After seeing off Aide and Titi, I used sacred magic to heal Dia, even though it was poorly done. However, although I was able to lift the same state defect 'Recognition Inhibition' that had once affected me, Dia's skill 'Over-Capture Protection', which was the biggest problem, could not be lifted.

　I thought it would be easy to cancel it as long as the Sith weren't around, but the roots were deeper than I thought. The fact that it was a skill that was acquired rather than a state defect was tricky.
　A skill is an expression of a person's talent - so to speak, it is their life and soul. If I wanted to do it, I was confident that I could extract it with 《Distance Mute》, but I gave it up because I didn't know what side effects it would have.

　But I didn't mind.
　It wasn't something that could be easily solved by magic in the first place.
　More importantly, I've just seen a much better solution.

　I'm sure you'll be able to follow that sister and brother's example, and we'll be exchanging words and confirming our mistakes one by one.

"-- So, is the 'I' that comes up from time to time the real Dear ......?

　In the center of King's Landing, on a field of flowers on the site of a duel, we talk.

That's ...... me when I can't afford to be. When I'm under pressure, my true character comes out and I say 'I'. Haha, weird, right?
"If 'I' is the real thing, does that mean the tone you're using now is an act ......?　If you're in pain, you can stop right now--
'No, no. I'm not forcing myself to act this out. It's just that this 'I' who wants to be a swordsman and the real 'I' are both 'Diablo Sith'. ......

　The trouble was similar to the story I had just had with Ayd.
　Aide who kept running away from the 'self' that he wanted to pretend wasn't there. If I'm going to suffer the same fate as him, I must definitely stop it. But that fear is dismissed by Dia herself.

'Don't worry, Kanami. I saw the end of the Aids earlier, too. I'm not trying to pretend the old 'me' didn't happen.

　Apparently, by the looks of it, he also has memories of when he was an Apostle Sith.
　I learned from the guardian of the guardian who had just passed away and said I would not make the same mistake again.

However, I won't even pretend that I'm not now. I still long to be a 'swordsman' and I sincerely want to be 'me'. I'm sure this dream is not a mistake. It is ...... the responsibility of being an Apostle Sith that was wrong. I guess that wasn't the only thing I should have been carrying .......

　Simply put, the 'gardener' for Titi is probably the 'swordsman' for Dia. And for Titi, the 'ruling king (Lord)' is the 'apostle' for Dia.
　In the face of that answer, there was not a single place for me to make a correction.

''All right. Both of them are Dia, right? ....... Then let's keep it that way.

　When I said 'I' and when I said 'I', it was still the same Dia - just if I'm about to take on the responsibility of being an unlikely apostle, then and only then will I speak up.
　As I think about this, the Dear in front of me adds to my anxiety.

'Thanks for understanding, ....... Just do me a favor, ....... I think to myself that when "I" am on, it's a weird time. But that's just because I'm a little weak ....... So, Kanami ....... If I say the word 'I' ......, well, if you can, can you just be a little kinder to me ......?

　The request surprises me a bit.
　Come to think of it, this is the first time Dia has ever asked me to do something head-on.
　Until today, she has been trying desperately to restrain herself from bothering me. Not only did she not want anything, but she had been following the instructions of me and my friends all along. Now I could see that it had been released, and I felt like I was getting closer to them.

Can't you go to ......?

　Perhaps because of its small stature, it would naturally look up at me. Furthermore, it moved its ship arm and held and opened its hand. Even without the use of magic or skills, I could feel the magnitude of its anxiety.
　Now Dia is trying to be brave and grab something important. I could see that.

'Of course. "Of course, we're in this together, Dear. And I will do whatever I can to help.

　I take Dia's hand in mine as she continues to search for that grip.
　Then, Dia's eyebrows furrowed, and then she smiled.

　Finally, I was able to grab what I was looking for ...... but I'm a little pathetic for relying on it. That's how it looks.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing for you. She talks about her inner feelings from a year ago in a whisper.

"Kanami ....... A year ago, ......, I was actually anxious all the time ....... I was afraid that the memory of the apostle guy would come back. It was as if I was going to be born another ....... It was as if I was going to be denied the person I was to this day ....... I was really scared .......

　In the middle of muttering, Dia pressed her forehead to my chest.
　She must be embarrassed to make eye contact and talk to me. But she doesn't want to leave, so she seems to have no choice but to do so.
　I put my hand on top of Dia's head and listen to her story.

''But I can't even confide in anyone ....... I had to keep worrying alone all the time, and it was painful. It was really painful .......
Yes.

　I know a little bit of that fear and bitterness, too.
　I was in a similar situation because of the Palinkron one.

'I didn't know which one was the real me: ....... There were days when I couldn't sleep a wink of an eye, wondering if Sis was the real me: ....... I had a lot of sleepless nights and it was hard .......
'I'm sorry. I've been so focused on myself that I haven't noticed it.

　The signs were definitely there.
　There were signs that I needed help.
　Probably Hailey and Maria had noticed. I'm sure they had noticed it, but I hadn't been able to notice it, even though they had known Dia for less time than I had. That fact is just regrettable.

When I found out that it might have been me from a thousand years ago that broke Kanami's sister, I couldn't be next to her anymore. There's no way I could make her see ...... but I thought I could somehow redeem myself by running away ....... I ran away because I was scared, even though I knew there was no point in running away. I'm ......--

　I wasn't the only one who regretted it, Dia regretted it too.
　Unlike a year ago, we would regret it together, not alone.
　That alone made me feel strangely differently about the weight of my heart.

'Of course, I lost my place in that escape. I recognized the Sith guy in my head, and I wasn't 'me' anymore, not even 'I' anymore. I didn't know who I was anymore, I was a mess in my head and I didn't know what ...... was going on in my head, and I felt like I'd been dreaming about walking down a dark road for a long time... ...

　When you're alone, your mind is weak.
　And it's hard to realize that until you're alone.
　That's where the Apostle Sith seems to have poked me.

　As I'm feeling angry at the Sith guy, a slightly cheerful voice comes out.

'But I'm back. Thanks to Kanami, I finally made it back. Thanks to Kanami calling my name. Thanks so much. ......

　Dia let go of her forehead that was resting against my chest and raised her face from its prone position.
　Then she gave me a very nostalgic smile.

　It's the same smile I remembered when we were exploring the labyrinth together, when we fought together and were happy.
　I remember the name he called me then, and I answer with a smile.

You can call me 'Christ' now, Dia, not 'Kanami'. The Allies call me 'Aika Wakanami Christ Eurasian Waldhusiers von Walker'," she says. I don't care what you call me anymore.

　I jokingly said either way.

'Haha. Come to think of it, that's a name that's been bandied about too. Then I'll feel free to call you whatever I want. ...... doesn't matter what your name or position is. What's important is that I'm me and I'm--
'I'm here as me. That's the most important thing, you know.

　Thus, we both finish answering the question of regret.
　The name wasn't important to us anymore. It was a bit of an embarrassing line, but the two of us could laugh and show each other.

'Yeah, that's all I needed to know. The two of you are here ...... and that's all I needed to do, already. ......

　And tears begin to seep from both of Dia's smiling eyes.
　Something she had been holding back for a long time must be pouring out.
　As if she didn't want me to see her tears, Dia hugged me tightly around the waist. She also places her forehead against my chest and hugs me tighter and tighter.

'I've learned over the past year. Sis and I are not the same ....... No, no two guys are exactly the same in the first place. That's obvious. There's no such thing as the same soul ...... in this world.

　I listen to Dia's monologue as she strokes the back of her head.

'Oh, I feel lighter and lighter in mind and body ....... I'm not afraid of anything anymore .......

　I'm really glad.
　Thanks to Dia's honesty with me, I feel like my heart is getting lighter too. With Dia's return along with Yotaki, most of the worries of this other world have disappeared.

　I hug Dia - the one I gained after my long battle - tightly in my chest.
　She strengthens her hug in time with it.
　As if to say that she will never let go again, she is as strong ...... as she can be.

　That unreserved strength is something that Dia has never had before.
　Finally, we are able to communicate with each other from the heart. Not only the body, but also the magic power is intertwined, and it is even as if our minds are overlapping.

　In the midst of this illusion, an irreplaceably peaceful time passed, and in the middle of it all, I noticed something strange.

　Or rather, the skill "sensitivity" suddenly began to sound a warning tone.
　My survival instincts, which had never sounded today, are loudly screaming at me, "Danger!

'What?　Wait, wait, wait, Dia--

　Sensing danger, he gets impatient and tries to move away from Dia.

　-- but she doesn't move at all.

　It's as if she's trapped in the stone, her body doesn't move even the slightest bit.
　On the contrary, it has become impossible to even breathe. In addition, the unidentified pressure compressed my lungs and caused my ribs to creak. I feel like I'm going to crack at any moment.

Wait, wait--can you breathe?

　At last, even the vocalization is blocked.
　I immediately deploy Dimension without chanting to analyze the cause of the situation.

　The abnormality that is attacking me right now - its true identity is undoubtedly Dia's magical power.
　It is wrapped up by the excited magic power of Deer, and it is catching me as a physical force (・・・・・・). The too-dense magic power has become a giant hand and is holding me in its grip.

　I decide that there's a situation to activate my trump card, and I chant magic again without chanting, and deploy "Distance Mute" all over my body.

''--Hah!　Phew!

　By understanding the attributes and nature of Dia's magical power and shifting the dimensions away from it, I manage to graze through.

　As I turned blue in the face, Dia's magic power finally eased as I moved away.
　I realize that I was too excited and my magic power was hard and strong, so I apologize in a hurry.

''Ah, ah!　Sorry, Kanami!　You know, my body is going to be ...... on its own!

　Perhaps it's the effect of the skill "Overcatch Protection" that we haven't been able to deactivate yet. As a side effect, it unconsciously makes you want to catch me.
　And without considering the strength of my level 59, I try to catch my opponent with all my might.

　If it was someone else, it would be a problem, but if it was me, who can sense danger beforehand with my "Sensitivity" skill, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Thanks to the 《Distance Mute》, you won't die unless you're caught by surprise. And with this level of injury, the recovery magic I developed in the AID battle can be managed.

''Haha. No, I'm used to this level of injury, so it's fine. I don't care about it at all.

　I reply with a smile while applying recovery magic to my cracked ribs.
　Right now I can handle the magic of other attributes, albeit poorly. When it comes to big magic, you'll have to stab the Distance Mute into your chest and play with your soul, but if it's just basic magic, it's no problem.

''Are you familiar with ......?''
I'm not lying. If I broke a bone or two, I can easily heal myself now. I could have a ...... puppy frolicking with me for this much.

　He tries to reassure me by implicitly saying it's a pretty thing.
　I'm not trying to be strong or anything, I mean it.
　My tolerance for pain has grown to the point where I don't like it. Coming to another world has also increased my basic physical sturdiness. If it's an injury of this magnitude, it would be just fine for practicing magic.

'So, but the pain is still there, right ......?　Sorry, I'll get it under control in a minute.

　It was something I was used to, but gentle Dia hurriedly returned the leaked magic power back into her body and let it condense within her body. He grasps it with 《Dimension》 and speaks of the difference from a year ago.

''Compared to the first, you've really gotten better at handling magic power. ......
'Thanks to Master Alty and ...... frustrated but the Sith ones. I don't think I'll ever get the output wrong again ...... unless I'm in a hurry.

　He added, "As long as I don't get impatient," as he seems to be getting to know his personality better. But without a doubt, I'm getting much better at controlling my magic power.

　It's like this past year, I've been getting an up-close example of magic from a legendary apostle. If I think about it, he even raised my level on top of that, so I'm going to thank that guy for a little bit. Really, just a little bit.

'Oh, of course, the reason I've become so strong is because of Kanami, too!　First, Kanami was there to make me stronger!　Thank you so much!

　I'm among my own mentors, Deer tells me. Then she takes my right hand, which was far away from hers, and gives me a smile that could be mistaken for a flood of light.
　To be honest, it was a rare type of smile around me. I'm almost fascinated by that carefree, pure smile.

I'm going to keep getting stronger, so you can count on me!　I'll do my best to be a good companion for Kanami!　So, come and join me for more adventures!

　He squeezes my hand tightly and doesn't let go.
　Maybe it's because my status muscle power has jumped up to level 59, or maybe it's because my status muscle power has jumped up to level 59, but when I look at that dazzling smile, I almost forgive myself for that too.

　Me and Dia continue to smile and shake hands - Snow, sensing the end of the conversation, approaches me from behind.

'Alright, is it over?　What was a great story?　Okay, next one, next one, me too!　Give me a hug!　Kanami!
What, why ......?

　Then, for some reason, he made a suggestion that he was on a roll, and I tilted my head.

'Huh?　There's something different about the response!　
That's you and Deere. ......
Terrible!　But this time I did my best!　I tried my best to be Ka-lii!

　Desperately, Snow bobbed his hands around and insisted, but it was Dea who took it in stride.

'Did you try?　It was fine when you were fighting me, but as soon as you started fighting Hitaki, it was no good. Snow.
'Gee, you remember that?　Oh, that's, you know, I'm just so scared when I'm dealing with a guardian (guardian): ......
'The apostles are fine, but not the guardians?　But a year ago, when you were dealing with the Aids, you were fine, weren't you?
'No, I felt responsible at the time and ....... I wasn't that scared of the id, and I wasn't that scared of ....... This time I was a little more relaxed because Kanami and Titi's sister were there, or whatever you want to call it .......
Hmm, there's that part of you. Snow.

　It seems that here, Deah is becoming aware of Snow's troubling nature.
　I agree with her, not wanting to miss an opportunity for improvement.

'Yeah, that's the worst part about Snow. The worst thing about Snow is that when he thinks someone else will do it for him without him having to do it, he starts cutting corners.
"Snow, that may not be something I can say for myself after my failure this time, but ...... you have to give it your all at all times, don't you?

　Me and Dea reprimand Snow, holding hands.
　At the combination, Snow puts her hand to her mouth and starts to gasp and shake.

'Oh, hey ......?　Could it be that the sermon is starting ......?　This is a close call!　I thought I'd still be able to spoil you since Lady Rastiara and Maria weren't around, but not so much!
'That's how they say you can't do that because you're always looking for someone to spoil them. ...... Haha ......

　Me and Diah give a sigh mixed with a bitter smile. However, I know that's Snow's weakness, but I also know that it's Snow's character (...), so I don't really push her to the edge.

　We understand each other's weaknesses and make up for them.
　Our party is getting close to being a 'real party' here.
　Having confirmed this, I get my mind back on track and start moving toward the next one.

''Alright, now that Snow's review party is over, let's go pick up Rouge-chan. I think she's inside the castle, so I'll go running by myself to get her.

　When the little joke is over after the serious fight is over, I let go of Dia's hand and walk towards the castle that has been turned into a large tree.
　After this, I hear from Rouge-chan that Ayde has entrusted me with Vyasia, and the solution is to receive Kounel as a solution to the problem--!


◆◆◆◆◆


　--And a week later.
　Now, Dia is smiling and welcoming me back.

　However, I can't say that all the problems have been solved.
　The troublesome effects of the skill 'Overcaptive Protection' still remain, and if Dia is far away from either me or Yotaki, whom she recognizes as 'Christ', she becomes severely unstable.

　Once, when I left Dia in the guest room and I took Yotaki out, Snow was charred to black. Along with the mental disorder, the magic went out of control, and Snow stopped it with her body.

　A week ago, Dea and I were teasing Snow, but in truth, we are deeply grateful to him. However, it's difficult to praise her because she gets up to speed endlessly when she talks about it.

''-- Kanami. If you've finished what you're doing here, where do you go next?

　When I had just finished remembering a week ago, Dia asked me with a glint in her eye. She also waved her arm, which was hardened with light magic, like a swordsman.

''I don't care where I can wield a sword. You can decide there. I've had a good match with Snow the past few days, and I can't wait to try it out.
'What?　The game of swords is my overwhelming win all the way: ......
Good game!
'Yes!　That was a good match!

　It was Snow, who saluted Dear, who puffed out her cheeks in a puffy way.

　Apparently, Dia wants to have an adventure using the sword.
　I know that for the past week, the two of them have been practicing 'swordsmanship' together whenever they found time. Dea is a hobby of her own, but Snow is training in accordance with Titi's teachings.

　Incidentally, I asked Dia to use the Crescent Pectrazi straight sword. Snow is the Demon Sword of the Founder and the Demon King, Brave Florite, which she acquired from Titty.

''I'm sorry, Dia. Before we decide on our destination, I want to try something. Depending on the results of this, it will change quite a bit.

　I know you can't wait to try the sword, but there are more important things to do. It's probably the most important thing in the adventure.
　I take out the accessory I made in the castle's workshop a few days ago from my 'belongings' and try to hand it to Snow.

'Pendant ......?　Eh, maybe it's ......
That's Titi's magic stone. I want Snow to have this one.
'I knew it, big sister.　Wow, you're on a pendant, sis!

　Two of them, Eid and Titi, to be exact. It's a piece of work of the longest kind that successfully utilizes the charm of dark green and light green.


【Neckpiece, "White Green Reason
　A necklace adorned with the magical crystals of the guardian Ayda Tithi.


Try it on. And say a strong prayer for help.
'Yeah, okay. Mmmmmm. ...... titty sis, please.

　Snow puts the pendant around his neck and starts to growl. With that, I strengthen the Dimension.

　The change in her body appeared immediately. The dragon scales that didn't exist on her soft skin a year ago turned into particles of 'magic power' and were swallowed up by Snow's body.

''Whoa, oh?　That weird thing at the shoulder is back to normal!　I'm going back to when I was born!
'The apostle guy wasn't lying after all, was he? Huh, a really clumsy one.

　The physical anomalies that had been caused by Snow's over-leveling had been restored. All of this was just as the Apostle had taught me.
　I sighed at the extremity of the Apostle Sith's personality as I found out that the information I exposed during the peace talks before that duel was real.

''Snow, keep your two pendants. I heard that the level limit is 30, but I heard that if you have the magic stone of 'The One Who Steals the Reason', it can be doubled.

　I can clearly see the limit line of the levels in this world.
　It would start to fall out of the human framework from around level 20 and cease to be human from level 30. Probably, a single magic stone would increase the limit value by about thirty.

''Hey, Kanami. I don't have any, but I'm high level, right?

　Then Dia interrupts the question.

'I think Dia is an apostle, so her body is special. And the Sith said something like that.
'I see. If that's what the Sith guy said, then it must be true.

　Dia must have the same assessment of the Sith as I did. Apostle Sith didn't have the personality to lie, so I decided that there was no doubt about it.

''Sith's personality was a thing, but when I think about it this way, there's a lot of information and power I inherited from that guy: ......

　Yangtaki and Dia's level 59 would be the most obvious example. Raising the level to this level would have originally taken more time.
　Snow nodded and agreed with that. However, unlike me, she was not because of joy, but out of frustration.

''Right. Honestly, if we fought seriously now, Dia might be the strongest ....... I used to be the 'strongest' ...... and gradually the power relationship ....... Yeah, but I don't want to train .......

　I've gone to the trouble of raising the level limit (cap), but it doesn't make sense for him to do this.
　Poking Snow's head in the air as he proudly declares that he's skipping it, he moves on to the next story.

''Now I don't have to worry about one thing. Well then, what are we going to do now: ......

　What the Sith had said was not wrong. In other words, it would be safe to assume that she wasn't lying about Yotaki either, out of ten.

　He glanced at Yotaki, who was sitting right next to Dia. Thanks to the id, the 'curse' as the 'Governing King (Lord)' has disappeared and he no longer attacks anyone, and it's very quiet.

　However, Yotaki still hasn't woken up from his sleep.
　Although he reacts like he is sleepwalking, he is basically unconscious. No matter how many times I, as an older brother, call out to him, he doesn't respond, as if he is shutting down.

　What should I do to wake up this Yotaki?

"As a matter of policy, I'm going to go to the deepest part of the labyrinth in order to wake up Yangtaki. In the deepest part of the labyrinth, all the battles from a thousand years ago are stored as 'magic poison'. It is such a magical poison that it can be endlessly 'dropped' within the labyrinth, so if you make good use of it, anything can really come true.

　Perhaps the state of 'substitution' of the Lord that the Sith were talking about should be the condition for Yangtaki's illness to be cured. That's why I, a thousand years ago, inherited the Apostle Sith's 'World Consecration Squad' and created the labyrinth.

'No, Kanami. If you're going to wake up Hitaki, I think it's a good idea to go see the Apostle Diprakra. That Sith guy talked like he could wake up a firecracker at any time. Maybe they know something about the apostles.　The Diprakra sealed by the Aid should be in the World Tree in the Great Holy City of Huskyards on the mainland, so if I, the same Apostle, go there, I'm sure I'll be able to hear the voice of the Diprakra, for sure.

　Dea is very proactive in giving her opinion.
　That's a different personality than the passive Snow, which helps a lot.

'Surely it wouldn't be a bad idea to go to the mainland hoosiers and meet with the Apostle Diprakra ....... Best of all, there's Maria in the south and ....... Okay, I think we're set.

　After all, it would be best for Maria to be picked up in person.
　Meet with Maria and Diprakra, then return to the Confederacy where the labyrinth is located, and resume the labyrinth search with the entire party present. This should be the best thing to do.

''South of the mainland, huh? It's been a long time since I've been here...''

　In contrast to my growing nervousness, Snow was fluent. As if to chastise him for his touristy mood, Dia warned him.

You're going to be told something about the acting commander-in-chief's mid-term retirement, aren't you?　Unlike me, it's not an amicable retirement, is it?
U....... I'll ask Kanami to protect me then. ......
You're an idiot, my friend. If that happens, you tell me. I'll protect them.
'Oh, oh?　Thank you, Dear!　Great!　Cool!　I love it!
'No. Basically, you're on your own, right?　If you just can't, just ask me to help you out at .......
'But thank you, thank you, thank you!　I'm sorry!　Wow, it's really been a good thing lately!

　Snow hugged Dea and was deeply moved by her. There weren't many people in her life who would say they would protect her head-on. She was expressing her joy with her entire body.

　As I watched with warm eyes, there was a knock on the guest room and I heard a girl's voice from outside.

''Hero-sama - there's a letter for you!

　It's probably the 'Jewish Stone People' (Jewelcrus) working in the castle. I leave the two of them intertwined in the room and walk out of the room.
　Then I complain about the name.

''Can you stop calling me that Hero-sama ......?''
Yeah, but Rouge says so.

　The blue-haired 'Magic Stone Human (Jewelculus)' girl showed a strange face.

''Rouge-chan-me .......''

　I've said so much and they haven't been able to fix it forever.
　I know that's a sign of respect, but there's something I can't agree with. In fact, this is how a lot of things have been spread.

'More importantly, here's the letter. Please.
Thanks. But who sent you to ......--what?

　I take the letter and am surprised to see the sender's name on the back.
　Then, I immediately unfold the letter and check the contents. I read it all at once in 《Dimension》 and am stunned by its contents.

　What was written in that letter was a request for 'rescue'--