And the next morning.
　Oh, I regretted not drinking alcohol, I didn't have anything to regret.

"Hmmm, hmmm... ......

　He could feel the light shining on his meditated eyelids and slowly opened his eyes.
　The morning sunlight shone through the faintly dancing dust. The wooden chairs and tables that lined the perimeter were empty. The hustle and bustle of yesterday drowned out like a phantom, and the inside of the tavern was very quiet.

　Apparently, he had fallen asleep as a result of his continued drinking.
　But my head doesn't ...... hurt. If anything, my back hurts, probably because I slept in a chair.
　My liver seems to have a good ability to break down alcohol. No, maybe this is also related to the status of this world. I've been told that I'm the one who steals the logic of the dimension, and it's possible that I have the same ability as Titi, who doesn't accept poison.
　And, although it's unavoidable to think about it now, there's also the possibility that I'm immortal--

　My body may be approaching the so-called "monster". But I am no longer afraid of it. Since I arrived in this other world, I knew that my body was moving away from humans. Even if I become a monster, I am still me. That's what I swore.
　No matter how far Rowen or Titi went, Rowen was Rowen and Titi was Titi. If you know that, you have nothing to fear.

　And without feeling the hangover I've heard so much about, I get up from my chair and look around the bar. The chairs and tables were empty, but there was one of my friends sitting on the ground.
　Somehow, he was sitting upright.

'Hey, what are you doing ......?'

　It was Titty, sitting upright, groggily and dexterously asleep.
　When I called out to her, she raised her face from its prone position and opened her eyes with a start.

''What?''

　Even with my mouth, I said, "Ha.
　Then he looked around, looked at my face and apologized shakily and apologetically.

'Oh, good morning, Kanaminyo. ...... I'm really sorry about yesterday ....... Can I unbuckle my seat now?
Oh, did I make you do that?
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for getting carried away with the whole thing. I'll be more careful from now on, so please do not hesitate to contact me at ......
'No, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'm done with it: ......

　There's no reason to keep forcing her to sit upright, so I immediately give her permission to do so.
　Then, Titty stands up, wiping away the cold sweat, and performs a bending motion. Apparently, her strong body doesn't cause a single numbness even if she sleeps on her knees.

''Woohoo. Ah, that was scary! It was scarier than when I was on the 66th layer...''

　Looking at my face, Titi says she was scared.
　But I don't remember her imitating being scared.
　Immediately I try to recall last night ...... but find that my memory is blurry. I remember having a drink at the end of the day, but I can't remember anything about the end of it.

　It was a bit uncomfortable for me, as I was absolutely confident in my memory.
　I was grunting and groaning as I tried to remember one thing, when Crow appeared from the back of the bar drinking water. He has a history with the tavern and me, and he seems to have stayed with me until the end.

'Oh, you're up too. Haha, you laughed yesterday. You laughed yesterday, but it was nice to hear your true feelings thanks to the alcohol. I'm not sure if I'm being honest or not, or if I'm just being a little out of control as a boy. That kind of thing is ......

　However, his words only heightened the bad feeling.
　Not only did he fall asleep at the store and cause trouble, but he also said that he was a typical boyhood outburst ......?

　He hurriedly filled the surrounding area with Dimension.
　The store is clean.
　Even though it's called a runaway, it doesn't seem to have been a runaway by breaking things. If that is the case, what exactly did he do?

　As I'm guessing this, Crow-san's words are followed by a word that makes me guess what happened last night.

''Hmph, that's right. You were out of control yesterday, Christ-kun. Oh, but it was cool to look like a man ......?

　Lin-san, who would have been preparing to open the store in front of the store, said that while coming back into the store.
　For some reason, Lin-san was blushing.
　For now, I apologize for the inconvenience I caused to the bar.

''Well, I'm sorry ....... Apparently, I fell asleep after drinking ......
Don't worry about it, I got permission from the manager. It's a celebration.
'Well, ....... So, I'm having a bit of a muddled memory ....... What did I do yesterday, ......?

　Then he asks what was most on his mind.
　Mr. Lin replies to that with a red face and a patter as if to remind him of something.

'Let's see, Mr. Christ yesterday was masculine or distracting or ......?　Anyway, it was a good night to see how much I usually repressed myself: ......?

　At any rate, I know I've made some very embarrassing statements.
　But I won't let a little embarrassment or two shake me. After all, I am now known as the "Christ Eurasian Waldhusiers von Walker" in the world. Yesterday alone has trained my mind quite a bit.
　So, for now, I just ask him carefully if he was not annoyed.

'Perhaps I was being cocky?'
'No, I wasn't being cocky, but ....... I don't want to drink anywhere other than in my circle of friends ...... because it blows up your honorifics?
Keh, the honorific is blowing up. ......?
'I don't mind. I was rather happy about it, wasn't I?　Familiar, Christ you were a breath of fresh air.
Mmm-hmm?

　I'm a blown up respectful, awkward, familiar, familiar, boyishly out of control and full of true feelings ......?
　Picking up bits and pieces of such key words brings back memories of yesterday, little by little.
　That's right.
　The me of yesterday was pompous and villainous like the progenitor of a thousand years ago (once), and I felt like--

I don't want to talk about this anymore!　Anyway, thanks to the booze, I've learned from the truth that you love this Rustyala thing!　I see now that you have not given up on your true and honest feelings!

　I got a recall interception from my neighbor, Titty.
　Apparently, it's not a good time for her to be reminded.
　Probably, but it's very likely that ...... was preaching to her all through the night. Like the encounter scene I remembered from a thousand years ago.

'Alright, let's get an early start today!　From the looks of it, he doesn't have a hangover!
Oh, yeah. All right, all right. All right, don't push me.

　Titi pushes me back and I have to leave the tavern. I pay Lin enough to pay for it, and then I walk out into the freshly risen morning sun.
　The chill of the morning is still there, and I feel a little bit of white breath. Here I realize that I'm missing one companion.

'Speaking of which, where's Ryner?　--Dimension.

　Although I'm not overly worried, I still lightly spread out the 《Dimension》 for searching and quickly find the figure. Ryner was at the inn yesterday. And he's talking to a familiar woman.

　A woman with light blue hair and wolf-like ears - that's Sera.
　With a twitch of her distinctive ears, Sera-san reacted to the magic of the 《Dimension》. Perhaps because of the keen senses characteristic of beastmen, she reacted faster than Ryner. Ryner also noticed my "Dimension" after that and looked around.

　Immediately, Ryner beckoned me towards an empty place. It seems that he wants to tell me to come over here.

'Looks like you're in the room we took yesterday.
Hmm, there you are. Well, let's get together there.

　With Titi's approval, we moved to the inn.
　It wasn't too far from the tavern, so it didn't take long to get there. We then walked through the door of the inn, greeted the receptionist, and headed upstairs to our room.

　The first thing I do after entering the room is to turn to Sera-san. Yesterday, I couldn't talk to her well enough, so I thought it should be a priority.

''Sera-san, it's been a while. Sorry I didn't get to say hello yesterday.
"...... It's been a while, Kanami. Sorry I didn't get to say hello yesterday either. I missed the timing.

　Sera-san lightly raised her hand and greeted my visit with a smile. It seems that she, too, was worried about what happened yesterday. We finish exchanging greetings as if we were going to meet again. As he did so, Titi introduced herself as well. Titi says in a light tone, "Hi, I'm Titi, the child is a traveling entertainer," and Sera says a little stiffly, "It's nice to meet you, Titi-san. I'm Sera Raydant, Knight of the Fooziers.

　As soon as she finished her greeting, Sera produced various documents from her pocket.

''Kanami. I've brought you a letter of introduction and everything. I'm sure it will come in handy on your upcoming trip. Keep them in the space as usual.
Thank you. It helps.

　I receive a large quantity of sealed waxed parchment. From what I lightly read in the 《Dimension》, I can tell that it is a certificate for passing through the customs offices of various countries and a mouthpiece for the noble and powerful families in various places.
　Apparently, they visited me to give me this.
　I take them one by one with gratitude.

　On the way, I notice something unusual from Sera-san's behavior.
　Yesterday I didn't 'pay attention' because Rastiara was in front of me, but today I check the status again.

[Status]
　Name: Serra Raydiant HP352/352 MP194/194 Class: Knight　　
　Level: 26
　Strength 11.12 Strength 12.78 Skill 10.11 Speed 16.26 Wisdom 6.56 Magic 10.90 Elemental 1.57
　Inherent skill: Intuition 2.01
　Acquired Skill : Swordsmanship 2.19 Physical Skill 1.71 Magical Combat 1.21 Sacred Magic 1.99 Inspiration 1.31

''I mean, Sera-san: ....... Isn't she pretty strong?　The level is more than Rastiara: ......

　His level is high, and his skill growth level is greater than Rath Tiara's. No, if it's not my imagination, I think the growth in the value of certain stats is also unusually high. It's hard to say for sure, but something seems to be wrong .......

'Oh ....... I made sure I took care of all the rough stuff, and this is what happened naturally. Yes, I'm confident that I'm the strongest knight in the land.
"Well, if you're the best knight in the land, you're busy ......?

　I can't keep 'gazing' at a woman's body forever, and I respond to Sera's story.
　You say it like it's nothing, but it's amazing. Being the best in the Hoosiers nowadays means being the best in the Union.

'Yeah, I'm busy. Right now, I'm not only the end of the "Seven Celestial Knights" (Celestial Knights), I'm also the lady's secretary and captain of the guards. ...... Still, I wanted to meet with you personally. I've made time for you.

　Sera raised her eyebrows and complained about the lack of time. But she soon corrected me with a gentle tone of voice.
　The expression on her face was different from the image I had of Sera. I thought she was a more strict person, but she has changed a lot in the past year.

　I was a little surprised, but she laughed as she continued to talk to me.

Huh, you were shaken up badly yesterday. How's that?　Did you give up on your daughter already after that?

　With a nasty look on his face, he plays with my blunder of yesterday. But we've already settled that one.

I'm sorry to ...... sera, but I'm not sure I'm ready to give up. I was so shocked then that I let go a bit, but even now my feelings haven't changed. ...... Yeah, it hasn't changed at all. So, I'm going to take the opportunity to go see him again. I want to check things out.
Okay.

　Hearing my hesitant response, Sera-san nodded briefly.
　Her face is down, but I can see that her mouth is relaxed. It seems that my response was a favorable one for her. This is also slightly different from the image I had of Sera.

'I'm here to make all sorts of excuses, but I guess I didn't have to.

　Sera happily says that it was a waste of time.
　It seems that the purpose of today's meeting was not to say hello, but to follow up on yesterday's conversation. Ms. Sera goes on to explain why Rustyala 'refused' to speak to her without bothering to say anything.

''Right now, the young lady has become a symbol of the power of the Confederacy. That's why I can't let you get away with this. The escalating border war with the North has left the Fooziers unable to leave any openings for other countries, including our allies. That's what I wanted you to know. Perhaps, the young lady actually wants to go with you.
'...... Really?'　If that's what you think, why is Rastiara ......
It's a--

　Naturally, I asked for further details and reasons.
　But Sera didn't answer it immediately. She couldn't say it as it was, so she seemed to choose her words carefully.

　And in the end, it wasn't the reason that came back to me.
　But it was the word I wanted to hear the most.

'Anyway, let me just say one thing. There is no need to go back to see the young lady again to find out for sure. Without a doubt, the young lady will always (・・・・・・・・・) be thinking of you (・・・・・・・・・). That word hate may not be a lie, but it's more than that, she thinks of you. Perhaps even more than you (・・・・・).
I hate you, but I'm thinking ......?

　I'm glad you're thinking of me ...... but I thought it was contradictory.
　However, I am well aware that humans have many such contradictory emotions. A good example of conflicting emotions living together is the Nosfies we fought just the other day.

'I can't go into details now. I can't go into details now, but the Lady has spoken against it. "The lady is stopping me from going into details. The only thing I can do now is to tell you what is on the mind of the young lady.

　It seems that there are circumstances that cannot be explained.
　And to make sure that this was not misunderstood, Sera-san went out of her way to visit us and tell us about Rustyala's heart.
　I'm grateful for that, but I'll stop pursuing it further.　

'...... Okay, I understand. So that's all you can say to me from Sera-san?
Yeah, ....... I'm not saying I don't trust you. I think you're the only man standing next to your daughter. I can't help but think back on that short trip. You're the only one who could make the little lady truly laugh. ......

　Sera narrows her eyes and reminisces about the past.
　To me it feels like a few days ago, but to her it seems like a long time ago.
　I had to understand that difference in perception more than I did. I think that's what led to Lastiara's anger yesterday.

　And finally, Sera-san closes with.

'One day the young lady will tell you everything. Until then, please wait for the young lady. Please, please .......

　She asks me to wait ...... apologetically.
　I've never seen Sera so vulnerable to me before.
　It doesn't look like he's lying. It doesn't look like he's trying to deceive me.
　There is no abnormality in Sera-san's heartbeat and body temperature that the 《Dimension》 conveys, and the skills 'Fraud' and 'Sensitivity' have also determined that it is a sincere request.

　The look on her face was enough to remind her to go to the cathedral again.

　Sera said, "I'll tell you all about it someday." "I want you to wait," said Rustyala, "I want you to join the others and help Dia." "I'm rooting for you.
　To me, you two are still friends. I want to believe what my friends say.

　So what I have to do now is not to go and see them day after day. I've already made my feelings known to the public. I'm going to have to chase around a girl who doesn't like it any more.

　Of course, there is the possibility that there is an extraordinary danger in the fact that these two people are adamantly unwilling to talk about it. There's no guarantee that I haven't missed something important. The depths of this id-renewed Hoosiers country are immeasurable. If possible, I'd like to do some research before I leave this country. In that case, I--.

Look around. Look around you. You have friends.

　Clearly, a voice passes by like the wind cutting off my thoughts.
　It's Titi's voice.

　I looked up and looked around as the voice commanded me.
　There was Sera, Titi, and Ryner.
　Ryner suggests with a serious look on his face.

'Christ, let's split up. I want to stay here. I'm more qualified than you.

　All of my hesitations are cut off by my friends.

Reiner: ......

　That powerful voice brings my thoughts together.
　I wasn't the only one who was dropped into the sixty-six layers of the labyrinth and came back stronger. Ryner has grown both physically and mentally as well. If there was any concern left, it was just a matter of me and Ryner working together to resolve it.

　Continuing on, Ryner goes on to talk about the contents of his proposal.

'Honestly, this country - no, this country called Foozeyers is a stinker. And there's no doubt that the one in Rustyala is a bit strange. Like Christ, I feel the same way. ...... So I'm defending the Rustyala guy instead of Christ. There's no need to get lost, so get Christ and his friends to the north of the mainland and bring your sister and her friends back with you. After that, you can slowly reconfess to Rastiara, or whatever you want to do. Until then, I swear I'll protect that Rastiara guy.

　And Ryner asks me if the proposal is acceptable.
　He looks a little worried.

''--That's not good enough?　Can't we leave it to Knight Ryner Helvirshain?

　Reiner is good enough to go head-to-head with Nosfi.
　Earlier, we were talking about Sera-san being the strongest, but that's excluding the three of us.

　If you include Ryner here, the position of the strongest knight in this Confederation fluctuates.
　I didn't need any time to answer.
　Immediately I nodded back.

''No, I'll leave it to you. You'll have to watch over him while I'm gone. I'm just going to go to the id.
Yes, my Lord. My Lord.

　Hearing those instructions, Ryner laughed and thanked me reverently.
　Thus, the contract between me and Ryner's squire was exchanged, and Sera-san picked up the rest of the conversation with a slightly happy look on her face.

''It's settled. Then I'll take care of Ryner. I'm going to use my authority (connections) to the fullest so that I can work near the young lady from today. Fortunately, he has a good family background and a decent track record. We should be able to work out something.
'It's a pleasure to meet you, Serah. My brother has told me you are a fine knight.
Nice to meet you too, brother Hine. But I'm sure you've heard a lot more from that guy.　Don't flatter me.
'...... Yes, it is. I've heard that there are some things that are quite disappointing. As I recall, you've lost sight of it when it comes to Miss Lastiara. Well, I'll follow up on that, so it should be fine from now on.
Huh, you're an honest man. That's one of the few times I've ever seen someone talk that smart in front of me.
No, it's just that I can't go out of my way to flatter my seniors now. I think they already know who I am.
You're a quick study. I'm counting on you.

　They shake hands, joking with each other in a light tone of voice.
　I'm surprised at how smoothly they close the gap between them.

　They should have never met before, but they already seem to get along quite well.
　It's a big difference between the two of them from the time of me. While I'm burning with a strange jealousy for the two of them, the knights immediately start to move. The conversation seems to have been settled with terrifying speed.

Then, Knight Ryner. Finish your preparations at once. We'll be heading to the young lady's at once.''
'Yes, sir. Because now that Christ has asked me to take care of Lastiara, I don't want to leave him for a moment.

　Ryner moves busily to scrape up the personal items he has placed in the room. However, the number of things is small. It's no surprise that he was using my 'belongings' for the most part.
　The only important personal items would be the ones I originally wore. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what I'm wearing," he says, pointing to the clothes he's wearing and checking with me.

'Christ, should I return these clothes you gave me or something ......?'
No, I don't want it back. It's totally for the liner. I think it's a gift already.

　The equipment I made with Mr. Raynand in the basement is exclusively for Ryner. I want you to use it for Raynand-san's sake for a long time after he disappeared.

The only thing left is my sword. I've got three of them now, but ...... is the first one I'm going to give you back," he said. This is the only thing we can't keep.

　The Treasured Sword of the House of Ares will be returned to me. I'm going to be dealing with the Guardians and the Apostles, so I want to be ready to use the Dearest Flash of D'a Wraith magic at any time. There was no reason to refuse.
　Like Ryner, I'll be carrying two swords at my waist along with the 'Crescent Pectrazi's Straight Sword'.

''Also, the 'One Wing' and the 'Sylph Luff Bringer' one: ......
I have a feeling that they belong to Reiner.
Thank you. My Lord gave me this sword and I'll feel free to use it.
Now all that remains is the stuff you dropped in the maze.

　I also take out the other magic stones and other items that I obtained in the depths of the labyrinth in the 'belongings' section, and finish distributing the money neatly.
　The preparations for the separate activities are gradually finished.
　In this morning, we packed up the things to take care of during our separate activities and exchanged contact methods and plans.

　When the sun was fully up, the preparations were completely finished.
　Ryner begins to say goodbye as he heads to the vicinity of Rastiara immediately.
　However, this is likely to be the last goodbye for both Titi and Ryner. Both of them know that, and they both look a bit divine.

'--Titty, you and Christ go and put away your karma with the Ides over there. I'm sure everyone in Viaisia has told you not to come back over here?
Yeah, I'm going to see my real brother. So, I'll get it all done. ...... Is this going to be a bailout for you and Ryner?
Yeah, so-so.

　Reiner answered immediately, and Titty looked sad. He had even liked her to take the place of his brother at one point. If possible, he wanted to stay with her until the end.
　When Ryner saw this, he looked a little troubled and immediately began to thank her in a theatrical manner.

"...... Master, thank you for everything you've done. I'm going to be able to use the power you gave me, which is also a legend, for the sake of the Lord. From now on, forever.
...... ummmm, not bitter. Use it as you please. I am the first and last disciple of the child.
Yeah, sure. I'm going to do as you asked and use it as I see fit. You've done a lot of damage to me in that town. This is what you deserve.

　Then he flashed a hateful sarcasm.
　Titty gazed at it with a pout and immediately chuckled.

"Huh, hmm, hmm, hahahahaha! Are you still holding on to that gardener's job?　You're a much smaller man than he is.
Yeah, I'm the type of person who holds on to things. So I'll never forget it. I'll remember the bad times I had with you until the day I die. I will always remember them. Never.
'Hmmm. ...... Okay. You'll never forget it. Well, goodbye, then. Goodbye, Rainer.
Bye, Titty.

　Titi happily repeated twice, "I see.
　This would be Ryner's way of saying goodbye. We said our goodbyes, hating each other, but laughing at each other.

　And finally, Ryner calls out to me as well.

You two should focus on getting your families back. Over here, there's me and Sera-senpai.
'Yeah, I'll hurry up and get back. The liners have made me feel better about myself.

　Ryner seemed satisfied when he heard that. He slung the bag of personal belongings over his shoulder and finished preparing to leave the room.
　There's nothing more to say.
　Finally, I call out to Sera-san.

'Sera-san, leave a message for the one in Rastiara: .......
"......, that's fine.
'I'll be back with my sister and her friends soon. I want you to tell them that we'll talk again at leisure then.
Yeah, yeah, I got a message for you.

　Sera nods emphatically and walks out of the room. Ryner follows suit.
　Thus, only me and Titi are left in the room.
　Now, Ryner, who had been with us since the fight with Palinkron, is out. And it's now just the two of us and Titi.