Chapter 125
○○○
Eris is crying, her body covering mine like a blanket.
She’s sobbing like a lost child who’s finally found their parent.
「Eris, welcome back.」
I say, the words coming naturally.
「I’m… I’m back.」
She manages to say, her pronunciation a bit off, which is endearing.
「No more crying now. Look at you, your face is all messy. If you cry this much, your eyes will get puffy.」
I hesitate to wipe her face with my shirt or sleeve, which are dirty from exploring. Instead, I take out a cloth from my magic bag and use it to clean her face. My touch might be a bit rough, but I hope she’ll forgive me for that.
After everything we’ve been through, Eris and I have finally, truly reunited right here and now. I feel the reality of it as I sense her weight and warmth.
「I’ve been… I’ve been searching for you (Master) all this time.」
She says, her arms wrapping around my back as she nestles against my chest.
「Your form, nowhere to be found—」
Her voice is still thick with tears.
「I’ve been seeking you, for so long.」
She continues, her throat catching. As if confirming something to herself, she says,
「It’s like the fog has lifted from my eyes.」
She speaks as if savoring each word:
「I was trapped in a nightmare, awake or asleep. No matter how much I searched for your back, you were never there.」
She keeps talking:
「Your sword, your form, your voice, your warmth—」
She shakes her head, rubbing her tear-stained face against my chest.
「No, that’s not right—」
She starts to say, then panics, 「I mean, when I say ‘not right,’ I don’t mean it’s wrong—」
「It’s okay. I’ll listen to everything, so take your time.」
Eris responds with a muffled 「Mm」 into my chest. After a few seconds, she lifts her face.
「Your sword, your form, your voice, your warmth… they’re just parts of you…」
With a face streaked with sweat and tears, she looks directly into my eyes.
「I’ve been yearning for you.」
She’s the same Eris from that day.
She tightens her embrace around me.
We need to head further down into the lower levels. There’s so much we need to talk about on the way.
Just as I’m thinking this, something happens.
She clutches her head as if trying to suppress something.
「I want… to always be by Master’s side…」
But her expression—
「I’ve always wanted to be by your side.」
The color rapidly drains from her face—
「So why did it turn out like this?」
「Eris?」
She seems to be trembling with fear.
「I’m sorry.」
Eris apologizes.
「For leaving you alone—」
Her eyes are directed at me, but she’s looking somewhere else entirely.
「I’m sorry… Master, I’m so sorry.」
Eris repeats this over and over.
Again and again.
Then suddenly, I feel all the strength leave her body, as if she’s become a puppet with its strings cut.
「Eris…!!」
Hearing my voice, she cries even harder.
「What’s wrong, Eris… It’s okay, I forgive you!!」
But Eris keeps repeating her apologies countless times. I gently pat her back repeatedly, trying to calm her down even a little.
○○○
She feels light, I think to myself.
In an instant, Eris stopped moving as if a switch had been flipped. She’s lost consciousness. Her pulse and breathing seem normal, so I think she’s alright, but I decide to carry her on my back as we move forward.
We’re actually in the middle of conquering the Sealed Dungeon, and if we keep going, we might be able to meet up with Sensei and Mika, who could examine Eris’s condition.
However, I can hear soft, steady breathing from my back. Is it possible she’s just sleeping?
「This isn’t okay at all.」
The weight on my back is far too light, even considering her small frame and equipment.
The Eris who used to be with me was a picture of health by anyone’s standards. But the Eris on my back now is far from that.
I recall the scene from earlier when she was eating the food I made.
Until Ash took her plate away, she held the food we’d brought but didn’t seem to be eating at all.
Her pale skin with visible veins, her light weight on my back—none of this suits her.
No matter what happened in the past, I don’t want to see her like this.
「Damn it all.」
Is this Ryūgūin’s doing?
「I can’t forgive this.」
Setting aside the issue of her memories of me, Ryūgūin had been ignoring how exhausted his companion had become all this time. That makes it even worse—
「I’ll never forgive him.」
I’ll definitely make him pay for everything he’s done.
○○○
With Eris on my back, I spend about ten minutes searching the wilderness floor before finally finding the stairs leading down.
「Here goes nothing!」
With a feeling similar to diving, I start descending the stairs, but the visibility is terrible.
「Please, no enemies while we’re going down… seriously.」
I continue descending, silently praying.
Fortunately, my worries don’t come true, and after a while, the view finally starts to clear.
And then, before I know it—
「Huh?」
I find myself at the entrance of the Sealed Dungeon, in front of the cave with the Sealing Shrine.
「What?! How?! What’s going on?!」
I’m utterly confused.
And for good reason.
After defeating several bosses and walking a considerable distance, all our efforts have been in vain, and we’re back to square one. Having conquered challenging dungeons before, I can sense it instinctively.
The Sealed Dungeon is still very much intact.
Does this mean we have to start over?!
As I’m panicking, I lower my gaze and discover—Sensei, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.
「Sensei?! Then what about the other three?!」
◇◇◇
Time rewinds a bit.
It’s around the time when Yamada Ichiro started acting together with Eris Gladius in a separate space.
Saint Mika recognizes this scenery.
The moon and stars are shining brightly, illuminating the surroundings. This should be the wilderness that was once created in the deepest part of the Blade Dungeon.
「As I thought, this place is…」
Angelica, who is next to her, murmurs.
Saint Mika feels relieved for a moment that her guess was correct, but immediately her thoughts turn to their desperate situation.
「This place is…?」
Holy Knight Ashley Noble, who is standing next to them, asks.
「This is the boss floor of the Blade Dungeon— Wait, aren’t you Holy Knight Ashley?」
Angelica says, surprised. Naturally, Saint Mika is also surprised to find Ashley right next to her, just like Angelica. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she looks around, searching for the other members.
She’s looking for their companion Eris, of course, as well as Holy Knight Ichiro and the woman called Sensei.
Given their performance since entering the Sealed Dungeon, there’s no doubt that those two would be extraordinary assets.
「Holy Knight Ashley, let’s forget our differences for now and form an alliance.」
Saint Mika proposes. Beads of sweat, characteristic of someone driven by urgency, appear on her forehead.
「Hmm, I didn’t expect you to be the one to suggest this.」
「That response… can we take it as agreement?」
Angelica asks Ashley, with a sense of urgency in her voice.
「Of course. I’ve always thought we should combine our forces, not just until we meet up, but to conquer this dungeon. But why are you two so—」
She can’t finish saying 「panicked?」
「Can’t you hear that sound?!」
Angelica almost screams, cutting off Ashley’s question.
—Bong bong bong
The ominous tolling of the Sacred Sword shakes the air, a symbol of terror.
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