'That's enough for today, shall we? I appreciate it.


　After two hours had passed with Tsutomu's escape and still uninterrupted footage of the first platform, Stephanie, Eunice, and Lorena began to exchange healer's opinions with an air of a wake. And after exchanging opinions for an hour or so as more and more people were disappearing from the God's Market, Stephanie concluded that and turned to leave with a determined look on her face.


''Well what are you going to do now Stephanie?''
I'm on my way to the Hundredth Level.
"...What do you want to do about Tsutomu?
'I hate to admit it, but by the looks of it, he won't be coming out for a while. Apparently you really don't want to die.
..........


　Even now, the only images on the first platform show the undead Garum and Amy fighting to pass the time, and the burning old dragon that has already fully revived. Tsutomu, who seems to have deliberately kept God's eyes away from him, could not be seen even once, and moreover, information was flowing in the guild that the other PT members had already been forced to return.

　For the first thirty minutes, everyone believed that they were retreating with an agenda. But as the hour or two passed, that hope was dashed, and when they were informed of the return of the other PT members, they were immediately booed out of the marketplace, and the crowd quickly left the marketplace.

　At the same time, Stephanie had to admit the reality that Tsutomu had escaped just as the crowd had told her. The PT members were already unable to be revived, and the blazing old dragon had also made a full recovery. The reason why Tsutomu is still hiding in the old castle is because he has a single-minded desire not to die.

　In this, only Stephanie was aware of the fact that Tsutomu had raised Korina and preceded her to the Hundredth Level, but she didn't know what his intentions were. She thought that he had a noble intention that she hadn't thought of, but he just wanted to make Corina a human pillar for fear of dying. Even she, a true believer, cannot defend that fact.


'Now if you'll excuse me,'


　It would be a lie to say that I wasn't disappointed. But still, Stephanie couldn't despise and discard Tsutomu as the spectators did.

　It is true that her delusional belief in Tsutomu was lifted and she was also disappointed, but it's just a matter of saying that Tsutomu was also a human being. That's why I'm taking over the role of the perfect human pillar. Thinking that this would help Tsutomu and at the same time keep his searcher's life together, Stephanie headed towards the guild at a fast pace.


''........What about Lorena?''


　After watching Stephanie flail away, Eunice asked with fox ears dulled. Stephanie's superficially cold demeanor also made her sympathetic to him, as she was depressed by the abuse hurled at Tsutomu by the crowd, as if it were her own business.

　Lorena and Eunice were at least better friends than Stephanie, since they had recently been having dinner together in the evenings after completing their dungeon exploration. That's why she knows to some extent that Eunice has a rather sensitive personality, so she begins to speak, choosing her words so as not to hurt her unnecessarily.


''I'll help Tsutomu if I think he needs help, and if I don't want it, I guess I won't. ........But to be honest, I'm not sure I'd be able to make a decision either.


　When the attack was clearly clogged up at the end of the 90th level of protection and at the same time Silver Beast was depressed because of various troubles that occurred to him, Tsutomu, the healer's master, didn't really do anything about it.

　At that time, I tried to sigh with a deliberate appeal of being depressed when I passed Tsutomu in the guild, but he had decided to ignore me completely. And it is true that at the time when I heard from people around me that he was giving advice to Stephanie and Eunice, I was in the mindset that it was okay to offer them a jumping kick when they passed each other.

　In the end, after that, I struggled through a series of discussions with the clan members on my own and resolved the problem of combining the protection of the orphans and the dungeon attack that the Silver Beast had been carrying around. And after that, he managed to capture the 90th level as well, so looking back on it now, he certainly didn't need Tsutomu's help. This was not only a question of how to capture the 90th level, but also how to be a clan, so if Tsutomu had helped him, there was a possibility that he would have become even more unhappy.

　As a result, Silverbeast was able to solve the problem on its own and grow as a clan. But that decision to help or not help seems very difficult to make.

　I had forgotten all about it because of his brilliant achievements so far and that little loathsome personality, but Tsutomu had extremely little experience with the deaths that explorers would surely go through. The only time he was confirmed to have experienced death was when he obtained the black staff from the gold treasure chest, so he could guess that his fear of death was no different from that of ordinary people. However, from the explorers' point of view, overcoming death was a natural rite of passage, so they had completely lost that perception.

　Death is a fear that all living things have in common. Therefore, there is no one who is still an explorer and cannot dive into dungeons for fear of death.

　However, that common sense is not applicable to Tsutomu. He was so good that he had reached the top of the Hundredth Level, having only experienced death once before. That's why Tsutomu's future is unpredictable. He may retire as a searcher like those who have never overcome death, or he may return to the Hundredth Level with a more aloof attitude.

　It was impossible for anyone to know which way Tsutomu would fall, which was why Lorena was unsure. Should they go on to the Hundredth Level like Stephanie and walk together, or should they prepare to let him recover from death like Eunice did?


'Eunice is waiting for Tsutomu to come back, right?
It's ... I don't know.


　Lorena advises her to push back, thinking that she'll definitely go check on Tsutomu when he returns, even though Eunice herself says so.


''Maybe Tsutomu's been depressed by an unfamiliar death, and you know what?　Then I'll go visit you and I'll come with you then.
Yes, sir.
Well, that twom won't be retired, will he?
That's what I'm most worried about!　What is this?　They all expected it all on their own, disappointed it all on their own, and said whatever they wanted... poor Tutu!
Yeah. But let's relax a bit.


　In front of Eunice, who complained with tears in her eyes, Lorena gave her a handkerchief and comforted her with a bitter smile. Then, after listening to Eunice's furious words for a few minutes, she left the golden research clan members to take over and Lorena also went back to the Silver Beast.


　oo


　As dinner was steadily being prepared in the living room in the Clan House in the Infinite Circle, the seat that should normally be filled remained empty. Garum was staring locationlessly at the empty seat Tsutomu would normally be sitting in, and Amy was flicking the tip of her fork with her thumb to distract herself.

　They had been sent back from the guild's black gate as soon as five minutes had passed since they became undead, and they had been waiting for Tsutomu's return while looking at the first table for about three hours after they joined Daryl and Amira, who had later died. I've been trying to wait for Tsutomu's return, but Camille, the guild leader, and the gatekeepers told me to return to the clan house for protection when he returned.

　And just as we were getting ready for dinner, we heard the sound of the front door of the clan house being thrown open violently. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the marketplace.

　The apprentice who was serving the meal in front of Amira became visibly nervous and proceeded to work cautiously, as if he thought that there should never be any roughage. Corina and Hannah followed suit, drinking water under their breaths, while Daryl's eyes flicked to the right and left. Leleia, who was looking at this situation, sighed.


''The way you express your anger is like a child, isn't it?
...Huh?
'I said it was like a child. You close the door with a force that breaks it down, and in that way you delegitimize those around you. What you are doing is the same as it was a few years ago, but after all, haven't you made any progress since then?
..........


　When Amira was told that with a cold look in her eyes, she couldn't argue and fell silent. And after closing her eyes, which were giggling just like when she was turning into a dragon, she took a deep breath and then took her seat where she always sat.


''Well that was my fault, warii.''
Yeah, I'm fine.
You can't break the door.


　Corina and Hannah each reacted to Amira's apology, and the apprentice breathed a breath of relief. But the anger didn't disappear from her wide-eyed eyes.


'But I still can't get it out of me. How long are you going to keep me cooped up, you Tutum bastard?
'At this rate, we may be left until the dungeon collapses.
What's the matter with you, d*mn it!


　Amira, who didn't seem to notice Leleia as if she was slightly happy in her expression, just gritted her teeth as she screamed in frustration.

　Ever since she lost to Leleia in the ninety first-tier selection, Amira has been training to form a PT with Tsutomu. But although the PT wasn't chosen as I had hoped, as a result, I was placed in the same PT as Tsutomu. It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends.

　But as a result, she had been abandoned herself. I didn't understand it at the time, but when I returned to my guild after death and found out the truth after I returned to my guild, I was almost mad with anger. My mother looked up to him and recognized his abilities in his own battle against the tyrannical dragon. It was beyond shameful that Tsutomu, who thought so, was still losing the battle for his own life. I can't help but vomit when I think about the fact that I respected such a person.


I'll definitely kill you when I get back.
I certainly shouldn't have abandoned you guys over there, but I think it's better to keep it to half-dead, even if you do. Besides, perhaps Tsutomu had some sort of reason for doing so.
Why would I abandon my own people? This is bullshit. A man runs away from a place like that.
..........


　I would interject something if I could. But Amy, who was killed in the beginning and turned into a pawn of the slaughtered old dragon and drove the PT into a corner, couldn't say anything, and so did Garum. While the two of them felt responsible for the current situation and were silent, Amira spewed out her complaints in the form of Lee Leia taking her along.


I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. Your food will taste bad.


　Surprisingly, it was Diniel who threw harsh words at Amira. They all stared at Diniel who suddenly opened his mouth involuntarily, but soon after, Amira wrinkled her brow and returned the words.


''........b*tc*?''
Nothing more than a whine.
'What's the point of complaining about how bad he is? It's just a fact.
'It's certainly a problem that Tsutomu is still holed up alone in the Hundred Level. It's a problem that can't be helped, no matter who accuses you of it. But if you can't say you did your best at the Hundred Level, you can't help but be unpleasantly surprised if you keep on complaining about how unproductive you are. I can't believe that you were doing a better job than Tsutomu to the extent that you are so angry.
What... what?
'As someone who watched the first unit, I don't see any reason to blame Tsutomu other than that he escaped at the end. In fact, I don't know how he managed to lead the PT so well in that absurd situation, and even continued to provide perfect support and thwart the enemy. I can appreciate that Tsutomu went beyond being a healer.


　Even if the final escape was not a very commendable act, it was true that Tsutomu had been standing up for more than the role of a healer leading up to it. He continued to keep his support unbroken even when the blood alter ego he wasn't expecting, and as a PT leader, he proceeded to destroy the organs in parallel. After that, he quickly dealt with the situation where Amy and Garum became undead, and he even stood around supporting his allies and interfering with the enemy while taking on the hate of the blazing old dragon.


'In comparison, you were merely following Tutom's instructions as an attacker. So I don't understand how you can direct your anger at him so much.
''What if ... what if this is the dungeon outside? We'd be dead, abandoned and abandoned.
'You're missing the point when you're comparing a hierarchical lord who can only leave if he lives or dies to an outside dungeon that can be withdrawn at any time. Even if it was an outside dungeon, it's highly unlikely that someone like Christia from the Labyrinth Conqueror Squad would make the wrong decision to retreat.
So he was right?
'I'm not saying it's all right. After all, it's true that he escaped in the end, and when he returns, he has the right to strike a blow to you. But there is nothing left to blame Tsutomu here. It will only make the guy next to me happy.


　Diniel glared lightly at Leleia for encouraging her to misbehave as she said this, and his gaze went out the window.


'No matter what you say here, there's no doubt that Tsutomu will be denounced by everyone when he returns. And I can't deny the possibility that he's not able to overcome death and is broken. If that happens, he might say he's going to retire as a searcher. If you don't do everything in your power to stop that from happening, you'll have all sorts of trouble. You wouldn't want that to happen either, would you?
..........


　After telling himself so much, retiring as an explorer is not an acceptable thing to do. That's why Diniel couldn't let Tsutomu give in to this. At least until the day that he could get him to recognize himself as an attacker again.


If a tree is broken by a storm, it will rot down to its roots. But if you treat it right, it will grow back. I need that to happen to Tsutomu.
Oh, that's a nice thing to say, isn't it?
'Even a man like that is the leader of this clan. I think it's my duty as a clan member to help him get back up after we've all punched him one shot at a time.
Yes...?　That's the kind of thing that would break off to the root and make you incapacitated?
'It's not a good idea to fold it halfway through, you have to fold it to the end. I think I'm going to give that task to Amira.


　Shaken by Diniel, Amira fell silent with a swallowing look on her swordsman's face and took a gulp of the water that had been put forward as if she was swallowing her anger.


I have not yet forgiven you. But I'll have to start punching you first.
You can leave the recovery to Korina.


　Then, after dinner was served and the meal progressed, the bad air flew away somewhere else, and I could see a smile from Amira.


''........Thanks.


　Then, in the middle of the meal, Amy slithered up to Diniel and gave him a small thank you before handing her half of a fish meuniere. Diniel thrust it back softly and instead enjoyed Amy's tail, which he doesn't usually touch that much.