Who are you?
'What?　Elle, have you forgotten your sister's face?　Oh, but ... well, you don't know...
'What are you talking about...'


　He's about a little shorter than me. Her hair is just below her shoulders. But the color of her hair is a light platinum like mine. And the most remarkable thing is........your face. It's the same. It's exactly the same. It's exactly the same. No, it's too similar. It's the face I've seen in the mirror many times before. I'm not unsympathetic enough to say that I'm just a stranger when it appears in front of me now.


　There is no doubt........this woman is my sister, just like this guy says.


Huh, but it's still to be expected. It looks like Elle was able to use her eyes properly.
....
'It was worth it to use that failed one there but it's a pain in the ass not to be able to kill it. Elle, can you break the Aria one for a moment?
Do you really think I'm going to comply?
What?　Can't you listen to your sister?
''Well you certainly look like each other. We may be related by blood. But my current family is in the Kingdom. You're not my sister.
"Hmm. You could say that. "Hmm. Well, that's okay.


　Then the woman spins around and starts turning something with her fingertips. When I stared at it I understood it to be a human eyeball. It's insane this woman is crazy.


''Was it you who was conducting outrageous experiments here...?
Call her "Eve" or I won't give you an answer.
....
Don't give me that look, Elle. I'll teach you a lesson.


　A woman who smiles and smiles. Since I said Eve sister, I guess this woman's name is Eve. And I listened to my self-proclaimed sister, Eve.


'Yes. You're right in the sense that it's an experiment. But it's not outrageous, okay?　And I didn't hurt him.
'....And you can say the same thing about this ice wall?
Hmm?　You're supposed to be neat and tidy, right?　I hate chaos.
'Why kill people. Is it really that necessary to realize artificial intelligence...?
Nothing?　It's just a personal hobby. But isn't that what it is?　A researcher just does what he wants to do, right?
That's true. But you're not afraid of killing people?　It's a noble criminal act.
The only way to get rid of it is to have a look at it. You can't get away with it, but it's just a side effect..........................so, to answer your question, no. It's just like what you guys call animal testing. Those animals are just being replaced by people.
Why, why, why, why are you doing this?
Hmmm... hey, what's the difference between humans and animals?
What are you talking about?
Why is it okay to test on animals, but not on humans?
'It's because ... people have emotions, and when people die, some people grieve ...'
'So it's okay to experiment on animals that don't have emotions ... or can't accurately express emotions ... hmmm ... That's just the way it is, human society.......that's why we still can't get to the truth. There's too much waste anyway.
'Does that mean I can act as I please?　There is nothing but chaos, chaos, and ruin in a disorderly society.
'That's as far as humans go if that's going to happen. Elle knows that, doesn't she?　They said it would be easier to research with humans...
....


　Theoretically speaking, yes. Certainly if we could experiment with human samples, we could figure out a lot more things. But that would be ... unethical. Such outrageousness is unacceptable.


'Did you do the Sixth Labyrinth too?'
Hmm?　No, that's a different one. Isn't a spider just creepy?　And a chimera of a man and a spider is just woo-woo. My hobby is dolls. Cute, cute, I like dolls. But that aria there is a failure. They're exactly the same as humans. What I want is a doll that is stripped down to the right amount. I want a doll that's emotional, but not too much. But it's not going to happen. Hey, Elle. Can you help me?
'After hearing the questions and answers so far, you think I'm going to say yes?
He's gotten so cool, Elle. I don't mind getting knocked up if it's Elle's child...
What... what are you... what are you talking about?
'I don't care if my brother has a sister who's in love with him, do you?　Oh I want to eat it right now....


　A shiver runs down my spine. What this woman is saying is true. That look in her eyes and expression is definitely a serious one. How can such a person be my sister? And who am I, this woman's brother...who am I?


'Huh... if that man hadn't stopped me, I'd go get Elle right now... it's sad that I'm within touching distance like this and I can't take it home with me...'
'Is it just a hobby to turn the Fifth Labyrinth into a testing ground?　Did you build this labyrinth?
No way. There's no way I could make a labyrinth. Well, I used this place because it's convenient for storing corpses. They don't attract attention. The structure of the maze is just right. But we're not going to use this place anymore. Besides, we did manage to get the dolls we wanted after Aria. Now all we need is Elle. Oh I want to tell you all about it but I have to be patient, patient. The fruit has to wait until it's ripe, you know.
What are you hiding?
Hee-hee.... Well, I'll be leaving now. The next time I'll see you again soon, I'm sure. Oh, and I'll see you and your friends soon. He's probably still alive. It seems you're reluctant to transfer all the way over to separate me from Elle.
'Hey!　I'm not done talking!
'Oh and that toy, I'll give it to Elle. Aria is a failure, but if you want it, do what you want. Also, I've already stepped through the fifth labyrinth, so there's nothing in the final layer, okay?　Ah, but.........if you want to go back to the ground, it's faster to go to the 50th layer. And besides, we need to buy time........Elle can't use magic yet, so she can't use transference in the labyrinth......for now, I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Elle. See you later........


　And then Eve quickly disappeared from the scene. Furthermore, I noticed that the dismembered corpse of the human being in the ice wall was also gone cleanly.


''Elle-san, that woman is Elle-san's sister.......is she?
"Well just by looking at her face, I'm sure she's related to me by blood. But I can't call that thing my sister. She's a lunatic. Crazy.....
I see.....
'I don't take the woman's word for it, but let's get down there. We'll need to get to the lowest level to get back to the ground anyway.
Yes.....


　From that point on, there was no conversation between us.

　And after the forty layers, there were no demons or dolls. That woman was right, this labyrinth had already been conquered. That's why there were only weak demons left and the dolls, the result of that woman's experiments, were wandering around.


　Unlike the sixth labyrinth, everything was different. What was that woman's purpose in the first place?　I've been there, buying time and all, but what do I need to buy time for?　The questions are endless. But perhaps nothing more will come out of this fifth labyrinth.


　I had a hunch.


''This is ... the final layer, isn't it?
Yeah.


　Aria and I arrived at the final layer. There, the door was opened haphazardly, and inside it ... there were familiar faces lined up.


''Everyone!　You're safe!
Elle!


　When Fee sees my face, she runs over to me at once and...squeezes and hugs me as hard as she can. I responded and hugged Fee in return.


'Fee, you're okay!'
Yeah. I'm glad they're okay.
Mm-hmm. It's a miraculous reunion.

About that, actually...


　I told the three of them what had happened so far. The existence of Aria, and the story of who I thought was my sister.


"I see.......that transfer was his doing.
So he was responsible for the ice I couldn't melt.


　When Marie and Rafe said that, we each started to discuss our opinions. But if it's true, I should have left this labyrinth as soon as possible.


　The fifth labyrinth had been invaded. So there's nothing more to do. For now, let's relax, and then let's go back to the kingdom. That's what we were talking about. The transference smelting camp that is connected to the ground is also right there.


　But from the moment we entered this fifth labyrinth, certain things had already begun. This is not the end, this is just the beginning.


　And I will soon learn the meaning of what that woman said about 'buying time'.