Chapter 88

After the battle in the underground city of Belsaris, the next day, I woke up in the master's room of the mansion where Beatrice had taken me.

I was told that the bed had been prepared for me to use whenever I came, and the comfort of the bed allowed me to fall into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, a fairy was fluttering its translucent wings in the morning light coming through the window, watching me.

"...Human child, have you finally awoken? Or should I call you by the name Dick?"

The fairy, who had once shown emotion, had returned to its original impersonal demeanor. However, the fact that it had thanked me at that time was not a mere memory discrepancy.

In other words, it seemed that I had been so exhausted from the temporary enhancement granted by everyone's power that I had lost consciousness.

After defeating the snake, I had watched as Diane ended her long life. After that, I embraced my master—just thinking about what happened next makes my face heat up.

"Ah... Did anything happen while I was sleeping? Did everyone bring me here?"

"Dick embraced the girls after the battle, and when it was Cordy's turn, he ran out of strength. Cordy caught Dick, and with Irene's help, they used the transfer array to return to the surface. There, a silver-haired man was surprised to see Dick, and from then on, he carried Dick. They decided that Dick needed rest and brought him here."

Though the fairy spoke matter-of-factly, it seemed that Leonoide was waiting for us when we returned to the surface.

And now, I remembered—Yuma pushed me forward, and Miralca came to me first. In front of everyone, I hugged each of them one by one.

(Well, we are party members, and expressing victory through hugs isn't... wrong, I think...)

The thought of Miralca, who usually wouldn't initiate a hug, doing so made me want to scratch my head in embarrassment. However, the indescribable sense of relief after finally hugging her, despite all the refusals, is still vivid in my mind.

—Her body was trembling slightly. Even if she was putting on a brave face, it was understandable given that we had almost been wiped out by the snake.

No one is fearless in battle. Those who can muster the courage to fight when they must are called "heroes."

I, too, once regretted why I had decided to fight such a monster. Carrying the Legion Dragon's core was just a coincidence.

However, I think it was a fortunate turn of events that the enemies we couldn't avoid in the dungeon ended up giving us something that ultimately saved us.

"...Hey, by the way, was it okay to come out of the dungeon?"

Realizing this now, I asked, and the fairy landed in front of me on the bed, where I had just sat up, and said:

"I was inside Miralca's chest, so I was embraced and comforted along with her."

"R-Really? ...Sorry, did you get squished?"

The fairy had been inside Miralca's ample chest—how could I not have noticed?

"I can change into a spirit form without a physical body, so I wasn't uncomfortable. However, by doing so, I was able to touch Miralca's emotions."

"Wait... Does that mean you could see into Miralca's heart?"

The fairy, which seemed indifferent to such matters, might have been able to tell me what Miralca was thinking while hugging me. Realizing this, I hurriedly asked, but the fairy, with its usual expressionless face, said:

"Miralca was relieved that Dick was safe. Through this, I learned that the emotion I felt inside myself was relief. If I had led the human children to their deaths, what I did would have been a mistake."

—At that moment, the fairy's expression darkened.

Despite its matter-of-fact way of speaking, the fairy clearly had emotions. Thinking this, I began to understand why the fairy was here.

If my guess was correct, I wouldn't ask if it was okay for the fairy to stay here.

"It's been a while since you've been in a city with many people. You should see as much as you want. You can stay at my house or this mansion if you like."

"I prefer the bar where Limserit lives. Alternatively, we could connect the ley lines of this mansion and the bar, making it possible to move between them at any time. If the human children need to rest here, it would be more convenient to be able to transfer."

The fairy spoke as if it were a simple matter, though it seemed impossible for humans to do such a thing easily.

(The ley lines of the ruin dungeon aren't as powerful, but if we can lay new ley lines and transfer through them... This fairy might be incredibly skilled...)

"...Correction. Being in Dick's guild house is more important than being in the bar where Limserit lives."

"No, that's not why I was silent. I thought ley lines only existed in the ruin dungeon, but that's not the case?"

"Magical places exist everywhere. The capital has several spots where magic accumulates. This mansion is one of them. Connecting places where magic has already accumulated isn't that difficult."

"That's true. I think it's something humans can't do easily."

Impressed, I said this, and the fairy stared at my face in silence for a while.

Looking at it, I wondered if it was modeled after the floating island's inhabitants or if it resembled my master—more specifically, Diane.

"...I only learned about Limserit yesterday. You remembered my master's name, didn't you?"

For some reason, I felt grateful. Everyone else probably remembers it too, but for me, the more people who know my master's name, the less lonely she becomes.

As a disciple, I think that's a good thing. If I say I'm as happy as if it were my own, it might sound forced.

"Remembering isn't difficult. Forgetting is harder."

"...Huh?"

"Even so, people forget sometimes. I envy that ability."

Does the fairy have something it wants to forget? I immediately thought of the defense force's fortress on the eleventh floor, where the fairy must have witnessed the defense force being wiped out by monsters.

"Time passes, and seeing various things might make it easier to forget painful memories. I think it was good to come here from the dungeon. Personally, I think so."

"...If you say so, Dick. Then, I'll call the others. I was told to inform them when you woke up."

"Ah, thanks. One more thing... Now that the 'Snake' is gone, what will happen to Sherry, who hosts a spirit fragment?"

I had already confirmed Sherry's safety after the battle. She seemed fine, but I wanted to ask just to be sure.

"The spirit fragment is a transcribed and stored version of the 'Snake's' power. When the 'Snake's' main body is defeated, the authority on the floating island transfers to the one hosting the spirit fragment. This doesn't mean being possessed by the 'Snake.' You can rest assured."

"I see... So, Sherry has gained incredible power... I'll need to explain this carefully to her later."

The ability to use the 'Snake's' authority likely means she can summon monsters to the dungeon. I need to confirm with Sherry what exactly she can do, but this could significantly change future dungeon exploration.

"I see the power of that girl as Dick's power as well. The floating island can be considered Dick's. Even if you don't raise it, all the functions within it are at your disposal. The right to do so belongs to the one who defeated the 'Snake.'"

"...Really? I think it's too much for me."

"Don't look like that. Dick has the power to control everything he sees. I see it that way."

What position does the fairy think I'm in? It's better than a low evaluation, but it makes me feel uneasy.

Speaking of evaluations, I had given my all in that battle, but has the adventurer strength measurement ended? I was wearing the measuring device, but it's not in this room.

However, the amulet of the Demon King is still around my neck, and the Legion Dragon's core is on the bedside chest.

"...I was told to inform the others when Dick woke up."

"Ah, thanks. Sorry about that."

"There's no need to thank me. You did so much for me."

The fairy seems to feel a sense of gratitude for being brought here. If it doesn't want to return to the dungeon, it's fine for it to stay.

Usually, Beatrice would act as the intermediary, but the fairy seems more considerate and willing to listen to requests than I thought.

(The others... I need to apologize for worrying them.)

I missed the chance to get out of bed and ended up receiving my first visitor—Zekt and Mizuha, the blue fox siblings.

◆◇◆

Since joining my guild, Mizuha's civilian clothes, which Zekt had bought for her, were a style not often seen in the capital. According to her, it was a combination of various ethnic costumes similar to what women in blue fox villages wear. Zekt, as usual, was wearing leather armor and a cloak, ready for an adventure.

"Master Dick, everyone said you were amazing. I wish I could have seen it... I know I shouldn't say that just out of curiosity."

"I didn't do much. We only survived because of the party."

"To hear you say that... It must have been a formidable enemy. I find myself thinking the same as my sister, wishing I could have seen it."

I had asked Zekt to manage the guild in my absence. He is SSS rank and has a solid strategy that prioritizes the safety of his comrades, making him suitable for the role. It might not be appropriate to think this about someone older, but...

However, Zekt has been acting embarrassed ever since he removed his hood upon entering the room.

"...I thought I knew the extent of Master's power, but it exceeded my imagination. The other guild masters' trust in you is well-placed. Through this, I realized you were the de facto leader of the Demon King extermination team."

"Well, Cordy was the leader, no doubt. I was more like a strategist. I don't think it was that different this time."

"Phew... What are you saying, Master? Everyone was so worried about you... Miralca was especially flustered. And Princess Manalina, her sister, and even the noble guards were there..."

Manalina, Timis, and Kirsh are here too—this is getting serious. Manalina must be concerned about us and came to check on us with her sister, Timis.

"Anyway,