Chapter 14: The End of the World, or Perhaps a Beginning
Once, a teacher at school mentioned an episode from history. It was about Columbus and his ships, which aimed for the New World but instead reached the shores of the American continent.
When the indigenous people saw their ships approaching the island, they felt the “End of the World.”
You might think that’s an exaggeration. However, for them, the “End of the World” meant the “end of their community.”
In other words, their “world” was their “community,” and that was everything to them.
Thus, when they encountered an unknown threat, they sensed the “End of the World.”
We advanced through the Sealed Labyrinth. As expected, the interior was clearly different from what we had seen from the outside. Unlike the primitive entrances of caves and caverns, stepping inside revealed stone corridors with walls that appeared to be made of some mysterious substance resembling stone, stretching endlessly before us.
However, it seemed that the Sealed Labyrinth, which Sensei had described to us before, was not as we had anticipated. The Corpse Persons (Ghouls) and Bone Warriors that should have overflowed from the labyrinth were nowhere to be seen. The eerie silence was almost unsettling.
Indeed, upon reflection, the idea that their living space constituted their entire world is not so strange after all.
They felt the end of their world with the end of their community. The same could be said for our daily lives.
If we were to reduce the unit of community to an even smaller one—namely, ourselves—the sense of an ending could still hold true.
In extreme cases, a student who receives failing grades and faces the prospect of repeating a year might feel as if their world has ended. Similarly, a working adult might feel the world has come to an end when they make an irreparable mistake.
As humans, we can never possess another’s perspective. Of course, we can imagine others’ viewpoints. However, even if I try to envision someone else’s thoughts, it remains merely my own interpretation, filtered through “me.” As long as “I” exist as “I,” I cannot remove that filter.
I live my own life. Just as the end of someone else’s life can feel like the end of their world, the end of my world is the end of my life.
Without encountering any enemies, we traversed the vast first floor and discovered a staircase leading down. Descending, we found that, like the first floor, there were no monsters present—until we heard the sounds of battle coming from ahead.
From the sounds, it didn’t seem like an intense fight, and soon after, silence returned.
I remember that day vividly; I truly felt the end of the world.
After being betrayed multiple times and collapsing at the Hidden Mountain, I brushed against death.
In that moment, both my mind and body pushed to their limits, I undeniably felt the end of the world.
“Did you notice, Son-in-law and Ash?” Sensei asked us.
My world was reconstructed thanks to Sena.
There was no way I could miss the presence of those three. Ash seemed to sense it too, her expression tightening.
I knew only one woman in this world who harbored an overwhelming amount of pure Mana—what could even be called Holy Power—within her.
But we couldn’t stop here. Whispering “Namu San” in my heart, I pressed onward. And ahead, just as we had anticipated—
The world can end far too easily.
“You are—” one of the three spoke as she looked at us.
That is why, at this very moment—this is the end of the world, or perhaps a beginning.
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This concludes this chapter. From the next part, we will delve into the story of the beloved Ryuguin. Thank you for your continued support!