She always laughed.
　Even if it was hard, sad, painful, or painful.
　She laughed as if she were holding back tears.

　-That sad smile burned into his heart.

◆

Are you sure you don't want to come back to ......?
I told you it wasn't!

　Leo sits down in a chair and looks uncomfortable.
　Elfi looks flustered and yells at Leo.
　The guilty .......

'No, what. I think it's a good thing that they are friendly. 'Duh, but think about the time!　I don't think you should be doing that before the sun goes down yet, .......

　Blushing, Leo scratches his indigo head as he turns his gaze away from us.
　That's quite a first reaction, and I was thinking about it.

You know what?　What the hell were you thinking?　Don't get me wrong!　We're not that kind of thing!　Absolutely!　Never!

　Elfie's reaction was as good as it gets.
　Hey, where did the great demon king of love with a hundred battles go?

''Calm down. I'm sure we were flirting, but I wasn't doing what you think I was doing.''
'Yes!　You perverted knight!
You need to shut up for a minute.

　Things finally calmed down as he silenced Elfie.
　Leo coughed in shame and started talking about the children in the orphanage.

'As it turns out, they've all arrived safely. They've been taken in by Famina.

　It is one of the cities of the Church State, not far from Schmelz (here).
　"It is one of the holy cities, one of the holy cities that has been visited by the Holy Light God.
　It's not as big as Schmelz, though.

　Anyway, Michelle and the others are no longer involved in the chaos of Schmelz.
　They can go out and kill Liuzas without worrying about it.

'So, what happened to the other thing?
Yeah. I've managed to arrange it. The third squad is arriving earlier than we expected, though, so we'll have to hurry things up a bit.

　There is one more thing.
　It's about the Abominable Light Labyrinth.

　Currently, the Church State has begun to defeat the Abominable Light Labyrinth.
　The Kingdom, the United Kingdom and the Empire.
　Three neighboring countries have been able to defeat the labyrinth, and we, who have received God's blessing the most, can't do it.
　In such a way, the momentum for the defeat of the labyrinth within the Church seems to have risen, and the knights of the Third Squadron, who were on an expedition and other elites, have decided to take on the Abominable Light Labyrinth.

　The fact that the armor was sold out in Schmelz's armor shop is a milestone for the defeat of the labyrinth.
　I had confirmed that the armaments were sold out in other shops as well.
　For a moment, I thought that they were planning to start a war with the Demon King's army, but I guessed that they were preparing to defeat the labyrinth at the right time.
　In fact, that was true, and the elite from all over the Church State have gathered in Schmelz.
　Their arrival has been somewhat delayed, though, due to the trouble George, Marx and the others have caused.

'The third squad will arrive tomorrow night at the earliest, and in the morning in two days at the latest.
...... Right.

　Indeed, there's not much of a reprieve.
　Only the elites selected by the Church State are allowed to challenge the labyrinth.
　Unlike the Confederation, they do not recruit members to defeat the labyrinth.
　On the contrary, if an unrelated person attempted to challenge the labyrinth, they would be charged with a crime.

　The entrance to the labyrinth is rigged with the largest wards and guarding knights that the Church State can prepare.
　There's nothing that Elfi and I can't break through, but if we're going to be able to do so peacefully, it's better than that.
　I had asked Leo to make arrangements for us to get into the labyrinth safely.
　If he had refused.

----

　I had to use brainwashing magic, but fortunately, Leo accepted my request.
　Trying to set up brainwashing on a Leo-class opponent would take a lot of work.
　I'm really glad he accepted.

''Huh.''

　Leo gave a small gasp.

'What's wrong?　If you're thirsty, I'll get you some water.
No, ...... is fine.

　He smiles and points out with his finger where the water is.
　I'm still talking straight since that was our first encounter, but this is the scene where I usually use respectful language.
　Be gentle and polite.

'Why are you guys in the labyrinth?'
There's only one thing to do in the maze.
...... That's what I'm aware of,

　Well, it's a legitimate question.
　It's a question I can't answer from a position of authority.

'I'm involved with the Order of Melt myself. I've heard rumors about them. The two men who did the most to defeat the Purgatory Labyrinth were the Sorcerer's Killers."
............
A couple of adventurers took down the Dead Marsh Labyrinth, too.
...... What does that have to do with this story?

　I blurted out, and Leo let out a sigh.
　And then, with a plop.
　He put his hand on my shoulder.

'I won't ask you to elaborate on what you're doing. Because you guys don't seem like bad people.
............
But don't take too many chances. I hope you'll live long enough to save your life.

　With that, Leo removed his hand from my shoulder.
　...... It's an attitude I couldn't imagine from the first time we met.

　Let's be honest.
　I don't 'trust' this man.
　The pain of being betrayed is still burning in my brain.

　But at the same time, I had a feeling that this man would not betray me.
　I'm a blind man, so it's not a premonition that can be trusted.
　But after the adventurers in the United Kingdom saved me, I've made up my mind.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has to decide whether or not I can trust the person in front of me.

　At least.
　You can believe that the words you just said came from the heart.
　There wasn't a hint of malice.
　That, I should have.

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

　I give a small nod to Leo's words.
　I don't intend to do anything reckless, of course.
　I'm going to take on every battle with as much preparation as I can muster.

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

　Then the conversation was cut off.
　A silence washed over the room.

　...... No.
　The only sound is the boring, the sound of Elfie devouring his pastry.

'So,'

　Suddenly, the chewing sound stopped.

'How are we supposed to get into the labyrinth?'

　Elfie, who had been silent until then, broke the silence and entered the conversation.
　With a sideways glance, he said, "That's enough, isn't it? He gives me a look that says, "I'm sorry.

'I'm sorry. Let's cut to the chase.

　With his help, Leo began to speak again.

'On my authority, I've staggered the time of the knight's change of guard so that the others won't find out. For just a few minutes, the guards at the entrance to the labyrinth should be gone.

　Naturally, to reach the entrance to the labyrinth, they would have to go past the other guards.
　Even Leo couldn't seem to do anything about that part, even if it was a stone.

''No problem with that.''

　As for the warding, it seems to be treated as a margin of error, if only for a moment.
　If a demon tries to attack the ward to get out from inside, there will be a slight lag.
　"The crafting in the Usurpation of Magic Techniques (Spel Dibauer) should be considered to be that too.
　Once you're in, you can do whatever you want with the rest.

　As for the time to get out, I plan to escape with the demons trying to escape out due to the loss of the labyrinth core.
　If you are unable to do so due to some unusual event, you can hide behind those who come inside to check on them.
　In the worst case scenario, you can use the transfer team inside.

...... I want to reiterate to you both, please don't go off on a rashness spree. I don't want my benefactor to die.

　Leo calls out words of concern to me.
　Words that I would have accepted unconditionally thirty years ago.
　Since I began my revenge, I seem to have become less and less suspicious.
　Still, I couldn't believe in them unconditionally anymore.
　I can't even feel comfortable without confirming whether Leo really made a blank space or if he hasn't betrayed me.

　I'm deep-rooted, after all.

'Hmph.'

　At Leo's words, Elfie sniffed his chest out.
　'As usual,' said Elfie, looking pompous and confident.

'You can look forward to it. Before you know it, the labyrinth will be defeated and the faces of the panicked Faithful will be all over the place.
...... Oh. It's going to be fun to see those Faithful people who are always smirking and laughing do so. Please show me.

　Leo nodded with a bitter smile and sat up.

'Now, if you'll excuse me. Killier wants me to come over.

　Leo left the room, leaving such love in the air.
　Once again, silence returns to the room.

'Not at all,'

　Letting out a sigh, Elfie sprawled out on the bed with a ragged edge.
　He gives me a dumbfounded stare from his slumped position.

'Can't you do something about that murderous smile?　That knight would have been terrified.
'That's rude. Call it a gentle smile.
...... Iori. I think you should look in the mirror.

　Shut up.

'The difference between my usually mushy face and when I laugh is too great.
Okay.
I'm scared, frankly.
...... Right.

　I don't know.

It doesn't matter. The only time I'll have any free time is at midnight today.

　We break off the conversation and confirm the schedule.
　I'm going to tell him the time of departure.

And the time of departure was a few hours before that - you want to go check it out?

　As if he had read our thoughts, Elfi said ahead of time.
　...... In fact, you must have read my thoughts.
　It's simple, even for me.

...... Yes.
Yes, I agree.

　Elfie nodded with a gentle smile on his face.
　'I'm surprised that this is the same guy who was making a fuss about perverted knights.

'It's ......,'
What?
I'm a little flattered.
...... what?

　Picking himself up from the bed, Elfie tidied his silver hair.

'We've traveled a fair amount of time, haven't we?
...... Yeah.
'I've met many humans, sub-humans, but you've never forgiven anyone. Not to the cat girl, not to the eccentric old man, not to the daughter of a nobleman, not to that knight.

　So...

I'm glad you 'trust' me like that.

　With a big smile on his face, Elfie said happily.

'----'

　I'm at a loss for words.
　I couldn't help but look down at the bed.
　A few seconds later, I looked up.

...... kuhuhu.

　As if embarrassed, I saw Elfie with a nasty smile on his face.

'...... Elfie,'
Huh. What's up, Iori?
Clean up the candy canes that are scattered all over the place.

　Because I ate the pastry, the dregs of the pastry are scattered on the ground.
　It was dirty.
　I don't want to be in a dirty space, even though I'll be leaving this inn soon.

"Yeah.
Right now.
Isn't it embarrassing?
"Shut up, you clunking demon king.

　I ignored Elfie, who called my name, and went to bed.

◆

　--The Holy City has just gone to bed.

　We kill the signs and go out into the night.
　The lights are out and no one is out at this time of night.
　There's no sign of anyone around us.
　You don't even feel like you're being watched.

...... It's dark and quiet.
'After what happened to Marx and the others. Officially, the guy's not caught yet.
You're afraid to go out at night for fear of being kidnapped.

　We proceeded toward the labyrinth, conversing with each other.

　We've made all the preparations we can think of.
　We've prepared multiple patterns of response for every conceivable case.
　I am in excellent physical condition.
　As for the psychic magic, it's still an unsettled element.
　I'm going to save them as a bargaining chip for when the worst happens.

　I was aware of my surroundings and was about to turn the corner of a narrow passage.

''!''
Huh.

　The woman appeared unexpectedly and almost bumped into me.
　Remembering the last time I saw the pink-haired woman, I quickly avoided it.

　The woman who came out was a dark-haired woman, something you don't see around here.
　Her reddish-black twin eyes appear to glow in the darkness.
　She must be in her early twenties.

'...... are you okay?'
............

　The woman nodded silently and glanced at him.
　Beyond that, there was Elfie, who gave her a dubious look, "Again?

----.

　The woman found herself shaking slightly.

'How can I help you with ......?'

　He drops his right hand to the jade taiji and asks quietly.

'............'

　The woman shook her head with a shake and ran off, avoiding me.
　Elfie's demon eyes are turned on her rear end.

''Mu......?''

　Smallly, Elfie let out a mutter.

'What's up?'
...... seemed a bit odd.
Enemies?
No, it's not like that.

　Somewhere, Elfie's bristles were bad.

'I just felt like I missed ...... somehow,'

　Vague words.

...... demons?
No, the magic I saw was human.
Could it be a magic item?
No. She wasn't wearing anything.

　For a moment, Elfi pretended to think about it.

'Well, I must be wrong. It happens.

　He stopped using the magic eye.
　The eyes of the Red Lotus returned to gold.

Are you sure you're okay?
Hmm. He didn't seem to have any hostile intent.

　I could get stuck, but I couldn't stay here forever.
　After taking a glance at the direction the woman had run off, we moved on.

◆

.......

　A corner of the silent Holy City.
　Shaking her long black hair, the woman let out a small murmur.

''...... ked.''

　Her reddish-black eyes widened in surprised delight, and an unbearable smile flashed across her mouth.
　The woman doesn't notice that her clenched fist is trembling and her nails are digging into her palm.

'I found ......,'

　Looking in the direction where the black-haired boy and the silver-haired girl had disappeared, the woman muttered again.

''-- What that guy said was true.

　The muttering melted into the darkness of the night without anyone hearing it.