episode_0180

000

The path in the emerald-covered valley was narrow, but wide enough for a carriage to pass.

Between the cliffs that soared to the sky, crystals reflected the sunlight so brightly that it was blinding.

No matter how one looked at it, it was not something that had occurred naturally, so the group was surprised that plants that grew among these were healthy.

“Hmm. You came to find a clue about Tris Megistus? I dislike the kingdom, but it’s a different story if it’s the daughter of Aurelia and acquaintances of my granddaughter.”

Gabriel, who had glanced at Aurelia’s letter of introduction that Aruru had forced on her, asks as she leads the group through the emerald valley.

Whether she had cried her fill, Amelia rubbed her reddened eyes with her hands, but closely followed her grandmother as she walked.

Her statement that she was Amelia’s grandmother, and the way she fluttered her wing-like clothes and moved forward with light steps, made her seem like a being beyond human.

Because of that, none of the group could easily speak, so Gabriel turned her body around and looked over the group with her eyes.

Then, she points her finger at Cleon, who she thought was the leader of the group.

“You. Child of the Black Horse clan.”

“… I am Cleon.”

“Ah, right. Cleon. So you are the leader of you all. Don’t be like a mute who’s eaten honey, answer me. Judging by your appearance, you’re not a eunuch either, so it can’t be that you’re too embarrassed to open your mouth looking at the body of an old woman like this, right?”

Unlike the polite and demure Amelia, Gabriel giggles or quickly changes her expression as she speaks.

“… To be precise, we found out that there was a relationship between Tris Megistus and the warrior Resia, so-”

“Ah! Resia. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name. Hehe. She came here once too. It was a story from when the war between the kingdom and the empire was intensifying.”

At her words, Cleon closed his mouth for a moment.

“It was over 30 years ago. She was a kind and strong child. There was a time when Gabriel secretly left the village and was kidnapped by imperial soldiers. Resia rescued that child and brought Gabriel to this village.”

Gabriel imagines the old story as if it were just before her eyes.

The fact that Gabriel, who was reminiscing about something from 30 years ago, looked like she was in her “early teens” was quite awkward, but nowhere in her voice or expression did she seem to be lying.

Cleon also smiled slightly as if he could easily imagine what Resia looked like.

Gabriel also noticed that Cleon’s expression changed at her answer, and began to ask more persistently as if she was interested.

“What are you to her? You don’t seem to be her son. Disciple? Or just her follower?”

“… …”

Cleon tried to answer her question, but felt something blocking his throat.

The word that Cleon initially tried to answer was “family.” But wasn’t that too much of a self-centered choice of words?

It’s true that they lived together in Elresia. And it’s also true that they spent a short but family-like time together.

But that might only be true for Cleon. Resia might have felt differently.

“… Resia once saved my life… Do you know what happened to her now?”

“I know. I heard she was banished to another dimension. It was just before that foolish son of mine staged a coup.”

“… …”

If you think about it, that’s right. If her daughter was Sariel, that is, Amelia’s mother.

Sariel’s younger brother, who caused the rebellion, is Gabriel’s son.

Considering that both her daughter and son met tragic ends in the kingdom, it was understandable that she hated the kingdom.

“Well. The letter of introduction says that she did such a thing because she was mentally controlled by ‘demons.’ But not being able to overcome the demons’ brainwashing is also that child’s sin. I’m sorry, I’m an old woman saying unnecessary things. That’s enough about this.”

Gabriel sighs and looks straight at Cleon.

“I am acting to bring her back to this world.”

“Returning a favor… Finding Tris Megistus to find Resia, who was banished to another dimension… If ignorant people heard it, they would think you were looking in completely the wrong place. It seems you’ve gathered quite a bit of her information here and there.”

Laila’s eyes widened at Gabriel’s words, as if she knew something.

“You said you received a favor from Resia, didn’t you, child. There is no human here who hasn’t. Because of her, the empire collapsed, and both the kingdom and this valley could remain intact.”

Aruru also nods. As a member of the Tromeia family, the shield that protects the kingdom, she was also one of the people who knew Resia’s contributions best.

“But even if you know that she was banished to another dimension, none of the people who have received favors from her have tried to bring Resia back like you. Her companions might be different… Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Even if a person dies, the feelings towards the dead do not easily disappear over time. But banishment to another dimension is worse than death… It severs the ‘connection’ between the target thrown into the gap between dimensions and the humans remaining in this world. Gratitude towards her, admiration, precious feelings…”

Cleon also seemed to feel something in her words.

The warrior Resia was an existence that even the Order could not ignore.

Because she was the ultimate warrior who best suited their teachings.

A hero who saved the world, who could be called the main character of a legend of an era.

There was no one among the kingdom’s people who didn’t know about her, and in reality, many of the people who had received help from her were still alive.

But strangely enough, there were many people who regretted the fact that she was banished, but easily accepted it.

Only Cleon and Talcheck couldn’t. And only family-like companions who were very close, such as Sophia and Eska, and Ruti.

Neither the Order nor the kingdom took any action regarding her disappearance.

“But, you still have that ‘connection.’ It seems that you have a special connection that cannot be erased by dimensional walls. You do. And that is not a one-way connection that starts from you.”

When Gabriel pointed at Cleon and said that, Cleon tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand what it meant.

“Don’t you know? A connection is about caring for each other. In other words, Resia too. The connection is maintained because she has strong feelings for you.”

“… Resia has feelings for us.”

Without realizing it, Cleon clenched his fist.

The feelings towards her were not one-sided.

She also thought of them as precious companions and family.

“I’ll ask you again, Cleon. What are you to her?”

“… Family. And, friends and… companions.”

When Cleon answered confidently, unlike before. Gabriel smiled brightly as if she was satisfied and turned her body forward.

Soon, the narrow path ended, and when they thought they had come out into an open space, a huge crystal tower that strongly reflected the light falling from the sky could be seen.

“Welcome. To the village of ‘Tricia’ in the ‘Emerald Valley’. You can stay as long as you want until you find the answer you’re looking for.”

The sight that came into view was even more spectacular than the sight they had seen when they first entered this valley.

In the space called the village, several huge trees grew, and emeralds larger than a human body grew there.

Those were cut down and processed to be used like human houses, and even though there were not many of them, each one was as beautiful as a work of art.

The essence of it was the most eye-catching ‘giant crystal tower.’ The giant tower, which grew from the ground towards the sky, drew holy power and water attribute power from the ley lines, then processed it to form a barrier that covered the entire valley.

“Fuuwaaa♡♡!!”

It was Laila who let out such an exclamation of excitement, with her eyes sparkling.

She held her hands together and looked at the huge magical structure, like a child who had received a toy she had wanted as a gift.

“…Laila…”

Kuon called Laila’s name with a wry smile, but Laila already seemed to see everything around her as a subject of research.

“Hehe, that child seems to be a scholar. A magician might be surprised to see such a sight. Let’s go to the accommodation first. If you follow the path on the right, there is a building for guests.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you. Let’s go, Laila, let’s unpack first.”

“Ju, just a moment~ At least just the surface sample now~!”

“Where did you even take out that hammer and chisel!? You can’t do that even after you unpack~!”

Laila, who was trying to run wild, and Kuon and Sasha, who were stopping her and dragging her away.

Aruru, who burst into laughter while watching the scene. And Amelia, who hesitated but followed them.

Cleon smiled as he watched the scene, but then looked around.

Perhaps because Laila’s loud voice echoed in the plaza, other people in the village could be seen watching the group from beyond the windows of their houses.

But after all, as the number of houses was small, he felt that the number of gazes was not large either.

Besides, most of them had platinum blonde hair and golden eyes. They showed the same physical characteristics as Amelia and Gabriel.

“Are you worried about them?”

Gabriel asks Cleon, who had stopped walking.

That’s because their gaze scanned the group, but when it stopped at Cleon, they glanced at him as if they were startled.

“No. To be precise, it seems they are worried about me.”

“Hehe. That’s probably right. For a member of the Black Horse clan to set foot in this village, it would never have been possible in the first place.”

Gabriel crossed her arms and nodded, “Hmm. Hmm.”

It wasn’t just a day or two that the views on the Black Horse clan were not good, but Cleon could only smile bitterly as he realized anew that the people living in this closed village were the same.

“…Hmm? Aren’t you misunderstanding something?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Ah- whatever. I’ll tell you about that later. You should go unpack too. This old woman will prepare some tea and wait.”

She said that and patted Cleon’s back with her palm, then walked in the opposite direction from the group.

Cleon followed Gabriel’s back with his eyes for a moment, then followed the group.

The accommodation provided to Cleon and his party was clean, despite the fact that it had clearly not been used for decades, and the prepared furniture was not small compared to the number of people.

Laila took out a monocle and looked around the accommodation, then explained to the group without being asked.

“This building also feels like it’s made of wood, but it’s actually made of emerald like the other buildings outside. On top of that, magic to change the color was added… It seems like it automatically creates furniture according to the person recognized as a guest.”

“That’s convenient… Is magic omnipotent?”

When Amelia asked that, Laila shook her head.

“The furniture is not created from nothing, but is created from the crystal in this mansion. Well. If it’s automated to this extent, it seems like a ‘brownie’, a spirit that manages the house, is living there.”

“I’ve heard of brownies. I’ve heard that if you summon them to a mansion, they don’t show themselves, but things like cleaning are done automatically. It was true.”

When Aruru answered that, Laila also nodded.

“The fact that this house is clean is probably due to that principle. Everyone, this house is like a living creature. Be careful not to hurt it.”

“…So, here is the belly of a crystal…?”

When Sasha spoke as if she had realized something, everyone’s mouths closed for a moment.

Everyone seemed to be imagining something in their heads.

“…S, shall we go to see grandma soon?”

As if to wake up the silent group, Amelia opened her mouth, and the group nodded and left the accommodation, passing in front of the crystal tower once again.

As Cleon had seen, if they walked along the path in the opposite direction from the accommodation, they could see a house that was a little larger than the other buildings.

And in front of it, a woman dressed similarly to Gabriel was waiting for someone with her hands politely clasped.

Soon, when she made eye contact with the group, she slowly walked over and bowed her head.

She, too, was a woman with long platinum blonde hair and golden eyes, just like the other villagers.

But unlike Gabriel, she was tall, and one could tell from her appearance that she was an adult woman.

She smiled slightly and opened her mouth to the group.

“You must be the princess’s guests.”

“…Princess?”

When Kuon asked back, tilting her head at the unfamiliar title, the woman nodded.

“Haven’t you heard? Gabriel is the person with the highest status in this village. In the village, she is called by the title of ‘princess’.”

“Ah- it kind of had that atmosphere. She’s free, but she has some dignity… She was like the village chief.”

Laila nodded as if she understood, but Kuon poked Laila’s side with her elbow.

“Hehe, that’s right. In a typical village outside, the title of ‘village chief’ might be the closest.”

“…Who are you?”

When Cleon asked that, she looked at Cleon and made a sound like “Eep…” for a moment, and her expression clouded over.

But soon, she regained her smiling expression as before and continued to speak.

“…I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Jibril, who is in charge of assisting the princess.”

“… …”

Cleon tried not to pay much attention to her reaction a moment ago, but it seemed inevitable that the atmosphere would become slightly awkward.

Jibril also felt her mistake, so she seemed to be wondering what to say next in that awkward atmosphere.

“Then, Ms. Jibril. Please guide us to Gabriel.”

Aruru quickly came forward and broke the atmosphere.

“Ah. Yes, yes. Please come in, Gabriel is waiting for you.”

Jibril said that and turned her body to guide the group into the mansion.

“…Thank you, Aruru.”

“What? By the way, you’re popular! Cleon.”

“…You’re not teasing me, are you?”

“Hehe. I wonder?”

Aruru smiled and stepped ahead into the mansion.

Cleon also sighed as he looked at Aruru, who showed such a tomboyish side, but then followed her to where Gabriel was.

What Gabriel was waiting in was the innermost part of the mansion. It was a unique style of room that could be reached after passing through several layers of doors.

Gabriel was sitting on a cushion and brewing tea.

And in front of her, several cushions were placed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, everyone. I live alone, so I don’t have a chair for everyone to sit on. I prepared cushions. It’s okay to sit on the floor, right?”

“Can’t this house make furniture like the accommodation?”

When Laila asked that question, Gabriel answered with a wry smile.

“It used to be possible, but this crystal mansion is almost at the end of its lifespan. If I do that, it will collapse.”

`Crystals have a lifespan too.`

The group sat down in their seats with the same thought.

“You’ve worked hard, Jibril. I’ll talk to you again later.”

“Yes…”

Then, after dismissing Jibril, who had guided the group to this place, Gabriel asks Cleon.

“What do you think? What are your impressions of seeing Jibril?”

“…Suddenly? Just, she seemed like a sincere woman.”

At Cleon’s words, Gabriel made a “Hmm.” sound and nodded as if she understood.

“After all, is this our side’s defect…?”

“What do you mean?”

“No. It’s nothing. That’s later. More than that, it would be better to talk about Tris Megistus.”

She didn’t know what she was hiding, but as she said, it was more important to achieve the original purpose of coming here than that.

“First of all… This village. No, I have to start by saying that the valley itself is a space created by his experiment.”

“…Distorting the entire terrain, and a huge experiment that makes the influence of the ley lines come out on the ground…”

Laila swallowed her saliva as if she was nervous when she heard her words, and made an expression that she didn’t quite understand what it was with her current knowledge.

“Even so. This village was not his experimental site. To be precise, the experimental site is under this village. We don’t go in there properly either, but maybe the traces of him that you’re looking for can be found there.”

“What was Tris Megistus’s experiment about?”

When Laila asked, Gabriel made a “Hmm…” sound and said, adding that it wasn’t accurate.

“I can only say that it was an experiment related to ley lines and holy power.”

The next question was asked by Sasha.

“How can we get into the underground?”

“The crystal tower in the center of the village. If you go down the underground stairs there, you’ll find an ancient laboratory that has now become a dungeon.”

It was Cleon and Aruru who’s eyes sparkled at the word underground dungeon, and it was Kuon and Sasha who sighed.

“Of course, it’s a dangerous place… But that doesn’t mean you’re going to stop going, right?”

“Of course.”

When Cleon nodded and answered, Gabriel also smiled.

“Yes. I like that your answer is cool. According to our ancestors’ rules, we are forbidden from entering that laboratory. So, only you can go-.”

“…It’s okay.”

Cleon nodded as if that was what he had expected.

“Even if something happens, I can’t even go to pick up the bones. Are you really going anyway?”

“Surviving in dungeons is my specialty.”

Well, even if everyone else was wiped out, there were times when he brought them back to the village.

“Um! Then there’s nothing more I can tell you! Go on an adventure to get back your precious one!”

“… …No, you’re too light! It’s not for us to say these words, but… Are you okay with that?”

When Laila asked Gabriel, who suddenly raised her voice, she smiled as if it was obvious.

“Well. No matter how much I tell you about how many threats there are here. You’re going, right? Then. All I can do is offer words of blessing and encouragement. If not, do you have any other questions?”

At her words, the group fell silent.

As she said, there was no need to delay any longer as it was something they had already decided to do.

Everyone had expected that something dangerous might happen, so they were ready to fight.

“…See with your own eyes what kind of truth is inside.”

“…Does Gabriel know?”

“Well… Of course, what I know is more than what you know. But I can’t say that it’s the absolute truth or the answer you want.”

Once again, truism.

Cleon, who had heard the story up to that point, stood up from his seat.

As if signaling that, when the others also stood up from their seats, Gabriel smiled.

“This old woman should prepare a pie while waiting for you to come back.”

Watching the backs of the young people walking to find the truth, Gabriel closed her eyes for a moment.

[Even if I stop you, you’re going to defeat the emperor of the empire, right?]

[Of course.]

[The road ahead will be a series of pain and hardship beyond imagination.]

[It’s okay.]

[Surviving on the battlefield is going to be very difficult.]

[It’s my specialty.]

In the past, there was a girl who had such a Q&A.

A girl who shook off the story of living together in this place that even the empire could not invade as a reward for saving her daughter.

A story before she became a hero.

“…Cleon. You really are. Her…”

Gabriel quietly fell into old memories, immersed in nostalgia.

Feeling grateful for the small connection that reminded her of that.