Chapter 255
“Magic Tower master-!”
“Ah, oh my…! Thank goodness…!”
The ones who greeted Franz as he exited the gate were the people who had planned to raid the gate with him. They were all breathing sighs of relief.
Well, it was only natural. From the outside, the gate must have disappeared. They must have been both panicked and worried by such an unprecedented event.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere…”
The investigator trailed off as his gaze fell on Franz’s shoulder. Although the wound had been healed using divine power, the bloodstains and torn fabric on his clothes remained.
“As you can see, I am fine.”
“I-I see… That is a huge relief…”
There was no need to explain what had happened inside. He just got hurt fighting a strong monster. Yes, that was enough.
“Then let us head back now. I will explain the details once we return.”
Before long, Franz returned to the Imperial Palace with everyone. And there, he explained the structure of the labyrinth and the phenomenon of the gate disappearing.
One of the investigators listening to the explanation suddenly raised a hand.
“What kind of monster was on the 6th Basement Floor…?”
“It was one that wielded a massive sword.”
“To think it could injure the Magic Tower master with just a sword, it must have been an incredible monster.”
“Yes, it was incredible, truly, in many ways…”
Franz did not feel entirely at ease. Even if it couldn’t be helped, he had ended up killing Yuna.
Her words about how, despite hating humans, his touch didn’t feel unpleasant were still echoing in his ears.
“That concludes the explanation of the labyrinth. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.”
The investigators asked questions as if they had been waiting, and Franz answered them diligently.
After finishing his schedule, Franz headed not to the Magic Tower, but to the streets of Ester.
There was no particular reason. He just felt like walking a bit.
“Runi-ah! Mom says to come eat!”
“Ugh… I want to play more…”
The children who had been running around went back home, and the street vendors prepared to close up one by one.
While some came out to the front of their shops to hawk their wares, others had already packed up their business and firmly shut their doors.
It was a scene that lacked nothing to be called everyday life, truly as peaceful as could be.
“What was the Ester beyond the gate like…”
Since Yuna said she had killed all humans, a bloodstorm must have swept through. And in the end, it must have become a ruin with nothing left.
It was a truly tragic thing for Yuna and for the residents of Ester.
As Franz was slowly walking down the street.
“Franz…?”
Someone coming out of a shop that hadn’t closed yet called his name.
Not particularly tall, with red hair coming down to her waist, and eyes full of mischief.
Yuna was staring blankly at Franz with her eyes wide open in surprise.
“Yuna, what brings you all the way out here?”
“We ran out of snacks, so I came to buy some. We played rock-paper-scissors, and I lost.”
Yuna let out a sigh and slowly shook her head. The fact that she had lost at rock-paper-scissors seemed quite shocking to her.
“More importantly, why are you here? Everyone is waiting in the Magic Tower master’s Office.”
“I just wanted to walk a bit.”
“Hmm…”
Yuna trailed off and narrowed her brow, then took out a small cookie from the little basket she was holding.
“Here, ah-.”
“Right here…?”
“Yeah, right here. Hurry up and eat it. My arm hurts.”
To think a person who swung a massive holy sword like a feather was saying her arm hurt from holding a mere cookie…
Letting out a short sigh, Franz opened his mouth and accepted the cookie. There had to be a reason she was going this far.
As he chewed the cookie, a savory and sweet flavor filled his mouth. It was a decent enough taste.
“How is it? Do you feel a bit better?”
“…I feel a bit better, thanks to you.”
It was unclear whether his troubled heart had shown on his face, or if her intuition was just that good. Regardless, he was thankful she cared, and at the same time, he felt sorry.
Franz took a step closer to Yuna. Then, he gently pulled her head and buried it in his chest. His troubled heart had already vanished without a trace.
“U-uheh? F-Franz? What if someone sees us…”
Yuna even stuttered, flustered.
It was only after a very brief moment had passed that Franz let her go.
“Yuna, take this.”
“A jewel…?”
What Franz held out to Yuna was a purple jewel. More accurately, it was the one that had been embedded in the holy sword.
Though this situation of handing over a raw jewel rather than an accessory was a bit strange.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“Because it’s yours.”
“Mine…? Ah, you mean you brought it to give to me?”
“Well, something like that.”
It didn’t really matter, so he didn’t bother explaining, but the order of events was actually the opposite. After he brought the jewel, the thought had occurred to him that he should give it to Yuna.
Yuna made a complicated and subtle expression but accepted the jewel for now.
It was then.
“H-huh…?”
Suddenly, Yuna’s body swayed.
Because they were close enough to touch, Franz immediately reached out and caught her.
“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
“It’s not that…”
Yuna trailed off and looked down at the jewel in her hand. The jewel sparkled beautifully under the sunset light.
Soon, Yuna corrected her posture and put the jewel into her small bag.
“Yuna, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Do I look like someone who gets sick? I’m super healthy.”
Yuna smiled playfully and took a step forward.
Smiling as well, Franz walked forward by her side.
It was a little while later that the two arrived at the Magic Tower.
“Yuna, you didn’t go eat something delicious all by yourself.”
Yusti-ah, who had been grumbling at Yuna, trailed off. At the end of her gaze was none other than Franz.
“Wait, don’t tell me you two met outside?!”
“Yeah, I was coming out after buying cookies, and Franz just happened to be right there. Doesn’t it seem totally like destiny?”
“T-then your coming back late is all because of that…?”
“Who knows? What could we have done…?”
Even though they hadn’t done anything particularly grand, Yuna deliberately hid the truth and provoked Yusti-ah.
The problem was that Yusti-ah fell hook, line, and sinker for that blatant provocation.
Yusti-ah jumped up from her seat and pointed a finger at Yuna.
“Tell the truth…! Don’t tell me you two did something i-indecent…?!”
“W-what do you mean indecent…! You said making babies was a sacred act…!”
“Making babies?!”
“N-no, I’m not saying we did it! We didn’t! I said we didn’t!”
With Yusti-ah grabbing the back of her neck in a fit of pique and Yuna spitting out excuses with a flushed face, it was a situation that could truly be called utter chaos.
At the sight of them, Franz could only let out a long sigh.
Why was there never a single day that passed by normally…
“Anyway, when are you all planning to head back? The sun is already setting.”
It was a bit funny to say this when it hadn’t even been an hour since he saw their faces.
But they needed to tell him what time they were leaving so he could decide on the schedule after that: whether they would eat dinner together or just have a simple cup of tea.
Soon, the women each told him what time they would return.
Arian said she would head back soon, and Yuna and Yusti-ah likewise said they planned to return before long.
Thus, the last one remaining was Hera. After pondering for quite a while with a narrowed brow, she spoke quietly.
“Could you let me stay the night at the Magic Tower…? There is something I wish to do.”
“Well, that’s not difficult.”
Wasn’t she helping out so much now that it wouldn’t be a stretch to call her an Honorary Magic Tower Member? Letting her stay for a night wasn’t a difficult task at all. There were plenty of empty rooms left in the Magic Tower anyway.
Afterwards, Franz had a simple teatime with everyone. He didn’t feel comfortable just sending them back like this.
“Then, Magic Tower master, I will see you tomorrow.”
“Franz, I’ll get going first.”
“I’ll get going first too. I’m just saying this in case, but don’t even think about doing anything weird with Hera.”
Arian, Yuna, and Yusti-ah left their parting words and exited the Magic Tower master’s Office.
Thus, left alone with Hera, Franz looked around the Magic Tower master’s Office, which had emptied out in an instant, and spoke.
“Hera, shall we go get something to eat now?”
“Now that you mention it, I am getting a bit hungry. Let us go at once.”
Franz exited the Magic Tower master’s Office with Hera, and just in time, they ran into Levi, Seri-ah, and Zeni-ah, who were also on their way to eat.
“I don’t dislike a rich pushover, Zeni-ah.”
“I feel the same way, Seri-ah.”
“Since Master is treating us today, I’m going to eat a lot…!”
Since they were on their way to eat anyway, the girls decided to join them. Hera didn’t seem to take it badly either.
Anyway, with three disappearing and another three appearing, he had a premonition that he wouldn’t have many chances to be alone in the future.
Time flowed on, and before long, it was night, the sun having completely set.
Franz sat down, thinking he should do a little of the work he couldn’t finish during the day.
Suddenly, a knock rang out, and Hera poked her head through the crack in the door.
“Franz, do you have a moment?”
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
“Then let us go for a short walk.”
Suddenly going for a walk at this hour…?
Even while harboring such a question, Franz stood up.