Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139846349079924
We passed through the grand hall at the entrance and raced up the final spiral staircase.
As my vision spun around and around, the constant, thunder-like explosions and the unpleasant screech of grinding stone vibrated against my eardrums.
Something massive was collapsing below.
It felt as though the labyrinth itself was being torn apart from the inside.
“Hurry!”
At my shout, everyone gritted their teeth and picked up the pace.
The red flashing light signaling intruders had already gone out, replaced by the labyrinth’s screeching vibrations shaking the spiral staircase. Spider-web-like cracks ran across the walls, and just after I ran up the stairs, I heard the sound of the stone steps behind me crumbling and vanishing into the darkness.
And so, running up the stairs in a frenzy, the moment I stepped over the final step—
“……!!”
My field of vision suddenly opened up.
What flooded my eyes, now accustomed to the dim darkness, was the light of the sun, already tilting toward the west. Soft yet indistinct, a faint, blurred hue—neither red nor orange—enveloped the world.
The sky still held traces of blue, but beyond the horizon, the colors were quietly beginning to fade.
“…Are we safe?”
“Haa, haa… It seems so…”
Yu crouched down, still holding the girl, and Ciel followed suit, dropping to her knees on the ground.
Watching their exchange with a wry smile, I took a breath as well. Fresh, dry air—so different from the dusty, stagnant air of the labyrinth—flowed into my lungs.
The wind brushing against my cheek felt strangely gentle.
It felt like proof that I was alive, and a warmth slowly spread deep within my chest.
—But the silence didn’t last long.
“They’re coming out!!”
Someone’s shout split the twilight air.
When I looked up, I could make out a large crowd in front of the temporary base a short distance away.
In addition to the students who had escaped earlier, there were many teachers. I could also see adventurers who had apparently been summoned in case of an emergency.
And at the very front of them stood Dietrich, the school principal.
Everyone was watching us with bated breath.
I could see the staff in Dietrich’s hand trembling slightly.
“…Is everyone safe?”
He asked in a low, subdued voice, and I turned around.
Everyone was there. Elisia, Line, Yu, Ciel—and the white-haired girl was breathing quietly in Yu’s arms.
“Yes… everyone is safe.”
As soon as I said that, the atmosphere at the temporary base changed completely.
“Wooooooooooooooah!!”
A roar of cheers, like an explosion, pierced the sky.
Emotions that had been held back were released all at once. There were voices crying and laughing, the sound of fists pounding the ground, and people grabbing each other’s shoulders. It wasn’t just the students; some of the teachers were also shedding tears and collapsing to the ground.
Amidst the chaos—
“Rai.”
A calm voice echoed right beside him.
The moment I turned around, I saw long lapis-blue hair swaying in the setting sun.
Then, a soft impact struck my chest.
“……!”
Elisia had thrown herself into my arms without hesitation.
Her arms wrapped around my back, holding me tightly. Her long lapis-blue hair glowed softly in the setting sun, and her deep purple eyes, peeking through the gap in her bangs, looked straight up at me.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, and tears were welling up at the corners of her eyes, ready to spill over at any moment.
“I’m sorry. I worried you…”
Those words slipped out before I could stop them.
“You bet. …Do you have any idea how much I worried about you?”
Her voice sounded as if she were fighting back a tremor.
Elisia muttered, her voice a mixture of anger and the verge of tears, her gaze fixed on me.
“……I understood it logically. That by you acting as bait, the overall survival rate would increase, and the success rate of clearing the labyrinth would skyrocket… —But you see,”
She furrowed her brow in distress and let out a small sigh.
“Before I’m the student council president, I’m your fiancée.”
Elisia declared it clearly, without hesitation.
“No matter how rational the decision is, or how much the success rate goes up, it doesn’t matter. How could I possibly stay calm when I hear you’re standing right in the center of the danger?”
The arms wrapped around my back tightened.
As if pleading with me not to go anywhere, she pressed her forehead against my chest and murmured quietly.
“I’m glad… you’re safe. Really…”
After clinging to me for what felt like seconds—or perhaps hours—Elicia slowly lifted her face. Her deep purple eyes, bathed in the setting sun, met mine once more, and the tears pooled at the corners of her eyes trickled down her cheeks.
“—That said… you’ve really put my heart through the wringer.”
There was no accusatory tone in her voice.
But there was a definite weight to her words.
“As student council president, I can handle it. But as your fiancée… honestly, it was a bit much to bear.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly as her fingertips slid from my back down to the nape of my neck.
Then she gently grasped my tie and pulled it toward her with a firm grip.
“…You’ve put my heart through so much. I should have the right to be a little spoiled.”
Her voice retained its dignity, yet carried a hint of passion.
The shadow of her eyelashes fell across her pale skin.
Her features, which seemed almost too perfect, slowly drew closer.
“I shouldn’t be punished for receiving a small reward, should I…?”
Her deep purple eyes lowered slightly.
Just a little more.
Her fingers tugged at his tie, and their lips were about to meet—
“Lord Rai!!”
…Just as that was about to happen, a full-force charge came from behind.
Judging by the voice, the culprit was likely Liene.
“Guh!?”
She clings to my waist with such force that my whole body lurches.
Elisia’s lips stop just in time, and her forehead lightly bumps against my chest.
“Liene…!?”
Before I can even turn around, the arms wrapped around my back tighten even further.
She hugs me with unbridled intensity, burying her face against my waist.
“When I found out that Lord Rai had gone into the labyrinth alone… I really… thought my heart was going to stop…!”
Her voice trembled as she held me even tighter.
“I thought you’d left me behind… I was scared and lonely… and so… even inside the labyrinth, I kept thinking about you, Lord Rai, the whole time…!”
Her words trailed off.
I heard a soft sniffle.
“I’m so glad… you’re safe…”
I hugged her tightly one last time.
Seeing this, Elisia in front of me let out a small sigh.
“…Seriously.”
She muttered in exasperation and shrugged her shoulders.
She withdrew the intensity she’d been directing at me just moments ago and lowered her gaze.
There, clinging to my waist and refusing to let go, was Line.
Her eyes glistening with tears. Her arms clinging desperately.
Seeing this, Elisia’s expression softened just a little, and she slowly pulled away from my chest as if to say, “I guess I have no choice.”
For just a split second, she cast a lingering glance at my lips—
“We’ll continue this… later, then.”
Saying this meaningfully, Elisia swiftly put some distance between us.
She straightened her back, wiped away her tears, and composed her expression.
In the next instant, she had completely resumed the face of the “Student Council President.”
“—Everyone, listen up!”
Her dignified voice echoed through the temporary base.
The students, who had been making a commotion, stopped moving instantly.
“Our expedition into the labyrinth was a success. But it’s not over yet. Checking on the injured, securing the perimeter—there’s a mountain of work to be done.”
Instructions flew out one after another.
Her demeanor was so commanding that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been clinging to me just moments ago.
“Work with the teachers and handle things step by step. —Team leaders, report your status!”
Replies came one after another.
The scene had fully sprung into action.
Amidst the commotion—
“…Rai-sama.”
Liene, still clinging to my waist, murmured softly.
“Hm?”
“…Just a little longer… Can I stay like this…?”
Her voice was faint.
I smiled slightly, placed my hand on her head, and stroked it gently.
“Yeah. That’s fine.”
At those words, Liene’s grip tightened just a little.
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