We walked past the hospital reception area and towards the wards.

　The windy street has been repaired and is just barely keeping its body as a corridor. Proceeding through such an unappealing space, I enter the hospital room where Dia is waiting.

　It's not only Dia, but also a row of unfamiliar faces.

"Dia, are you a visitor?

　I call out to Dia, who is sitting on the bed.
　Then I turned my attention to the three strange men standing in the hospital room.

　The three visitors were dressed like priests.
　'Gazing' at them, there was no doubt that the class was also a priest, since they were also priests. On top of their clean, light-colored clothes, something like a patterned stole hung in front of them.
　His status is only slightly stronger than the average person.

'Christ ......!　Wait, wait a minute.
Yeah, okay.

　I calmly answer and go straight out into the hallway.
　I'm still angry, but thanks to my earlier skill "?", I don't have to fret. It's a good thing that I don't have to panic because of the "??" skill.

　As I was killing some time in the corridor, three priests came out, thanked me and then left.
　After making sure of that, I walked into sickbay.

'Hey, Dear,'
Christ, it's rare to see you this early in the morning: ......

　Dea has a troubled look on her face.
　I guess she didn't want me to see the scene she's seeing now. It seems that Dea has a variety of reasons. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.

　In the first place, Dia has more talent than that Rustyala. It would be strange not to have something.
　I gave myself that answer and began to talk.

''Was that the Fuzzy Yards Priestess now?''
U....... Not Hoosiers, but something similar, I guess.
You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.
"...... No, I'll tell you. They're my country's priests. They've been following me .......

　Dia didn't try to hide it.
　I guess she thinks she can no longer hide it. I can't guess if it was because she knew Lastiara or because the Nativity was coming up ...... the reason.

'Have you been following him?'
I'm sorry I haven't told you before. I'm a fugitive and a key figure in a country. ......

　Honestly, Dear tells me what happened to her.

　An important person in a country ....... After all, he must be a being with some special circumstances. Otherwise, he would not be able to explain his talent beyond Rustyala, a man-made finished product.

　You may think you are telling the shocking truth as Dia, but for me, I've just finally heard the reason for my conviction.
　I can't look at Dia who speaks with a very apologetic face, and I answer gently.

...... I see. But don't worry about it. No matter what happens, Dia is Dia.
Christ......!!!

　Dia looks at me, impressed.
　I guess she was ready for some kind of condemnation.

　But I'm in no mood for that. My angry yet cold thoughts quickly move me to the next topic.

'So Dia has to go back to her country right away?
No, it's supposed to be. Not right away. I had to attend a Nativity ceremony tomorrow. I've been assigned to represent a religious faction.

　The fact that Dia is in a higher position than I thought was possible makes my heart rate increase, not a little.
　It doesn't help that when we met her, she was a raggedy figure who looked like she was going to starve to death. I am reminded of the importance of first impressions.

　I stifle my desire to ask him for details and only talk about the practicalities of the situation.

'Are you going to leave after you attend?　Is there anything I can do to help?
No, of course I'm not leaving. I'm going to hit the ground running. And I won't need Christ's help to convince them. I don't want to get in trouble. But for now, I'll take care of things on my own.

　Clearly, Dia has made her intentions known.

　It's very different from any of the others. That guy and I would have been easier to talk to if we had been as honest and decisive with our feelings.

I understand. But I want to help in any way I can. You can count on me if you need anything.
'Oh, thank you. Christ.

　The story of the problems that Diah may be having was finished in a matter of seconds.
　Of course, I don't believe that this is all that Dia has. But I've taken care of the problem that is now within my reach. I'll get right to the point.

I'm sorry to bother you, but ...... I have a question for you.
You want to hear it?

　Dia isn't driven mad by other influences like me or Rustyala, nor is she trapped by strong personal feelings like Maria. And there's also the world-weary circumstance that Dia is the only person in this other world who seems to be trustworthy.

　--You're going to have to ask the trustworthy Dia for her opinion.

　That was the purpose of this visit.
　In order to do so, I begin to explain the relationship between Rastiara and the Nativity. Dia continued to listen to it with a divine look on her face.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...　


I see.

　After the general outline of the story, Dia examined the information given to her.
　Dia was not completely unfamiliar with the Foozeyers' nativity, and she readily accepted the story itself.
　Then she goes on to state her thoughts.

'I don't think it's just education. I'm sure there must be some kind of spiritual magic at work as well. Someone who has had multiple layers of it cast on him since he was a child. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so stubborn.

　Dia pronounced Rustyala's condition to be poor.
　Dia, who knows a lot about sacred magic, seemed to have a magic that came to mind.

　However, I had checked Rastiara's condition by status. At least there didn't seem to be any magic that would be abnormal. If I had any idea, there was something like 'elemental body' or 'pseudo-god's eyes' in the skills.

'If you were under a mental spell, would Dia be able to undo it?'
'No, I don't think I can. If it's a magic that's easy to understand, I'd unlock it when I encountered it. It's probably a level of magical artistry that's ingrained in my flesh and blood. The guys on the Hoosiers would be fine with that much.

　Deer assures him in a tone that he has seen.

'Well, I guess I'll have to give up on disarming then: ......
'But I think I'll undo the curse before the ritual of bringing down the saintly tiara. I don't think I'd hand over a body to a great man from the past who is still under the influence of spiritual magic that disrespects his own life.
"Before the ceremony, or at ......

　Then ideally, after it's lifted, we'll have to take out Rastiara.
　If we can't do that, we'll have to get someone who knows how to undo the spell somehow to help us.

'So what do you want to do, Christ?　I'll help you. I'm back in shape.

　After Dear finished talking to me, he asked me what I wanted.
　He even seemed to be willing to cooperate. I'm sure she's having a hard time herself, but she's still a good girl, willing to help out for the sake of her friends.

　But unfortunately, I don't have a definitive answer for you right now.
　No, precisely the answer to the question was lost to the skill "??". took it from me.

' ...... Dear. I'm going to ask you something weird, okay?
Oh, yeah.
'What would Dia-- no, what would you normally do?　Is this where you go to help?

　I listen without embellishment.

　I don't trust my judgment anymore. I'm not going to be able to say that they are all the result of being manipulated by the skill "? I can only think of them as the result of being manipulated by the "?

What?　Would I go to ......?
'Oh, even if I have other obligations that take precedence over everything else ....... Still, should I go help Rastiara ......?

　Dia was startled and looked at me as if she was looking at something strange.
　But then she takes a breath and answers with a serious expression.

'Well, I suppose ....... I'd go to help if there was something that took precedence, someone who was irreplaceable to me. I'd probably go ....... But that's my story. I don't know if that's normal or not.

　Dear gave me a passionate look and made a strong argument.

　--Dear would go to help. But I'm not sure if that's normal, or .......

　I have more to judge, but it's still not enough.
　I have no choice but to ask the unspoken question.

Then ......, if. If. If I liked Rastiara, should I go help?
'He-......?　Wait, wait a minute: ....... Huh?　Does Christ like Lastiara?

　Dia is suddenly flustered and tries to get confirmation.
　Certainly, it would be natural to be surprised if such an analogy is suddenly given. But now I have to know that assumption.

I'm not a fan of ....... But I'd like you to answer me on the assumption that if you did.
Well, yeah, ....... If. You're assuming: .......
Yeah, just assume. I'm just going to make assumptions now.
'Then you can go to ....... If you like it, you're going to help them. If you like it, you're always going to want to help, no matter how much you have to prioritize ....... No, if you like it. If you like it, that's if you like it!

　Dia answered without hesitation.
　After all, if you liked it, I didn't hesitate to go and help Rustyala. No matter what you lose, you can go ...... to help.
　That's why the skill '??' dismissed the emotion.

'...... Okay, I'll get it. Then I've decided to help Rastiara.

　Seeing that the idea I had and Dia's opinion matched up, I made up my mind.

'What ......?'
I'm going to the cathedral at the Fouzeyards now.

　I stand up without hesitation.

　Maybe I knew the answer from the beginning.
　Even in my shallow life experience, I knew it.

　It's not normal to abandon someone you love.
　The right thing to do is to save the person you love, traverse the labyrinth, and return home to your family with your heart in your hands.
　It's not rational, but it's the right thing to do as a person, rationally speaking.

'Wait, Christ!　No, it's too soon!　You can't go now!　I just told you that the spirit magic is broken right before the ritual!　You've got a lot on your mind, Hein, because if you try to force him to help you, there's a chance he'll rebel against Rustyala himself!　If you save him and he tells you that Lastiara is suddenly under the influence of magic and that he's definitely going to be in the ritual, Christ can't handle that!

　It was.
　That's why Mr. Hein wanted to set me up with him and transport Rustiala out of the country, even if it meant cutting off his legs.

　If things continue as they are now, the risk of being resisted by Rastiara himself will follow.

　Seeing the expression on my face as if I had remembered something of that, Dia sighs. Then, muttering that it can't be helped, she continues to speak.

'I know very well that Christ really wants to help Rustyala. ...... then Christ can just wait.

　Dear told me not to move.
　She continues with more words.

"-I'll (...) help Rustyala.

　Dia declared with as much determination as I did.

'Dia is ......?'
'I can be there just before the ritual is completed. At the moment when the ceremony is completed, I'm going to take advantage of the loosening of my mind and let the cathedral fall down - and then I'm going to get close to Rustiala. There, I'm going to ask Rastiara, who has been freed from various ties, what he really wants to hear. If Rustiala has any intention of escaping, we'll both go to Christ at once.

　What a bold and foolhardy plan.
　But it was also sure to be the only time when the various ties to Rastiara were being unraveled.

'If we succeed, me and Rastiara will be hunted by the Fooziers. We'll immediately flee to Gliard, a maritime nation to the south, and we'll all do another labyrinthine search.

　Deer continues to talk in a matter-of-fact manner.
　She was too nonchalant for me to believe her.

　But I don't know why she would go that far.
　I wonder if Dia and Rustyala are closer than I thought. But I don't think so, based on the extraneousness of the other day.

　When I'm suspicious of the reason for Dia's devotion, she notices it and replies.

'Well, it's just an afterthought to my own life on the run ....... I can count on someone as good as Rustyala to be my companion, and ......
'But if we save Rastiara, we'll have more enemies. That's a big enemy too. Are you really prepared to help Rastiara, even if it's against your country ......?
Ready?　I'm ready for it. If I'm the kind of friend Christ would go to such lengths to help, then of course I'm the kind of friend he needs. I'm okay with this. You don't have to worry so much. Our search for the labyrinth has only just begun.

　Dia smiled and answered immediately.

　Even I have a dream of scoring a mountain in the labyrinth, and yet I'm trying to help Rustyala, even though I know it will add to the obstacles of that dream.

　The size of that human being makes me realize how small I am.
　I'm ashamed of myself for not being able to move in my own cuteness.

　Dea's presence was dazzling.
　And I wanted to be just like her.

'Thank you, Dear ....... But you don't have to do that, Dia. I will do it. I'm sure that's my job.
Christ?
I'm the mastermind of this. I'm going to jump in and take Rastiara right before the ritual is completed. I can't let Dea do that.

　Like Dia, he pretends to answer with confidence without hesitation.

　Hearing this, Dia only said, "It's a quintessential Christ," and didn't show any signs of disagreement. As usual, she seems to have excessive trust in me.

''-- I understand. If Christ says so, then let's go with that.

　The story is settled.

　Afterwards, I ask Dia for as much information about the cathedral as possible.
　However, Dia does not know much about the cathedral either. As a guest of honor, she only knew the schedule of ceremonies and the minimum floor plan.

　However, it would be very different if I didn't have that information.

　I could know when to jump in and where to jump in.
　It's many times better than raiding in the dark.

　After exchanging as much information as possible and confirming each other's plans, I left Dia and I turned to Hoosier's by myself.