Phosphorescence faintly illuminated the darkness.
In a large room also lit by magic-stone lamps, Fels faced the monsters.
"We're so sorry about all this, Fels. We really put you through so much…"
"Don't say that, Lido. I knew I was taking on a big job when I got involved. To tell the
truth, I was reluctant to do it at first."
"…Damn it, Fels, thank you."
The lizardman stretched out his powerful monster's hand, and Fels shook it with
gloved bones. The other Xenos standing around them joined in with words and mews
and grunts of thanks.
They were in one of the Dungeon's Hidden Villages of the Xenos. Several days had
passed since that long day of battle in the Labyrinth District, and during that time,
Lido and the others had returned safely to this village where their remaining brethren
were waiting.
"Even you made it back, Gros…You really do have the devil's own luck, it seems," Lido
said.
"…Yes, I did fail to die," the gargoyle replied.
"You shouldn't say that!" Rei scolded.
"I sure am glad, Gros!" Wiene said.
Fels watched with deep respect as the monsters chatted among themselves.
After the battle, Lido, Wiene, Gros, and the others had managed to meet up once again.
It was Hestia, Lilly, and their familia members who had brought the winged monsters
to Knossos, and for that they were infinitely grateful. But Hestia Familia insisted that
it was all thanks to the fact that Freya Familia had set its sights on immobilizing Loki
Familia.
Everything had originated in the epic battle between the boy and the minotaur. If even
one thing had gone wrong, the scene before Fels now would not have existed. Not if
Bell and Hestia Familia hadn't been there for them.
"Thank you for healing us all with your magic. You've done so much for us. By the way,
I have a really old magic potion that belonged to an adventurer, if you want it…" Lido
offered.
"That's all right. I'm only bones, so I can't drink it…But Lido, what about him?"
Along with healing the other Xenos, Fels had tended the near-fatal battle wounds of
the minotaur and even restored the severed arm they had preserved on ice. Afterward
Asterios had thanked Fels briefly, but that was all.
"He's returned to the Deep Zone…to train again."
"…I see."
"He said he had to become stronger, to settle things once and for all."
Fels's black robes shook as Lido talked about the minotaur warrior who had found his
dream. The mage was thinking of Bell, who seemed to be the favored child of fate in
both good and bad ways. He truly was a hapless creature.
"…Well then, Lido. I'm off. Ouranos is waiting with more work."
"I understand…Fels!"
"?"
"When you return to the surface, please tell Bell…"
"…"
"…No, it's nothing. I want to tell him myself. After all, I did promise," Lido said, a
wrinkly smile forming on his lizard's face.
"Yes, that would be better." Fels nodded.
"Fels!"
"What is it, Wiene?"
"See you soon! Next time, I hope Bell is with us, too!" she said, beaming.
"…Yes, see you," Fels replied, with a pang of regret at being unable to smile back at the
group of Xenos gathered to say good-bye.
Though the inability to smile at the world that Bell and Hestia Familia had saved was
frustrating, however, the distress was tempered with just a hint of thankfulness that a
skeleton's eyes could not shed tears, either.
Far away from the Dungeon, the chaos on the surface continued for a time.
The cleanup work in Daedalus Street was a prime example. Slum though it was, repair
work was carried out with the utmost urgency so that the evacuees could return
home. There were endless tasks to accomplish, from setting up temporary tent
facilities to dispatching adventurers and Guild staff to calming the residents. The one
bright spot was that the townsfolk were greatly comforted by Loki Familia's assistance
with the efforts. The Guild chief Royman, however, was rumored to be drowning under
the ever-growing mountain of problems, starting with the ongoing reconstruction of
the Pleasure Quarter.
Meanwhile, false information was spreading about the fate of the monsters who had
appeared on the surface.
People said that while Bell Cranell had been battling the violent black minotaur, Loki
Familia had exterminated the others. In fact, the rumors were started on the orders of
Ouranos, who knew the whole story. Even Royman did not know all the details about
this secret agreement to spread misinformation. Surprisingly, however, Loki Familia—
whose pride had been wounded during the incident—did not oppose the scheme.
Various faction members and first-tier adventurers had their own opinions about it,
but they accepted the Guild's negotiations and announcements. Fake drop items,
supposedly from monsters with bounties on their heads, were displayed in front of
Guild Headquarters, drawing bitter tears from the other adventurers. The deities
pretended to grieve deeply, and the townsfolk were relieved.
As for the boy who was at the center of all this—
"It's not as if everything is back to normal, but I do feel Bell has salvaged his reputation
among the children. It was just like the war game at the end there."
"Is that so?" the aged god said.
Hermes was sitting before Ouranos giving a report on the recent events.
Once again, Hermes was carving chunks of wood as he sat on the altar illuminated by
four torches.
"Even though Bell let the minotaur get away, many people are praising him. That fight
seems to have had an enormous impact."
Hermes shrugged as he mentioned the boy's adventure, which of course was very
familiar to him. At the very least, no one was disparaging Bell anymore. The young
children would probably even look up to their little hero. The other adventurers most
likely regarded him with awe and respect and had finally accepted him as one of them.
That was how intense the battle with the minotaur had been.
Asterios had no ulterior motives. He knew nothing of Bell's reputation. All he sought
was a rematch with his old opponent.
The end result of his actions, however, was that the adventurers and townsfolk had
witnessed with their own eyes his iron-strong will to fight and kill. It was, without
question, the real thing.
Hermes set the finished carving of Asterios and his double-edged sword on the
chessboard next to the rabbit.
"…I was outwitted this time. I was taken in. If Freya was the one who had me in the
palm of her hand, then she probably feels satisfied, but…"
Hermes glanced at the carved minotaur and smiled with irritation. Then he stood,
brushed his hands together, and turned toward Ouranos on his throne.
"Well, my report is done. Did you have any questions?"
"…Can I count on your help next time?"
"If you can promise me that Bell won't get wrapped up with the Xenos again, then I
will continue to help you for the time being. Now that the existence of Knossos has
become public, there's no use in us quarreling. But let me ask you—do you feel okay
about everything?"
"With Zeus and Hera gone, the military forces at my command are limited. I don't have
much choice," Ouranos replied in a businesslike manner. He was playing the role of a
pillar of stability and public peace.
"I understand," Hermes said, raising both hands. "Hestia and Bell may well dislike me
after all that's happened. For now, I'll keep my head down and act in good faith."
"…"
"—All the same, this hasn't changed my plans."
He intended to keep acting in the interest of his hero.
He donned his traveling cap, which he had been holding between his hands. The look
in his yellow-orange eyes seemed to be telling Ouranos that they may well butt heads
again in the future.
"Please excuse me. If I stay any longer, I fear I will provoke your antipathy once again."
With that, Hermes exited the Chamber of Prayers and climbed the stairs to the surface.
A short time later, a sound issued from the hidden door to the other, secret passage
leading to the chamber. Fels emerged from the shadows.
"I'm back, Ouranos…Was someone here?" the mage said, looking at the chessboard set
before the altar.
"Hermes came by."
Although Fels had no face to show emotion, the sullen pause that followed was
revealing enough. After a moment, the black hood trembled as if Fels was sighing.
"I accompanied the Xenos safely back to their village. No lives were lost during the
disturbance on the surface."
"Is that so?"
Fels looked up into the god's eyes, as blue as the sky.
"Of course, we were not able to demonstrate the value of the Xenos's existence. The
problems between them and the surface dwellers have in no way been resolved. The
road remains long and rough," Ouranos said.
"With the recent events, their dream may have become even less realistic," the blackclad mage replied frankly.
"But there were definite benefits as well."
Fels nodded at the words of the aged god.
"God Hermes seems unlikely to accept the Xenos…but I choose the same path as him,
Ouranos."
Many different emotions flickered in the voice echoing through the chamber. The
immortal fool, flesh and skin long since gone, spoke to the flickering flames of the
torches.
"I, too, will bet everything on the boy."
"Little Rookie Miraculously Returns Alive!…The Adventurer Who Stood Alone Against the
Monster…I can't stand these fickle people!"
Welf gazed down at the unfurled scrolls and sighed as if he'd had all he could take.
"Isn't it a good thing, Sir Welf? The misconceptions about Bell have been fixed now,"
Mikoto said.
"And people around town aren't giving us the cold shoulder anymore. You seem to feel
like you owe them something…but that will fade with time," Haruhime added in an
attempt to comfort her companion, who was reading the headlines of the news
bulletins circulating in the city.
Now that Hestia Familia had accomplished what needed to be done, free from the
tension of the past few days, they were relaxing together in the living room of their
home.
"The adventurers who were watching Mr. Bell and me have completely disappeared
since everything ended, too," Lilly said, gazing out the window of the large room.
"Yes, and I was sure that everything of value would be gone when we came back…but
we weren't robbed after all," Hestia replied from the sofa.
After delivering the last of the Xenos to Knossos, when all their work was truly done,
they had returned home expecting to find the doors and windows destroyed—but that
was not the case. Someone did seem to have broken in and searched the place, but
there was no sign of rough behavior. Nor was any of their important property damaged
or missing. It was as if some exceedingly strong familia had been keeping an eye on
things.
"So now things are back to normal…"
"…except they aren't."
Mikoto finished Lilly's sentence. Their eyes scanned the living room slowly for the
shadow of the dragon girl. Even Lilly could not hide her longing for the girl who was
missing from the warm family circle. After a moment, everyone in the living room
looked at Haruhime.
"Are you okay, Haruhime?" Hestia asked.
"…Yes. We'll meet again," she answered with a bright smile. "We promised each other."
Mikoto watched the renart girl hug her pinkie quietly to her chest. Everything was
over and their worries were gone, but their hope remained.
A very modest sense of fulfillment descended on the little familia.
"But there's still Bell to think about…"
Welf's voice echoed across the living room, where the boy was nowhere to be found.
Haruhime and Mikoto looked at each other, and Lilly turned to Hestia.
"Lady Hestia. Is Mr. Bell…?"
"…Yes."
Hestia looked away from Lilly and stared up at the ceiling, narrowing her pale-blue
eyes.
"Today, too…" she muttered.
The wind was blowing.
A morning wind from the blue eastern sky.
Bell felt the cool breeze rush over him as he stood on the high city wall. He was looking
out quietly on the center of the city and the huge limestone tower.
Eventually, the sunrise lit up the clear sky. It glinted off golden hair.
A girl had come to stand beside him.
"Miss Aiz…?"
"Yes…Good morning."
"…Why are you here?"
"I'm not sure…I guess I thought if I came, I might find you."
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
"Miss Aiz."
"?"
"Will you teach me how to fight again?"
"…Even after what happened?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
"…You're a sly one."
"…I'm sorry."
"…"
"…"
"…All right."
"…Really?"
"Yes…You have the same eyes."
"?"
"The ones I always see in the mirror."
"…"
"Yes…but they're different…They're not strange like mine. They're more beautiful."
"…Ha-ha."
"…Why are you laughing?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"…"
"…"
"I…have some things to take care of, so I'm not sure when I can do it."
"That's okay…Thank you."
"Not at all."
"…"
"…"
"Miss Aiz."
"What?"
"I…want to become stronger."
"…Really."
"Yes."
"I'm going now."
"…See you."
"Okay."
His golden idol disappeared beyond the sunrise.
For once, he did not watch her back as she left.
Instead, he was looking far into the distance.
He was focused on the limestone tower that touched the heavens—and the
underground maze sleeping below it.
At the Dungeon where his promises and his final battle waited.
"…"
He squeezed his throbbing pinkie and thought about the lingering pain of his wounds.
He repeated his vow to the sunrise, then turned his back on the appointed place.
And so the boy starts running once again.