After finishing the labyrinthine search with Rowen, I head to the place where Palinkron would be by myself.

　For now, it's to report on the progress of the 'deal'.
　I'll also have to report that I've taken the liberty of making Rowen a guest of 'Epic Seeker'. I'm the guildmaster, but even so, the real head of the guild is the three old submasters, Palinkron, Rail-san and Snow. Reporting to these three is a must.

　And I'm going to ask them to explain why they took the liberty of registering me in the tournament.
　And I'll also ask again about my mind and body.
　I thought about asking Palinclone, who is good at mental magic, to treat me, but he immediately shook his head and denied it. There's no doubt that Palinclone is hiding a lot of things from me. I can't trust him unconditionally enough to make such a choice.

　We have a lot to talk about.

　I picture in my mind the directions Snow gave me.
　The place is at the foot of a mountain on the edge of Lauravia. That's where Rail Senkus's villa is located. Apparently, Rail's good friend Palinkulon rents a room there and works in Lauravia.

　As I continued walking around the city, I gradually lost popularity.
　It seems that he has a villa in a remote area.

　I'm looking forward to visiting the house, which I hear is very luxurious.
　I keep walking along the deserted road and finally I arrive at the villa.

　No, to be precise, the ruins of the villa--

'Oh, what's this ....... You're right here, right ......?

　The villa had collapsed.

　There were no decent stone walls left and all the pillars that would have served as supports were broken. Every household item was broken and had not retained its shape. There was no roof over the house, and the contents of the cottage were left to rot.

　Many people were busily running around it.
　A servant and a butler. Well-built adults who looked like they worked in construction for a living. It was clear from the conversations of those people that they were processing and rebuilding the ruins of this villa.

　I find the man who is giving instructions to all of these people and approach them.

　This is Mr. Reil, the owner of the villa.
　As a man of power, he senses my presence as he approaches and turns to me.
　After a bit of hostility, he sees my face and immediately relaxes.

''Ah, Kanami-kun, it's ....... I'm glad you're here .......

　Mr. Reil welcomes me with a calm expression.
　He greeted me with a smile, even though I couldn't afford to look at him. He's a solid person. It's a different kind of person than some submasters.

''What in the world is going on here?''
No, we had a bit of a raid. ......
'An attack is ......, what would get you in this situation ......?'

　With this devastation in front of me, I wondered if I had been attacked by a dragon or something.
　But the reply was more horrifying in many ways than that.

'One girl got me.'
"What, girl ......?
Oh, only one. This place was cleared by a girl named Diablo Sith.

　Mr. Reil was laughing and accepting the situation.
　But it's no laughing matter to me.

'Di, Diablo Sis ......!

　One of the two guys in the example.
　A beautiful, neutral girl called Dia to Rustyala. She is mentally unstable and has a very memorable crying face that is too beautiful.

...... who the hell is she?

　Mr. Reil looks like he knows something too, and I ask him what it is.

'Yes, ....... It's like an assassin with a grudge against Palinkron. The Palinkron has a grudge in a lot of places. This sort of thing happens all the time. --often, but this is the first time the pavilion has collapsed.

　Mr. Reil laughed and described it as an "assassin".

'An assassin ......?　Aren't assassins more like this, quietly assassinating in the night: ......?　Why is this happening? ......
'Yes, it was at first. But the Palinkron got away with it so well that Diablo Sith, in his spite (...), destroyed the entire mansion and left.
What?　Total destruction of the belly: ...... What?　What the hell kind of resentment did you have against ......?

　I couldn't believe what Mr. Rail was saying.
　But then I remembered how it was when we met, and I reconsidered that she could do it.

'As I recall, Palinclone said that he once roughly slashed the torso of a Diablo Sith. That's probably why, I'm sure.''
'You slashed that girl ......?　He's a real bastard, that guy: ......

　It turns out that Palinclone is no better than Diablo Sith, and he's no better than Diablo Sith, and I've decided not to have any sympathy for him.

　But I was troubled.
　The way this story is going, Palinkron has escaped to somewhere other than here.

'So, does that mean there are no more Palinkrons?
Yeah. I'm not even in this country anymore, let alone here. We moved up our schedule a bit and moved to the mainland of Lauravia. They left laughing and running away.
'Laughing at me means ....... But I'm in trouble, I was in the middle of a deal with that guy .......
'Don't worry about that. I'm doing most of the work for you. By 'deal' you mean 'defeating the guardians', right?
'Oh, yes. Yes.

　As if he knew it by heart, Mr. Rail took my worries away.

'Have you beaten it yet?　If you show me the magic stone of proof, I'll talk to you: ......
'No, I haven't beaten him yet. I've gotten to it and met it, but ....... Well, I didn't seem to be able to beat him. ......
''The summoning was successful, but we can't defeat it ....... I see, after all, the guardians (guardians) of the 30th layer were cooperative against the reachers: ......

　Mr. Reil shows you how to guess my situation with the little information he has.
　Apparently, it's a situation I've been anticipating.

''You knew that ....... That the guardians (guardians) aren't just monsters. ......
'Yeah, I knew that. And it's also a Confederate secret: ......
............

　I can sense from the way Rail-san speaks that he is quite familiar with the affairs of the labyrinth.
　And you can also find out more about me at .......

''You know about it too, Rail-san. About the guardians (guardians) ......, about my 'bracelet' ......, and about Rustyala Fuzzyards and Diablo Sith... ...
'Yeah, I know all about that 'bracelet' thing, too. Palinkron is a mean bottom-feeder, you know. He didn't say anything and would have enjoyed Kanami's impatience. I agree. If I can talk to you, I'll tell you now: ......

　Mr. Reil has taken our intentions into account and started talking about the details.
　If this was Palinclone, he would have taken our intentions into account and made us even more anxious. It might have been helpful if Palinclone had been summoned by Lauravia to help us in the opposite direction.

''Please,''
'Let's start from scratch: ....... First of all, it's true that that 'bracelet' is 'keeping Kanami-kun's life in another world'. Lose it, and all your happiness here will crumble. Without a doubt (・・・・・). So it's for your own good that I ask you to protect the 'bracelet'.

　Slowly and clearly, Mr. Reil continues his story.

'And the girls in the example - Rustyala Fuzzyards and Diablo Sis. I don't want to tell you about those girls either, for your sake. There is no doubt that if you know, those two will be a burden to you. Knowing, I am certain that you will suffer. You will lose your happiness and go down a path of hardship. Palinkron seems to think that's a good idea too ...... but I would never recommend it. That path is not one that a gentle boy like you should follow.
You don't deny that those two have some kind of connection to me: ......
'...... Oh, I won't deny or affirm it. Those are the rules.
"This 'bracelet' is changing my memories of me and Maria...
'I neither deny nor approve. But don't get me wrong. The memories you blocked out are memories of 'unhappiness'. In order for you to be happy, I've obscured unnecessary memories. It's the cure, so to speak. So that you could be happy. You're not chased by anything, you're not afraid of anything ...... and you're really much happier than you were before. People need to be happy. Especially kids like you and Maria .......
............

　Mr. Reil seems to be earnest, and he's revealing his feelings and the circumstances of each situation.

　I don't think he's lying.
　It may sound rude, but I confirmed it with 《Dimension Multiple Expansion (Multiple)》. There is no sign of a lie from his physical appearance.

''You've sensed it dimly, haven't you?　I can only imagine how tragic The Day of the Fire was. That it was unbearable for your sister. When you remember that, your sister will have to face an unfortunate and painful reality.
Maria confronts her misery: ......
'Surrender to that 'bracelet' and you and your sister will be happy. I assure you of that. I have made the perfect plan for this. You will live a perfect life as Lauravian's 'hero' and your sister will be happy too.

　I can tell from the way Mr. Reil talks that he cares about me from the bottom of his heart.
　He's going to do everything he can to make Maria and me happy.

　But I don't know why he is so desperate for us. I'm worried about throwing myself into someone else's plans that I don't know why.

　But I can't help it if my sister is cited.
　I can compromise with myself as much as I want, but I can't compromise with my beloved sister. If that's what's best for her, I accept it.

"-But. But still, if you are determined to know everything, that's a different story. I'm giving up the plan.

　Then Mr. Rail presents a second option.
　Because it was easy to understand, it was the hardest option to choose.

'To us, defeating the guardians at the 30th layer is just a guide. If Kanami's body and mind became strong enough to overthrow that being - if he wanted to overthrow that being and still change the status quo - then I have no objection to telling you the truth. I'll tell you everything. This 'deal' is that kind of 'deal'.

　In addition to explaining the situation, Mr. Rail told me the true meaning of the 'deal'.
　I can't sense any falsehoods or malice in all of it. It seems trustworthy.
　However, if these were Palinkron's words, how would I have judged it?

　And then Mr. Rail's hard expression breaks down.

'I guess that's about all I can say to you: ......
Thank you for the help at ....... I explained it a hundred times better than that guy.
'Palinkron didn't explain a hundredth of what he's doing now: ....... As usual.

　Roughly, I now understand my situation.
　I can't thank Reil-san enough.

　--I'm not going to be able to get the same thing done.

　Apparently, making a name for myself here is part of the plan.
　As for Rowen and Reaper's stay in the "Epic Seeker", they agreed in two words.

　However, it seems that I can't have a long talk with Mr. Reil as he has been busy restoring his pavilion ...... I thank him and leave.

　Then, as I leave, I sort through the information.
　In short, me and Maria have an unfortunate past and Palinkron is hiding it from me. However, I don't know why Palinclone is hiding it.

　Snow knew that as well.
　However, due to his nature, he would have ended up with only vague advice.
　Mr. Reil believes that hiding it will make us happy.

　However, he also plans to create a "hero" of "Epic Seeker" in a calculating manner. Conversely, if my memories return, I may not be the "Hero" of Epic Seeker anymore.

　The entirety of my and Maria's unfortunate past is still elusive.
　I simply don't have enough information.

　And the two girls involved in that unfortunate past.
　Rustyala said Maria was her companion. In the past, me and Maria may have been friends with those two. From the state of Diablo Sis, I can guess that. However, Mr. Rail is against the girls and the idea of getting back together. He described the girls as a 'burden' and reconciliation as a 'hardship'. This shows that they are partly responsible for the unhappiness.

　Let's try to predict the flow of events.
　First, Maria and I get lost in another world, and I start exploring the labyrinth under the pseudonym "Christ". My companions at that time would be Rustyala and Dia. However, misfortune strikes and 'The Day of the Example Fire' occurs. So, the party was scattered and Maria and I were picked up by the Epic Seeker. At that point, Maria most likely injured her eye.

　.............

　Funny.
　Why do I'm the only one with an alias like 'Christ'?　
　If you're going to take a pseudonym, it would be unnatural if you don't let Maria take a name too.

　.............

　...... No, it's not unnatural?
　Is the name Maria a pseudonym and I just don't know it?　Because of this 'bracelet'.
　If "Christ" and "Mary" are pseudonyms, that would explain it. It's probably because they were trying to find people from my world among the people from other worlds. If that's the case, it makes sense that the name is such a joke.
　In other words, does that mean that Maria's real name is not?

　My sister's name is different (・・・・・・・) .......
　That fits in nicely with the answer to my question.

　The other funny thing that stands out is 'I was doing a labyrinth search'.

　The reason I'm exploring the labyrinth right now is to get the money for Maria's treatment and the power appropriate for a guild master in Epic Seeker.
　Will a brother and sister who have come to another world really risk going into the labyrinth?

　What's your reason for exploring the labyrinth: ......?

　It's hard to imagine that he dove for the strength to defend himself.
　Because the labyrinth is the most dangerous place on this continent. It's not right to jump into danger to avoid it.

　Then it's the money?　But you don't have to stick to the labyrinth if you just want to make a living. There's plenty of work to be done.

　The only thing left to do is to pay for the treatment ......?
　I needed a lot of money right away to pay for my sister's treatment. So I went into the labyrinth. That would make sense.

　But then there's no explanation for 'The Day of the Fire' and 'The Unfortunate Past'. I believe that on the day of the fire, Maria lost her eyes and changed her memory to hide them. And in order to keep Rustyala and Diablo Sis away from luring her into danger, Palinkron and Mr. Rail blocked her memories.

　No, that's not right either.
　In that case, only Maria should be the one to block my memories.
　The reason for blocking my memories--.

　-- could it be that I had a reason to be there?　
　--do I have memories of a misfortune as bad as Maria's blindness?

　I don't think Mr. Reil does memory manipulation for no reason.
　There must be a reason ......, but I can't see it. ......

　It doesn't work.
　No matter how much I think about it, I can't be sure.

　I don't sense any ill will towards me from Palinkron, Mr. Rail, Snow, Rustyala, Diablo Sith, or any of them. Everyone seems to be acting in good faith.
　They're all working for me. Hence, it's hard to understand.

　I sigh and feel the warmth of the thing (...).

　Yes, it is.

　It's just that it's warm.
　No one is against me. There is no great danger.
　This arrangement, this situation, is too safe.

　--So we'll just have to keep it that way.

　Even my fears of that pair of girls were unfounded.
　Rustyala was intelligent and not someone who would take forceful measures. Diablo Sith clearly has a fondness for me. The only person who had a clear hostility towards me was Palinkron.

　I felt as if someone was telling me to keep going.
　They whisper to me that if I keep going, I will be safe and happy.

　An invisible hand pushes me back, and I walk.

　Then I return to the "Epic Seeker" and am greeted by my friends.

　As I walk down the corridor, I'm greeted by the members who believe in me, laughing and talking to me.
　In the office, my partner Snow is waiting for me.
　If I listen closely, I hear the Leeper and Rowen making a joyful noise.
　Up the stairs, my beloved sister was safe and happy.

　I couldn't ask for more.

　--but the blood flows.

　Red blood continues to drip from my clenched fists.

　It felt as if every cell of my body was screaming that I must not allow it to happen.
　Your body desperately pleads with you not to mess with your memory, your mind.

'What's wrong, brother ......?'

　My sister, sitting on the bed, asks me a question.

'No ......, nothing, nothing ......'

　It's nothing. No, it shouldn't be anything.
　If he stumbled over something and went off the rails laid down, his beloved sister in front of him would be unhappy.

　But I was also certain that my instincts were telling me that my body was telling me to remove the 'bracelet'.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make this headache, this uncomfortable feeling, this inexplicable rage, this unaccountable rage, this curse, disappear, if you want to remove the bracelet.

　Little by little, really little by little .......
　I'm going to have to say that I'm not going to be able to do that.

　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing for you.
　A chill that chills you to the tips of your feet.
　Fear as if you were losing something more important than your life.

　Your entire body freezes and you can't reach out any further.

''Are you okay, brother ....... There's something wrong with you. ......'
...... Oh, yeah, I'm fine. ...... I'm just a little sleepy.

　I lay down on the bed, collapsing.

　My head was hot.
　I hadn't really thought it through, but my head was heavy.

　It's as if a chain has been tangled in my thoughts.
　There's no freedom to think, and the chains prevent me from moving forward.

...... hey, mui, nun.

　And then my vision turned black.

　The outstretched hand couldn't reach the 'bracelet', lost its strength, and fell to the bed.　
　At the same time, my consciousness falls into the depths of darkness.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...


　Dreaming ...... and seeing ......?

　My fingertips are heavy as lead.
　My arms cannot be lifted.
　My feet were stuck on something and I couldn't move, and my body was deprived of freedom.

　It was as if I was in a mud-slush. She couldn't open her eyes.
　I can't even stand still. I am drifting in such deep darkness.

　And then I hear a voice from the darkness.

"- Yeah, it doesn't matter which way it goes, I don't care. ...... I don't mind, but it would be annoying if it worked out that way.

　A dim figure was reflected behind her eyelids.
　The figure spoke in a voice that was hard to hear.
　But there's no mistaking the owner of that voice.

　--It's Palinclone Legacy.

　And at the same time, I am convinced that this is a dream.
　This is a dream of the past.
　A memory of some defeat.

　Triggered by something I did before I fell asleep.
　I remember what Palinkron said to me.
　The "curse".

　In the darkness, the flickering figure continues to speak.

I'm going to say that this 'bracelet' is more important than life. You're going to have to put that above all else and protect it. I'll have it engraved in my inner psyche, okay?

　The answer to The Bracelet.
　The answer to what I was most worried about right now.

''Hmm, yes. I'll put them on a par with my sister Aikawa Yotaki, in terms of priority. With a position like that, I can feel safe.

　The human shadows are not afraid to say that they are out of the way of people while letting the evil magic power crawl over to us.
　The magical power crawls through me and interferes with the state of my mind.

　Then the figure hands me something.

"Come on, put it on. Kanami's brother.

　I took it.
　The 'bracelet' is light and strong.
　However, I can feel more than the actual weight from the palm of my hand.

　It's as if it's supporting something more important than life.

That bracelet is the next target for Kanami's brother to protect. Put it on and try to overcome the 'Twentieth Test' and the 'Thirtieth Test'. I believe that Kanami's brother can do it, okay?

　The figure laughs and gives me a pep talk.

　What's that, "I'm just going to get you wrong" and "I'm not going to get to the root of it".
　You're unceremoniously messing with the thing I hold most dear.

　I won't allow it.
　Even though that's the right of the winner, even though that's what it's supposed to be from a Palinclone--

　--I will never forgive.

　I accept the transformation of my mind with fury.
　I can't flinch, but the blood keeps flowing from my clenched fists.

　The pain reminds me of it.
　Don't ever allow anarchy.

　This man.
　I'm going to make sure that someday Palinkulong Legacy...

　But this is a memory of the past.
　We can only see it off.
　Just a distant dream that can only be forsaken .......

　This Memory of Someday is what I see every day.

　So I know.
　When I wake up, I'll forget all about it.
　It's happening (・・・・・・).

　When I wake up, I will try to remember my dreams of that day, craning my neck at the blood flowing from my palms.

　But I can't remember.
　Absolutely, I can't remember anything.

　So I can only hope.
　I can only hope that it's not me, but someone else.

　Now (・・・・・), this thought will not be in vain.
　I can convey this fury to the girl I'm connected to. It's a bit of an unreliable guy, but still, it's better than not being able to communicate to anyone.

　Boom.

　--I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

　Don't mess with people's destiny.
　Don't allow this atrocity to happen.
　Question the Palinclone Legacy.

　Listen to my cry.

　And listen to my cry.

　Tell me again: ......!
　Reaper (・・・・) ......!