After the battle ended, Ren's group was invited to the castle. Only Meteor could speak fluently, so Ren wasn't particularly eager, but since there was no atmosphere conducive to sneaking out, they reluctantly agreed. Fortunately, the castle's most important areas were mostly undamaged, so there was no hindrance to the discussion.
"Could you ask everyone to leave?" Meteor requested.
She wanted to have a detailed discussion only with the necessary people. This, naturally, was met with strong opposition, but the King himself agreed. Only a few people, including the Saintess and the Commander of the Knights, gathered in a reception room for VIPs to face Ren's group.
Of course, Ren's group had no intention of fighting, but the others had no way of knowing that. When Meteor spoke "the truth of the world," the confusion and vigilance only intensified.
"This world has already been destroyed, and we are merely restored, temporary beings...!?" the King exclaimed.
"Yes, that's right. I was saved from that fate by Ren and her companions. Only a few lucky individuals who were found by them are allowed to regain life and continue fighting," Meteor explained.
While Ren felt a strange sense of unease being described like a Valkyrie inviting heroes to Valhalla, the King and the others somehow recovered from the shock.
"Is there any proof that this is the truth?" the King asked.
"Can you explain these children's strength with your common sense?" Meteor countered.
"..."
They were forced to believe Meteor's words—or at least accept that Meteor had no intention of lying.
"Then, if you leave, we will immediately vanish, is that right?" the King asked.
"That's right. Of course, you have no means of knowing it. A living creature returns to nothing when it dies. And a meticulously recreated 'world' is indistinguishable from the real thing," Meteor stated.
It was similar to the idea that if the world was created five minutes ago and all memories and records were fabricated, no one could prove otherwise.
"Your Majesty and Lady Saintess. You two might have the 'same' qualifications as me. Are you interested in joining the memorial battle for this world? ...Or it would help if you could at least hand over that sword."
"...I'm afraid I cannot agree so easily," the King replied, shaking his head with a solemn voice.
"I cannot outright deny your story, nor can I believe it entirely. If it is impossible to distinguish whether this life is temporary or real, then we have duties we must carry out."
"Yes. ...We must remain here and fight for our people. To throw away our roles, clinging to a thread of possibility, is the act of a fool."
"That's true. ...I would have made the same decision if these children hadn't forcibly dragged me out. Even so, we cannot capture and take you."
"If we were subjected to such treatment and knew there was no hope of return, I would immediately end my own life. There is always the possibility of being used for some nefarious scheme."
This was a difficult conversation. Their joining would surely be a massive boost to their fighting power. However, if the roles were reversed, could they accept the invitation just like that? The answer was no.
Guess it can't be helped, Ren thought.
Yeah. We definitely look suspicious. We should be grateful they even listened to us, Huuli agreed.
The drop items were invisible to the locals and were easily collected. Since the atmosphere wasn't suitable for joining the victory party, Ren's group started thinking about making a quick exit when:
"Um, everyone. ...If it's alright, there is one person I would like you to take with you," the Saintess said, opening her mouth as if having made a difficult decision.
"Huh?"
The Saintess spoke the name of one of the apprentice shrine maidens.
"...Ah, who is it but that child from earlier?" Meteor noted.
"Eep!?" the girl gasped.
"Don't worry. I'm not angry. That's a finished story now," Meteor reassured her.
The girl who was brought in—El—was someone Ren's group was already familiar with. This girl, unbelievably, had awakened to powers equivalent to the Saintess during the commotion. A Hero Candidate. Given that she interfered with Meteor before the battle even began, she might be one of the "main characters." There was no certainty, but the possibility was high.
"Is that alright? Wouldn't a person with that talent be valuable to you?" Meteor asked.
"El's life is just beginning. She is not yet in a position to bear the burden of responsibility, so she doesn't necessarily need to remain here," the Saintess explained.
Furthermore, El might not have awakened to her power if Ren's group hadn't arrived to fight the Dragon. There was even a high chance she would have simply died.
"In that case, we should bet on a glimmer of hope and have her ascend to a higher place," the King conceded.
"I see. ...We don't mind, but are you alright with this?" Meteor asked the girl.
The girl looked up, stumbled over her words for a moment, and then nodded deeply.
"The Saintess's story was difficult, and I only understood half of it. But I know that you are not bad people. I'm sure you are not lying, either. So, if there are other Dragons out there, and other people suffering, I want to help them."
"Even if you can never meet your close ones again?" Meteor pressed.
"I am an orphan. ...I don't have a family to begin with. Besides, everyone might be separated if the war starts anyway."
Meteor turned to look at Ren's group. Ren looked at everyone else, they all nodded in agreement, and Ren looked back at Meteor.
"Understood. Let's go together, El," Meteor offered.
The girl—El—was swiftly given a new name as a Saintess by the current Saintess.
"Saintess Eleonor. As the head of the Temple, I command you. Journey to the different world with the Dragon-slaying heroes and dedicate yourself to the world's salvation."
"I understand, Lady Saintess. I will carry out this grave duty, even if it costs me my life," El promised.
El looked around twelve years old, but Ren was impressed by how resolute the inhabitants of this fantasy world were, recalling her own behavior at that age.
-----------------
"Um, by the way... Lady Meteor? Why aren't the others talking?" El asked.
"Ah, these guys can barely speak your language," Meteor replied.
Ren's group left the capital, given a grand send-off by the soldiers and knights. They were invited to attend a banquet, but they felt they would only end up seeing the locals suddenly grow cold again, and it would be a disaster if El witnessed that and they couldn't bring her back. They politely declined and were given a large amount of gold coins and other items as "a token of their gratitude."
"Hmm. I'm curious what will happen to these supplies. And, at what point do they stop perceiving us? Will they witness us entering the empty house? If so, will El feel like she is being taken behind a wall?" the Sage mused.
"Old man. Please don't talk too much until we get back, or El will get scared," Ren warned.
"Hmph, you are harsh."
The descending staircase was indeed inside the empty house in the city. Standing in front of the house, El tilted her head curiously and asked, "Um, is this the place?" (They decided to continue calling her El for short, as Eleonor was too long.)
"It is. ...Well, yes. Just in case, hold the Succubus's hand. You can close your eyes if you're scared. It won't hurt, and you won't die," Meteor instructed.
"Eh, um, in that case, I'd rather hold Lady Meteor's hand..." El mumbled.
El glanced nervously at Ren, perhaps finding her appearance frightening, and looked back at Meteor, whose language she understood.
Huuli smirked.
Go on. Hold her hand, Mee-chan, Huuli said telepathically.
You! My dignity disappears when you call me Mee-chan like that, Meteor complained.
El-chan can't hear, so it doesn't matter. Hurry up, Huuli urged.
"...Ah, fine, I suppose it can't be helped," Meteor relented.
"Ah! Thank you very much!" El exclaimed.
Despite her complaints, Meteor was clearly caring enough to hold her hand.
Leaving El to Meteor, Ren's group quickly entered the empty house and looked around. There it was. The stone monument. A box-like object was placed in front of it. Or rather, a stone pedestal? Could this be... that thing? Ren had seen something with a similar impression before—a special item stored in the temple basement.
"Old man. Is this an Artifact?" Ren asked.
"Hmm. This is not the first time this floor has been cleared. Based on past events, we shouldn't have received this... but judging by the appearance, it must be an Artifact," the Sage concluded.
"Looks good to me. Let's take whatever we can get," Kent said heartily.
Kent lifted the Artifact and stored it in his storage.
"Lord Kent, you could probably return to the temple even while carrying that much..." Shion noted.
"Yeah, I think I can do it," Kent replied.
"This is why he's useful in so many ways. You should call him whenever you need a baggage carrier," the Sage told Ren.
"You said it. Then you can call him for teleportation too," Kent shot back.
Ren cleared her throat, realizing they had been speaking loudly in Japanese despite worrying about scaring El, and focused on the stone monument. She had made considerable progress in deciphering the script.
Children of another world. We shall bestow upon you a new possibility of power, for you who continue to fight alongside the children. However, great compensation is attached to this power.
"Children of another world" likely referred to Ren's group. "The children" referred to Iris's generation. The "new possibility of power," interpreted in this context, was intended for Ren's group. The Artifact was undoubtedly the key.
"I see. The condition is to clear the floor with the native generation. ...It was indeed the correct decision to rely on you all," the Sage observed.
"I don't know if I should be happy about that..." Ren muttered.
They decided to postpone the analysis of the Artifact until they returned and stepped onto the staircase. El, who they were worried about, could see it perfectly and walked down safely. According to the Sage, those without the qualification would have vanished at this point, so it seemed qualified individuals could see the invisible staircase as long as a dungeon conqueror like Ren's group was accompanying them.
"I shouldn't be able to see a staircase like this... Why is it here? Is this the path to the world of the gods?" El asked.
"I don't know if it's a world of gods, but... The reason it's going down is because we're going back. It has no deep meaning, so don't worry," Meteor reassured her.
Incidentally, the gold coins and other rewards they received vanished the moment they stepped onto the stairs. This meant their income couldn't be increased by looting or robbing the treasury. This had also been the case when the Sage's group had tried various things before. "Even officially given items don't work," the middle-aged man muttered regretfully.
"It's about time. We're going out now, El. Be careful with the last step," Meteor warned.
"Huh!? W-wa-wa-wa-wah!?" El cried out.
"I told you so. Such a helpless child," Meteor sighed, catching El as she stumbled when the final downward step suddenly became an upward step.
"Hahaha, it can't be helped, Mee-chan. Everyone falls the first time," Huuli laughed.
"Eh? Huh? Where is this...? Why can I understand what everyone is saying!?" El exclaimed.
"In this world, our words are translated and conveyed to one another. ...Welcome, Saintess Eleonor. To the remains of a world destroyed by malice, and to the city of those who seek to rebuild it," the Sage announced.
"The remains of the world..." El whispered.
El ran to the edge of the temple and looked down at the city, then peered at the 'Darkness' in the distance.
"If it's not the world of the gods, then it's the world where the Evil God resides," El said.
"They might be similar. Dispelling that Darkness and reclaiming the world is one of our roles," Shion replied.
"..." El remained silently stunned.
A twelve-year-old girl who had lived a normal life couldn't possibly process this. The Sage, showing a rare moment of consideration, suggested, "Let's use Teleport."
"Take El home. But Ren and Shion, please stay. I want to test the Artifact's effects while we install it."
"Roger. Then, Huuli, Meteor, Iris. Please take care of El," Ren said.
"Okay, leave it to us!" Huuli replied.
"Good luck, Ren-san!" Iris cheered.
"Master. Why was I excluded?" May asked.
"Well, I thought it would be better if May didn't get too carried away," Ren said.
"That's hurtful. If you order me to, I am prepared to act as an energetic distraction," May insisted.
"...Yes. You just do your normal best, May."
After Huuli's group was sent away by the Sage's Teleportation, Ren had Kent carry her to the Artifact's installation site. Iris's mother and May's mother also seemed to have the right to enter here, as they weren't surprised and looked at the new Artifact with interest.
"Alright, hurry up and investigate it," Kent urged.
"You really rely on others, don't you?" the Sage sighed.
"What do you expect from a Warrior?" Kent retorted.
The investigation was led by the Sage and May's mother. The result was:
"This Artifact can only be used by us transfer students. Its effect is to grant greater power in exchange for imposing a restriction on the user."
"A restriction? What kind?" Kent asked.
"There are multiple categories that can be freely chosen. ...It seems to be intended for those who plan to continue fighting alongside the children," the Sage concluded.
This suggested that the creators of the temple intended for a generational shift from the transfer students to the native generation. They had prepared a relief measure for those who had the strong will to "fight themselves instead of leaving everything to the children."
"Sage-sama. What kind of restrictions are there, for example?" Shion asked.
"Sacrificing lifespan to gain experience points corresponding to the lost years. Reverting physical age to five and resetting level in exchange for a bonus to base stats, and so on. And the most effective one is—"
The Sage's gaze turned to Ren.
"Fixing the current race in exchange for being 'treated the same as the native generation'."
"Sage-sama, surely that means—"
"Yes."
The fact was stated in a solemn voice.
"There is one reason why such a restriction is set. If the dungeon is cleared, the transfer students' races will revert to human. However, if this restriction is used, even if you can return, your family might not recognize you as yourself."
However, if they became the same as the native generation—like Iris's group—they would certainly become much stronger. They would be able to increase skill levels through proficiency without using skill points, and even learn new skills through training. Instead of the leveling-up that had already begun to slow down, they would gain the power-up method of "training." This would greatly increase the possibility of returning home. In exchange, the user would bear a significant risk.
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