Side Story: The End. What’s Precious

Quite a lot of time has passed.

It’s been roughly seven years since we returned to the surface.

During that time, Leah gave birth to a son, and Logie had twins. The children Yu-ria and Moira bore for me are now old enough to run around, speak, and are at the age to enroll in the Labyrinth City’s school.

Also, our family has grown, so we moved back to the mansion. The cramped house we used to live in together has now become an old home filled with memories.

“Dad!”

“Papa!”

“Oh, my babies.”

The children my wives gave birth to now call me “Dad” and cling to me as they learn to read.

Watching these bright kids absorb knowledge so quickly is both fascinating and adorable-utterly precious. Honestly, when they were just babies, I didn’t feel much attachment, but now that they’ve grown and call me “Dad,” my heart has truly warmed to them.

“You have an appointment today, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back soon. Probably before dinner.”

“Alright. Oh, and could you pick something up on your way back? We’re out of toilet paper.”

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

With Yu-ria seeing me off, I stepped outside.

Somehow, Yu-ria has grown older and no longer ventures into the labyrinth.

Three years ago, after she and Leah saw the utopia on the 7th Floor, she seemed to have completely let go of her dreams about the labyrinth.

Moira also retired as Guild Leader, and Leah took over after her. The world was changing rapidly.

Honk!

“Hey! Watch the traffic light!”

“Ah, sorry.”

The Labyrinth City has changed a lot too. Over the past seven years, cars were developed, and electricity now powers the entire city.

People’s clothing has gradually evolved as well. At the center of all this were Olivia and Erphin.

The two Earthlings led the trends, elevating fashion and various cultural aspects to near-modern standards.

Additionally, A2-who could access knowledge from other dimensions-along with her manager Rien and Jack, the magic engineer who brought that knowledge into reality, greatly contributed to the city’s development.

Though I haven’t been doing much, thanks to talented individuals working hard in various fields, the Labyrinth City has steadily transformed into a more modern place.

Somehow, watching the city evolve makes the passage of time feel truly remarkable. Humans can progress so much in such a short span. The sight of towering buildings rising in the cityscape felt oddly cold.

“Time is truly fleeting, isn’t it?”

“It really is. Everything’s changing too fast.”

The person I met today was Helena. For some reason, she reached out to me first.

After escaping the labyrinth, it’s rare for her to initiate contact like this.

“It’s on a whole different level from when I was trapped alone on the Throne. The world is moving so fast it’s hard to keep up.”

“Well, that’s how it goes. The world changes moment by moment, but you and I are both too old to keep up with that pace.”

After escaping the labyrinth, she secluded herself in the underground city beneath the Floor Split, saying she needed to train, and didn’t emerge for a long time.

Then, last year, she reappeared, claiming to have gained some enlightenment. That enlightenment must have been Polymorph.

Now fully matured, Helena could transform into the appearance of a raven-haired girl.

“By the way, what’s the reason you wanted to meet today? There must be one, right?”

“I’ll likely be leaving this city soon. That’s why I wanted to see you before I go.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“Yes. I’ve been bothered by something-the ruins in the Uninhabited Zone.”

“Ah…”

Helena said the unexplored region known as the Uninhabited Zone had been on her mind.

The Empire had discovered the civilization of the Ancient Ones there and brought back their technology and surviving descendants.

After learning of this, many ventured into the Uninhabited Zone, but few achieved meaningful results.

“Those Ancient Ones you fought-I’ve been wondering why they suddenly vanished from this planet.”

The Ancient Ones were a race that ruled this planet long before elves and humans even existed.

In fact, they predate the labyrinth’s creation by an unfathomable margin.

“Perhaps they haven’t gone extinct yet.”

“You think the Ancient Ones have survived into this era?”

“Maybe. Or perhaps they left for another world.”

Finding traces of the Ancient Ones on this planet is impossible. I killed the last of the Seven, after all. But what about beyond this planet?

That’s a completely different story.

“It’s strange for a civilization of that scale to vanish overnight. And the labyrinth, born from condensed mystery-isn’t that odd too? Why does the labyrinth exist? Why is the Throne at its deepest point? I couldn’t stop questioning it. I suspect the labyrinth is connected to the Ancient Ones.”

“So you’re going to the Uninhabited Zone to uncover the link between the labyrinth and the Ancient Ones.”

“Exactly. If I can unravel that secret, perhaps I can solve the mystery of the Throne.”

“…”

The secret of the Throne.

Perhaps Helena wanted to free me from the labyrinth’s shackles.

Even after everyone else dies, I must remain on the Throne, guarding this world.

Once those I love are all gone, I will sit on the Throne for eternity, slipping into slumber.

It seemed Helena wanted to change that cruel fate of mine.

“Hey, Shion.”

“Yes, Helena. What is it?”

“Rafnel and Fria will be joining this journey. It reminds me of when we hunted the Light Dragon on the 7th Floor.”

“You’re all going together?”

“Yes. Except for Moira, who now has a child, and Mabel, who chose to remain in the labyrinth.”

Moira, being human, couldn’t accompany them. Helena and Rafnel were ageless, and Fria had transcended mortality by inhabiting the body of an Ice Bird.

Moira would stay with me in the Labyrinth City as a human. Mabel, having merged with the World Tree, couldn’t join either.

She’d weaken if she left the World Tree, so she chose to remain on the 7th Floor, mediating between elves and beastkin.

“We’ll uncover the secrets of the Ancient Ones and learn the truth about the labyrinth. We, the long-lived, are best suited for this task. So wait for us until we return-don’t go back to the Throne yet. One way or another, we’ll restore true freedom and everyday life to you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment. You don’t have to go that far, though…”

“Nonsense. I’m the one who dragged you into this. I should stand by you till the end. And I can’t just turn a blind eye to your sacrifice and suffering. You saved the world, yet you must endure eternal torment? That’s too cruel.”

Back when I didn’t fully understand the labyrinth’s impending rampage, Helena’s spirit-seen through my Spirit Eye-told me I had to go to the labyrinth’s deepest point.

In a way, my binding to the Throne might have stemmed from meeting her. Perhaps Helena carried guilt over that.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Send a letter now and then.”

“Alright. I’ll be careful. Stay well and wait for me here. No matter how many years pass.”

I nodded at Helena’s words.

This journey could take who knows how long. My original plan was to return to the Throne once my wives’ lifespans ended.

But now that Helena, Rafnel, and Fria are offering new hope, I feel like I can hold on a little longer.

After all, time is the one thing I have in excess. I can wait here as long as it takes.

“Take care. I’ll be waiting.”

It might take ages. But somehow, that thought is comforting.

Knowing that those like me-unbound by mortality-are striving for my sake gives me an indescribable sense of peace.

Who knew not being left alone could feel so reassuring?

Perhaps, without realizing it, I’d developed something akin to PTSD at the thought of being alone again.

After being abandoned on the Throne for so long, that time must have instilled in me a subconscious fear and rejection of solitude.

Is this the sorrow of the long-lived? Realizing the loneliness and isolation that comes with the passage of time-something the short-lived can never fathom-made me admire Helena and Rafnel all the more for enduring it before me.

“I’ll send a letter once we reach the border of the Uninhabited Zone. Well then, until we meet again.”

“Yes. Until we meet again. I’ll look forward to that day.”

Helena transformed into her dragon form and flew toward the city’s entrance.

There, Rafnel and Fria were waving. Fria still maintained her avian form, while Rafnel, excited to leave the Labyrinth City for the first time in ages, looked positively giddy.

“May your journey be safe.”

I blessed their travels.

Even if they don’t uncover the Throne’s secret, it doesn’t matter. I just hope they all return safely.

“And may we meet again someday.”

Wishing only for everyone’s happiness, I headed home.

Someday, I’ll have to return to the Throne.

But until then, I want to spend every remaining moment with my family, cherishing them dearly.

Today, too, Yu-ria will try to gift me memories.

Leah will announce the start of a new daily life with me.

Logie will shower me with affection, as always.

Moira will silently embrace me, and Olivia and my friends will each play their parts.

Everyday life will repeat, and within it, I’ll accumulate memories to endure eternity.

The life of the man named Shion is a successful one.

And I’ll continue living as Shion, the successful adventurer, alongside my wives.

That’s enough.

My children will grow, and their children will be born.

Someday, my descendants will inherit this world.

Time will pass, civilizations will advance.

Gradually, adventurers will lose their place.

And by then, I believe those who left will return.

Helena, Rafnel, and Fria. By the time they unravel the Throne’s secret-

That day will likely mark the end of my existence.

Whatever happens, it’s fine. Let’s set aside all worries and questions about the distant future.

I just want to live today to the fullest, cherishing what’s precious.

That’s enough. Happiness isn’t far away.