259 So let's go back to that day.

Unlike Ecdysium and Wolfe's team, my team is hidden in robes except for me. What this means is that I'm going to have to make my way through this corridor of traps all by myself.

...... Are you okay, Harkdock?

"...... Oh. Sort of.

It's not uncommon to get caught in a deadly trap thanks to instincts, but that doesn't mean that you can find out in advance what will trigger the trap.

Now there's a perfect example. When I was walking down the corridor, there seemed to be a switch at my feet that triggered the trap, and Instinct suddenly kicked me by making my foot swerve to the right. Naturally, I followed it and forcibly changed the position of my foot, but ...... well, I could avoid the trap. You can avoid the trap, but it's hard to maintain your stance after that, and you end up falling down in a big way.

Masetta is looking down at me with an indescribably complicated face as I turn over. No, I've already explained to her about my instincts, so she understands the situation. That's why he doesn't look puzzled, he's a very nice guy. It's just that this is the fourth time I've seen him like this. It's fine to use the underground ruins, but why don't you clean them up a bit? They're covered in mud!

"And you've placed them in such a way that they'll catch on!

You're right, it's not a good idea. Isn't it the middle level already? Didn't the brothers say that the traps will decrease once you reach the middle level?

You're talking about two of the three routes. If that's the case, then the person ahead of you will be ...... Rituals. ...... Rituals.

Oh, that's right. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun.

You were going to call him "sir".

You're Morgana's boss. You can't just break a habit like that. Don't worry, I won't cut corners in battle.

Oh, I see. That's right. I'm pretty sure I'd call my brother and sister the same thing if they were my enemies. But I don't think Jestiff's brother would choose to antagonize his brothers and sisters.

But Ritual, ......, he's the one who tried to use Jestaff's brother. It's not a bad idea to pay a visit to your right hand man because of him.

It looks like we're already in the middle level, but unlike the other routes, they haven't built any large scale facilities. There are a number of small rooms similar to those on the upper levels, which are perfect for hiding and taking by surprise.

We were supposed to get to the church, right?

Did you see the collapsed corridor in the upper level? Maybe that's where they messed up our location.

That's how Tsk-ts'aari set it up. I thought it would not be a problem because I have the key that my brothers prepared, but did they do a rush job to make it impossible to recognize friend and foe alike? The instincts don't respond unless there's a danger to life.

There are two exits in this room. There are no dangerous traps on either the left or the right. ...... Let's check the right one first.

Open the door on the right and go through it. It's hard to tell if you've hit the nail on the head or not because there's a passage leading to it. It's a good idea to check the left side first.

Get away from the door! Something's coming!

Suddenly I felt something like a murderous intent coming from the door. Masetta and the others move back to the back of the room, and I move away toward the passage. Then the ceiling at the door exploded, and the path was filled with debris.

"Hey, Masetta! Are you okay?

I didn't hear a reply, but I was closer to the explosion. I don't think he was caught in the explosion, maybe.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

The ceiling exploded one after another, and debris began to fall. It's not so much that the trap is being triggered, but that someone is deliberately detonating it. I'm not sure what to make of this.

I see a door in front of me and jump in. The chain of explosions seems to have stopped in the corridor and hasn't reached the ceiling of the room. What would have happened if I had been blown up to the dead end?

But they filled up the whole corridor. ....... I don't know if I'll be able to join you. ......

According to Masetta, the middle level of this route is a series of forks and junctions. Masetta remembers the detailed map, but ...... I don't remember it, of course. I guess it's impossible to merge in the shortest time.

I'll just have to go down the road and wait for them to meet up. --Don't be so hot on me. It's embarrassing.

The room I jumped into was like a storage room, with moderate piles of crates everywhere in sight. And from the shadows of those crates emanates a deadly energy that I have no intention of concealing.

"Hark, Doc. You're an enemy of Lord Rituals. ...... Why do you interfere with Lord Rituals?

A voice echoes through the room. It's a woman's voice, but it's somewhat muffled. It's not so much that she's having trouble speaking, but that she's having trouble ...... speaking at all. I wonder if he's a tsk-tskari, considering the trap he just set.

"You're the tsk-tskari? You're the Tudori? You set a trap for me like an idiot, and now my clothes are covered in mud!

Answer my question.

Then answer my question, too.

"......, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Oh, that's pretty straightforward. No, you're just doing this because you want to hear my answer. I'm going to try to find out what I can. The reason why you are against Littoral even though you are the same bastard: .......

"I'm just fighting for the one who saved me. You may have been saved or guided by a LITIAL, but no LITIAL showed up for me. If you have a problem with that, tell it to the one who left me out.

My parents abandoned me and I was on my own, but it was Jestaff's brother who saved me. That's why I'm here now. If only Liyal had saved me, I'd probably be standing with T'Dwali and the others as my brothers' enemies.

"Lord Lityal fights for the lost children who can't adapt to this world. Don't let there be more like you or me.

I see. That's admirable. I'm not making fun of you. I think it's admirable. But I'm not saying you have to be a bastard to do that. In fact, the person who saved me understands bastards. And the man who's your Lord Lytely's enemy this time.

I don't know what there is to saving the bastard has to do with perfecting the reanimation magic and creating a new Demon Lord. I'm sure you'll be able to find an answer that makes sense to me if you're polite about it.

"Are you saying that if Littoral is right, and you don't deny that possibility, then you're the enemy?

"Who's right or wrong is none of my business. I'm living to repay the debt of salvation, and until I've repaid the debt of gratitude to my brother Jestiff, we'll continue on our path together, no matter how evil or wrong it is.

It would be best if you were on the right path. But you and your brothers know that much. Much more than I do. They've made their decision and they're moving on. It's uncouth for a fool to interfere with that way of life.

"Foolishness: ......

"Oh, you're the stupidest member of this raid. Oh, wait. Am I dumber than Lakra? No, no, no. ......

I'm sure I'm the dumbest in terms of simple knowledge, but in terms of stupidity, isn't Lakra better? I'm not sure if I should say "down" or "up". Oh man, I'm not so sure about that. I'll ask my brother next time.

It's no use talking. When I heard about your birth, I thought it might be .......

"Or will you turn me in? Are you dumber than me? Are you going to betray him when you find out that he was wrong?

"Yes. You're smart, you know that?

Oh, he's the kind of guy who doesn't get sarcasm. But then again, I like loyal people, whether they're my enemies or my friends. You can compete to see who's feelings are stronger!

Take a deep breath and turn the whirlpool club left and right once. The upper level traps are keeping me nice and warm.

"For the first time in my life I've been called smart. I'm so happy I'm falling in love with you. Let's just kill each other first, okay?

◇

"I hope that idiot isn't dead. ......

A series of earth tremors were heard, which means that the end of the passage is almost buried. ....... I'm sure Harkdock can evacuate before the explosion, though. .......

'He'll have T'Dwali to deal with. So I wouldn't say he's safe, but he's not going to die any time soon.

"Ritual!

When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw Ritual-Zentry leaning against the open door to my left. How long have you been there ...... having Tudori hide you?

It's been a long time, Masetha. You seem to have relaxed a lot in the time I've been away. I see you've gotten rid of your feud with Rakhra Sarv.

The robe on my head slipped off when I took a stance, but from the looks of it, they knew I was on this team. Don't think it's a surprise, Masetta, but you're going to have to defeat him now, so don't get carried away.

I never wanted to be enemies with you if I could help it. I still believe that there was no one more qualified to be the guildmaster of Morgana than you.

"Thank you. I don't mean to deny your reputation. But I had more to accomplish than that. That's all.

"What need is there to perfect resurrection magic and create a new Demon Lord?

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm here. It seems that he has decided that talking like this will also buy him time.

"From now on, bastards will continue to be born. Right now, the birth rate is low enough that no two people have the same talent, but the frequency will increase. That's what Yugra has set up for the current human race.

"Bastards keep increasing ......?

"For Yugra, the bastard is a mechanism that allows the people of this world to take the place of the heroes. It is a curse that, over a long period of time, will gradually change the structure of the body so that humanity can have talents comparable to Yugra's.

This story was told to me by the representative. Yugra made sure that those with unique talents would remain in this world in order to fight the Demon King who kept coming back even after death. This is the first time I've ever heard that they just keep increasing.

What does that have to do with ...... increasing the number of Demon Lords?

"Humans are creatures that hate foreign objects. It's something that everyone is naturally aware of, regardless of the bastard. I'm sure you're aware of it too.

What came to my mind was a memory of me in the past, when I disliked Lakra, who stood out from the people around me. Whether it's in a good way or a bad way, people tend to have a dislike for those who are special. This is understandable.

"The number of beings we hate as individuals will continue to grow. The answer to what humanity will do when this happens is provided by those who have witnessed the armies of the Demon Lord in the past. A new race will swallow us all up, and we will be afraid of it.

......

"In conclusion, humanity rejects the bastard. "In conclusion, humanity rejects the bastard, sees it as an artificial monster, and works to eliminate it. Even if there is understanding now, it is only because there are so few of them.

There is no such thing as .......

Yes, there is. Do you know how much interference I received from people who were jealous of my talent before and after I became a guild master? It was the same when I was an adventurer, we were always ostracized.

I can't say that's true. When you're a famous adventurer, you're envied just as much as your fellow adventurers are. I had experienced this before, when I was in a good position in Morgana.

Once the bastard is recognized by the world, one day it will happen. By then it will be too late to reach out to them, or there will not be enough hands. There is a good chance that they will be saved by someone who understands them, like Harkdock or Wolfe, but most of the time they will be eliminated. I'm trying to bring new values to the world so that the bastards won't be forced into such a situation.

"New values: ......?

Yes, so that we don't have to be afraid of more bastards. To make the threat more tangible. If there's a demon lord, an enemy of humanity, people will fear him more than the bastard. What I'm trying to do is to continue Yugra's adjustment. The Yugra created the bastard to counter the threat of the Demon Lord. So I'm going to create more Demon Lords to counter the threat of the Bastard.

"Then it's just history repeating itself!

The Demon Lord drove humanity to the brink of extinction. It's difficult to judge whether it's right or wrong to have created a bastard for that purpose, but it's easy to see that increasing the number of Demon Lords will bring humanity to the brink of extinction once again.

I won't let it happen again. I have these eyes. If the Demon Lord is the one who understands my will and can accomplish it, then what appears to be a harsh world can be harmonious behind the scenes.

That's not ...... guaranteed to work. ......

"Yugra's choice of the Demon Lord was a mistake. Everyone is selfish, and as a result, the one who created the Demon Lord, Yugra, has to defeat him. But it seems that only the Scarlet Witch King was trying to be a proper enemy of humanity.

The memory of the Scarlet Witch King's invasion is still fresh. The Scarlet Witch King's invasion is still fresh in our minds. If such a terrifying army had broken through the human army, how much damage would have been caused? Lytiar says that only the Scarlet Witch King was right.

"You're risking humanity just to protect your bastard?

"Just to protect the bastard!" I'm not impressed. You want me to get rid of the bastard just to avoid endangering humanity?

The story is not so extreme. But I can't say for sure that what Ritual says won't happen. I've seen the bastards. We can accept their humanity, but do we accept their talents and abilities? How can we be sure that deep down they are not feeling jealousy or fear?

The first thing that popped into my head, and the last thing that popped into my head again, was ...... Harcudok . Knowing his past, feeling sorry for him, accepting him for who he is--

"I'm not a bastard. I'm not a bastard, but I understand and sympathize with what you're saying. I've been jealous of many people's talents and circumstances. I do think it's wrong for the bastard to continue to be in a dangerous position.

...... And yet you deny me.

It seems that Lytial has already guessed how I'm going to say it back. But I think this is something that needs to be said clearly.

"Yes. I know someone who is a bastard other than you. He is saved and guided by someone who understands and can walk with people who are not bastards.

Is he specially blessed because...

No, it's you who are special, Littoral. His life and yours may be different, but that's normal. There are differences, but they are not special.

Harkdok said I was amazing and complimented me on many things. Just as he is recognized by those who are not bastards, he is also recognized by those who are not bastards.

"He can trust those who are not bastards. But you can't. That's why you're so eager to carry out this plan.

"......

There must be something in your past that makes you that way. I don't know about it. So I'm not going to deny you everything. But I will respect the lives of those who are happier than you.

Even if that means that some people will never be saved?

Of course I will find them and save them if I can. We will find them and save them if we can, so that others like you won't have to do it again.

The representative said. He said I may be narrow-minded and untalented, but I'm pure and upright. He said I should move forward rather than stand still. That if I did, something would come up in my future that only I could accomplish, and I would do it.

I can't imagine how much pain and despair you've felt in the past, but I can face it as a normal human being.

That's idealistic.

Yes. It is human nature to pursue ideals.

I'm not saying that you're a shallow ideal ...... who just wants to be safe and sound. At the very least, you'll use those ideals to defy my will and become an enemy to be defeated.

I don't know what Lytial is thinking right now. What I do know is that this is the end of the story. I mean, why am I talking so passionately?

What the hell, I've said everything I wanted to say to you. I'm the oldest, what's the point?

Don't do it, Masemase. ......

Yeah, right. I was worried that you might not be here because you don't smell of alcohol, but there's no reason why you shouldn't be here. ...... Gradna.

I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

I'm sure you're not aware of this.

"You may not realize it, but the rest of the team has already reached the middle layer. You may not realize it, but the rest of the team has already reached the middle layer.

"Yeah, that's right.

I had completely forgotten about it as we made our way through the middle levels, but the signal from the Ex-Doic and Wolfe teams had come. It seems that we were the last to make contact with the enemy in the middle level.

That was a very nice thing to say, Masetha! I was so impressed, I didn't even have time to say anything!

Oh, Mr. Mix, ...... I'm embarrassed to be praised again. ......

I'm surprised. You're here too?

He also took off his robe, as he no longer needed to hide it. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

It's not that he couldn't see it coming.

It's not that he couldn't see it coming, but that he was ignoring it. I've read that in order to break through the upper levels, each team should have at least one adventurer who is familiar with traps. In that case, Wolfe's team would be .......

"Oh, you look like you've noticed. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it.

"Littoral, don't forget about the ones who were trying. You know, there's a guy you and I know who's really good at scouting.

Mr. Gradna is smirking. In response to this, Ritual's expression changed to one of shock and dismay.

"...... You didn't bring a van?

"Yes! I'd have invited Salve too if I could have, you know? And then you'd have sent your troops to Taze or something, right?

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea. Ban is a merchant from Taze, but he used to be one of the adventurers who worked with Ritual and Gladna. He was recommended by the representative to be a part of this raid.

I've read that they won't play only the best moves, but even if they do ......, it'll be our team.

It's a good idea to take care of your strength. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Your friend judged that Lord Gladna and Lord Masetta, who are well versed in the field, are not enough!

The same goes for Mikus-san, the adventurer from Morgana. Well, the more the merrier, I suppose.

"What the hell, Ritual? Did you want to see Ban that badly? Why don't you just stick with me and I'll give you a hug?

"No thanks, even if you don't reek of alcohol. Gradna, I'd rather be with Van than talk to you.

"I'd rather hug you than talk to you, Gradna." "Hmm, I'd rather hug Masemase or Mik-Mik. Heh heh ......

This is the Fist Saint: ....... How can you learn that glory does not equal character? .......

I'm not sure what to make of that. But that doesn't mean I've misread you. Even if the pattern is different, I've already made assumptions for when Mr. Mix is in the mix.

Lytiar pulled out the sword on his hip. Yes, I'm familiar with that sword. There is not an adventurer in Morgana who does not know the anecdote of Ritual-Zentry. With the exception of ...... Lakra.

He was once known as the "True Eye" and excelled at finding talented and talented people, but Ritual also has his own tales of valor. I can't overlook the presence of that sword at that time.

"Holy Sword, Dioxide. It's been a long time coming.

"Enchanted swords are an ironic thing. If it's created by evil, it's called a demon sword. If it's created by good, it's called a holy sword. I'm not sure if this sword I'm holding now is worthy of being called a holy sword, what do you think?

Diozide, the holy sword that appears in every anecdote about Ritual where he directly solves a problem. For him, it is the most powerful weapon with which he is inextricably linked. Whether it be the path of righteousness or the path of evil.

I don't know, if I pawned it, I wouldn't have to worry about paying for alcohol.

"That's why I wanted you in the van, not you. It'll age the conversation.

If we're getting younger, that's good. Let's go back to that day and have some fun!

Thus began a battle between legendary adventurers that will be told throughout history.