"――Well then, Rir, Enne. Operation [Welcome back to the ground world] is now underway."
"Kuu."
[…hmm]
"Well, this is an operation to return the Asura Golem we buried in the underground world to the surface. There is no meaning to this operation…I just want to do it. So it's a mission that's going to be carried out."
"Ku, kuuu…"
Rir overflowed with a strained cry as if asking, "Do we really have to do it?"
[…Master, I also prefer to leave it down there. It's just going to be a bother.]
"Kuu."
"Mm, I think it's a bit pitiful to wait for it to slowly decay underground, rather than if it were to be destroyed in a fight."
In the end, that Asura Golem did not become DP until the end of our exploration, so it should technically still be alive.
After all those years of guarding the dungeon, to end up decaying underground… it was a bit pitiful, you know?
I understood what they were thinking.
This was simply my own hypocrisy.
This action meant nothing.
A Golem had no soul, no will, and only moved on a predetermined set of actions.
But…well, why not?
As long as I was satisfied, that was all that mattered.
–And so, deep in the West Area, we set foot.
Last time we visited the west area, I installed a dungeon door there, so it was now just a short walk away to reach.
Of course, this dungeon door was carefully concealed as the West Area was very dangerous.
The dungeon door to the North Area was placed in a remote area that was just a short walk away here, I also placed another dungeon door that led to a path near the East Area.
In the North and East Areas, there were also several dungeon doors that we used to return home, but only I or Rir could find them.
Rir was super smart and knew how to use the dungeon doors I had installed, and since he had the next highest authority over the dungeon after me, he could install the doors on his own.
The Demon Forest was already littered with dungeon doors all over the place.
I had a good grasp of where dungeon doors were placed so far and where they led to, but if I didn't write them down or something soon, I might forget about them one day as their number increased.
Even if I could remember them now, how could I be sure that I would remember them in, let's say, ten years?
I now belong to a long-lived species, and I could live over a hundred or two hundred years, so I should do such things while I have the time.
As we continued onward, relying on the map function, we didn't come in contact with any particular opponents, and eventually the ruins we had seen before came into view in the distance…
"…It's quiet."
"Kuu…"
[…hmm. It should have noticed us by now…]
That Golem would have shot beams all over the place before, but it didn't seem to be on a rampage right now.
Okay, convenient.
I carefully checked the surrounding area, and then I started to remove the [Hardened] ground, after that I set up an explosion trap, which I had used before, to wipe out the soil on the surface.
When I was done, I checked to see if Rir and Enne were ready, then detonated the explosives without hesitation.
The ground exploded, dust shot up into the sky, and then – was followed by a barrage of beams!
It seemed to have noticed us, and rays of light started shooting up into the sky, and a few moments later, the Golem's hands came out from the ground and soon, its body began to emerge.
"Okay, let's get out of here!"
"Kuuuu!"
[…Nnn!]
After confirming this, we immediately activated the dungeon return device and fled the place.
When we eventually arrived at home, I felt a sense of joy welling up in me, and I started laughing.
Enne and Rir were also laughing happily, although neither of them were the type to laugh hard.
◇◇◇
"…and that's why I think it was the origin dragon that turned the forest into the current Demon Forest. However, I don't have any proof of this."
"…I see. It's a questionable possibility, I suppose."
Lefi nodded in agreement to my words.
"Well, even if it wasn't true, it looks like the being there had lived as long as he could, and then died. What remained of the dungeon was only a testament."
"…Hmm. Is that why you seemed so happy?"
I chuckled at the obvious sentiment, something Enne had said to me a while ago.
"Did I look that pleased, to you?"
"Well, I just noticed that you seem to be in a good mood and having more fun than usual."
I thought for a moment before answering, "… I think it's interesting to see how someone could face death, Lefi."
Lefi looked at me, as if she knew I was being serious.
"We are a long-lived species. As such, we will be the last ones to continue living. Everyone else will die first." (Yuki)
"…Yes, that's right. As we are from races with different lifespans, it's inevitable." (Lefi)
"Yeah. But for me, it's a problem I don't want to think about. That my wife and her family will die before I do. That I will live longer than my children. It's a certainty, and unless something goes wrong, it's going to happen someday." (Yuki)
Yes, that time would definitely come someday.
In the words of the Divine Spear Ruin and the Lord of that dungeon… it was inevitable for those that live to decay one day.
No one, not even those who were known as Gods, could escape it.
"But the Lord of that dungeon… did not lament over life, but survived until reaching its inevitable end."
"…"
I smiled and looked at Lefi's face.
"That's what made me happy. I'm sure that being, lived for a long time, and probably died with a smile on its face, while there were many who died before it. It was like he showed me that it was possible to live life to the fullest in that way. So…"
I stopped speaking there when Lefi suddenly said in a serious voice, "Yuki."
"Ah."
"I will always be with you…"
"Oh, but one of us is bound to die first, right?"
"Then I shall live longer. I'll live longer than you, and I'll see you die, and I'll laugh at your grave and say, [Hey, idiot, I've lived longer than you!]"
Her fearless but compassionate smile made my heart warm a little, and I laughed as well.
"…I see. Well, we'll have to see who can live longer. Or rather, I'll be the one to live longer and laugh in front of your grave."
"Fine, we'll see. I'm looking forward to it."
Lefi showed me a compassionate smile, which I loved.
I wondered how many times had Lefi's smile had saved my life?