— Leon Greyrat —
"Leon… are you okay?" Roxy said, gently patting my back.
"Yeah, thanks, Roxy," I said, leaning lightly into her side. "But… I'm more than okay."
Mama was there.
Mama was there!
Mama was right there!
We were so close!
"Hey, Leon!" my father said, pulling my collar, making me look up at him. "The hell are you grinnin' for!?"
Oh, was I?
Reaching up to my face, I quickly found the answer.
Ah… I was.
But that made sense.
I was happy, after all.
"Because she's there!" I said, standing up and grabbing his shoulders. "Mama's right there! And she's alive! Mama's alive!"
Seeing my ecstatic expression, my father calmed down slightly.
"What do you mean? They're both trapped in that crystal," he said, eyes narrowing. "We need to go get them right now!"
"Yes, but doesn't this explain it?" I said. "They must have been teleported in there, and since Kishirika could see them, they're alive! Rather than being suffocated, they must be locked in some sort of stasis!"
It explained so much.
Why my mothers didn't move, why they didn't leave the labyrinth, and how they survived for so long.
They were safe, trapped in that crystal since the day of the disaster.
"Mama and Lilia are alive, Father," I said, calming him down. "They're trapped, but they're also safe. We… we found them!"
My father looked into my eyes, and releasing a breath, I could see his anger, agitation, and tension diminish.
"Right… you're right, Leon," he said, shaking his head. "I was getting too antsy… sorry."
I patted his back reassuringly.
It's good to see he's grown.
"I get it… I want to save Mama more than anything, but we can't take too many risks, especially if they're unnecessary," I said calmly.
Though, considering the actions I took as soon as I saw Mama and Lilia, I couldn't really talk.
But at least we got some useful information out of Paul and I's little fight.
"Unnecessary risks?" he said, unsure, with a hint of anger in his tone.
Well, I could understand him.
My smile paired with those words must be pretty infuriating right now, since he didn't understand.
He was an idiot like that, after all.
"Yeah, unnecessary. How do you think she would feel if we saved Mama, only for her to wake up to Rudy, me, or even you dead, just because we pushed ourselves when there was no need?" I said. "We know they're alive and safe, so there's no need to rush. Let's do this properly, Father."
"…Right," he nodded, turning back to the group and bowing his head slightly. "Sorry, for rushing ahead like that… I was being an idiot, even though I'm the leader."
Lina simply shook her head fondly, though, she did give me a look.
It seemed almost… apologetic.
Why was that?
"It's fine, Paul," she said. "And I guess we can see where Leon got his recklessness from. You're both idiots for love."
I didn't really find it fair having my mentality compared to my father's, especially since I had just calmed him down, but I decided to let it go.
There was something more important to do, after all.
"Alright…" I said, sitting back down as Roxy came to my side. "So that… Geese, you said it was a Hydra?"
I began searching our supplies for some new footwear, considering mine had been destroyed.
"Yeah, with those nine heads and dragon-like body, there's no mistaking it," he said before frowning. "But I ain't ever heard of it being able to stop magic. And while it's known to regenerate, a normal Hydra can't do it that fast."
So it was an irregular…
Looking over at Rudy, I saw that he was sitting calmly as he held his chin in thought.
Thinking about it, he never showed much of a reaction, even when they were revealed…
Well, I guess he was more mature than me in some aspects, and it had also been quite a while since he last saw Mama, so it makes sense that he didn't act as reckless as I did.
The thought of my brother, and also my sisters, not having their amazing mother in the forefront of their hearts only motivated me more.
I'd get Mama back, along with Lilia, and then their bonds that had been frayed with time would be mended.
I was sure of it.
However… now that I calmed down and thought about it, I was a bit confused.
The party from before… they had seen Mama and Lilia, right?
How did they see
"I… think I've heard of a monster like this before," Roxy said. "I believe the guardian is a Manatite Hydra. From what I've read, it was a species that was annihilated during the Second Great Human-Demon war, or at least… it was supposed to be… Anyway, it was said that their bodies were covered in scales that absorb mana and that they had incredible healing abilities, so that all lines up."
So it can absorb mana, huh?
…Wait.
"Roxy, does it absorb mana, or nullify it?" I asked.
She turned to me, her face a bit troubled.
"I… am not sure," she said, tilting her head. "Does that really matter?"
"…No, it's fine."
It mattered quite a bit, actually, but I decided to keep that to myself.
If it nullified mana, then magic would be completely useless.
And if it absorbed it, we may be able to overwhelm it.
But if it absorbed mana… I wondered if it could use it?
…Now that's a terrifying thought.
"Okay, so magic is useless… then how do we deal with its regeneration?" I asked. "Father and I cut off nearly all of its heads in a short time, but it still didn't die."
"Well… magic should work at point-blank range, but yes… the regeneration is troubling," Roxy said as she began rapping her fingers against her staff. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
As I cast my gaze across the group, I was met with shaking heads and disappointed faces.
It seemed no one had a way out of this.
Well… I bet if I was fast enough, I might be able to cut them all off at once.
But would that be it?
It would take a lot out of me, and considering the sharp scales, it was quite reckless, but that didn't matter if it was to save Mama.
Wait… how would we save Mama?
"I… may have an idea," Rudy said, speaking up. "If Father and Leon cuts off the heads, I can then sear off the necks, stopping its regeneration."
"Would that work?" Paul asked.
"I… don't know for sure…" Rudy said, looking down in uncertainty. "But I think it's our best bet."
"But how will we do that?" Geese said. "We didn't bring any torches, and my firebombs are only good for explosions, not burning."
"The… scales were what absorbed the mana, correct?" Rudy said. "If it's the Hydra's bare neck, I should be able to use magic on it."
"…Alright," Paul nodded. "Then there's only one way to find out."
Roxy nodded before looking over to me as I stared blankly at the floor, deep in thought.
Saving Mama and Lilia… how would I do that?
They were trapped in that crystal.
Could I cut them out?
And what if I messed with their state of stasis and ended up killing them?
Was it in their lungs? Or was it just surrounding their body?
What-
"Leon," Roxy said, putting her hand on mine. "Is there something wrong?"
Looking up, I saw her eyes shimmering with concern as she slowly rubbed her thumb against my palm.
"Y… Yes," I said, turning my head down. "How… how will I save Mama? She's trapped in there, right?"
"Ah, that," Roxy nodded. "I… think it will be fine after defeating the Hydra. For most labyrinths and dungeons, there are magical items encased in a crystal just like Zenith and Lilia are, and once the guardian is defeated, it liquifies and releases them."
I nodded at her words.
Right… that was a bit reassuring, if it ended up working out that way.
But… that was only talking about magical items, right?
Would a person be the same?
Objects didn't have to breathe, after all.
"I'm certain that Roxy is correct. It will be fine, Leon," Lise said, coming up to me and patting my head. "I… know of a person who was in a similar state as those two, and when they were released from the crystal, they were fi-… they were… alive."
Looking up at her, I saw the same apologetic smile as before, but more importantly, her eyes seemed… truthful.
"They'll be fine?" I asked, my voice trembling a bit.
"…They'll live," she said, nodding as she looked away.
Okay… okay, so that question was answered.
Good.
"So… Father, or rather, Paul and I will cut off the heads. Rudy will sear off the necks of what Paul cuts while I handle my own, and the rest of you will provide support," I said, confirming the plan as everyone nodded. "…Okay, just give me a moment, please."
Seeing everyone nod before sitting down to focus themselves, I closed my eyes.
I needed to concentrate.
My plethora of abilities… I needed to go over everything.
I didn't need every one of my skills and strengths for this, rather, I needed to sift through what was useful for the coming battle and focus on that.
My swordsmanship… that was the most useful thing for this fight.
I needed to ensure my blade was swift, strong, and most importantly, sharp, so that I could cut through those scales without an issue.
In the same vein, I also had my touki. The unique technique of layering that I had acquired from Orsted so long ago.
I had developed it further during my journey through the northern territories, as well as through the Begaritt Continent, and now, it was to the level where there was a noticeable improvement in both my strength and defence when using it.
Like I was now, with my touki and sword, I could definitely cut through that damn guardian.
And so, the last thing was my magic.
Specifically, how I would burn the neck as I cut through.
I had done a similar move for my usual sword style, where I coated my blade in blue flames as I cut through my enemies, leaving a corpse without much of a mess.
But for this… I needed to be better.
Not only was the neck very large, I also needed to cauterize it to a much higher degree, and that wasn't even mentioning how its mana absorption would probably make things difficult, even if it wasn't completely nullifying my magic.
While my fire magic was only officially at the Advanced rank, according to Rudy, I had enough skill and power that it was verging on the King rank, especially if I were to use that idea of nuclear fission like I did to destroy that mountain.
But I couldn't do that here, of course.
Not only would it harm the whole party, it would also use up way too much mana.
But I didn't need destruction.
I just required heat.
In fact, now that I thought about it, I didn't even need fire.
If I could just concentrate on the heat…
Unsheathing my blade, I coated it in layered touki before I then infused my mana throughout it, feeling it pulse as my mana was amplified from the sword's effect.
Breathing in deeply, I concentrated.
From sound magic… the feeling of creating vibrations through mana… but this time, on a much smaller scale.
It didn't need to be a wave. In fact, I would rather it be chaotic.
Simply exciting the molecules… shaking them erratically and gaining energy… energy that could only be released through heat.
Feeling my skin tingle at the heat radiating off my blade, I then coated my body in touki as I stood up, simulating how I would attempt the upcoming battle.
Getting used to the feeling of heat and maintaining the image, my mind then drifted to the reason I was fighting.
Mama… Lilia…
How long have I wished to hear their voices… how long have I wished to feel Mama's warmth as she embraced me… how many times have I dreamed of crying into her embrace, telling her how much I missed her.
Memories of our life in Buena Village, as well as my time as a baby, flashed through my mind as I felt a few tears pour out of my eyes before instantly evaporating off of my cheeks.
Mama gave me so much love… she cared for me with all of her heart… she held me when I was sad, praised me when I did something impressive, encouraged me when I made a mistake, and laughed when I did something silly.
And now that she was right in front of me, it was time to repay my debts.
Nothing would ever equate to what she gave me, nothing in the world could, but… I could at least save her and bring our family back together.
How long have I wished for this?
It's been a long four years, and many things have changed, but throughout it all, I always longed to see Mama again.
I felt my heart race in excitement and my nose tickle with my brimming emotions.
Right… I was at the final step, but I needed to calm myself.
My words from earlier still rang true, after all.
This would be useless if someone died and tainted my reunion with Mama in regret.
But one thing was for sure…
I would get Mama back.
Unconsciously releasing some of my mana, not as bloodlust, but rather as pure pressure, my determination passionate but controlled as I opened my eyes.
I was ready.
Looking at everyone else, I saw Paul smile at me before nodding approvingly, and looking to the side, I saw that Roxy's cheeks turn red, before she suddenly looked away as our eyes met.
What was with that cute reaction?
Releasing the breath I had been subconsciously holding in, I looked down, noticing the spider web of cracks that now spread across the ground, centred around me.
Oh… I must have really put my feelings into my touki, huh?
Whoops.
"Well, if you're ready, Leon, then there's no time to waste," Paul said as he walked toward the teleportation circle. "But first…"
He then turned to the gathered group before getting on his knees, bowing his head deeply so that his forehead kissed the ground.
"You guys… you've been helping me all this time, and I thank you for that. You've done more than I could ever repay, but once we're done, I swear I will try," he said as he lifted his head. "So please… join me for this one last fight."
Lina looked surprised for a moment before she turned her head, looking away as she played with her hair.
"I'm doing this for Zenny and Leon, so there's no need for that," she huffed, though I could see a bit of red on her cheeks.
…Father… you're being cool right now, so please don't make me kill you just as we reach the end.
And Lina… get that damn blush off your cheeks!
"We've come this far, Paul," Talhand said, stroking his beard. "Don't think I'll just up and leave now."
Geese, meanwhile, simply shrugged, "Those Hydras get you a lot of cash, you know? And that's without their scales being able to absorb magic. I'll be getting myself quite a reward already, so… just get up off of your ass."
"There's no need for that, Paul," Roxy said, shaking her head. "My time with your family was very important to me, and… well…"
She then looked over to me before averting her eyes once again.
"…It's only natural to save your mother-in-laws… right?"
Roxy… you're doing bad things to me… very bad things…
"Err… right," Paul said, lifting his head. "But still… thank you."
Roxy meekly nodded in return, apparently quite embarrassed at what she had just implied with her words.
Paul then looked to Rudy and Sara, sharing a look with each of them before turning to me, his smile widening a bit as he began to get back to his feet.
"Let's get our family back, Father," I said, letting him use my hand to pull himself up.
"Yeah… and once we're done here, we'll have a big ass celebration at the inn," he said with a smile. "I still need to share a drink with my two sons, after all."
"Just don't fall into your bad habits," I joked.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "Besides, even if I do, this time I'll have Zenith and Lilia to smack me out of it."
"As long as I don't smack you first, that is," I returned.
The two of us stared at each other for a moment before chuckling.
It was good to laugh like this… and it'll be even better with Mama and Lilia around.
I can already imagine them both scolding us, with Mama lightly smacking Paul's head and tugging on my ear, while Lilia simply shook her head in slight disappointment, but with an amused smile on her face.
Yeah… I just needed to get them back, and such a scene would surely happen.
Paul wiped the tears from his eyes as we calmed down before turning to stare at the red-hued magic circle.
"Well… let's go. I want to say for the final time, but as Leon said, we don't need to be reckless," he said, turning back one last time to everyone. "Let's all celebrate after this together."
Almost everyone returned a resolute nod in response.
Everyone except for Geese and Rudy.
My brother facepalmed and sighed, "That's a flag…"
"Yep. That's a jinx," Geese added, shaking his head with a frown. "You with your big mouth."
Ignoring their comments, our group all stepped on the teleportation circle once again, feeling the familiar pull a moment later as we arrived at the last floor, with the guardian standing at the other end, though now awake.
Hmm… its heads, the ones we cut off, were gone.
Did it eat them?
From the blood still coating the ground, I would assume so.
Well, I guess that didn't really matter.
"Everyone ready?" I asked.
"Yeah. Let's go, Leon!" Paul said before running forward, with me quickly following behind.
As we had planned out beforehand, there would be three groups.
First was Paul, Rudy, and Elinalise, with Elinalise defending Rudy as he seared the heads that Paul cut, but she also would step in if Paul needed aid.
And then, there was me, acting alone as an attacking unit.
The final group was the support, with Sara providing ranged attacks when possible, Roxy being ready to heal any injuries, and Talhand defending the two from any attacks.
Geese, meanwhile, as he was useless in combat, would be surveying the battle from behind, providing directions and calling out information whenever it was needed.
My father had been responsible, saying that this didn't need to be the final fight, but in my heart… I had other ideas.
Perhaps I really was an idiot for love, because seeing Mama and Lilia, both trapped in that crystal…
I wanted to finish this here and now.
"I'm coming, Zenith! Lilia!"
With a shout, Paul and I split up, with Elinalise and Rudy running up behind him as I sprinted forward.
Two heads instantly shot towards me, moving through the air like a snake as I stopped.
Holding my sword outward, I focused on my touki and my magic, concentrating on the image of heat as they came closer.
And as they both came down to pincer me, I jumped up, twisting my body as I cut through the first neck, the scent of burning meat entering my nose as I leapt across to the second, carving off its neck with another slash.
Okay… so they were cut off, and from the way those necks were spasming, it really didn't seem to like the heat.
"Whoa!"
I jumped back, dodging as one of the headless necks slammed next to me.
Dammit.
Even if their heads are cut off, that doesn't mean the neck itself is useless, especially not with those sharp scales.
I had to remember that.
Now, how were the other ones faring?
Looking across the room, I watched as Elinalise parried a head to the side with her shield, Paul using the opportunity to cut off the neck in a single slash as Rudy sending a fireball towards the exposed neck a moment later.
They seemed to be doing well.
Good.
My eyes drifted to the side, watching as another head made its way toward me, only to flinch as two arrows dove into its eye.
Heh.
Good job, Little Sis.
Taking advantage of the head's momentary pause, I spread my touki forward, layering my body with touki before I shot forth, following the path as I instantly cut through the Hydra's neck, using my free hand to send a point-blank blast of heat, searing the neck much faster and better than just my sword had done.
So that worked… good to know.
The fight continued, with Sara continuing to provide support, and me defending against a few whipping headless necks, I eventually severed another head, and looking over to my father, I noticed had done the same.
We were in the final stretch now.
So, with six heads down, our party regrouped, watching as the three heads that were left glared down at us angrily as the six headless necks whipped around it while Roxy took the time to heal a gash Lina had gained on her shoulder.
"It seemed that your idea was right, Rudy," I said, praising him. "Good job."
"It's nothing," he said. "I'm just glad that it worked out so well…"
His words trailed off as we watched one of the heads suddenly bite into one of the headless necks, tearing off the burned tissue.
Wait… if it bit into it… then the cut wouldn't be burned, would it?
That… wasn't good!
"Stop that!" I said, crouching down, ready to interrupt its feast.
But before I could leap forward, one of the heads attacked, forcing me to divert my attention to decapitating it.
Searing off the cut with a blast of heat, Elinalise skilfully diverted the neck to Talhand, who then slammed down his axe onto it, trapping its movement and allowing me to finish off the final two heads.
But yet again, I was interrupted.
Yet again by a Hydra head, though this time, it wasn't launching towards us.
Instead, it was rearing back, it's jaw wide as flames began to build in its throat.
Uhh… there was no mention of fire breath in the meeting before.
And… was that lightning?
Shit!
I quickly summoned a barrier, ensuring that everyone was behind it as the Hydra released its attack.
As soon as the mass of flames and lighting impacted it, I realized my barrier wouldn't be enough. And so, I concentrated, infusing more mana into the barrier than I ever had before as I attempted to add magic nullification to its properties.
Fuck… I wasn't going to get another white streak from this, was I?
Luckily, I was able to stop the attack without anyone getting hurt, but unfortunately, it had also cost me most of my mana.
"Well… I guess it's absorption… shit," I spat, taking a deep breath as I stood up. "Rudy, Roxy, Talhand… don't hit that thing's scales with magic."
To think it would be able to release the magic it absorbs… that's an extremely annoying ability.
And while its absorption may have a limit, we would probably give it too much ammunition before we reached it.
"I wasn't planning on it…" Roxy said, her voice quivering a bit as she rubbed her eye.
Oh, shit.
I hadn't been using my Demon eye since I was focused on my swordsmanship, but all that mana must have been damn bright, huh?
Sorry, Roxy.
"That's… fucked," Paul said, watching as three more heads regrew from the Hydra's body. "This… this is fucked!"
It was indeed.
Unfortunately, the guardian was smart, using our time hiding behind my barrier to chew off some more of it's heads.
"Well… I guess we have to just speed things up a bit," I said, sweeping my sword to the side. "Just don't mess up."
We then leapt back into the fight, this time focusing on speed as Paul and I attempted to cut through all the necks before they could be bitten off.
It was going well.
Extremely well.
With everyone having a bit more experience against the guardian, we were able to slowly be able to predict what the Hydra was doing, and using that, it wasn't long before I had cut down the second last head, blasting it with heat as I landed on the ground.
"That's eight!" I yelled.
"Good job, brother!" Rudy yelled back.
Turning to him, I instantly froze.
His head was turned, staring at me with an admiring smile, unaware of the last Hydra head arching towards him.
Why?
Why is he just standing there!?
"Rudy!"
Watching as Paul turned to Rudy, getting set to leap forward… but I moved first.
Going faster than I ever had before, I suddenly appeared next to Rudy, pushing him out of the way as I felt my legs nearly collapse from exertion.
But that wasn't the only injury I would incur.
With the Hydra continuing its path, I had exchanged Rudy's position for my arm, feeling it get torn out of its socket as soon as the Hydra's jaw clamped down.
That felt… oddly familiar.
And it also hurt.
A lot.
The Hydra jerked its head to the side, sending my arm soaring through the air as my skin ripped, leaving me momentarily stunned in the pain as blood splashed against my face.
Heh… it was a good thing I tied Sylphy's gift to my sword instead, huh?
Good thinking, me.
"Leon!"
Hearing Rudy's shout, I looked to the side, quickly confirming he was okay before facing forward again, seeing that the Hydra's head, the last head, was aiming to finish me off.
Right. Stupid thoughts later, killing this thing now.
Fuck, that really hurt.
Gripping my sword with my still-intact arm, I ignored the blood pouring down my side as I pounced, my from blurring as my sword dug into the Hydra's scales.
But I didn't stop there.
Infusing my sword with heat and touki, I used a summoned gust of wind, as well as my pure momentum, to spin, tracing a path along the Hydra's neck as I carved through it's skin, all the way to it's body, until I finally landed behind it.
Glancing behind me, I brought my hand up to heal my wound, dropping my sword as I watched as the Hydra crumple to the ground, some of its body splitting into ribbon-like strands as a result of my final burst of effort.
"That… should kill it… right?" I muttered as I healed my arm into a stump.
Dammit… I was out of mana… was I seriously going to lose my arm?
Fuck… it hurt really bad… but if this was the price to pay for saving Mama… it was worth it.
"Leon!" Rudy shouted, running up to me. "Leon! Why aren't you healing your arm?"
"O-Out of mana," I choked, tasting a bit of blood in my mouth.
Shit… one of its scales scratched my cheek too.
"Dammit! One second!"
With Rudy running off, I felt myself fall to the ground, either from the mana exhaustion or the blood loss, before I was suddenly held up.
"Leon, are you okay?" Roxy said with worry, letting me lean against her.
"I-I'll live…" I said through gritted teeth. "I-It's dead, right?"
"It's definitely dead," she said confidently. "But more importantly… your arm…"
"Master!" Rudy said, running over. "I got his arm! Can we heal it back on?"
Roxy shook her head, her voice quivering with regret, "No. Now that it's healed, I doubt we can do anything."
Huh? So it was that?
I just needed to reverse my healing…
Straightening out my right hand, I coated it in touki before slicing off the rounded nub of my left arm, leaving me to hiss in pain as the blood spilled out.
"D-Do it now, dammit!" I said, gritting my teeth from the blinding pain.
"R-Right!" Roxy said, bringing my cut-off arm up to the stump before healing it.
"S-So you can do Advanced-rank healing chantless too… amazing," I said.
"I don't want to hear that from a ridiculous guy like you," she said, finishing her work. "…There. Does it feel okay?"
Noticing the return of feeling from below my left shoulder, I lightly squeezed my hand and bent my elbow.
It was a little stiff, and still throbbing in pain, but it was fine.
"I'm good," I said, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves as I stood up. "Well… at least I'll be matching now."
"Don't joke about that!" Rudy said before he suddenly frowned. "And… I'm sorry… You got hurt because of me."
"It's fine Rudy. You're a magician, so I didn't expect you to be good in close combat," I said before I raised my hand, gently placing it on his head as I smiled at him. "Besides… you're my lecherous, foolish younger brother. Protecting you is worth more than a damn arm."
His eyes widened as he returned a warm smile, "Brother… you didn't have to add the insults."
"I was just making sure you knew I was talking about you," I said back.
Roxy, meanwhile, was wearing an expression that was a mix of concern, relief, and also confusion.
"Leon… what did you mean by 'matching now'?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Uhh… nothing," I said. "I'll… explain later."
She had already freaked out when I first told her about travelling with Ruijerd, so I had a feeling that she wouldn't take my encounter with the Dragon God very well.
But regardless… the Hydra was dead, and most importantly…
"Leon! You're fine!?" Paul shouted as he ran up.
"That seemed pretty bad… dammit, I should've blocked that," Lina hissed to herself. "Sorry, little Leon."
"The lad's a tough one. Good job," Talhand added, nodding his head in admiration.
Most importantly… everyone was alive.
For some reason, I felt extra thankful about that.
Either way-
Krrrshhh!
The sound of shattering glass entered my ears as I slowly turned around, watching as the large crystal broke apart into chunks as the insides turned into liquid, the bodies of Mama and Lilia slowly falling out of their prison.
Even though I was long past the point of exhaustion, seeing them fall gave me a second wind, and with a push from my aching legs, I appeared in front of Mama in an instant, catching her naked body as Paul did the same for Lilia.
Instantly placing my head on her chest, I widened my eyes as I felt the rise and fall of her chest, and more importantly…
Ba-dum! Ba-dum!
I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as my body slumped in relief, holding Mama tightly against me as I continued to listen to that immensely relieving sound.
She… she was alive!
And from the relieved cry of my father at the side, Lilia seemed to be as well.
"M-Mama!" I cried, burying my face into her neck as I tightened my hold.
I… I did it!
Mama… Mama was back… everyone was back… everyone was alive…
Thank goodness!
The relief I felt was immense, only beaten back by the joy that had flooded through every inch of my body.
"Mama… Mama…" mumbling as I cried, I was only interrupted by the feeling of someone gently patting my head.
Looking up, I saw Roxy looking down at me with a warm smile, radiating pride and happiness.
"Good job, Leon," she said, taking off her robe to drape over Mama's body as she leaned down to hug my head and wiping away the tears from my cheeks. "I knew you could do it."
I closed my eyes as I basked in the pleasant feelings of her touch and Mama's warmth, the exhaustion of the fight and the day of exploring getting to me as I leaned into Roxy's chest.
"You've exhausted your mana, and I'm sure my healing has taken quite a bit of your stamina, so you can rest now," she said, running her hand through my hair. "Past Zenith and Lilia, we have quite a few rewards to collect, but we'll take care of the rest."
"Good," I nodded. "We'll… need it to buy our house… I want a big bath, like what Sylphy told me the royal palace has…"
"Oh? That does sound nice," Roxy said as she leaned down to peck my cheek. "Have sweet dreams, Leon. I'll wake you before we go."
And so, with Mama held tightly in my grasp and Roxy lowering my head onto her lap, I let my body relax, comforted as Roxy stroked my cheek, the tingly feeling of healing magic being the last feeling I felt before I fell asleep.
— Leon Greyrat —
With Mama and Lilia both draped over my back, both still asleep and tied with a rope so that they didn't fall, we slowly walked back to the teleportation circle, ready to return to the surface.
"Leon… are you sure you're fine?" Paul asked. "I know you're quite tired…"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said assuredly. "Everyone else worked hard to gather the rewards, and I can't even fight on the way back, so this is the least I can do."
"If you say so…"
As I had said, I was in no state to fight.
With the combination of my mana being depleted, the stamina drain from healing, the worn-out state my legs were in, and the pain still pulsing in my left arm, I couldn't help fight during our way back up, neither as a magician nor a swordsman.
But that was fine.
Everyone else was strong enough, and they hadn't been tuckered out from the fight against the guardian like I had.
While I was asleep, the rest of the group had collected the Hydra's scales, the other magic items from the crystal, and the various chunks of magic crystal, taking anything of value back to the surface before other parties could come claim it, or another labyrinth core made this place it's home.
And thanks to that bit of rest, I was able to confidently carry my two mothers without a problem, but… that was about it.
Plus, the rest of the rewards still needed to be carried, so it wasn't like no one else was encumbered.
As we made our way through the dungeon, my eyes still slightly heavy, I couldn't help but notice how Roxy, who was constantly at my side, kept sending glances my way.
"Roxy?" I said in a questioning tone.
"What?" she asked.
"Why are you staring at me?" I asked before curling my lips into a teasing smile. "Am I that handsome?"
"Yes… Ah! Wait, no!" she stammered, waving her hands. "I-It's just… I was remembering your face from before… Your sleeping face is… quite cute, I guess. All relaxed and unconcerned…"
Watching her meekly fiddle with her braid, I felt a bit of my exhaustion disappear.
Ah… I really wanted to push her down.
But no.
Now was not the time for that, even if she looked really cute.
"Well… I had a nice pillow, so of course I'd be relaxed," I said as I faced forward.
I didn't need to look at her to know she was blushing.
"W-Well… I-I'll keep that in mind," she said, coming closer to my side as she grabbed my hand. "F-For the future…"
…I really needed to have that conversation with her.
I don't think I could last much longer.
Haa… yep, I'm definitely weak to my women.
But… that wasn't the worst, right?