... And yet, Kanami-san would leave me alone in the labyrinth. That was really scary.

Furthermore, Yotaki's face was about to turn sullen, so I would defend myself.

Hey, Maria. Now you know, ......?　That was a confidence that came from the Dimension.

Yes, sir. But there was a little more to explain, wasn't there?　At that time, Kanami-san didn't have a good explanation and left me, who couldn't fight, on the 'magic stone line'.

...... I'm sorry about that time.

I instantly chose the option of apologizing.

Maria chuckles at that and turns her eyes a little farther away.

'I've missed ....... Really .......

...... Right. Back then, unlike today, the search for the labyrinth was on the edge. We didn't have the time for banter like we do now.

Maria, who once collapsed with a few shots of 《Midgals Blaze》, is now unconsciously accompanying the giant flaming snakes and others and not breaking a single sweat.

As Maria and I were thinking about our common past, Yotaki, who seemed a bit sulky, shifted the topic.

''Yes. From what I hear, it seems that my brother's mental health was really on the edge ....... I didn't expect him to buy a slave girl for himself ...... within a week of his new life. Brother, I just heard the story from Maria, and as a sister, I was don't know what to do?

Jeez, a girl for herself: ......!　No, I didn't buy Maria out of guilt!　Really, really!

Are you sure?　For example, ......, fortunate that I'm not around to do a lot of things, or not to do a lot of things?

No, I didn't!　Hey, Maria!

Yotaki was relentless in the direction of shifting the conversation.

In order to protect my own dignity, I immediately asked for help from Maria herself. But there was Maria, sighing even more deeply than Yotaki.

'If you were that kind of person, it would have been a lot easier ....... If you're not, that's why I've had to go through so much trouble .......

'Huh, right? I knew that. I know that feeling. Maria.

Yotaki, who was only teasing me, quickly became more in tune with Maria.

''Thank you, Hitaki-san. In return, I'll remember as much as I can of Kanami-san's dialogue from that time and teach Hitaki-san what she said. The truth is, Kanami-san was terrible back then. Her pseudonym was 'Christ Eurasia' and she was full of lies. ......

'Huh--, hmmm. No matter how many times I've heard that pseudonym, it's funny. It's very unique, just like your brother. 'Christ' and 'Eurasia' ....... It's so much like you, I can't stop laughing.

Unusually, Maria continues to complain about the appearance of an understanding person named Yotaki.

But that complaint is too much black history for me. The more it's known to you, the more you'll be teased about it. I do my best to interrupt the conversation.

'Let's not talk about that time!　I don't think that's a good idea!　And I was in a very special state of mind at the time!　Even Maria wasn't normal in a lot of ways!

'Hmm, well, yes. We certainly weren't normal. I was with Arti-san a lot at that time, and I burned a lot of things with the 'chanting' we were taught. ......

One of the reasons for this was the name of Arti, the one that steals the logic of fire.

I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind is the second Palinclone, the one that steals the logic of the darkness, but it's different for Maria.

At that time, it was Arti who was affected more than anything else - that's why you can tell from his or her expression that he or she thinks of her as his or her best friend.

Yotaki sensed this as well, or maybe he sensed it too, repeating his name seriously without making a mockery of it.

''Arti....... It's that 'thing that steals the reason for fire'.

The banter stopped temporarily.

I also turned my thoughts seriously to match that slightly heavier air.

Now Maria said that she learned the ”Chant” from Arti. In other words, there is a high possibility that a thousand years ago, Arti met me, the originator of the Chant. In the past vision, I stopped just before I went to meet the ones who stole the reason for the fire. After that, will I meet Arti and teach him ”chanting” ......?　If we had met a thousand years ago, why did Alti keep calling me 'Christ' .......

I start to wonder about the girl named Arti.

Hey, Maria. Is Alti still there (・・・・・・・)?

When we parted, Alty said that he would be watching me all the time.

I wanted to know more about what that meant.

If you ask me if I'm at ......, the answer is that I don't know.

Slowly Maria shook her head.

And I saw a little bit of disappointment on her face, and when she saw it, she hurriedly continued her words.

'I'm sorry. But I feel like I can't really say I'm there or not ....... It's like there's something warm and fuzzy inside this chest, fluffy all the time, protecting me. ...... That's how I feel.

...... I see. Then it's okay.

It was very abstract, but I swallowed it in the back of my throat smoothly.

I'm not there, but I am. He's been protecting me all along. With my soul.

I guess I'm feeling something close to that, too.

'Hmmm, Arti? To be honest, it's a bit of a nostalgic name for me too.

As Maria and I were thinking about my heart, Yotaki surprisingly continued to talk to us.

'She was a girl who had a really unhappy life ....... I've talked to her for a little while.

'......!　Mr. Hitaki, you know Mr. Arti!

''I've only spoken to you for a little while, really. A thousand years ago, the person in charge of persuading 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire' was not me, but your brother.

Yotaki turned his eyes to me meaningfully. Caught in the act, Maria's eyes are also turned to me.

But I can't respond to Maria's request.

...... I'm sorry. I still can't remember that much.

Hmmm. ....... So, brother. The next time you get a chance, it might be a good idea to 'look past' to Arti. Fortunately, it seems that with Maria, the edge is more than enough.

Indeed, if only Maria, who holds Arti's magic stone, would have no difficulty in tracing the past. I agree with Yotaki's idea and promise to Maria.

...... I'll do that. Maria, wait to talk about Arti until then.

Hearing this, Maria smiled and replied, ”Thank you, Kanami-san,” before turning to face Yotaki.

''Um, Yotaki-san ....... I don't mind that little bit. Now, can you tell me about Arti-san?　I just want to know as much about my 'best friend' as possible, as quickly as possible.

Yes, of course. Yes, of course. Just a little of what I know. ...... So, let's start by talking about the first time we met at Hoozeyards Castle--

They begin to focus on talking to each other again, even though they are in a labyrinth.

I watch them close by.

As I listen, I remember her face.

'Alty, or ......'

In the end, Arti could no longer hold her body of fire and disappeared.

At that time, she must have fulfilled her 'untried' and lost her power.

To borrow Diprakra-san's words, she repaired the cracks in that soul vessel and finished her role as a 'vessel capable of adapting to the demon's poison' - I guess that's what she did.

As I recall, Arti's last line was ”I tried my best”.

What did she aim for and work hard for .......

Arti had declared her 'unrealized desire' as 'to fulfill a tragic love'. But I have a feeling that was not accurate. But that doesn't mean that I can't predict the details of her ”passion” clearly. I'm not going to be able to say for sure what her ”regrets” are, but I will have to look back a thousand years ago to find out for sure.

As Yotaki said, the best way to do that is to use Maria to see the past.

It's a bit unreliable to use the books of the Confederacy to make an argument. I've been told by Titi, one of the kings of the time, the one who steals the logic of the wind, that the history and documents remaining in this world are full of falsehoods.

--And while I was thinking about Arti, our search for the labyrinth came to an end.

In front of the new staircase, I take a breath and check in with my party.

I'm sure that the 85th layer has been cleared as planned. The mapping is done nicely, let's go back now.

Since we're not in a special hurry to get ahead, I propose that we retreat while we have some extra MP. Without anyone objecting to that, Yotaki builds up his magic near the stairs.

''That's right. Well then, I'll prepare the [Connection]. Is it okay if the destination is Lauravia, the headquarters of the 'Epic Seeker'?　As I recall, Maria said she had business over there today, didn't she?

The connection was not in Hoozeyards or Valt, but in Lauravia, located in the southwest of the Confederacy.

Yotaki was concerned and was trying to reduce Maria's travel time. However, Maria's face was not good.

''Yes. It would be very helpful to be taken to the 'Epic Seeker'. But ......

Not knowing why, I ask.

'Maria, is there something wrong with you?'

''No, Seri and Agnes were in the guild today, so we had to go to ......, that .......''

'Oh, yeah. Those two, huh? ......

It took me a little while to remember.

Two particularly noisy girls among the even more dense 'Epic Seeker' faces.

Seri, the warrior I fought in my first match when I joined the guild in the past, and Agnes, the former graduate student I fought in the second round of the 'Dancing Tournament'. Both of them have been admiring me strangely since I lost to them.

''I see. They're my brother's victims, aren't they?

”Victim ....... Yes, Mr. Yotaki. That's right.

'Huh. Also, your brother hit on a woman without me ......

It's very embarrassing.

Somehow, it was supposed to be me hitting on the two girls. Maria, who should know what's going on, doesn't deny it, and agrees with Yotaki's sigh of relief.

'Kudos ....... ............

It was very disappointing, but I wouldn't argue with anything. Even if we were to argue, I don't feel like I could beat these two men at all.

And they continue to talk, very much as they please, taking advantage of my lack of objection.

'I've been thinking for a while now that 'Epic Seeker' has a fan club aspect to it for your brother, right?

'There is. I mean, it's almost developed into something religious these days, beyond even a fan club.

'Wow. ....... Is it your brother's religion? It's frightening to think of a thousand years ago, and it's not exactly wrong. It reminds me of a lot of religions in the ...... original world. It really sounds like it because your brother makes up multiple names using pseudonyms and stuff.

'Huh. I see that religion was very popular in your world as well. That sounds kind of interesting.

'It's a world that's almost exactly the same as this one. You can talk about science and magic and all that, but in the end everything you do is the same. Yes, it's exactly the same. It's funny.

While we were chatting, Yotaki's ”Connection” was completed.

I was watching quietly there, and before going through, I made a suggestion. I don't want us to talk about this topic for too long, so I'm going to have to force it out.

Yes, I've already made a connection. ...... So, after we drop Maria off, let's hurry back to the inn before someone finds us.

Let's do it. The brother of the winner of the 'Dance Competition' would be too conspicuous in Lauravia--

The three of us nodded our approval to each other - and then walked through the Connection with a very light heart.

The room beyond the magic door was one of the rooms of the Epic Seeker's headquarters, which had been expanded over the past year.

There was one solidly built, practical table and one chair, and the walls were lined with furniture and furnishings. Basically, ”Epic Seeker” does not spend a lot of money on appearance.

From the Connection, located in the corner of that humble room, we go out--

'What?　Now, that's Kanami's voice!

At that moment, a woman's voice rang out from the furnishings that lined the guest room.

Maria, who was at the very back, uttered the name of the owner of the voice.

'Is this Ms. Snow?　Is it the vibrational magic of ......?　So Snow-san had come back too? Is the 'pioneering mission' over already?

Maria says casually, but I keep my mouth open.

After all, it's only been about a second since I went through the Connection while talking.

That's all it took for Snow to notice my arrival while she was in another room in the distance.

''No, Snow's reaction is too quick: ......?　It seems quirky: ......

''These days, Snow-san is always on alert for his surroundings with his vibrating magic, you know. He's had a lot of troubled customers since his position became great.

'Oh, yeah, ....... No, it's still too early to say ....... With all the different voices I'm hearing, how can my voice be the only one that's accurate?　Maybe you're adding a special technique?

''That's where you are, Snow. It wasn't a surgical technique or anything like that, but you managed to do something with your spirit.

...... Yeah, yeah. --That's right.

I tried not to think too much about it and then expanded my signature dimensional magic.

The voice I heard now was Snow's magic, which uses magic stones filled with magic power as a medium for long-distance communication. I suspect she's somewhere in this building and I look for the source of the magic.

And it's not long before I find Snow.

I'm in my office atop the Epic Seeker's headquarters.

There were other familiar faces lined up there as well.

'Geez, the head of House Walker is in the same place: ......'

Head of House Walker. In other words, he was a representative of the four great noble families, one of the five most important people in the Confederation, and Snow's mother-in-law.

The head of the family and Snow were talking to each other.

From the people and location, one could assume that they were having an important meeting. But Snow was excited, her eyes sparkling, she got up from her seat and started fussing like a child.

'Mother-in-law!　Maria is back!　And Kanami, too!'

”Let's settle down, Mr. Snow. Let's have a very serious talk about something very serious right now.

'But it's Kanami!　It's Kanami, Kanami!'

'...... haha. Oh, that's enough. But, while Maria is okay, did she come too?　In this Epic Seeker?

The owner of the house gave up when Snow didn't settle and listened to me in dismay.

'Yes, he's coming!　The Guildmaster here, and the hero of the Confederacy, Kanami!''

'Ha. ....... Mr. Snow, my relationship with him is honestly--'

I'll go get him!

Snow didn't listen to the head of the family until the end.

We siblings, who were watching the whole thing with dimensional magic, looked at each other.

''Ah, this is ....... If you leave now, it will be assumed that you avoided the Walker family headman ....... At the very least, we should at least say hello .......

'Yeah, I know. But I'm not good at that guy. ......

After all, the last time I saw the master was when he had forcibly kidnapped his daughter-in-law, Snow.

I remember that time, I was unusually belligerent and declared a head-on war against the owner of the house.

'I hear you, sarcastic boy. Just come over here quickly.'

The voice of the head of the family echoed from the furnishings.

Apparently, Snow's magic for communication was still maintained.

'...... yes. I'm coming.