#16
Yuri has been dreaming for a long time.
To dream of playing in the garden of the royal palace full of the scent of flowers in spring while carrying your brother’s wide back with a tired body after playing hard.
In a quiet room, feeling the pleasant comfort of wiping your bangs, sleeping on your brother’s thighs like a pillow and closing your eyes to melt away your fatigue.
was it five years old was he six years old? Returning to those days when it seemed like she would never wake up, Yuri enjoyed a sense of happiness for a while.
“Uh… ”
But at some point, the sky turns upside down and the sunset glows darkly. It was a harbinger of a return to the cold reality soon.
Without even having time to say goodbye to the older brother in her dreams, Yuri, who had gradually fallen into the pit, finally opened her eyes and let out a hazy voice.
“uh… ?”
blink, blink.
the sky was visible dark blue sky. Next to it were two moons dyed with a foreign red light.
Yuri slowly lowered her gaze. A cape that covers the upper body like a blanket. He saw his legs stretched out. He was lying with his hands on his chest.
Confused by the gradually rushing reality, he remembered his last moment before waking up from an unclear place and shifted his gaze to his ankle.
It was clean. without a single wound.
… … Was that a dream too?
at that time.
“Are you awake?”
A voice came from right above.
He shook his head slightly and saw the face of a man leaning his back against the wall.
gray hair. blue eyes. Somewhere familiar face.
Yuri, who was confused with the dream she had just had and almost gave out the wrong name, blinked her eyelids a couple of times as if she did not understand the situation.
Whoops.
When he turns his eyes to the left, he sees that the man’s stomach is in front of him, and after finally realizing what he has been lying on until now.
“──Kyaak!”
“Ouch!”
I jumped up, raised my upper body, and hit the man’s chin with my forehead.
#17
“It hurts… … ”
“It was me, but why are you hurting more… ?”
Yuri patted her slightly red forehead and cried. No matter how the skeleton was fed back, the one that hit it first was more painful.
Yuri shed tears and looked around.
It was a bit wider than a normal passageway. Three directions were blocked by a wall, and only one wall was open. It kind of looks like a small shelter. If I was alone, it would be a perfect place to be surrounded by monsters and die.
However, there were people instead of monsters around Yuri. I just rolled my eyes and looked at the man.
He absolutely hated to admit it, but it was true that he was a little reassured to have that man by his side now. It was because the anxiety that I thought I might be left alone in my heart was still hiding in the corner of my heart.
and… Recalling her last memory before waking up from here, Yuri frowned, then realized something.
Something…
I think he said something strange…
For once, he pretended not to know and muttered.
“Here… ”
“safety island.”
“… … safety island?”
“It’s a temporary name, though.”
As Yuri tilted her head, Ezio nodded.
“There is a limit to the duration of the barrier, and the location of the safe zone changes every moment, but once you are here, it seems that monsters cannot enter. It looks like a new area from when the structure of the labyrinth changed.”
Saying that, he chin outside me.
Yuri followed Ezio and looked out.
“Hey, hey… … ”
woo woo woo woo… …
Whoaah… …
Thing Thing… …
The demons were sprinting and walking. However, it does not pay a single glance to this place where Yuri and Ezio are. As if they had never even discovered their existence. Usually, they can find the exact location of a living creature just by smelling it and follow it.
“When the light from the floor is completely turned off, the barrier disappears immediately. It’s probably been a little over twenty minutes since I moved here… … There’s probably ten minutes left. I’m guessing the duration of the safe zone is probably thirty minutes. It looks like it was set so that it is neither too long nor too short.”
As if he had already figured it out, Ezio spat out information about the safe zone.
“You have to move slowly. Because there is not much time left.”
Then he turned his head to the glass.
“How can you move a little?”
“… … ”
Yuri didn’t answer and kept her mouth shut. As she was acting as Yuri’s pillow, she stared at Ezio, who was pounding with her fists as if her thighs were numb.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t done anything.”
“… … I mean, anyone can do that.”
“If you don’t believe it, don’t believe it.”
Ezio sighed lightly.
“I barely saved a dying person who was bitten by a ghoul, but I don’t think I’ll ever hear a thank you, but I’m starting to get suspicious. Only then there is no reward or anything. I’m sorry for my poor condition… … ”
“Oh, I never said thank you… ”
At that small voice, Ezio blinked.
“Do you remember what happened?”
“… … roughly.”
He bit his lip and grabbed the hem of his robe, avoiding Ezio’s eyes. Yuri, who knew he was going to refute something, showed a quite unexpected reaction.
“portion… You wrote it.”
“What, do you really remember?”
“… … ”
The sensations of that time are still vivid, but Yuri, who was stroking her clean ankle without a single scar, fell into a strange thought.
Healing Potion is an item that is given only one per person. The fact that Ezio poured the potion means that he had not used the potion until then, and by healing Yuri’s ankle wound, Ezio’s share had disappeared.
Healing potions are low-level, but almost all wounds can be healed. only once, though. He had used that one opportunity for himself. Considering the situation at the time, there is no need to worry.
This internship was an individual exhibition without fail. It wasn’t a group move. There are, of course, co-op points, but the weight isn’t that great.
In addition, there are special tasks where the higher the score, the higher the achievement before others.
If Ezio had continued to move without saving the glass, he might have reached the brink of accomplishing the special task by now.
However, in the circumstances at that time, the option of leaving Yuri alone was not at all possible in Ezio’s mind.
“Can’t you remember anything else?”
“… … What, what?”
Yuri sighed and shook her head.
Ezio, who got an answer while looking at that figure, stopped further investigating Yuri, whose earlobes were slightly red.
“It’s nothing… I wanted to remember you running with you. I was losing my mind at the time, so of course I don’t remember.”
“Mom, I don’t know… … like that.”
For a moment, the scene in the dream seemed to pass by at first glance, but Yuri shook her head and erased all thoughts. Her bright blonde hair glided softly at the edge of her field of vision.
“… … uh?”
Head…
“My, my braid… ”
“Here it is.”
As if he knew how to find it from the moment he got up, Ezio gently held out the black ribbon he was holding as if handed to Yuri.
“I loosened it for a while because I was afraid it would be uncomfortable while lying down, but your hair is really strange. Even though I’ve been tied up for so long–“
“who.”
“… … ?”
“who… at will… ”
not. It doesn’t matter if you shave your head. No, it may have something to do with the fact that his head was touched by a man’s hand, but Ezio didn’t feel too repulsive, so it doesn’t matter… Not this, but the fact that whoever touched and handled their hairbands arbitrarily… seriously annoyed
“… What, why?”
“… … ”
Yuri, who was shaking her shoulders and trying to vomit for a moment with indescribable emotions, finally made her decision with her cold rationality.
Others may think that it is just a headband. Therefore, his reaction now belongs to the very strange side.
Moreover, Ezio didn’t do it for his own convenience. There is no reason for Ezio to be blamed.
And he saved himself.
In a word, it was a benefactor.
Yuri, recognizing the difference between her and Ezio’s point of view, was not at all ignorant of morals, and managed to suppress her emotions and reach out.
“it… ”
“Is it something precious?”
Upon hearing the words, Yuri’s eyes widened.
“… … What?”
“I think your reaction is correct. You made me feel comfortable and I’m sorry for touching you. I won’t touch you carelessly next time. Here you go.”
“Uh, uh… … ”
Yuri took the headband back with a bewildered feeling. Yuri, who was looking down at the ribbon on my palm, opened her mouth as if muttering.
“It’s nothing special… … ”
“What else are you pretending not to be? I see the answer by looking at your face. It really means nothing to you, right?”
“… … ”
Yuri responded with silence.
… … So far, no one has ever thought of this headband as something special.
It was just a headband with a ribbon that was common enough to replace it by finding a similar one in the market in case it broke, and in reality there was no difference.
On the other hand, Ezio saw Yuri shut his mouth and subtly realized that something special was hidden in that ribbon headband.
If a common accessory that is not an artifact has a special meaning, it must be because it was a gift from someone else.
Perhaps the most precious thing to Yuri… …
—Paang.
The string was pulled taut, then put back on.
Yuri, who had her hair tied up as usual, shook her head lightly. Golden hair that fluttered like a tail. The long haired Yuri was also quite refreshing, but Ezio thought that Yuri with her hair tied up like that still looked more friendly.
“As I said before, you have to move slowly. It feels like two hours have passed… There’s still a long way to go before the practice ends. I think you can get to the center a little further from here… … ”
“… But, you.”
“yes?”
“… … Do you want to move with me?”
As if what were you talking about, Ezio answered.
“Two are better than alone. Especially in a place like this.”
“It’s not… ”
“then?”
“… … ”
After a while, Yuri licked her lips.
“Before, you just told me to stay away. Doesn’t he say that he’s going to avoid me… When I asked why, he said something strange that he was worried… … It was like that back then, but now, let’s move together, what the hell were you thinking… ?”
“Ah, what is that… … ”
Ezio blurted his back. Should I say this here or not? But I don’t have much time right now to talk. The barriers in the safe zone will be lifted soon, then you have to either head to the next safe zone or keep moving and try to survive – or towards the center.
“I’ll tell you later. I don’t have time right now.”
Actually, I’m still thinking about it. As I vaguely know about the future, I wonder if I should go with Yuri separately.
I don’t know if I hadn’t met Yuri at all from the beginning, but in any case, I met him in a situation like that, so I couldn’t say that we should act like this.
“… … You think I’m getting in the way, don’t you?”
“no… what do you say like that Absolutely not. If it were, I wouldn’t even have said that two are better than one. Besides, you’re still alive. I hope it helps me, what could be in the way?”
In Ezio’s opinion, to be honest, I thought I would have been eliminated sooner. It would have been more reassuring to do so. However, Yuri did not fall out of this difficult labyrinth and survived. That alone was proof of his ability. Is it really Epic Class 2?
Yuri’s face was not completely understood, but Ezio got up from his seat and opened his mouth as he couldn’t explain everything.
“How is the food situation?”
“almost… all.”
“Did you eat too much? Since you are a princess, I knew you would be very picky about your taste.”
“… ‘Cause there’s nothing to eat There is nothing you can do.”
“but.”
What can’t you do to live?
“Water?”
“… … Not a single drop left.”
“Are you thirsty?”
“… little.”
“Then drink mine.”
“… uh?”
Ezio pulled out a water bottle from his backpack. Drinking water that has remained almost the same after only taking a few sips since the start of the practice. Seeing this, Yuri’s neckline drew the highs and lows for a moment, but then she shook her head and muttered.
“that… It’s yours.”
Those words had several meanings. I don’t want to drink it because it’s the water bottle you put in your mouth. It’s yours, so why are you giving it to me? etc.
“it’s okay. I don’t need this.”
“What? why… … ”
“Once you take it.”
“oh-.”
Ezio threw the canteen from a short distance, and Yuri hurriedly caught it. Then he looked at Ezio with a smile.
I wondered what to do
“──. ───. —.”
Yuri hears an unfamiliar chant.
Ezio made a small bead of water on the palm of his hand and put it in his mouth.
Ezio, who had quenched his thirst, said as he turned to Yuri.
“It doesn’t taste that good, but it’s good enough to eat.”
“Magic… … ”
Yuri had never been taught, no, she had been taught by a tutor in the Kingdom, but in the end, she was quenching her thirst with magic that she did not master.
“Well, if you continue to spend your magic on something like this, one day you will run out of your magic when it’s important and it might become dangerous… … ”
If you have to use magic even when the drinking water is still intact, your magic power is so overflowing that it overflows, or you have no intention of repulsing monsters with magic… It was obviously one of the two.
“Anyway, I have no problem. Just drink that.”
“… … ”
Is it a natural trend to think that I need to learn even basic magic in preparation for times like this? Yuri looked down at the water bottle that Ezio had given her with a complicated mind, and drank the water in her mouth without putting it in her mouth as much as possible.
“… … here.”
pooh-. Yuri handed back the canteen that he drank. Although I was very thirsty, I didn’t drink it all because I had the least conscience. Then, as I handed the canteen, I thought about saying thank you and rolled those words out of my mouth, but in the end I couldn’t spit it out and had no choice but to swallow it.
Ezio put the water bottle in his backpack and looked over the aisle as soon as he saw Yuri grabbed another backpack that had been leaning against the wall.
“Then let’s move now. Closing soon… … ”
aa
The light that covered the floor of the space suddenly faded, and as the safe zone was released, their existence began to be exposed to the demons.
woo woo woo woo… …
Ezio and Yuri shut their mouths. Ezio took the lead first, and Yuri quietly followed behind. Ezio, who was holding his breath and looking around, turned his head and whispered to Yuri.
“As you may know, Wraith’s weakness is fire. The only thing you can do is drive it out of something like a torch, but… … If you use fire-type magic, you can get rid of it easily. Do you know how to use some magic?”
Yuri answered in a very low voice.
“… … If it’s level 1. a few times.”
“Hmm.”
“Uh, is there a problem? I’m the type that has a hard time learning magic because of my superpowers… ”
“No, I don’t really look down on you. I think that would be enough–“
That was then.
hey hey hey… …
“Hey?!”
After walking a few steps, when the black veiled lace jumped out of the outer wall on the right, Yuri screamed in surprise.
“Get back!”
There was still only one enemy. Ezio blocked it as if it were wrapped around glass, then quickly clenched his fist and pulled it behind his shoulder.
Yuri was momentarily frightened by Reis’ sudden appearance, but all he could see now was Ezio’s back.
Paah-!
He said that fire was his weakness, but Ezio did not use flame-based magic. As I clenched my fists, a pure white light seeped through the cracks.
“Ugh!”
── Boo-woong!
One day, there was a strong wind.
and.
Puong–
hey hey hey… …
As the government stretched out to the front struck Reis, Reis, who must have been unaffected by martial arts, uttered a painful scream as if on fire, and soon turned into dust and scattered in the air.
“Whew… I was surprised.”
There was only one room.
Seeing the ghost that seemed impossible to get rid of, dying in vain, Yuri muttered blankly.
“… … Is that also magic?”
Even when I asked that question, I knew the answer would be negative. It doesn’t look like magic. hit with light It felt a bit like that.
Sure enough, Ezio said.
“No, my ability.”
“… … Is that your ability?”
“maybe.”
“Maybe something else, it’s your ability. Idiot.”
“To say the least… … ”
Ezio repeated clenching and opening his fists.
It was a bit hard to pinpoint, really, because even he himself could not fully understand the identity of this obscure ability.
Because I just woke up.
Every time I use it, I feel a little dizzy, but in an urgent situation like now, I had to use my abilities.
“I will be in charge of the race, so you must kill the other monsters together. Have you ever killed a lot?”
“It is, but… … I don’t know if my telekinesis will be properly expressed. It’s an ability that is highly influenced by mental power… … ”
To say that Yuri took a break in the meantime, it was about two hours. My mental strength has not yet fully recovered. Ezio, who knew that his complexion was not that good, caressed his chin and opened his mouth.
“Then move with a feeling of support. If it’s telekinesis… … Is it possible to make a monster immobile?”
“It is possible… sun.”
“great. That’s it.”
After a small nod saying that that was enough, he took the lead again and started moving forward with a fire on the palm of his hand with magic.
Yuri followed Ezio, looking at Ezio’s spacious back, and suddenly thought about it and shut her mouth for a moment.
After midnight, the safe zone was activated just a little while ago. In the meantime, there would have been no proper place to rest.
However, after the safety zone was activated, Ezio rescued Yuri and changed locations to protect Yuri’s recruits, and for that, he would not have been able to even take a short nap. Because even if they slept deeply, they could both be in danger after the safety zone was lifted and left unprotected.
Let alone the difference in basic stamina, Ezio would certainly be a bit tired. However, in such a state, Yuri acted only for herself. It seems that Ezio has been doing well on his own so far, so there’s no need to save him, and there’s no reason to waste two hours of action trying to save him.
In addition, looking back on the words and deeds that Yuri herself had for Ezio in the past, it was normal for Ezio to remain without seeing herself as good right away.
However, Ezio always tried to get close to Yuri, never looked at him badly, and said he was rather cute… … Anyway, I often said strange things.
Also, he’s a very awkward man.
Apart from what happened last time, I can say that what I heard from Rubia was a big shock to Yuri in various ways… …
“… … ”
Yuri looked at Ezio’s back without saying a word.
Ezio is leading Yuri towards the labyrinth, without a single expression of difficulty. That strong back figure makes me think that it’s just a little, a little bit, a little bit trustworthy… … I don’t want to admit it either. what am i thinking now Did you lose your mind because you were tired?
it might be like that
jerk… jerk…
Enough to be buried in the sound of footsteps,
It was a very small voice.
“… … thank you.”
therefore,
I thought you hadn’t heard.
No matter how much time has passed since then, there has been no reaction at all.
The earlobes here are only turning red, because I didn’t stop and just kept moving.
I really haven’t heard of it.
I thought so.
As it flows, Ezio says with a sly smile.
“Isn’t it too late?”
“… … Noisy.”