P/N let me know if there's any mistakes and I will try to fix them
EPILOGUE
AND SO I START TO RUN AGAIN
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 black-clad 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.
P/N I will post volume 12 in a few hours