In Nosfy’s room, the two of us were alone at night.
Listening to her kind and thorough explanation, I finally finished hearing the story of Nosfy Fuziaze, from her birth to the present day.
I learned that she was a “Magic Stone Human” born while I was away on my journey, and that we were genetically connected.
“So… you’re the child of myself and Hidaki… is that what this is all about?”
“Y-yes! I am your—”
“—Do you expect me to believe that!!”
Naturally, I raised my voice and rejected everything outright. The existence of Nosfy, her upbringing and circumstances, and today’s wedding ceremony—none of it was acceptable. It was too absurd; I couldn’t help but hold my head and even let out a laugh.
“H-haha, hahahaha… What is this supposed to be…? What kind of trap is this…?”
Trap—In other words, I concluded that I was currently under an enemy’s attack.
Given that my last clear memory was the battle with Apostle Sis, it was natural to consider this situation as an extension of that.
To my reaction, Nosfy looked confused but pleaded with me to calm down.
“Lord Uzun, it is not a trap… Please, listen to my story carefully…”
“Ah, I heard you. I understand now too. You’re saying you created a person using my genes while I was gone…? Ah, I understand. I really do! That’s why I’m telling you this!!”
However, I could not calm down.
I roughly swept her hand away, pushing away Nosfy, whom I refused to acknowledge, and yelled at her in a rough voice. Then, I turned my anger towards the Apostle standing in the corner of the room.
“As always, I hate dealing with monsters who don’t understand human hearts! You’re truly skilled at playing with people’s dignity! Haha, it’s almost laughable! Legacy, I’m talking about you!! You guys always, always!! Don’t mess with me!! Don’t mess with me!!”
“L-Lord Uzun…?”
Nosfy completely cowered at my rage, which came from the bottom of my gut.
Seeing that Nosfy could no longer continue the conversation, Legacy decided to take over the dialogue with me.
“…Older Brother, this was necessary for Fuziaze. And, as an excuse, I wasn’t involved in this.”
“That’s not the point! I’m telling you to stop it!! You just stood there and watched, always smirking to yourself!! I already know you find this amusing in your heart!! Ah, damn it! Damn it all!!”
“That… I can only say I’m sorry.”
“You! If you were just going to apologize, you should have—Ah, forget it!! It’s useless talking to you!!”
Legacy spoke each word calmly, but my anger showed no signs of subsiding.
Then, perhaps realizing the futility of discussing ethics with an Apostle, I immediately broke off the conversation. At that moment, Nosfy finally gathered her courage and intervened.
“Um, Father… What are you so upset about…? You’ve finally been saved, haven’t you…? From now on, it’ll be just the two of us, a family of two, living peacefully…”
Nosfy thought to herself.
Aikawa Uzunami had lost to the Apostle. A complete defeat. He had challenged this Other World and was utterly vanquished. It was a total victory for the Apostle.
—Thus, the battles were over.
She genuinely believed that the role of the loser was now to spend the epilogue peacefully in the world created by the victor. However, if such a simple conclusion were possible, I would not have become a “Thief of Principles of Dimensions.”
“You said your name was Nosfy…? To be blunt, I don’t know you at all. I’ve never heard of you. Therefore, you and I have nothing to do with each other.”
“Eh…? Father…?”
“Stop calling me that!! And that appearance too…! An appearance modeled after Hidaki and Tiara… it makes me sick! You resemble them, yet you lack so much! And you think you’re acting human-like with that?! You have no humanity!!”
“I-I’m sorry!… Father—Lord Uzun…”
Nosfy, being berated, apologized fearfully. Facing Nosfy, who lowered her head with the sole desire of not being hated, I cast magic— “Analyze.”
“—Curse Technique (Analyze). Ah, I am a ‘Thief of Principles of Dimensions,’ so I know. You are merely a puppet kneaded from Magic Stone, blood, and flesh, not a proper human… That’s right. A daughter is impossible! How could it be possible!!”
And so, I denied her completely. I severed all connection and refused to acknowledge her existence.
“……!!”
Nosfy’s face contorted in pain. The light she found in the darkness receded. All the colors in the world faded, and the meaning of her existence was lost.
Then, I delivered a further, merciless follow-up.
“‘The number of sins shall revert’ ‘To the projection drawn at that furthest point.’ —Magic (Dimension).”
Even though she had just acted as a proxy for the “Price” of my “Incantation” moments ago, I now uttered the “Incantation” in front of her.
And through that Magic (Dimension), I peered at the situation outside the room. The girl before me was no longer in my sight; I was gathering information with Dimensional Magic to decide my next course of action. Seeing the activation of that magic, Nosfy couldn’t help but speak out.
“W-wait! That ‘Incantation’ is dangerous! Your heart has finally been purified, Lord Uzun!!”
“Hah…? Ah, I know. It erodes the mind, doesn’t it? In my case, it makes it so I can only think of one person—my younger sister… So what? You might not understand, being new, but the ‘Price’ for a ‘Thief of Principles’ is simply paying for what they themselves desired from the start. So, it doesn’t matter how much ‘Price’ I pay…!”
Therefore, she was told not to speak to me, and Nosfy, who approached, was roughly pushed away.
“L-Lord Uzun…”
“Don’t get involved with me anymore. I will never get involved with you again. Even if, by some chance, you were my daughter… we would be happier if we didn’t have any connection.”
“That’s not true…! Absolutely not!”
In response to those words, Nosfy shook her head as if to shake off the tears pooling in her eyes.
She tearfully insisted that her happiness was solely intertwined with Aikawa Uzunami.
Faced with the crying girl, I showed a hint of unease. However, I quickly solidified my resolve and responded with cold words.
“…Either way, Aikawa Uzunami is nearing his end. You have no choice but to forget me.”
With that, I located my own whereabouts using Dimensional Magic and began to walk away as if fleeing. To Nosfy, who tried to cling to me, I left no room for argument, “Don’t follow me,” and headed for the door alone.
As I left, I whispered to myself, as if to reassure myself. Hearing this, Nosfy froze, unable to move.
“I don’t have a daughter… There’s no way I do. There’s no way! What relationship could there be…!”
After leaving the room, I slammed the door shut with force.
Within the reverberation, Nosfy obediently listened to my words and remained in the room.
Nosfy stood still, repeating the words I had just thrown at her in her mind.
Endless words of denial of her existence, spoken by the person she thought was her father and husband. “I don’t know you,” “You’re just a doll kneaded from Magic Stones and flesh and blood,” “You’re not a proper human,” “Don’t involve me anymore,” “I don’t have a daughter,” “There’s no way I do.” Each word was spoken only once, but they all echoed in her mind again and again. They denied Nosfy, over and over.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
She moaned involuntarily, and the tears she had been holding back spilled forth.
Anxiety, fear, impatience, sorrow, despair.
All the darkness of her heart was closing off Nosfy’s world.
In her normal state, Nosfy might have been able to recover. However, she had just taken on various burdens from me.
She had no way to process those negative emotions, and they continued to swell within her.
Her legs naturally faltered, swaying unsteadily as she drifted to a corner of the room.
Legasy, who was watching, hurriedly stopped her.
“Wait, huh? Hey? …Hey! Wait! Are you trying to die!?”
Legasy, who usually didn’t interfere physically, uncharacteristically threw himself in front of Nosfy, bumping into her. Even more uncharacteristically, he desperately pleaded with her in a voice filled with panic.
“Wait! What just happened… was probably the ‘Price’ for the ‘Incantation’! Dimensional Magic has that kind of nature! Kanami’s emotional capacity has been reduced right now, and he can only see one person! His thought options have dwindled so much that he can only choose one path! Think of him as being in an extremely foul mood!!”
“Is that true…? After just one ‘Incantation’…”
“…Yeah, it’s true…”
“Lord Uzun has stained his heart again… So…?”
Nosfy mulled over Legasy’s words, trying to ascertain their truth.
Whether or not Lord Uzun’s ‘Incantation’ had a ‘Price’—that was something she had taken upon herself as a ‘Substitute’.
Her distorted emotional capacity—she probably had less capacity herself right now.
The curse that made her able to see only one person—indeed, she could only see Lord Uzun now.
There was no other choice—yes, she understood that well.
—Now I am the same as Lord Uzun. That’s why I understand so well.
One person.
One person. One person. One person.
She no longer wanted to accept any ending other than being united with『The One and Only Destined Person』.
For that, she needed Lord Uzun. Lord Uzun was here. Lord Uzun, Lord Uzun, Lord Uzun—He was undeniably here. Without Lord Uzun, she couldn’t live. No, from the beginning, she hadn’t even been alive—
Before she could finish her thoughts, she easily reached an answer, and her legs were already moving.
“…Hey. Where do you intend to go?”
Legasy asked, a little fearfully.
“I’m going to chase him.”
Nosfy replied concisely.
Very honestly.
“I now know my true wish.”
She spoke of her lingering desire.
“There are things I understand because I possessed them once. There are feelings I have because I lost them—I’m sure I just wanted Lord Uzun to love me. Just like that child that day, I wanted him to hold my hand. Just once, I wanted him to pat my head. That’s my only wish…”
What continued to pierce Nosfy’s heart was the hospital scene of a parent and child that Legasy had shown her five years ago.
She confessed to the Apostle that she had been searching for that, wandering, fighting, and coming this far, finally now.
Legasy accepted her confession and admitted that things had gone as expected but not as planned.
“Y-Yes… That’s what I wanted to tell you for a long time… But, um, you suddenly became so honest…? It’s so mature that it’s a little surprising…”
Legasy tried to analyze the situation.
He must have been suspicious of Nosfy, whose heart was too pure despite having taken on all the burdens from me when I was in a sleepwalking state.
And after much consideration, Legasy agreed to Nosfy’s departure.
“Anyway, yes… What you should do now is catch Uzun’s Older Brother… That much is certain…”
“Yes, I will chase him.”
As if feeling it was none of his business since he was present, Legasy offered advice unlike himself.
“Northfield… No, Nosfy. Once you catch him, don’t let go… Keep holding him tight. If you don’t, he will undoubtedly run away somewhere again. That’s the kind of person he is.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“Love him, love him, and be loved by him. That is the first right of every human born—that’s what I believe.”
“That is――”
Nosfy, who had been nodding continuously, reacted late to this advice.
“I think that’s a little different. I’ve finally realized my own truth.”
“Truth…?”
“Perhaps, I’m not even born yet…. Still in the womb—not even born into this world. Therefore—”
The conditions are not yet met.
She has not yet been born.
The existence of Nosfy cannot exist.
“Therefore, I cannot die yet.”
The moment she realized she wasn’t born, she was no longer drawn to the sights outside the window. So, she smiled at Legacy, telling him she was alright now.
And then, Nosfy looks forward.
Carrying all the ‘Price’, she still moves forward. She showed the Apostle this as the new way of life for Nosfy Fuziaze.
“Finally… I got to see a face I wanted to see, just a little…”
Legacy, past surprise, showed a smile.
He must not have expected to see such determined eyes today, after shouldering so much emotional trauma as a ‘Substitute’.
“I’m rooting for you. As expected, I like this kind of thing. I’ve also come to understand my own truth. I like seeing hard workers like you strive… ”
He looked enviously at the unique human mechanisms that couldn’t reach the Apostle, and showed a smile befitting his age.
“Lord Legacy, so that’s the kind of person you are. However, I apologize for cutting this short when we’ve finally gotten closer, but I’m going to be busy from now on, so—”
“Ah, it’s fine. Go on. We’ll talk slowly another time. I have things to confirm too, so I’ll be busy from now on.”
“Yes. Then, I’m off. Goodbye, Lord Legacy.”
Having bid farewell, Nosfy left the room with a refreshed expression.
Just before that, she heard Legacy’s muttering voice from behind her.
“—Is this Diplakla’s strategy…? Or the Master’s interference? Who, and why, would push the two this far…? No, in the first place… In the first place. Who decided that Uzunami’s Older Brother would be ‘Dimension’ and Nosfy would be ‘Light’? Certainly, neither of them is suited for those attributes. Yet, how did it come to this? What was the flow of the conversation that day? Remember. Who—at that time, at that place—”
Sitting down on the chair where I was sitting moments ago, Legacy muttered like a detective. He was talking about some very interesting things, but I, who was using ‘Past Sight’ with Nosfy’s hair, couldn’t hear the end of his muttering.
I can only follow Nosfy’s feelings and field of vision.
Inevitably, the scene shifts to Nosfy leaving the room and walking down the corridor of Fuziaze Castle.
She was having a solo debriefing while walking.
“It was me who was wrong earlier… Lord Uzun is not to blame…”
Nosfy, just like Legacy, entered her own world and muttered.
And, terrifyingly, she believed in me who did so much, and was justifying me in her mind. The logic continues like this—
It was me who failed.
That was too sudden. Faced with such pressure, it’s natural to get confused. Knowing Lord Uzun’s situation, I lacked consideration.
It’s my fault. I was scolded because I was a bad child.
A very clear conclusion. Even with the information about family I learned in these five years, there’s nothing strange. And, I know the solution well—
“I’ll be a better child… More obedient, obedient, obedient. If I become an obedient good child, then… then…!!”
Believing that if she became a good child, her father would return,
“—’The dying darkness and the dying light’ ‘equally become the white of unwhitedness’. ‘The dream’s darkness and the dream’s light’ ‘equally become the black of unblackness’—”
Nosfy whispered the ‘Incantation’ of Light.
She could feel her heart being cleansed.
Having used it, Nosfy had realized the true nature of her own ‘Incantation’.
From the recently obtained information that “‘Thief of Principles’ ‘Price’ is simply paying what they originally desired,” there is no mistake. The ‘Price’ of the Light ‘Incantation’ is to eliminate one’s own bad traits and become closer to being a good child. Ah, indeed, there are no problems. As expected, Nosfy reconfirmed that her father was right.
Although she had lost a lot today, she wouldn’t feel scared with this ‘Incantation’.
The light magic, amplified by the ‘Incantation’, enveloped her body, and with the ‘Price’, she could become forward-looking endlessly.
While strengthening her own power, she was now becoming a good child.
She had that feeling.
What a wonderful magic this is…
Light magic is wonderful…
It is a true embodiment of hope for mankind…
Good things await good children.
If you continue to work hard, your wishes will be granted someday.
She could believe this from the bottom of her heart.
She could be sure that this Light would lead the world to peace.
As long as there is Light, there is no room for hesitation.
Forward, forward, forward. She could walk forward endlessly.
“Lord Uzun, I am a good child. I will be a good child… please come back. Your last family is here. This is your true home. Lord Uzun, please… please, me…”
Nosfy muttered, walking along the path I had taken.
If she continues to move forward with such a pure heart, she will eventually reunite with me and understand each other.
Believing so, she continued to whisper the ‘Incantation’ like a curse and disappeared into the dim darkness of the corridor.
—And so, the first day of my encounter with Nosfy ends.
I, who was using ‘Past Sight’, took a breath.
I learned the root of Nosfy’s birth and her obsession with me.
From here, she will repeat her ‘Incantation’ and increase her power as the ‘Thief of the Principles of Light’. On the other hand, I will rely on the Northern ‘Ruling King’ to surely kill Apostle Sis.
Next, in order to retrieve me, who was under the protection of the North, Nosfy privatized the Southern army and started a war.
I know this part from when I saw Titty’s memories.
From now on, Nosfy would try to “Talks” with me countless times, but I would continuously ignore her. Her goodness truly shines through in her overly righteous methods. Instead of relying solely on violence, she speaks to me directly, pleading for me to return somehow.
She truly remained a good girl.
Yet, I kept turning my back and never looked back.
I treated Nosfy as if she “didn’t exist” continuously. In the end, Nosfy was not even given a single glance until the very end—and in consequence, she fought head-on with Titty, the “Ruling King,” and was swallowed by the “Shaka Hōkan Jin.”
—After taking a breath, I once again deployed “Past Sight.”
The memories from that time.
I can now peer into Nosfy’s memories, which have become a part of the Labyrinth.
The “Summon” to a thousand years later is a type of “Memory Convergence.” Observing its intermediate process from a human perspective was somewhat frightening, but there was no option to abandon it for that reason.
The “Shaka Hōkan Jin” dissolves all material substances, breaks them down, and converts them into Magic Power, swallowing them into the earth.
However, souls—only what I am now referring to as “Magic Stones”—cannot be completely broken down.
Nosfy had memories of spending several months in a state of soul only.
I will observe that.
It is likely a place somewhat different from the afterlife.
It seems to be a realm reached only by those who have lost their bodies due to the “Shaka Hōkan Jin.” Even though it was several months, their consciousness was almost nonexistent, making it feel like an instant.
There, Nosfy, as a soul alone, would come into contact with me, who had conceived of the “Labyrinth Plan.”
The plan was to make the “Thieves of Principles” who participated in the war into Labyrinth bosses and “Summon” them to the world. I have memories of reporting the overview of this plan to the soul in the earth through “Connection,” albeit unilaterally. Nosfy, as a soul alone, could not respond, but she could convey her acceptance. She likely explained to other “Thieves of Principles” in a similar manner and obtained their consent.
In this way, Nosfy’s body would be decomposed once and then undergo a process of reconstruction.
A thousand years ago, I predicted that this would repair all of Nosfy’s psychological trauma.
This is because I had set up the magic so that her status screen would become a completely healthy, blank state when her body was constructed upon being “Summoned” into the Labyrinth.
Of course, that plan did not go as intended.
Certainly, simple mental interference by Magic would recover once the body was reconstructed. This is natural, as it is equivalent to applying the highest version of Magic《Cure Fool》 or Magic《Remove》.
However, the “Price” of an “Incantation” is different.
While superficial wounds can be healed, the fundamental emotional scars cannot be cured.
What can heal those wounds is not Magic or Curse Techniques. Only the words exchanged between people—a thousand years ago, I, who couldn’t save even a single “Thief of Principles,” wasn’t aware of such a simple fact.
Due to these circumstances, Nosfy is sent to a thousand years later believing everything is healed, while her fundamental emotional wounds remain uncured.
She was assigned the sixtieth floor of the Labyrinth.
Upon being “Summoned” a thousand years later, the first person I met was myself from a thousand years ago, with no memories. I was desperately fighting against Titty, only thinking of moving from the “Past” to the “Future.”
There, I made her… introduce herself yet again, for the umpteenth time.
I can clearly recall her appearance and voice at that time.
“—I understand. Then, please allow me to introduce myself one more time. My name is Nosfy—”
One more time.
Believing this to be the last, Nosfy declared herself to be Nosfy on the sixtieth floor.
Looking back now, Nosfy chose her words carefully when we reunited. Being the kind person she is, she likely thought it best not to dredge up the painful parts from a thousand years ago, out of consideration for me.
Having regained some composure, Nosfy probably tried to “Talks” with me cautiously, learning from her mistakes a thousand years ago, not too abruptly, but slowly.
However, in response to Nosfy’s kindness, I kept my distance.
I recoiled at being called “wife” and, simply by being a “Thief of Principles,” treated her as a provisional enemy. Towards Nosfy, who had been so亲身-involved with me, I repeatedly spoke thoughtlessly, treated her like a monster, pushed away the approaching her, pushed her away, and refused to look at her.
How much did that behavior hurt Nosfy?
She probably couldn’t sleep at night for fear of being treated as an “absent child” again.
Yet, Nosfy didn’t know what to do. She had already experienced in the past thousand years that no matter how good a girl she was, she would ultimately be unrewarded. She must have spent her nights questioning herself if this was the right way to be.
And then, cornered, she took action.
That was the night raid during our time in the Labyrinth. That night raid… kind of thing.
In any case, Nosfy’s mental trauma was continuously stimulated, and in her confusion, she went berserk, seeking “proof” of her “Connection” with me. She desired the “proof of existence” that Titty and Aid had sought.
I refused that.
Even in the world a thousand years later, Nosfy was rejected by me.
Naturally, Nosfy despaired.
However, though she despaired, she realized something.
Her rejection was a rejection, but she noticed a difference compared to a thousand years ago.
A thousand years ago, I continuously avoided Nosfy with a blank expression.
But, on this night, my face was contorted to its limit. My mind was filled with thoughts of Nosfy; I agonized and agonized—and, in the end, I answered.
From that fact, Nosfy realized her own “Lingering Desire” in a distorted form.
My father was so distant when I was a good child. But when I acted out and said reckless things, he cared for me so much. I’m definitely a bad child right now… yet he’s looking at me so much. I feel alive.
I found out.
And in a twisted way, I also learned how to fulfill that lingering desire.
If I cause trouble, he’ll properly look at me.
As long as I’m looked at, that’s all I need. I can be happy.
That’s what I thought.
The reason Nosfy acted provocatively towards me was because she wanted to trouble me and somehow get me to turn my attention to her—that’s all there was to it.
Past Sight is nearing its end, and the answers I wanted to know are coming one after another.
Nosfy always lived for everyone.
She’s a truly kind girl. Her purity meant that being called the “Saint” was no exaggeration.
And I was the one who first broke her heart.
I pushed all the burdens of my heart onto her and ran away without so much as a word of thanks.
Furthermore, I continued to ignore her until her death, killing her in despair. The me of a thousand years later callously forgot this fact and shamelessly spoke of discarding the past and living in the future before her.
In the world a thousand years later, Nosfy made peace with her former enemy, the Ruling King. By talking often, she realized how many similarities they had and finally became friends… but I was the one who took that friend away from her.
At that time, Nosfy was probably genuinely trying to fulfill Titty’s wish. However, I didn’t believe her at all and, in the end, cut her down with “Beloved Flash.”
Looking back at the events in the Great Holy Capital now, I can see things I couldn’t before.
The barrier placed in the Great Holy Capital was undoubtedly enriching the country.
Although she was manipulating my acquaintances and friends, they all seemed to be thriving. Perhaps she was simply making their hearts “honest” and allowing them to do what they truly wanted. Arti’s magic cast on Dia and the others was similar.
In the end, thanks to Nosfy, everyone became happy.
And she, appearing in the town’s market in their stead, was troubled by the unexpected turn of events and her face contorted severely.
Nosfy’s original plan to trouble me was probably much more cruel and ruthless. But being the good-natured person she is, she altered the plan to accommodate everyone’s requests, creating loopholes everywhere.
The meaning behind Nosfy’s actions began to connect one after another.
Conversely, I also began to see many of my own mistakes.
It’s just as Ragune-chan said.
I unconsciously understood this mistake and had been too afraid to accept it for so long.
If only I weren’t involved, Nosfy could be happy—that’s absolutely not true.
How much that attitude pushed her to the brink…
I need to go see her quickly.
I need to meet her properly and have a proper “Talk” this time. Apologizing for everything I’ve done is a given. On top of that, I need to extend my hand to her.
I have to save Nosfy.
In the end, that’s everything I gained from this Past Sight—
Now, all the problems are finally sorted out.
I’ve determined that no further Past Sight is necessary, and I begin to unravel the magic, Dimensional War Calculation “Prologue.”
However, during the brief moment I return from that “past” to the “present,” I feel a strong sense of regret.
What I did to Nosfy is what I once received.
That’s right.
Like her—
My father never looked at me.
That’s why I know that pain. I know that loneliness. I know that frustration.
And yet, I was repeating the same thing.
Self-loathing accelerated endlessly.
I wanted to bite my lips until they bled. I wanted to cut the veins in my arms. I wanted to rip off my scalp.
At the end of that self-hatred, a certain memory flashed through my mind.
It was a luxury apartment within the high-rise buildings where I spent my childhood.
Inside, in that usual, sterile room. The window, where the pouring rain beat against it, was part of the scene.
My father standing by the window, and my childhood self watching his back. Me, wishing my father would look at me, unable to call out to him, just watching from afar.
That nostalgic yet painful memory from the past.
There, I continue to watch my father.
I’m literally just watching.
I’ve been watching for a long, long time.
Every day, I watched my father’s back.
Every day, every day, every day, every day.
Every day, every day, every day, every day, every day, I kept watching my father—
—I think there was one time he turned around.
Come to think of it, my father, who had been treating me as if I didn’t exist for so long, looked at me once out of the blue…
What kind of expression did he have then…?
What did he say, with what kind of face…?
As I tried to delve deeper into Past Sight to see that, I realized I was currently viewing Nosfy’s past.
Within Nosfy’s Past Sight, somehow, my childhood self is present.
And my father is there too.
—Why?
Furthermore, my father then turned around and looked at me.
He moved his lips and even spoke to me.
I try to recall his words and expression at that moment, but I can’t remember them, even though I’m on the verge of it. The world is dark, and the darkness swallows sound. Although the magic should be perfect, the memory isn’t replaying cleanly. Far from monochrome, it’s faded, murky, and hazy.
—Why am I remembering this memory now…?
Before my question is answered, the magic, Dimensional War Calculation “Prologue,” is interrupted.
As if a switch was flipped, I’m pulled away from that nostalgic room.
And I return.
From the world of memory, back to the original Another World.
I’m returned to the vicinity of a certain house in the Underground City of the Great Holy Capital—
