Terence's 「Home」 was equipped with all sorts of things. Part of the space even served as a workshop, so there was no difficulty in constructing a hot air balloon.
"…So, at that crucial moment when the door opened in front of the butcher, Shion shouted 'Go——!'"
Since Terence himself aspired to be a mechanic and alchemist, he was more than sufficient as Elise's assistant.
"He sent us all out and locked himself in the hospital…"
The problem was his incessant chatter.
In the hospital, Shion faced the butcher, it was a heroic appearance…
"Could you please be quiet? We're almost done."
"Ah, yes."
Terence zipped his mouth shut.
Anyway, Elise completed the Magic Spell catalyst.
It was a scroll that connected 22 「top-grade gray beads」 as a mana substitute to the 「Telekinetic Field」 engraved on the hide of a beast.
If this is activated inside the hot air balloon, we can be free from the blizzard for 10 minutes. Then, we lift the hot air balloon as high as possible and get carried away by the blizzard to escape this snowy mountain-
-that's the final plan.
"How's it going over there?"
Elise looked towards Shion.
"Done here too."
He made a circle with his fingers.
The balloon—'envelope' part of the hot air balloon was made by tanning the beast's skin, the heater used the Magic Spell 「Fire: Ascending Ignition」, and the passenger compartment was a lightweight yet sturdy and spacious wooden basket.
"We don't have time to waste now."
Elise looked at her smartwatch.
After gathering materials and making them, the remaining time was exactly 42 hours.
"Alright. Let's go right away."
The intensity of the blizzard should have reduced by now, so they stepped outside the 「Home」.
Whooosh-!
The blizzard was still raging. In it, Elise first activated 「Telekinetic Field」 scroll as a catalyst.
Grrrrr──.
A shield-like field spread within a 50m radius, blocking the blizzard.
The party of Shion and Terence laid the envelope on the ground. Elise lifted it telekinetically to mount it on the heater and activated the Magic Spell 「Fire: Rise Ignite」.
Kwaaaa─!
Flames soared, and the envelope inflated like a balloon being filled with air.
"Let's get on now."
When the preparations seemed sufficient, Shion said.
All six of them climbed into the passenger compartment.
Whooosh——.
Gradually, the entire balloon began to ascend.
The 「Telekinetic Field」 that Elise had deployed also moved according to the vector of the hot air balloon.
"Oh, oh! We're lifting off!"
"Nice!"
"Amazing!"
Once they reached a suitable altitude, Terence quickly retrieved his 「Home」
"...."
Elise looked down from above.
The ground was receding. The sky was getting closer.
Suddenly, her limbs felt weak. Her breath seemed slightly stifled.
"Don't worry. This hot air balloon, it won't break."
Shion's assurance lacked any foundation. Elise crossed her arms and pretended to be calm.
"Even if it breaks, I can survive alone. .... But why won't it break?"
"It's in an upgraded state now."
"...."
She didn't understand what he was saying.
Sometimes, he speaks incomprehensibly.
But she decided not to force herself to understand.
She just needed to accept things as they were.
Anyway, the hot air balloon is still ascending. Probably until the 「Telekinetic Field」 disappears.
"…Wow, we're really high up, aren't we?"
Terence spoke, clinging to the basket. The hot air balloon had just breached 700 meters in the air within 5 minutes.
Elise spoke.
"The 'Telekinetic Field' will dissipate soon. Everyone, hold onto something."
From now on, we just need to let ourselves be swept away.
Like a paper airplane riding the wind.
Of course, Elise will continue to adjust the coordinates with her delicate telekinetic control. We could get caught in an air current, spin in place, and crash.
To prevent that, Elise needs to concentrate, and to concentrate, she needs something to hold onto…
Kwa───!
Suddenly, the zone disintegrated. A blizzard rushed in again. The entire hot air balloon shook as if in an earthquake. Unconsciously, Elise grabbed onto Shion next to her.
Kududududu────!
The violent turbulence shook the basket back and forth. The hot air balloon soared at a steep speed, leaving the snow-capped mountains below.
Terence's party members were trembling, and Elise's heart was pounding, but…
"Oh, wow. What's this? Oh~ Oh~"
Shion seemed to be enjoying himself. Excitedly, he stuck his face out of the basket.
She was scared to death.
Elise looked up at him, slightly annoyed.
"Could you be quiet-"
"Isn't it fun?"
He said, smiling. His face, full of smiles, was suddenly right in front of her.
"…"
Elise's eyes wavered slightly.
She felt a bit dazed.
Suddenly, she remembered what he had said today.
─I wanted to win at least once, so I did it do or die. I don't have parents…
He had no mother from the time he was born.
His father died when he was five, suffering from brain tumors and leukemia one after another.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what his life was like, but probably…
He had no one to lean on all this time.
There was no joy to be found.
"…"
Of course, he's just enjoying this moment, having fun like riding a roller coaster, and she might be overthinking it.
But…
Is this sympathy? Is this compassion?
Why was she feeling this emotion that had no answer only now?
───!
Suddenly, a snowball rushed in like a bomb. The basket rocked violently. The basket almost flipped over. Elise bumped her forehead into Shion's chest.
"Hey, hey. Focus on your telekinesis."
Shion said. Elise blinked and straightened her posture.
She was almost in his arms.
"I, I've got it. I'll do it."
She quickly straightened herself up, a burst of snow chilled her flushed cheeks, and covered the entire hot air balloon with a telekinetic barrier.
───.
The vibrations gradually subsided. The hot air balloon moved forward, cutting through the void like a ship with its sails spread.
Within a relatively stable apparatus, it took no more than 20 minutes.
The blizzard that had been gradually weakening finally ceased, and the Magic Spell propelling the hot air balloon also exhausted its efficacy.
"We're about to crash soon."
As Elise said this, the hot air balloon landed as if it had crashed.
______________________________________________________________________
At the edge of a snow-covered cliff, the hot air balloon had fallen, caught in a tree. From there, I was looking at another stage filled with the horizon.
"…It's a maze."
A real maze.
A vast maze where walls of deep red rectangles form geometric shapes and continue endlessly.
"Hmm…"
Elise also sighed next to me. I glanced at her and asked Terence's party behind us.
"You're going too, right?"
"Huh? Oh, us? We…"
Terence scratched his hair and laughed awkwardly.
"Hehe. Actually, we talked about it amongst ourselves. We're satisfied with just getting here."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. We wouldn't have been able to conquer the snowy mountain without you and Elise, right? It feels like we're imposing if we expect more, and thanks to you, we've achieved much higher results than we expected."
Terence and his party members took off their backpacks one by one.
"Here. We've packed all the remaining food and ingredients. Elise and Shion, take two each. You should be able to hold out for at least two days."
"Um… Okay. Thanks."
I looked at Elise. Elise also nodded at Terence's party.
"You've worked hard. I'll remember your help."
Indeed, the demeanor of a noble praising the common people. Her very gestures exude elegance and dignity.
"Oh, yes! It's an honor! Then, take care! Take care, Shion!"
"Make sure you get into the top 10!"
"Thank you~"
"Shion, who beat Gerkhen! Cheers!"
Terence's party waved at us. Then they looked at each other and operated the smart watches on their wrists.
Pop-! Pop-! Pop-! Pop-!
Creating small clusters of light, they disappeared.
They had ended the evaluation test, leaving only their coordinates behind.
"Are you going to continue?"
Elise asked.
"Of course."
I was about to use the SZX-9500 to understand the structure of the maze from above, when…
"Oh, right. Do you have an R-elix?"
I suddenly became curious.
She might know more about R-elix than I do, a returnee.
Elise giggled.
"Suddenly, what's this about R-elix?"
"Just. Get one when you go to college."
"…What do you mean, get one? I have a family R-elix. I just haven't implanted it yet."
Like this, children from wealthy families usually don't implant an R-elix until they become full adults. They delay it until their Magic Body is fully developed, and they can freely operate One Belt, Four Lines.
Because R-elix is not a case of the more, the merrier.
On the contrary, if implanted too chaotically, R-elixes can collide, leading to cross-talk.
"So, you have a Grade A R-elix?"
"Well… Are you asking if my father is dead?"
"No. Are you crazy?"
The position of the family head—the head of the household—is also an important reason.
When the owner of an R-elix dies, it naturally gets expelled from the body, and all of them are to be inherited by the next head of the household.
"…So. Listen."
Elise moved her fingers in the air and looked back at me.
"We don't have time to waste anymore. So-"
"Our party ends here, right?"
I said that. Elise's lips stiffened.
"…"
She froze in that position.
Without any expression, she just stared at me, then nodded her head, as if a thread had unraveled.
"…That's right."
"Okay. Take care. I'll stay here a bit longer."
I waved my hand.
"…Alright."
Elise, exhaling softly, trudged down the mountain path.
She stopped to look back at me once, then towards the maze.
She stopped again to glance back, then towards the maze.
Meanwhile, I turned on the SZX-9500 while standing on the cliff, surveying the entire maze.
I planned to move after memorizing the entire structure.
"It's hard to see."
Even with the SZX-9500, it's a bit difficult.
I can see the beginning of the maze quite well. There are rest areas in the maze, and there are traps.
But as you go further, tall plants grow, and fog covers the ceiling, making it impossible to observe from here.
"…I'll have to go and see."
After adequately storing the structure in the 「Notepad」, I descended the snowy mountain.
When I arrived at the entrance of the maze, several teams had already gathered.
"The Elites."
Even from a distance, their faces are familiar.
From James, Brown, who I had performed a play with before, to Mel, Curio, and other top students from the Magic High School, and Elise, who had somehow formed a team with her friends.
They were having various conversations in front of the entrance.
I walked over quietly.
─Oh? It's Shion!
Suddenly, Layla pointed at me. She has good eyes.
In an instant, everyone there, including Elise, who had just parted ways, looked at me.
It was awkward.
I immediately entered the maze.
─Eh, Shion! It's dangerous to go in right away!
I ignored her.
The beginning of the maze had green walls. They were grand, probably about 20m high, but I 3D-ized my location itself.
In other words─ I turned on the mini-map of the [Dungeon System].
My mini-map is different from ordinary mini-maps. The terrain and objects are very finely distinguished, so it's very useful.
"I just have to go…."
I walked through the maze as I had memorized. Thanks to the 「Notepad」, there was no need to hesitate. There was no blockage at all.
As I advanced briskly, the walls that were green became red, and the scenery itself became much darker.
Then, at one moment.
Swoosh——.
The sound of a fluid brushing against tree branches echoed. The smell that filled the air was strange.
I abruptly stopped.
Lowered my stance.
Slowed my pace.
I proceeded as slowly as possible.
It wasn't difficult. Stealth, infiltration, and evasion had been my specialties even before my regression.
Anyway, if I walk a little further from here, the rest area I had seen in advance will appear.
"…There it is."
Rest area.
I'm not sure if it's a rest area yet, but anyway, some building in the corner of the maze has been discovered.
Just in case, I scanned the inside with the SZX-9500.
"…"
My body stiffened.
It wasn't a rest area.
It was some kind of prison-like place.
The entire wall was blocked by a double window of magic barriers and iron bars, and inside there was someone…?
"What the…"
I inadvertently blurted out. I got up and approached the place.
"…Isn't it?"
As I got closer, it became clearer. A smile naturally formed on my lips.
"Hey."
Just because this situation didn't suit this guy at all. It was the first time I saw him trapped somewhere.
"Why are you in there?"
Inside the prison, there was a man looking at me with a slightly bruised ego.
─….
Without uttering a word, a man whose dawn-colored eyes were shining in the darkness of the cell.
Trapped in a nice way── Gerkhen Kal Doon.
"Oh my. You got caught by someone while walking?"
He moved his lips silently.
─Escape.
"Escape?"
It was the moment I asked back.
Swoosh——!
A flash of light poured in from the right side of the maze.
Gerkhen Kal Doon tightly closed his eyes.
I also closed my eyes and then opened them.
"…"
─….
Nothing happened. Gerkhen Kal Doon smirked at me, who stood outside the cell, and I spoke to him, who stood inside the cell.
"What is this?"
Swoosh——!
The flash of light poured in again.
Gerkhen Kal Doon tightly closed his eyes.
I also closed my eyes and then opened them.
"…"
─….
It was the same this time.
I was fine, but Gerkhen Kal Doon alone widened his eyes in surprise.
I asked calmly.
"What is it?"