195. Catacombs

"Hoo, did we get them all?"

"Hoo! Did we get them all!"

"You're saying lines even little kids wouldn't say."

"You spent every single day calling me a chimpanzee, so have you finally been consumed by the chimpanzee?"

"Everyone, how about killing one more instead of chattering? I'm feeling extremely unwell right now. As fast as possible, outside—"

"When Arisa did it, none of you said a word, so why is it a whole production when I do it?"

"Arisa is Arisa, so I can understand it."

"Arisa doing that isn't a one- or two-day thing. You, on the other hand, are not."

"Hehe, guys, discrimination is bad. Treat Ronan and me the same! Ronan's getting sad!"

"Everyone? Do you see this? My stomach lining is—"

"The moment I do anything, you all latch on like leeches. Fine, you bastards."

"Huh? Is Ronan sulking?"

"He's built like a mountain, but the way he acts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is just a brat."

"Ronan has been like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that since childhood. He once sulked for a whole week over losing a pebble the size of a fingernail."

"Everyone. I'm about to die—"

"Paulo, you son of a bitch. That wasn't some ordinary pebble, it was a sapphire! I'd finally managed to buy it as a present for Aunt Diana! And you're the one who lost it!"

"You were swindled. By my aesthetic judgment, that was not a sapphire but simply a rock."

"Aesthetic judgment my ass, now that I think about it I'm pissed all over again. Hey, you son of a bitch. Do you know how awkward it was back then because you gave her a present and I didn't? And be honest. You didn't lose it—you sold it for money, didn't you?"

"I do recall my younger self making an effort to sell off a mere rock for money."

"You fucking thieving bastard!"

"Your language is harsh."

"You don't have parents anyway."

"Aunt Diana is like a mother to me. Is she not the same for you?"

"Why would Aunt Diana be your mom? I took her surname, so if you get technical, she's my mom. And you already took a different surname."

"Even if I received my master's surname on the Plain of Swords, it does not change that Aunt Diana is my mother."

"Bullshit. She's my mom. Fuck off."

"Everyone. If you will not listen to me, I will shit right here. I will also smear it on the wall."

"Ugh! Kaloso, you stink! Gross!!"

"Right, Kaloso, why did you eat something you were told not to eat and then make a scene about it?"

"A Wizard is a being who cannot help but possess strong curiosity. And as the greatest Wizard among them, I naturally cannot help but possess even stronger curiosity."

"So you ate a doppelganger's slime?"

"Honestly, aren't you curious? How can one resist something glowing blue and glistening? We, who will run at the forefront of humanity in the future, must obtain this information so our descendants can live comfortably. Though I did not expect it to churn my innards into mud inside my stomach like this."

"Then you could just burn it to death with magic."

"Don't you want to know what changes it showed after eating my organs? So you must cut open my stomach and take it out intact."

"Come here. I'll open you up and close you once."

"This place is too filthy, so there is a high chance the doppelganger's slime will be contaminated. Therefore, it must be removed in a clean place."

"Sometimes I think you're crazier than a Black Wizard... Ronan, why are you dripping blood again?"

"Paulo stabbed me in the side."

"...Why?"

"Because I insulted his master. No, if you get technical, it wasn't even an insult. How is calling a person with one missing arm a person with one missing arm an insult?"

"I cannot insult your parents, but do you not think it cowardly that you can insult my parents? And I am also in a hurry. Several fingers have been cut off. The blood won't stop."

"To go to the Demon World with these morons... Is this also your will, Yurphia? Even as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one who has become your daughter, I truly have no confidence."

"Hurry up. I'm dizzy."

"I cannot grip a sword."

"You were cut deep enough for your organs to spill, so of course you're dizzy, you dumbass. And Paulo, it's not a few fingers—your whole wrist was cut off... Ha, since it's come to this, let's rest here a bit. Paulo, go get your wrist."

"Rest...? I suppose there's no choice. Arisa, please use One-Inch Force on my stomach once. You must control your strength well so the slime doesn't burst and I only pass out."

"Ugh... no. Kaloso, you're like a pervert. Go away."

"Come lie down here, Ronan."

"Why should I lie with my head on your legs?"

"Because during the healing process, pieces of your organs could block your airway."

"I'll just spit them out myself—"

"If you don't want to jump rope with your own intestines, shut up and lie down."

"Okay. No, wait. Hey, chimpanzee. Why are you carving your name and mine there?"

"It's proof that we were here!"

"If you're going to do that, carve my name at the very top, Arisa. I do not go beneath anyone."

"Huh. No. The very top is Ronan's spot. And Paulo can write Paulo's name himself."

"I'm fine with the top being my spot, but why are you writing your name next to mine? Then it's not the top."

"Huh... is that right? Hmm... no, it doesn't have to be the top. Ronan just has to be next to me."

"You two really suit each other."

"...I'd rather you insult my mom."

"You don't have a mom."

"Isn't that a bit harsh? What? You just say that so brazenly because you don't have one either? And like I said a moment ago, I did have someone I thought of as a mother."

"Ah, right. Sorry. But if we're being technical, like you, I also have a mother. It's Yurphia, who watches over us all."

"Huh, so your mom's in heaven."

"Good heavens! You son of a bitch, has a demon possessed your mouth?"

*****

"Keuh... Th-this beautiful and immaculate handwriting...! This, this is Arisa's handwriting! Then this elegant handwriting must be Luna's, and this stiff writing carved above must be Paulo's!"

Centered on Ronan, Luna's name is on the left and Arisa's name is on the right.

And above my name, Paulo's name is carved, and if you follow that spot straight upward, Kaloso's name is carved on the ceiling, dizzyingly high above.

Looking at it, the Flame Emperor burst into tremendous admiration.

As if that weren't enough, she even gushed tears while caressing our names carved into the floor.

-On the battlefield I'm always in the back, so at least let me write my name in front. Why? Got a problem?

-I shall carve the name of the greatest Wizard, myself, in a place that ignorant martial artists cannot reach.

At the time I thought it was a useless thing to do, but looking at it now... Arisa's idea wasn't so bad after all.

"E-Eliarnes! How... how in the world did you find this? Neither the Fist Demon nor I, the Flame Emperor, have ever found a trace like this even once!!"

The Flame Emperor's sparkling red eyes turned toward me.

Stella, seated beside her, was also looking at me with eyes full of questions.

On the other hand, Pina, who knows my secret, was smiling brightly and kneading my shoulders.

I didn't tell her to do it. Pina is doing it of her own accord. Her small hands kneading away isn't exactly refreshing, but she's cute, so I left her to it.

"Well, you know. Naturally, it's information I got from the main house."

Actually, I was a little surprised too.

I'd assumed it would have vanished after four hundred years, but it's fascinating that it still remains so clear, even if slightly faded.

Of course, the catacombs themselves are rarely visited.

Because doppelgangers inhabit the place, no one with less than considerable mental fortitude would even think of entering.

And the fact that it's in a spot that's hard to find even within those catacombs probably played a part too.

"Hmm! I see! That could be it!"

"But, um... well..."

Beside the Flame Emperor, who believed it without any suspicion, Stella tilted her head and cautiously opened her mouth.

"Um... that name written on the ceiling, Kaloso... who is that?"

At that moment, the Flame Emperor flinched.

"...Hmm. That is... that name is..."

As she said that, she kept sneaking glances at me.

I naturally played dumb the whole time.

Then the Flame Emperor let out a small groan and closed her eyes.

"...It is not yet time for you to know."

"Pardon...?"

"Stella, if you become far stronger than you are now, then I, the Flame Emperor, will surely tell you."

I smiled bitterly as I listened to the Flame Emperor.

She could have just said it was someone she didn't know, but it seems she couldn't bring herself to disparage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kaloso, who had been a member of the Hero Party.

Well, if she doesn't know that Kaloso killed me, she could think that way. She probably doesn't know. That past can only be read by getting close to Bokmajeon.

Then how much does the Flame Emperor know, and from where to where? Sometimes she seems like a fool, but that doesn't seem to be her true self...

...Right?

"Hmm... Eliarnes. You don't know either?"

"I don't know either. And even if I did, would I tell you when the Flame Emperor is saying that?"

"...No fair."

"I said I don't know, so what's no fair about it."

I chuckled, took Pina's hand, and approached the Flame Emperor.

"So, do you see anything?"

We didn't come here just to show her.

The Flame Emperor said she heard Luna's Revelation from the traces of "us" left in the catacombs.

So we came together thinking that maybe we could also hear Luna's Revelation from the traces we left directly.

Of course, I'm not expecting much.

Luna is currently sealed.

And the traces left here are from the distant past.

The traces the Flame Emperor found, well... I can think of them as traces Luna left along with a Revelation after somehow sending her spirit body, but this writing was carved in the distant past.

So I don't think those bastards could have left anything here.

But it doesn't matter.

As payment for protecting Stella and Pina if something happens... calling it that feels like coasting, but anyway, I can think of it as telling her in that spirit.

It's not like it's hard.

"Hmm... I can see a scene from the past... Oooh...! This is the youngest appearance of Arisa that I, the Flame Emperor, have ever seen!"

The Flame Emperor, with her eyes gently closed, broke into a beaming smile.

"Hm? Hmm...?"

But only for a moment. She pressed her lips firmly shut and tilted her head. As if that weren't enough, she furrowed her brow.

"Since all the handwriting is different, I thought all the Heroes would be gathered... but the other Heroes are not present, and only Arisa is visible?"

"...Pardon?"

"Hm... I can see Arisa carving everyone's names."

"Huh...?"

The names other than mine were each carved by their owners personally.

That's why the handwriting is different, but Arisa carved them all alone?

The Flame Emperor, who had been tilting her head for a while, opened her eyes.

And she stared straight at me. Soon after, the Flame Emperor's voice rang in my head.

'Eliarnes.'

'Young Arisa is holding numerous weapons.'

'They are not Ronan's weapons, nor Paulo's sword. This is a past I, the Flame Emperor, have never seen before. Do you know anything about this?'

Young Arisa? Numerous weapons that aren't mine?

What the hell is this nonsense?