I think I'm going to go home now.

　The sun had gone down and it was nighttime, and Arti had made a statement of intent that there was no time to lose. Rustyala puffed out her cheeks in response.

''Yeah, let's have more fun!
'No, no. I have to show up for my classes at the Institute tomorrow. I can't play for long.

　Arti replies apologetically to Rustyala.
　In response, Maria says the same thing.

''Oh, I'm going home too. I don't have anything to do, and since we're going to be here, I'll be leaving with Arti-san.

　Maria hadn't spent any money at all after she had eaten once.
　Maybe that's why she spent a lot of time talking to Arti, who also didn't want to spend any money. Maybe the reason she's trying to leave with him is because they got to know each other in that time.

'Hmm. I'll be responsible for sending Maria home. Christ and Rustyala can have a little more fun together.

　It was mentioned that Arti would give me a ride home, which Maria accepted with a smile. Apparently, while me and Rustyala were fussing, a friendship had developed between the two of us.
　After that, although Rustyala had some trouble, Arti and Maria left without a moment's hesitation.

　Then we were left alone, and Rustyala laughed and called out to me.

'If Maria isn't here, are you seriously going to frolic?'
Hmm. No, I'm starting to get a little tired myself.

　Even though basic strength is enhanced by the level, there are still limits.

''Right. I'm the same way. Now let's just settle down and chat while looking for something interesting to eat.''
'That's a fair point. ...... Yes, it is. If you can, would you like me to tell you something about this world?　I can't ask anyone but Rastiala about those things, so the situation now is just fine.
'Okay, but ....... That's what happens when you sneakily hide the fact that you're a 'gentile'. I mean, you don't have to hide that much, do you?
It's never happened before. If they find out, they'll be cautious because you never know what they'll do to you. It's ......, so don't give me that word in a crowd like this.

　Rastiara uses the word 'gentile' proudly in the crowd.

　In the past of my world, there were things like witch hunts and pagan hunts. Even today, if such a thing as an extraterrestrial is discovered, there's a good chance it will become a guinea pig. Even with my shallow knowledge, I can see that 'Gentiles' are no better than extraterrestrials. It was enough of a possibility to make me stomp my feet in fear. So I appeal to Rustyala to refrain from speaking.

'Christ really is a coward, isn't he? I get it. I'll say as little as possible. But I think it would be better to tell him around Maria as soon as possible, though.
'For Maria?　Why?
Why, 'mate'?　You're supposed to let people in on your secrets, right?
'Friends'. But that's not the same thing as this.
'Heh, hmmm ....... Christ is so (...). Hmmm, well, if Christ says so, so be it.

　Even if they are 'friends', I don't think I'm going to reveal their secrets easily.
　When I said that, Rustyala nodded repeatedly, looking happy.

　I feel uneasy about the happy-looking Rustyala.
　When Rustyala looks happy like this, it's when he's thinking about something that wouldn't be good for a normal person. I ask him what he's thinking about.

'What. What's wrong with you?
No, no, no, no. Rather, it's good (...) Yes, even though we're in the 'tribe', we don't have to talk about everything, do we?

　It's 'good' for Rastiala. In other words, it will be 'not good' for me.

　It's best to avoid what Rastiara happily recommends as much as possible. We've known each other for a short time, but I've learned that much.

　So I'm going to retract my previous statement.

'...... I'll talk to Maria when I get a chance. Maria's a 'mate', you know.
Oh, you're going to tell him?　...... Wait, that's fine then.

　Rustyala looked a little disappointed.
　But she quickly regains her composure and her face lights up.

　And then she starts talking about the first thing I suggested - this world.

'So let's talk about this world, shall we? But even if you say so, it's hard to know where to start.

　You're right, you're right.
　Even I can't explain my world to you right away if you ask me to explain it to you.

'No, you don't have to explain it all at once. No, you don't have to explain it all at once, because it's going to be difficult and I don't expect you to understand everything right away. Just start with what's familiar to you and take it a little at a time. For example, ......, you can expand on the story about this festival. From there, you'll learn a little bit of customs and common sense.
'This festival, huh? ....... That's easy to talk about. I don't have a lot of hands-on experience, but I know what I'm doing.

　Rastiara continued to speak, looking deeply moved and compassionate to his surroundings.

'This festival is a prelude to someone's Nativity. This festival lasts for about a week, and on the day of the Nativity there is a great ceremony in the cathedral of Huzjaz. They say it's meant to be a celebration to thank God and to bring good things to the people.
'I see. I understand, because we have something similar in my world. Do you have events like that a few times a year?
'Yes. The Bishop of the Confederacy - there are many saints in Revanism. There are three Nativity celebrations alone, and there are many other festivals to honor God. I guess this time it's one of those big Nativity festivals.
Heh. ......

　The customs may be different, but they are similar to my world.
　The stars and roots may be different, but if people are alive, they may think the same way.

'This time it's the birthday of Saint Tiara Fouzouyaz. A saint who is said to have built the foundations of magic on the continent--
'Wait. I was wondering earlier if the ...... name is, you know, too near-pinned?

　I stop talking as quickly as I can.
　Even if it's just Rustyala, who is suspicious of many things about his origins. The similarity of his name to that saint's gives me a bad feeling.

That's right. That saintly tiara is 'me'.

　And, exactly, Rustyala responded to that bad feeling.

'Huh. ......'

　The shock is tempered by the fact that I had expected some of it. Still, there's no doubt that it will be troublesome. I let out one sigh and then urge Rustyala to continue the conversation.

'Of course, it's not the person in question itself. After all, he's a person from hundreds of years ago. It's just that his physical body is the same person (Tiara). The spirit is different.
'The body itself is ....... That alone is a terrible thing. What's that, in this world, you can do that with magic or something?
'Yes, I can do it. After spending an enormous amount of money, time and magic, it looks like I've been able to create a body like that of a saint. Wow, human karma is so scary!

　I'm both horrified and dismayed at the same time.
　In the end, it's the same as the cloning and cell manipulation techniques of my world. The civilization may be different, but it seems that the ideas end up being similar.

'Magic can only go so far ....... So what was the purpose of regenerating Saint Tiara's body? Of course, you had a purpose in mind, right?
Hmm, of course it has many purposes. But I can't tell you any more than that, because if I tell you any more, I'll have to explain the mysterious and interesting aspects of my life. If I tell you any more, I'll have to explain to you the mysterious and interesting parts of me.

　Rustyala starts to instantly start putting out when it comes to himself. As I've said before, he seems to feel romantic about revealing his identity little by little.
　However, I'm curious to see if it's going to get to this point, so I'm going to fry Rustyala's words from earlier.

''Hey. Wasn't 'friends' supposed to confide their secrets to each other?
'Yes, I do. That's what I think. So here's what I'll do. If I can properly teach Mary that Christ is the 'Vortex Wave', I'll properly teach her about 'my tiara'.
Guess that's what's coming: ......

　I had said earlier that I would talk to Maria when the time was right, but I hadn't decided when that time was. This was a tough deal, as I was trying to stretch it out if I could.

'All right. But I'll try to time it so it'll be quite a bit later.
'You could have told me that today. Christ is a slacker.
I'm not a slacker. It would be difficult for Maria to have this conversation all of a sudden. Maria is going through a lot of shock at the moment. She has become a slave, she has lost a lot of things, and she doesn't need to hear about my situation.
'Hmmm. I guess if Christ says so, then so be it. You can stretch the timing however you like.

　Rustyala watches me with warm eyes as I desperately try to explain Maria's condition.

'Yeah, I'll do what I want. But when you do, you'll definitely have to tell me, too.
Of course.

　After making a promise to Rastiala, I find a rare food stall. It's the kind of food I've never had before, and I suggest we stand in line at Lastiara. I think it's something I've never eaten before, and I suggest that we stand in line with Rastiara.

　While eating the nuts we bought together, Rastiara and I walk and continue our conversation. He can't talk about himself, but he likes to talk about history and other things.

I may not be able to tell you about my tiara now, but I can tell you about the tiara of the past. It's just as well that I can learn about the world by learning about the great people of the past.
Wow, this Saint Tiara is such a great person?
Greatness is great. He laid the groundwork for a lot of things. After all, he created the first magic. And he made the Who's Yards.
That's great: ......
'Other saints are great, too. Most of them are building countries, saving the world, and moving history around.
'You're going to save the world ....... Saints are people, right ......?
It's human. But I heard that saints can hear voices that you can't hear. He hears the voice and brings miracles to the continent with knowledge that does not exist in this world. As a result, a lot of people are saved, so it is tempting to call him a saint and worship him.

　The definition of a saint seems to be similar to my world.
　But I don't know much about it, so I don't remember exactly what a saint is in my world. I only have a vague notion that a virtuous person can be called a saint if he or she meets certain conditions.

　This one's condition seems to be 'a person who can hear an inaudible voice'.

''Is an inaudible voice like the voice of God?''
'No, what they can hear is the voice of a big tree growing in the middle of the continent ...... I think it's called the World Tree (Yggdrasil). It's called the World Tree (Yggdrasil), and I heard that the saints can hear voices from that tree. -- or maybe I and Christ can hear them too. We're pretty much the thing.

　It's certainly not surprising that it sounds like we have special circumstances. I would be willing to try it if I had the chance. If knowledge can be gained from that voice, it's well worth a try.

''Hey, where is that World Tree (Yggladrasil)?''
It's a long way. After all, the Allies are the frontier of the continent. It's in the home country of Foozeyers, which is in the center of the mainland, so it would take dozens of days to get there.

　As I recall, from the knowledge I got from the library, it's a considerable distance to the home country of Hoosiers, on top of being across the ocean. It's so long that you have to be prepared to travel for many days.

　Incidentally, the home countries of the five countries belonging to this Confederation are all far from the Confederation. All of them are major powers, so it is not possible for them to have their capitals at the edge of the continent. In effect, the only condition for joining the confederation is that it doesn't hurt to have a derivative country in a remote area.

''That's a shame. If it were closer, I would have heard that voice and tried to get some miracle power.
'Yes. If it were me, I could have gotten the same basic knowledge of all magic as Saint Tiara.

　Me and Rustyala slump our shoulders.
　I'm only half joking, but Rustyala seems to be talking under the assumption that he can really hear me.

　Rastiara's depression is short-lived, but he quickly looks up and continues talking. As usual, she is quick to recover. He's emotionally unstable, the kind that makes people uneasy.

''Now that we've talked about Saint Tiara, let's talk about the nine attributes of magic she created. It is important for those of us who fight for a living to know more about magic.
'That's great news for me, as I use magic with my senses. There was no magic in my world.

　Although the existence of magic existed in games and so on, it's new to learn its history.
　However, hearing that, Rustyala's eyes shine oddly.

''--Hmm, there is no magic itself?　Christ's place.
Yeah, no magic and no monsters.
'Wow!　I, on the other hand, would love to hear that side of the story!
Well, I was hoping you could teach me about magic and--
That story sounds more interesting!

　I wanted to hear the rest of the magic story, but Rustyala's interest was completely diverted to my world and I was in trouble.

　It's hard to persuade Rastiara that she's in trouble.
　I have no choice but to start talking about the science that will replace the magic in my world.

　After talking about science to some extent, I told him about the heroes of my world.
　Rastiara seemed to prefer the stories of heroes, and she seemed to enjoy listening to the heroic tales of my world. When the person listening to the story seems to enjoy it, it becomes fun to make them listen to it too. I was on a roll and continued to tell Rustyala about the history of my world.

　Finally, when I had finished telling more than ten heroic tales and bought and ate more than the same number of food, Rustiala and I returned home. Of course, we couldn't talk about the magic of the nine attributes at all.

　After reaching home, everyone was probably exhausted, and both Maria and Rustiala immediately fell asleep. Everyone, including me, was satisfied with the festivities, and with their cheeks loose--


◆◆◆◆◆


　The next morning after enjoying the festivities.
　As I was having breakfast in the living room, Maria seemed determined and asked me to accompany her to the labyrinth.

'Please let me go to the labyrinth too: ......!
What?　You said Maria was going to prepare a meal for you at home.

　I was puzzled.
　After consultation, Maria's position had finally settled down. I didn't expect Maria to get involved in the labyrinth again here.

'Su, just a little bit. Let me try it. I've become stronger in the last two days. ......
Strong?

　Does that mean that she was training without my knowledge? In other words, Maria hadn't given up exploring the labyrinth.

　As usual, I don't know what Maria is thinking. Even though the female mind is an autumn sky, I can't keep up with it at all when it changes so quickly.

　As I'm scratching my head, Rustyala calls out from behind me in a small voice.

'Christ, look at Maria's skills--'

　I 'gaze' as I'm told.


[Status]
　Inherent skill: penetrating eye 1.45
　Acquired skill: hunting 0.67 cooking 1.08 flame magic (・・・・) 1.00


''Or, flame magic ......?''

　'Fire Magic 1.00' had been added to Maria's skills.
　It's a skill that didn't exist until a while ago.

　I am terribly surprised by that fact.
　I've seen many people's skills in this world, but I've yet to see a person whose skills have increased. Even from what I've heard, it's only once in a lifetime that a skill increases. As long as there was a column for acquired (...) skills, I knew that there was no way that skills would not increase. But I didn't expect Maria to increase her skills in just a few days.

　As I opened my mouth in surprise, Maria sensed my surprise and started talking about fire magic.

''Oh, your master can see ....... That's right. He taught me fire magic and I've been practicing it for a long time .......
Tell me, ......?
Yes, Mr. Alty told me about it.
He did?

　With that answer, the question in my mind is cleared up.
　It was Arti, who was also teaching Dia a lesson. If I had the chance, I could have done the same thing to Maria and Rustyala.

　--But the timing is too bad.

　When Maria was finally on the verge of giving up on the labyrinth, it was nothing short of annoying to be given such a spider's thread of hope.
　Thanks to that, Maria is ready to follow us today.

''Arti-san taught me a magic that works even at the 20th layer. There are many other ways to use magic and tips and tricks: ......

　Really superfluous: ......!
　If you're going to teach it to me, why teach it to Maria? That guy is ......!

Does that give you more magic to use?
Yes. It's not just "Fly Fire" anymore.
Does that mean you got a magic rock?
...... Yes. I was given a magical stone (・・・・・).

　I think Maria clammed up a bit in her last response.
　She understands that magic stones are an expensive commodity, so I wonder if she feels guilty about receiving them.

''Sure, if it's more magic, I'd like to see what it's like, but ......

　Depending on the increased magic, you'll have a way to counter the Rio Eagle on layer 22.

　It's not practical to take Maria there, but only then can you call her (・・・・・・), and it may be possible to take her out of the waiting room at the 22nd level and send her home again with her magic connection before entering the 23rd level. It depends on the case, but there is no doubt that it will help ....... But--.

Please. Let me try. If not, I'll be right back.

　Maria pleads with a strong willed look in her eyes.
　I look at Rustyala for a response. From the way she's smiling thinly, as if she's amused, she doesn't seem to have any intention of speaking out.

　I think about it.
　What will happen if I nod?
　What will happen if I refuse?
　I'm trying to calculate the profit and loss on both sides - and inevitably, a certain emotion (・・・・・・) gets in the way in the middle.

　I give up on the optimal solution and offer a compromise.

I say, "...... Okay, I get it. Just check the increased magic in the shallow layers first, and then assemble an effective tactic. Also, as soon as Maria is no longer in a situation where she feels safe, we'll leave. All right?
That's all right.

　Maria nodded emphatically.
　There was a determination in her eyes to be useful in the labyrinth.

　I ponder how to quench the flames of that determination.
　I can't help but be annoyed by Rustyala, who giggles behind me. If you're not going to give me advice, I want you to be quiet.

　I listen to Maria tell me more about fire magic and am amazed at its usefulness. As far as I'm concerned, it was a power that I couldn't refuse with a single word like 'useless' or 'I can't follow you'.

　This is how I ended up taking Maria into the labyrinth, even though I was reluctant to do so.
　I'm going back to the labyrinth with Maria...