461 457. "Epilogue Part 2".txt (2/2)

On the way, there were a few people who looked at me, whose faces were too small to hide.

However, no one noticed that I was Aikawa Kanami. But I'm sure there were people who thought that I might be. But now the main part of the festival, the heroes' triumphal return, is underway. No one bothered to call out to them to check.

In other words, that's what I mean.

As long as I can stand in for them properly, they can do without me.

After reaffirming that, we - we're going to reach the entrance to the labyrinth.

Looking back, this is the first time I've entered the labyrinth from the Gliard Country side.

But it's not so different from the entrance to the Valt Country and the Huskyards Country.

There is a 'magic stone line' (line) running through the cavernous hole, and there are a few knights guarding it. The entrance was tightly sealed off with something like a chain strung up like an off-limits tape.

It would be impossible for a civilian to enter.

But we're not civilians.

It was easy to sneak in under the eyes of the knights by using dimensional magic. Lightly distorting the space, making the knight feel dizzy, and then closing the distance itself.

Walking normally, me and the janitor go through the off-limits tape and enter.

--And then the labyrinth.

The dank stone corridor is dimly lit and very musty.

The interior is no different from when you entered at the other entrance.

It's a nostalgic maze to explore.

I follow the path of the ”Magical Stone Line” and head straight for the back.

The cleaning staff is walking behind me, looking around with interest.

''This is the purification facility of the 'Demon Poison' after a thousand years ....... Does it resemble the Research Institute of Fania?''

I wanted you to come because it's very similar. There are probably some improvements that only you can see, so please take a closer look. ...... I could actually shortcut a lot of things with the Connection, but it all disappeared when I fought my sister, so I'm sorry about that.

In the past two months, the Connection has been passed through various parts of the continent.

However, all of them were for reconstruction and none of them were installed in the deepest parts of the labyrinth.

Today, it was necessary to attack them normally.

From one layer to a hundred layers, he recalled the memory of running up from the sixty-sixth layer to the ground in one go.

Without a doubt, it's hard work and takes a lot of time.

However, the schedule for the 'End of the Tan Festival' was flexible with a long schedule, with plenty of time to spare so that this final exploration could take several days.

As I walk along, thinking that it's easier than the 'Blood Land' that I was in earlier, I see a monster in sight a short distance away from the 'Orthodoxy'.

''That's .......''

It was a beastly monster.

It was about two meters in size.

The color of its fur was bright green, and it was a wolf with ferocious fangs.

I've seen it.

I've even fought it.

It's a giant wolf, the first boss monster I've encountered in the labyrinth.

A monster that could have almost killed the creator of the labyrinth and is one of the causes of this burn mark on my left cheek.

'I miss it,'

I couldn't help but utter my thoughts.

The truth is, there are ways to cut both the monsters and the road if you spend a large amount of magic power.

It's a good idea to have a companion, a scavenger, with you right now, but ...... that's not the case.

--I'm going to be the last of my labyrinth explorations.

So, I 'gazed' at the monster with nostalgia.

[Monster] Emerald Fang: rank 7

Somehow, I was tempted to try maximum damage at the end of the situation.

However, the gaze of the cleaner behind me was painful, so I discouraged myself.

'............'

Her spirit of animal rights is strong. She doesn't like the idea of laying a hand on a monster that isn't approached by the Path of Truth.

'Let's move on. We have a long way to go.

Avoiding the unnecessary drain on physical and magical power.

-- after deciding to do so, the time drain was minimal.

Without taking much time, we reach the second level.

Since we're following the 'positive path', we rarely encounter monsters.

All we have to do is keep walking on the dark corridor of the ”righteous path” with just a hint of light, and we'll be on our way.

Thanks to the two-month blockade of the entrance, there are no peers.

I was the one who made sure nothing happened, but it's been a really quiet search.

Up to this point, I'm completely cut off from the bustling hustle and bustle of the ”End of Tan Festival” on earth.

Then, I continued to walk nostalgically and went to the third level.

On the way to the fourth and fifth layers--

Haha. ......

I took a big breath.

I wasn't tired.

In between the triumphs up to this point, he had slept and rested well.

He maintained the 'Purple Thread' for a long period of time, and even went on a rampage of remote magic, but now his HPMP was full.

That's why I let out a deep sigh of relief overlaid with relief.

Now that I'm quietly and loosely exploring the labyrinth with the cleaners, I'm finally realizing a few things.

The flow of ”The Plan” (...) is near the top of the envisioned future.

I missed two people, ”Fafner Helvirshine” and ”Glenn Walker” unplanned, but I'm thankful for the extent of that in reverse.

I know I'm skewed, but the fact that it's off is a relief.

I want things to go well, but I'm afraid of things going too well.

I want things to go well, but I can't believe things are going too well.

Just, of course.

There was an unplanned negative, as well as an unplanned positive.

It's the cleaning lady behind me right now.

She and I have made a 'connection' once, and we have that heart-to-heart.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm attached to Fafner, she's one of my friends with whom I have a pseudo 'contract' because our interests are aligned.

The cleaner's abilities are better suited to the 'Lord of the Labyrinth' than anyone else's.

Like Serdra, Kounel and the others, she is one of the living legends who continued to study with that Helmina Neisha.

From now on, I'll be concentrating on building magic in the 'deepest part' and won't be able to devote myself to anything else.

In the meantime, I wanted to leave the management of the labyrinth to her.

The manipulation of blood - no, the manipulation of genes is good for manipulating, playing with, and placing the monsters in the labyrinth.

The cleaner's own special communication skills are also powerful.

It's not simply that he's good at monster breeding. She was able to communicate with even those who had lost their minds, even if they had lost their sanity, which is why she continued to be so useful in the Seventh Demonic Research Institute.

She would be more relentless than the progenitor Kanami of a thousand years ago, and would improve upon the great dungeons. It would be royal to have different colored, enhanced monsters in the dungeon after the story was over. And that's what we're all--.

They'll take it. We'll work with Maria and Snow to break through one layer at a time. Don't you think that's interesting, Lastiara?　I'm having a lot of fun. Ha-ha. It's fun, Rustyala--

”Hey, Oyasama. ......?

I push my way through the darkness of the labyrinth.

I flipped through the book at hand and laughed as I read the 'plan' written in it.

After all, the addition of a new companion is always a pleasure.

To be honest, even with just 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Nothingness' Seldora alone, the defense of the labyrinth was rock solid.

However, starting with the former 'The One that Steals the Reason of Dimension' Noi, its apostles Sith and Diprakra-san, even Kounel and Feydert-san, who are good at operating the country, are cooperating with the 'plan'.

If you add the cleaners, there are seven of them.

Seven reliable friends to protect me.

The path is dark, but I'm not worried.

The only light source of light at this point is the faint glow of the surrounding stones - but since I can't even see that anymore, it's not a problem.

Ever since I fought Seldora, my vision has been distorted and misaligned, not just underwater, but like coffee mixed with a variety of paints.

However, the figure of ”Rustyala” has always been visible, as if a transparent photo of the memory was placed on top of that distorted vision.

--You can see ”Lastiara, the one and only person of destiny”.

As long as that is the case, I'll be fine.

All you have to do is keep going towards it.

Even if it's dark, as long as you keep going forward and forward, that's where Rastiara will be waiting for you.

No matter how hard and painful it is, the future with Rustyala will be waiting for you someday.

''Haha.''

So, it's going well, or it's going 'as planned' or it's going well.

-- really (...), I don't care (・・・・・・).

Either way, I just have to keep going.

It doesn't matter, because that's all I'm going to get to one day.

It may be a 'contradiction', but there is no 'contradiction'.

I just go down and down and down and down. As long as I keep moving towards Rastiara, I will be able to feel Rastiara. It doesn't matter if it's the ”protagonist” or the ”antagonist” for her, it doesn't matter. I just want to feel ”Rustyala”. I just want to reach it. I just want the two of us to be together, just to be 'happy' together.

I'm sure you'll be able to see that Oyasama's symptoms worsened when there were no more eyes of others ...... No, the worsening was when there were eyes of others? ...... the same as me. You can't calm down unless you are at the bottom of this dark labyrinth.'

”Ha-ha-ha-ha--

How simple the answer is.

I want to show the despairing me of a few months ago the me of now.

If it's me now, I can say it out loud.

If I have a little bit of courage, ”the one and only man of destiny” is just within my reach.

If only I could leave everything behind, the dead Rastiara would come back to me...

I want to tell you that.

I can't see anything anymore because of the ”curse”.

I can't see anything anymore because of the ”price” that is imposed on me, and my body is heavy.

It is sad and painful, but the rest of the story is fun, it feels good, and my body is light.

I keep repeating that it's okay and keep moving forward. I will reach the ”deepest part” and become the new ”Lord of the World” and keep saving this world. I want to save and save and save and save, and beyond that - I want to meet with Rastiara. Oh, I want to meet her. I really want to meet her. I want to meet Rastiara one day, and then...

What?

In the face of the abnormality, I stiffened and closed the book in hand.

The reason is that the abnormality that forced even me to stop in my tracks appeared before my eyes.

Even with my distorted vision, I can certainly see it.

My current position is on the ninth level of the labyrinth.

In front of the stairs at the end of it.

The anomaly was the heat - rising from the hole leading to the tenth level - (・・・・・).

Something was burning ahead of us, and there was an unusual amount of heat in the air.

The magical power associated with that hot air is playing off all kinds of magical interference.

Obviously, this was not something that was planned for the 'plan'.

But it won't change what I do. I can't change it anymore.

Without thinking about it, I walk down the stairs.

A buzzing hot wind curls up from below, causing my bangs to bounce and nearly knocking my body off balance.

It's not enough to stop me.

Without a care in the world, I pushed my way down.

--and ten layers.

Burning flames as far as the eye could see.

It was dazzling and dazzling.

It was so bright that it seemed to mock me for repeating that it was dark and gloomy a moment ago.

I even felt as if I was standing on the sun.

And there was a huge pillar of fire rising in the middle of the hierarchy.

It crackled and crackled, like a campfire.

In front of the burning fire, a girl was sitting down with her back to the ground.

She must have sensed that we had entered the tenth layer.

The girl stood up and turned around.

While shaking her black hair, she turned her face, whose eyes were hidden by that 'spell cloth', to me and moved her mouth.

''--Kanami-san (・・・・・)

Maria (・・・・) has been waiting for me (・・・・・・・).

She must have been waiting here for quite a long time.

Maybe she had been taking a nap just a few minutes ago.

After a small missive, she smiles.

--It's funny.

There shouldn't have been anything in the 10th layer. The guardian (Guardian), 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire' Arti, should have disappeared, and it should have been a cold, wide stone room.

However, it was pulsating with life, as if the Lord had returned.

The inside of my head, which had been dark for a long time, was being forced to become blank.

A clear voice passes through that blank mind.

'What do you say in these situations?　I've been reading a lot of magical history books lately, and I can't get the words to come out well. Unlike everyone else, I'm not a fan of entertaining books: ......

He laughed and stared at me while removing that 'spell cloth'.

Our gazes met.

Magical eyes that were condensed with fire were burning under my eyelids.

With 'eyes' that are no longer empty, they are looking at me.

Thump.

I heard a loud heartbeat.

Not my chest.

I am no longer thinking or feeling anything. There's no bouncing.

The beating was from Maria.

She felt someone else as well as I did, as she put her hand on her chest.

She spun the rest of the words with a 'soul' that would never be faked anymore.

'--Welcome, Kanami-san. This is (...), these ten layers are the (・・・・・・・) hundred and ten layers (...). It's the hierarchy of ”The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire” Maria. You can think of this place as a hundred and ten layers, not hastily or without permission, but you can think of it as a hundred and ten layers. And I would like Kanami-san to undergo the 'Hundred and Tenth Test' before anyone else.

Maria curtsied ostentatiously.

The gesture reminded her of a guardian (guardian) from sometime ago.

''Hiya (...), a hundred (..) ......, ten (.) ......?''

A lot of questions have been raised.

But the strangest thing is the number.

As the creator of the labyrinth, I couldn't help but shake at the selfishness of the numbers.