After parting ways with Firvis, I headed straight back to the others.
I had no idea where they were at the moment, but our destination was the 59th Floor anyway.
So all I had to do was make a beeline for the 59th Floor.
Finding the way there wasn't difficult at all, thanks to the floor geography I'd extracted from Firvis's memories.
The only problem was the monsters we ran into along the way.
There were too many to deal with through all sorts of tricks, and honestly, it was a pain to fight them head-on, so I did my best to avoid them and kept running.
It was a little wasteful, though. Their materials and samples were kind of a shame to pass up.
But there was something more urgent and more concerning below us right now, so I decided to let it go and wait for another chance.
Besides, there was no one else in these deep floors except our group, so I could relax a little mentally.
"That said, Firvis..."
The woman who had been a victim, yet was ultimately driven into the role of perpetrator.
She had been kinder than anyone else, but now she had accumulated a heavier burden of sin than anyone else.
A sinner who was not a sinner.
"If we meet again on the surface, I wonder what kind of face she'll be making?"
The sudden sense of anticipation brought a smile to my lips.
Ah, this was the part where my own ugly side came back to mind, and it was so embarrassing it was almost unbearable, yet somehow thrilling all the same.
It was enough to make me understand why Lady Hestia always scolded me for being unfaithful.
But what could I do?
Respect is important, so please indulge my tastes!
"Will she look a little brighter? Or even more clouded? Or maybe..."
Would she be crushed by the weight of guilt she'd been pretending not to notice all this time, and end up breaking even further?
Hmm. How exciting.
At this point, it was like a child getting excited over a surprise present on their birthday.
That was how much I looked forward to the future awaiting her.
If she felt relieved, then I'd celebrate the remarkable growth of a human being.
If she grew clouded, then I'd dig rougher into the hidden depths she'd been concealing and tear them open.
If she broke, then I'd show her a shred of mercy, hook her to the thread called "hope," and keep playing with her as a toy doll.
"If possible, the third one would be best. Though surely she won't be so impatient that she tries some stupid suicide again, right?"
Though of course, because of the restriction "she" had placed on her, it would end in failure anyway.
Still, if she somehow succeeded and died, then that would be the result of a human will as brilliant as a miracle, and it would be more than worthy of respect.
It would also be the least interesting ending, something you'd remember for only a few days.
In the end... whichever way it went, I wouldn't be bored for a while.
No, to begin with, I was the kind of person whose days were so packed that I almost never had time to feel bored in the first place.
"More than anything, I'm curious how she'll settle things with Enyo... no, Dionysus. Will she still cling to him blindly like an idiot? Or will she cut ties after all? Or maybe she'll be stuck somewhere in between, unable to choose either way and wandering around in confusion..."
Thoughts kept chasing after thoughts, but no conclusion came.
Well, whichever it was, I could just sit beside her, munch popcorn, and enjoy the show with a light heart.
If it came to it, I could always "save" her exactly as I'd promised earlier.
The result would differ somewhat depending on her choices.
But one thing would never change: in the end, she would be saved.
Because I intended to make the story go that way.
"Still, if it comes to it, I can always sweet-talk her onto the operating table, so that's nice. Mm, I really did get a good connection."
Unlike the taciturn Revis, she might show me all sorts of interesting expressions, which would make research and experiments even more enjoyable.
And if she got tired in the middle of it, I'd poke at her conscience again and again until she perked back up.
If she got scared and tried to run, I'd use her "hope" as bait and make her stand on the operating table again of her own free will.
Ahh, as an experimental subject, where else could I find such a perfect model?
Well, she was a very precious talent, so I didn't plan to do anything too extreme.
Though who knows what the future might bring?
"Everyone's just struggling through life. I'm only pursuing a little personal amusement in the middle of it."
At the very least, I thought that made me better than Father Mappa or that old bug-eyed geezer, didn't it?
No matter how much I struggled to puff myself up, I couldn't compare to the original masters of the trade.
Yes, that's right.
I'm absolutely not a bad person.
I'm just, at most, a little mischievous.
"Once we go down this staircase, we should be getting close..."
Lost in thought, I realized before I knew it that we'd arrived.
And so, at last, we reached the space right in front of the entrance to the 59th Floor.
Everyone in the party was gathered there.
Hey, long time no see... I guess?
Hmm, for some reason it really did feel like it had been ages.
How strange.
"Oh? It's An!"
"You made it back safely, Magus."
"Honestly, you really know how to make people worry."
"Ahaha. Sorry, sorry."
In order, Tiona, Tsubaki, and Tione welcomed me back.
Man, meeting someone you know in a place full of strangers really is a relief.
It was one of those things you always think about when you're a total loner.
Anyway, I'm back safe and sound.
"I'm glad you're safe. But what about that masked freak?"
"Hmm, to get straight to the point... I'm sorry to say I lost him?"
"Really? That's an unexpected result."
"Even I'm not omnipotent. I also didn't have the bag I brought with me. My Magecraft requires advance preparations."
"Is that so? Well, that's a shame, but it can't be helped."
To Finn's question, I answered honestly while dodging the issue.
Well, I did "lose" him of my own volition, so it wasn't exactly a lie, was it?
Something like that.
...My face looks okay right now, right?
Doesn't anyone have a portable mirror or something?
"Anyway, this is the entrance to the 59th Floor. As we discussed earlier, the information we had doesn't match what's actually here, so the situation is pretty unsettling. But we can't just back off weakly like this. Everyone, steel yourselves before we go down."
"""Yes!"""
Their battle cries were loud and clear.
And so, with my return as the final piece, we each finished our personal last-minute checks and descended toward the 59th Floor.
I also received back the bag I'd "dropped" when I briefly parted ways with them, which let me finish my own final preparations.
On the outside of the bag, the transmitter "Oaks" that that bastard Phels had arbitrarily entrusted to me was still attached and intact.
Yep, no problem there.
That meant there'd be no room for complaints later on.
"Now then."
What awaited us ahead?
I already knew the answer.
Still, hearing about something in advance and seeing it with your own eyes are completely different matters.
My personal belief on that point did not disappoint me this time either.
"It's hot..."
"Wow, what an enormous jungle."
"It's almost like the 18th Floor."
"Finn, this is..."
"Yes. From here on, what we're seeing is something no one has ever witnessed before, not even the gods."
"The unknown."
Gulp!
At Finn's tense words, the others' tension rose to its peak as well.
And at last, the identity of the mysterious "unknown" before us was revealed.
It was...
"Commander, over there!"
"No way, a female version of a 'jewel'...!"
"Was it parasitized by a Titan Alm, a giant plant-type monster that lives in the deep floors?!"
In the middle of a vast jungle, a giant new-type monster with a familiar shape stood surrounded by countless heaps of ash like a fortress wall.
"A new-type... is offering up its own magic stone?"
"Then could all those ashes be monsters that had their magic stones eaten?!"
At Tiona's question, everyone's faces turned pale.
Because what that meant was...
"Damn it. It's an Enhanced Species!?"
The worst possible situation no one had even dared to imagine.
"This is bad...!"
At that moment.
- a...
A voice reached us.
A voice impossible to forget, even in dreams.
Like a song...
Like a cheer...
Like a scream...!
"Her" voice.
- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Bloop! Gurgle! Blub!
"Ah..."
"That..."
Amid everyone's agitation, the flesh on its body began to writhe.
The meat folded inward and took shape.
Then a bud rose up.
Then a single flower bloomed.
Inside it was...
none other than the upper body of a beautiful woman.
"W-What the hell is that?"
It was more beautiful than anything else.
It was more mysterious than anything else.
It was more "ugly" than anything else in the world.
"Ai, s?"
"...No way."
Ais stared at it without blinking, as if drawn in by some unseen force.
And "she" looked back at her too.
With an expression that was incredibly happy, incredibly delighted.
[Ah...]
Flinch!
[A...ri, a.]
"No way. Don't tell me..."
[Aria.]
She welcomed the meeting with her kin, with the bloodline she shared.
[Aria. Aria. Aria. Ariaariaariaariaariaariaariaaria...!]
"It can't be... really...?"
[Kya-hahahahahahahahaha!]
Aria?
Ais let out the question as if she were speaking to no one, with no answer in return.
Watching her in secret, I let a smile form on my lips.
Ahh, at last.
At long last.
"As expected, life is fun."
Fate had met fate.
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