I cleared the Fourth Floor.
I heard the unlucky words that I am the true end of the gods, that the Goddess of Love is losing her power, and that the Labyrinth is crumbling.
As an added bonus, it looks really strong, but it’s a disposable curse item… sorry, a powerful ability that brings bad luck while possessing it… well, I did receive one.
Anyway, I safely cleared the Fourth Floor.
“So let’s hurry to Historia.”
Three days. It might seem long, but during this short time, I proved my abilities as per Ellie’s request.
While we were sorting the by-products, including mana stones, and completing our distribution, Ellie, who had been smoking Mana Herb cigarettes continuously alone in the back, crushed the short stub with her fingers.
…Why is she extinguishing it with her fingers?
Of course, I know that given Ellie’s physical abilities, a burning cigarette isn’t that fatal, but from my perspective, it’s quite an unsettling sight.
Releasing a final puff of thicker smoke, Ellie flicked the now quiet stub with her fingers.
The spinning stub went straight into the trash can behind her.
Without even needing to check if it went in, Ellie, who had been looking solely at me since a while ago, slowly opened her mouth.
“To be honest, I still feel a little uneasy.”
“What about?”
“It’s about taking you to a dangerous place, Jonah.”
“You sent me into the Labyrinth without a hitch, and now you’re saying this….”
“At that time, it was with a guardian role attached. If I had said I was going in alone, there’s no way I would have permitted it.”
Benny, who was feeding some unknown meat to Shadow, tilted their head.
“Guardian… care to call me mama?”
Ignoring Benny, who was emphasizing their extremely slight chest in a maternal manner, I spoke.
“I defeated the Floor Guardian within three days, just as Ellie suggested. Almost single-handedly, mind you.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Although I had the upper hand in terms of the elements, you definitely showed results beyond my expectations.”
Ellie, scratching her wild hair, continued.
“I figured it might happen while you were growing quickly, but I didn’t expect this much,” she said, letting out a short sigh.
“I’ll keep my promise and take you along. But as you know, we’re going to make a ruckus in Historia, a country that’s as strong as a major power with just three of us.”
“Right.”
“And we can’t kill anyone. If someone dies, it’ll turn into a life-or-death battle. We’ll have to break through to the core of the royal palace using only subduing techniques.”
“Yeah. Historia may not have money, but they have reputation. For the sake of face, if something suddenly goes wrong and someone dies, they’ll definitely find a way to settle it.”
“I’ll be busy clearing the way, and Benny won’t have the luxury to take care of anyone else. So even though I know your abilities are sufficient, it still makes me hesitate… because I don’t know what might happen to you in a pinch, Jonah.”
“Aha.”
I understood. Ellie wasn’t trying to break our promise and abandon me; she was just hesitant due to a lingering concern.
That hesitation was surely due to past trauma from her memories.
What reason could there have been for Ellie to accept me, an orphan with nothing at all?
Sure, now she might have slightly ulterior motives, but at the time, Ellie had no such intentions. She hadn’t even set herself up that way, and even my sensitive body, having fallen into a hostile world, could sense that.
Ellie simply extended her hand to me out of pure goodwill and kindness.
However, if one were to ask whether that goodwill and kindness were entirely innocent, the answer would be no.
Ellie hadn’t seen me as simply me, but instead, she probably viewed me as a reflection of that trembling child who couldn’t save herself despite promising to protect her world.
Of course, as time passed and we grew closer, and whether it was because of me or another reason, the presence of Cena’s corpse, which hadn’t become the protagonist, faded completely.
What’s important here is not that she sees me as completely myself. It’s that deep within Ellie’s heart, there are significant nail marks left behind.
Everyone lives by digging their own well deep inside their heart.
This well, with its large and small scratches inside, usually doesn’t hold water for drinking but instead stores the rotting blood that couldn’t be drawn out to the outside.
The black, dead blood flowing from inside the scarred well ripples somewhere within, hiding its stench.
Thanks to that, people can live their days normally.
In that sense, this well shouldn’t be completely shunned. Just like the weight of the stagnant blood provides stability along with the depth of the well.
But sometimes, for some reason, this well boils, causing its stench to leak out, or even worse, it regurgitates the stagnant blood.
For Ellie, I might be that “some reason.”
…But honestly, I’m not that different.
Ellie, Lydia, Benny, Eve. Maybe this number will increase over time, but for now, these four are my lifeline.
If something were to happen to any of them, or if there was a risk of something happening…
Then I would react like Ellie, leaping into overprotectiveness.
Who’s stronger or how great doesn’t matter. I just wouldn’t want it. I couldn’t bear it… just like how I decided to take risks at the news of Lydia.
Well, Ellie isn’t the type to renege on her words, so regardless of anything else, she’ll take me along.
So, what’s needed here isn’t to reassure or convince Ellie. There’s no need for that from the start.
“Ellie.”
I grabbed Ellie’s hand, still lingering with the scent of the Mana Herb, and pulled it to my stomach.
I didn’t just let her feel it over the clothes. I pulled her right into my shirt to feel it directly.
“Uh? Uhh…?”
Ellie froze up, and Benny, watching from the side, as well as the passing guild staff, all gaped in shock.
But without any embarrassment (because I actually wasn’t that embarrassed), I continued in a calm tone.
“If you abandon me, touching my stomach will be off-limits in the future.”
“What…! If you say it like that, it sounds like I regularly touch your stomach, Jonah!”
“The soft yet slightly muscular stomach of the minor you like is done for today!”
“Hey! How about reconsidering your expression?!!!”
Ellie yanked her hand away in panic, and looks of disgust poured in from the surrounding crowd (mostly Benny).
However, Ellie wouldn’t catch on to that right now. She was reflexively trembling and recalling the sensation from just a moment ago.
“Ugh, pervert. Anyway, know that if you abandon me, your allowance for touching my stomach is revoked.”
“Calling me abandoned makes it sound like I’m garbage…”
Ellie sighed deeply and finally nodded.
“Haah. Alright. I’ll promise again. I was planning to take you from the start, and I will absolutely take you. …Is this good enough?”
“Yup.”
That’s right. What Ellie needed was nothing but the same usual banter. A sense of normalcy. A proof that this situation isn’t that serious. A re-recognition of the place we’ll return to.
That alone is enough. While I have no idea how deep the well is inside Ellie or how heavy the stagnant blood she carries is.
I know well that she isn’t the type to waver over such things.
Even if luck runs out and I die, Ellie will eventually endure without breaking. It’ll take a long time, but someday she will return to her former self.
Because the world I envisioned is set up that way. And Ellie, who has been watching right beside me, will be the same.
Her alias isn’t called that for nothing.
I smirked and nodded.
“Now that everything seems settled, shall we head out? Oh, but should we stop by the Fairy and Silver Coin once?”
“…No. Everything is already prepared. I’ve hung the sign that we’ll be closed for a while, so we can just go.”
“Oh. But how do we get there? If my memory serves me right, Historia is quite a bit north from here.”
Due to the impact of the God-Slaying War and the thinning out of territories that were rendered uninhabitable while creating the Labyrinth, the Pan Continent shrank significantly.
To think of it in terms of Earth, it’s like Europe, Africa, and America just disappearing, leaving behind only a half of Asia.
In such a severely damaged state, where the core of the Pan Continent exists, the Labyrinth, and Pangrave has flourished.
Historia lies at the northern edge of the continent.
It’s not for any particular reason, but because if it’s a land of knights, it must be in the north. Naturally, its ruler is the Grand Duke of the North… ah, but wait, that makes the empire too strong?
After this train of thought, the final decision was made that it is the ancient land of knights in the north.
As a result, even though the Pan Continent itself is smaller, the direct distance is shorter, it’s a country situated beyond unnecessarily arduous terrain.
And again, there aren’t any grand reasons for it.
If it’s a country where warriors live in the north, wouldn’t it naturally be rough for the journey and tough to survive?
I just casually set it up that way.
Of course, rough as it might be, the only obstacles are the high mountains, the white snowfields, and the biting cold.
For us, who have both money and skills, they don’t pose a significant hindrance… however, it’s also true that the time and difficulty based on the route can vary immensely.
So I was asking how we would travel and what means of transportation we would use…
“I’m asking a mage I know to use long-distance teleportation in succession.”
“?”
“He’s a high-ranking adventurer and also a elder of the Mage Tower. He may look young due to magic, but he’s over twice my age, so remember that.”
“Not what I meant… I thought if there’s such thing as teleportation magic, Benny could just use it.”
As I turned my gaze towards Benny, she blushed fiercely and let out a sound, “…Eek!”
“Why are you suddenly acting up, Benny?”
It took a moment to tilt my head in confusion. But Ellie’s subsequent explanation made everything clear.
“Benny can’t use spells like teleportation magic.”
“Oh.”
Come to think of it, Benny was a pseudo-mage.
