The next morning.
　Perhaps because I was woken up in the middle of the night, I was a little late getting up.
　However, in order to fulfill Nosfi's selfishness, I immediately expanded the 《Dimension》.　
　Leaving the detailed preparations for the labyrinth search to Ryner, I look for the Lord. If possible, I would like to finish the request of the example before the labyrinth search.

　However, before finding the Lord's figure, he discovers an anomaly in the castle.
　To be precise, there was a crowd of people outside the castle - in front of the castle gate.

　At the head of that group was Beth's figure. She is looking at the inside of the castle with a very anxious face. The other townspeople were also buzzing with the same expression. Since the word "Lord" was in their conversation, I decided to head to the castle gate first.

　When I appeared in front of the castle gate, the first thing Beth-chan, who was leading the charge, called out to me.

''Knight Commander-sama!　Good morning!　Um, I don't see Master Lord coming out of the castle!　Do you know anything about it!

　Beth looked terribly impatient and worried about Lord.
　Without waiting for my answer, she added one word after another.

'Actually, I had promised to meet Lord-sama last night. But he didn't come yesterday for any length of time. ......!　I thought it was strange that he didn't come out this morning, and so--!

　The people around them seemed to feel the same way, and they were voicing their concerns without pause.

''What on earth is going on, Lord-sama ......?''
I've never been sick in my life.
It's been a long time since Master Lord hasn't been flying around in the morning: ......

　I could tell from his voice that Lord was adored by the people. And I also know that he was in town every day without fail.

　But I have to wonder.
　I look at the gates I just came out of.
　There stands the gates, liberated without any refusal.

I understand what you all want to say. But if you're so worried about it, why don't you go inside the castle?
'What?　Because we're not from the castle. So we're in trouble.

　It wasn't just Beth, but everyone else had the same expression.
　Even if, no matter what, the people are not allowed to enter the castle. That's the law (rule) of 'here', he implied.

' ...... okay. I, the Knight Commander, will go check on the Lord, so you guys can wait here.

　After noticing the uniqueness of this space, I undertake to search the inside of the castle on behalf of the girls.

''Thank you, Sir Knight Commander ......!

　Leaving Beth and the other townspeople who bowed their heads as much as they could, I hurriedly returned to the castle. As I walked, I extended the Dimension to the vault where Lord was yesterday, but there was no one there. There's no one in the courtyard or the Watchtower either.
　I thought that maybe he was outside the castle when I licked out the places that the Lord seemed to like. However, just before I turned my attention outward, I found Lord's figure.

　The Lord was in the center of the castle. The place that Lord least liked to be in.
　The king's audience room.
　Behind the throne - the throne at the far end of it - she was fiddling with her gym seat.

　And muttering to herself.
　She was chanting the same words over and over again, endlessly.

"'I do not choose the path I walk,' 'I am the wind' -- and 'Mistresses are accelerating souls,' 'accelerating,' 'accelerating,' 'accelerating' -- ......

　It was immediately clear that it was 'chanting'.
　However, there wasn't any magic being exercised, nor was her Midori's magic power being increased. However, some kind of 'price' has been paid by that 'chanting'.
　It was an act of gaining nothing, only losing it.

　When I entered the king's audience room, I approached Lord while deliberately sounding footsteps instead of knocking, and called out to him from a distance.

'Lord, is that 'chanting' okay ......?'
'Yeah, it's okay ....... It's like a curse to make you feel better. ......

　The Lord of the Hundred Warriors had noticed my approach long ago.
　He answers the question without much agitation.

'Beth's worried about you and she's coming outside.
'Oh, by the way, ......, did I promise to play with Beth? ......
It's not just Beth. They're all here.
...... guys, you're here. Yeah.

　There is no power in his reply.
　I seem to be in despair that the world I thought would last forever is crumbling.
　It's going to be hard to cheer this up, but I'm still going to do what I can do. I'd rather regret it after I've done everything I can than regret not doing it.

'Yeah, I'm here because I'm worried about Lord. So why don't we at least go out and see him?　Seeing everyone else might change my mood a bit.
"Everyone's coming to worry about The Lord?　Haha, 'The Road'. Oh, right, 'The Road': ......

　Self-mockingly, Lord repeats his name.
　At the end of it, he mutters weakly and winces.

'I wonder which 'Lord' it is ....... Even though we all know who the real child is: .......

　The muttering wasn't directed at anyone, it was just a monologue.
　You can't guess all the meaning.
　Barely enough to know that it was a situation that was not meant for Lord.

'Hey, Kanamin ....... A child (strawman) doesn't want to go to earth......
Yeah, I know that.
'If you go, I'm sure you'll be expected to go back to the child (straw) ....... I hate that .......

　I just continue to feel weak.

'I hate ...... because my body gets heavy when it's expected of me. I hate the ground: .......

　I chastise myself for being so vulnerable, not long ago.

　Now I'm sure of it.
　There is no treachery in Lord. He doesn't have a trace of cunning as a demon king.

　What I see here is just a weak child.
　I knew that the only way to save this child was to hold her hand gently and squarely.

'Oh, okay. No one is going to tell me to go to earth anymore. I won't let Nosfy tell me to go to earth either. So don't look at me like that anymore.
What?

　Everything was affirmed, and Lord was puzzled to the contrary.
　He didn't expect such an answer to come back. He asked back with a trembling voice.

'So, but ......, what the child (wawa) is saying is that ......
We've got some time before this place falls apart. I'll give you that time to do what you want. It's all over. No one has a problem with that.
'Can you solve the child's unresolved problems ......?　Canadians?

　To be honest, I'm not absolutely sure.
　But I continue to affirm it powerfully to cheer her up.

'Yeah, so don't worry about it anymore. I'll get your brother back 'here' in no time.
...... Huh?　Are you bringing the id?
'Oh, I talked to Mr. Reynand about it, and I thought it would be the best thing to do. Now I have no memory of what happened a thousand years ago. That's why I can't understand everything about you. So, we thought it would be best to bring someone who had a memory of you from a thousand years ago and was close to you. The family (the one with the id) would be the perfect fit for that.
But when the id is here, you can go back to ....... Also--
I think the reason you two are guardians is so that you can see each other again in a thousand years, that's what I think. Yes, that's right. Family is the most important thing. Family is the one thing that knows your family best. You just need to talk to the Aide and figure out what you're still holding on to. That will help you get rid of your hang-ups.

　I assure you with certainty.
　I exaggerate a little to give you hope, but mostly I don't pretend to mean it.
　The family - the reunion of the sisters and brothers - will resolve their unresolved issues.
　That's what I said ...... with that in mind.

Don't do it, Kanamin. That's a very bad idea.

　What came back was a straightforward denial.
　Lord contorted his face and shook his head behind his throne.

'I don't want to ......, I don't want to see Aydo ......'
But Ayde is your brother. He understands you better than anyone.
I don't like it!

　Without waiting for my words to finish, Lord shouted.
　Then he stood up and peeked out from behind the throne.
　He gripped the edge of the throne tightly and slammed the reason to me.

'Because if I meet Eid now, I'll have to play the perfect king again!　It took a thousand years for the Lord to forgive the Lord's children.　We'll be back to normal again!

　With a crunch, the end section of the throne was crushed. Nevertheless, the Lord still continues to shout.

'Oh no, not another king!　I don't want to carry that expectation on my shoulders again!　Because the child (warawa) haha, the child (warawa) haha--!

　There was a thin layer of tears on his eye lids.
　If this was the case, the tears would spill out of Lord's eyes. But before that could happen, Lord turned his face down and put his forehead against the throne.

　He didn't want to cry with his emotions.
　His voice turned into a chest-clenching voice, as if he was hiding his heart.

''If you continue to live in 'here', that's all you need to make the child (straw) disappear. ...... So there's no need to have an id ....... The peace of this viiisia is what the child (warawa) wants now. ......

　And then it comes back to Lord's first wish.
　He hangs on to a wish that was meaningless after a thousand years of 'here'.

'Kanamin don't do anything extra ....... If you're not willing to stay 'here' with your child, leave me alone .......

　Lord collapsed from his knees and wiped the tears away with his sleeve.
　The words naturally escape my mouth at the sight of a girl who cannot be described as a 'ruling king' no matter how you describe her.
　Even though I know it's a vice, I can't help but say it out loud.

''You can't leave me alone, you idiot ......!　Lord, I'll definitely help you out. So just wait a little longer. ......!

　Is it because he has activated the skill 'The Pledge of the Deepest (Di Cavernator)'? Or is it because he promised Nosfi that he would cheer up the Lord? Was it simply because he wanted to help a girl who was crying? Is it because he felt like it was his mission--

　--I can't pinpoint one reason, but I couldn't abandon them anyway.

'Helping a child (strawberry) ......?'
Yeah.
Again (...), like that time, you mean Uzumi will help the child ......?
Yeah.

　Lord looks up.
　And his cheeks broke out in a smile, as if he had found a glimmer of hope.

　This one, too, seems to have finally found a clue.
　If you want to cheer up, it's now or never.
　Make sure you don't misspell the words and show the future that will fulfill Lord's wishes.

The point is, as long as the guy with the id doesn't expect you to do anything about it, you're good to go. Then Ryner and I are going to beat the crap out of Ayde. After that, I'm going to make sure that Aide knows not to expect anything from the current load. I'll make sure to bring my brother who doesn't expect you to do anything. Then there's no problem, right?
......!

　Lord's eyes widen.
　It's obvious that this lonely man wants to see his family (Ayde).
　So among the paintings in the vault, the one from Ayde's childhood was still in its original form. Above all, the life I've spent with this guy to this day is one answer.

I think you need a 'family'. You can't get rid of it forever because you don't have anyone to trust. That's the only way I see it.
'Is that so ......?　The 'family' for the children ...... and they needed someone to be able to confide in ......?

　So Lord tried to stop me and Ryner from disappearing.
　He wanted someone to laugh with, even if it was only a temporary one, like 'family'.

'I'll definitely bring your 'family' to you. So cheer up. Well, like Nosfy said. You look better with a smile on your face.

　Staying with those words, I closed the final distance between me and the Lord.
　Slowly, I walked around to the back of the throne and reached out to Lord, who was on the verge of collapsing.

'Smile and wait for me. It's not just me, Ryner's there too. You don't have to worry about anything else.

　Lord re-focused his body and took my outstretched hand in his.
　Then he stood up. He nodded his head yes, as if he'd gotten an answer to his years of suffering.

'Yeah, I guess so. There's a liner (・・・・・・・・) ....... Yeah, that's right, .......
Yeah, there's that Nosfy guy. He wanted to make up with you. Go see him later.

　It's important to keep in touch with Nosfy.
　Don't forget that and emphasize your presence. This should clear Nosfi's selfishness.

'Yes, there's a Nosphy ....... This will work (・・・・・・・), right? ......

　Lord's face lights up as he confirms that he is not alone.
　He doesn't seem to be sulking and shutting himself away somewhere anymore.

'Alright, you're feeling better. Then get your face out to Beth and Nosfi as soon as possible.
'Uh-huh. But I'm too embarrassed to do it right now, so I'll get to it a little later. After I get back to my normal face properly and get my thoughts together: ......
Yeah, that's fine.

　If you look closely, you can see a blush under his eyes.
　Lord, as a girl, seems to care about her appearance.
　I'm not insensitive enough to force her to face me here.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

Then I'll go on ahead. I have to go to the labyrinth, you know.

　I have to hurry to fulfill the promise I just made. It is necessary for everyone to make sure that I succeed in my search for the labyrinth.

　The Lord nodded back at that.
　Then, with a sure step - he sat down on the throne (・・・・・・).

''Yes, have a good day. Also, thank you Uzura Wave (...) ....... Finally, it looks like I'm going to get my real wish for a child (Warawa) .......

　Playing with Midori's glossy hair, Lord smiled and looked away.
　That too beautiful gesture made me shiver and get goosebumps.
　The figure of the Lord, who had climbed over one of the valleys, looked a little more mature.　

　-- That Lord looks mature?

　The sight was so unbalanced that it sent chills down my back.
　Without a doubt, Lord was fine. Anyone would judge that.
　However, the undeniable chill stuck to my back and wouldn't leave.

　He hadn't failed, but he hadn't succeeded either - or so he thought.

'...... Yeah, I'll make it happen soon. Just wait and see.

　I had to answer that.
　With those last words, I leave the King's Chamber.
　Then we walked to the outside of the castle.

　First of all, it's the people who were waiting in front of the castle gate.
　To reassure everyone, I deliver the good news with a bright smile.

''Everyone, the Lord would be fine. Maybe they'll be out in a few minutes.

　I'll hide the fact that I was crying. I'm sure Lord would want that.

'How are you ......?　Then why didn't they come to town: ......?

　Beth and the others were mystified when they heard the report.
　They spun their thoughts fast and mended them.

'Oh, that's ....... I think it's because I brought an old friend of Lord's with me from the labyrinth yesterday. I heard that I stayed up late talking to that guy, and he overslept today.
Are you an old friend of Master Lord's: ......?

　The murmur of the townspeople grows louder.
　Would it be so surprising to have a friend on the road?

'Yeah, unlike me, they're friends of the same s*x, or maybe it's because they're friends of the same s*x, and they're incredibly excited.
Yeah, right: ......

　I still don't believe it all, but I have to believe it because I, as the position of a Knight Commander, am saying it. It looks like that.

I'm sure it's true. I'm sure they will be out of the castle by noon or so, so you can ask the lord then. The others can be relieved as well.

　There are things I haven't said, but I'm not lying. I'll make sure and insist to all of them that I'm not lying. The people who heard that were relieved.

'You're not sick. I'm glad then. ......
Fufu ....... What the hell, you scared the shit out of me. ......
As long as Master Lord is okay, I'm happy.

　A sparse group of people, young and old, men and women, not separated, begin to disperse.
　Of course, some of them are here to wait for the Lord to appear. The first of them was Beth.

'But ......, I'm not busy today, so I'll wait for Lord-sama here.
Yeah, okay.
'So what is the Knight Commander going to do now?
I'm going to the labyrinth. That's what I do, you know.
'I see ....... I would have been happy to wait with you .......
I'm sorry. That's not how it works. I really need to get to the ground as soon as possible. ......
No, of course not.

　Beth looked disappointed, even though she said she didn't mind. Even though her mouth says she doesn't mind, her eyes are hanging on to me.
　But we can't waste time here.
　He quickly turns on his heel and heads back into the castle.

'See you later ......'

　As I move away from the gates, I expand the Dimension again. The next step is to find Nosfi. I want to report early on that I've fulfilled her ego and cheered up the Lord. Otherwise, I don't know what she would have done.
　I walked past the throne room where the Lord was sniffing and let the magic permeate the entire castle.

　As a result, I find Nosfi in his room with Ryner.
　Apparently, he had come to his room, having mistakenly switched places with me.

　In order to save Ryner, who is turning blue alone with his natural enemy, I return to my room at a fast pace. And as soon as he opened the door and entered the room, Nosfy's greeting flew in.

''Good morning, Uzurinami-sama. And thank you. I'm very touched that you could cheer up that kittenishly dour Lord so quickly.

　My body jolts.
　After all, yesterday ended in an attempt, but the fact that she attacked me did not disappear. My body unconsciously tensed up.

　However, without paying attention to my nervousness, Nosfi approaches me with a smile. I can tell from her greeting that she knows how the conversation between me and Lord went. I skip the greeting as well.

'Good morning, Nosfi. ...... I think Lord is fine now. I promised him that I'd beat the id and bring him back, and he's feeling great. I'm sure he'll be visiting Nosphy in a little while, so give him a warm welcome then.
Yes, of course I will. ...... and I'll wait here for the load. I'm very sorry, but I can't accompany you in your search for the labyrinth today.
'No, it's something that originally had to be done by just me and Reiner, so don't worry about it.
''Hmph, thank you. That's really sweet of you, Uzumi-sama. Then, let me let my ego go through with it. Ah, it's nice to be selfish. It's as if my heart is cleansed. Hmmm, this may be the disappearance of my unrequited love for you very soon.

　He repeatedly interjects laughter between conversations to emphasize his own mortality.
　But you can't take that for granted.
　He says he's close, but I don't think he's going to disappear any time soon. I should have to listen to his ego a few more times, as measured by the intensity of his physical presence.

　Leaving me in doubt, Nosphy chuckles and sits down on the bed in his room.

'Hmmm. Oh, Lord, please come quickly. I'll be waiting for you. Yes, always and forever ....... I'll be waiting for you .......

　Baffled, he rests his back on the futon and lets both of his eyes wander in the air, and begins to look forward to the Lord's arrival.

...... Well, I have to go to the labyrinth now, since I have to get my id,

　I have a role to play. If I don't fulfill it, even if the two of us make up, it will all come to nothing.
　He begins to build magic next to Nosphy, who is lying down.
　Nosphy looked away from it.

''Yes, I wish Uzurinami-sama success in her search for the labyrinth.
"......-- Magical Connection.

　With her encouragement, I finished generating the magic door.
　Then, Ryner and I walked into the labyrinth.

　It's a shortcut to the end of the fifty-seventh layer.
　We come back to a pure white space as far as the eye can see.
　Thanks to Nosfy's magic, there aren't many monsters around. There are some monsters that are looking at us, but they don't seem to have any hostile intent at all. Right in front of us is a staircase leading to the fifty-sixth layer.

　This is the fifth time I've explored the labyrinth. We're back in a party of two to explore.
　Without making any kind of agreement, Ryner and I naturally start walking towards the stairs.

Christ, are you sure?　With such a cheap promise. You don't take the id so easily with this or that.

　Now that they were alone, Ryner didn't hesitate to voice his doubts.

'That's what I had to say to Lord ....... We've got to do it. ......'

　By reiterating his mouth, he strengthens his resolve.
　It's a resolution to speed up the labyrinth search for Lord.

　Until today, I've been searching the labyrinth for my sister in the 'fastest' way possible.
　But that is the "fastest" speed I've ever been able to go through to ensure my sister's safety and to make sure that she'll be able to clear it.

　But I have to stop doing that now.
　If I don't, I'll never make it (・・・・・・) - I feel like I have to.

　The sharpened senses - the skill "sensitivity" - have intuited this. The memory of almost dying many times in another world is appealing to me. The experience of fighting against vicious and powerful enemies recommends that.

　At first glance, the two guardians (guardians) now have a bright air about them. Although they have managed to mend their ways by walking around the castle, there is no doubt that a disquieting atmosphere lurks within that cheerfulness.

　Nosfi is smiling openly, but he has yet to reveal his true feelings.
　Lord didn't look at me as if he wasn't looking at me, his eyes shining with hope.

　I think I've grown up in a certain way even with this. I've stopped thinking about things based solely on the 'status' and 'condition' that I can see in the 'display'. I think I've learned to observe people, which I was devastatingly bad at, to a certain extent. I've met a lot of people and seen off a lot of guardians. Maybe that's why I understand their danger, even if it's just a little bit.

　I feel the signs that the anxiety that has been sticking to me like a membrane for a long time - the possibility of Lord and Nosfi together becoming an obstacle - is about to become a reality.
　Therefore, I declare that I will conduct the 'most difficult' labyrinth search without regret.

'Ryner, let's go to ground on this labyrinth search (・・・・・・・).'

　Ryner isn't the only one who's been able to expose his true feelings now that he's been in the labyrinth.
　Me too. I'm finally able to say these words.

"This, this time?　Are you serious, Christ?

　Naturally, Ryner was surprised by the impossibility of this and asked back.

'Yeah, I'm serious. --let's get serious and get this over with.

　But I didn't go back on my previous statement.