“He’s willing to give us a year per person, so seven years total, to make our labyrinths. In that time, he won’t drive people to war. The church will claim victory over the rebels and stop their witch hunts as well.”
That would be the end of the Liberators’ story, as far as the public was concerned. Of course, Miledi and her six companions would still be at large, but people would return to their everyday lives, secure in the knowledge that the church had won.
If Miledi broke her agreement at any point in time, Ehit would immediately blanket Tortus in insanity once more and destroy the world for good.
“Then, after the seventh year ends and the labyrinths are built...Miledi Reisen will be executed to bring an end to the current game.”
“Wait, why?!” Oscar shouted. He’d kept his tongue the whole time, but this was too much.
“Weren’t we supposed to become the masters of our respective labyrinths?! Why do you need to die?!”
Meiru and the others also shot Miledi concerned looks, and she smiled sadly at them.
“There’s no way that bastard would just agree without making some demands.”
Ehit wanted Miledi Reisen to be executed to properly put an end to the Liberators’ story. Then, after she was executed, her soul would be transferred to an undying vessel of her choice. After that, the seven ancient magic users would never be able to interact with each other or the outside world again.
“But I negotiated the terms a little. In exchange for staying at the bottom of my labyrinth for eternity, the rest of you will be able to pick just one person who you’ll be allowed to interact with. There are a few other details, but that’s the main gist of the deal.”
“Like hell we’re taking that deal,” Oscar shouted, rising to his feet.
“Miledi, you need to calm down and think about this,” Naiz said, glaring at her.
“Yes, this is a completely unreasonable deal, Miledi-chan,” Meiru added.
“Precisely. Do you really think we’ll allow you to suffer alone like that?” Lyutillis asked.
“There’s no way we’re accepting those terms,” Vandre spat.
Only Laus said nothing. He simply hung his head, grimacing. Unlike the others, he understood that this really was the best option, though that didn’t make it any easier to accept. He didn’t mind spending the rest of his life at the bottom of a labyrinth. It was forcing Miledi to spend eons waiting for a conclusion that might not ever come that he couldn’t accept.
“Do we have any other choice?” Miledi asked resolutely, and Oscar and the others fell silent.
They hadn’t even managed to actually fight Ehit, let alone kill him. So long as there were people held hostage within the Sanctuary, Oscar and the others would have a hard time making any progress. Moreover, the fact that Ehit had been willing to accept this deal meant that he was confident he could handily beat someone capable of using all seven ancient magic. Even if Miledi and the others were able to force a showdown with Ehit, there was no guarantee they could beat him.
“There has to be some other way! Something else we can do!” Oscar shouted.
“Honestly, there might be,” Miledi replied calmly.
“Then—”
“But we don’t have the time to look for it. This is the best we can do right now.”
People were wrapped up in a growing wave of paranoia, and they were on the verge of killing each other. So, while Miledi and the others searched for the ideal solution, more and more innocent lives would be lost. That was why Miledi had gone and made the deal alone, even though she’d known it wasn’t fair to Oscar and the others, and that they would be against it.
Of course, Miledi’s decision meant that in the future, others would be forced to dance on Ehit’s game board. In the end, she’d just delayed the problem. In fact, it was entirely possible even more people would be sacrificed in the future than would die now if Miledi and the others powered through to fight Ehit.
Ehit had been right when he’d called Miledi’s choice foolish. But even so, it had been the only way.
“I can’t sacrifice the people of the present for the sake of the future. But if we all die, then there won’t be any hope left at all!” Miledi shouted, her voice raw with emotion. Everyone could tell that it was Miledi who hated having to make this choice most of all.
But even so, Oscar couldn’t accept this outcome. In an equally emotional voice, he shouted, “Don’t you get it?! It might be ages before someone strong enough to inherit all our ancient magic appears!”
It was hard to tell if he was trying to convince Miledi to change her mind or just railing against the harshness of reality.
“I know!”
“We might not get to see each other again before we die! We might all end up leaving you behind!”
“I know!”
“Once we’re gone, you won’t even have the comfort of knowing your comrades are fighting for the same cause as you! It might take hundreds, even thousands of years of solitude before—!”
“I don’t care even if it takes a million years!”
Miledi looked over Oscar, Meiru, Naiz, Vandre, Lyutillis, and Laus, her unwavering gaze piercing through all of them.
“I’ll wait for as long as it takes! Because I believe that people are strong! One day, someone’s going to appear who can finally save this world from that shitty god!”
Ehit had proposed these conditions because part of the entertainment for him was seeing whether or not Miledi broke under the weight of time. Miledi knew that, and she didn’t care. She’d been prepared from the start to endure. What really pained her was forcing her comrades to spend the rest of their lives in labyrinths as well. She had managed to negotiate enough that they’d be able to spend time with one other person at least, but she still felt bad about making this decision for them.
“Please, lend me your strength, everyone.”
However, these six were also the only people she felt comfortable making unreasonable demands of. They were the only people she could rely on, the only people she could entrust her back to. Until now, Miledi had been loath to rely on others, but she trusted Oscar and the others more than any of her other comrades. They were special.
A long silence followed her plea. Oscar and the others bit their lips in frustration, clenched their fists, and desperately tried to think of a way out of this dark predicament.
After a long time spent searching fruitlessly for another way, Oscar finally said, “I can’t do it, Miledi. I can’t bring myself to work toward confining you to a life of solitude.”
He turned his back to Miledi and walked away, blood dripping from his clenched fists.
“I need some time to think,” Meiru said as she staggered out of the grove, looking pale as a ghost.
In a quiet voice, Naiz said, “You and Oscar were the ones who dragged me out of a life of solitude.”
He gritted his teeth, leaving without saying anything more.
“......” Vandre silently turned on his heel and walked off, his expression inscrutable.
“Miledi, you truly are strong...” Lyutillis mumbled in a sad voice, trailing after Naiz.
“Sorry...” Laus said, lamenting his own powerlessness. After a few seconds, he left as well, leaving Miledi alone in the forest.
She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. Instead of going after them and trying to convince them, she stayed behind. After all, the ultimate decision she’d made was to believe in people and wait.