Chapter 49

"Hey~ Nice to meet you~ I'm the beloved Milly Leisen~"

The huge magical automaton, equipped with fearsome gear and full-body armor, and with a gaze that could freeze a person, greeted them casually. No one knew what to say at this moment, and Aichi certainly didn't know either. Aichi's head stiffly faced forward, barely avoiding reality. Yuki and Shia also seemed to forget that they were surrounded, their mouths hanging open in a daze.

Seeing the three of them so stiff, the huge magical automaton let out a somewhat displeased voice, a female tone.

"Hey~ You should also greet back, right? It's the bare minimum of politeness? All three of you, come on, that's why young people these days... Learn more common sense."

It was a truly annoying way of speaking. Moreover, the huge magical automaton crossed her burning right hand and her left hand wrapped in a spiked chain, waiting, and then said, "Oh well, really," while shrugging. Aichi and the others became impatient, and it reminded them of the annoying internet posts they often saw. Since she had introduced herself as "Milly Leisen," it was possible that she was the real person, but she should have been dead, and she should have been human.

Aichi decided to start with a test.

"Sorry, but Milly Leisen is a deceased human, right? Besides, I've never heard of a self-aware magical automaton... I was so shocked I couldn't speak, so I'll just pretend I didn't see it. Then, tell us who you are, briefly."

"Wow~, you're quite impressive in this situation, aren't you?"

It wasn't a test at all, rather a direct question. Indeed, Aichi's reaction seemed to be unexpected, and the huge magical automaton, who claimed to be Milly, looked somewhat flustered. But she quickly recovered, and if she were human, it was easy to imagine her smiling and talking to Aichi and the others.

"Hmm~? When I first appeared, I was in the form of a magical automaton~ Why did you think I was human..."

"Oscar's diary mentioned a bit about you. It clearly states that Milly is a human woman. But, I don't like this kind of silly Q&A. Let's get to the point, I'm in a bad mood, and my goal won't change. I'll proceed to scrap you. So, don't waste my time, just tell me the truth."

"Oh, oh, oh. What are you saying to someone who's been eagerly waiting for a long time, with a heart full of joy. By the way, you mentioned Oscar? Could it be, the conqueror of Oscar's labyrinth?"

"Yes, I conquered Oscar Orkus's labyrinth. But, I'm the one asking the questions. If you don't want to answer, are you ready to fight? It's not something I absolutely need to know. Our goal is only the ancient magic."

Aichi pointed the Donar at the huge magical automaton. Yuki had a serious face, while Shia looked at Aichi with a mix of admiration and surprise, saying, "Wow~ Not shaken at all~"

"…Ancient magic, huh. Is it to kill a god? Or to destroy me along with those bastards? If you're the conqueror of Oscar's labyrinth, you should understand the situation, right?"

"I've already said, I'm the one asking the questions. If you want me to answer, answer mine first."

"You~ are so self-important~ Well, whatever~ Where was I... Ah, my true identity. Hmm~"

"Be brief. No need for a long explanation like Oscar."

"Ahaha, indeed, Oscar always talks a lot~ Almost like a theorist."

The huge magical automaton looked up at the distance as if reminiscing. It was really a very human-like magical automaton. Yuki still had a blank expression, while Shia was paying attention to the surrounding magical automaton knights, looking a bit uneasy.

"Alright, I'll keep it simple as you asked.

I am indeed Milly Leisen, and all the strange things about magical automata are solved by ancient magic! If you want to know more, defeat me!

Is that the feeling?"

"Ultimately, what did you explain..."

"Of course, I can't give you information before you conquer the labyrinth, right? Otherwise, the labyrinth would lose its meaning?"

Milly Leisen made a "No!" gesture with her huge automaton fingers. Although it was hard to accept, except for the fact that she was Milly Leisen, she did seem cute. "…The real issue is the inner self," Yuki muttered, and Aichi seemed to share the same thought.

In the end, they almost knew nothing about her inner self. If it was Milly herself, Aichi speculated that she might have fixed her residual thoughts. Indeed, Aichi's classmate, Nakamura Eri, had the ability to summon spirits, which could uncover the vague memories of the dead. However, her ability to summon spirits should not be able to recreate such a clear consciousness. In other words, all of this was the will of the deceased? It must be some kind of ancient magic that could fix her soul in the magical automaton.

In any case, it seemed unrelated to the magic he was looking for to cross worlds. Aichi looked a bit dejected and asked the huge magical automaton, or rather, Milly Leisen.

"Is your ancient magic related to residual thoughts? If so, coming here would be useless."

"Hmm~? It seems you have a specific ancient magic in mind? By the way, my ancient magic is different~ I got help from Ral to fix the soul~"

Aichi's goal was always to return to his homeland by crossing worlds. He didn't know about souls or thoughts, and obtaining ancient magic to manipulate them would be meaningless. While thinking this, he asked, but Milly's answer was different from his speculation. Ral, who was mentioned, was unknown, but might be one of the "Liberators." According to Milly's will, this person fixed her soul in the magical automaton.

"Then, what is your ancient magic? Depending on your answer, we might leave right away..."

"Hmm~ Hmm~, do you want to know? Do you really want to know?"

Milly's voice was filled with laughter again, and Aichi waited impatiently for the answer.

"If you want to know~ Answer my questions first this time."

The last sentence changed the tone of her voice. The playful atmosphere disappeared, and it became more serious. Aichi and the others were slightly surprised by this change, but Aichi didn't show it on his face and asked back.

"What?"

"What is your purpose? What kind of ancient magic are you seeking?"

Her voice contained a meaning that did not allow lying, and Milly's question had no playful tone. Perhaps, this was her true self. After all, she was someone who challenged the gods for the masses. It was impossible for her not to know what the magic she entrusted would be used for. Moreover, unlike Oscar, who left a message with recorded images, she had been waiting for challengers in the depths of the labyrinth for hundreds of years, maintaining her self-awareness. It could be considered a form of torment. Perhaps, the playful attitude was just a facade, and the real her was a person with astonishing patience, willpower, and a high sense of responsibility.

Yuki had the same thought and looked at Milly Leisen with a different gaze. The pain of being alone in the dark abyss was something Yuki knew. Because of this, Yuki felt more than empathy for Milly, who made the decision to leave her remaining consciousness in the darkness.

Aichi looked straight at Milly Leisen and replied without lying.

"My goal is to return to my homeland. I was brought to this world by the mad gods you speak of. I am looking for ancient magic that can transfer me across worlds... It's not to replace you in defeating the gods. I have no intention of risking my life for this world."

"..."

Milly Leisen stared at Aichi for a moment, then nodded as if accepting something. She just muttered, "I see," softly. The next moment, the serious atmosphere dissipated like a mirage, and the playful tone returned.

"Hmm~, I see, I see. I understand~ You're from another world~ Hmm. This is difficult~ Alright, let's have a proper battle! Defeat me beautifully and obtain the ancient magic!"

"Your logic is incomprehensible... What's 'proper' about it? Did you even listen to me? If your ancient magic isn't a transfer type, it's meaningless to me. Or is it a transfer type?"

Milly let out a "Ohohoh~" laugh, and then said, "That's...," in a very mysterious tone. Her posture was like someone about to reveal the final answer.

Frustration had reached its peak, and Aichi took out Orge, signaling the start of the battle. To gain the initiative, Milly called out the answer.

"No~ I won't tell you!"

"Die"

Without a second thought, Aichi pulled the trigger. The rocket flew out, trailing a fiery tail, and rushed straight toward Milly Leisen with a destructive force.

Boom!!!

A terrifying explosion echoed through the space. Smoke billowed.

"Is that it!?"

"…Shia, that's a flag."

Shia looked delighted, as if saying, "First move, victory guaranteed!" but was then teased by Yuki. In the end, Yuki was right. From the smoke, a red-hot right hand swung, dispersing the smoke.

What appeared from the dissipating smoke was Milly Leisen, with her forearms shattered but seemingly unbothered. Milly Leisen absorbed nearby floating stones and reconstructed her shattered arms.

"Hehe, you started with a preemptive attack~ Maybe my ancient magic is something you like~ I'm very strong~ Try not to die~"

She said this with a cheerful laugh and shot a whip-like meteor hammer at Aichi and the others. It wasn't thrown. Without any preparatory motion, the meteor hammer flew out with a fierce momentum. Probably, it was made to "fall" by adjusting the direction of gravity, just like the magical automaton knights.

Aichi and the others jumped to nearby floating stones to dodge the meteor hammer. The meteor hammer shattered the floating stone they were standing on and then hovered in the air, spinning, before flying back to Milly Leisen's hand.

"Got it! Yuki, Shia. Destroy Milly!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

With Aichi's voice, the final battle of the Lysion Great Labyrinth, one of the seven great labyrinths, began.

The magical automaton knights, standing with swords, also moved as if signaled by Aichi's voice. They rushed forward in a single charge, just like in the corridors.

Yuki quickly turned and swung a water bottle forward, slicing through the flying magical automaton knights with a high-pressure water blade.

"Ahaha, you did it~ But can you really defeat the fifty infinite regenerating knights and me~"

With a mocking tone, Milly Leisen shot the meteor hammer again. Shia jumped upward, landing on a triangular floating stone. Aichi remained in place, firing Donar at the meteor hammer.

Bang!

A single gunshot fired six bullets. The rapid shots hit the approaching meteor hammer accurately. Indeed, even a large metal ball couldn't withstand six electromagnetic shots without being affected. The meteor hammer's trajectory was significantly deflected.

At the same time, Shia, jumping to a higher floating stone, aimed for Milly's head, firing Doryuken downward.