It's All Over

It was all over. Sena, the guild master of the Sword Guild, and Ivelin, commander of the Silver Cross Knights. After learning Sena's true identity, I'd assumed the two of them were close enough to form a party together, but the atmosphere between them suggested otherwise.

"What's this? You mentioned getting a new disciple the other day and that was it? With a strapping guy like him, you should've bragged a little and brought him by the guild at least once."

"Hmph. As if you haven't spent the last few years rubbing your own disciples in my face every chance you got," Ivelin snorted, watching Sena's cheeky grin.

"Exactly. Just like you said—he's tall, talented, and his character isn't bad either. I was planning to keep him under wraps until he grew a bit more, then drop by to show him off and rub it in your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face! Why?"

"Oh please. Your precious little sister is such a stiff, serious girl that I was just trying to create some breathing room by teasing her a bit. You really think I meant it?"

"You should've just called her by name like I told you to!"

I finally understood. These two weren't just casually close—they were something else entirely. I'd been hanging back in case they started throwing punches, but that worry had been unnecessary. As the tension eased, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"...Sigh. That playful personality of yours really is impossible to deal with."

"Coming from you, that's rich! By the way, your name is Aren, right?" Ivelin shook her head with a wry smile. Sena approached her, slung an arm around her shoulders, and looked at me while licking her lips.

"What a shame. I was going to try coaxing you into becoming my second disciple. Well, treatment comes first, so let's talk details later."

The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming confidence on his face—he looked barely twenty. Then again, landing a public service job early in Labyrinth City, where rookie adventurers swarmed everywhere, probably did that to a person.

"That's right. You are Aren, correct? Would it be possible to take your statement right now? The other adventurers said it would be best to hear from you first!"

"...?"

Why me, when there are perfectly capable fighters like Berdolph and Georg who can still move around just fine?

"The others are in pretty bad shape, so we have to follow procedure. It shouldn't take more than an hour or two. We'd really appreciate your cooperation!"

I barely had time to get my external wounds treated and go see Lumia, and this guy wanted one or two hours? Just hearing about "procedures" made my head hurt. Who knew if they'd drag it out for half a day despite what they said.

"All I know is that an apostle of the evil god possessed one of the troupe members and interrupted the performance. The name of the god involved was Tehelum. That's it."

I tried to decline, saying I didn't have time, but the soldier grabbed me.

"Come on, just come with us. It'll only take a moment! We'll provide potions, and all you have to do is sit in a chair and talk comfortably!"

Damn it, why is this bastard only harassing me? Is he that desperate for performance points?

I hadn't even worn my helmet since I'd only planned to walk around healing people. My armor was melted on the outside to the point where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠taking it off seemed better, and my hair was singed and curled at the ends. Thankfully the Blessing of Water had healed my internal injuries, but on the surface I probably looked like a lost cause. Couldn't he see the complete disaster that was my current state?

The air grew cold.

"Sounds pretty arrogant to me. Who the hell are you?"

"Hmm. Now I'm curious who your superiors are."

Ivelin on my left. Sena on my right. Before I could even show my irritation, the chilling auras bursting from both sides crushed the soldier.

"Huk!"

He collapsed backward with a loud thud.

"Hey, you insane bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

A man who was clearly a superior came running the moment he sensed the dangerous atmosphere. Having grasped the entire situation in mere seconds, he immediately bowed deeply.

"I'm so sorry! This green rookie just started recently and did something incredibly stupid! I'll discipline him thoroughly, so please show mercy just this once!!!"

Having one bad subordinate really was pitiful.

"The investigation will happen after treatment is finished and after we've dealt with the others first. If necessary, make a proper formal request through the appropriate channels later."

Schwing.

Maybe she didn't want to reveal her signature weapon, the Bloodwind of Judgment, because it was too conspicuous. Ivelin drew the steel sword at her waist and issued her warning.

"Understood? If you ever try to forcibly detain my disciple like this again, I won't hesitate to take your head. Consider this your only warning."

"Y-yes! It won't happen again!"

I was a little surprised by her overwhelming presence—it was completely different from how she acted with the knights or with Yeriel.

"Hah, what a sorry state of affairs. The training level of the soldiers stationed in the city these days is absolute garbage."

After Ivelin finished her warning, Sena shrugged her shoulders with a sly grin.

"These guards can't even tell when a single mudfish has slipped in, and now a mere soldier is throwing his weight around in front of high-ranking adventurers without any justification. Tsk tsk."

"I have no excuse... Follow me!"

The superior roughly dragged away the soldier, whose confidence—or was it arrogance?—had completely vanished. He looked like he was about to wet himself. Yeah, he was going to get torn apart. It was all his own fault.

As I watched their retreating figures, Ivelin pointed at Shurika.

"I've been wondering since earlier. Who's that woman leaning on you?"

"She was being controlled by the evil god and fought me. After the battle ended she regained her senses, but her legs won't support her."

"I see. Hmm... I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't sense anything unusual, so I'll let it pass for now. I'll carry her on the way, so hand her over."

Squeeze.

I could feel Shurika, who had stayed silent until now, wordlessly tightening her grip, but I had no choice but to pass her over. My mentor's expression had grown quite serious.

"Right, then. No reason to stay here any longer, so let's get going! Your companions are probably waiting outside."

"Yes. Let's go. I'm sick of this place."

When I nodded weakly, Sena gathered the adventurers.

"The warp gate isn't far, so we'll walk there! Don't fall behind, and make sure to help those who have difficulty moving."

Following her lead, we reached the exit gate without any issues and passed the soldiers to finally step outside.

"We're finally out!"

"Haa... When we get to the inn, I'm going to sleep all day."

Looking up at the still-dark predawn sky, I realized just how much had happened in that short span of a few hours.

"Aren!"

"Daddy—!"

"Riena!"

As soon as everyone safely emerged from the colosseum, the families and acquaintances of the adventurers who had fought so hard—including Lumia—came running from the side, calling out names.

The middle-aged instructor's family. The female thief's lover. The archer's mother. The mage's friend, and so on.

Whoosh!

Lumia leaped forward and wrapped her arms and legs around me. I watched silently as she rubbed her face against my chest, then gently patted her trembling back.

"Sorry for making you worry. It's all over now."

"...Yeah."

She eventually loosened her hold, looked me up and down, and her eyes shook at my terrible appearance. Probably because I'd burned the outer layer quite dramatically.

"I'm fine. The armor was going to be replaced anyway, so I can just throw it away. There aren't any internal injuries either. I just need treatment for the singed and peeled skin."

"Really? You're not badly hurt anywhere?"

"Of course! I mean it."

Seeing Lumia jump and cling to me with all four limbs reminded me of our first meeting. Back then I'd only felt flustered—I never imagined we'd become this close. The ways of the world really were unpredictable.

"Alright everyone, that's enough. Shouldn't we all return to looking presentable?"

At Sena's words, the other adventurers gradually calmed the worries of those surrounding them and started moving again.

Vrrr—

"Whoa, wow. I've been rolling around the labyrinth for four years but this is my first time using a warp gate. So this is what it feels like."

"Right? It feels different from the labyrinth portals."

A massive magic circle created through advanced spellcraft. The warp gate was strictly managed by staff and guards wearing blue uniforms.

I still can't figure out how Irmela managed to break through such tight security without making a sound and disrupt the spell.

Spatial movement within the city via warp gates was practically reserved for the upper class and high-ranking adventurers. The reason was simple—the price per person was enormous. I didn't know the exact amount, but when the female thief overheard the staff's conversation, her jaw dropped. That said everything.

Perhaps for that reason, after sending all the family members and acquaintances—including Lumia—back to their residences, only the injured adventurers were allowed to use the warp gate at Sena's expense.

With an unfamiliar floating sensation, we arrived at the gate in the 3rd District.

"Aren, shall we head to the knights' headquarters?"

"Um, could I receive treatment together with everyone else instead?"

I slowly continued while rubbing the back of my neck.

"It would be convenient to go straight to the knights' headquarters, but since we fought risking our lives together, I think it would be better to see everyone fully healed and say proper goodbyes."

Ivelin, who had been tapping her finger against her lips in thought, let out a small laugh and nodded.

"If that's what puts your mind at ease, then so be it. If my disciple wants to do this, I won't stop you."

As we all headed toward the treatment center, Sena slipped her arm through mine and grinned mischievously.

"If you're getting treated somewhere else, there's no need to go to the knights' headquarters, right? Why not stop by our guild while we're at it?"

"What are you scheming now? I was going to spend some quality time with my mentor."

"Are you really just mentor and disciple~?"

"What are you saying!"

Sena shook her head as if to say the joke was over, then whispered secretly while infusing her words with mana.

"Before that, don't you and I have something to talk about alone? The previous world. Those three words should be enough, right?"

Ugh.

She must have noticed when my Chaos Eye was blocked by her Martial Eye. After all, a nameless low-floor adventurer being Ivelin's disciple was surprising enough, but the fact that a trait equal to her own had activated and canceled it out... As a fellow apostle and transmigrator, she must have immediately concluded that I was also from the previous world.

"Fine. Since I'll be accompanying you, there shouldn't be any problems. Let's do that."

After that, the conversation wrapped up without any further incidents until we reached the treatment center.

The treatment center resembled a hospital. After receiving examinations in order, we received healing from the priests.

"—Embrace the weary flesh with warmth, we pray."

Mmm. This refreshing feeling. It was like I'd thrown off every weight attached to my body.

"Treatment is complete for now. Oh, since there are no internal injuries or serious aftereffects, you don't need to be hospitalized. Still, please avoid intense activity for a day."

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel like I could fly."

"Not at all. Well then."

As I rolled my shoulders and looked around, everyone seemed to have been healed and restored to normal.

"Uuuugh."

Well, everyone except one person.

"This is quite serious. Even as a high priest, it will be difficult to fix in a short period."

"T-then does that mean long-term hospitalization? Even if it takes time, is there a guarantee she'll recover completely?"

"Hmm. To explain simply, her mana circuits—the pathways through which your mana flows—are all cracked and unable to function properly."

Just hearing it from afar sounded bad. I couldn't imagine how the person in question felt. Shurika's face completely collapsed.

"There's a trace of extremely unpleasant energy remaining. It seems she was hit by a terrible curse or something related to an evil god. We'll have to try, but it looks like she'll need intensive treatment for at least two or three months."

"I see..."

"In special cases like this, many people cannot pay the large sum at once, so we can register it as a debt with the Adventurer's Guild and you can pay it back later. Let's start with the procedures."

"H-how much will it be approximately?"

The kindly-faced priest awkwardly gestured with his hands.

"I'll know the exact amount once we process it, but roughly this much."

"Ugh. Haa, it'll be a bit of a blow, but that much is manageable. I'll pay everyone else's treatment costs at once from my account too."

"Understood. We'll proceed accordingly."

After the priest left, Shurika, lying on the bed, let out a sigh while rubbing her face dry. The fully healed adventurers left her with various parting words—good luck, we won't thank you since we got hurt because of you, we'll visit again later, and so on.

Afterward, instead of leaving immediately, they all approached me. Some bowed their heads to express gratitude, while others irritated me with pointless attempts to get noticed by the two high-ranking adventurers.

"You. What's your name?"

"I'm Aren. And you?"

"I am Berdolph, warrior of the Vesta tribe. Aren, was it? I'll remember it clearly. Sorry about earlier, in many ways."

"What is there to apologize for? Your methods were a bit extreme, but from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment we gathered at the front of the stage until the end, you only said things that made complete sense. It's fine."

"Hahaha! If you see it that way, then I'm grateful. Let's meet again sometime!"

The barbarian Berdolph left cheerfully, saying we should greet each other warmly without awkwardness when we meet later.

"Thanks to you, we were able to prevent massive casualties early on. I express my gratitude for your courage and determination."

"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for standing at the front to block attacks, for persuading Berdolph at the critical moment, and for helping save Shurika."

"Ahem. If you ever need help, come to the Second Holy Knight Order and say you're looking for Georg. Though I'm just an ordinary holy knight, I will help as long as it's not for unjust purposes. Well then, I'll take my leave."

Even until the end, Georg was the very model of a virtuous holy knight.

After seeing everyone off, I finally approached Shurika. She had been lying there dejectedly, but when she saw me, she sat up with a bright expression.

"Um, that. Thank you. There are so many things I want to say, but... sob."

Again. The tears started flowing again. Was she overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of herself—once a promising adventurer—now reduced to a cripple who couldn't even walk properly, let alone use mana, after being dominated by an evil god? Or perhaps she felt grateful to me for saving her while her whole body was burning. Or maybe all of it mixed together. Only she knew the reason.

"I'll head out for today. I'll visit again when I have time. I'll also pass on your regards to the circus troupe members, so you should be able to see them soon if you wait a bit."

"C-could you call me by my name instead of 'that person'?"

That much was nothing.

"Shurika, we'll be going now too, so take good care of yourself and recover quickly. Don't get discouraged just because your legs won't move. Do your best. Well then."

"Y-you're not just saying that, right? You have to come visit me again? You absolutely must!!!"

That surprised me. I thought my eardrums would burst. I unconsciously touched my ear and nodded.

"All done? Let's hurry to the 4th District. I wonder if those brats are making long faces thinking I sent them off alone."

With Sena's sly laugh, we headed toward the Sword Guild.