The Silent One ⑦
Mineha-san and Ax-san’s relationship. And the conflict with Ax-san’s mother has somehow been resolved.
No, really, I think it’s amazing it got resolved.
Thinking back, it feels like Ax-san was looking for an opportunity somewhere to forgive his mother.
Deep down, he understood, but still couldn’t accept it.
Of course. It’s not something you can just compartmentalize.
But as he became a Seeker, his understanding of Seekers deepened.
But maybe it was his complex about Relics? Or his attitude up until now?
He couldn’t take the first step himself.
However, there’s something bothering me.
“Um, both of you. Can I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“What is it, Wof? Ah, thanks. If you hadn’t been here, I would have made the worst choice. I would have regretted it.”
“I’m glad it turned out to be a good choice. Um, was Ax-san’s mother’s partner the person who saved you when you were kidnapped, Ax-san?”
“That was an acquaintance of my mother’s.”
“So, the partner is…”
“My mother.”
Mineha-san puts both hands on her hips, directing a cool gaze at me.
“Does that mean Mineha-san’s mother is a Tier I Seeker!?”
“That’s right. Still active even now.”
“She’s quite famous. The [ Fairy Queen ]— I never imagined she was Mineha’s mother.”
“She’s my goal, someone I must surpass. Anyway, Wof. You know… I don’t want to say this over and over, but if you’re going to be a Seeker, even if you only aim for a V-Class lifestyle! You need to know all the Tier I Seekers as basic common knowledge! Especially if you’re the Witch’s disciple.”
“Ehh… Do I really need to know all the Tier I Seekers…?”
“You do! Especially you!”
“Wh-why?”
“Well, regardless, knowledge is power for a Seeker. As the Witch’s disciple, you should understand that.”
They both got mad at me.
I’m completely ignorant about things I’m not interested in. It’s a bad habit of mine, isn’t it?
I almost died because of it, yet I haven’t learned from the experience.
But why does the Witch come up there?
Come to think of it, the Witch was a Seeker too, wasn’t she?
Suddenly, I wonder. I won’t say it out loud because I’ll probably get yelled at again for not having cared until now, but…
What rank is the Witch, I wonder?
“…………”
I guess I’ll ask her directly when I get back.
I give a wry smile, thinking about how many things I need to talk about and confirm with the Witch have piled up.
“Wof. About this Relic Plate…”
“Yes. I’m giving it to you.”
“About that, why are you trying to give it to me in the end?”
“Come to think of it, yeah.”
“That’s, um, I thought that if Ax-san had a Relic, maybe he could properly talk with Mineha-san.”
The root cause of this whole thing was that he didn’t have a Relic.
If that wasn’t the case, if Ax-san had a Relic…
That was my thought. That was the impulse.
Ax-san looks dumbfounded.
“No way, you told me to use this just for that reason?”
“You! Don’t you understand how amazing this is!?”
“Wof. This Plate isn’t meant to be used for something like that.”
“That’s right. It’s not something you use for such a thing.”
I bristled at their attitude.
“I absolutely don’t think it’s ‘something like that’ or ‘such a thing’! It helps Ax-san realize what’s important. It becomes an opportunity for Mineha-san to talk about the past. And it allows the two of you to reconcile. If it’s for that purpose, I don’t regret using it at all. So please, don’t call it ‘something like that’ or ‘such a thing’!”
I ended up putting strong emotion into my words.
Ax-san and Mineha-san looked at each other, then looked back at me.
“You know… the catalyst wasn’t the Plate. It was you, Wof.”
“I was also able to talk because of Wof.”
“I just…”
“Just me and Mineha wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
“Me too, I didn’t know how to talk about it. I probably would have remained unable to.”
“We needed someone. That was you, Wof. It probably wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t you. To think you cared about us that much… enough to use the Plate.”
“I just… meddled unnecessarily.”
“Maybe so.”
Ax-san laughed.
As for Mineha-san…
“That’s right. You really are nosy.”
“Y-yes. Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? Speaking of which, I haven’t said it yet, have I?”
“Eh?”
Then Mineha-san jumps right in front of my face.
“Thank you, Wof.”
She smiled shyly, looking radiant.
“Mineha-san…”
“Hmph. That’s all, so whatever.”
She quickly turns her face away and moves back with a ‘hmph’.
She must be embarrassed. Her ears were red.
I get embarrassed too.
Ax-san stared at the Plate.
“Wof. About this Plate, are you really sure I can have it?”
“Yes. My objective has been achieved.”
“Just take it already.”
“Don’t you want it, Mineha?”
“Well. If I knew what kind of Relic it would grant, I’d want it, but the explanation says you can’t tell, so I don’t need it.”
“You’re quite indifferent, aren’t you?”
“Maybe it’s partly because I never really wanted one that much to begin with. I also take pride in my own Relic. That reminds me of something. Wof. You. You said you think of Relics as tools or skills, right?”
“Yes. I said that. I still think so.”
“That’s fine in itself, but Master said the same thing.”
“Is that so?”
“…When you said that… I remembered it too.”
Ax-san says, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Ah, so that’s why his attitude towards Relics suddenly softened. For his attitude to change because of his mother’s words… now, that seems just like Ax-san.
“And so, Master said this: ‘Relics are no different from convenient tools or skills. But the essence, you see, is how you handle those tools or skills. And whether you can cherish them.'”
“How you handle them, and whether you can cherish them…”
I wonder.
“Look. I’m not telling you to worship or revere Relics. There are many different ways to think about Relics, and if I denied that, it would be like denying myself. But if you, Wof, think of Relics as tools or skills, then I want you to cherish them. Because, isn’t that right? You sharpen and polish your Knife, don’t you, Wof?”
“Y-yes.”
“That’s because it’s important to you, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Your Relic, Wof, is the same as that Knife. Don’t hate it; cherish it.”
“…………”
I— went completely blank.
Utterly white, nothing there, tabula rasa.
I understand that this is my heart.
“…………”
In that blank white heart of mine, I saw a path.
No. A path formed for the first time.
A path of light I should follow.
I see. So that’s how it was.
“Mineha-san.”
“What?”
“Thank you very much.”
“Oh, right.”
She turns her face away curtly.
Ax-san chuckled softly.
“Good for you, Wof.”
“Y-yes.”
“Alright. I’ll decide about this after consulting with the two of them.”
“Understood.”
“Well, my answer is already decided, though.”
“Ax-san?”
“Hey! Enough talk, let’s get going already!”
“Yeah.”
“Yes!”
We move forward. Not everything is resolved.
But the biggest concern has been cleared up.
And also, a path has opened for me.
In my empty, blank white heart, a path of light has formed.
When I happen to look up, there’s a blue sky.
That’s why my heart feels endlessly clear and bright.
The other two probably feel something similar.
The atmosphere has changed, and our exploration proceeds smoothly.
Two days later.
“Wh-what is this place…”
“Is it outside?”
“…Is it outside?”
We arrived at a huge hall.
That was surprising enough… but what astonished us more than anything was the blue sky.
What lay above us wasn’t a ceiling.
It was a blue sky. There were even clouds, and they were moving.
But this isn’t the surface.
Having descended stairs for so long, ending up on the surface makes no sense no matter how you think about it.
“I’ve heard there are Dungeons like this, that look like the outside.”
“Yes, but seeing it in person is surprising. This isn’t the real sky, is it?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, apparently there’s a Legendary embedded in the ceiling that projects an image of the real sky.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
“…Projection?”
Like projection mapping? For that, it’s so realistic it’s hard to believe it’s a 3D image.
“That huge temple over there, shall we check it out?”
Directly in front of us stood a massive, pure white temple.
How magnificent.
“Of course.”
“Yes!”
It was magnificent.
It must have once been majestic.
But now it’s half-destroyed, leaving one only to imagine its former glory.
The path to the Great Temple. It’s a wide road.
A stone path wide enough for several carriages to line up side-by-side.
However, the dozens of columns lined up along the edges are almost all broken and fallen.
The stone statues lined up with them are also damaged.
But this isn’t the work of Monsters.
Where is this place? From what era? I don’t know.
For some reason, Dungeons manifest ruined structures on their floors.
“…………”
It reminds me a little of the Abandoned Village in That Forest.
But this area around the Great Temple… it has a somewhat Greek architectural feel to it. Especially those columns.
Though, since they’re things built by people, it’s not strange for them to end up looking similar. I remember thinking Hydrangea initially looked like some European tourist town.
Along the way, we found a dense cluster of white buildings.
“A Temple District? And quite large, too.”
“Looks like there might be treasure.”
“…What if it’s something troublesome to handle again…”
“Hey, Ax. Don’t say such tactless things.”
“Sorry.”
“Honestly, don’t you want gold, silver, and treasure?”
“Isn’t that a bit too materialistic?”
“I want it. You too, right, Wof?”
“I don’t really…”
“Geez, you men have no dreams.”
Isn’t that more like desire?
“If I had to choose, I’d want a knife.”
“That’s practical.”
“Do you mean a gold knife? Or a silver knife?”
“Preferably, just a good knife that I can use normally.”
Yes, I want a knife.
I do like my current knife, but I want to have a spare.
No, that’s not it. I want an OOPArts knife.
Specifically, an OOPArts knife compatible with 【Vanish】.
“How boring. But if we had gold, silver, and treasures…”
“H-Hey! Look at that!”
“What is it…? Smoke?”
“Smoke!?”
A single plume of smoke was rising to the southeast, away from the Great Temple.
A fire? No. If it were, there’d be more flames.
Someone’s there. Dungeon Monsters don’t do things like this.
It’s a Seeker. Which means… which means…!
We ran.