Chapter 14: I Believe in Her
As Ash went to inform the Hero Party about the resumption of our exploration, I busied myself with packing up the tent. Ash was deep in conversation with the others, but after a while, she returned.
“They asked if they could go ahead of us. They said it’s not because they want to conquer the Labyrinth first, but they earnestly bowed their heads and asked me to let them go.”
“That’s fine.”
“I didn’t even listen to what you had to say before I agreed to let them—wait, what?!”
“It’s really okay. They must have their own reasons. I don’t know what they are, but I’m sure they have a good reason.”
I couldn’t unconditionally trust them—there was no way I could do that. But I could believe in one thing: their abilities. Even though the boss battle had been a disaster, it was clear to anyone that the three of them were exceptionally skilled.
However, that wasn’t the only reason I agreed.
Above all, it was Ash who nodded in agreement to let them go ahead. She must have seen something in them that warranted trust. I believe in Ash. Therefore, I’m okay with the Hero Party’s three members going ahead again. Even if it turns out to be a mistake and they turn their blades against us, I won’t regret it.
When I conveyed Ash’s approval for them to go ahead, the three members of the Hero Party descended to the Fourth Layer. After a brief pause, we followed them down, but the scenery remained as monotonous as ever. We continued our search and destroy mission, trudging through the bland dungeon.
We walked on and on, defeating countless minor monsters, and I was getting thoroughly fed up. In the midst of my drifting thoughts, a nagging worry crossed my mind: would those three be okay up ahead?
But if I were to call out, “Hey, you guys, are you alright? How are you doing? Aren’t you hungry? Here, have some candy,” I’d surely be met with a barrage of insults. Yet, despite that, I couldn’t help but think about them. I was such an idiot.
As I wallowed in my thoughts, Sensei let out a sigh that sounded like a deflating floatie, clearly exasperated.
“Omi, you can’t let your guard down here. A moment of distraction could cost you your life.”
“F-Forgive me!!”
Ash’s words were indeed wise. But I understood Sensei’s feelings too. How long had we been walking? My sense of time had completely vanished, and without my clock-shaped magical tool, I wouldn’t have known how long it had been. But now, I was facing a crisis. I was about to yawn—
No! Ash would get mad at me!
Suppressing my yawn, I suddenly had a brilliant idea. Yes! In times like this, talking is the way to go!
“Sensei.”
“Yahhh!”
Though her eyes were sharp, the face of Sensei, who was holding back a yawn, couldn’t hide her feline-like expression.
“Sensei… well, it’s fine, but have you ever met any other transfer students besides me?”
Ash already understood that I was the Fourth Holy Knight, a transfer student, so I stopped being vague.
“Oh, I don’t know anyone besides you who was transferred to this era, but I’ve met a few in the past.”
“Really?! So there are others! What were they like?”
“All of them had exceptional combat abilities. Especially the transfer heroes; they possessed an incredible number of Skills. If they hadn’t been here, this world would have been destroyed countless times.”
Sensei gazed off into the distance, her expression reminiscent of something long past.
“There were all sorts of people. The one who named the 《Guardian Sword Rifire》 was also a transfer student. Among those I met, there was one who had the rare Skill called 《Stage》, and they were particularly unique.”
The Skill 《Stage》? It seemed like quite a few people might have it… but if it was someone from the Hero Party, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had it.
“What’s wrong, Son-in-law? You look puzzled. Just listen to the whole story. The important part is coming up. You see, when that person was transferred to this world, the concept of a stage didn’t even exist here.”
“So… you mean they had a Skill related to a concept that didn’t exist in this world?”
“Exactly. That’s precisely it. So, they said, ‘Being summoned to a world without a stage while possessing the Skill 《Stage》 is my mission to establish the culture of a stage in this world.’ They had incredible strength, of course, but they devoted themselves more to recreating the stage from their world and spreading it.”
I had seen a stage in this world before. It was the one where I had been utterly ridiculed, a rather unpleasant memory, but when viewed purely as a stage, its quality was remarkable.
“I’ve seen it too. The magical effects were well thought out and captivating.”
The performances utilized various types of magic, including Light Magic, creating a direct appeal to the senses.
“Most of the stage performances we have now were created by that person. They always declared, ‘I will achieve the fusion of the stage from my world and magic!'”
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind. Had that hero with the 《Stage》 Skill returned to Earth? Or—
“Finally, they’ve arrived.”
The presence of the three who had gone ahead came to a halt. Just like before—they had reached the boss room of this layer. We hurriedly made our way to join them.