Thus the Boy Runs Through the Labyrinth ~The Story of an Ordinary Boy Who Ended Up Punching Heroes, Demon Lords, and Even Gods~ – Chapter 717

In the darkness that could be seen through to anywhere,

“I thought, if only I could make everyone happy.”

There was a man.
Somehow, he looked hazily, kind, yet also sloppy. He spoke slowly, as if trying to recall each thing.

“It was a childish prayer, but I thought about how good it would be if I could do it.”

He clasped his hands and placed them on his forehead.
It was a gesture of prayer that was unbecoming of a man possessing peerless, great intellect even after a thousand years. However, it likely represented the goodness at the very core of his being.

“I thought I could do it. I became arrogant. That was probably a mistake, wasn’t it?”
“Who knows.”

Beside him, Ul, who had been listening to his story, shook his head.

“At least I’m not good enough to judge you.”
“……”
“But”

He denied his actions because he wanted to pursue his own wish, and nothing more. Perhaps, as a result, it might lead the world into further chaos. Maybe it was actually right that he had tried to renew the world.
There was no guarantee of good or evil in a wish. That’s why Ul couldn’t judge him. There was only one thing he understood:

“I thought your wish was kind.”

It was nothing more than a childish impression.
But that’s truly what he thought. Ul felt kindness from his goodness and his wish, that he genuinely thought it would be wonderful if everyone could smile. So, he told him as it was.

“I see… I see…”

He didn’t know what he thought of such a trite impression. But he repeated the words. And finally, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, he smiled at Ul.

“Thank you. It’s thanks to you. And───”

Then, he gazed at Ul’s fingertips. Suddenly, light spilled from Ul’s fingertips. A small child with blue hair appeared from Ul’s arms before he knew it.

“Father.”

And then, shedding tears, he immediately leaped into the man before him. The man hugged the child and gently stroked his head repeatedly, as if to comfort and praise him.

“I’m sorry for making you do something difficult, Noah.”
“I couldn’t do it well.”
“No, you did everything you could. Thank you.”

How long had it been like that? He continued to hold Noah, who kept crying.
Finally, he gently, and with slight reluctance, returned Noah to Ul.

“Please take care of Noah. He gets lonely.”
“Well, I’ll get along with him. Unlike you, I can only do things I can’t.”

With Ul’s reply, “Then, it’s fine,” he smiled.

“Goodbye.”
“Yeah, goodbye.”
“Father…!”

He waved goodbye with Noah. He left without looking back.
After seeing him off, the boy also turned his back with Noah and returned. To where he belonged───

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

When he woke up, he couldn’t remember what kind of dream it was.

But it felt like he had a kind dream.

As he surfaced from sleep, Ul felt something warm from his abdomen.
It was a warmth he had felt every time he was on the verge of death during this long, arduous battle. He felt the presence of the Phoenix, as if it were trying to give warmth to his body, worriedly asking, “Is it okay? Am I going to die? Or rather, am I not dying too much today?”

──Don’t worry. I won’t die now.

Even as he replied, his eyelids were still closed.
Reason told him he had to get up, but the instinctual voice telling him to let him sleep a little longer was overwhelmingly louder. Every part of his body, down to a single fingertip, was screaming, pleading to be rested. Ul couldn’t resist the demand──but,

“Nii-tan, wake up!!!!”
“Whoa!?”

That drowsiness was blown away by his sister’s piercing voice.
Ul shot up and realized he was in a small, cave-like space. The walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to glow faintly, but other than that, there was nothing. Akane, in her usual fairy form, stood with her arms crossed, looking down at him.

“Akane… No, let me sleep a little longer… I’m tired. I’m so tired.”
“Is this the time to sleep?”
“Then when is it…?”
“The world is ending?”
“……It’s certainly not the time to sleep…”

Ul sat up. His sister was right. It was definitely not the time to be sleeping.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“…Where is this place, after all?”

It was a strange space.
It wasn’t the aerial battlefield where he had been fighting just moments ago, nor was it the ruins of Plaudia. It was a radiant, warm space. Although his body was tattered and he should have been severely injured, just being there, Ul felt his body’s pain gradually lessen.

“Inside the forest.”
“So Greyre and the others succeeded…”

The World Tree Plan.
When he heard of this grand plan to regenerate the world by embedding a giant tree that had absorbed God, and to bear the faith of both good and evil, Ul honestly couldn’t imagine it. Like Ul, most people would have had question marks in their minds. Only Lyne accurately understood the story.
However, judging by the current situation, it seemed to have worked.
Ul and Akane walked through a natural cave created by that World Tree.

“Where is everyone?”
“This way.”

As she said that and guided him, they reached a small hall. And there.

“Ul.”
“Oh! You’re awake!”
“You’ve woken up. I was worried you’d die.”

Suua, Gronzon, and J-Star were there. All three were as tattered as Ul, but at least their complexions were not bad. Ul raised his hand with a sense of relief.

“I’m glad you’re all safe… What’s wrong, Lady Suua?”

Suua, who toddled towards him among the three, bumped into Ul. Then she started touching Ul’s body as if checking it. Her hand reached for his face, and she started trembling, so Ul crouched down.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My whole body hurts.”

He answered honestly as she pinched and prodded his cheeks. Suua nodded, and a gentle red glow appeared from her palm, healing Ul’s body. The parts where he felt pain were thoroughly enveloped in warmth.

“It’s too much of a burden to heal you all at once, so I’ll heal you slowly.”
“So you can use the power of the spirits.”

As he said that, Ul watched the light Suua manipulated. It was undoubtedly the radiance of spirits.
According to Greyre, the power of Heaven Prayer would be lost, and contact with spirits would become extremely difficult, but he recalled that Suua had ultimately wielded the power of spirits during the final battle.

“The spirits are lending us their power now because of their goodwill.”
“I see, Lady Suua is favored by the spirits.”
“We talked a lot.”

Suua said proudly, puffing out his cheeks, so Ul patted his head. He felt like it might be disrespectful, but since Suua looked happy, it was fine.

“Except for exceptions like Lady Suua, obtaining power from spirits will become more difficult. It’s also possible that the spirits themselves will become enemies. They have completely escaped human control.”

Gronzon mumbled with concern, adding context. He seemed to have grasped the general situation before Ul woke up. J-Star continued.

“The class differences between Nameless, citizens, and priests will also become obsolete. The disparity in affinity with spirits will be almost non-existent. Anyone can be granted power with a single whim of the spirits. And once granted power, its rarity will skyrocket.”
“We’ll need a new system to protect those favored. We’ve also made contact with the metropolitan countries. It seems they’re safe, but we’ll need to have further discussions.”
“We must also make contact with the Demon Realm before any unnecessary conflict arises… I should ask the Captain.”

The two exchanged words efficiently. As expected of former colleagues, the conversation flowed so quickly that Ul had no room to interject.

“Is J-Star going to cooperate with Gronzon and the others for a while?”
“Honestly, what face do I have to show them…”

J-Star had a somewhat complex expression, but Gronzon nodded strongly beside him.

“Ark, Demon Realm, and Uuga, he has influence everywhere! We can’t let him be idle!”
“…So he says.”

He stated it unequivocally. It seemed that the fact he was a spy was of no consequence to Gronzon. Indeed, if one overlooked that point, there would be no one in the current chaotic situation who could gain access to so many different places.
J-Star seemed to grasp his usefulness in the current situation and shrugged with resignation.

“I owe Uuga too. I’ll do what I can to protect the place where Kyo and Mikan are.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.”

He called himself a bat or something, but Ul understood how honorable he was. It was incredibly reassuring that he would work to protect Uuga as well.

“Oh, that’s right! Ul, have you been able to contact Greyre and the others?”

As he thought this, Gronzon suddenly asked.

“You can’t contact them?”
“Indeed. Regarding that man. I don’t think he’d die that easily…”

Ul nodded and rang his golden ring.

“Noah.”

Then, suddenly, a self-operating magic circle, which Greyre often used, appeared. Ul wondered what it was and saw that instead of a magic circle, some characters were inscribed on it.

──I have so many things I want to investigate in the newly changed world, so I’m going on a trip with Zain and the others for a while! I’ll leave the rest of the work to you! By Greyre

“…He seems to be safe.”

Ul flicked the magic circle with his finger and shattered it, feeling it absurd. While it might be true for Kuraran, Zain was definitely dragged along.
Gronzon had a somewhat complicated, headache-inducing expression, but he finally nodded decisively.

“Well, as long as he’s safe! I would have liked to have piled a lot of work on him!”
“If there’s a lot to do, I’ll also───”

He was about to say “help,” but before that, Gronzon stopped Ul with his good hand.

“No, no! Ul! You’ve helped us so much!?”
“I feel like I caused more trouble.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”

J-Star followed Gronzon.
With a soft expression that seemed to have shed some of its severity, he smiled faintly at Ul.

“You did what we adults had to do.”
“Yes! Well, you’ll probably be running around again without being told… but rest for now!”
“That being said, if you rest, you’ll probably skillfully dump the work on us again.”
“Rest and moderate labor are both important for health!”
“You have a good personality, really…”

Ul let out a sigh of exasperation, and Gronzon laughed heartily.
Then, with that in mind, J-Star knelt before Suua.

“Lady Suua, you can also take your time and rest.”

He understood the reason for those comforting words.
Due to the circumstances, she had no choice but to stand up in the face of the Ark’s crisis, but Suua had recently lost her father and was still young. As her position dictated, she likely had many things she had to do, but it was only human nature to want her to rest if possible. And for J-Star, it was especially so. She was the memento of his friend.

But Suua shook her head.
“Although it’s different from what I aimed for, my father’s wish has been fulfilled. I want to do my best.”
“I see…”
“However, that’s right.”

Then Suua looked at them and said, a little hesitantly, as if making a selfish request.

“I want to talk to Ul again.”

With that said, Ul had no reason to refuse. He exchanged glances with Akane and nodded to Suua together.

“If a foolish person with no education is good enough for you to talk to.”
“Play with me too?”

As the two of them said that, Suua’s face truly lit up with joy.

“I’m glad.”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

After talking with the three for a while, they parted ways and moved on.
Then,

“That’s why I told you Lady Suua is safe. Stop contacting me so many times.”
“I’m worried about you… are you really safe?”
“That’s why I’m telling you it’s okay. How many times have you asked?”
“You say that, but you blew off an arm last time… how can you not care about a girl your age───”
“Don’t worry, the wounds from this battle are healed thanks to his protection.”
“His!?”
“What’s with that overreaction? It’s annoying.”
“No…! But…! Mmm…! Yuri, tell me more about that───”

After a somewhat noisy exchange, they encountered Yuri, who had severed their communication magic circle in two.

“What are you doing here, Yuri?”

Yuri, who had already noticed them, showed no particular surprise and narrowed her eyes, glaring at Ul.

“A bat woman who was seduced by a man and switched allegiances, so she has no face to show Lady Suua.”
“Your choice of words…”

Ul’s face twitched, and he couldn’t say anything to retort.

“It’s not like anyone cares… wait, I can’t possibly say that from my position?”
“Nii-tan bewitched you, right? The worst.”
“That’s right, the worst.”
“I’m sorry.”

He apologized a little apologetically, and Yuri snorted dismissively.

“It’s a joke. Besides, if J-Star is swallowing everything and moving forward, it’s pathetic to express awkwardness.”

Indeed, considering J-Star’s position and past, he must have a lot of awkwardness and shame. He swallowed those feelings and was discussing the future with Suua and Gronzon.
It might be for the sake of his family in Uuga, but it was still admirable. Shame and embarrassment couldn’t be reasons for inaction.

“I was just making contact with various places and dealing with that racket.”

Pointing to what Yuri called “that,” Ul saw Zero, a True Person, collapsing on the ground not far away, crying.

“I’m going to try again…!”
“I’m sorry… She’s too stubborn.”

Five of them let out a deep sigh. Ul didn’t know all the True People, but judging from their appearance, they seemed to be safe.

“The magic power around the World Tree is quite dense, so aerial magic is unstable. We have people who can move checking the surroundings and looking for a place to land, so please wait a moment.”
“That’s helpful… By the way, is it okay? Kuraran was also dragged around by Greyre.”

Although they had indirect contact with the True People through Greyre and Zain, Ul knew that they all cherished Kuraran. He couldn’t help but worry that he might have been dragged around by that Greyre───

“It’s fine. Master also needs a change of pace.”

However, they were surprisingly calm. One of the True Person girls shrugged with an indifferent expression.

“She’s been running around cleaning up after everyone. And taking care of us. Now that it’s finally over, she won’t be punished for doing as she pleases.”
“We can contact her, too. Look.”

He showed them the same message that had been sent by Greyre earlier. However, its size was considerably larger than the one Greyre had sent earlier. And there were a very long list of messages sent to each of the True People.

“It’s full of love.”

Ul felt it was inappropriate to read something intended for family, so he handed it back. Well, at least Kuraran seemed to be safe. The remaining one was Zain───

“If Zain is also safe, he wouldn’t abandon the orphanage children, so he’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”

Ul agreed with Yuri’s words. It was unlikely that Zain would abandon the children he protected. Well, there was no need to worry about those three.
As he was confirming this, Zero, who had been crying on the ground, got up.

“Let’s do it again! To lose to someone with a disabled arm and being battered and bruised is an affront to the prestige of a True Person!”
“No.”
“Ugh—!”

Zero cried.

“Excuse me, I’ll hold him down, so please don’t mind us.”
“You shouldn’t be demanding.”

With a commotion, Five and the others pulled the groaning Zero away, and Akane even followed them, as if to placate them. Only Ul and Yuri were left at the scene. He felt they had been given unnecessary consideration.

“How is your body?”

Well, since it was a kind gesture, he decided not to refuse it and asked, and Yuri shrugged.

“I lost my artificial arm, so it’s a bit inconvenient. I can’t constantly exert force.”
“Shall I ask Davine to make you an artificial arm? He’s a really good guy.”
“Please do.”
“You’re so honest.”
“I have nothing to lose by showing you my weakness.”
“That’s true. Then, if you have any trouble, tell me anything. I made you work too hard.”
“Until I get an artificial arm, shall I have you take care of my meals?”
“You want me to feed you?”
“Please do.”
“Seriously? Okay, though.”
“It’s a joke.”

Yuri smiled slightly, seemingly amused, at Ul’s face contorted by a hard-to-understand joke. Then, with her good hand, she extended it to Ul.

“To you, my respect and gratitude. Thanks to you, I was able to save my friends.”

It was different from the respect he had received when conquering the Black Flame Desert. It was a deep, strong trust.
Ul accepted it and returned the handshake.

“The same goes for me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, Yuri. My estimation was too lenient…”

He had done every possible preparation, but not a single thing had gone as planned. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he hadn’t been able to draw Yuri in as an ally.

“I want to thank Rock, who guided me… though I also feel like punching him.”
“We have a lot in common. However, as you know, it wasn’t just my strength.”

Saying that, Yuri reached for Ul’s face. She touched his cheek and then gently placed her hand on Ul’s deep emerald eyes, gazing into them.

“The Saint of Destiny. Thank you for taking care of me since the battle against Greed.”

As if to convey it to the depths of his eyes, Yuri expressed her gratitude. Of course, there was no reply. But he felt as if a faint warmth had spilled from the depths of his eyes.

“She says not to worry about it.”
“…I couldn’t save her while she was alive───”

As Yuri was about to say more, Ul covered her mouth.

“I don’t need to hear the rest.”
“…Then, please tell me about her again.”
“Anytime.”

Fortunately, they had time to talk.

“I told you it’s not perverted!?”
“Child.”
“Should I not interrupt?”

He chose to ignore that he was somehow being watched from afar.