At the same time as Hein-san disappears, Rustyala, who has regained consciousness, speaks up.

''Kudos .......'' --Christ!　Christ, safe!

　Rustyala holds one arm and staggers over to me.

'You're safe. Calm down.

　It was painful just to see Rustyala's arms bent in the wrong direction.
　I restrained myself from forcing myself to walk with my hands.

''Ouch. ......!　Totally folded, this ......!　So, where's Hine?
I managed to turn him away.

　Rustyala is relieved when he learns that he has fought off Hein-san. He then casts a recovery spell and begins to repair the broken bones in his arm.

'I see, thank goodness ....... Oh my god, why on earth would you ......

　Rustyala is relieved to see that the crisis is over for now. But soon, he began to resent the devastation.

I don't even understand ....... Mr. Hein said all sorts of incomprehensible things and just ran away .......
'Nonsense?　What did they say to you?

　I'm at a bit of a loss for an answer.
　However, based on our past association, I decide it's no problem to answer and tell them what I was told.

First of all, I was told to leave the Allies if Mr. Hein won.
The reward for the duel is to get out of the country ......?

　Rastiara raised an eyebrow at the content of the reward.

'After that, Rastiara said it was 'made up': ......
"...... I'm 'making it up'?　That's not surprising. It's too late now to understand why!

　After healing his arm with his recovery magic, Rustyala scratched his head with his healed arm.
　He unusually revealed his irritation.

''You admit that you're a 'fiction'?''

　Rastiala doesn't seem to be uncomfortable with being described as 'made up'. I was curious about that, so I checked.

'I told you before. I told you before, this body was created as Saint Tiara herself. So it's only natural that it's 'made up'. I'm not denying that.

　Rastiala says he is 'make-believe'.
　However, I feel that there is a different nuance to the 'fiction' that Mr. Hain-san refers to.

I don't think that's what Mr. Hein meant by 'fiction'. It's more of a mental thing, not a physical thing. He said that thoughts and feelings are 'made up'.
"The spirit--?　Are thoughts and feelings 'made up'?　That's right, the people around me have a certain amount of influence on me, but no one does. I am who I am.
Yes, though: ......

　Looking at Rustyala, who expressed himself in a firm tone, I couldn't believe that his spirit was 'made up'.

　However, I can't ignore Hein-san's words, which appealed to me so desperately to that point. An unspeakable anxiety pooled at the bottom of my thoughts.

　Then I tell them the sentence that stirred my anxiety the most in Hein-san's words.

''Also, he also said that if we don't do this, Rastiara will die: ......
I'm dying ......?

　Rastiara hears the single word 'death' and gives him a look like he doesn't know what the word means.

''I'm pretty sure he said that,''
Dying ......?

　After repeating the word "death" twice, Rustyala turns his eyes to the ground. Then he murmurs as if to continue and get confirmation.

'Yes ....... Hein said that ......?'

　Rustyala slowly turns his head towards me.
　I can only give a short nod of my head.

　Seeing that nod, a dark depth in Rustyala's eyes grows. The madness that has been ringing in the background lately is leaking out.

　Rustyala mutters.

'Why, now ....... Just a little more (・・・・・・) and you'll be at ....... As typical as it is for Hain, it's .......'

　He mumbles and puts his hand to his forehead and thinks about it.

　Something's wrong with her.
　It's strange to be able to stay calm after being told that you're going to die by someone else, but even so, Rastiara's behavior is strange. I've been told that I'm going to die without any evidence, and I've been thinking about it so much - it's as if I have some idea of what the evidence is.

　In an attempt to ask the meaning of this, I approach Rustiala.
　But before I can get close enough, Rustiala starts talking in a hurry.

''Oh, oh. I'm sorry, Christ....... I was just a little startled. It's nothing. No, it's just that Hein's guy is suddenly acting so weird.

　Rustyala's face was back to normal as he began to speak.
　The agitation was gone, and he was trying to pretend that his earlier long-windedness hadn't happened.

　It's hard to judge.
　Should I step into the situation between Hein-san and Rustyala here? Or should we take Lastiara's intentions into account and pretend we didn't see her now?

　-- knowing that it will be an important decision, I'm not sure which one I should choose.

　While I'm struggling for an answer, Rustyala continues to speak with a cheerful look on her face.

'Anyway, the problem is that Hine's idiot didn't choose his means. We need to go back to the Hoosiers for a moment and talk about Hine's outburst: ......

　While saying that, Rastiara approaches the door of the magic 《Connection》. By the looks of it, she seems to have given up on today's exploration.

''Shall I follow you to Hoozeyards too?
No, it's fine. It's a family matter. More importantly, I'm sorry. Dueling ......, it was supposed to be a sideshow (...) ......

　Rastiala refrained from accompanying me because of his relatives.

　However, I am still uneasy about our separate activities here.

　I don't know what would happen if we were to be attacked by Hain-san again during this separate trip. It is doubtful whether Rastiara will be able to handle another attack by Hein-san.

　I'm not going to have a problem with it. It's hard to receive a surprise attack due to the nature of magic. Earlier, if Rastiara wasn't there, I could have escaped by myself. The reason why I went to the trouble of dealing with them is because I was uncomfortable with leaving the unconscious Rustyala behind.

　I can't forget Hein-san's look of compassion when he said, "Even if I have to cut off your legs--".
　I can't help but worry about Rastiara.

''Rastiara. It would be dangerous if Mr. Hine came again, so you'd better act fast...
'No, I was just distracted by the fact that I thought it was my people earlier. Essentially, I'm overwhelmed. It's obvious from the status, right?

　Rastiara says it's no problem and makes me check my status.

　Indeed, if you look at the status alone, it's an overwhelming victory.
　Most of the numbers are surpassed and there is a huge difference in skills. The only thing that's lagging behind is skill. If you fight normally, Rastiara must have won.

　However, as a result of not fighting normally, Rastiara lost.
　It is a fact that as long as there are materials to catch Rastiara off guard, Hein-san has the power to finish off Rastiara.

　When I can't get rid of my anxiety, Rustyala adds his words with a serious expression.

'Don't worry, I won't let my guard down next time. So, just wait and see.

　With that, Rustyala walked through the magic door.
　I followed her back to my house.

　Maria is surprised at our sudden return.
　That too.
　It has been less than an hour since we entered the labyrinth.

'What's going on?　Isn't it too soon?

　Maria looks surprised and interrupts her washing up in the kitchen and comes over to us.
　Lastiara replied as if nothing had happened.

I just remembered something I had to do at my parents' house. I'm going back to Hoosier's today. I'm going back to my parents' house. You can go hunting for monsters or go shopping with me.

　As he answers, Rustyala approaches the window of the house.
　Then he gives a final wave.

'Bye, then.'

　With a wave of his hand, Rustyala slipped away from the window of the house.
　I didn't have time to speak to her.

　Maria is suspicious of Rustyala and asks me what's going on. I slurred my words and disguised it as nothing serious.

　I don't want Maria to worry.
　I don't want Maria to worry, and if possible, I want her to stay out of trouble.

　With Rastiara gone, Maria tries to confirm her future plans.

'I've been called by Mr. Arti, what is your master's plan?'
Did he call for you?　Alty's here?
'In the morning, I was cooking and he was talking to the fire I had lit. ...... It's about time for an appointment.
'That guy is everywhere: ....... I'm good ....... Go alone.

　Apparently, Arti had been in contact with Maria via the kitchen fire in the house. While reaffirming Arti's foul ability, I refuse Maria's invitation.

　Perhaps the errand is to impart magic.
　There's nothing to do with me being there.

'Yes, I understand. Well then, I'll go ahead and excuse myself.
Yeah, have a good day.

　Maria walks out of the house, too, and the house is quiet.

　I sit alone at the table in the living room and calm my mind.
　My mind is disturbed by the unexpected attack.
　I have to get it under control first.

　Slowly I take a deep breath.

　But still, it's been a long time since I've had to act alone. Lately, someone or something has always been next to me.

　When I first arrived in this other world, I was tormented by loneliness, but now I feel more comfortable with loneliness. I am amazed at my own selfishness, but I also think that's what being human is all about.

　I feel like I'm asking for something that isn't there and thinking that something is annoying.

　I am painfully aware of my own immaturity.
　In short, I'm just a child.
　I'm a child who has a full plate for myself.

　If I were an adult and had the luxury of time to spare, I wouldn't let my love for Maria stay secret.
　Even now, he wouldn't let Rustyala go to the Hoosiers by himself. There was no rift between her and Arti, and she would have been able to understand Mr. Hein's desperate plea, and even Dia wouldn't have been badly injured.

　But all that had passed.

　I don't think I've made the best choice by any means.
　Even now, I regret that I should have followed Rastiara, even if I was forced to. At the same time, I'm not sure if I, as a stranger, should be allowed to intrude into the affairs of Rastiara's family.

　It's easy to do.
　It's not just that I don't have the time and strength to make decisions now.

　--I have to be stronger.

　It's a good thing that you're able to do that, and rather than regretting the past, you're able to push yourself to grow as much as you can.

　I go through the magic Connection and step into the 20th layer alone.
　I don't want to explore the depths by myself.
　It's not that I don't think I'm strong enough, but there's no doubt that the danger is even greater than when there are two of us. Above all, I knew that if I proceeded with my search when Rastiara wasn't around, I would be complained about later.

　I decide to hunt the monster.
　Mental immaturity won't be solved overnight. But in this other world, physical strength can be solved overnight. Then it was a natural thought to try to cover the strength with physical growth.

　For the best choice.
　It wouldn't hurt to get stronger so I wouldn't regret it.

　Next, I start selecting a hunting ground.
　The strongest monster, at a level where I can hunt it alone without any problems, is the Fury on layer 21.
　However, it's not so much that the Fury is the most efficient opponent. Fury has a lot of experience, but it's also very durable. If you calculate the amount of time and experience it takes to complete one of them, it's not the most efficient.

　I'll use the experience of the game I've gained in my world to find the best solution.

　The ideal monster would be one that can be killed instantly with a swing of my sword. The time it takes to find an enemy is also important, as is its density. Also, the less chance of irregularities, the better.

　Thinking back to the monsters I've fought so far, I'll derive a layer that fits that criteria.

　However, you won't know the actual efficiency of the game until you try it out.
　For now, I head to the 15 or so layers where there are many candidate monsters.

　Then, I continued to hunt various monsters around the 15th layer and continued to accumulate experience and magic stones.

　There was no time limit on today's hunt.
　I could take out enemies with a single swing, so my MP consumption was low. Most importantly, the natural recovery of MP has also increased due to the maximum value of MP increased by leveling up. I've been searching for monsters and slaying them one after another, semi-permanently.

　I continue to level up in silence.
　I felt like I hadn't played a game in a long time, and I continued to hunt until the sun went down.
　As if to escape the pile of problems, I continued to hunt alone.