--I want to fulfill my love.

　After listening to the conversation in depth, it wasn't that Arti had a special fondness for anyone.
　Of course, she said it would be best if Arti herself could fall in love and fulfill it. However, she was despicable, as if she had given up on something, saying that she was not the kind of person who could fall in love.

　So, as a compromise, she asked me to introduce her to someone who is in love with her.
　He said that if he could see and feel someone in love, and see it come to fruition, he would have nothing left to lose.

　It's a corny story.
　And it's also a stinky story.

　But I thought Arti's eyes were too bright for a lie.

　When he talked about this thing called love, Arti was as young as he looked.
　He looked like a maiden in love with love.

　I thought about how to respond to this hope.

　I thought about it and thought about it.
　I decided that the most appropriate thing to do would be to pretend to be a bearer.

　As long as you're saying you don't have the will to fight, you've decided not to engage Arti.
　After all, it's also uncomfortable to thrust a sword at Arti with a girl's face. It's also calculated that as time goes by, the safety of boss battles will increase due to the rise in levels.

　As a pretext for pretending to undertake it, Arti and I start walking through the 11th level for now.

　Of course, I don't believe everything Arti says, so I'm not letting my guard down.
　Arti makes me walk in front of him, always watching from behind. I avoid strong enemies and choose weaker ones that don't require me to devote much of my consciousness to them.

　Such a distorted and hastily formed party of two continues to talk while walking through the eleven layers.

''--I mean. As a girl, I don't think I'll be able to die without knowing love at this point. That's why I'm thinking.
...... Are you old enough to be a girl?
I've been alive for at least a thousand years. ...... Like I was supposed to?
You're an old woman. The sooner you reach Buddhahood, the better. It's better for everyone.
'You're a rude man, Christ. To grab such a lovely girl and call her an old lady. ...... That's not the way to treat a woman.

　We introduced ourselves lightly and called each other by name.

　By the way, no more flames are leaking from Arti's body.
　He wraps a bandage containing a spell to suppress the flames without gaps (for some reason, I had to help him), and wears normal clothes over it. He also wears a cloak and his hood is deeply covered, hiding his face.

　I was saved because I didn't want anyone to see me collaborating with the flame humans.
　To a third party, it would only look like I was walking with a human girl.

'Mm. We've got a monster up ahead, Christ.
Yeah, so it's combat. I'll cover you from the back.

　And then a battle with a monster occurs for the umpteenth time.

　Of course, that monster is the one I chose with my magic 《Dimension》.
　I decide on a path so that I can encounter a monster that doesn't have to let down my guard against Alti while fighting.

''Then I'll go: ......!

　Arti attacks the monster with his flaming sword in his hand.

　Moving with the speed of a Tida, he slashes with the monster's stiffness - without a moment's hesitation, the monster is mortally wounded.

"-- Ice Quickly Made Arrow.

　Then I throw a magic arrow to stop it, and the monster turns into light and disappears.

　Arti picks up the fallen magical stone and throws it at me.
　Then he looks at me with a look of pride as he catches the magical stone. He seemed to want me to say something, so I decide to praise him appropriately.

'...... yes yes. It's great, great. Just go ahead and move on.
'Mm. You're cold to your well-meaning collaborators: ....... You can give me honest praise here.
'You praised me for being awesome. You're the boss monster, so of course you're awesome.
That's not very straightforward. Christ.

　Arti slumps his shoulders as he does, and begins to proceed as he is told.

　As I mentioned earlier, Arti doesn't lose his cooperative attitude.
　Although he has a chatty side, he's showing his willingness to contribute to my labyrinth search with his actions.

　But that doesn't mean I can't trust him easily.
　As long as they are monsters, I can never trust them no matter what. ...... That determination is also seen to fade the more we touch each other.

　It's the 'display' that judges Alti as a monster. And it's her self-identification. Without it, I would judge Arti as a sub-human unique to another world.

　In this other world, beastmen and dragon-humans, who are not much different from monsters to me, are integrated into life. If I didn't have a 'display' and Arti didn't call himself a monster, but approached me in the friendly manner that he does now, I would have become a party without a doubt.
　Yup.
　She is that close to people. She speaks with the same intelligence as a person, she has emotions like a person, and she looks like a person. That's what bothers me. It shakes my feelings and diminishes my resolve. Really, is it right to reject Alti?　Isn't that the worst thing a person can do?　You're not just undermining the 'people' who understand each other--

　--Let's stop.

　If you think about it any longer, the "? You're not going to be able to get it to work.
　You're not going to be able to find a way to make it work.

　There's no need to worry about it.
　All monsters are on alert.
　If you are committed to that, it's easier on you mentally and physically.

　I reaffirmed my commitment.
　I won't trust this monster called Arti until the day I die. I'll pretend to trust it and try to keep it away. Pretend to buy time by pretending to be undertaking and raise Alti to a level where I would be able to defeat her for sure.

　--if I ever have to face her, then that's when I'll do it.

　Then it's fine.

'Then let's move on. Sure, Alti makes the battle easier, and since the eleventh level is fine, let's go to the twelfth level.
'Huh. ....... You're a delinquent, Christ, you can trust me with 12 layers.

　Alty seemed to be enjoying himself.
　He smiled happily and led the way.

　I follow behind him, trying not to look at Alty's face, fighting the emotions swirling in my chest.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...


Now, Christ!
Okay!

　I aim at the monster's forehead, which looks like a giant gorilla, and throw my sword at it.

　The sword, released with all my strength, pierces the monster's head without going crazy. With that, Arti also pierced the monster's torso with his flaming sword.

　The monster, whose brain and heart were destroyed, quickly turned into light and disappeared.
　I collect the sword and magic stone I threw and collect the magic stone. At the 12th layer, the experience value received from the monsters has risen dramatically. The experience value does not seem to be decreasing with Arti's help.

''Twelfth layer monsters are a piece of cake. Christ.
'Yes. It's easier now that Arti is playing the vanguard.

　I pretend that I'm gradually trusting Alty more and more.
　I act out Arti's devotion to me.

'Huh, not so much. You can leave it to me.
'You're healthy. You too: ......

　Arti seems satisfied with my words.
　He's actively taking down the monsters and standing around to make sure his attacks don't reach me.

　But for me, I don't want to maintain this state of affairs.
　It's exhausting to be on the lookout for any moment to get into a battle with Alty and keep worrying about the remaining MP. I'd like to say that I trust Arti as soon as possible and end my search for the labyrinth.

　So I decided to stage (or create) that breakaway event myself.

　The plan is simple.
　The plan is to have Arti help me out after I showed an opening against a small fry monster.

　This is to save time, but it's also to find out what Arti's true intentions are.

　If Arti sees an opening and attacks me, it's a simple matter. All you have to do is hit the trapped Arti with a grand counter. After that, we'll fight or run away as planned.

　If Artie sees this opportunity and tries to rescue me, the plan is working. I will praise him for saving my life and pretend to trust him with my life. I pretend that I'm going to do what he wants and suggest a different course of action.

'Then let's take out more monsters. I'd like to take out every single monster on the 12th level for future use.
Yeah, I got it.

　This is how we defeat the 12 layers of monsters.

　Arti is the dangerous vanguard and takes care of most of the fighting, while I repeat the simple task of stopping them over and over again.
　In the middle of it all, I find a suitable monster and execute my plan.

''--Alti!　It's moving fast!　Let's surround ourselves with them!
That's a great idea. Then I'll come around to the back.

　I suggested, taking on the agile-looking quadrupedal beast.
　It was a nimble monster to look at, so Arti agreed without hesitation.

　Arti took a unique step and turned beautifully behind the beast.
　As planned, me and Arti had the monster between us. At the same time, we both attacked the monster - pretending to do so.

　I'm not going to go all out with Arti watching, partly because I don't want to go all out with Arti, but most importantly, if we fought normally, the monster would be killed immediately.
　I'm going to make the fight worse by randomly interfering with Arti's movements and letting the monster escape.

　Then, when I see that Arti has gotten away from me, I deliberately get my sword flipped by the monster's attack.

''d*mn--!

　Having lost my gains, I grunt and expose my defenseless appearance to the monster. At the same time, I put my right hand behind my back so that I can pull out the spare sword in my 'possessions' at any time.

''--Shit!

　I say something about being unconscious and throw a look at Alty.

　Pretending to be signaling my intentions to help, I watch to see how Alti shows his emotions and moves.

　--and Alti's response was very simple.

'Christ--!

　I gave him an impatient look and ran as fast as I could.
　Beyond that, it wasn't me, but a beast monster.

　With all my strength, I hit the monster with my entire body while thrusting out my flaming sword.

　With that, I escape the monster's attack. I pulled back from my 'possessions', stood up and ran towards the sword that was played.

　Arti was in a struggle with the monster. In a super close battle, Arti sliced through the monster's body with the flaming sword in his hand while spewing flames. Naturally, the monster turned into light and disappeared.

　After defeating the monster, Arti immediately turns his head to me.

''Christ!　Are you okay?!

　There is no malice or hostility.
　Words of pure concern for his safety.
　That was Arti's answer.

　And I felt like the answer was blaming me.
　An uncomfortable feeling of pitch-black sludge seeping out of my core and filling my head.
　I was the only person in this place who was dirty.

'...... Ugh, yeah. It's all right. Thank you, Arti. It's a hoot that you can really help me. ......
"You okay?" ....... Hmm, don't worry about it. Isn't it only right that we help people?

　Alty laughed as he said he deserved to help me.
　Despite the monster slicing through my bandages and bleeding, Arti saved me.

　I suddenly remembered the events of the ninth layer.
　The alienation that awaited me after the slaves were used up and I jumped out and saved them.

　If Arti had been in that scene, would he have affirmed me?

............!

　Immediately I shake my head and push it out of my head that it's not relevant right now.
　I have to act like I trust Alty, as I had originally planned.

'Haha, of course ....... Okay, I admit it. Alty just wants me to do what he wants, and he doesn't have a single thing against me. ......
'Huh?　Are you done?　I was going to be more patient: ......
'I'd feel like a child and pathetic if you kept being stubborn after being taken to this point. I'll give you some credit.
A little bit. No, that's enough. We're monsters with people.

　Arti nodded happily.
　I stared at it with a pathetic feeling.

'But that's it for today, my MP is running low and I'm starting to lose focus.'

　In truth, I have more than half of my MP left.
　But if we're looking to engage Alti, this is the lowest we can expect to see.

'Hmm, okay, ....... I guess that's it for today.
Let's get back on the road. ...... Since you're here, I'll ask you for more information as I leave.
Does that mean you'll cooperate with me in what I want?
I told you. I'm going to trust you. Just tell me what you think.

　I ask as I tuck my sword away and start back on the road.

'Hmmm, I guess so ....... Like I said, I think the main thing I'll be doing is observing the girl I'm falling in love with. It's a specific method, but I'll use my ability to haunt them without being detected. I have parasitic abilities, you see.
'Possessed?　Is that not harmful to an obsessed child?
'None. I can help in some cases, but basically no harm done. I'll just feel the child's thoughts and feelings. In that state, I'm going to see to it that the child's love is fulfilled.
Hmmm: ......

　In other words, if you can introduce someone who is in the middle of a romance, you'll never get Arti away from her. In the meantime, he would be able to explore the labyrinth in peace.

'Alright. Then I'll try to find it at random.
Oh, really?
But it's not my kind of story, okay?　I'm not a fan of people's s*x appeal and I don't have any connections. If that's okay with you.
'No, it's fine. I want you to fulfill your 'unfulfilled' wish. ...... You have a track record of fulfilling Tida's wishes, you know. And I'm long-winded. I could wait for decades if I wanted to.
So what am I supposed to do when I find out?

　Let's get to the point.
　If you say here that it's okay to follow Christ around at all hours, you're done. In that case, engagement would be an option.

At that point, yes, ......, you can report me to a ten-layered flame or whatever. I'm looking for those people in me, so they won't always be there, but ....... Speak to the flames here and you can respond wherever you are.

　We didn't talk about working with me.
　I don't know if it was out of concern for me, but it's a relief for now.

Okay. Okay, I'll do it. Or, rather, Arti. You're looking for all those people in the maze?
'No, it's in town. The warding diminishes my powers quite a bit, but the guardians (guardians) aren't tied to the labyrinth, so I can walk out.
What a surprise that is: ......

　I've never heard of such a story, even in a tavern.
　Perhaps it is information that even the labyrinth nation has not been able to grasp.
　Thinking this is a good opportunity, I wonder if I can extract as much information as I can from Alti.

'Tida used to walk around town undercover sometimes, too.
'That's scary. I mean, I've been wondering, do you have other guardians (guardians) besides Tida and Arti?
''No, they're not here. The shameful thing is that the humans have only broken the seal up to twenty-three layers, because I think every ten layers they release one of us, one at a time. There are only two.

　Arti speaks ruefully, "You should try harder, human.

　I was surprised.
　I thought the boss was an entity that would interfere with the labyrinth in order to keep it from advancing, but that doesn't seem to be the case. From what Arti said, it even seems that he is rather cooperating with them.

　While talking about such details, we arrive at the 10th layer.

　Flames are still blazing and it's a difficult space for humans to be in.

Are we parting ways here for once?
'No, I'm going to be on earth. Christ has introduced me to some interesting kids today.
Me?

　It was a story I don't remember. I don't remember making an introduction.

'It's that Franlleuré girl. That poor flame of love is my kind of girl. Well, it's not a bud by the looks of it. Hmmm, hmmm.

　Arti gives a disgusting smile.

'Oh, that one,'

　I remember something I don't want to remember, and I'm mortified.

"You didn't call me that. From the looks of it, she's in love with you.
Yeah, .......

　I was confronted by Arti with a fact that I had a faint feeling, but didn't want to admit.

'Huh, I know you don't feel like it. But it sounds interesting. I'm playing around with that boy for a bit.
Feel free to go to .......

　As far as I'm concerned, I don't care what happens to that pesky flanlure.
　I'm going to offer up Franlleure without any conscience whatsoever. But I'm a little afraid that Arti might help her.

　We will walk to the ground with a meeting to fulfill Arti's wishes.

　Our policy on the ground is basically separate.
　It helped that we decided to report to each other if we found the right person.
　Although I'll be meeting with Arti periodically, I've been able to find a way to not have to fight the guardians (guardians) and even keep them away from me.

　While I rejoiced in my heart that the pretend strategy I trusted succeeded, I also felt the mud of self-loathing building up deep inside.

　With the skill '??' would be able to erase this feeling. But I don't want the confusion to exceed 10.00. From a game point of view, I have a feeling that reaching the tenth place might meet some conditions.

　Still .......
　It's not a fatal emotion yet .......

　I told myself that and I continued walking.

　Arti and I.
　The road leading to a brighter ground.