I met Hades, the lord of hell.
After receiving souvenirs from the king of hell, it was finally time to return to the surface. He led us outside his mansion.
“Now, go back to the surface.”
The scenery before my eyes distorted and a hole appeared. Beyond it, the landscape of Candy Town spread out.
“Never look back. Just kidding.”
“Thank you for everything.”
Beside me, Hyde and his mother were seeing us off.
“Goodbye, Hiroaki. I guess we’ll meet again in about eighty years.”
“Haha, I suppose so.”
The next time we meet, I hope it will be gentle. We stepped into the hole in space that led to the surface.
I instinctively squinted my eyes at the warm sunlight. A refreshing breeze carried a faint sweet scent under a piercingly blue sky.
We’re finally back. Truly survivors from hell.
When I looked back, the gate to hell had already vanished. I inhaled the surface air into my lungs and looked up at the sky. Several white birds flew overhead. Birds… come to think of it, someone once said we were like migratory birds.
Was it that High Elf named Justal? He was unlikeable, but he might have been right about this. No matter how far apart we were or how scattered, we always returned to the same place and the same time.
Speaking of birds, I have another connection. The card Anakura showed me at the end. I don’t know its true meaning, but that card also depicted a bird. The detour was the right path. All the encounters, actions, and time spent so far were not in vain.
It was a long, long journey. Migratory birds also fly tremendous distances to live in better lands. They face gale-force winds, suffer from hunger, and are targeted by predators. Yet, those who survive reach warm places.
“We’re back.”
“Ah, it seems we’ve accomplished it.”
Sharin smiled contentedly beside me. This is not a dream, but a reality happening before my eyes.
“Hey, who are those people?”
A child’s voice from the side brought my hazy consciousness back to the surface. The small residents of the town looked at us curiously as we suddenly appeared in the middle of town. It seems the purification of the White Rose was successful. The rampaging residents had all returned to their original size.
“Hello there.”
“Aaaah, you guys!!”
As I raised my hand to greet them, a piercing scream filled the air. Applettea, the escort captain, and Melon Cake, the vice-captain, were running towards us. The captain, in particular, was pointing and sprinting at full speed.
“Hello, good work.”
“Gasp, you guys, were you alright?”
They seemed worried despite their labored breathing.
“Well, we’ve managed to survive somehow. What about Lord Nephilim?”
“Lord Nephilim has managed to resurrect and purify the White Rose.”
He’s still as flustered as ever, but he’s a different person from the child he used to be. I’m sure he’s faithfully fulfilling his role as a captain.
“I see, that’s good.”
“And so, Lord Nephilim ordered us to bring you in as soon as you were found. Therefore, come with us.”
We had only just returned to the surface. He walked off without waiting for our opinions. There was nothing else to do but follow so as not to be left behind. The colorful and unique townscape had been utterly destroyed by the demon attack.
Beneath the collapsed houses, the corpses of slain demons still lay uncollected.
“It looks like there’s a lot of cleanup to do.”
“Yes, it was very difficult after you guys disappeared. I gathered the remaining squad members and protected Lord Nephilim with my life.”
That was quite an effort. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the White Rose was resurrected thanks to him.
“It seems many of those Dragonkin also sacrificed themselves.”
“Yes, we lost a significant portion of our fighting strength because of them. They basically fight as individuals, which was their downfall.”
I see, perhaps their strength meant they weren’t good at fighting in groups. Captain Applettea must have unified them.
“I cut down demon after demon as they approached. Along with Melon Cake.”
Melon Cake, walking beside me, had a resigned expression. So, Melon Cake covered the technical aspects. It’s not like one can suddenly become skilled in swordsmanship.
We walked through the ruined town and arrived at a giant castle with a White Rose atop it. Strangely, only that part remained unscathed, as if nothing had happened. Its beautiful walls bore not a single scratch.
“Lord Nephilim is waiting for you at the top.”
