Bright things are not always good.
Because the midday sun, now that the Abyss had cleared, ruthlessly laid bare Hibernia's miserable state.
The sight of the city from above was carnage itself.
Collapsed walls and buildings.
Corpses strewn amidst the wreckage, and bloodstains spread thick and dark.
There were no signs of life.
Before the onrushing Abyss and swarming monstrosities, words like "luckily survived" could not possibly exist.
That was why it was silent.
Perhaps because the noise of battle had been so tremendous just moments before.
The silence now felt all the more dramatic.
It was a silence both tragic and gloomy.
Once the silence broke, terrible grief would rush in immediately.
But what could be done?
He had survived, after all.
If so, he had to move forward.
After grieving to his heart's content, raging, and regretting all he wanted.
He had to move forward again.
There was no life lived facing backward.
Even if pushed from behind, life was something that had to keep on walking.
After surveying such a scene, Hio immediately tried to leave.
He did not want to play the hero.
He had barely returned alive from Kreuzvalt's clutches—what right did he have to strut around proudly?
He did not want to stand before those who had lost parents, siblings, friends, or colleagues.
He wanted to step aside so they could grieve to their hearts' content.
「Skill – 'Summon Phantom Steed' activates.」
「Trait – 'Spirit Body' activates.」
Because the massive wings—which were a secondary effect of the Transcendent Skill 'Dimensional Shift'—were fading, he summoned a Phantom Steed for the first time in a while, changed his body into a spirit body, and mounted its back.
Come to think of it, he had to find Purnelle as well.
The Ghost's Eye and Spirit Body abilities he had received from her remained, but where had Purnelle herself gone?
If she had reunited with her main body at the Tower of Magicians as Kreuzvalt had said, it would be a relief… but nothing was certain.
After all, Kreuzvalt's words had been painted with one part truth and ten thousand parts falsehood.
Just as Hio was about to leave.
…….
A sudden intensity caught hold of his senses, refined and broadened through enlightenment, and he stopped to look in that direction.
He had been too focused on Kreuzvalt to notice, but now it was a force so strong he could no longer ignore it.
No, rather than a strong force, it was a heart burning scorching hot.
Regret and self-blame.
Flames of joy fueled by them as firewood.
Flames of passion.
They had become visible to the naked eye.
This was the world as seen by a transcendent who had awakened to the Intent.
Naturally, he could not suppress his curiosity.
Just who possessed such power?
Although Hio still could not handle his Intent well, if one could manifest such will purely through their own strength, it was a potential great enough to instantly rise to the ranks of the strongest.
So he turned his steed and slowly headed toward that place.
Before the royal castle of Hibernia, where many people had gathered.
Or rather, before the temple.
Numerous people were gathered, looking up at Hio.
Soldiers, knights, priests, and residents who had barely fled here.
Only after locking eyes with red pupils at their center did Hio barely recognize who the owner of the flames was.
Her red hair and red eyes remained the same, but she was a gaunt woman who looked visibly unwell.
It was Claire.
"……Claire?"
Claire smiled brightly, her eyes brimming with tears.
* * *
He did not indulge in luxuries like entering the royal castle to rest.
He simply sat down on the ravaged dirt ground, watching people busily moving about for post-war cleanup.
Of course, he could not stay like this forever.
There was much to do and much to find out.
Even at a glance, the world had become a mess, and he had to move quickly to set it in order.
Still… wouldn't it be fine to talk for just a moment?
After all, it seemed his fault was partly to blame for Claire having ended up in such a state.
However, he worried considerably about what to say, where to begin, and how to bring it up.
Was it because they had met after so long, or because he felt awkward at her changed atmosphere and gaunt appearance?
Or perhaps because he could now feel the will and emotions emanating from Claire far more clearly?
As Hio looked around awkwardly, searching for something to say, the first words out of his mouth were:
"Who's this?"
It was a question about the little boy clinging to Claire's side like a burr.
A boy who had remained until the end while others deliberately kept their distance.
"Ah, he's……"
"I'm Hamelot, Master Claire's disciple!"
"Disciple?"
"……Well, you see……"
Even while Claire continued her brief explanation, all sorts of emotions swirled within the child named Hamelot.
Jealousy and admiration.
Reverence and envy.
Ambition and self-loathing.
Perhaps because he was still young, his emotions were felt more vividly than those of others.
To the point where Hio could understand why one should not utter falsehoods before an Intent user.
'Wait, if that's the case…'
'Then Kreuzvalt must have known from the very beginning that Hio doubted him and did not believe him.'
'And yet the fact that he left him alone without taking any special measures…'
'He must have thought it didn't matter.'
'Whether Hio suspected him or used whatever means, he must have thought the only choice Hio could make was to listen to him in the end.'
'And indeed it had been so—had it not been for the variable of Dimensional Shift, it would have gone according to his will.'
"……So that's what happened."
Even while lost in thought, Hio listened to Claire's story without missing a word.
Something possible because her soul rank had risen, her senses had developed, and her mind had opened.
Well, even so, she was still an empty-shell archmage… no, merely a half-baked 6th-circle mage.
"Yeah, Hamelot. You've helped Claire a lot. Thank you."
"……Huh?"
Hamelot opened his eyes wide in surprise, but to Hio, it was only natural.
Just having someone by Claire's side when she must have been exhausted and lonely would have been a great comfort.
Because he still remembered the past, when he had collapsed for lack of such a person.
Anyway, this much was enough.
He wanted to rest and talk all day if he could, but the situation would not allow it.
"For now…… how is the Empire?"
He got straight to the point without even exchanging proper greetings.
A few emotions leaked from Claire at that, but Hio pretended not to notice.
And perhaps Claire was the same, for she answered as if nothing were wrong.
Because she understood Hio.
Because she knew that heart of his which always prioritized others' safety over his own.
Compared to that, her own petty feelings were obviously nothing but a hindrance.
She suppressed her surging emotions and continued her answer.
For now, let us simply be grateful to be alive.
Let me recover quickly and stand proudly by Hio's side from now on.
For now, that alone was enough.
"Yeah…… the Empire is said to be barely holding on, too. And after this 70th-floor collapse, no one knows what will happen."
"Yeah. Still, a tragedy on the scale of Hibernia probably didn't happen. The Commander is there, too."
"No doubt. Antipus and Daphne should also be operating around the Empire as much as possible."
"Ah…… right, about that."
Claire, who had been worrying for a moment about how to say it, raised her tone at the end as if unable to find the right words.
"Those people you mentioned…… the guild members, I mean. They're all missing…… or should I say, gone. Anyway, it's been quite a while since anyone saw them."
"……Missing?"
"They're probably not 'missing'—it seems they used that unique ability of theirs. They haven't returned for months."
"Wait, how many floors have failed so far?"
Since Hio fell to the end of the world, five floors in total had failed to be cleared.
Adding this 70th floor to that made a whopping six.
If that had occurred not on this continent, but in the outside world as-is……
"…It's enough to keep them from returning."
It might not be just a matter of being unable to return—perhaps they were nearly marching toward annihilation.
Because the outside world lacked the most important 'Divinity.'
The Awakeners' levels were low, the Abyss monsters were strong, and there was no way to oppose the Abyss's energy.
He could guess what state they might be in, yet at the same time, he couldn't fathom it.
If so, he had to move immediately.
He was in a body that couldn't log out, but now he had the Transcendent Skill 'Dimensional Shift,' didn't he?
He now had a means to move to the outside world at any time.
"I should go right away."
Hio stood up, dusting off his seat.
Claire stood up after him with a calm expression, as if she had expected this, but the emotions leaking from her were like a storm.
But he deliberately ignored them once again.
"I'll recover quickly and wait for you in the Empire."
"Yeah. But before that, you need to eat a lot more. Just how much have you been dieting?"
"…Got it. I'll eat well too."
Claire dabbed at her eyes, which were growing moist again, and looked at Hio with a clearer gaze.
"Don't die."
He was newly struck by the reality that he had returned.
That there was someone who cared for him this much.
He was happy that he still had a place to return to.
He was glad he had survived.
"Yeah, let's talk all we want when I get back."
Having said so, he turned around.
This time, he intended to make it clear that he would move alone.
He would have to move without variables and begin battle immediately.
He was quite tired, but he thought of the hell of monstrosities that had infinitely unfolded in days past.
This much couldn't even be counted as hardship.
With that thought, he activated the skill once more.
「Transcendent Skill – 'Dimensional Shift' activating.」
The world gradually grew blurry and space began to split…… but did not.
「Unable to activate skill.」
「Cooldown – 01:28:21」
「Skill activation canceled.」
He hadn't thought about the cooldown.
There was still an hour and a half left.
"Still, leaving in a flash like this seems too heartless, don't you think?"
"……Huh?"
"Well, it's been a while since we met, so let's talk a bit more. It's absolutely not for any other reason."
He nonchalantly turned back around and plopped back down on the ground.
Claire, who had been looking at Hio for a moment, tilted her head and sat back down after him.
"Is there nothing else? Someplace I need to go quickly, or somewhere dangerous?"
"Um…… Hibernia was the most dangerous place, but the immediate fire has been put out, so all that remains is the cleanup……"
"None of the kids died or got seriously hurt, right?"
"Died or seriously…… Ah!"
Claire lightly clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.
"Airaits disappeared."
"……Airaits?"
"Yeah. This time, she's really missing."
"What was that supposed to mean?"
"Why would she…… no, how did it happen?"
"I don't know the details either. She was a person of interest, so we put surveillance on her, but the last place she was confirmed was the Kingdom of Pierrio……"
Pierrio was a small northern kingdom covered in snow and ice.
Nothing immediately came to mind as to why Airaits would head there.
"And there's something else I heard……"
Claire, who had seemed to hesitate over whether to say this, finally parted her lips, having made up her mind.
"Airaits said…… she would save you, Hio."
"……Huh?"
"That she would become a god and turn things back…… she said strange things like that……"
Somehow, he could imagine her voice and expression, and a sigh escaped him.
"Hah……"
He had returned alive and well, so he wished she wouldn't cause any trouble……
One more task had been added to his list.
He had to go to the Magic Tower to find Purnelle and calm the disaster that had befallen the outside world.
He had to return to the Empire to place Theor back by Sylvia's side and meet Vitalianus.
Of course, he had to purify the Abyss spread across Hibernia and the Empire and subjugate the Abyss monsters.
He would also have to clear the next floor that appeared in the meantime.
And for his own growth, he had to learn 6th and 7th-circle magic.
Authorities, the Order, Kreuzvalt, the end of the world—there were endlessly many things to think about.
And in the midst of it all, he had to find Airaits too.
"……For real."
The price of having been away for about a year and a half.
"I guess I'm never going anywhere again."
There was a mountain of things to sort out.