To the Surface

It was a beautiful katana.

"Oooh…"

The blade's brilliance was as calm as moonlight, while the portion from the ridge to the body held the dark sheen of iron.

"Ooooh…"

Ria held the katana in her hands, examining it from various angles, inspecting it again and again, before finally nodding.

"It's Kotetsu."

Half a day had passed since she began creating katanas with genesis magic.

By the time Ria finally produced a katana she was satisfied with, she had used up almost all of her magic power.

The mental concentration required was considerable, and her stamina was greatly depleted as well. Even so, she had already begun working on her next blade.

This time, it wasn't the Kotetsu she had examined so thoroughly in her hands before. It was a short blade she had viewed at a museum.

Spending roughly the same amount of magic power, time, and stamina, she brought it into existence.

"Masamune."

After examining it from various angles once again, Ria finally nodded in approval.

During this time, Serge had been receiving magic instruction from Labyrinth.

Genesis magic was Labyrinth's specialty as the ultimate form of magic, but that didn't mean she couldn't use other types. From common fire and water magic to the spatial magic that Serge excelled at, she taught him various techniques.

"Nee-chan, you about ready?"

When Serge called out to her, Ria eagerly sheathed the katanas she had created at her waist. A satisfied expression floated on her face.

"Indeed, I am most grateful. With this, I shall no longer be caught off guard due to my weapons."

Her manner of speech had become somewhat samurai-like. Even Labyrinth looked exasperated.

"As you probably realized from using it, the importance of your image and composition is the same as other magic. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to create them much faster."

Ria nodded with a smile.

"Truly, there is much more I would like to discuss, but…"

"Same here. After all, it's been so long since I've had visitors. But you have people waiting for you, don't you?"

The three reincarnators looked at each other's faces.

"I'll come back again before long. We'll talk about various things then."

"That's fine. Well, the Great War will probably begin soon, so I'll be heading out around that time anyway."

The Great War. Also called the Millennium, the deadly struggle between demons and humanity. Both a thousand and two thousand years ago, it had reduced much of the continent to scorched earth, decreasing the population to less than a tenth. A dark age.

"That soon?"

Ria asked with concern, but Labyrinth shook her head.

"It will happen within the next ten years. However, I don't know how much the demons' power has recovered in the frozen wastelands."

In the Great Wars, the demons were always the invading side, and humans had claimed victory by driving them back beyond the permafrost.

The more power the demons accumulated, the greater the devastation would be.

"That's why I want lots of people to come train in the labyrinth."

Labyrinth shrugged. Ria found herself agreeing, and thought she would need to speak with her father the king about it.

As if adding an afterthought, Labyrinth spoke.

"Also, don't reveal my true identity when you return to the surface. I didn't even show myself to your other little kitten. You three are special because you're reincarnators."

There was still much Ria wanted to know about Labyrinth's background, but since Serge had apparently heard some of it, she could ask him later. Besides, their waiting companions were surely worried.

"Also, I have a request…"

When Labyrinth waved her hand, a massive Hell Hound appeared.

Sharp fangs, bright red eyes. And a wagging tail.

"You tamed this one, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

So she had domesticated it. She did remember petting and fussing over one of them, and now that she mentioned it, this one did look different from the others.

It gazed at Ria from a sitting position, panting with its tongue out.

"Since it got used to humans, I can't use it as a labyrinth monster anymore. Sorry, but would you take it with you?"

It was an unexpected request. Ria folded her arms and pondered.

The Hell Hound's red eyes stared at her.

"Well, I suppose there's no helping it…"

It was a large dog, but it wouldn't be impossible to keep in the royal castle's garden. As long as it didn't attack people, there shouldn't be a problem. Rufus had kept monsters as his familiars too.

The concern was whether the horses would be frightened, but Matsukaze should be fine. They would just have to get Johnny and the donkey used to it.

"Well then, I'll send you off."

Ria and Serge climbed onto the back of the Hell Hound, now fitted with a collar. Labyrinth waved at them.

Enveloped in a faint light, the beast and the two people were teleported away.

"Now then, I wonder how close they can get to Ars's strength? It wouldn't be strange if the demons won this time around…"

Labyrinth's murmuring face wore the smile of a mischievous fairy.

The real sun was sinking toward the western mountains.

They were on the small hill with the door leading to the labyrinth. It seemed they had been teleported to the same place they had returned through the mirror.

Around them were other explorers who had similarly returned. Looking down, she could see groups of explorers heading toward the inn, and among them was a small tent pitched along the way.

The problem was the small cat beastkin sitting beside that tent.

"Maal?"

At her small call, Maal reacted with a large start.

"Ria-chan!"

She stood up and came running up the hill. But partway up, her feet stopped.

It was understandable upon seeing the Hell Hound. Ria dismounted and went to meet Maal herself.

As they embraced, Ria put her hands under Maal's arms and lifted her up while spinning around.

Maal looked slightly bewildered for a moment, then immediately broke into a smile. She laughed out loud.

Of course, such a sight with a massive Hell Hound nearby couldn't escape notice. Some figures departed while others approached.

"Nee-chan, you're attracting too much attention."

Serge heaved a great sigh.

Maal briefly explained what had happened after teleporting ahead.

When Maal emerged outside, the three who had been crushed by the Cyclops had apparently just woken up in the guild's medical room.

From the fact that the other three hadn't been killed and teleported out, they judged they must have retreated. Given the situation, that was a reasonable conclusion. Just as they had decided to take turns standing by at the guild, Maal had returned.

After hearing Maal's story, Lulu, who best knew Ria's extraordinary nature, used her seniority to insist they simply wait.

However, Maal hadn't wanted to just pass the time, so she had pitched a tent here and waited for Ria and the others to return.

Ria and Maal talked about all this while holding hands on the way back to the mansion. Serge just listened from behind, riding on the Hell Hound's back.

Normally they should have reported the labyrinth conquest to the guild, but considering the commotion that would cause, they had postponed it until the next day.

When they returned to the mansion, Lulu first showed Ria her leg that had been preserved in ice. Since she couldn't use magic to regenerate a completely lost organ, she had needed to keep it this way. Naturally, the leg that had somehow regrown surprised her.

"Anego really is amazing."

What exactly was amazing? Gig wasn't even sure anymore, but he was genuinely impressed.

"I wonder if her limbs regenerated because she has dragon's blood. Even so, recovering in just one week is too fast."

Even while saying this, Lulu was incinerating Ria's now-unnecessary leg.

Having her own leg burned in front of her was quite the horror.

"More importantly, what are we going to do about that dog?"

"During travel it can hunt monsters for food, and once we're back at the capital it can be a guard dog, right?"

Ria thought about it simply, but by Carlos's common sense, bringing a monster to the royal castle was unthinkable. Absolutely not. However, looking at the Hell Hound waiting intelligently in the down position, he thought perhaps it couldn't be helped.

"Getting Johnny and the others used to it will be troublesome…"

With those words, Carlos accepted that their traveling party had grown by one.

Klaus, who had returned to the mansion, was surprised in many ways.

The massive Hell Hound, the regenerated leg, and the magic crystal larger than a head that Serge produced.

"Well now, in all my years, I've never been so surprised by anyone."

That was quite the understatement.

After that, they held a simple celebration for completing the labyrinth conquest, with plans to hold a proper party at a later date. It was customary for the mayor's residence to be provided for such occasions.

"Starting tomorrow, the whole town will be in an uproar for a while."

Klaus spoke happily. About how as a child he had wanted to become an explorer and practiced with a sword. How he grew up, formed a party, and challenged the labyrinth. How he died early on and gave up, succeeding his father instead.

Truly, everyone has their own history.

Ria soaked leisurely in the bath, petting Maal who was curled up in her arms.

"Ahh, baths are life's laundry."

"Ria-chan, you always say that."

Maal squirmed in her arms, and Ria gently embraced her.

"It's a pet phrase, I suppose. But I don't think I say it that often."

"… Ria-chan, haven't your breasts gotten bigger?"

"Eh?"

Since there weren't brassiere-type undergarments in this world, she hadn't noticed, but she could confirm for herself that they had indeed grown.

Come to think of it, her clothes and pants had become slightly shorter in length too. It seemed that inside the egg, she had not only regenerated but also grown.

"I see, I've become even more beautiful!"

Looking at herself in the large mirror, Ria admired her own reflection.