The day after the pirate ship fire incident.
　Early morning, before the sun had even risen.

'Oh, my God!　It's so messy!

　Rustyala puffed out her cheeks and was as angry as a child.
　Then he sits down to the chair set up on the deck and smashes his forehead against the table. From her appearance, I can sense a firm will that this will not happen again.

　It's not unreasonable. I was sleeping soundly when I was woken up, and I'm sure it's frustrating.
　I'm not tired either, but my body is a little heavy with sleepiness.

　Why are we (except for Snow) awake at a time when the sky still seems to be blackening? It's because the pirates have taken us by surprise and fired a shell at us.
　So we had no choice but to rub our sleepy eyes as Rastiara and I fought off the approaching pirate ship.

　Maria serves tea to Rustiala, who is lying prostrate at her desk. A magnificent tea set is spread out on the desk. Before I knew it, this ship was permanently stocked with quaint items I didn't know existed. Probably they had been looted from the pirate ship that had attacked us yesterday.

　Caught by the smell of tea, Rustyala looks up. Despite her crude tone, she begins to talk to Maria while sipping on her cup in a terrifyingly elegant manner.

''d*mn. ....... Is this because of the proximity of the battlefield ......?
'Yes. I think the closer we get to the mainland, the more of these kinds of moves we'll see.
If you're going to interfere with my restful sleep any more, I might as well change course.
Or do you want me to be the one who stays awake from now on?
'Hmmm, it's bad for Maria's skin, so I'd rather not do that.

　The two of us begin to seriously plan countermeasures for the night attack.
　However, I am fundamentally unable to participate in the conversation.

''Well, are we at war on the 'mainland' where we're headed right now?　Is that why there are so many bandits?

　So I had to ask a very elementary question.

'Kanami-san ....... I know it can't be helped, but it's too pathetic ......

　Maria laments my ignorance. Apparently, I don't know what even a child knows.

'I'm sorry. I didn't want to get involved, so I tried to avoid hearing as much about the war as possible. So I know very little about it. ......

　'War' is my second worst word. I knew that if I got involved, I would inevitably hear the word 'slave' in first place, so I deliberately avoided it even when gathering information in Dimensions.

'Not hardly. I'm in a state where I should say I don't know anything about anything.

　But Maria was rather harsh and blamed me for my choice of knowledge.

''No, I was going to be in the confederacy all along, so I didn't need to know: ......
You really don't like war, do you, Kanami? ......
'I don't like it, or rather, I don't know how to treat you.
'But we're going to be looking for people on the 'mainland' now. You'll hear about it from now on, even if you don't want to. Wouldn't it be better to be well briefed while you're at it: ......?　Otherwise, I'm afraid that Kanami-san could easily be tricked by someone else again.
Yeah. Well, then, I'll ask you to do me a favor.

　Maria's concern forced me to decide to overcome my weakness for the word.

'First of all, how much of a war are you at ......?　I honestly don't know from there: ......
...... The 'mainland' we are about to head to is the largest continent in the world. The 'mainland' we're about to head to is the largest continent in the world, where the 'North' and 'South' are separated and where the biggest war in the world is taking place. The home country of Walt is on the front lines of that battlefield.

　Maria explains politely, despite her dismay.
　It seems that the war is so big that it is said to be the biggest in the world. If you don't know that much about it, you can't blame them for looking at you with a white eye.

''What is the reason for that war?　After all, are they fighting between people and demons because of differences in species or something?

　I'll give you the causes of war in a general fantasy world.
　But Maria shook her head.

''No, it has nothing to do with race. This is a territorial dispute between humans - a war between the Allied forces, which have the Levantine religion as their bishop, and the other allies. Nowadays, it is simply divided into the 'South' of the Allies and the 'North' of the Alliance. The word on the street is frankly called a 'border war'.
'Yes. Because of religion, in the 'North' and 'South' ......

　Hearing that people are fighting with each other makes me feel sad, as if my heart is being ripped apart.
　In my world it was normal, but for some reason I wished it was different in another world.

''No, it's not because of religion. There is a Levantine country in the 'north' as well. There's no clear reason for this war. Truly, it started before we knew it. Probably, each country is seeking its own interests.
Interest or ......

　In fact, that reason may be more disingenuous.

That's the general consensus.

　When Maria finished giving a brief overview, Lastiara, who had been in a key position at the Hoosiers, was next to take over the conversation.
　What I just heard seems to be the knowledge of the general public.

It seems that the upper echelons of the Confederation have long been coveting a part of the territory in the 'north'. In order to obtain it, they've been selling their wares to the 'north' for a thousand years now.

　Rustyala casually divulged the strategic goals of the Confederate forces in the 'South'. From the standpoint, she probably had the opportunity to have a conversation with her superiors. It sounds like a state secret that could get you killed if you found out.

　But I was more concerned about something else.

"'A Thousand Years Ago': ......

　To me, the Allies and their war agendas are almost somebody else's business.
　The word 'thousand years ago' is more interesting than that. Perhaps the word has to do with the birth of a labyrinth or guardian (guardian).

'They say it all started with a battle a thousand years ago. They say it all started with a battle a thousand years ago, the devout Levantines are very much rooted in that war. The war we're fighting now is like an extension of that.
Rowen told me there was a big war going on then too.
Yeah. That's what the Levantine religion says. But it's only been handed down in a form that's almost like a myth, but that's all we have today. It's amazing to read the literature from a thousand years ago. It's on the level of breaking the earth or something with a pointy end.
'Oh, after all, when it's a thousand years old, there's no accurate documentation left.

　The same thing happened when I looked up the Reaper's "The Reaper". The story was too ridiculous to be trusted.

No, it's not so much the ending of the battle as the thousand-year barrier. The decisive factor in ending the war was the magic circle used by the enemy's "apostles". Because it swallowed up all the living creatures on the continent, apparently only a few people know the details of the battle. As I recall ......, the final death toll in the battle, including friend and foe, was '90 percent'.
Is it nine percent?

　Ninety percent of the people killed in the war.
　A normal war would never achieve such a ridiculous figure; the war will be over before it reaches 90 percent.

And the enemy's "apostle" who was aiming to destroy the world was successfully defeated by the righteous "apostle" Sith and saint Tiara. The war is over. Happy Birthday.

　This is the end result of the war of a thousand years ago as it is handed down today.

　It's a lie: ......!
　The story goes, it's a total takeover of the Apostle Sith and that guy called Saint Tiara.
　After that, Saint Tiara has even created a religion and is trying to 're-birth' it. From his vindictive deeds, I don't think he's left a proper history.

　In fact, I can only think that he did the most outrageous thing he could do, taking out 90% of the war dead and forcing himself to become the winner.
　When you think about it, the figure of 90% of the dead in the war also seems suspicious. Perhaps even that is a soft way of putting it?
　This is the true outcome of a war that took place a thousand years ago. Was it not 90 percent, but 100 percent - did anyone else die?　And didn't the surviving saintly tiaras twist the history of that battle to suit their convenience?

　I examine the story with a grim face.
　Rustyala, sensing this, follows up with a bitter smile.

'No, I don't blame Kanami for feeling that way. But those who believe in Revanism believe in this history from the bottom of their hearts, so don't judge them too much. In the meantime, for those who are alive today, Revanism is a 'well-made religion'.
...... Mm. Isn't that because they're your people?
I'm rather harshly judged because it's my people. Still, compared to other religions on the continent, it's very clean.

　Rastiara is about to be killed by the teachings of Revanism. Nevertheless, the fact that he holds it on his shoulders means that Revanism must really be a 'well-made religion'.
　I might have thought the same way if it wasn't for Rastiara.

　After all, when I almost died in the labyrinth for the first time, it was the knights of Revanism who saved me.
　And even as far as Hein-san and Sera-san are concerned, I don't think that their teachings are bad. The precepts I've heard don't enforce anything either, they just state the good ways of men.

That may be true, though: ......

　I nodded reluctantly, with no material to criticize.
　Originally I'm not familiar enough with religion to talk about its merits or demerits. Honestly, it's also high on my list of bad words.

''So, normally, this is where the origins of Revanism and the truth of what happened a thousand years ago would be in the dark--but, oh my God, today we're calling a great teacher who knows the situation a thousand years ago!　Go ahead, Dr. Reaper!

　The Reaper, who had been slumped nearby, is surprised when he suddenly speaks to me.
　But he quickly shakes his head and laughs.

''Hmm. I've been playing with Rowen for a long time, and then I found myself being consumed by the earth, so I don't know the details. To begin with, we were at war, aren't we? Now that I think about it, I've just realized that. That's all!
'Crap, that's a shame!　Thank you, doctor!

　At Reaper's clear answer, Rustyala laughs and tries to finish by thanking him.
　But I bite back.
　There's more I could ask. I'm going to digress further, but it's a good time to ask.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hey, Reaper. 'Tida,' 'Arti,' 'Tiara,' and 'Sith' - those four names sound familiar to you?
Hmm, no one's ever heard of that.
No one?　Aren't tiaras supposed to be famous a thousand years ago: ......?
"'North' and 'South' were both kings who'd never heard of either. I don't know if I've ever heard of 'Tiara' at least.

　Immediately, the Revan lore and discrepancies are uncovered.
　Aside from Tida and Arti, it's strange that I've never heard of Tiara and Sith, the great figures of Revanism.

''Then other than Rowen, was there anyone else who looked strong?　Maybe he'll come out as a guardian from now on.
'Because they threw me to Rowen as soon as I was born. I really don't know anything about it. I'm sorry, big brother.
...... No, I guess that was too much to ask. I'm sorry too.

　The Reaper clasped her hands together apologetically. She also seemed to know that her memories from a thousand years ago would be useful in exploring the labyrinth.
　Then, after contorting her face to try to remember somehow, she clapped her hands.

''Ah. But I'm pretty sure the sorcerer who created me is strong. If I were to come out, I think I'd come out as 'the one who steals the reason for the dimension' sooner or later.

　The dimensional wizard who created the "curse" called Reaper.
　That is to say, he is also the sorcerer who decided the fate of the Reaper - to kill Rowen. That sorcerer doesn't have a very good image.

''What kind of guy was that guy?''
It's not a good idea. The only other thing I know is that he is a wizard with the same dimensional attribute as his brother. With the mask and the stiff clothes, I can't tell anything about his appearance.

　I hear the word "mask" and my blood heats up.
　Just the other day, in a dream, I think I saw someone similar to it.

'The mask ....... Can you at least get that guy's name ......?
Hmm, I don't know, they made me crash at Rowen's before I could ask.

　I lean forward to somehow remind the Reaper, who shakes his head - and I quickly remind myself.
　I've made up my mind. Whatever that guy's name is, it doesn't change what I'm going to do.

　Rustyala replies for me as I sit back down.

'There shouldn't be any masked characters in the Hoosier's lore. If you say the Reapers are strong, then they should definitely be one of the actors ....... After all, after a thousand years, can history be conveniently twisted by the powers that be?

　But that twisted history is now the general education of another world.

'Rastiara, tell me the full extent of this lore. If the war of a thousand years ago is connected to the war of today, I want to know about it before you do.
'I don't mind that. After listening to the current leaper, I've already got close to zero credibility, okay?
'I just want to know it as common sense, so that's fine.'
Yeah. Well, I'll just give you a quick explanation--

　Unavoidably, Rustyala begins to speak as if he were reciting a book after clearing his throat.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. Thanks to the two apostles, the continent prospers, but for some reason, one of the apostles betrays them and tries to ruin the world by collaborating with the crazy king in the 'north'. So the remaining apostle of righteousness, Sith-sama and the saint Tiara united humanity in the 'south' and joined forces to fight the 'north' - that's the main story of the lore.

　When the word "heaven" is mentioned at the start, it can only be considered a myth.
　But even so, I kept listening patiently.

The 'North' is full of monsters. There are huge moving trees (tree forks) that can crush a country, immortals (undead) whose bodies are made up of all the dark clouds that cover the continent, and great ice snakes (ice snakes) that can freeze everything they touch. But the saint "Tiara" is incredibly strong, so you can take those guys down with a single finger tip. And for some reason, after you defeat them, they all become your friends, showing their sickening humanity...

　The scale of the enemy seems to be a joke.
　And the saint who defeats it is not human.

　If I had heard this when I came to the other world, I would have laughed it off with my nose. But the current me is different. It's hard to think of them as someone else's problem.

　The monster-formed Rowen and Arti. Or, the current Maria and Dea would not feel out of place in this story.

''-- Thus, the saint 'Tiara', who has sided with the enemies who block the way, will hunt down the 'North' army. Then, he defeats the Mad King and tries to convince the treacherous Apostle 'Diprakra' --He's a pacifist to the end, isn't he? But the treacherous apostle doesn't fare well, and in exchange for his life, he sets off his vicious 'magic circle' to destroy the entire continent.

　The 'magic circle' that swallows everything.
　That must have been the reason why both Rowen and the Reapers were sent to this time period.
　It's as if he's insisting that this story isn't a lie, and it's covered with the Reaper's story in places.

I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong. Although many precious lives were lost, the great saint 'Tiara' and his apostle Sith tried their best to restore the civilization of the continent. The saint Tiara laid the foundations of magic and founded the Levantine religion. The Apostle Sith continues to travel around the world with the heroes he fought with, bringing miracles. Thank you, thank you so much, Saint Tiara and the Apostle Sith. --The End.

　Rastiara's explanation was sketchy, but he got the point.
　Before I could respond with my impressions, Rastiala teased.

'Well?　I mean, that was such a hilarious story, right?　I'm still on the easy listening end of things, you know?　If you start talking about the serious details, you'll hear about how Saint Tiara sliced through a giant tree that could pierce the heavens with a single fingertip.

　But Rustyala seems to enjoy it. Apparently, lore from a thousand years ago is a strike against her taste.

'It's certainly a joke: ......

　It seems that Saint Tiara has a lot of inhuman anecdotes to tell.
　It can't be helped, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to defeat the monsters of a thousand years ago. However, this means that not only the enemies, but also Saint Tiara, the Sith, and all the heroes that came out of the game are all 'monsters'.

　That was my honest opinion.

　And it's not someone else's problem.
　If our 'experience' continues to accumulate, there is a possibility that we will become the same way.

　I don't think it's bad to be strong.
　But the end when you can no longer prove that you are a "human" and are treated as a "monster". I don't want to end up like that.

　When I was feeling such anxiety in my head, a roaring sound as if a thunderbolt had struck my ears.
　A column of water rises in the sea near the Living Legend.
　That sounds familiar. Probably the sound of a shell.

"--chuck!　Pirates again!

　I unfold the Dimension and find a fleet of ships in the distance. There are seven ships. It's the appearance of a group.
　The water column just now seemed to be an attack (greeting) from that fleet.

''Moo, isn't that a little too many!

　The Reaper also seems to have sensed the enemy's shadow.
　The repeated raids on pirate ships have revealed their anger.

　There must be a reason for the frequency of these attacks. I want to know what it is.

I'll see what I can do. "All right, let's get a hold of the enemy and find out how they're treating us.

　I made the suggestion to my friends on deck.
　They nodded without opposition.

"Yeah. Let's listen to what they have to say. Maybe if we change our route, the number of attacks will decrease.

　The Reaper, who is responsible for most of the voyage, represents and actively supports the ship.
　Then Rustyala looks around.

'So who's going?　Maybe I'm just a little tired.

　They had to decide how to intercept the pirate ships.
　The one previous ship was dropped by an enraged Rustyala all by herself. So her MP is dwindling.

　First, Snow, who hasn't even come out on deck, is excluded. Then, Dia and Reaper, who are weak in the morning, are also excluded.
　Maria and I are the only ones who can move properly right now.

'Would you like me to burn it?　I think if we recover one of the small boats that get away, we'll be able to talk to them.

　Maria makes a belligerent suggestion, but I shake my head. I don't want to try to lightly burn them at every turn.
　Besides, there are non-pirates on the enemy ship, non-combatants who aren't pirates. When push comes to shove, the pirates will abandon them. We have to fight with the utmost care.

'No, let's not do that. It looks like they're returning from a raid. I've got slaves trapped inside. If you can, I'll go and help those people if I can.

　Maria's expression changes when she hears the word slave.

''That's fine. I'm sure Kanami-san can be the most moderate about it. However, please don't try to force yourself to help the slave. For example, let's say a slave is used as a shield. At that time, you must definitely abandon them.
...... I won't push you. I promise.

　With that, I jumped off the deck and into the sea.
　By the end, Maria is skeptical. As if to shake it off, I run on the indigo sea.

　From now on, I'm going to take on seven pirate ships on my own.
　Although my senses have become numb, it's a horrible story when put into words.

　I know I shouldn't lose focus, but my thoughts are spinning.

　I knead the magic of an outsider, clothed in cold air, and run over the ocean to stop something hundreds of times larger than my own body. The sight reminds me of the battle from a thousand years ago just now.

　When I heard Lastiara's story, I thought of the great men of the past as 'monsters'.

　However, I may have already stepped into that 'realm'.

　Level 20 - the top class of humans.
　That is, it's also the limit of the human range.

　From now on, if I progress smoothly through the labyrinth, I will surpass that "realm".

　But when I cross that "boundary line" - what will I look like then? I can't help but wonder about that.