When I opened my eyes, I saw a red-haired woman looking into my face.

''Huh!''
''Kyah!''

　I couldn't help but raise my body up and our foreheads collide in agony with each other.
　The pain made my consciousness clearer and I realized I was in Karen's mansion.

'Ugh. ......'

　...... And the fact that it's Karen who's holding her head down with tears in her eyes.


　Since then, I retrieved the labyrinthine nucleus and Elfie retrieved his own body.
　I used up all the potions in my hand and forced my body to move, but that's when I reached my limit.
　I fainted on the spot.

'I'm so glad you two are alive ......!'

　Karen said in a trembling voice as she shook her red hair.

　According to Karen's story, the soldiers Karen was leading brought us here.
　As soon as the labyrinth came to a halt, the demons, who were in a state of panic, escaped out of the labyrinth.
　The Cullens who were waiting for them seemed to have annihilated them and then stepped into the labyrinth.

　The poisonous swamp inside was apparently harmless now that the labyrinth core was gone.
　The other traps, too, had not moved.
　It seemed that we had been rescued about half a day after the labyrinth had been shut down.

　Then I was asleep for more than two days.
　Then I remembered that guy.

...... Yeah. Is Elfi at ......?

　There was no sign of Elfie in the room.
　Dionysus was even more annoyed with him than I was.
　After drinking the potion, he was getting revenge on Dionysus with me, but .......

　No way, I guess.

Elfi-san had fallen on top of Iori.
...... And now?
She woke up about half a day ago. She's eating now.

　...... Yeah, I hear you're fine.

Is the village doing okay?
Yes, sir. Yes. We're all settled in.

　But it still seems that the Dionis attack has claimed several victims.
　Two of the territories have been razed, and they are now working on reconstruction, Karen said.

...... I see.
''Please don't look at me like that. It's because of Iori-san and Elfi-san that we only had to deal with this much damage.

　Karen's face as she said this may have been tired, but she didn't feel the same despair as before.

''Thanks to the two of you, my territory ...... no, a lot of people were saved. And you also removed the labyrinth that was threatening the empire ...... really, really thank you.

　I'm at a loss for words as Karen bows her head.
　I just moved in for revenge.
　I have no right to be thanked this much.

...... That's right. I took this back from the Water Demon General.
''Keystone. ......!''

　I collected it well before I killed Dionis.　
　I take the keystone that Karen received and lower my eyes.

''Since the labyrinth is gone, it might be too late to give it to you now, but ......
No.

　Karen shook her head and said.

'This stone is the fruit of our Rayford family's human will to 'protect the people'. Thank you for taking it back.
Yeah?
But I'll go to .......

　Karen suddenly muttered as she hugged the keystone.

''You don't have to seal the labyrinth anymore, do you?''

　As if distracted, Karen kneels down.

'I see... ...... I see... ......

　A polo-polo, tears spill from her eyes.

　Her parents are dead and she must fulfill her role as a lord.
　I listened to the sobs of a woman who had been freed from that burden for a while.



◆


　The flames are released.
　The corpses of the victims, lined up, burned in the blink of an eye.
　Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky.

　The people who died by Dionysus and the demons under his command.
　And the women who had been made into specimens by Dionis were being mourned.

.............

　The people trapped in the crystals were already dead.
　Even I and Elfi couldn't think of a way to help them.

　Many years would have passed since the girls were trapped.
　From the way Dionis spoke, their families and friends and the village they lived in were gone.
　I believe that even if they were saved, they would only cause them more pain.

...... No.

　That's the logic of the selfish living.
　No one wanted to die.
　You must have needed my help.

　Dionysus told me they were killed because I saved them.
　Do you think the people I killed hated me for it?
　I don't know.

　All I could do was pray for them to rest in peace.

...... Sorry.

　Suddenly, I was approached from behind.
　The ones standing there were a strange woman and a girl.

''You guys freed my mother from the Water Demon General, right?
.........

　One of the women who was made a specimen was the mother of someone who lived in this village.
　The woman in front of her had apparently left the village before the attack by the Demon King's army.
　That's why she was the only one who was saved.

Thank you ...... for saving my mother.

　I can bow to a woman.

............

　The girl next to the woman said as she grabbed the hem of my clothes.

'Thank you for saving my grandmother!

　Black smoke was rising in the blue sky.
　Far away, high up.


◆

　It had been three days since he had woken up in Karen's mansion.
　In the meantime, Karen had asked me to look for a certain person based on the information I got from Dionis.

''If it's that person, he's currently running an orphanage in the Church Country.
...... orphanage, huh?
'Yes. On the map, it's ...... right around here.

　Where Karen pointed, the next target of vengeance.
　And two of them.
　It seems that they live there as a married couple.

''I heard that both of you used to be pretty good alchemists (alchemists) in the past. I heard that they are like holy parents raising their children who have no relatives now. Are you an acquaintance of Iori-san and the others?

　The Holy Father.

...... Yeah. Something like that.

　Yeah, we've known each other for 30 years.

'I see. It's ......, but you'll have to be careful around here where there are weird rumors.
'Strange rumours ......?'

　Karen said, making sure it was only a rumor.


'I've heard that there have been several sightings of - "Heroic Amatsu" around here.


　That was a completely unexpected word.

'............'
...... method.

　I'm sure the two of you can handle whatever happens," Karen chuckled.


◆

　Leaving Rayford territory, we were walking eastward.

''You were called to the imperial capital, but you didn't have to go?

　A few days ago, a messenger from the Emperor came to Rayford territory.
　I'm sure you're not the only one.

"It's not a thank you, but you'll be asked a lot of questions anyway. It would be pointless to go there.

　So we politely declined it.
　The fact that the emperor's side was very understanding, so we were not forced to stop and proceed to our next destination like this.

'Humu ...... Humu'

　From next to me, I can hear Elfi chewing.
　He's hugging and eating a grilled squid, or octopus, or shellfish, with sauce on a skewer.
　He had eaten several of those earlier, and his hands and mouth were sticky with the sauce.

　...... It's dirty.

...... That's right. In the maze, what parts came back?
Both feet.

　Elfie replied, tapping his knee with a clunk.

'So now you have your head, both arms, and both legs back?
Hmm. There's only the torso and heart left. What's up with that kind of Iori?

　I guess what Elfi is asking about is my magic power.
　I absorbed the third labyrinthine core.

"...... To be honest, you're still far from being in your element.

　The amount of magic power I can use has increased even more than before.
　Roughly speaking, it's probably about forty percent of what it was in its heyday.
　Compared to the days when they couldn't use any magic power at all, it's considerably better.

...... Hmm. Ah, that's right. Then what was that mental image magic?
...... That one, huh?

　"Heroic Reproduction (The Raise).
　It was a natural mental image (phrase) that came to my mind at the time.
　It was so spur of the moment that I don't remember much of the details .......

Maybe it's ...... the magic that recreates my power from my heroic days (zensei-ki).

　I thought I was just going through the motions.
　But thanks to Elfie's words, I know that's not the case.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　...... It's also a little complicated that the mental magic I got from that result is a technique to recreate that hero.
　I don't want to be a hero or a hero anymore.

Does it still work?
...... It's kind of subtle, isn't it? It's probably useless, but it doesn't feel as good as it did then.
'Right. Well, ...... at any rate, your mental image has helped me. Thank you, Iori.

　I stop and Elfie looks at me.
　I take it head on and I open my mouth too.

'...... I'm the one to thank you.'

　When Elfi was recruited by Dionysus, I thought I was going to be betrayed.
　I thought I was going to be betrayed again, betrayed by my friends and killed.
　But Elfie said to me.
　But Elfie said that he would rather die than betray his friends.

　And the only reason I was able to use psychic magic was because of Elfie's help.
　If it weren't for him, I would have been desperate and given up on everything.

　So it's me who has to say thank you.

"Thanks to Elfie, I didn't have to give up. I know that I wasn't just going through the motions. So thank you.
...... Hmmm. Of course.

　Turning away, Elfie crosses his arms pompously.

'I told you before. You'll have to decide for yourself if you can trust me.
...... Mm.

　Dionis said.
　He said it's not right for avengers to get used to each other.

　I agree.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get used to the fact that you are both betrayed by the same person, even if the goal is the same, and that getting used to each other is just licking your wounds.

　But still.

I knew that you and I would be able to exact our revenge until the end.

　That's why.

"I'm going to trust you. Elfiszak.

　You're late, Elfie laughs.
　That face is stained with seafood skewer sauce, though, and it's ruining a lot of things.
　Still, I think I've taken another step forward by getting revenge on Dionis.

　--That's why.

　Olivia, Dionysus.
　Now I have my revenge on four people.
　But there are still a number of vengeance targets.

　With the ingenious mind-magic you've acquired, you should be able to break through Lucretia's karma.

　Wait.
　I'm going to kill every last vengeance target.

　--So that I can move on.