The Rift Tower Opens

Laktusha, Swordmaster and Orc Master.

And those of equal standing to him—likely the Black King's inner circle.

They were berating Laktusha for his failure on the Mountain of the Cultivator.

Even the great Laktusha could do nothing more than scowl at their words.

"Human. You clearly mentioned this 'Tower' and the 'Hidden Traits.' And 'that' as well. You had better prove useful if you want the Black King to hold you in high regard."

The dark elf spoke down to the Master, looking at him as if he could kill him at any moment.

...Damn monster bastards.

"Don't worry. No one will grasp the true nature of this Tower faster than I will."

It wasn't just talent and Hidden Traits.

There was something deeper and far more important within this Tower.

If his prediction was correct, this Tower was······.

"Then we enter."

Laktusha took the lead and stepped into the Rift Tower.

The Master shook off his stray thoughts and followed.

Then—

Eureka!

The Demon King frowned.

He could feel it in his own body—Baal, whom he had believed impossible to eliminate, had been destroyed, and even the powerful curse he had left behind had been lifted.

A curse that held half the Demon Realm. Something no ordinary blessing could ever dispel.

The trap he had prepared to kill Wilhelm.

Yet the one who suffered that curse had not been Wilhelm.

There had been a knight who sacrificed herself in Wilhelm's place.

The curse placed upon that knight had been meant to last for eternity.

And yet—

The curse was eaten.

A curse that could never be lifted had been consumed by something.

A curse containing half the Demon Realm was something that could never be erased.

There was only one thing that could erase it—and devour it.

A Fragment of Ruin.

The one he had hidden within Baal.

Only that could devour the Demon King's curse.

Only that profound darkness.

So the one who killed Baal had also lifted his curse?

It had certainly become troublesome.

It also meant an unknown variable had appeared.

Not that it changes anything in the end.

The Demon King merely smirked.

In the past it would have bothered him greatly.

Now, it only intrigued him.

The appearance of a stronger rival was the perfect chance to test the limits of this body.

-You······ do you not fear the Heavenly Realm?

The dragon bathed in sacred light.

Even the Sky Dragon, called a Divine Beast, now lay fallen and stripped of its radiance.

One of the Seven Dragon Gods, said to have been the mightiest among the ancient dragons.

-When the Heavenly Realm learns of this, you are a dead man. How dare you lay hands on one of the Guardians······! And with the body of a dead human, no less!

"My Demon King, isn't this dragged-in wretch a little too loud?"

Isera, King of the Second Scorching Hell.

A half-human, half-dragon with crescent horns and a crimson human body.

He casually tapped the torso of the fallen, powerless Dragon God as he spoke.

The Dragon God trembled with humiliation.

-Isera. You, child of the Heavenly Realm and the Guardians—how could you do this to me! After how dearly I cherished you!

"Still noisy."

Isera raised his hand, and a massive Hellfire coalesced.

Whoosh!

Isera's hand, wreathed in the flames of hell, plunged straight through the Dragon God's torso.

Thump! Thump!

He pulled free the Dragon God's vigorously beating heart.

Then, dropping to one knee, he offered the heart to the Demon King.

"It is time for your 'meal,' my Demon King."

"I have never once doubted your loyalty, Isera."

"······ When the time of invasion comes, I shall offer the hearts of the remaining Guardians as well."

"Mm."

The Demon King nodded and accepted the heart with a satisfied smile.

Then—

Crunch!

Crunch!

He rapidly devoured the Dragon God's heart.

In that instant—

Whoosh!

Color returned to the Demon King's pure white body as 'life' began to flood through him.

Excellent.

The Demon King smiled in satisfaction.

His dead body was coming back to life.

The countless potentials and powers dwelling in this form were merging with his own authority.

And he was growing stronger than ever before—beyond any comparison to the past.

Serengeti, waking from her long sleep, could only tilt her head the moment she opened her eyes.

"Did I······ have a twin sister? Or an older sister?"

A woman with a face identical to her own stood before her.

Eyes, nose, mouth—every feature was the same.

She looked so alike that Serengeti almost suspected she was staring into a mirror.

Hudson broke out in a cold sweat.

"Th-that's······."

"No. Looking closer, she's a little different. Slightly uglier than me. Judging by the look of things, you brought a doppelganger to tease me—but isn't this a low-grade one? Tsk tsk."

And Serengeti, freshly awakened after so long, was still as talkative as ever.

A doppelganger, of all things.

It seemed there was no choice but to come clean.

"······ It's me, Hudson."

"Hahaha. What a funny doppelganger. Are you saying Hudson became a woman, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then?"

"It's a long story if I explain······."

"Very well, doppelganger. Do you know where Hudson and I first met?"

Hudson answered without hesitation.

"Inside the castle, while I was doing business. You were chasing a swindler······ and you grabbed me thinking I was him. I really thought I was going to die. You tortured me trying to find an accomplice."

"······ And the place where Hudson first confessed to me?"

Hudson smiled faintly and opened his mouth.

"On the little hill beside the city. The moon-drop flowers were blooming so prettily there. It was a dusky evening. When I confessed, you got so startled you shoved me and I nearly fell off the hill and died. If it had been any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠higher, I definitely would have. Looking back now, it still makes me dizzy."

"And the first gift I ever gave you?"

Hudson ran a hand along his own neck.

"A bone necklace. You said you made it yourself from the bones of the first monster you ever hunted. The blood smell hadn't fully come out, so it reeked pretty badly. Still, I liked it and wore it all the time—until weird rumors started spreading. That I'd kidnapped and killed a child and made a necklace from the bones······ After that almost all my deals dried up, and it was rough for a while."

"············ Hudson?"

"Yeah. It's me, Serengeti."

"Aaah, Hudson!"

Whoosh!

Serengeti sat up and threw her arms around Hudson.

Was everything I just heard actually true?

What a truly eventful love story.

Everyone listening, myself included, was briefly stunned.

It was such an astonishing tale that one could almost believe it was the true power of love.

After holding him for a long while, Serengeti suddenly thought of something and asked,

"But why did you suddenly become a woman? Are you not a man anymore, Hudson?"

"······ I got in pretty deep with an 'Appearance Transformation Potion.' It'll take some time to return to my original form."

"It's fine. You don't need to make excuses. I love Hudson even if he's a woman."

"I'd love you even if you were a man······ but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's not an excuse. Please believe me. It's real."

"It's fine. Really, it's fine."

Pat. Pat.

Serengeti patted Hudson's back consolingly.

...She doesn't believe me at all.

Hudson let out a small sigh and looked at me.

As if begging me to say something.

Mm. Leaving things like this was definitely a problem.

So I stated the truth with absolute certainty.

"Serengeti."

"Ah······ yes, Heir."

Only then did Serengeti come to her senses. She cleared her throat with an awkward cough and separated from Hudson.

"How's the body?"

"Yes. I can no longer feel the curse's energy. Thank you."

"Good."

Even the remaining curse had been devoured by the 'Darkness.'

Not a single trace of the curse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remained on Serengeti now.

A powerful combatant and one of my closest knights.

She had finally been revived.

While she was still looking only forward, I told her the truth.

"Serengeti."

"Yes."

"Hudson has become a perfect, flawless woman."

"······."

"He changed his gender and even changed his name. From now on, call him 'Sage.'"

"Aaah······."

Looking slightly shocked, Serengeti finally managed to speak.

"Sage······ it's a pretty name······ no longer Hudson, and no longer a man······ Sage."

Was changing the name a bit much?

That was when—

"Serengeti! It's a lie! I really didn't become a woman!"

"······ Then are you saying the Heir spoke falsehoods?"

"Uh······ no, that's······."

"I'm disappointed. I never thought you were the sort to lie to cover your own mistakes. We should seriously reconsider our future together."

"······."

Hudson's face turned whiter than I had ever seen it.

After finally clearing up the misunderstanding, Hudson and Serengeti took some time alone together.

As I was about to leave the castle, a man came looking for me.

"Heir. Do you have a moment?"

"Andrew."

Andrew, the priest who handed out honor-related quests.

I had been planning to seek him out anyway to lower my 'Bad Karma' value.

Andrew was the one in charge of Indulgences—and he could copy them infinitely.

"What is it?"

"If you intend to······ climb the Rift Tower, would you take me with you?"

"The Rift Tower? Why you?"

"I had a dream that may have been a revelation. There······ seems to be something that could improve Andasar's condition. And there will be a need for me. I'm certain of it."

Andasar.

Andrew's daughter, the girl who had once been turned into an Eldritch by a cursed black grimoire.

Later she had fallen into the hands of the Death King of Kramdel and become a Dullahan.

She had returned to Andrew's side, but he was no doubt desperately hiding her existence.

If the Goddess Sect's order learned of this, Andrew would be excommunicated on the spot.

Hmm. I don't need two healers.

The required party size was five.

Naturally I had intended to bring Saintess Seia.

If Andrew joined as well, that would make two healers.

I didn't need two healers.

And yet something about it nagged at me.

The talk of a revelation and a dream.

Andrew is a high priest as well. If he dreamed something, there must be a reason.

He was even someone who had once manifested the Goddess's protection.

In pure terms of 'revelation,' he might be closer to it than Seia.

That was when—

"Wh-what is that!"

"A Dryad just came through the warp!"

Suddenly the area outside the castle grew noisy.

I looked outside and saw a familiar face.

"Brother! Are you all right!"

The High Dryad.

He had come to the castle.

"I know you are here! The 'Verdure' told me, so please show your face! I will not leave until I confirm you are well!"

Still as booming as ever.

In a direction I had never expected, the party was decided.

Andrew and the High Dryad joined, filling two of the slots.

I was about to fill the remaining two with Serengeti and Isabella when—

"······ I will step back."

Isabella continued in a voice that kept shrinking.

"I am not qualified to participate. I······ still do not even know whether returning here was the right thing to do."

"Why do you think that?"

"Did I not force such a burden upon you, Heir? I nearly······."

"In the end, I did not die."

She was talking about how I had taken the source of contamination in her place.

But because of that, I had instead awakened my fifteenth Hidden Trait.

If anything, Isabella had brought me a benefit.

"······ I cannot forgive myself for putting you in danger."

"Even though I say I'm fine?"

"I am sorry."

She seemed to need time.

Time to sort out her emotions and the memories that had suddenly resurfaced.

The memories that had returned upon her transcendence were still tormenting Isabella even now.

No matter how strong someone was, overcoming that took strength.

She must have decided that if she forced herself to come along now, all those thoughts would only make her a burden.

If that was how she felt, I had no intention of forcing her.

"If you need time, I will give it. But I cannot wait forever."

"Ah······."

"Get it sorted by the time we come down from the Tower. The time we contracted for has not even fully passed yet."

"Thank······ thank you."

Isabella bowed her head deeply.

Even without climbing the Tower, Isabella had plenty to do.

She still needed to organize the desert city, and someone had to be there to welcome Isaac if he returned.

Besides, there would be plenty of work to coordinate with Hudson, who managed the Labyrinth City.

Then who do I take for the last slot.