episode_0074

As the situation became safe, a sense of exhaustion weighed down on his whole body. Acel exhaled a long breath and sank down, sliding against the wall. Pascal also lightly tore off a piece of his clothes to stop the bleeding from his severed finger, then rummaged through his pocket to find a cigarette.

However, there was no more tobacco left. He contorted his face and swore.

“Life, damn it.”

For a heavy smoker, a cigarette is something akin to life itself. After going through such a big ordeal, he absolutely had to light one.

But there was nothing left, so there was nothing he could do. He let out a deep sigh and leaned against the wall.

“Are you okay?”

Acel asked Saya and Celine, who were panting beside him. Celine immediately nodded and thumped her chest with her fist.

“My mana is depleted, but I’m not completely exhausted. I think I can walk on my own.”

“That’s a relief. Saya, how about you?”

“Keng keng keng!!”

“?”

Saya didn’t speak human words, but let out sharp fox cries. Although her appearance had returned to human form, her language ability didn’t seem to have returned yet. It was probably a side effect from changing her body into a fox.

Fortunately, her intelligence didn’t seem to have regressed; she nodded towards Acel, expressing that she was okay. Acel smiled wryly and lowered his head.

The plan improvised on the spot, thankfully, worked out perfectly. Although the regeneration and fission abilities of the magic beasts were somewhat peculiar, they had survived nonetheless. Being able to think like this was also the privilege of those who survived.

“……Huu.”

He raised his head and stared at the long staircase stretching ahead.

The energy he felt was now simply comfortable. The mana and killing intent that had been weighing down his entire body had disappeared as if by magic. Breathing was smooth, and he didn’t feel bad. A pleasant sense of exhaustion circulated throughout his entire body.

“Hey, speaking of which, I forgot to ask.”

While closing his eyes and observing his mana, Pascal suddenly spoke to him. Acel opened his eyes again and stared at him, just rolling his eyeballs.

“What’s your name?”

“Acel.”

“Acel… Acel, huh…”

Pascal repeated his name several times as if trying to remember it, then let out a slight laugh and extended his unharmed fist towards Acel.

“I remember now. If you ever visit the Magic Tower later, you can use my name anytime.”

“……I’ll make good use of it.”

Acel smiled wryly and brought his fist to his.

Pascal’s words were truly welcome, but unfortunately, he was a figure from the past and an illusion created by the mini-labyrinth. What happened here would likely not have any influence on reality. The possibility of that was significantly small.

Still… he felt okay. Towards someone with whom he had overcome adversity, he couldn’t help but feel friendly, even if he didn’t want to. This was true even if they were no longer someone he could actually see.

Pascal withdrew the fist that had met Acel’s and said.

“What will you do first when we get up there?”

“Well… I want to rest a bit first.”

“I agree with that.”

Pascal chuckled softly and turned towards the stairs. Having rested enough, it was now time to continue their forced march. Climbing the enormous number of floors, 15 stories, on foot was not that easy a task.

Patting his thighs that felt like they were about to burst, Acel got to his feet.

And at that moment.

Jijijik.

Simultaneously with a horrible noise, like chalk scraping on a blackboard, the world distorted centered around Acel. An illusion as if space itself was shattering. A sense of helplessness, like a mortal standing before a transcendent being, enveloped his entire body.

“……!”

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His body wouldn’t move either. Pascal stood there, with one foot in the air, as if time had stopped, and Saya and Celine also didn’t budge at all. The only things moving were his eyes and his thoughts.

‘What the hell is this all of a sudden…!’

It was difficult to make an accurate judgment, but it was clear that something extraordinary was happening. Acel focused his mind to draw up his mana as much as possible, but the mana didn’t obey his will, as if it had frozen. It was the first time Acel had felt such a refusal from his mana.

His mana, which had followed only Acel’s commands no matter the situation, even against the interference of a great mage, was currently going against his will. Acel wasn’t so foolish as to not know what that meant.

A being even higher ranked than a great mage.

A monster who reached transcendence and gained a vision like a god. A ruler who reached the realm of immortals that mortals could never reach, no matter how much they looked up to it their whole lives.

He was clearly the one who caused the current situation.

“……!”

The moment he realized, space began to shatter before Acel’s eyes as if a mirror were breaking. The cracks spread around him in an instant and shattered simultaneously, pulling Acel into a dark space.

His vision was instantly reversed. Without time to even perceive it, he was thrown into a space of darkness. In that place where not a single sliver of light existed, Acel felt a sensation as if he were lying in water. Confusion, unable to tell if he was actually lying down or if it was an illusion caused by his senses mixing even while standing, churned in his head.

And simultaneously, a voice began to echo directly in Acel’s mind.

[The mini-labyrinth is a space I created myself to find a successor.]

Whether it was a man, a woman, an old person, or a child. It was a chaotic, mixed-up voice, impossible to even guess. However, ironically, that chaotic voice actually began to slowly calm Acel’s mind.

[At the moment death approached. My own sanctuary and grave, created by pouring out all my remaining mana. I imitated a labyrinth not for any great reason, but because I thought that form would be most suitable. Because only with appropriate trials and rewards would many people challenge this place.]

Acel’s eyes, which had been wide open, narrowed sharply. He focused his mind to concentrate on the voice in his head as much as possible.

[While making the grave, I heard talk that an academy would be established in this location. It was good news. Since an academy is a place where all sorts of talented individuals gather, there was no reason to refuse. I immediately sought out the dean and requested to open my grave to the students. The dean wore a troubled expression, but eventually granted permission for it to be opened in exchange for not publicizing that this was my grave. Since it was a favorable condition anyway, I accepted his proposal.]

The word ‘grave’ burrowed into Acel’s mind. The words ‘Sage’s Grave’, which were inscribed on the Aleph, suddenly came to mind.

[As I said, I created the mini-labyrinth to find a successor. It doesn’t matter what kind of grave mine is, it’s irrelevant. Rather than foolish mages pointlessly blocking outsiders from entering, calling it a sanctuary, it might even be better for it to be known simply as a mini-labyrinth. The future is unknown, but even so, I couldn’t help but make predictions.]

[But the arrival of the Demon of Possibility was something I had not anticipated at all]

The Demon of Possibility. His name is mentioned again. Now he couldn’t even guess where he didn’t interfere. He was beginning to suspect that he might be the entity with the greatest influence among demons.

Even while that was happening, the voice continued.

[He was a considerably heterogeneous demon. A transcendent being who doesn’t live in hell but exists in a space of nothingness somewhere between the mortal world and hell, sitting as if guarding a massive black tree, never moving. He has no interest whatsoever in killing humans and is an oddity who acts as if protecting them instead. That might be why I conversed with him. As for the exact reason, I no longer remember.]

[He proposed to me that he would bear the ‘Fruit of Possibility’ to allow someone with greater talent than me to visit the mini-labyrinth someday. The price was my soul. It meant breaking the cycle of reincarnation and entering eternal rest. I readily accepted his proposal.]

[Anyway, my life was not long due to a chronic illness. If I could only obtain a determined future, I could give my life without hesitation. Although the exact time is unknown, I dedicate my life to the future nonetheless.]

As the voice continued, Acel’s heart calmed down. Feeling his pounding heartbeat, he slowly closed his eyes.

[This is the message and final will I leave right before death. If the Demon of Possibility has not betrayed me, surely someone will be able to hear these words. I made the condition mana sensitivity and control ability comparable to mine.]

[Please, listener of my will. Whether the outcome of your talent is a mage like me or a swordsman, it does not matter, so I hope you will inherit my will.]

[Kill the Demon of Birth. And save the world.]

Cut off.

The voice cut off once, then changed into a robotic voice and was heard again.

[You have escaped the mini-labyrinth. A reward will be given for it.]

[Escape point. 16th floor.]

[The ‘Sage’s Will’ is given as a reward.]

[You have worked hard.]

Hwaaaaaak!!

Simultaneously with the fading of the voice, Acel’s vision began to brighten. Soon, when complete light returned to the world.

“Heok!”

Acel exhaled a breath, his eyes flashing open, and got to his feet. Reyne, who was sitting beside him, was startled by his sudden waking and jumped.

“Kyaaaak! O-Oh, you scared me. You wake up quite dramatically, don’t you?”

At Reyne’s sudden voice, all of Acel’s senses returned to reality. He was dripping with cold sweat, glaring at Reyne and panting. Reyne flinched at his rather fierce gaze.

“Um… sorry?”

“……Senior. Where is this?”

In a cracking voice, Acel asked that first. Reyne cleared her throat, saying “Hmm hmm,” then replied.

“It’s the bedroom behind the club room. Surprise~”

“……Bedroom?”

“The mini-labyrinth actually takes place in a dream~ They say it’s because succubi were involved in the creation process. We just took care of you while you were sleeping and laid you down here.”

“……In a dream. You said, in a dream.”

Acel muttered that and covered his face with his hands.

He had suspected it might be a dream since there was no pain from burns, but he never imagined it would actually be true. If so, the momentary loss of consciousness when first entering was highly likely just an additional step that occurred during the process of entering the dream.

Given the power of succubi, it was natural that Acel wouldn’t have noticed beforehand. It’s impossible to sense supernatural abilities performed by an entire race unless you directly see their remnants, no matter how high one’s mana sensitivity is. Unless it was the same race, it would have been difficult for Acel.

……His thoughts briefly drifted elsewhere. Acel exhaled a long breath, and recalled the Sage’s Will. What was important now was not the fact that the mini-labyrinth was a dream, but organizing the newly acquired information.

‘It’s true that the mini-labyrinth is the sage’s grave and final work. And I understand that its goal is to find a successor.’

He had expected it, so accepting it was easy. But the word ‘successor’ made his thoughts quite complicated.

The sage who sent his talent flying to a later generation through a contract with the Demon of Possibility. The transcendent being whose soul completely disappeared from the world, with all reincarnation and cycles severed as the price. Now, a quirky mage who hammered every last trace of himself into the mini-labyrinth.

He could easily guess where the talent he was looking for was currently located. Acel looked down at his chest and grimaced.

‘It’s me.’

There was no room for doubt. The future talent that the sage had wished for, sacrificing his past and future lives, was precisely himself.

Mana sensitivity and control ability comparable to that of a sage. The fact that he had heard the will, which could only be heard by someone possessing that, meant the same thing as the future talent the sage desired being Acel.

A determined future established by the sage through a contract with a demon.

In that future, is Acel’s presence truly a result of randomness? Could the fact that he heard the sage’s will, instead of a genius who might have existed in the past or a genius who might be born in the future, simply be the result of mere chance?

That couldn’t have been the case. He was a transcendent being so powerful he could fight a god. It was clear that there was some plan, and that he had passed the sage’s will on to Acel.

“…….”

As of now, it was a plan he couldn’t even guess at. According to the sage’s will, he was an oddity of a demon whose goal was to save humans, so it was clear only that it was related to that. As for the rest… he didn’t know.

Only this much was certain.

The Demon of Possibility.

He is, setting something up.