Being bright isn’t always a good thing.
The midday sun, now that the Abyss had lifted, vividly exposed the wretched state of Hibernia. The appearance of the city as seen from above could be described as nothing less than tragic.
Crumbling walls and buildings. The sight of horrific corpses crushed in the gaps and dark bloodstains spreading wide. There was no sign of life to be felt.
Words like ‘luckily survived’ could not exist in the face of the encroaching Abyss and the swarming Strange Entities.
That was why it was so quiet. Was it because the noise of battle had been so massive just a moment ago? The current silence felt exceptionally more dramatic. It was a wretched and depressing silence. Once the silence broke, what would follow immediately would be a terrible sorrow.
‘But what else could be done? We survived, didn’t we?’
Then we must move forward. After grieving to one’s heart’s content, being as angry as one can be, and regretting to the fullest — one must move forward again. There is no life that faces backward. Even if pushed, life was something that required one to keep walking.
After looking around the scene, Hio intended to leave immediately. He didn’t want to play the Hero. How could he act proud when he had barely returned alive from Kreutzvalt’s grasp? He didn’t want to stand before those who had lost their parents, siblings, friends, or colleagues. He wanted to get out of the way so they could grieve to their hearts’ content.
**[Skill — Summon Phantom Steed has been activated.]**
**[Trait — Spirit Body has been activated.]**
The giant wings, which were a side effect of the transcendental skill ‘Dimension Transfer’, were disappearing, so he summoned his Phantom Steed for the first time in a long while. He changed his body into a Spirit Body and climbed onto its back.
Come to think of it, he had to find Furnel too. The abilities he had received from him, such as the Ghost Eyes and Spirit Body, remained the same, but where had Furnel gone? If he had rejoined his main body at the Tower of Mages as Kreutzvalt had said, it would be a relief… but nothing could be certain. Kreutzvalt’s words were always a mix of ten facts and ten thousand lies.
Hio intended to move away immediately, but…
His senses, which had become more sophisticated and wider as he gained enlightenment, suddenly caught a certain intensity, making him stop and look toward that place. Because he had been focusing all his nerves on Kreutzvalt, he hadn’t noticed it before, but it was a power so strong that it was impossible not to feel it now.
No, rather than a strong power, it was a burning heart. Regret and self-reproach. A flame of joy used those feelings as kindling to burn. A flame of passion. It was so visible it could almost be seen with the naked eye.
This was the world seen by a superhuman who had realized Ideation. Naturally, he couldn’t stop the rising curiosity. Just who was it that possessed such power?
Hio himself still couldn’t handle Ideation perfectly, but if this will could be fully unleashed through one’s own power, it was a potential great enough to rise to the ranks of the strongest in an instant. So, he turned his horse around and slowly headed toward that place.
It was in front of Hibernia’s royal castle, where many people were gathered. Or perhaps in front of the temple. Numerous people gathered there and looked up at Hio. Soldiers, knights, priests, and residents who had barely managed to escape.
Only after making eye contact with a pair of red eyes in the center could Hio finally recognize the owner of the flame. Her red hair and red eyes were the same, but she was a woman so thin she looked unhealthy at a glance.
It was Claire.
“…Claire?”
With tears welling in her eyes, Claire smiled brightly.
Hio didn’t indulge in the luxury of entering the castle to rest. He simply sat down on the messy dirt floor and watched the people moving busily to handle the aftermath of the war.
Of course, he couldn’t stay like this forever. There was much to do and much to find out. Even at a glance, the world had become a mess, and he had to move quickly to straighten things out. Still… wouldn’t it be okay to talk for a little while?
After all, it seemed his own absence was somewhat to blame for Claire becoming like this. However, he struggled with what to say and where to start. Was it because it had been a long time since they met, or was he feeling awkward because of her changed atmosphere and thin appearance? Or perhaps it was because he could feel the will and emotions leaking out of Claire more clearly.
Hio, who was looking around for something to say, spoke his first words.
“Who is this?”
It was a question about a kid who was stuck to Claire’s side like glue. While others had deliberately stepped back, this boy remained until the end.
“Ah, he is…”
“I’m Hamelot, and I’m Master Claire’s disciple!”
“Disciple?”
“Well… you see…”
Even as the explanation continued, all sorts of emotions swirled within the child named Hamelot. Jealousy and longing. Awe and envy. Initiative and self-reproach.
Perhaps because he was still young, his emotions were felt more clearly than others’. It was enough to understand why people said one should never lie in front of an Ideation user.
‘Wait, if that’s the case…’
Then Kreutzvalt must have known from the start that Hio doubted and didn’t trust him. The fact that he left him alone without taking any special measures meant…
‘I suppose he thought it didn’t matter.’
He must have thought that whether Hio doubted him or what means he used, the only choice Hio would eventually have was to listen to his words. In fact, it was true, and if not for the variable of Dimension Transfer, things would have gone exactly as he intended.
“…And that’s how it happened.”
While thinking, Hio listened to every part of Claire’s story. It was possible because his soul’s rank had risen, his senses had developed, and his mind had opened. Well, even so, he was still just an empty Archmage… no, a half-baked 6th Circle Magician.
“Right, Hamelot. You helped Claire a lot. Thank you.”
“…What?”
Hamelot’s eyes widened in surprise, but to Hio, it was only natural. Having someone by her side when she must have been exhausted and lonely would have been a great comfort.
Hio remembered his own past, where he had collapsed because he didn’t have such a person.
Anyway, this was enough. He wanted to rest and talk all day, but the situation wouldn’t allow it.
“First… what’s the situation with the Empire?”
He went straight to the main point without even having time to exchange greetings. At that, a few emotions leaked out from Claire, but Hio pretended not to notice. And perhaps it was the same for Claire, as she answered as if it were nothing.
It was because she understood Hio. She knew that heart of his, which always cared for the safety of others more than his own. In front of that, it was obvious that Claire’s small feelings would be unnecessary. She continued her answer, suppressing her surging emotions.
For now, let’s just be thankful for being alive. Let’s recover quickly and stand proudly by Hio’s side from now on. For now, that was enough.
“I see… So the Empire is barely holding on as well. And you’re saying we don’t know what happened after the collapse of Floor 70 this time.”
“Yeah. Still, a catastrophe like the one in Hibernia probably didn’t happen. The Captain is there too.”
“I suppose so. Antipus and Daphne will probably focus their activities on the Empire as much as possible.”
“Ah… right, about that.”
Claire, who had been hesitating for a moment on how to put it, spoke with a rising tone as if she couldn’t find the right words.
“The people you mentioned… The Guild members. They’re all missing… should I say? Anyway, it’s been a while since they’ve shown themselves.”
“…Missing?”
“They’re probably not missing, but it seems they used that unique ability of theirs. They haven’t returned for months.”
“Wait a minute, how many floors did you say have failed so far?”
Since Hio fell to the World’s End, a total of five floors had failed to be cleared. If you add this Floor 70, it makes six. If that happened in the real world outside instead of here on the Continent…
“…It’s no wonder they can’t come back.”
It wasn’t just a matter of not being able to return; they might be on the verge of destruction. The outside world lacked the most important thing: ‘Divinity.’ The level of the Awakened is low, the Abyss Monsters are strong, and there is no way to oppose the energy of the Abyss.
While he could imagine what kind of state it was in, on the other hand, it was beyond imagination.
Then he had to move immediately. He was in a body that couldn’t log out, but didn’t he now have the transcendental skill ‘Dimension Transfer’? It meant he now had a means to move to the real world at any time.
“I have to go right away.”
Hio stood up from his seat. Claire, who stood up after him, had a calm expression as if she had expected it, but the emotions leaking out were like a storm.
However, he deliberately ignored it again this time.
“I’ll recover quickly and go back to the Empire to wait for you.”
“Yeah. Before that, you should eat a lot. Just how much weight did you lose?”
“I… I get it. I’ll make sure to eat well.”
Claire wiped her eyes, which were threatening to become moist again, and looked at Hio with much clearer eyes.
“Don’t die.”
It finally felt real that he had returned. That there was someone who cared for him this much. He was happy that he still had a place to return to. He was glad he survived.
“Yeah, let’s talk as much as we want when I get back.”
With those words, he turned his body. This time, he intended to give a clear command to move alone. He would have to move without variables and start the battle immediately. He was quite exhausted, but he thought back to the hell of Strange Entities that had unfolded infinitely in the past. This wasn’t even considered difficult.
With that thought, he activated his skill once more.
**[Activating Transcendental Skill — Dimension Transfer.]**
The world gradually turned blurry, and space was about to tear… or not.
**[Unable to activate the skill.]**
**[Cooldown 01:28:21]**
**[Skill activation is canceled.]**
He hadn’t thought about the cooldown. There was still an hour and a half left.
“Still, leaving so abruptly like that would seem a bit cold, wouldn’t it?”
“…Huh?!”
“No, I mean, it’s been a while since we met, so let’s talk a bit more. It’s definitely not because there’s any other reason.”
As he turned back as if nothing had happened and sat down on the ground, Claire stared at Hio for a moment, tilted her head, and then sat back down on the ground after him.
“Is there anything else? A place I should go quickly or a dangerous place.”
“Hmm… Hibernia was the most dangerous, but since the immediate fire has been put out, all that’s left is the aftermath…”
“There aren’t any kids who died or were seriously injured, right?”
“Died or seriously… Ah!”
Claire clapped her hands lightly as if she had remembered something.
“Airlights has disappeared.”
“…Airlights?”
“Yes. This time, it’s a real disappearance.”
‘What kind of talk was this?’
“What did they do… no, how did it happen?”
“I don’t know the details either. They were a person of interest, so I had them monitored, but the last place they were confirmed to be was the Kingdom of Fioria…”
Fioria was a small northern country covered in snow and ice. Nothing immediately came to mind as to why Airlights had headed there.
“And there’s one more thing I heard at the very end…”
Claire, who seemed to hesitate whether to say it or not, finally opened her lips as if she had made up her mind.
“Airlights said… they would save you, Hio.”
“…?”
“Something about becoming a god and turning back time… they said some strange things like that…”
For some reason, Hio could imagine that voice and expression, so a sigh escaped him automatically.
“Sigh…”
He had returned alive and well, so he really wished they wouldn’t cause any trouble…
One more thing had been added to his to-do list. He had to go to the Tower of Mages to find Furnel and calm the catastrophe that must have struck the real world.
He had to return to the Empire to return Theodore to Sylvia’s side and meet Vitalianus as well.
Not to mention purifying the Abyss that had spread through Hibernia and the Empire and wiping out the Abyss Monsters.
In the meantime, wouldn’t he also have to complete the strategy for the next floor that would appear? At the same time, for his own growth, he had to learn 6th and 7th Circle magic.
There were endless things to think about, such as Authority, the Suicide Squad, Kreutzvalt, and the World’s End. In the midst of all that, he even had to look for Airlights.
“…Seriously.”
This was the price of being away for a year and a half.
‘I’m never going anywhere again.’
He had a mountain of things to sort out.