《16 Each New Journey》
As soon as the black dragon was defeated, the heavy atmosphere in the area seemed to dissipate.
I quickly dismantled the corpse of the black dragon and put it in the 【Item Box】, then examined the boss room and found a transition zone that seemed to be for escape. I could also see another room further in the back, so I decided to check that one out.
There, I found the main body of Kronos trapped inside the crystalline body.
The crystalline body is emitting a vapor-like substance and appears to be melting rapidly.
It’s going to be a long time before the crystalline form is gone. So I decide to check out the various metals in the room and the shiny red gem embedded in the wall.
When I appraised the metals, I found that mithril was the most common, and there was also silver, gold, and a little bit of orichalcum, so I stored those in the 【Item Box】 as well.
The glowing red jewel looks like a dungeon core. In order to prevent the stampede from happening in the future in this dungeon, I pull the dungeon core out of the wall and put it in the【Item Box】.
This is a dungeon built by the Black Dragon. After I left Lisa and the others, I heard from the Kronos spirit that the stampede was caused by the Black Dragon.
In other words ―― the method of generation was different from that of a normal stampede.
The normal stampede is said to occur when the number of monsters in the dungeon increases too much.
For that matter, I don’t know if there will be a boss in this dungeon now that the black dragon is gone.
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter either way.
However, if it excites you, you may want to come and beat it eventually.
About 20 minutes later, the crystalline body seemed to have completely dissolved, and Kronos, who had regained consciousness, spoke to me.
「You must be Louis, thank you for this time. Now that the seal has been broken, my spirit body has become one with me. The memories of my mental body have also entered me, so I understand the situation. Thank you so much, you’ve been a big help.」
「No, don’t worry about it. I wanted to be strong, and I only helped you because it was in line with my goals.」
「I’d like to give you something in return, though, but I’m not sure what. I wonder if this is it? 」
Kronos said, and pulled out a strange branch and leaf from the void that felt like some kind of power. Now that’s probably an【Item Box】, I know because I use it myself.
Anyway, what’s that thing Kronos is holding? I sense some kind of considerable power. ……
「Fufu, you look like you don’t know what this is, do you? These are the branches and leaves of the World Tree. Anything made from this material will be of considerable quality. There may come a time in the future when it will be useful in your life, Louis.」
「I was just helping out as a side note, how can I get something so nice?」
「Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you’d take that as a symbol of my gratefulness.」
I receive ten branches and ten leaves of the World Tree.
As I pondered whether I would eventually make something with it, Kronos looked at me with a satisfied look on his face.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I remove my gaze from him.
「I’ve been sealed up for so long that I’ve depleted a lot of my spiritual power, so I’m going back to the spirit world. If my spirit power decreases any further, I’ll become a minor spirit.」
When I was surprised to hear the fact for the first time, Kronos bailed out and then used【Warp】 to leave.
Thus, having finished everything I had to do in the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament, I decided to escape.
I could have escaped on my own, but I decided to give it a try, so I got on the transporter I had just found, and the scenery darkened for a moment after the surroundings glowed.
The next thing I saw was the entrance to the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament.
After escaping the labyrinth, I decided to set off for the capital of the Midogal Kingdom, where Airi and Lisa were waiting for me.
◆ ◆ ◆
Six months have passed since the tragedy in Dallas. Currently, I, Airi, and Lisa-sama are living together in a small house in Midoria, the capital of the Midogal Kingdom.
Life without Dan-sama, Sarah-sama, and Louis-sama……
Lisa-sama is taking care of me and letting me rest to stabilize my mind, but ……
As it is, I can’t meet Louis-sama with my heart on my chest. ……
If they could see me now, I’m sure Mom and Dad in heaven, as well as Dan-sama and Sarah-sama, would be scolding me. ……
All of them are now deceased, but all of them were very active in their lives.
I know that being an adventurer is a dangerous profession, but I want to become a great adventurer like the four of you.
On this day, I made the decision to become an adventurer, not as a maid as I had been, in order to survive the rest of my life.
◆ ◆ ◆
Since coming to Midoria, I, Lisa, have been mostly at home, although I sometimes take requests from the adventurer’s guild.
The reason for this was, after all, the deaths of Dan, Sarah and Galwin, who had been with us for many years, and Airi was still not well.
This day, as I was relaxing in my room and drinking tea, Airi knocked and came in.
「Lisa-sama, I need a favour. I know it’s dangerous, but I want to be an adventurer too. Could you please train me?」
She still has a little shadow on her face, but she seems to have blown it off.
It’s important to be committed to something, and it would help her feel better.
「Okay, I know the training can be tough at times, is that okay with you?」
「Yes! 」
「So, first of all, since we’re going to be fellow adventurers from now on, can you please stop calling me ‘sama’?」
「Yes, I understand. Lisa-san!」
From now on, I’ ll train Airi and register her with the Adventurer’s Guild, and we’ll form a party and start with simple requests.
As I thought about this, my expression seemed to clear up somewhat.