Then, Rustiara, with Dia and Maria on either side, fell from the sky.
It seemed she had been moving by jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
“Kanami! Are you okay!?”
Rustiara, who landed beside me, checked if I was safe while setting down the two people beside her onto the ground.
“These guys… How dare they do this to Kanami…!”
“Kanami-san, is it okay to kill these people? Please give me permission. Right now.”
Dia and Maria’s faces were contorted with anger.
Reinforcements were welcome, but this was also troublesome. To be honest, the rain of fire earlier had been too much. The output was clearly not meant to be fired on the ground.
To prevent them from going berserk, I first tried to calm them down.
“N-, no, you don’t have to go that far! This is like a match! They don’t have any intention to kill!”
“A match…? It seemed unusual for a match, though…”
Maria looked around without restraining her killing intent.
Rainer turned his eyes away from Maria, while Rouge and Noir stood with their mouths agape in surprise.
Amidst them, only Aid calmly assessed the situation and introduced himself.
“Hmm, it seems we have more guests. Nice to meet you, my name is Aid.”
He looked us four over as if appraising us.
Then, his eyes sparkled as if he were looking at jewels.
“Fuh, fufufu, magnificent. Guests, you are all filled with talent and grace… Lord Rainer! Fight all of these guests as they are!”
“W-, wait, teacher Aid! Laying a hand on this group is a no-go!”
He instructed Rainer to continue the fight, but Rainer turned pale and shook his head.
He had been watching the matches of the ‘Martial Arts Tournament’. Perhaps because of that, he didn’t seem to want to face a serious Rustiara.
I decided to go along with Rainer’s words and propose a cease-fire.
“Aid! I can be convinced by a match, but these three won’t take jokes! Stop it now!!”
If things went wrong, the ordeal of the 40th floor could start right here.
I still didn’t understand anything about Aid’s existence. I wanted to avoid simply defeating someone I might be able to understand.
However, my desperate consideration did not reach Aid.
“Please don’t worry about it, Lord Uzunami. With my magic, you will be completely healed as long as you don’t die. When it comes to healing, no one is better than me. Fight to your heart’s content, yes, fight to your heart’s content. And show me the depths of your heart—!”
Aid did not seem willing to back down.
Hearing that, Maria’s flames surged.
“Kanami-san, you say that…?”
With just permission, she looked like she could blow away the mansion at any moment.
Dia, on the other hand, had already finished her Magic Construction without a word. The fact that she had leveled Rail’s mansion was still fresh in our memories, making me break out in a cold sweat.
In the face of such a grim atmosphere, I quickly regretted calling for my companions.
Then, leaving me to ponder how to persuade them, Rouge and Noir began to construct their magic.
“We’re doing it while you’re talking!”
“It was a little surprising, but if it’s not a surprise attack, there’s no way we’d lose to magic!”
“—Resonance Magic ‘Gravity Demon’!”
“—Resonance Magic ‘Gravity Demon’!”
A mass of magic power that crushed everything, scraping the ground as it rushed towards us.
In response to the enemy’s attack, our two mages also used magic.
“Divine Magic ‘Sion'”
“Fire Magic ‘Flame Flamberge'”
Dia’s light weakened the magic’s momentum, and Maria’s flames sliced it in two.
In an instant, Rouge and Noir’s full-powered magic was extinguished.
“Wh-, what…?”
“Huh…?”
They must have had great confidence in their own magic. Rouge and Noir, with their magic extinguished, could not believe the situation before them.
Taking advantage of the opening, Rustiara attacked the girls.
Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t go for the kill immediately, but she wouldn’t hesitate to break an arm or two. Rainer, who knew this from watching the Martial Arts Tournament semifinals, hastily intervened.
“W-, wait, Living God!”
“Brother, get out of the way!”
Rustiara easily surpassed Rainer’s twin sword technique. If it were a head-to-head battle without any support, Rainer still wouldn’t be a match for us.
Unable to fully withstand Rustiara’s onslaught, Rainer was kicked away.
However, that exchange managed to buy us some time. Rouge and Noir, who were behind him, were in a state of semi-panic, chanting magic.
“Th-, that was just a mistake! —’Gravity Demon’!”
“We haven’t lost yet! —’Gravity Demon’!”
An unusually large mass of magic power came towards us.
Of course, we responded by chanting magic.
“—’Flame: Decisive Calculation'”
“—’Flame Arrow'”
A path of flame was created by Maria, and Dia’s magic flaming arrows passed through it. ‘Flame Arrow’, which was shaped like flames rather than beams due to the considerable restraint.
Magic clashed with magic from both sides, and a magical power struggle began.
However, the push and shove lasted only a moment.
While Rouge and Noir were sweating as they unleashed their magic, Maria and Dia calmly gathered magic power. Even so, the fire magic easily erased the mass of magic power, and the aftermath of the flame explosion blew Rouge and Noir away.
It seemed Maria and Dia’s reason remained. I could tell they were holding back considerably after hearing my words.
Rouge and Noir, who had fallen on their backsides, were stunned by the difference in power.
At that moment, a displeased Dia warned the two of them.
“Since Kanami declared it a match, I won’t deliver the finishing blow. However, if you get up, I won’t be responsible for your deaths.”
Rouge and Noir lost their will to fight.
“They’re too strong! They’re even more monstrous than Hairi-nee!”
“I-I-I can’t! I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…!”
Seeing this, Rainer felt relieved, and Rustiara also stopped attacking.
However, Aid alone had not given up on the battle.
“It’s not over yet…”
With that said, Aid, who hadn’t moved once during the battle, took a step forward.
Then, while releasing an unusual amount of magic power befitting a guardian, he made the two who had fallen to stand up.
“This is bad for your education, but it can’t be helped. I’ll participate too. I’ll also strengthen the effects of the magic. –『Growth』『Sense Breath』『Branch Wood Shell』”
He constructed three spells in a single breath. Then, emerald green magic power permeated the two of them.
Just that alone distorted the world around Rouge and Noir. Even though it was mere enhancement magic, the magic power was abnormal.
It was clear that magic that transcended principles was being used.
Rouge and Noir, who were receiving and being enhanced by that magic power, were more surprised than anyone.
“Wh-wh-what is this? Enhancement magic can do this?! Is this the ultimate of a mage specialized in support…!”
“Am-amazing! With this, I think I can do it one more time…!”
Rouge and Noir looked at their own palms in amazement.
I was also surprised.
When I looked at their status using ‘Gaze’, the enhancement was at an unimaginable level.
–Status: Body Reinforcement 24.77, Magic Power Reinforcement 30.98, Magic Barrier 3.28–
The numerical values of the enhancement magic cast on the two had increased more than tenfold.
“Now, this is the real deal, the true ability of the『Thief of the Laws of Wood』…! –『Cureful Field』『Strass Field』『Remove Field』!!”
Aid spread his hands and his magic power spread throughout the garden.
Particles like firefly light danced, dyeing the battlefield green.
From the excavated earth, tiny lives sprouted. These lives rapidly grew and transformed into magnificent grass. The desolate garden turned into a vast grassland.
It was approaching the sight of Floor 40 that I had seen in the labyrinth.
I could tell that the guardian before me had gotten serious.
Aid’s dense magic power enveloped us.
And before me were two『Magic Stone Humans』enhanced by Aid’s magic. Behind me were two companions who were strategic weapons and wouldn’t joke around.
This is bad.
If it continues like this, a serious battle will begin.
The port town of『Cork』might be reduced to ashes by the clash of magic.
“–W-wait– –Huh!?”
I tried to stop the fight by intervening — and noticed a great sense of incongruity.
The green light had also seeped into our bodies.
–Aid’s magic is healing us too?
Aid’s field magic filling the garden was affecting us as well.
The dazzling magic light was also ‘supporting’ us. The magic was gentle, with no ill will.
The spells Aid declared were『Cureful Field』『Strass Field』and『Remove Field』. I was sure they were not particularly rare area-of-effect recovery and support spells.
As far as I could feel with『Dimension』, there was no discrepancy between the spell names and their effects.
However, the gentleness of those recovery spells was… too intense.
It was comparable to a persistent desire to heal everything in the world. The density was not normal.
Affected by that magic, my body began to change.
No, ‘change’ is the wrong word. After all, the magic I am currently receiving is magic to cure changes. That is undeniable. –So, to be precise, the abnormality in my body is being forcibly healed, and is trying to become ‘normal’.
It’s just that the ‘normal’ I gained through ‘recovery’ was the only thing that felt abnormal to me.
–The magic is unraveling… by the『Recovery Magic』of the『Thief of Principles』…
What is unraveling is not the dimensional magic『Dimension』that I had deployed. Rather, my magic is being sharpened.
Something else entirely is unraveling. It felt like pulling a thread from a fraying end of a scarf.
I felt like I was losing something precious, something irreplaceable, as if being sucked out of me.
Something that I didn’t know — but existed within me — was being lost.
“–Wh-what is this…?”
That ‘something’ was what had bound me.
Losing that restraint, a certain memory was released.
Various memories flickered like a flashback.
A multitude of memories passed by. This was, surely–
–『Black Sky』– A towering giant castle — A large number of people groaning in pain — A masked man and a girl protecting the people — fighting monsters they had never seen before — a horde of abominable monsters — a giant tree that pierced the heavens walked — dark clouds covering the continent transformed into giants, driving people to despair — and then the two arrived — to a『Monster』that froze everything it touched — and before that『Monster』– the two —
–With a grating sound, a sharp pain shot through my head.
It was a pain like a foreign object embedding itself into my flesh.
That pain made it impossible to concentrate on the memories.
“—It hurts.”
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!
My head aches. But there’s a place that hurts even more.
This isn’t a physical pain, but a mental one. My mind is screaming, rejecting this memory.
The pain, like my mind and body are being forcibly torn apart, makes me lose consciousness.
I was about to scream—but was stopped by another scream from behind.
“—Ah, ahh, aaaaah, aaaaaAAAHHHH—!!”
I endured the pain and turned my eyes to the back.
It was Dia’s voice.
“Dia, what’s wrong!?”
Maria called out, holding Dia’s shoulder.
However, Dia just kept screaming, her eyes fixed on the sky.
—This is bad.
This situation is bad.
I need to rush to Dia immediately. But my body wouldn’t move.
Instead, an unbelievable emotion welled up.
—I hate Dia so much, so much that I don’t want to save her.
That’s what I found myself thinking.
“W-what is this…!”
Turbulent emotions swirled.
Sensing the mental anomaly, I immediately checked my status with “Gaze”.
—Condition: Confusion 7.88—
However, nothing had changed.
The Skill “???” was protecting me from Confusion, so “Confusion 7.88” remained.
But that was all.
I was “Normal.” Therefore, the Skill “???” showed no signs of activating.
I turned my eyes to Rustiara, seeking help.
She, who was knowledgeable about magic, might be able to explain this situation.
However, the first thing I saw upon looking was a girl clutching her head with both hands.
“U-uuu…, why…!? Why, why, why, why…!”
Rustiara was trembling.
Her face was flushed red, she was breathing heavily, and she kept asking herself questions.
I checked Rustiara’s status as well.
But, as expected, there were no status ailments.
Even so, Rustiara was acting abnormally. Her face was flushed red, just like it was one night, and she had lost her composure. She seemed so excited that she looked like she might bolt at any moment.
“Kuh, uuu—!”
I squeezed my chest so hard it started to bleed.
No one had any status ailments. In fact, they were “Normal.”
Yet, emotions were wavering. No, it was more than wavering.
Terrifying emotions surged uncontrollably. I couldn’t stop this torrent.
—I hate Dia.
—I can’t trust Rustiara.
—I want to push Maria away.
Hate and the will to kill. Mistrust and suspicion. Repulsion and disappointment.
Emotions that I had no memory of and no connection to flooded out.
—There’s no mistake.
This must be an enemy’s mental attack. I need to cure it with mental magic immediately. I know that. But I’m so overwhelmed trying to suppress my emotions that I can’t move.
Facing the formidable enemy, the Guardian, the three of us—myself, Rustiara, and Dia—fell to our knees, unable to move an inch.
This was a critical opening.
However, the enemy’s attack didn’t come.
They, too, seemed bewildered by this situation.
Rouge, surprised by our screams, looked frightened.
“W-what is this… Everyone’s falling apart suddenly… Did Teacher Aid have an attack magic like this…?”
While combat was welcome, she seemed unwilling to attack defenseless opponents.
Noir was flustered, not understanding what was happening.
Rainer, shouting, pressed Aid.
“Hey, Aid! What is this!? What did you do to them!?”
But even Aid, the one who likely created this situation, was bewildered.
Despite his grand declaration and having provoked everyone, he lost his fighting spirit in the face of their collapsed state.
“N-no, I’m surprised as well… I merely deployed a recovery magic domain, creating a situation where we could fight to our heart’s content. As you know, I don’t possess any attack magic at all…, the best I can do is distract them with the light of healing magic…”
It seemed Aid hadn’t expected this either.
Along with his loss of fighting spirit, he slowly extinguished the green light of the garden. He began to undo the magic he had deployed, unsure of what to do next.
From his reaction, it truly seemed that the Thief of the Laws of Wood did not possess attack magic.
“But Christ and the Apostles are suffering! The Living God is acting strangely too!”
In place of us, who were suffering and unable to move, Rainer continued to press him.
With his chest grabbed, Aid placed a hand on his chin and thought. Then, he slowly began to voice his thoughts.
“…What I deployed were the absolute basics: ‘Magic to Heal Wounds’ and ‘Magic to Cure Status Ailments.’ Of course, these are my own unique creations, so their effects are ultimate. In other words, they have been sublimated into magic that severs all ties and returns things to their ‘as they are’ state… Perhaps that might be the cause.”
“As they are? You’re saying this is the “as they are” state of Christ and the others!?”
Rainer roared furiously, pointing at the three of us who looked like we were about to throw up and pass out.
In response, Aid nodded silently.
“Uh, um, so, is it okay to just defeat them like this…?”
Rouge, who had been completely left behind, began preparing her magic.
Defeating us, who were wide open, would be no trouble at all.
At that moment, Maria, the only one among us unaffected, stepped forward.
He donned a profound magic power, not losing to the guardian Aid, and glared at the enemy.
“I won’t let you do anything more… If you approach, I’ll burn you.”
“Gah, the fire mage is still here.”
Maria didn’t understand what was happening, but she seemed to grasp the current situation.
It appeared she had resolved to be the only one who could fight now, protecting the three who couldn’t move.
However, my heart was not at peace.
It was reckless for Maria to fight alone, without any vanguard.
Fortunately, while they were squabbling, Rustiara was walking towards us, albeit unsteadily. Among the three who had been affected, she seemed to have the least severe symptoms.
“R-Rustiara… Divine Magic—”
—Please.
I was about to say it, but my words caught in my throat.
I wanted to ask for help, but for some inexplicable reason, I was afraid to.
Due to this unknown emotion, I couldn’t even meet Rustiara’s gaze.
For some reason, I couldn’t think of Rustiara as a companion…
“Kanami—”
Conversely, Rustiara’s gaze was intense. She looked at me, not averting her eyes.
Her face was flushed crimson, and her eyes were watery.
Her breathing was still ragged.
I somehow managed to shake off the unknown emotion and issued an order.
“—Please, Rustiara. Do something with Divine Magic. This situation is bad!”
Meeting her eyes, I asked Rustiara for magic.
“…Y-yes. —’Strathfield’.”
Rustiara lowered her head and activated her Divine Magic.
A gentle light emanated from her body, enveloping me, Rustiara, and the distant Dia.
It was a warm and comforting light.
I felt a power that seemed to melt away all malice.
However—
“—Aaaaagh! Shut up, don’t talk!!”
Dia’s frenzy in the rear showed no signs of stopping.
I was the same. The eruption of unknown emotions wouldn’t cease, and the throbbing pain in my head wouldn’t stop.
It felt like my brain was being ground by a millstone.
Looking at Rustiara, her breathing was still ragged.
“W-why?! Why isn’t it healing!?”
I even felt like it was getting worse.
Black emotions filled my mind, not only pain but also irritation and anger grew.
I could clearly see my reason being eroded by my emotions.
Ah, I hate it—
I can’t hold it back anymore—
Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, filling me with unknown hatred.
Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, filling me with unknown distrust.
Disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear, filling me with unknown aversion.
—Ah, I can’t believe in anything anymore.
When those emotions completely overwhelmed me.
Rustiara, Dia, Maria. I couldn’t think of any of them as companions.
Then, my body moved on its own.
The unknown emotion hated Dia, who was shouting from behind, the most.
Leaving Rustiara beside me, leaving Maria who was protecting me, leaving the enemies Rainer and his group, even leaving the guardians, I focused only on Dia and moved my feet.
Dia, who was in my line of sight, was also looking at me.
Her blue, glowing eyes reflected my figure.
“Ah, ahh…, Kirisut…! It’s not like that, that’s not Kanami! It’s not Kanami!!”
Whispering words, Dia also slowly began to walk towards me.
The distance between me and Dia was closing.
Proportionally, the eruption of unknown emotions accelerated.
Hate fueled hate, intertwined and amplified, the black emotions all turned into murderous intent.
My hands gripped my sword again, and I pointed its tip at Dia.
Trembling, I moved my lips.
“D-Dia, wait! If you get any closer to me—”
—It will be a battle to the death.
Regardless of our will, we would be forced into it.
However, Dia didn’t stop. Instead, she gathered a large amount of magical power and was constructing an unknown magic. From the tip of her lost right arm, an unprecedented magic circle unfurled, and a light like golden sand erupted. The light quickly converged, transforming into a pure white arm. This sight reminded me of the guardian Teeda. The unknown magic circle was not only on her right arm but also on her right eye and back. Dia’s beautiful blue eyes glowed, one of them. And from her back, particles of magic spewed out like wings.
This was Dia’s true form—and I thought she was the ‘true enemy’.
If I got any closer, I would surely cut down Dia, the enemy.
That much emotion filled my thoughts.
I would cut her down, regardless of my will.
That’s right.
Will has no meaning—
“—How dare you—Aaaaargh!!”
I pierced my own thigh with the sword I was holding.
Then, I sank my body down, plunging the sword into the ground and pinning it.
Dia is the enemy?
No way! She’s the first friend I made after coming to this other world, my companion! I have memories of that! If I recall, I can remember it as if it were yesterday! I’m not ‘normal’ right now! If Dia isn’t an ally, then who is!
I declared to everyone. To everyone, including myself.
“—No, Dia and Rustiara are not enemies! I won’t be deceived anymore!!”
Having my will twisted and played with—that was the most unforgivable thing.
Remembering that, I stirred my heart and repelled the unknown emotions.
I would never again yield to the manipulation of emotions or memories.
I use my anger to suppress my own negative emotions.
I twist the sword I stabbed with, and the pain in my legs overwrites the pain in my head.
Now my body is my own…!
“—Christ!”
Seeing me inflict harm upon myself, Dia’s eyes also lit up with resolve. The light from her glowing eyes vanished, and she grabbed my white right arm with her living left arm. Just as if she had gripped red-hot iron, smoke rose from Dia’s left palm. Nevertheless, Dia did not loosen her grip and proceeded to crush that white arm.
“Christ is my friend! I won’t let you—do—anything more—! —Divine Magic ‘Infeight’!!”
Using all her magic power, she constructed a magic spell and cast a massive divine magic spell on herself. Dia then lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
—Saved.
As Dia fainted, I could feel the negative emotions swelling within me begin to fade. At least, we managed to avoid friendly fire. Simultaneously, I felt my own consciousness fading. Having lost my enemy to fight, my body drained of all strength.
Then, my gaze shifted from Dia to the enemy. There, Aid, unaffected by our suffering, was chanting a new spell.
“—I’m not very good at this, but I can’t afford to hesitate. Curse Technique ‘Gaze Appraisal’.”
A spell name I had heard before. And a magic construction I had felt before. Aid, with a pained expression, ‘gazed’ at me.
“…So that’s how it is.”
Astonished by the result, then convinced, Aid’s expression became resolute after a moment of hesitation.
However, to me, Aid’s change of heart meant nothing. All that mattered was that I had almost been made to fight Dia by magic.
“You guys, all of you, playing with people’s hearts like toys!”
I pulled out the sword I had stabbed and shouted at Aid, who was calmly observing me. With all my might, I threatened the enemy, Aid. In truth, I wanted to attack with my sword. But despite being filled with anger and fighting spirit, my body refused to obey me at all.
A terrifying amount of blood poured from my thigh where the sword had been. The sensation of pain was gone, and my wound even felt cold.
Affected by my fighting spirit, Aid shook his head sadly.
“That is a misunderstanding, Lord Uzunami. I truly only revealed you as you are. This is Lord Uzunami’s truth. …Indeed, I have seen the depths of your heart.”
With those words, Aid dispelled all his magic. The light in the garden vanished, and the enhancements for Rouge and Noir also ceased. Aid seemed to have come to terms with everything on his own. His fighting spirit was gone, replaced by pity.
“Even a shining raw gem cannot become a ‘Reserve King’ like this. It is far too distorted… The only possibility would be the blind girl—”
He glanced at Maria. Maria’s magic surged, intending to protect us from behind.
“—No, let’s not repeat the same mistake.”
Aid quickly averted his gaze from Maria. He looked up, smiling at the blue sky.
“The appraisal is complete. Let’s go, everyone.”
Then, turning his back, he prepared to leave the scene. Maria did not react to his retreating back. Her face was directed forward, but her fiery consciousness was focused on us. She seemed to be calmly prioritizing the safety of her companions.
I couldn’t move either.
My vision was blurry, and my head was spinning. I had lost too much blood. Honestly, I could barely take a step. My consciousness was fading due to the pain in both my body and mind, and I could barely hear voices clearly anymore. Using my sword as a cane, I was barely managing to stay on my feet.
Aid instructed Rouge and Noir to take Shea and Hairi from inside the mansion. Along the way, a displeased Rainer asked Aid.
“H-hey. Are you sure it’s okay to leave them like this?”
“It is all right, Lord Rainer. This is, in a way, the pain of healing. It will subside soon.”
“That’s the pain of healing…?”
“Yes, our guests have temporarily had all magic—external influences—negated, and are confronting their true selves. What I did was simply a Status Ailment recovery magic. Though, it is a special, top-tier product.”
“Well, if it’s really recovery, then it’s fine…”
The Shea Party left us and departed from the mansion. At least, it seemed certain that the threat had withdrawn. The tension eased, and I felt my consciousness fade even further.
My vision sank into a fog. I could no longer discern whose voice was whose.
“—Rather than that, let’s hurry to where the Palinkron Legacy is. We must move quickly—”
In my hazy consciousness, I could hear Aid’s group’s conversation. However, their voices receded, heard only in fragmented pieces.
“—Then, goodbye, everyone. And, Arti. It is good that you are with your beloved this time.”
“—! You, you know Arti…?”
“She was a ‘Reserve King’ like Lord Uzunami. In the end, I never got to use her…—”
After confirming Aid’s group’s departure from the mansion grounds with ‘Dimension,’ I lost consciousness. It seemed I had long passed my mental limit. My vision abruptly turned completely black.
“—Good.”
So, I didn’t know whose gentle voice it was that I heard last.
