'First, Nosfi, who was the 'flag' of the South. Then Tida Langs, who was the girl's knight, Rowen Alais, and Fafner Helvirshain, who was the girl's knight. Then there was the Lord, the 'Mad King' of the North. Id, Kanami, and Serdra, who served them. These eight are the most famous names of the war.

　Some of the names were familiar, some were unfamiliar.
　It was disconcerting that the Apostle and Tiara were not included in that list of dangerous people. Maybe they weren't as active a thousand years ago as the stories that were being handed down on earth now.

'If the three knights of Nosfy were the guardians of the sixty layers, don't ever fight them. No one can win against that thing. I still remember when the Lord and Kanami went into battle together and didn't break a single one of them before they died.

　The three knights, Tida, Rowen and Fafner, are said to be exceptional among them. Their joking strength can be seen from the fact that even the "Original Kanami" couldn't defeat them.
　However, two thirds of them have already been turned into magical stones.

It's not that you need to worry about Tida and Rowen. I defeated both of them.

　So I huffed and sniffed and reported with a little pride.
　However, Reynand-san didn't trust it right away.

''...... you beat those two?''
Oh, really?
...... Oh, I see. I mean, you're setting me up, aren't you?
No, no, no!　I didn't use a trap!
So it's a hostage. That makes sense.
How little faith do you have in me!
'Isn't it the monk's credo to conspire on one, conspire on two, brainwashing threats on thirty-four, and conspire on five?
No, he said he beat them straight up from one to five!

　The argument we did last night is repeated.
　The reaction shows the lack of credibility of "The Original Kanami". Because of his past deeds, he had to spend a long time pleading for his innocence.

　Eventually, I would have to explain the entire fight with Tida and Rowen to Mr. Reynand, as well as the entire fight with Tida and Rowen. Because other than that, there was no other way to clear my suspicions.

''--Hmm. Then the only one we need to be on guard against is Fafner Helvirshine. The rest of the faces shouldn't be attacking us when they meet the monk.
Is this Helvirshine? ......

　Obviously, they are Ryner's ancestors. If you ask me, it seems to be a mistake since they are a famous family of knights.
　Thus, while I'm planning measures about the guardians of the sixty layers (guardians), today's work is coming to an end.
　As I finish cleaning up the workshop, I receive a ring from Reynand-san.
　I now have three rings. I put the rings on my middle finger and index finger of my left hand.

Then, Raynand-san. I'll see you tomorrow, please.
Yeah, I'll take care of this. You can take your time in the maze, kid.

　I thank her one last time and try to leave the workshop.
　But as I was leaving Mr. Reynand's house, I ran into Beth again. Apparently, she was waiting for me to finish my work.
　In her hand was the same candy as yesterday.

''Knight Commander-sama, thank you for your hard work. Um, that .......
'Thanks, you made it again today. But you don't have to force yourself to make it, you know?　It's hard to make candy, isn't it?

　I return the voice as cheerfully as I can while accepting the candy.
　But Beth denied it by shaking her head.

'No!　I'm not struggling at all!　This is something I like to do, so don't worry about it, Lord Knight Commander!　...... I love doing this. Yeah, I've been wanting to do this for a long, long time.
Yeah, yeah. Well, that's fine, then. ......

　His powerful voice pressured me to say nothing. It wasn't a child's waste, but something close to the conviction of an adult.
　For a moment, Beth even looked like a girl about the same age as me.

'So let me continue to make sweets for years to come. That's all I'm getting, you know.
'Well, I guess I'll just ask you to do it while I'm working here. Until I leave 'here' one day.
What ......?

　I can't stay here forever. Beth's face darkened when I told her that early.
　It's better for her if I say it clearly, rather than letting her have faint hopes. With that in mind, I continue to speak.

'I'm sorry. I have to get to the ground as soon as possible. ......
'Going to ground ......?　Leave 'here' and go to ......?

　Beth's face hardened. Then she repeated my words as she chewed on them.
　Her expression only froze for a few seconds. She immediately returned her expression to its original bright one and started nodding repeatedly.

''Yes, of course!　Master Knight Commander is a busy man, so it can't be helped!　Oh, I made more snacks today, so please take them home!　Eat with the people of the castle.

　He seemed to agree with me.
　However, I can't shake the feeling of discomfort as always.
　I can feel an age-appropriate amount of concern from Beth now. The 'still remaining' part that Reynand-san said may have confused her.

'Until that day, Beth. See you at .......

　The more I talk to her, the more Beth thinks she is tormented by memories from a thousand years ago, and she keeps her distance.

'Yes, goodbye. Knight Commander-sama: ......'

　As it is, I walk out of Reynand-san's house.
　Then, after finishing the second day's work, I return to the Demon King's Castle at a fast pace.
　I responded to the friendly greetings from the townspeople with a fake smile.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...


　When I returned to the Demon King's Castle, what was waiting for me was a small tea party.
　For some reason, a large white table was placed in the middle of the castle's garden, with a tablecloth draped over it and an aged tea set lined up.
　And there was a Lord sitting in an expensive looking chair, sipping his tea in an elegant manner.
　Serving it was, of course, Ryner. He stood upright, holding the pot in a familiar manner.

'You guys, what are you doing today ......?'

　Lord didn't move a single eyebrow at my appearance and placed his teacup on the table in a pseudo-lady-like gesture.
　Probably, Lord can be a perfect young lady in a natural way. So he's probably intentionally skimping on his manners to be pseudo-lady-like.

'What do you mean, it's a picnic?　I finished work early today. I was playing in the garden while waiting for Kanamin.
For all intents and purposes, Reiner is not having a picnic: ......
''No, I invited a normal picnic for the Doe too ....... Reiner said he'd be more comfortable serving, so this is how it came to be .......

　Reiner's workaholic nature seemed to have formed this distorted picnic.
　I looked at the person in question, but he didn't seem to understand what was wrong with him. Perhaps he had been serving someone else all his life, from birth until today. Feeling sadness in his life, I took my place at the table and spread out the candy Beth had given me.

Oh, it's candy. Can I have some?
Yeah, I don't mind, it's a gift from Beth to you. Linus will sit at the table and eat with you. It's only polite to sit down for a gift like this.

　Even if you tell him straight up, Ryner won't quit serving, and he threatens to use people's goodwill and courtesy as a shield.

'Hmm, that's certainly ......'

　Reluctantly, Ryner loses his butler-like posture and takes his seat.
　Taking advantage of the gap, I took the teapot from Ryner and poured tea for the three of us.

''Ah, .......''

　When Ryner saw this, he looked embarrassed, as if he thought his work was inadequate. Seeing his reaction, he blamed it with dismay.

''Hey, Ryner ....... Now you're not a knight of a nobleman (Helvilleshain), nor are you anyone's squire. I'm just a searcher Ryner. You can do whatever you want more, okay?　Why do you try to be so hard on yourself?

　It's a good opportunity to try to cure some of Ryner's abject nature. I'm worried that if I don't, I'll collapse from heartache.
　However, Ryner shakes his head with a serious look on his face and waves an unfamiliar theory at me.

'Why, ......, isn't it only natural for me, the lowest of the low, to do the chores?'
Bottom line?　I didn't know you thought that, Ryner. At least me and Lord think of you as a friend. An equal friend, regardless of age or position.

　Lord, right next to me, also nodded in agreement as he dusted off his cookies.

'An equal friend ....... Christ, that's not true. There is a pecking order for everything in the world. And Christ is the 'Founder', Lord is the 'Royalty', and I'm the 'former orphaned given nobleman'. For all intents and purposes, I'm the lowest in rank, right?

　As it should be, Reiner tells us.
　I thought that we had overcome our fatal battles together and become friends with each other, but that's not the case. I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I felt a sense of danger that he would have given his life for me. I've been distracted by the fact that I've been distracted by Lord, but Reiner's is also distorted enough.

　As I leaned forward to correct that discrepancy, Lord spoke up.

It's not the same thing, Ryner. It doesn't matter if you are the founder, king, or orphan, or whatever. They are all equal human beings. At the very least, the child has never looked down on Ryner--

　What I wanted to say, Lord spoke for me. It's rare that he doesn't seem to be joking around at all, but he has a strict manner of speaking.
　Apparently, Ryner's assertions now were unacceptable even to Lord.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you are not familiar with today's society, so you can say that. There is no such thing as equality in the world. All that you two are saying is a sweet illusion. In fact, if you talk about equality with the Founder and the King, I will be in danger when I return to earth.

　He says it clearly.
　Hearing that, the Lord was a little lost, and then his face became very gentle. His expression reminded me of the noble Lord of the morning for a bit.

'You may indeed be right. ...... Ryner might be right. The world was like that a thousand years ago, too. Everywhere you went, there was class, pecking order, and discrimination .......
Right?　There will always be classes and pecking orders. It's something that never goes away.

　But soon, however, Lord misted away his nobility and returned to his usual jovial appearance.　

''--Well, if it doesn't go away, it can't be helped if it doesn't go away!　Then let's just jump over our friends and stuff and become family!　Then what's the problem with being an equal?　Hmmm, it's special because Reiner is selfish!
What?　Hey, why would that be ......?
So, the child will be the one upstairs and will be pampered. So you're the big sister and Ryner is the little brother.
No, wait. How can that be true?　I don't have to do that because I have a proper family on earth. In fact, I don't want to have any more sisters. I really do, from the bottom of my heart!
"Just say you want to be a child!　The more family you have, the better!　You said Reiner was an ex-orphan earlier!　When I was in the orphanage, I didn't have a whole family!
Sure, everyone at the orphanage may have been family, but ......
'This castle is just like an orphanage, you know!　From today, the children are family!
Huh?

　Ryner opened his mouth wide in confusion at this wild theory.

'Here you go, Ryner. Your sister-in-law will give you some cookies.

　Apparently, he decided to forcefully spoil Ryner. Lord thrusts the cookie he was holding into Reiner's mouth.
　Although the method is poorly done, I thought it wasn't bad and I followed suit.

It's a good thing. Then I'll give you a cookie, too, my brother-in-law.
Why?

　I'm going to leave all my cookies in front of Reiner, too.
　If Reiner says he despises us, we're going to pamper him even more.

　We continue to serve Ryner, who continues to be confused, and we continue to serve him back.
　Lord whispers that he will buy you what you want while rubbing Ryner's shoulder. I pour him a dwindling cup of tea and work on Ryner.
　Confused, Ryner manages to find his voice.

'Yi, no, you're something different from my sister and brothers, this ......'

　I suppose what we are doing is a commoner's family relationship.
　But we dare to do so. I wanted to heal Ryner, who had been burdened with the burden of being an adopted child of a nobleman, if only a little.

　But there's one problem.
　I'm not just talking about Ryner, but also me.
　It's a good thing that he's so proud of it.

But I'm in a bind. But the problem is, if this is the case, even me and Lord will become family.
Why the disgusted look on your face there?　Okay, that's fine. I'm not going to go so far as to say that I'm going to take the place of Kanami's sister, so just treat me like a big sister a little bit!
Unfortunately, I want a brother like Reiner, but not a sister like you: ......
'Facts I didn't want to know!　Why? Why?　You're the perfect big sister, aren't you?　Best of sister, right?
I can't honestly say I have a sister who can't cook a single thing: ......
What the hell?　If you insist, let's do it!　Leave dinner tonight to the children!

　With a pout and anger, Lord heads out of the castle yard to the kitchen. It looks like he's seriously trying to make dinner himself. You're only capable of chopping vegetables.

''Ryner, take care of that unreliable sister of yours.
d*mn, I can't help it: ......

　Lord welcomes Ryner, who follows from behind. He's happy to see his sister and brother in a cooking situation.
　Watching the scene from behind me, I breathe a sigh of relief and sit deeper in my chair.

　It's not a bad time .......
　I can't even guess what Lord's unrequited love is, and I don't have the time to ask for details about Ryner's past, but I can help with this much.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of the time you have to spend with these three in a harmonious manner while you're here.

　Somehow, I understand a little bit about how Lord felt.
　Indeed, it might not be a bad idea for this kind of time to last forever.
　If you are separated from the world, you can live happily forever in 'here', separated from the world. No doubt about it.

　But there will be nothing at the end of it.
　The Lord can't disappear, I can't help my sister and her friends, and Ryner's twisted way of life can't be cured. Nothing will be solved.

　So tomorrow I'm going to the labyrinth.
　I'm not going to be able to get it done, even if the Lord doesn't want me to.

　That day - we sat around a poorly made dinner prepared by Lord and chatted late into the night.


◆◆◆◆◆ ...


　And then the morning of the third day of life in the labyrinth arrives.


【Status】
　Name: Aikawa Uzumi HP293/293 MP945/945 Class: explorer
　Level 22.
　Strength 12.55 Strength 14.12 Skill 18.57 Speed 22.96 Cleverness 18.67 Magic 38.34 Element 6.21
[Skill]
　Inherent skill: swordsmanship 3.79
　Acquired skills: body arts 1.56 Dimensional magic 5.27+0.10 magical combat 0.73 sensitivity 3.56
　　　　　　　Knitting 1.07 Fraud 1.34 Blacksmithing 0.92 Divine Iron Forge (・・・・) 0.44

　My blacksmithing skills are growing steadily, thanks to the work I've done to date.
　And I'm in great shape and MP. I filled all 【Blank Ring】 with magic power last night, so I'm sure I've accumulated more magic power than the number visible in the 【Indication】.
　Even if I use 《Default》 and 《Distance Mute》 wildly, I shouldn't run out of MP so easily.

　First of all, I have to tell Ryner about today's plans. I wake up Ryner, who is sleeping on the bed next to me, by tapping his cheek.

'Wake up, Ryner. It's already morning.
'Hmmm. ....... --Huh!

　When Ryner saw my face, he jumped up.
　I was in such a hurry to use my magic right now that I almost drew my sword too.

''W-what's the matter?''
No, ......, the face of Christ in your sleep is bad for your heart: ......
My face?

　It was the first time I'd ever been told that. I've never had a neighborhood kid tell me that my face is scary, nor have I ever been avoided by an animal. I don't think I have a face so distinctive that it's bad for my heart.
　Reiner points to my hair and then makes a finger shape of a pair of scissors to appeal to me.

'Christ, it's time for you to cut your hair. It's getting long.
'Oh, come to think of it: ......

　It's been quite some time since I arrived in this other world. Even though I hadn't grown in the year I was in the crystal, it's getting to be a worrisome length of time.
　This is like--

'Come to think of it, this hair is Yotaki's hair ....... When you think about it, it's tremendously hard to cut .......

　Although the shape has taken on a 'whirlpool wave' shape, it belongs to this body's sister. Just the thought of it being Yotaki's hair makes even her hands fiddle with her bangs naturally gentle.
　Suddenly, I realize that I was making a narcissistic gesture, and my face turns red. As much as possible, I try not to think about those things.

'So don't say those creepy things ....... I know your body is your sister's, and I know that. And maybe that's why I'm starting to look a little more feminine .......
What?
'Maybe I was just sleep-deprived, but when I woke up, I thought there was a woman I didn't know.
No way. No way. ......

　Sure, I've been careful not to hurt myself since I found out that my body belongs to my sister. I may have washed my face more often than usual. But that doesn't mean she looks more feminine.
　If there is, it's for a different reason. For example, it's possible that I've become aware of my body's natural gender and that I'm being caught in the act.

　If I admit that my 'soul' is a woman, I can't deny the possibility that my 'body' will change to this side.

"-Alright, let's cut it off. Let's cut it off to a manly haircut. Let's cut it off right now.

　I'm a man, a man, a man, a man!
　So I chant around in my mind that I'm a man.

'Though it might be more convenient to be feminine when I get back to earth, though. Nine times out of ten, the bounty is on the line for Christ in the Hoosiers. You'd be less likely to be found with a different physiognomy, I think.
...... You want me to dress up as a woman and reunite with my sister?
'Yeah, you didn't say that much ....... You're looking amazing, Christ .......
'Anyway, I reject that idea. It's better if we're found the other way around. There might be enemies coming for the Hoosiers, but more than that, I'd like to meet up with my friends too.
'Oh, I see. Well, your original haircut is the best, then. Do you want me to cut it for you, now?　I'm good at this sort of thing because I'm used to it.
...... Yeah. If you'd like.

　I felt sorry for him, so I nodded without asking him why he was so good at it.
　Then Ryner changed two fingers into scissors with 'Magic Wind Blading' and dexterously cut my hair. I couldn't help but think from his skilled technique that he must have been trimming his arrogant sister's hair since she was a child.

'Okay, now it's perfect. It's the original Christ.
Thanks, Ryner. Well, let's get out of here. Oh, and by the way, I'm going to the labyrinth today.
Ha, you're early. Are you ready to go?
Maybe if we just decide on a new magic, we can take down that dragon in one hit.
"Oh. That's great, Christ. Don't you want me to accompany you on that quest?
I'm just going to go and see how it feels today, that's all.
...... All right. Then I'll have to look at the loaded one in particular today.

　Ryner is pleased that things are going well and declares that he will never let the Lord get in his way.
　We prepare for today in our room, Ryner goes to watch the Lord as usual, and I head to the labyrinth instead of Rynand-san's house. In the meantime, we leave the Connection in our room for retreat before leaving.

　We walked through the city in the early morning and arrived at the door at the edge of the city.
　After deploying the "Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradiate)" with all due care, we enter the sixty-sixth layer.

　And the sky world that spreads out.
　The sky is dominated by the Elfenries, a giant, free dragon that is even bigger than the clouds.

　I walk through the meadow and look at the wind dragon.
　It's hard to keep track of the dragon from its head to its tail. It looks like a steeplejack ceiling is wriggling.

　No matter when I look at it, I don't feel like I'm going to win at all.
　But today, I'm trying to pull a foul on it. For now, as long as you can touch it, you can neutralize it, so the odds are good.

　For now, I'm going to try to walk through the sixty-six layers at random. However, as long as I'm walking on the ground, they won't pay any attention to me. Just like Reiner said, they seem to be aiming at things that go between the 65 and 66 layers.

　It looked like the only way to fight the wind dragon was to go up the central spiral staircase.
　The previously broken staircase had been repaired. The sculptures in the labyrinth will be repaired after a certain amount of time has passed. Probably, it's an application of 'Recall Convergence (Drop)' using magic power.

　So, I'll use the stairs just like before.
　While going up each step, I will simulate the battle in my mind. The plan is to just cast magic twice and the game will be decided.
　I gradually approach the sixty-fifth layer while building the first magic 《Default》 to use beforehand.

　In just a few minutes, I will reach the altitude where I was attacked before.
　Before that, I declare.
　To rouse myself, I swear to myself.

'This is the second time I've killed a dragon: ......'

　Unlike the first time, this time he was a lone dragon slayer.
　But I can't whine about it. Right now, in The Deepest Pledge (Di Cavernanter), my fears about my sister are gone. But I know in my head that I have to head to the surface as fast as possible.

　That's why - today, here, the wind dragon will be defeated.
　The entire labyrinth will be captured as fast as possible.
　When I made up my mind to do so, my eyes met with the two sun-like eyes floating in the sky.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it. --I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　At the same time as the provocation, the warbling-colored giant body that had filled the sky fell down.