♢ Sumire’s POV ♢
Victory goes to the challenger.
The moment I heard those words, I scrambled out of the hollow and raced over to Eugene. He had slumped to his knees, eyes dull.
“Eugene!” I yelled as I practically threw myself at him and hugged him tight.
It took a long time before he rasped, “Are you okay, Sumire?”
“Stop worrying about me! You’re so much more...”
I trailed off. Though Eugene hadn’t sustained any serious injuries, even breathing was taking a lot out of him, and he could hardly speak. He’s a mess... Seeing him like this made me want to weep out of frustration. I’m useless. All I do is cry and wait for him to save me. Why am I so weak?
“We should head for the Dungeon Elevator,” he said. “The dungeon staff might’ve arrived.”
“R-Right.”
We stood up and made our way through the 20th Level without exchanging a single word the entire time. Eugene was still unsteady on his feet, and each step seemed to require a gargantuan effort. I slowed down to match his pace. When we reached a small clearing, we paused. Cerberus had trampled the trees and its claws had left deep gouges in the dirt. Here and there, I could see pools of deep crimson blood.
“Huh?”
It took a moment for my mind to catch up and realize that I had been the one to say that. My brain wasn’t processing the sight before me. Red things were scattered all over the clearing, making for a grotesque sight. I recognized them as the corpses of the Martial Arts Club members. Everyone’s bodies had been mangled or ripped apart. In their last moments, they must have been terrified by the sight of death all around them, for the faces of some were still twisted in fear. I couldn’t stand to gaze upon the carnage for any longer.
“Ah...aah...” Wordless noises kept leaking from my mouth while Eugene stood in silence, his expression tense. Then I saw her. Miss Leona was lying in a pool of her own blood. “No way...”
I staggered over to the pile of meat that had once been Miss Leona. I thought back to her bright smile when she’d invited us to camp with them...her serious expression when she was teaching me martial arts...her excited voice when she scouted me for her club... It had been just half a day ago, so all the memories remained, clear and pristine, in my mind. But I would never be able to make new ones with her.
I collapsed to the ground and broke down in tears. Why? How did this happen? Is this what’s considered normal in this world? Is this a place where friends I made mere hours ago can die the next instant?
“I can’t do this,” I wailed. “I can’t... I can’t live in a world like this.” Between Eugene’s presence and my new friendship with Miss Leona, I’d started to like this place a little. But now... This is too cruel. Just too cruel! “Take me back! Take me back to my original world! God, if you’re listening...” Another sob cut my empty pleas short as tears continued to pour from my eyes.
That was when I felt an arm around my shoulders, tugging me into a hug. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Eugene. What? No words of comfort could soothe the pain in my heart.
“Sumire, do you want to return to your original world?”
At Eugene’s words, the blood rushed to my head.
“Of course I do! How do you expect me to live in this hellhole?! What kind of stupid world is this, where your friends can die at any minute?! My world was...my world was so much more peaceful than this place!” I shouldn’t have been saying this. Eugene had helped me so much. He’d put his life on the line to save me from that horrible monster. But I couldn’t hold the words in. This was nothing more than a tantrum. Nothing more than an act of embarrassing hysteria. “I want to go back! Take me back! Back to my original world!”
“Sumire.”
Eugene was speaking to me, but I couldn’t reply. I was all mixed up; not even I was sure what I wanted to do. I have to calm down, the rational side of me was saying, but another part of me wanted nothing more than to indulge in more tears. Then I heard Eugene’s voice.
“I’ll help you get back to your original world.”
Huh? What are you talking about? “That’s impossible!” I snapped back, my head shooting up to glare at him.
But Eugene’s expression was dead serious. “For every hundred floors an explorer conquers in the Last Dungeon, they can receive a Heaven’s Gift from God.”
“Um, what’s that?” I didn’t understand what he was trying to say. Why was he bringing that up right now?
“The Heaven’s Gift you receive on the 500th Level is something called the World Gate. Apparently, you can use that to travel to another world.”
For a long time, I couldn’t say anything, and even when I finally mustered up the strength, the only word that escaped me was “Huh?” T-Travel to another world? There’s something out there that’ll let us do that?! If I reach the 500th Level, I can go back to my original world?! U-Um... Thoughts still jumbled together, I managed to say, “Th-There’s no point. I’m an Ifrit now, so even if I return, it’s not as if I can just live as a normal human—”
“The Heaven’s Gift on the 300th Level is the Spring of Transfiguration, which lets you take on any shape you want. You can use that and transform yourself back to the human you were before your reincarnation.”
“Wha—?! HUUUUH?!” For a miracle to be that attainable—it’s almost too good to be true! “W-Wait, so, I really can go back to my original world?!”
“Well, only one person has reached the 500th Level in the past five centuries, which means they’re also the sole person who saw the World Gate. It’s basically a myth at this point, so I can’t guarantee anything,” Eugene said, looking apologetic.
“B-But there’s still a chance that it is real, right?!”
“Yeah. Christo, the first-place Record Holder for Babel, spoke of his experiences. He said that the World Gate was on the 500th Level, and he could use it to travel to alternate worlds at will.”
“So then, I can go back?”
“At the risk of repeating myself, but no other explorer had ever made it there to confirm whether Christo was telling the truth. We only have his word to go on.”
However, now that I knew the possibility of going home existed, the weight on my heart lifted. I felt like I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, Eugene just won against that Cerberus monster, which is supposed to be super strong! If he’ll help me out, then there’s a chance we can make it up there! However, I still had a question I needed an answer to. “Eugene, why are you going through so much to help me?”
I’d blurted it out without thinking. What in the world was I expecting? Eugene was my guardian; that was the only reason he put up with my selfishness. He would just tell me it was his job.
“Huh?” Eugene looked surprised. “Hmm...” He looked upward as if lost in thought, then murmured, “The Santafields hail from a small country on the Eastern Continent. Our original name was written with the characters for ‘holy field.’ As a lineage of Sword Saints, we guarded our masters for generations. Granted, a war ended up destroying our homeland.” I’d heard this story before, back when we were sharing a tent. “When my old man found a new master—the emperor of Grenflare—I was pretty jealous of him. I guess the urge to serve is just written in our genes.”
A master? They’re like the samurai in my old world.
“So when I lost the master I wanted to serve—my childhood friend who wanted to become the next empress—I felt like I’d lost my goal in life.”
“R-Right.” I nodded awkwardly at Eugene’s sad anecdote.
Looking me straight in the eye, he continued, “My dad...no, my entire family has a creed we uphold. A Santafield must not swing a sword for himself. We must use our swords for others.”
“I...see.”
“I was thinking about that earlier. Though I lost a master to protect, I can still wield my sword to help a crying girl.”
Crying girl? I didn’t know how to respond until I noticed Eugene was staring at my face—my face, which was wet and messy with tears. I felt like a pathetic child who’d started crying while throwing a tantrum and so hurriedly wiped my cheeks.
“That’s why I want to get you to the 500th Level, Sumire. If I manage that, you might be able to return to your original world, right?” He smiled. His eyes were clear, absent of doubt or uncertainty. I could tell he really meant the words he said.
“Th—”
I’d wanted to thank him, but I stopped myself. Eugene was a sweet person, and his kindness made me want to rely on him. But was that the right thing? Should I hide like I had earlier and leave all the fighting to him? Was it right of me to let him suffer while I quivered in fear behind him? No, absolutely not.
“Eugene!” I said. “Let’s go to the 500th Level together. I’ll help you out too!”
“Sumire?”
I grabbed his hands. “I’ll get stronger! According to the headmaster, Ifrits are really powerful, so I’ll train and become a good fighter too! If we work together, we can definitely make it up there! I’ll get you to the 500th Level and carve a new record into that stone plaque!” I was speaking so fast that the words were tumbling together.
Eugene looked surprised, but his expression soon softened into a smile. “Yeah, you’re right. With only white mana, I’m a Swordmaster who deals zero damage against my enemies. Without your mana, reaching the 500th Level is beyond my wildest dreams.”
I hurriedly shook my head. “Th-That wasn’t what I meant by it!”
Eugene slowly held out his right hand. “Become my partner, Sumire. Let’s aim for the 500th Level together.”
“Partner”? That sounds wonderful! I would rely on him, and he would count on me. We would combine our powers and work together to overcome any difficulty in our path.
“Yeah! Let’s go!” With a bright smile, I held Eugene’s hand and shook it.