Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139844498170401
The next morning, Liene and I left the duke’s household, seen off by all our parents and the entire staff.
A large crowd lined the stone pavement before the entrance. Every single face was familiar—from the head butler to the gardener, the head maid, the head chef, down to the young boys and girls doing menial tasks.
Literally everyone who worked at the estate had turned out.
“It’s only natural, young master. The son of the Arkberg family is temporarily leaving the estate. Seeing you off… is our duty as servants.”
“Grandpa…”
The elderly butler said softly, smiling gently.
His voice was calm, but his eyes were bloodshot red.
Probably that guy. He’d been crying just a moment ago.
They were certainly close, but this was a bit unexpected.
“Young masterrrrr…!!! Lieeneeeee…!!!”
And the head maid was wailing unashamedly.
She, who usually kept her emotions in check, was unexpectedly sobbing uncontrollably. Her face was a mess from snot and tears, her normally composed features looking utterly pitiful.
With a wry smile, Liene wiped her tears with a handkerchief, but the flowing liquid showed no sign of stopping. If anything, it only overflowed more.
“You don’t have to cry so much…”
“That’s right, Head Maid! It’s not like we’re parting for good!”
“Bu-but, young master…Liene too…!! This is just too much… To be chosen as the… Ugh…”
“Mother… I understand how you feel, but please try to calm down a little.”
Beside her, sobbing loudly, a young male servant wiped his own tears with a handkerchief. He was a young man three years older than us, the head maid’s only son.
Back when we were still children, the three of us—including Liene—used to get into all sorts of mischief together, regardless of our master-servant roles. Countless times we snuck sweets in the dead of night, hiding from our parents and the head maid. We got scolded together just as many times—true partners in crime.
Even he was shedding tears, grieving our parting.
“Lord Rai. If you ever feel lonely, come back anytime. Even if you abandon your duties and run straight back home, I’ll welcome you with a smile…”
“Ah, thank you…”
“Liene, don’t push yourself too hard, okay? If anything happens, rely on Lord Rai immediately. Conversely, if you push yourself too far, make sure to stop. Please?”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
And so, one by one, they offered me their farewell words.
Words that sounded like a final farewell in this life stood out, but that was unavoidable.
The many students appearing in the game ‘CHOICE//MAZE’ are the chosen ones, called ‘Selectors’. Putting it into words makes it sound special somehow, but that’s far from the truth. They are, quite simply, sacrifices.
The ‘Primordial Labyrinth’ they will delve into is an ultra-high-difficulty dungeon that has existed for over a thousand years. It usually remains silent, but every hundred years, it activates and bares its fangs at humanity.
It spawns monsters, expands its scale, and attempts to cover the world.
The ultimate goal of the game is to eradicate this labyrinth.
However, one problem arises here.
Only boys and girls aged 15 to 18—roughly equivalent to high school students in Japan—can enter the ‘Primordial Labyrinth’. This is despite other labyrinths allowing adults to enter without issue.
Therefore, to overcome this situation, the nation forcibly gathers 15- to 18-year-old boys and girls from across the country who possess a certain level of magical power and aptitude for the labyrinth. Under the honorable title of ‘Selected Ones,’ students chosen for their special abilities.
Naturally, they live in dormitories there for a year, with no guarantee they’ll return alive. Even if they do come back safely, aftereffects or mental breakdowns await them—a life as invalids, unable to ever grasp a sword again or use magic.
That’s where they send the children.
No wonder the servants weep and panic.
“It’s fine. I’ll return safely. —You know that, right? I’m strong.”
“I’ll come back alive too, for sure! Together with Lord Rai!”
Hearing that, the servants all began weeping as if a dam had burst.
I understand how they feel, but they’re crying too much.
As I thought this, my mother stepped forward.
The woman who always smiled beside Father. Unassuming, gentle, soft. The woman everyone in the house unanimously called ‘the kind mistress’. She was truly kind, loving not only her son, me, but also the servant, Liene, deeply.
“Rai, Liene…”
In her usual, yet slightly trembling, thin voice, she pulled us both into a tight embrace. The strength radiating from her slender arms was surprisingly fierce. It felt like her heart was overflowing with the plea, ‘Please don’t leave.’
“…Mother.”
“Madam…!?”
“Both of you…”
As I was startled by the sudden embrace, Mother spoke.
“I don’t need achievements or glory. Just… just come back safely…”
Her voice was hoarse.
A voice squeezed out, a voice holding back. A tear fell onto my shoulder, and I realized Mother, like the servants, was crying too.
Ah… this is too much. Seeing someone who usually never stops smiling, crushed by despair, was heartbreaking. My chest tightened, and without thinking, both Rine and I hugged Mother back tightly.
Even if my mental age had risen a bit from recalling my memories.
There was no way I could stand up to my mother’s tears.
As I smiled wryly at that, Father stepped forward.
His expression was impassive as ever, his back straight as a sword.
Released from Mother’s embrace, I faced Father directly.
“Rai.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Preparations…?”
“No problem.”
A brief exchange, hardly fitting for father and son.
But this is how we interact.
Father has always been awkward. He was the type to frown constantly and never show weakness, so at first, I was scared out of my wits. I even deliberately kept my distance sometimes.
But even with his few words, he praised my talent for magic, volunteered to teach me swordsmanship himself. Thanks to him giving me his utmost love, awkward as it was, he is now the second most important person to me after Mother.
I could see his fist trembling slightly.
“Rai…”
“Yes.”
“…Come back alive.”
Biting his lip, he squeezed out only those words, just as Mother had done.
It wasn’t an order or a lecture. Just a wish.
It wasn’t the words of a Duke, but of a single, awkward father.
“Of course.”
I replied briefly to my father.
Father understands the meaning of ‘Chosen One’ better than anyone. And he likely knows the possibility that I might not return alive. Yet, the logic of this world dictates that he must still choose to send his son forth.
Wanting to ease my father’s heart even a little, I smiled and said.
“I am your son, Father. I will return home.”
Even if I’m covered in mud, even if they call me a coward. I will return to this place alive. As I spoke those words, filled with that resolve, I thought I saw Father’s expression soften just a little.
“…Then, I shall be going.”
I board the carriage with Liene and leave our home behind.
As the mansion and the family gathered before the gate disappear from view through the carriage window, a burning resolve surges within my chest.
It is a defiance against fate: ‘I don’t want to die,’ ‘I won’t die.’
“Liene.”
“…Yes.”
“We’ll come back alive. Absolutely…”
“…!? Yes!”
Fighting back tears, Liene still nodded firmly.
The place I was heading to was a hell that came once every hundred years. What awaited me was the predetermined fate of the original story.
—But so what?
Villain reincarnations generally succeed in rebelling against the original story.
Depending on my actions, it can be altered however I choose.
(Just you wait, labyrinth… I’ll bring you the best ending possible…)
Declaring this in my heart, I fixed my gaze ahead.
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