Chapter 51

"Light, isn't it...?"

At the cheerful voice, Senri seemed to lose all composure.

"Senri, are you okay?"

"Yui-sama..."

Senri, who was still sitting on the ground, looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

"I'm third... Senri is second, the qualification..."

An existence that can use the gate, other than reincarnated individuals...

What Aria said about the cause of the birth of reincarnated individuals.

Transferer

God's vessel? Substitute?

"Senri, do you understand Japanese?"

"Oh! Yui-sama, you can speak the language of your grandparents' hometown?! I can barely remember a few words! I can't speak it, though."

"Senri's grandfather and grandmother, could they be...?"

In an instant, a shadow from my feet flew towards my throat.

"Yui-sama!"

"Yui-sama?!"

No one could stop it.

There was a metallic sound, followed by the clinking of chains.

Around my neck, a collar connected to my shadow, a mysterious substance that exists but cannot be touched, had been placed.

Next to the shadow, the Dark Spirit, who had been unexpectedly pushed out, lay with a stunned expression.

"Guide! What happened to Yui-sama!"

《A third-level qualifier has seen through the conditions of a second-level qualifier and a first-level qualifier. Emergency measures are being activated.》

Ah... Is this bad?

But since it's a gate made by a god, it would be strange if a qualifier couldn't make guesses, right?

First-level qualifiers are the transferred individuals who house a god, second-level qualifiers are their close relatives... and third-level qualifiers are us, the reincarnated individuals.

"Wait! Wait a moment!! What emergency measures are being taken on Yui-sama!"

Senri called out, his face pale.

Seeing his reaction, I understood.

If this was just a normal guess, it probably wouldn't have been a problem.

"Is it for Senri's safety?"

"Yui-sama?! What are you agreeing to?"

"Ah, Yui-sama, did you hit the nail on the head with something?"

Mimachi, who had been released by Endelia, checked the untouchable collar and leaned close to the shadow where the chain was extending.

"This isn't magic. I suspect it's divine power."

"The Dark Spirit has been pushed out of the shadow, so your guess is probably correct."

"How can Yui-sama be released!?"

Everyone is pale. Even Mimachi, though her tone is normal, looks tense and pale.

"......"

"Is, is it my fault?"

Especially Senri, his face was filled with despair as if he had been the one to have the tight collar placed around his neck.

"It's not your fault, Senri."

I tried to move my feet.

"Oh!"

I walked, but my feet didn't move forward. I waved my hands, but the shadow's shape didn't change at all.

"This seems to be a case where Yui-sama alone is caught by the labyrinth's rules. The stretching effect of the labyrinth seems to be active only within the range of the shadow."

I remembered the labyrinth Aria had created.

"Even if I walk as much as I want, I can't move from this spot?"

"Probably, even if someone else picks you up... If they try to take you out of the shadow's range, the collar might tighten."

I placed my finger on my chin.

"Then,"

I extended a thread of magic and had the Moon Water Spirit bite it.

I asked them to moderately dehumidify the area around us.

"Should I change clothes?"

Even if we inform Arjitt-sama and discuss the situation, I can't stay in my bathrobe.

"! I'll go tell Arjitt-sama about the gate and everything that's happened so far."

Ruururu raised her hand.

"I'll stay here to guard Yui-sama."

"No, no, Stor can't get through to Arjitt-sama without armor!"

Mimachi's comment made Stor freeze.

"That's true. We don't have enough people to bring a full set of armor. Senri should also stay within the range of the labyrinth hot springs. I'll bring clothes for the three of us."

Senri's hand, which had been raised to offer to bring the armor, dropped limply.

"Mimachi will guard Yui-sama, and Senri will watch to make sure Mimachi doesn't do anything inappropriate to Yui-sama."

"No, no, no, even I wouldn't act on instinct in such a situation!?"