To Mr. Hein, Rustyala replies with a cat on his head.

''Hello, Mr. Hein. Are you alone today?'
Yes, it's just me today.

　I used my magic 《Dimension》 to check for people hiding around me.
　Rastiara was looking at me, so I nodded and told her that Hein-san was alone.

　After confirming that, Rastiara continues to talk.

'To challenge my knight Christ to a duel today as well?

　Hearing that it's a duel, Mr. Hein stiffens a bit.
　Then, he quickly nods his head repeatedly and replies.

''Yes, I will challenge you to a duel. But before that, I want to talk to you about something.''
Story?
"Yes, with your knight Christ.

　With that, Mr. Hein turns his head towards me.
　I take a step forward to listen to his story.

'What do you mean by story, Mr. Hein?'
'No, it's not all about fighting. For example, I can even get you to admit defeat by providing you with what you want. That's what I'm talking about.

　In a soft tone, Mr. Hein makes a plea for non-violence.
　'Indeed, if we can negotiate a deal, I'd prefer it that way too.

'Certainly not,'

　Mr. Hein begins to negotiate with a smile on his face without a minute's notice.

'So tell me what you want,'
What you want, sir? ......?
'I will provide you with as much as you desire, whether it be money or honor. If you're looking for fun like the lady, I'll provide you with any pleasure you want. ...... so will you lose the duel?

　It was a very reasonable proposition.
　But alas, I don't want the money or the honor.
　I only want one thing. I just want to come home.
　I want my one and only family back. That's all I want.

　At the moment, the only place that has a chance of fulfilling that wish is in the deepest part of the labyrinth.
　I couldn't find any other possibilities through the information I've gathered to date. In that case, the only talent I want is the one that can be used in the depths of the labyrinth.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
　There is no reason to concede victory to Mr. Hein, even if you discard one of those few forces.

What ...... I want is not available to Ms. Hein.
Can't you get it?
What I want is in the 'deepest' part of the labyrinth. So I can't prepare for you, Mr. Hein.

　I assure him.
　Mr. Hein frowns a little at the response and continues to negotiate.

'That 'miracle' ....... The deepest 'miracle', do you want ......?
Yes, sir.
That's certainly not something I can prepare for: ......

　Mr. Hein knows what I want, holds his head and turns his face down.
　Then, after some reflection, he blurts out a few words.

'This sucks: ......

　That one word was shaky.
　It wasn't the soft, beautiful voice I'd heard before, but a scratchy voice that leaked from the bottom of my stomach.　

　And then Mr. Hein slowly raised his head and showed me his pathetic face.
　There was no smile on his face that didn't have an inch of space like he had in the past. It's the face of an ordinary person who has been struck by a sad event.

　The sudden change in expression confuses me.
　He didn't care about my dismay and continued to speak with a sad face and a hoarse voice.

It's the worst. What you want is the 'worst' for me. ...... It's fine to hope for a miracle. But this labyrinth. It's the only place you can't. Oh, how--the place is bad (・・・・・).
What is that ......

　I try to listen back, not understanding what Mr. Hein is saying.

'It can't be helped. Let's have a duel.'

　However, Mr. Hein did not respond to that and requested a duel.

'That's fine, though: ......
As always, if you win, does that mean I'll never see your face again?
'Yes, that's of course. But--

　I feel anxious, like a bug crawling up my back, and I try to stop the conversation once.
　But Mr. Hein doesn't allow it.
　He doesn't let it stop him from speaking, one word after another.

　And then he throws the most decisive word at me.

'Then, if I win, you and your daughter will leave the Confederacy (・・・・・・).

　As he uttered that one word, Mr. Hein's expression had returned to a smile.
　With a smile to admire, and the gentlest voice of the day, he declared.

''Huh?''

　I didn't immediately understand what that meant.
　From the way things were going so far, I thought that if we won, Rustyala would just go back to his parents' house. However, Mr. Hein wanted a completely different reward than that.

　Then the story is completely different.
　I tried to refuse it, to take a further step forward--

　That step was not going to happen.
　My feet didn't reach the ground and I was hit with a floating feeling.

''-- 《Zeer Wand》''

　Mr. Hein pointed his right hand at me and his left hand at Rustyala and chanted a spell.
　At the same time, one of his rings shatters and a ray of soft wind strokes my cheek.

　The next moment.
　The scene in front of me is distorted, a mass of air crashes into my eyes, and my eyelids are forced shut.
　Furthermore, the pressure to blow me away slammed my entire body.

　The direction of the pressure is from Mr. Hein.
　But my vision is closed off and I don't know what that pressure is.

　I instinctively rolled my body and prepared for more possible situations.

''--?

　I was blown backwards.
　In the middle of it all, I lost my sense of up and down.
　It was here that I finally understood that I was being blown backwards by a magical gust of wind that was beyond human understanding.

　I was caught off guard by Hein-san's good-natured atmosphere, and my response was delayed.
　I remembered the discomfort for sure, but I wasn't nervous enough.

　While being blown away by the wind, I deployed my magic 《Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradiate)》 and picked up information about my surroundings.

　I'm going to be able to expand my magic in an instant and build a response based on that information.
　It's less than a second in time.
　I have grasped the position of my position to be blown off and the position of the wall to be blown off. Then, I prepare to passively prepare myself accordingly.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to expect.
　While sticking to the wall, I let the magic "Dimension" permeate the entire room.

　In the distance, Rastiara was struck by the wall and knocked unconscious.
　She may not be dead, but one of her arms was broken, even with a light glance. Unlike me, it looks like he couldn't get passive.

　It's not that Rustyala's reaction was worse than mine. If you say it was bad, it was not the place she was standing.
　Although the distance from me to the wall was more than a dozen meters, Rustiala had no time to think because the wall was right behind her.

　I judge that Rastiara has no help.

　We have no choice but to leave Rastiara alone and concentrate on the enemy.
　As I answered that, I saw Hein-san pull out his silver twin swords and close the distance to us.

　I also put my feet on the ground while pulling out the treasure sword from my 'possessions'.
　I construct a magic to take advantage of the situation before Hein-san arrives.

''-- Magic 《Form》 《Dimensional Snow (Di Snow)》!

　It creates countless magic bubbles.

　Seeing this, Mr. Hein casts his magic.
　He points one silver sword at me and one of the rings shatters.

''-- 《Zittert Wind》''

　Along with the magic name, a soft wind is born from Hein-san's silver sword.
　That wind doesn't have as much pressure as the wind that preceded it. However, it preceded Hain-san's front and swept away the magic bubbles that were born around me.

　I realize that the magic bubbles are not effective against Mr. Hein and stop the mass production of the bubbles.
　Then, I decide to focus only on the sword and try to put my energy into the magic 《Dimension》 - and I realize that my magic senses are disturbed.

''----!

　The soft wind generated by Mr. Hein is a hindrance, and the magic, the Dimension, doesn't transmit information about the surroundings to me well.

　While biting my teeth, I attack Hein-san.

　Hein-san's twin swords are attacking me from both sides.
　I catch one of them with my sword in my hand and dodge the other by twisting my body as much as I can.
　I was lucky to dodge. I have no experience with two swords, so I had to use my reflexes and intuition to ward off the attack.

　I shrug off the first attack, keeping my distance, knowing in my gut that if I miss, I'll regret it.
　I put my hand behind my back and take out a spare sword from my 'belongings' so that I can take Hain-san by surprise.

　I block Hein-san's twin swords approaching from the left and right with this one as well.

　Looking at my sword, Hein-san makes a slightly surprised expression. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I dust off my twin swords and deliver a kick to his torso.
　Although the kick itself is not powerful, the recoil of the kick causes me to further distance myself from Hein-san.

　For now, I 'gaze' at Hein-san, trying to keep my distance and gather information - and


[Ring of Magical Wind]
　The ring that bears the power of the Wind of Shaking
[Ring of Magical Stones "Scattered Winds"]
　The ring that bears the power of the scattered winds
The magic stone "Heavenly Wind"...


　One of the ten rings.
　The ring of the magic stone 'Heavenly Wind' shattered.

''--《Zeer Wand》''

　Mr. Hein draws in the wind around me, compresses it, and releases a mass of it into me.
　The released storm easily lifts me up and blows me far backwards.

　But I had made sure that the magic was beginning to emerge. This time I don't lose my equilibrium and take a passive position on the wall firmly. Hein-san confirms that I'm passive and stops the chase midway.

　With the distance between us and the attack stopped, I regain some composure and call out to Hein-san while increasing my magic 《Dimension》.

''Hain-san!　What is this supposed to be!

　Mr. Hein answers the call, even as he gathers the wind around him to build a new magic.

'What a ...... duel. But it's not a warm duel like the one we swear to in The Magic Stone Line. It's a real duel to get what we want, to impose violence on each other.

　He had a gentle voice.
　The content of what he was saying was horrible, yet he sounded terribly gentle.

　After being attacked so clearly, I knew that there was no verbal solution to the problem. And I clearly understood that my one hope was cut off.

'd*mn it ......!　--Michemic Dimension Graduation!

　The only way to get this place under control is to attack Mr. Hein.
　However, as you try to build a tactic for that - you are astonished.

　I realize that this is the first time I've ever had a battle against a person with competing strengths, and I feel uneasy about where it's going.

　How far am I willing to go in my attack?
　Going to pass out?　That's the best you can do. But the enemy isn't weak enough to aim to stun you.
　Then, are you prepared to have an arm or two?　That much might be good. But I'm not sure I can do that without hesitation.
　Is it possible?　No, that's not the problem. The problem is--

　--The problem is that this is a human and human killing each other.

　If this is a monster, it won't hurt your conscience.
　Even if they are in human form, you can excuse yourself for being a monster.
　But if you kill a human, there's no excuse.

　If it's a tactic, I can assemble it in an instant, but I couldn't come up with this answer right away. My body would become rigid and I would not be able to take the optimal action.

　In the gap between those stiffnesses, Hein-san's magic is completed.

''Even if I have to slash off your legs, I'll have you be quiet ......!

　Hein-san's words, which were ridden with determination, echoed.

　The air around him was distorted.
　Countless lines of distortion floated and the sound of slicing through the air reverberated through twenty layers.

　Hein-san points the silver sword at me and chants.

''--[Wraith Wind]

　A line of distortion that rips through the air is shot towards me.
　In order to dodge it, I focus my magic, Dimension, on it.

　However, as I try to focus, I am disturbed by the soft wind that fills the room. It wasn't completely canceled out, but I was sure that a slight derangement was created. And my magic is a magic where such slight deviations can be fatal.

　I felt it was dangerous to rely on magic 《Dimension》, so I took out food from my "possessions". I select a bag of flour from the food and grab it and throw it at the distortions that split the air.

　The bag is torn open and a large amount of flour is scattered around.
　The smoke from the flour forms in the air and the strains that tear the air become clearly visible. Instead, my vision is restricted, but that doesn't matter for my magic.

　I run out at full speed, dodging the distortions that split the air as I approach Hein-san.

''-- 《Wind》''

　Mr. Hein cast the next spell and blew the flour scattered in the air.
　But by that time, I had already dodged all of the distortions that split the air. As it was, I attacked Hein-san.

　I'm not ready to kill him yet.
　However, since you told me that you are going to cut off my leg, I'm going to swing my sword with that intention as well. That's the point at which I am now prepared to make a decision.

　Swords clash with swords and small sparks bloom.

　I have no intention of letting go of the distance anymore.
　Even if I were to gather information, there are too many armaments that Hein-san wears to 'watch'. At a long distance, you can be struck by wind magic all you want. Even if you try to make small moves at mid-range, the magic wind will blow everything away. The only option is to fight at close range.

　The unique twin-sword swordsmanship is a threat, but not so much that it will immediately decide the winner.

　I'm going to take a bite out of it and strike away Hein's sword.
　I pour more MP into my magic "Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradient)" to try to open up an opportunity to win in close combat.

　Then, around the time the sparks that swords and swords bloom exceed ten, Hein-san changes his expression.
　Along with an unsuitable tongue strike, Hein-san distances himself from me.

　I try to chase it, but I stay on my feet.
　Because now I know why Mr. Hein has distanced himself from me. Beyond his pained expression, Rustyala was moaning. It looks like he's going to regain consciousness now.

　With relief, I re-holstered my sword.
　If Rastiara wakes up here, the situation will be reversed. If Rastiara were to enter the race, even the most natural of men, Hain-san, would not be able to win.

　In other words, all I have to do is persist until Rastiara wakes up.

　Mr. Hain-san looks at me, who has gone on the defensive, and takes a deep breath. Then he returns the twin swords in his hand to their sheaths at his waist and slowly spins his words.

'I didn't expect you to go this far, Christ, ....... My plan has gone awry. ......

　Mr. Hein spoke regretfully - and somewhat happily.
　He seemed to be pleased with the deviation of his plans.

　I can't read Mr. Hein's true intentions today at all, and I answer with increased caution.

'Why are you doing this ......?'

　I wanted to know the truth.
　The truth of the wish that the good-natured Mr. Hein wanted to pass on, even if it took us by surprise.

'Maybe it's because I saw the young lady playing happily with you .......

　Mr. Hein returns the words weakly.

'A joyful playing rastiala ......?　So why do you want to go to ......?

　Why does this lead to the hope of driving me and Rastiara out of the Confederacy?
　With the information I have, I can't find any relevance there.

　In response to my question, Mr. Hein smiles fleetingly.

'I was wrong.

　And then, with a twisted expression on his face, he blames himself.
　I can only watch it in a daze.

　Mr. Hein looks sane. I can see it, but at a fundamental point, the conversation is not taking place. It's as if I'm dealing with Rustyala, who is in a heightened mood, and I feel that kind of instability.

　I couldn't find the words to say to Mr. Hein.
　All the while, he continues to speak.　

'If you don't, your daughter will die. Please, Mr. Christ. Please let her go: .......

　And then Mr. Hein said that Rustyala was going to die.

'What?'

　Rastiara is dying: ......?

　With a thud, my heart jumped hard.

　Mr. Hein continues to speak like a river that has been dammed up.

'My words can't reach the young lady anymore, so I have no choice but to force her out ......!　Christ, Mr. Christ, you're absolutely right: ......!　Definitely don't listen to your daughter's words: ......!　The lady's words are like a dawn, and in fact, they are all 'made up (・・・・)'. Her facial expressions, her emotions, her thoughts are all 'fiction'. I was a part of it (・・・・・・), so there's no doubt about it. Listen to the real heart of the 'girl there', not that distorted, unstable, impersonal 'Rustyala' being ......!

　I don't understand what you're saying.
　It's too abrupt and too abstract.

　'Made up'?　
　Does this mean that Rastiala is not speaking his mind?

　As I was unable to gauge the truth of Hein-san's words, I caught Rastiara trying to get up at the edge of my vision. Mr. Hein caught it, too, and spat out a discarded line as he retreated to the stairs to the 19th level.

'No matter what, I'll take you out ....... Somewhere far away, not here .......

　Both of Ms. Hein's eyes flickered darkly and bewitchingly.
　Combined with her blonde good looks, the bewitching nature of her eyes gave me goosebumps.

　And with those last words, Ms. Hein disappeared into the darkness of the stairs.