-6-
LUNAÈRE AND I used the teleportation circle on the hundredth floor of Cocytus to get out of the dungeon, only to find the area enclosed with an even thicker wall than before.
It looked like they’d already defeated all the monsters.
The crowds of adventurers were shouting in joy and complimenting each other for their achievements. Their numbers had increased severalfold in the three days since Lunaère and I went into the dungeon. I heard that they’d gotten help from the Sopia Trading Company to gather volunteers, but they did a good job getting that many people here in only a few days.
“It seems you were able to defeat the demon,” said Veranta as he walked over to us.
“I’m just happy it looks like you managed to eliminate all the monsters on the surface,” I replied.
“It was quite an ordeal at one point. In the end, we had to call back most of the forces we placed to protect the various important locations in the world. I hope the higher beings don’t take advantage of this… Though, for the moment, let’s just enjoy the fact that we successfully resolved the major issue currently facing us. Cocytus was previously sealed in an ancient temple, but I will build something stronger in its place.”
It was reassuring to have Veranta, since his skill gave him the ability to deal with any situation, and he simply had good leadership skills. He was a huge help to have as an ally. Without him, there would have been ten—maybe twenty—times more people killed because of Lucifer.
“The majority of the people here are A-Rank adventurers right? So, around level 70?” I asked. “There’s not that many people at a higher level than that, and monsters over level 1,000 aren’t rare in Cocytus. You did a good job holding the line.”
“Because I placed my equipment around the battlefield. Besides, there are a good handful of people above level 200 in the world. They rarely step into the limelight, even if a country is at threat of destruction, but the Sopia Trading Company has the power to mobilize them,” explained Veranta with a hint of pride.
Thinking about it, Cardinal Wardell’s God Slayer Knights were in the 300s, and he didn’t seem to have any intentions of using them other than for fighting the higher beings. It did make sense that fighters usually kept secret would be hidden around the world.
A sudden loud cheer, greater than the others so far, echoed from a little way off.
“Look! It’s Lady Pomera, the Dragon God!”
“We won against these monsters because of the Dragon God Pomera!”
“Thank you, Dragon God Pomera!”
“You’ve saved the world!”
Oh hey, that’s a new title…
“E-excuse me, please stand back… Stand back! I-I heard Kanata’s back—I have to go see him!” cried Pomera. I could see her being pressed in by the crowds as she tried to hurry.
“Dragon God Pomera…?” I said, and Veranta nodded.
“Zolophilia borrowed the form of the First Dragon and contributed massively to the fight alongside Pomera. It seems various misconceptions and rumors are spreading.”
“Ah…yeah. This kind of thing’s happened a few times before. I think I get what happened.”
So far, Pomera had collected titles like Saint, Holy Fist, and even Holy Boozer. Now she’d finally made it up to God.
“I heard you’re back, which means you cleaned up that demon, yeah?” came Rosemonde’s voice from behind as I was talking to Veranta.
“You came to help too, Rosemonde-san?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ve been in this mess this far, I’m going to see it out to the end. And I am an A-Rank adventurer, kid.”
Just then, Ramiel swooped down to stand beside Rosemonde.
“Lookie here, you’re still alive,” she said. “These higher beings don’t seem to be all that, since they’re messing up dealing with you this much, hee hee hee.” She laughed, then narrowed her eyes and looked at Pomera in the distance and let out a heavy sigh. “But, you know…I’ve got a bone to pick about that half-elf girl being celebrated as a dragon god.”
Apparently even Ramiel came to the fight, but I didn’t think she would have bothered to come over just because she saw me. “Did you…come over because Rosemonde-san is here…?”
“Huh?” Ramiel glared grumpily at me.
“N-never mind, it’s nothing…”
…How attached is this dragonkin to Rosemonde?
“There’s Kanata, and Rosemonde,” came another voice, this time from a girl walking our way. She wore a light robe and had simple gauntlets covering her hands. Her evenly cut bangs and chilly gaze were features you couldn’t miss.
“Kotone-san…” I said.
Kotone Takanashi—the Aries’s Hand—and a traveler from another world just like me. The last time I saw her was in Manaloch, the city of magic.
“Oh right, so they called the other travelers here too…” I said.
Travelers were normally given a gift skill by the higher beings, and I’d heard those abilities were often balance breakers. Kotone wasn’t really that high a level, but her Aries’s Hand skill let her perfectly use any weapon. She would be a huge force to reckon with against the monsters of Cocytus if Veranta gave her a weapon.
“That masked man told me you’re in a lot of trouble. I had no idea you were wrapped up in such a big mess,” she said.
“Yeah… My selfishness ended up causing those monsters to spill out of the dungeon.”
“You’re wrong. As long as those poor excuses for gods are doing whatever they want, this kind of thing was going to happen someday. You shouldn’t blame yourself too much.”
“Thanks…”
It sounded like Veranta had told the other travelers about the situation. All the travelers would have had contact with the higher beings in the first place, and, on top of that, they all had skills with powerful potential.
He must have decided it would be better to be open with them and get their help rather than make some poor attempt to hide the truth.
“Though, if you told everyone here about the higher beings, the world would fall into chaos, probably…” I said, explaining it to myself.
“Actually…I intend to go public with the information,” Veranta said in response to me talking to myself.
“Huh…?” I didn’t think I heard him correctly.
“I said, I intend to go public with the information. I will tell everyone that the world of Locklore and everyone in it are nothing more than crude entertainment for the higher beings.”
That was a seriously explosive statement. It left me lost for words.
If he did that, Locklore would lose all its value as entertainment for the higher beings. It wouldn’t matter what absurd disaster there was, everyone would know it was all the higher beings’ doing.
“First, we start with the adventurers here. We gather up anyone who seems like they could be useful and train them up, until we have a high-level fighting force. We will make it so the higher beings will be unable to interfere with this world, no matter how hard they try.”
“I-isn’t that…a bit dangerous? We don’t know what they’ll do if we make them that powerful…”
“Why aren’t you willing to go all in for this? I had already considered this would be the only possibility from the moment I joined you. The die has already been cast. Our only option is to completely eliminate the higher beings’ influence on this world. We have removed the majority of the pawns in the world, and those remaining are in our control. Even so, the higher beings will send a force at us, and we must create an unstoppable force that can immediately repel anything they send at us.”
“What?!”
“Kanata, you can’t possibly be under the misconception that this fight is yours alone? We will free Locklore from the higher beings. This is a revolt, a war between the entirety of Locklore’s humanity against the higher beings.”
This is turning into something huge… Actually, this is what it always was, from the very beginning.
I continued to exist against the higher beings’ will, and that kept reducing the value of Locklore in their eyes. There was never any other option in the end but to fight, with the entire world on the line.
“There is something I wish to see…” said Veranta. “A Locklore that’s not controlled by the higher beings’ malice, not simply a playground for them. I want to see the real Locklore. You two, Kanata and Lunaère, are the ones who showed me that dream. Don’t tell me that after all this, you aren’t prepared to do what needs to be done.”
“Of course we’re prepared. We’ve come this far. I can’t even imagine what the higher beings are going to throw at us next, but we recovered the world’s pawns and we beat back Reniement and Lucifer. We’re going all the way,” I said, and Veranta smiled beneath his mask.