The Companion Named Lianel

The door to the final floor opened, and Luiana strode ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forward without hesitation.

The interior formed a vast stone chamber. If the lower layers she had passed through had been spaces modeled after nature—forests, caves, swamps—this place was entirely different.

As if to declare that the final boss floor was special, the walls, floor, and ceiling were all composed of artificial structures.

Beyond the dim interior, a thick, colossal shadow loomed. It was the wolf-type monster that appeared most frequently whenever fissures opened outside. Yet the one before her was so enormous that comparing it to the others felt ridiculous.

As Luiana drew closer, the crouched beast slowly rose to its feet. The mere shift of its foreleg against the floor sent a low rumble through the entire chamber.

A deep growl soon followed from its throat.

Grrrrrr.

The sound carried a wave as majestic as its size. Air and mana trembled together, trying to shove Luiana back. She simply let the mana flow lightly, scattering the wave apart. There was no need for any grand defense. To her, it felt no different from brushing a breeze off her collar with a fingertip.

Luiana kept advancing with her sword lowered. Its tip trailed along the floor, yet it made no sound against the stone. Like drawing a line through soft sand, the blade sank into the chamber’s stone surface, leaving a long, silent trail behind it.

On the surface it was merely a single sword that could fit in one hand. But inside it held the full, undiminished mass of the sacred tree that had once pointed toward the sky. The Cartein-style Magic System simply countered that weight with precise force and lifted it.

Luiana, who had been approaching slowly, soon stepped into the boss’s domain. The beast charged at her with explosive fury, as though it could no longer restrain itself. The chamber floor shattered outward, and black claws descended toward her head.

Luiana did not dodge. She did not even raise her mana. She simply lowered the sword’s tip a fraction more and allowed the boss to throw its own massive bulk into the blade’s path.

And then she thought: Since this is the boss, maybe it will be different this time.

The tower’s boss was no ordinary monster. It was linked to the mana that formed the tower itself, and that link became a protective barrier around the creature. In her previous life, the usual strategy had been to chip away at the barrier’s durability first, like tackling a raid.

But the instant the sword’s path met the barrier’s surface—

Crunch.

The resistance lasted only an instant. Just as the slightest recoil reached the sword tip, the barrier crumpled before it could even shatter. At that moment it was no longer a wall protecting the boss. It had become something closer to a torture device that crushed the living thing trapped inside it.

One side of the crumpled barrier met the opposite side. Even that could not withstand the sword’s path and was shoved aside. Crushed, mangled, and finally torn apart, the barrier gave way, and the sword passed through.

A belated explosion roared out.

Kwaaaaaang!

Fragments of what had once been the boss scattered across the chamber. Even the structural barrier created by the tower’s system held no meaning before such overwhelming mass.

This could hardly be called a battle. There had been no exchange of blows, no contest of tactics—only a swing and destruction.

Yet Luiana was satisfied. She lightly flicked the blood from her blade and spoke.

“Not bad.”

From within the sword, the sacred tree’s soul gave a low, reluctant resonance. Luiana let out a small laugh.

“The result’s a bit much… but the effect is clear, isn’t it?”

The sacred tree answered with a deflated, tired-sounding hum. The reaction felt strangely like scolding, so Luiana tapped the hilt lightly with her fingertip.

“Fine. I’ll try to make less of a mess next time.”

Of course, it was not a promise she could truly guarantee.

At that moment, another message from the tower appeared before her eyes.

Luiana narrowed her eyes. The tower had not treated the sacred tree as either a sword or a summoned beast. It had registered the tree as a single climber alongside her. The problem was that the lack of a name had halted the reward distribution.

Suddenly Luiana recalled the moment she had first reincarnated. In a darkness she could not even recognize as darkness, the instant she first became aware of herself, she had known her own name without anyone telling her.

Luiana.

The name had felt completely natural, as though it had been engraved in the depths of her soul from the very beginning.

A Dryad’s name is carved into the soul at the moment of birth. Then whose soul had that name originally been meant for?

Luiana looked down at the sword in her hand. Within the sacred tree was a gentle soul untouched by the previous life’s memories—a soul fitting for a Dryad. A soul that had awakened to the elves’ prayers, that had wanted to protect the children, that had wished to move together with her.

Perhaps the name Luiana had originally been meant for that soul. It was only that the previous life’s soul had entered the Dryad’s body first and claimed the name.

Luiana remained silent for a moment.

She could not hand the name over now. She was already Luiana. The name had been engraved so deeply into her soul that it had become an inseparable part of her.

“Luiana is my name now.”

Her words were calm, but they carried unmistakable weight. The soul inside the sacred tree did not resent her. Instead, it sent a warm resonance through her hand, as if to say it was only natural.

The resonance was not words, yet Luiana understood its meaning perfectly.

It’s all right. That name belongs to you.

Feeling the vibration against her palm, Luiana closed her eyes.

She could not return the name. But she could give a new one.

She could not simply pick any name, however. It had to be one that reflected their current relationship, one the soul within the sacred tree could accept.

The sacred tree had been her companion tree. It had become her sword. Now it was the partner who had climbed the tower with her. And it would continue walking toward the same destination at her side.

Luiana slowly gripped the hilt.

“You were my companion tree.”

The resonance inside the sword trembled quietly.

“You became my sword.”

Luiana paused for a moment, then spoke the final words.

“And now you are the companion who walks with me.”

Silence settled over the chamber. Though the space was cluttered with the scattered remains of the boss and the tower’s lingering light, that single instant felt strangely quiet.

Within that silence, Luiana spoke the name.

“Lianel.”

The resonance inside the sword stopped.

“The one who walks beside me.”

The moment the name left Luiana’s lips, the tower’s reward system responded.

The reward that descended upon Luiana was a modest enhancement to her physical abilities. Her senses grew slightly sharper, and the flow of mana inside her body became a little smoother. For someone who had already cleared the upper floors, the reward from a mid-to-low tier tower could not bring about any dramatic change. It felt like pouring a single cup of water into a lake.

But for Lianel it was different. This was the first tower-clear reward she had ever received. Of course, because it was only a mid-to-low tier tower, the reward was not grand enough to upend the world. Still, it was more than enough to fulfill the wish Lianel had longed for.

The desire to walk beside Luiana.

The foundation for that wish had already been completed: the precise Cartein-style Magic System, the will of the soul that had awakened deep within the sacred tree, the elves’ prayers, and the newly engraved name.

Only one final small piece had been missing to create a vessel that would allow the soul to step forward on its own. The tower’s reward filled exactly that last gap.

…!

From inside the blade, circuits of soft green light began to unravel. The circuits scattered like threads, then gathered again, forming a familiar silhouette before Luiana.

At first it was nothing more than a shapeless mass of light. Then fingertips appeared, followed by arms, shoulders, hair, a smooth forehead, long ears, and finally a face, all gradually taking shape as though being painted into existence.

Watching the process, Luiana instinctively understood. This was not some splendid illusion created by the tower. It was the Dryad soul that had resided within the sacred tree gaining its own body through the power of a name and a reward.

A moment later, Lianel emerged from the light.

She had the same face, the same build, the same hair color as Luiana. At a glance they looked like perfect identical twins. Yet their atmospheres were completely different. Where Luiana was cold and sharp, Lianel was warm and gentle. Though their appearances were the same, anyone could tell them apart at once.

The light faded, and Lianel opened her eyes for the first time. Her gaze turned to Luiana without hesitation. Those heterochromatic eyes—blue and emerald, just like Luiana’s—were filled with deep affection.

Even though it was her first moment in an unfamiliar body, not a trace of anxiety showed on Lianel’s face. Because Luiana, who had always been with her, stood right beside her.

From the moment she had become a Dryad. No—from even before that, before the elves’ prayers had reached her, for a countless stretch of time, Luiana and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lianel had been together.

Lianel slowly reached out and carefully took Luiana’s hand. She brought it to her own cheek. Warm skin met Luiana’s palm. Lianel leaned her face into the hand and gently rubbed against it.

The soul’s resonance that Luiana had once felt through the sword hilt was now transmitted through living warmth.

The first words Lianel spoke were short.

“Together.”

Luiana watched her, then gave a faint smile.

“Yes. Together.”

Lianel had taken the form of a Dryad, yet Luiana instinctively knew that if Lianel wished it, she could return to the shape of a sword at any time. The sword had not disappeared. Just as the sacred tree had not vanished, she had simply gained the name and form of Lianel.

For a while the two of them shared each other’s warmth in silence.

Some time must have passed, because a deep rumble began to echo from the depths of the tower.

Kugugugugu.

With the tower’s central core inside the boss monster destroyed, the tower could no longer maintain its structure. Dust fell from the ceiling, and long cracks spread across the chamber walls.

Fortunately, the tower opened a fissure for climbers to escape before it completely collapsed.

Luiana looked at Lianel. Lianel took her hand as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The moment they stepped into the fissure, light swallowed their vision.

In the next instant, Luiana and Lianel stood outside the tower.

The area beyond the tower was no longer chaotic. It had returned to a quiet, peaceful forest, as though nothing had happened. The fissure that had poured out monsters was closed. The tower itself was collapsing, its black outer walls crumbling inward from the light like a reflection blurring in a mirror, leaving only a brief afterimage before vanishing without a trace.

The corrupted mana that had flowed from the tower had also lost its source. The blackened currents slowly melted away and dispersed into the forest’s natural mana.

No more fissures. No more urgent threats.

Luiana was about to head straight back toward the village when Lianel gently caught her arm.

“The children will be worried.”

Only then did Luiana look down at herself. Fluids from monsters of every color had mixed together and dried black across her clothes and hair. She looked little different from someone who had been drenched in blood and then left neglected for hours. If the children saw her like this, they might not faint, but they would certainly cry.

Luiana stayed silent for a moment. Lianel smiled softly, stepped in front of her, and swept a hand lightly from the top of Luiana’s head to her toes.

Following Lianel’s touch, soft green mana flowed down like gentle water. Everywhere the mana passed, the filth vanished cleanly, as though Luiana had just stepped out of a bath. The tangled strands of hair settled softly again, and the unpleasant smell that had soaked into her clothes disappeared.

Luiana spoke briefly.

“Thanks.”

Lianel nodded as if to say it was only natural. Then she slipped her arm through Luiana’s, leaned her head lightly against her shoulder, and began walking.

Sarak. Sarak.

In the quiet, the only sounds between the two figures heading toward the village were the soft rustle of clothing and hair stirred by the wind.

It did not feel awkward. Silence had always been more familiar between them. For a very long time, resonance had come before words, and sensation had come before sound.

Yet the silence did not last long. The village was already drawing near.

The elves who saw two human shapes walking out of the forest after the tower had vanished first assumed Luiana had returned safely. Sighs of relief rose at once. Every elf in the village rushed out to welcome their mother.

But as the distance closed, their steps began to slow one by one. Finally, they all stopped in place.

The reason was perfectly obvious.

“Mother… there are two of them?”

Hyacinth murmured, too late to stop the children from running forward.

At first everyone was bewildered. Only the children, free of prejudice, shouted with joy and rushed to embrace both women.

“Mother?”

One child looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up at Lianel. Lianel knelt down to meet the child’s eyes.

“Yes. Come here, little one.”

The child stared blankly for a moment, then threw themself into Lianel’s arms.

One mother with a cold impression, one with a warm impression. Their atmospheres were different, yet both of them smiled gently as they held the children. Neither seemed strange to be called mother.

Luiana patted the children’s heads with slightly awkward hands. Lianel held one child naturally, patting the small back with practiced ease.

The elves, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been frozen in confusion, soon sensed a familiar resonance coming from the gentle-looking Dryad. It was the resonance of the sacred tree that had once embraced them all from the center of the village—an old, warm presence.

Hyacinth’s lips trembled.

“Sacred Tree?”

Luiana, still holding a child, corrected her.

“Lianel.”

She added softly,

“My companion.”

As if the words pleased her, Lianel wrapped her arms around Luiana from behind and buried her face against the back of her neck. Luiana lowered her gaze, still unused to such unreserved contact, but she did not push her away.

The elders approached slowly and knelt naturally. The other elves followed suit. Even the children knelt awkwardly, then peeked up with bright laughter.

Lianel looked a little flustered by the scene, but Luiana remained calm.

“Stand up. There’s still a lot to clean up.”

The inside of the village was unchanged. The forest, however, was not. Traces of the mana cannons fired by the defense system remained everywhere. Most monster corpses had vanished, but overturned earth, broken trees, and blackened rocks were scattered throughout the woods.

The forest was like their own backyard. They could not leave their backyard in such a mess.

Understanding Luiana’s words, the elves immediately began gathering tools. Some took up shovels, others called elementals, and some ushered the children back inside.

Those who remained until the end were the investigation team and transport personnel.

Alex, Seris, and the mages from the Magic Tower still could not regain their composure after witnessing a situation they had never heard of or seen before.

Alex, who recovered first, took out his report form. He could not write even the first line for a long time.

Tower manifestation. Sacred tree becoming a sword. Dryad wielding the sword and clearing the tower alone. And that sword becoming another Dryad.

Alex recalled the sentences he had organized in his head and covered his face with both hands.

“How am I supposed to report this…”

Seris spoke calmly beside him.

“Just write the truth.”

Alex looked up with a despairing expression.

“Who would believe the truth…”

One of the Magic Tower personnel nodded quietly. The fact that the gesture was agreement rather than comfort made Alex despair even more.

Meanwhile, Luiana and Lianel were walking deeper into the village. Luiana with her cold expression looking straight ahead. Lianel beside her, smiling warmly with their arms linked. They shared the same face, yet they gazed at the same place in completely different ways.

The tower had vanished. The Break had stopped. And the village had begun to breathe once more.