For a fleeting moment.
Just for a fleeting moment, my eyes met Christ’s.
Then, in the next moment, my body was cleaved in two, and my right arm flew through the air.
A burning pain ignited in the wound, and bright red blood began to pour out.
My life force began to falter as I lost a significant amount of blood.
I could feel my skills, “Life Prolongation” and “Divine Blessing,” working overtime.
However, even this wasn’t enough to counteract the fatal wound—
At that moment, I felt both the terror of the end and the joy of liberation.
Dying is frightening.
But at the same time, a life without a future was also terrifying.
As I fell, my vision blurred and flickered.
I felt as though I saw a scenery from somewhere other than here.
And then, I remembered.
Ah.
Is this… a flashback?
◆◆◆◆◆
…
That’s a story from the past.
A story from the past of an explorer who now calls himself Dia.
I have no name.
From the moment I was born into this world, my mother feared me as a demon, and I was never given a name.
I was born with an immense amount of magic power.
Not just a little bit of magic power.
What a newborn infant possessed was enough to make a normal person feel sick.
Furthermore, my body was different from a human’s; small wings grew on my back.
I was not a normal human, but clearly a different race.
It’s no wonder my parents feared me when such a child was born between a pure human and a human. Thus, I was abandoned by my parents and left at the village church.
Fortunately, my subsequent treatment was good.
The priest called me an “Apostle” and worshipped me.
According to the Revannism, which had become the dominant church on this continent, an “Apostle” was considered a proxy for God. The village priest continuously preached how wonderful I was and raised me with great care.
By the time I was five years old, I was known throughout the village as a miracle-worker.
And, in accordance with the legend passed down in the village, I came to be called “Shis.”
The legend told of the Apostle Shis, a divine messenger who descended from heaven and brought miracles to the suffering poor. The legend’s end stated that the Apostle Shis married a hero, and their descendants were the people of this village—or so they believed.
The villagers continued to call me Shis, expecting miracles from me.
By then, my parents no longer looked at me with fear.
However, they didn’t treat me like their own child, even though I was revered like a god in the village.
—Lost and confused, I fulfilled my duties as an “Apostle.”
I learned Divine Magic from the priest and used its power to heal the injured villagers.
I expiated my own life to create a barrier to ward off the monsters that attacked the village.
I dedicated myself to perfecting my magic, sacrificing sleep for the sake of sick children.
My power was, indeed, a miracle.
Perhaps, as a child, I thought that my efforts would earn me my parents’ recognition.
But my efforts only led to my deification. The villagers began to bow their heads to me, even fearing to look directly at me. My power had reached such an extraordinary level. It didn’t take long for my parents to start bowing to me as well.
The story of the reborn “Apostle Shis” spread throughout various countries.
At the age of ten, I finally began to develop a true sense of self. I realized that my continuous pursuit of magic, lauded and praised as I was, had only isolated me further. But it was all too late.
By then, my parents had been taken from me, my way of life had been stolen, and my neighbors had been lost.
And then, the country began to make moves to seize “Apostle Shis” for themselves.
From then on, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
My birth village was too small to stand against the country.
Using a minor crop failure as an excuse, I was handed over to the country.
Come to think of it, it was from this time that I first keenly felt the unreasonable nature of power—the fact that if someone powerful wanted something, they could have it.
From then on, I drifted from place to place.
At the feudal lord’s mansion, miracles were expected of me. I was paraded as a spectacle for the profit of merchants. I satisfied the curiosity of aristocrats. Finally, I was made to offer prayers before a certain king.
The miracle intended for the poor was only used to enrich the powerful. I began to lose sight of what it meant to be an “Apostle,” as taught by the priest in my hometown.
I no longer knew what I was living for or what I desired.
So, I asked the country for permission to visit my hometown to reconfirm my origins.
—That was this year.
A simple but warm village spread out before me.
Villagers lived strong lives despite their poverty.
Naturally, I went to see the house where I was born.
There, I saw my parents living with looks of unfamiliar smiles.
There was a child holding hands with my parents.
That child was my younger brother. Unbeknownst to me, I had gained a younger brother.
I didn’t know. He was not much younger than me. Yet, I was unaware of his existence.
My brother played like a child.
He particularly loved playing with a sword and often said he wanted to become a knight.
My mother would smile and say, “How dependable.”
My father would smile and say, “If it’s a sword, I’ll teach you.”
They were smiling. “It’s a relief to have a son like you.” “I’ve always wanted to teach my son the sword.” “What a fine boy.” “He’s a strong boy, and in the future, he’ll become a swordsman even better than me.” “Yes, he’s our pride and joy.” “Our prideful child.” “Our child.”
“—What about me?”
A murmur went through the crowd.
That’s why I had to whisper.
“Hey, what about me? I tried my best. I loved fairy tales too, and I wanted to be a cool swordsman… But everyone told me to learn magic, that Apostles perform miracles with Divine Magic. That’s why I desperately learned it. Father, Mother, you said the same thing, didn’t you? So, I… I—”
There were many books in the village.
To pass down many legends, books containing hero tales and fairy tales remained.
The same was true for my home and the church.
While fulfilling my duties as an Apostle, my only form of entertainment was reading.
Or rather, it was the only entertainment in the village. That’s likely why my brother also read them and aspired to be a swordsman just like me.
“Me too, me too—”
Before I knew it, I had appeared before my parents.
Although I had been told to only observe, my body moved on its own.
“S-S-Sir Apostle Shis—?!”
“Why are you here!?”
As soon as my parents saw me, they bowed their heads.
The murmuring crowd’s unease turned into definite sadness.
“Hey, who is that beautiful person?”
My brother didn’t know me.
Presumably, my parents had desperately hidden my existence from him.
They had probably raised him gently, telling him he was an only child.
“W-Well, I… I am your—”
I tried to form words, but
“That is Apostle Shis. An Apostle sent from heaven.”
My mother covered my intended words.
“—!!”
A turmoil of emotions that made me want to die.
The culmination of “my” life, which made me want to reduce everything to ashes.
That was the moment “the me of now” was born.
After that, I defected from the country.
Because I realized from the start that there was no reason for me to serve the country.
I didn’t consider what would happen to that small village after I defected. I didn’t want to consider it.
I learned what I truly wanted.
I wanted to be like that brother.
To be born a boy, grow up reading hero tales, aspire to be a swordsman, and pursue my dreams under the love of my parents. Ultimately, to become a fine knight, a brave sword hero, and return to my parents.
That was what I wanted.
I knew what was necessary to obtain it.
In the end, only the strong could obtain everything.
Money and power attracted what was desired.
I understood this precociously.
And at the same time, it meant it was only a matter of time before the country would seek to reclaim me.
The country knew my usefulness.
I had always been obedient, and that had allowed me to disappear this time. But with the country’s wealth and power, it wouldn’t be long before I was captured.
Until then, I had to obtain money and power.
Money and power to resist with.
—I will set out on a journey.
I will head for the stage of the most dazzling story among the legends I have read.
A giant labyrinth appearing on the continent.
Heroes challenging it.
Encounters and partings with companions.
Approaching hardships.
The gold and treasures that lie beyond.
The glory that will be bestowed.
With my limited knowledge, I chose the labyrinth, a treasure chest.
I embarked on my adventure not as “Apostle Shis,” but as the “Nameless Boy.”
That “Nameless Boy” aims to be a swordsman.
He cannot use “Divine Magic,” which robbed me of what was precious.
He is just an ordinary boy from a fairy tale.
With that, I held a faint dream that perhaps something could be redone.
I walked straight towards the labyrinth on the continent.
Along the way, I encountered thieves and ran away. I was deceived by a guide. A merchant who offered me a hand tried to make me his merchandise. I was nearly eaten by a monster. My money ran out, and I had nothing to eat.
After a long journey, I finally arrived at one of the Labyrinth Allied Nations.
Valt.
It was a bitter journey.
Just reaching it, the harshness of the world had nearly broken my spirit.
“No, that’s not right… I already… I’m already…”
I reconsidered.
Perhaps my spirit had broken from the beginning.
Since then, my heart had rotten away, decomposed, and gone mad.
If I wanted money and power, I should have used Divine Magic. And if I wanted to protect my dreams, I shouldn’t have been fixated on the labyrinth.
My mind had lost its balance.
Foolishly, I wished for both to be achieved.
Ultimately, I realized I was just a child.
I wanted everything.
Greedy, selfish, egocentric, and above all, pathetic.
In a cycle of negativity, my body stopped moving.
I sat down and could no longer stand.
I curled up.
I understood nothing.
Anxiety loosened my tear ducts.
But I couldn’t let them flow.
I couldn’t, but I just couldn’t hold them back—
It was at that moment.
I met him.
A black-haired, black-eyed boy with a burn mark on his neck.
“Hey, are you awake?”
“—!”
I instinctively looked up.
Someone was watching.
Since I wasn’t a “girl,” I couldn’t show tears.
A bit of ridiculous pride spurred me on a little.
Amidst the flickering white crystals in my vision, I resumed my battle as a boy.
Yes.
It was on a cold night when the snow of magic power fell.
◆◆◆◆◆
—With Christ’s face as the last image, the flashback ended.
I returned to reality.
My right arm had been severed—and now, the retaliatory blade of the monster Teeda was about to cut off my neck.
“DIAAAAAA—!!”
However, a battered Christ deflected the blade to protect me.
That slash was sharp—like that of a hero from my dreams.
It was a clash of swords that my eyes could barely follow.
It felt out of place, yet beautiful—and I envied it.
I tried to crawl away to avoid getting in Christ’s way, but realized I only had one arm to lift myself.
At the same time, I spotted my severed right arm, clutching a sword, in my line of sight.
Ah, so this is the ending for “me”…
Hahaha…
If “my” ending was like that, then “my” ending is also like this…
I stared blankly at the pool of blood that was forming from the blood flowing out.
I would die soon if I didn’t receive any treatment.
That was inevitable.
That’s fine.
That’s perfectly fine.
But Christ dying is absolutely unacceptable.
I was the one who dragged Christ, a mere bartender, out here.
I must prevent Christ from dying at all costs.
Therefore, first, I thought I would save Christ with my own life.
However, my life alone wouldn’t be enough to save Christ.
I couldn’t even create an opening for Teeda.
—I have to make a choice.
Dreams are more important than life.
I had always been determined about that.
Then, what about Christ?
My first companion.
The first person who accepted me as Dia.
Although we’ve only known each other for a few days, he gave me so much.
Ah.
In other words—
Dreams are more important than life, but friends have become more important than dreams?
Therefore, I began to construct Divine Magic, which I had sworn never to use again.
The light of magic, which I hated like an enemy, began to generate from within my body.
The familiar magic of “me,” which I had discarded.
The sensation of my spirit being drained whole—repeated countless times.
“—Divine Magic 《Sion》.”
The labyrinth was filled with compressed light spells.
My vision began to darken from the “Price.”
Not yet. I can’t lose consciousness yet.
It’s not over until I defeat that monster called Teeda.
Although he claims to specialize in Mental Magic, I believe his true strength lies in his amorphous body. It needs to be solidified, like Christ’s Ice Magic.
I have plenty of magic for that.
I possess a variety of Divine Magic spells, cultivated since childhood, capable of handling any situation.
Frankly, I don’t have enough composure to calmly select my spells.
Blood isn’t reaching my brain. I have no choice but to rely on instinct.
My vision darkens.
Reality distorts.
Still, I see the enemy.
I will defeat him, even if I die.
That’s all I can think about.
To protect Christ.
To protect Christ.
To protect Christ.
Solely for that purpose, my magic is being constructed beyond my body’s limits.
My dream has been shattered.
But something else gives me the strength to push beyond my limits.
Therefore, “I” absolutely want to protect him.
From the bottom of my heart.
With my life.
I will definitely—
[Skill “Overprotection” has gone berserk]
[A specific emotion is amplified in exchange for a certain emotion of equal intensity]
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Challenge – END
Chapter 2: Towards the End of the Christmas Festival – START
Thank you for reading this far.
