Chapter 55

Returning home, my first concern was Maria. Because I had rushed into the preparations for Lastiara’s kidnapping mission on pure impulse, I had left her behind at the house. However—

“Welcome back, Master.”

Contrary to my expectations, Maria seemed her usual self. Since she was preparing dinner, we ate together while engaging in casual small talk.

“…”

I started to probe into Maria’s state of mind but stopped myself. If possible, I wanted to postpone dealing with Maria’s issues until Lastiara was back. Unlike Lastiara’s situation, this wasn’t an issue where someone was going to die right this second. In terms of urgency, there was a clear distinction.

I decided to compartmentalize and focus entirely on the mission to retrieve Lastiara.

That night, I holed up in my bedroom, spending endless hours practicing the new magic. Begrudgingly even taking time to eat, I continued my trial and error until my MP ran dry. In the end, exhausted, I fell into a sleep as deep as mud.

—The day of the Holy Birth Festival.

I woke up in the early morning, before the sun had even risen. Partly due to habit, but mostly due to the tension. My plan was to leave the house at sunrise.

According to what Dia told me, the ritual would conclude in the morning, and Saint Tiara would be unveiled to the public by noon. Therefore, I had to start in the early hours to match that timeline.

Using my final moments of preparation, I went to the living room for a light breakfast.

—And there stood Maria, alone.

I was startled. I had left things with her by saying I “wouldn’t do anything.” I hadn’t expected to run into her at this exact moment. I had intended to bring Lastiara back before she even woke up.

Maria stared at me, her expression blank, as words spilled out bit by bit.

“So, you’re going after all… Master…”

She seemed to know everything. Reading my thoughts and actions, she must have been waiting for me at this hour. Realizing I couldn’t just leave without saying anything, I gave her instructions.

“…I’ll be back soon with Lastiara. So, Maria, please wait here.”

Maria took it in with that same expressionless face. She didn’t say a word.

“After that, the plan is to flee to another country. Maria, you—”

—What will you do?

I started to ask but thought better of it. Asking that would be like saying she didn’t have to come. It would undoubtedly trigger her complex, and more importantly, considering her feelings, asking “What will you do?” here felt too heartless.

I had to convey that I strongly needed her.

“—Maria, come with us. Let’s escape, the three of us.”

I said it clearly. Let’s stay together.

However, Maria’s expression did not change. Her lips moved while her face remained a mask.

“Escape…? Then, what about this house…?”

The house…? I hadn’t expected the house to come up now. For me, I had no hesitation in abandoning this house, which was only a temporary shelter. Was it different for Maria?

“It’s a shame, but we have no choice but to leave it… A waste, but…”

I stated firmly that we would abandon it. Finally, Maria’s expression shifted.

“…I… I don’t want to.”

She was trembling. She looked up with a face full of profound sadness.

“Eh?”

I thought I was managing a conversation that wouldn’t provoke her. But despite my efforts, Maria’s emotions began to flare.

“Please don’t go, Master… I’m begging you. Please, just don’t go…”

Maria’s face contorted in supplication. This was the first time she had ever tried to obstruct my actions like this.

“Maria…? What on earth is wrong…?”

“If you go, I’ll never be able to reach you again… I’ll be left behind…”

Maria’s expression worsened by the second, eventually revealing an unfathomable madness, much like Lastiara had shown before. Panicking, I tried to calm her with a gentle voice.

“No, that’s why I’m saying let’s go together. I’ll never leave you behind. I promise. Why would I ever leave you?”

“That’s a lie. Even if the three of us escape, I won’t really be there… It won’t matter if I’m there or not… I hate that!”

“…!!”

It was like talking to Lastiara when she was in her “high” state. Her expressions were leaping across logic; we weren’t having a functional dialogue. Certain that Maria was not in her right mind, I tried to grasp the cause. Even as I thought, she kept speaking.

“Why…? Why are you saving Lastiara? You don’t even love her, do you…?”

Maria questioned my affection for Lastiara. So, was this the result of jealousy? But Maria had a calm and patient personality. For her to explode like this now felt wrong.

Perhaps it was my actions that caused the outburst. But neither Lastiara nor Alti—both of whom had seen through Maria’s feelings—had spoken of her as if she were in such a desperate state. Everyone recognized her feelings as something small.

“Why? Because Lastiara is a comrade, isn’t she? She’s an ally I need for our future Labyrinth exploration.”

“For future exploration…? Future? How far into the future!?”

I answered soothingly, but Maria finally raised her voice and closed the distance between us.

“If you go, Lastiara will surely be saved! And if that happens, it’ll be…! It’ll be the same again! I don’t want to go to the depths of the Labyrinth! We don’t have to go, do we!? If we could just live peacefully in this house, that would be enough!!”

Maria spat out the grievances she must have been harboring all this time. But I couldn’t accept that. It concerned the very purpose and meaning of my life. I tried to soothe her while asserting my will.

“Maria, calm down…! Me going to the depths of the Labyrinth is the one thing I can’t change…”

“You’re being greedy! Even if you don’t go to the depths, if we just earn money safely around the 10th floor, we could live… normally! Happily! That’s what I want! We don’t need Lastiara for that!!”

Maria’s voice grew louder, turning into a storm. This clearly wasn’t the usual Maria.

Steeling myself, I approached her and gripped her shoulders with both hands. Holding her firmly, I looked her in the eye, trying to steer the conversation back.

“We aren’t talking about that right now, are we? We’re talking about saving Lastiara because she’s going to die if we don’t. Maria, are you okay with Lastiara dying…?”

Maria’s eyes were moist. She glared at me through tears. However, whether my earnest persuasion worked or not, the tension in her body gradually began to fade. She weakly lowered her gaze and whispered back.

“…Lastiara is a good person. …I don’t want her to die.”

“Right. Maria, calm down… I have to save Lastiara… She’s a comrade.”

I felt the strength leave Maria’s body. Finally, she was calming down—

“Comrade…? Because she’s a comrade? Master, are you going to risk your life to save her just for that?”

“Y-yeah…”

The moment I affirmed that, I felt an extraordinary pressure radiating from Maria’s body. Intuiting that the source was magical power, I took a half-step back.

“Comrades? That’s… that’s a lie! It’s crazy to risk your life for a reason like that. …Yes, it’s crazy! You just want to look good for her, don’t you?! For that woman! You want to show off in front of Lastiara, not me! Even though you used to act cool just for my sake when she wasn’t around!!”

As she screamed, flames erupted from Maria’s body.

I reflexively retreated, crossing my arms to shield my face from the heat. Through the gap in my arms, I saw Maria manifest a blade of fire.

Seeing such an unmistakable combat spell, I was thrown into confusion.

“……!!”

Clutching the flame sword, Maria swayed toward me.

—It’s going to be a fight.

My intuition told me as much. However, I didn’t pull a weapon from my ‘Inventory’; I prepared to meet her bare-handed. Partly because my mind couldn’t keep up with her sudden change, but mostly because I simply didn’t want to choose the option of attacking Maria with a weapon.

I deployed my magic and reached for Maria’s wrist. To pin her down, I had to neutralize the hand holding the sword.

“—Magic: Dimension - Gladiator, Magic: Freeze!”

I used Freeze to dampen the flames in the room while closing the distance. In response, Maria swung the flame sword down. I dodged by turning my body sideways and reached for her sword hand, but Maria’s ‘Eyes’ had predicted my move perfectly.

She immediately extended her other hand—shrouded in fire—to grab mine and block the attempt. The heat scorched my hand, and I stiffened.

“—Tch, hot!!”

Taking advantage of my flinch, Maria tried to swing the sword upward. But it sliced harmlessly through the air. In a close-quarters sword fight, Maria had absolutely no chance of victory. Using my raw Strength stat, I wrenched my hand free, broke her grip, and circled behind her.

Maria couldn’t keep up with the speed of my movement. I seized both her arms, pinning them behind her back. I fell to the floor with her, holding her down against the boards while I used ‘Observation’ to check her status.

No mistake. Maria wasn’t sane. She had lost her mind due to some external influence. I couldn’t imagine this much Confusion accumulating from a normal life. It had to be the result of a spell or skill.

I racked my memory for someone capable of this and shouted while keeping her pinned.

“Maria, listen to me!! Did you meet a knight named Palinchron recently?!”

“Pa… Palinchron…?”

“The knight who bid on you at the slave market! A suspicious guy, slightly taller than me, dressed like a merchant with eyes that look like they’re dissecting people!”

“That’s…! More importantly…!!”

Maria tried to burn me from below by erupting with more flames. I strengthened my Freeze magic to endure it.

“Maria, were you hit by some kind of spell?! You’re incredibly confused!”

“Magic…?! Confusion…?”

While staying pressed against her, I poured all my mana into Freeze. It was fortunate I’d been practicing it since yesterday; my control over the cold was perfect. I suppressed Maria’s flames and even drained the heat radiating from her body.

I was literally making her cool her head while I persuaded her to calm down. The method was surprisingly effective. Along with the chill, the strength left Maria’s body, and she began to settle.

“That’s it, calm down… Breathe deeply, slowly… Just calm down…”

Following my instructions, Maria took deep, though ragged, breaths. Once her body had completely cooled, she seemed to return to her senses.

“Eh…? Oh, what…?”

“Are you okay, Maria…? Have you calmed down?”

Maria’s confusion vanished as she lost the excess heat. This made me suspect that Maria’s own flames were the cause. If so, the prime suspect was Alti—the one who taught her.

But I couldn’t see why such a forceful method would be used. This didn’t help Maria. Even if Alti was trying to “support” Maria’s love, this was way off the mark. Even if the goal was my life, it was obvious that Maria’s current power level would end with her being pinned like this.

I couldn’t pin down Alti’s objective and bit my lip in frustration.

“I-I’m so sorry…! How could I…!”

Seeing my expression, Maria became meek and started apologizing repeatedly from beneath me.

“It’s okay. I know. I know you said things you didn’t mean because of the Confusion. You don’t have to apologize…”

As I moved to get off her, I noticed the morning sun streaming through the window. It occurred to me that the perpetrator’s goal might have been to hinder my rescue of Lastiara. But I only decided on the rescue yesterday, and the only ones who knew were Maria, Dia, and Alti.

Was it really Alti…? But the motives didn’t align. Alti shouldn’t have any grudge against Lastiara.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Master…”

While I was deducing, Maria continued her apologies. For now, I had to get her settled.

“Stop apologizing. More importantly, are you okay? Your confusion seems to have subsided.”

I patted Maria’s head to confirm her self-awareness.

“Yes, it’s completely gone… I’m so, so sorry…”

Maria seemed confused about what had happened. However, her memories remained, so she kept apologizing for her actions. She had calmed down. She could probably handle staying home alone.

But—

I had a bad feeling. It was purely intuitive. Yet, it was also true that I was out of time. The sun was already rising. If I missed this window, Lastiara would be in danger.

I chose my path, even as I felt like I was swallowing a bitter pill. It was a choice I would likely regret for a long time to come.

“Maria, I’m going to get Lastiara now. It’ll be quick. I’ll be right back.”

“Y-yes… if that’s what you’ve decided, Master, then of course…”

Maria was terrifyingly obedient. The previous confusion seemed to have left her completely cowed.

“Until then, wait in this house. Lock the doors and don’t let anyone in.”

“Not anyone?”

“That’s right. Not even me. I’ll break in through a window. Don’t let anyone in through the front door.”

I emphasized the point to be absolutely sure. Ideally, I’d leave her with someone I could trust, but I couldn’t think of a suitable person. I thought about having her wait at the tavern, but Maria was stronger than the owner now. I had no choice but to leave her alone at home.

The retrieval of Lastiara would be a blitz. It should be fine for such a short time.

“Understood. No matter what happens, I won’t let anyone in!!”

Maria used her ‘Eyes’ to sense my thoughts and vowed not to contact anyone. Her eyes held a clear intelligence now, none of the madness from before. It should be okay… it had to be. I was worried about Maria, but Lastiara was the one facing imminent death. In terms of urgency, I had to prioritize Lastiara.

“Then, I’m off… Maria.”

“…Yes. Take care, Master.”

I turned my back on Maria and moved out. I hurried from the house and ran toward Huzya. Even as I ran, I had to shake off the look that had flickered across Maria’s face at the moment of parting.

I pulled a large stole from my ‘Inventory,’ wrapped it around my neck, and hid my face up to my nose. I knew it might be futile, but I wanted to hide my identity as much as possible. Ideally, I’d be recognizable to those who know me and a stranger to those who don’t.

I ran through the town of Wald, illuminated by the sunrise, crossed the border, and entered Huzya.

Despite the early hour, many people were out in Huzya. Every one of them was likely a participant in today’s Holy Birth Festival. Everyone was giddy, heading toward the Cathedral. The week-long pre-festival had worked the people into a fever pitch. From families with children to elderly couples, everyone spoke excitedly of the event.

I shoved through the crowds, running at full speed toward the Cathedral. I apologized in my head to the people I bumped into. I apologized in my head for what I was about to do.

I sprinted down the main thoroughfare of Huzya. I passed through the districts in descending order until I was nearly at the single-digit district. From here, the Cathedral was in sight.

As I ran, eyes on the Cathedral, I felt an abnormal magical power rising ahead. Not from the Cathedral—outside.

Standing in the middle of the main street, blending into the crowd, was a single man. He was staring at me as if glaring.

Hein Helvilleshine.

The Knight of Wind with short blonde hair. I couldn’t ignore him. Out of the many knights surely waiting for me, he was the one I couldn’t simply pass by.

I slowed my pace and came to a stop before him. The crowd had somehow parted around us. The atmosphere radiating from both Hein and myself made the surrounding people steer clear.

Hein was dressed similarly to when we last met, but he was abnormally filthy. He was covered in mud, had cuts all over, his hem was frayed, and his clothes were torn in several places. Only two rings remained on his fingers. He seemed to have lost one of his swords as well.

I didn’t even need to look at his status to know he was on his last legs.

On his last legs, Hein spoke to me as I approached.

“You finally came, Christ..”

Hein had been waiting for me. He must have been certain I would pass through here at this exact time.

What did it mean? Was he here to stop me? Or was it the opposite?

I, of course, was certain which one was true. As far as I knew, he was the only one who had tried to get Lastiara out of the country before today.

So, I stepped forward without hesitation. I drew within arm’s reach and stood face-to-face with Hein.