After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
“He turned into a monster…!”
Marina readied her longsword, staring down Ilwen, who had completely changed.
It was no surprise she was shocked.
That elf man, once tall and slender, had now transformed into a giant wolf.
No—perhaps it was more accurate to say a tree in the shape of a wolf.
His body formed the silhouette of a wolf, made up of multiple types of plant life, like stained glass woven from flora.
And as if responding to Ilwen, a sinister aura began to seep from the Abyss Gate.
If Ilwen was the king, then surely what would crawl out of there would be the army he commands.
“He’s way too huge,”
“How are we supposed to deal with something like this?”
Nene and Jamie looked up at the “True King of the Forest” and muttered.
Even for me, this was the first time facing a monster of this size.
He was even larger than the withered dragon sealed in the deepest part of the “Achromatic Darkness.”
But we’re the only ones who can stop this… and I don’t think running away is an option.
If we don’t break through here, we won’t even have the chance to close the Abyss Gate.
“Marina, Nene! Sorry, but hold it off up close!”
“Got it!”
“Roger that!”
Though they had hesitated at first, they nodded firmly and raised their weapons at my words.
“Rain and Jamie, support them.”
“Mm.”
“Understood!”
Even before I gave the order, Rain and Jamie had already begun preparing their spells.
Normally, support and backup would be my role… but right now, I had something else I needed to do.
“Silk, you…”
“I know. We’re connected.”
Silk grasped my hand and smiled.
We locked our amber eyes and nodded in unison.
“Don’t worry about defeating it. Focus on buying time and staying safe!”
“You’ve got a secret plan, don’t you? Got it! leave everything to Marina!”
Marina nodded behind us, sheathed her blade, and charged forward without hesitation.
She was just like when she was my student—brave and unwavering.
But now, she had real strength to back it up.
“Well, if I see a chance, I’ll take it down.”
“No reckless moves, Nene.”
“Coming from the guy who’s clearly about to do something reckless?”
With a quip and a grin, Nene leapt forward and vanished into motion.
She’d been trained by the legendary ninja Grey Hermits—worrying about her might be pointless, but she was still someone precious to me.
Before her recklessness could become reality, I needed to pull off my own.
“Yuke… you’re getting a lecture later, you know?”
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You might as well have. Just… don’t die, okay? You’ve still got a lot to pay back.”
Jamie averted her eyes as she began chanting a complex multi-layered spell, and I responded with a wry smile.
It was the same old argument we always had.
Maybe that’s exactly why… she wanted to keep having it forever.
“Same as always. It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Thanks, Rain.”
“Besides… if it’s me, I can probably stop it.”
“…Don’t overdo it, okay?”
“You’re really one to talk, Yuke.”
Rain giggled and hugged me, standing on her toes.
As always, she was good at spoiling me.
She stepped back, raised her staff, and took a deep breath.
“I’ll end this. Leave it to me.”
“Yeah. I’m counting on you.”
I turned back to Silk.
“Alright then, shall we?”
“Yes. Leave it to me, Sensei.”
Her usual tone made me smile despite myself.
“Sensei?”
“That’s just it, Silk. How long am I going to be your ‘Sensei’?”
“Oh, um… it just slipped out. You’ve always been the only teacher for me, Yuke.”
“Even though we’re partners now, it still doesn’t quite sit right.”
“...!”
Silk turned slightly red and looked away.
Her long ears twitched, and the way she fidgeted with embarrassment was as adorable as ever.
“Don’t tease me, Yuke.”
“That’s better. At least for now… let’s just be equals.”
“No, I’ll always be yours and yours alone, Yuke.”
They smiled at each other, their hands gently touching.
Slowly, they let their presence melt together, syncing as one.
Both of them knew how dangerous this was, but it was their best move… their only option.
Together, they began chanting the ancient, secret language.
A song and a prayer from the homeland of the Dark Elves, hidden within the “Amber.”
Words of the beginning and the end, known only to the true stewards of the World Tree.
“Esiteks on valgus. Valguskuur soojeneb. Tuul puhub pärast põlemist. Tuul puhub pilvedesse. Pilved on paksenenud ja sajab. Vihm toidab maad. Seemnete idanemine……”
Though the words were unfamiliar, they stirred a deep sense of nostalgia.
Perhaps it was because he was synchronized with Silk.
“Tihe, kaetud, levinud. Koos, hõõruda, kukkuda. Kõik on ringis. Kõik läheb vooluga kaasa. Elame koos, sureme koos. Armastage koos, puudutage koos. Et naasta kõikidesse kohtadesse, mis peaksid olema varsti──!”
Silk’s spirit power intertwined with Yuke’s gathered mana, merging together to form a perfect ring.
It began to rotate smoothly… and then transformed into a spiral, converging into a single point.
A strange sensation—like space itself was twisting—preceded the appearance of something.
“This is…”
Slowly descending and faintly glowing… was a crystal of amber.
Smooth and oval-shaped, just slightly smaller than a clenched fist.
And yet, it radiated a pressure that made their skin tense—an overwhelming presence, a concentrated “Culling Force” in palm-sized form.
Silk, holding it in her hands, slowly knelt before Yuke and respectfully spoke as she offered the amber.
“──Oh King of Amber. The choice is yours.”
Holding the glowing amber in his hand, Yuke gazed silently at the raging “True King of the Forest.”
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