After finishing the hunt in the labyrinth, I headed back home.

　The amount of experience acquired in one day was greater than ever before, and I met the requirements for leveling up. I was going to ask Rastiara to level up if he was there, but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be at home.
　Since she's traveling to the neighboring country, she probably can't come back soon. With that in mind, I look for Maria next. But Maria wasn't at home either. Is she taking time to master her new magic?

　No one was home.
　I felt a little lonely.
　After all, I've been vulnerable to loneliness for some time now.

　I look out the window, thinking it was too soon to go back.
　The sun was starting to go down and a beautiful sunset was coming into the house.

　A strange sense of sadness hits me and I leave the house.

　Since I've accumulated a lot of experience, I decide to go to the church to level up in the extra time I have. It would save time if I had Rastiara do it, but it would be better to level up as soon as possible.

　Also, I've accumulated some magic stones, so I need to redeem them. However, if you exchange a lot of magical stones at once, it will be noticeable, so you should only exchange the minimum amount necessary. After that, I'll shop for a change of pace and go to visit Dia's place.

　As we solidify our plans for the future, we descend the hill and enter the city of Valt.

　The sunset fills my vision as I walk along the streets of Wald.
　The jeweled edges of the city streets gleamed with a thin red glow.

　Then I reach the church, enjoying the extravagance of this world's roads with my eyes.

　When I entered the church, the priest was just chanting and the citizens were in the middle of a prayer.
　I didn't know if I could start praying in the middle, but I sat on the edge of the couch in the back and prayed by imitating him.

　It was a quiet time.

　Every now and then I would open my status screen to see if I had leveled up, check that I hadn't, and then pray again.

　The process of leveling up in the church is much longer than in Rastiara.
　I pass the time by checking my status and looking at the stained glass windows of the church. Since the stained glass windows were too shiny, I 'gazed' at them and was surprised to see that they were made of gems.

　While I was observing the church in various ways, a priest finished chanting and bowed. Then, those around him who were praying also bowed and sparsely stood up and began to leave.

　I check my status as I sit down in my seat.


[Status]
　Name: Aikawa Uzumi HP345/372 MP221/653-200 Class.
　Level 13.
　Strength 7.82 Strength 8.02 Skill 9.35 Speed 12.01 Wisdom 11.73 Magic 29.78 Elemental 7.00　
　State: confusion 7.79
　Experience: 20235/35000
　Equipment: The Treasure Sword of the House of Alais
　　　　otherworldly clothing
　　　　A sturdy cloak.
　　　　Shoes of the Otherworld


　I'm not sure what I should do with the bonus points after confirming that my level has gone up.

　Up until now, I've been swinging the points to HP and MP out of necessity, but it might be time to think about swinging them in a different way.

　After durability and fighting ability, you need the next thing.
　I think it's the firepower needed to defeat monsters.
　If you think of it simply, muscle power or magic power will lead to firepower.
　I think about it a little bit, and I swing it to magical power.


[Status]
　Name: Aikawa Uzumi HP345/372 MP221/657-200 Class.
　Level 13.
　Strength 7.82 Strength 8.02 Skill 9.35 Speed 12.01 Wisdom 11.73 Magic 30.08 Elemental 7.00　
　State: confusion 7.79
　Experience: 20235/35000
　Equipment: The Treasure Sword of the House of Alais
　　　　otherworldly clothing
　　　　A sturdy cloak.
　　　　Shoes of the Otherworld


　My magic power increased by 0.30 and my MP also increased, albeit slightly.
　I was expecting my magic power to rise by 1.00, but it doesn't seem to rise that fast. I won't know if the increase in other stats is also 0.30 until I try the next bonus points. Next, I'm going to swing it around to per muscle strength to find out the law.

　Next, consider the law of a slight increase in MP.
　Perhaps it's a common linkage in games and so on. A fraction of your magic power is added to your MP, or a bonus compensation is added to your MP for your magic power.
　It's a small increase, but it's an increase that can't be ignored.

　I get up from my seat, rejoicing in the fact that I've become stronger with the level up.

　Then I stop in my tracks to walk out of the church.

　Outside the church, I see a knight I recognize.
　I detected it with my magic 《Dimension》.
　It is fortunate that I was so cautious because of Hein's attack in the morning, and that I had strengthened my magic 《Dimension》. Thanks to that, I was able to notice it before I went outside.

　I intensify my magic and obtain information on that knight.


[Status]
　Name: Palinclone Legacy HP311/312 MP42/62 Class: Knight
　Level 22.
　Strength 7.90 Strength 9.87 Skill 11.89 Speed 5.67 Wisdom 7.34 Magic 4.78 Elemental 1.80
　Inherent skill: Observant eye 1.45
　Acquired skills: swordsmanship 1.89 Sacred magic 1.23
　　　　　　　Physical Arts 1.87 Spellcraft 0.54


　The knight's name is Palinkron.
　As I recall, it was a knight I met in the slave market a few days ago.

　I dredge up my memories and remember the person called Palinkron.
　He's the type of person I have a problem with, aloof and deceptive.

　I stop leaving the church through the entrance and try to use my magic Dimension to find a different exit.
　Then Palinclone, who was waiting outside, suddenly moves and enters the church.

　The door of the church was opened and a tall man appeared.
　He is still not knightly, and he is wearing stubby clothes that make it hard to move, like a merchant. Barely can Palinclone be called a knight, probably because of the sword he wears at his waist.

　Palinclone approaches me, shaking his muddy brown hair.

''Hey, you're a strange one, brother of Christ. Brother of Christ.

　He greeted me under the guise of coincidence.
　But I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence.
　He was indeed outside the church waiting for me. And the reason why he entered this church was because I had deployed my magic 《Dimension》 over a wide area and looked for a different exit.

''Ah, odd. Are you stalking me again?　You have a lot of time on your hands, knighting is a profession.

　He responds to Palinclone with a harsh tone of voice.
　I've always treated the knights with respect, but for some reason, I don't feel that way about this Palinclone. The first time I met him was in a bad place, too.

'Oh my, did they know you were tailing me? ....... Your brother, too (・・・・), you have a pretty good sensing ability. Suddenly your brother's magic swelled up, and I was surprised to see you go in.

　Palinkron said that I too (...).
　It is highly likely that he also possesses magic similar to magic 《Dimension》. This ambush and the previous tailing were probably done with that magic.

　Probably, it appears to be related to Palinkron's 'Spellcraft' skill.
　I've never heard of it in all the information I've gathered so far. It's an unknown magic genre.

'So, what do you want?　Do you want to go to a duel?
Hey, hey, hey, hey. I just came to talk to you. You fought off those three Serra Ragne Hines, didn't you?　Then I'm no match for you. I'm even fighting with the old man from Hopes for the bottom spot.

　Palinkron shrugged his shoulders in a frightening manner.
　However, I don't relax my guard.
　I maintain a constant distance and 'watch' his every move.


[Iron Sword]
　Attack power 2
　The Iron Sword with nothing to write home about.


　Other than this iron sword, there is no other equipment that I would use in battle.

　Palinclone notices that I'm 'watching' the equipment with increased caution and tries to calm the place down with a light tone of voice.

''No, really. I just came to talk to you. The sword is also a poorly made piece of equipment from some knight's quarters around here.
We were ambushed just now in the midst of a friendly atmosphere. ......
'Haha, I know, I know. Hein, right?　I know (・・・・・・), so I came to see how things were going.

　Palinkulon laughs and takes a seat at the opposite end of the couch I was sitting on.
　I'm losing popularity (or lack thereof) with the people around me.
　Even the priest has finished his work and has withdrawn to the back of the room.

　Unnaturally (・・・・・), it's just me and Palinkulon in the church.

'If you know what I mean, guess what? The knight's credibility in my mind is wrecked. I wouldn't want him to come within range of my sword.
Okay, I won't go in. I promise. It's ......, so let's talk, okay?

　Saying that, Palinclone puts the sword at his waist on the floor to show that he has no intention of fighting.
　I find Palinclone's honest response to be stinky in reverse. There's no doubt that he has the means to fight without a sword.

　However, it's dishonest of a person to have them do this much and not even talk to them. Besides, it's not like I don't have things I want to ask the people of Hoozeyer's, including Hein-san's case. I sit back down on the couch. Of course, I keep my distance.

"Okay. I'm happy to talk.
Thank God. I would have been in trouble if I couldn't even talk to you here.

　Palinclone said, "Good, good, good," and continued his story.　

'How do you like it?　Have you defeated all the 'Celestial Knights' yet?

　And then the question that I wasn't expecting comes flying in.
　I don't think there's any need to lie, so I answer honestly. It's information this guy could know if he wanted to.

'No, I didn't do it with all of them. The four people who did were ...... Mr. Raydiant, Ms. Hopes, Ragne, and Mr. Hine.
Mm-hm. Yeah.

　Palinclone listens with glee as his mate loses.

'Now my question. Do you know why Mr. Hein did what he did?
Yeah, I know.

　Without pause, Palinkron answered.
　I wasn't expecting him to answer honestly, so I'm more than a little surprised.

　Palinclone laughs at my surprise.

''Hmph, don't be surprised. My brother answered honestly too. I will answer honestly too.
Tell me about it.
Okay, I'll keep it simple. I'll give you a short answer. It's - because I stoked it (・・・・・・・), man. All these days I've been saying, with an unsuspecting look on my face, "Oh, Christ, the Lord looks like he's having fun with you. He laughs like a normal girl," or "I can't believe you've been deceived from birth to this day, and then disappeared without even a small amount of happiness." (......) It's heartbreaking, even for the sake of the country," and I kept tormenting him, and he did a good job of tormenting me halfway through. And then, just like that, he went to the Lord's rescue. Haha, we did it.

　Palinclone replies with a laugh. It was like the innocent laughter a small child shows when he or she succeeds in a prank.
　I am stunned by the gap between that laugh and the content.

'Oh, the agitated ......?'
'I have a reputation for agitation. A lot of the magic I practice is of that spirit type.
...... Why, why would you do that?
'Because it sounds interesting. And also because I'm hoping for the detriment of a country called Hoosier's. Well, it's mostly just a hobby.

　Palinclone laughs and I'm speechless.

　This is the first time I've seen someone so proudly and unapologetically talk about their own misdeeds - that's why.
　He's too pure in his malice to know how to respond. The fact that there are people who can drive people crazy with such ease is terrifying.

　I'm stunned, and Palinclone continues to talk to me.

'Now my question. Brother, are you willing to help the Lord - Rastiara?

　La, help Rastiara ......?
　Does that mean that Rastiala is in a situation where he has to help?　

　Palinkron's words were like a poison, similar to a drug.

　From what I said earlier, I was wary of Palinclone's spirit magic and checked my status. However, there was nothing unusual about his status. This is just Palinclone's talking skills.

　Just talking about it gives me such a headache .......

''What do you mean by helping?''
Hey, didn't Hein tell you that?　Yeah, if you're not listening, I don't blame you. I'll explain it to you. This is a service. It's a service to let you know the secret of the Lord, the secret of the Fooziers. Yeah, that'll have to do.

　Palinclone was white and said he had no choice but to proceed.

'Let's be brief. Rastiara Hoozeyars is the sacrifice of the Nativity. It's a vessel for bringing down the saint Tiara, and it was created just for that purpose. Well, if you take down such a thing, of course the Las Tiaras' ego will disappear. --The point is, the day after tomorrow, he'll die...

　And then he said that Rastiala would die.
　Palinkron says that if this is the case, that girl will die, he says.

　My heart beat uncomfortably fast.

　It was similar to the situation sometime ago.
　It's the same thing that happened to me at that slave market. I'm being agitated in the same way.

　Pointing at the girl falling into misery, Palinclone agitates me with a thin smile.
　Do you want to keep this up?
　Do we overlook it?
　Are you going to let that unfortunate girl die?　and .......

'Yeah, is that really ......?'
I'm not going to lie. Well, you'll be the judge of that, brother.

　There is no reason to believe it.
　A liar does not call himself a liar.
　But when combined with the story of Rastiara and Mr. Hein, it makes sense.

'Tell me more about it.

　I'd say it's a lie if I could.
　I find a discrepancy, and I listen to this guy's full story to tell it's a lie.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll tell you all I need to know. You deserve it.

　Palinclone twisted the corners of his mouth and leaned slightly toward me.
　Its smile was like that of a spider laughing at its prey being taken. Not a bloody one, like a mammal or reptile, but a severely dry smile, unique to insects.

'First of all, the premise is that Rustyala isn't human. It is not born from a human belly and is not even a straightforward creature. It's like a 'magic stone person' made of human flesh and jewels. We call it the Jewelcruise. Do you know it?　He's a three-year-old kid that size, man.

　First of all, it was lightly revealed that Rastiala is not human.

　But I know that. It was what he had said.
　The age of three years old was surprising, but those qualities were thin on the ground. Mental and physical imbalances were synonymous with Rustyala. It explains the immaturity of her spirit.

　However, I'll take a moment to check it out.

'Rastiara herself said she's sixteen years old.
'Yeah, I've set my physical age at sixteen. I guess you chose physical age rather than confuse me by answering honestly as three years old.

　At the festival, Rastiala had added "just in case" to the sixteen-year-old.
　Inwardly, Palinkron was probably right.
　It's not a big contradiction yet.

'Go on,'
"So, why would the Hoosiers create such a 'elemental body' as the Jewelcruise, it's to reanimate a great man from the past.

　Palinclone continues to talk happily with his hands outstretched.
　Every word of it makes me cringe.

'The blood of the saints of the past is preserved in its entirety in the cathedral. It seems that Saint Tiara, the founder of magic, tried many things to return to this world again. What caught his attention was the nature of the wizard's blood. Blood can leave behind many magical techniques. Then he thought that he could leave the personality of Saint Tiara in his blood as a magic formula. --No, it's an amazing obsession. This person.

　I don't feel any respect for the saints from Palinkulon. Neither do I, of course.
　From the way this story is told, that is, the blood--

In other words, the mission of the 'Magic Stone Human (Jewelculus)' Rastiara is to drink the blood of its saint Tiara and surrender its body (・・・・). The blood that circulates through her body is chock-full of the magic formula for receiving it. She was born to be the recipient of the re-birth.

　--the blood that kills Rastiara.

　The existence of Saint Tiara was being recognized as my enemy.

The Rebirth of Saint Tiara is foretold in the Levantine Bible. That's this year. The Hoosiers are acting in accordance with it. And the citizens of Hoosiers are counting on the prophecy, too. They say this year's Nativity is supposed to be different. And the Nativity is coming up the day after tomorrow, and the Lord's life is short!　Now, now, what do we do, brother Christ?

　Palinclone finishes his clinging explanation and turns his clinging eyes to me, expecting my response.

　I hear what I have to ask, as if I'm squeezing out.

'...... Is that, Lastiara is aware of everything?'
It should have been explained to you that you'll be one with Saint Tiara. It's a blur, but you'd expect a hint of annihilation. I don't know the details because the educator was Hine - but I'm sure it would have been easy to brainwash the innocent, newborn Lord.

　Palinclone suggests the possibility of brainwashing while stifling a laugh.

　Rathtiara must have accepted it as a given that he's going to be a saintly tiara at the Nativity. If he didn't accept it, he wouldn't be exploring the labyrinth in a swallowing manner. If he had normal sensibilities, he would have run away from it right away. Just like Hein-san said, somewhere far away, not here.

'You mean that Rastiara has no qualms about accepting the ritual?
It's been tuned to be un-huggable, isn't it?　Lastiara's life is already set on the planning table, and it's her destiny to keep getting adjusted.
'Continually adjusted ....... Destiny ......

　Something about those words stuck with me.
　It's even me (・・・・)--

It's all part of the Hoosiers' plan, isn't it?

　Regardless of my change in expression, Palinkron continues to talk.
　I shake off the snag and focus on the conversation.

'Plan?　What's the plan?
'Yeah, well, you listened to me. It's a fun, fun plan, and I just had to tell you. The plan is this. 'Rastiara will gladly undergo the ritual and become a saintly tiara. Then he will be unveiled at the Nativity, much to the delight of the citizens. What follows is a true tale of heroism. With his miraculous power, he uses his miraculous power to open up an unprecedented labyrinth, prolonging the 'right path' and inheriting the strongest name from Guren. --By the way, the person himself, Glenn, is also a collaborator. And later on, he wins a dance competition. He makes his name known all over the continent, and returns to the home country of the Hoosiers, exerting his miraculous power in various places. He participated in the war in the northern part of the continent with the fullness of his power, and a living legend, a saint, descended on the front line as the general. With his authority and power, the war is a great victory for the Hoosiers!　Wow, you're like a hero!' --Hmmm, what a great story. This is already set in stone (・・・・・・・・・・).

　Vexing Palinclone talks about the future of Rustiala as if it were the life story of a certain hero. The plan is the very kind of heroic tale that Rastiara likes to tell. Then he realizes that she might be pleased with it, and finds it a convenient match.

　It makes me suspect that Rastiara's preference is artificial.

　Maybe Rastiara doesn't want to be a hero because she yearns for heroic tales, but because she is a hero, she was trained to yearn for heroic tales.

　If so, that's ...... very sickening.

'Such a planned life, funny ....... Something's not right .......

　I muttered spontaneously in discomfort.

'Right!

　Then Palinclone agrees with me in a very loud voice.
　Then he invites me to join him in his momentum.

'So, brother Christ. Let's help you, Rustyala!

　Palinclone, with a big smile on his face, makes a very conscientious proposal.
　I'm afraid of that, and I can't stand it.

　I'm afraid of the fact that it's the malicious Palinkulon making that conscientiousness proposal.
　To shake off my fears, I say wildly.

'And so you goad me into doing so ......!　What do you want to do: ......!
What do I want?　Of course I want to help people. I want to give My Lord a real human life!　I'm trying to save you from being the victim of a monster's delusional obsession with a saintly tiara!

　Palinkron replies with a twinkle in his eye.

　I can see it. This man genuinely thinks the fate of Lastiara is boring. He thinks it's boring to continue to go along with a settled plan.

　It would be fun to help Rastiala.

　That's it. That's it.
　What a desire for chaos, plain and simple.

'I want my brother in Christ to prevent the resurrection of Saint Tiara. To be more specific, I want you to destroy the biggest festival of the Hoosiers, Saint Tiara's Nativity, the day after tomorrow.

　Break it down, he invites me to do so.

　But that's against my policy.

　I was angry when I found out what was going on in Rastiala.
　I'm sure of it.
　But there's only so much I can do.
　I can't afford it. I don't have .......

"You'll get caught if you do. Even if I did it with good intentions, I'm just a criminal.
You wouldn't get caught. You have the ability to escape. You've driven away the Seven Celestial Knights, the country's top fighting force, unscathed many times.
'Still, it makes it harder for the state to look at me and move me as a criminal. It has a lot of impact on my life.
'If that happens, we can flee the country. You'll be safe in a hostile country, out of the reach of the Hoosiers' influence.
I'm a stranded labyrinth seeker with no one to look after me. I don't want to leave and I have nowhere to run.
I don't think the two southern countries would have a problem with that. Even here in the Valt, the Hoozeyers aren't the best of friends. If you're as good as your brother, there are plenty of places to hide.
There's something wrong with the idea of getting sheltered or running away. I don't think that's--
Oh, you mean you can help, but you're too cute to help yourself?

　Palinkron laughs disgustingly.
　He smiles and pokes me where I don't want to be poked.

　I contort my face at that apt point.
　I have to admit that I'm petty.

'Yeah, yeah ....... That's right: ......'

　No way to argue with that.
　That's right. Everybody loves me.

　Then Palinclone looks at me in disappointment.

"You didn't catch me so well this time, ....... It was easy when you were a slave, but I imagine My Lord doesn't like it.　No, on the contrary, was there something special about that slave (・・・・・・・)?
......!

　And this time, he aptly pokes me to the depths of my heart, which no one else may have noticed.
　I try not to let my turmoil show, and I answer.

...... That's how it is. It was a simple matter of money then, but this is a different story. You're right, I don't like Rustyala that much.

　Hearing the answer, Palinclone observes me with his sticky eyes.
　He's trying to see right through me, trying to see through my lies.

　After a few moments of staring at me, Palinclone smiles and replies, "Ha, ha.

'Haha. I'm not going to force you to be prepared to make enemies of your country," he says, smiling. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I'm not going to get greedy, but I'm not going to get greedy. I'm not going to get greedy here. But...

　On the surface of the words, it could be taken as resignation.

'--I think my brother would do it.

　But still Palinclone looked at me like I was prey in a net.

　With that last word, Palinclone stands up.

'Well, it's time for me to go into hiding. My creed is to stay in the dark.

　With that, Palinclone gives me a small wave and turns to leave the church.

　That simple end was unexpected.
　I had expected him to be more persistent in soliciting me. Or does Palinkulon think that if I tell him this much, I will move on my own?

　Palinclone has already shown his back.
　I can't see the expression on his face, so I can't gauge his true intentions.

　I walk away from Palinclone without saying a word. I've obtained a minimum amount of information. I'm not going to try to get more information until I'm stopped. That's how shady this guy is.

　Thus, in the quieted-down church, I exhale deeply.

　After taking a deep breath, I drag my leaden body with me and turn my feet to head home.
　Anyway, my body is heavy.
　In proportion to that, I feel heavy.

　I couldn't shop or visit him because I couldn't bear the heaviness.

　I went straight home and looked for Rustyala.
　But Rustyala was not there.
　No matter how much I looked for him, he was not there .......

　The only person who was there was Maria.

　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing for you.
　It's a healthy gesture. But after learning that the healthiness may be from love, it's hard to deal with it.

''Master, what's wrong ......?''

　I'm not sure if I should tell Maria about Rustyala.

　From what I've seen, they are good friends. Although Maria often shuts down Rustiala with cold words, I see it as a communication between friends.
　I wonder if Maria knows Lastiara. They might be talking about it when they are alone.

'No. ......, Rastiala will be at ...... the day after tomorrow.'
The day after tomorrow?　What is it about Mr. Rastiara?
On Nativity Day: "On Nativity Day: ......
Yes, sir.

　Mary is just waiting for my word.
　She doesn't feel any special circumstances for "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Nativity".
　She doesn't seem to know anything about it, just like me.

　I'm not sure if I should tell Maria the details.
　Maria and Rustyala are friends. If they're friends, I'm sure it's the right thing to do to get them to listen to Rustyala's story.
　And the information I know does not come from Rustyala himself. I'm getting it from Mr. Hein and Palinkron.

　.............

　No, that's an excuse.
　I'm just nervous.
　I'm languid to explain.

　It's just painful, like when I was in the slave market where I met Maria.

　I retract the words I'm about to say.
　Then I pull out the bland words.

'On Nativity Day, they want to hang out again.'
...... Yes. Okay.

　Hearing my misrepresentation, Maria just nodded honestly.
　Maria's eyes continue to shoot straight through me.

　Perhaps Maria is just pretending to be misled. She doesn't pursue my intentions in depth.
　Maria often takes a step back in consideration of me. I can't help but think that it's because of her love for me.

　Dragging the weight of my body, which is getting heavier, I go to the bedroom.
　All kinds of information swirls around my head, and I feel bad.
　To shake it off, I wrap myself in the blanket.

　That day, even though it was dinner and night had passed, Rustyala hadn't returned.