第２０７掘：蘇る過去は帰り道の邪魔 (Part1)
**Dungeon 207: The Resurrected Past Obstructs the Way Home**
**Side: ???**
I am in a terribly long slumber.
I cannot organize my thoughts—who I am, or where I am.
Yet, I understand one thing: I have been in this slumber for a very long time.
"I look forward to working with you."
Yes, I have seen this smile many times.
I cannot remember the name.
But I know that the woman before me is someone precious, someone I can trust with all my heart.
"Ugh. Today was tough, too. Let's rest well and prepare for tomorrow. It’s only just begun, after all."
It is a scene I have witnessed in this slumber over and over again.
She was aiming for something, and I was there to assist her.
"Yay!! With this, we can take another big step forward. It’s all thanks to everyone, thank you!!"
Perhaps she had accomplished something great.
She was so happy. ...And that made me very happy, too.
"Alright. These are the people who will be joining us as companions starting today. Everyone, get along well."
"…Pleased to meet you."
" " "P-pleased to meet you." " "
One day, she brought back members of her own race and asked me to live with them.
...?
Am I a different race than her?
But she looked so happy that I didn't really mind.
"Good. With this sword..."
And then, the sad time arrived.
For the sake of her goal, she forged a sword.
I cannot quite recall what made it so incredible.
But because of it, the people of her own race she had brought along suddenly became powerful.
*Thud.*
In the end, she was struck down by those of her own kind and stopped moving.
"Ah... ah, is this it? I'm... sorry. Leaving you all... behind... but... them..."
We will never know what she wanted to say at the very end.
But everyone who had lived with her until now was filled with a core of pure rage.
I am one of them.
That is why I plotted revenge against the humans.
Against the people who killed her, even though she had helped them.
From then on, we used the power she left behind and emerged onto the surface to kill the humans—those traitors.
And after many battles, we finally encountered those traitors.
"…Is it you?"
Those women said that while pointing the sword she had given them toward us.
"…I have no intention of asking for forgiveness now. And I do not believe I was wrong."
"…You are the last one."
"Falling into hell... I suppose that will be us. Given how things turned out."
"But we cannot turn back now. We who betrayed her and cast her aside have a duty to see our path through to the end."
They were rambling on about something, but that had nothing to do with me.
I simply could not forgive them.
"Let’s go, Demon Lord!!"
And so, I fought them.
I didn't like it.
I took down more than half of them with my own hands, but none of them wore faces of regret or fear.
They accepted their ends with a feeling of, "It can't be helped," or "How sad."
"There you are!! Guoooooh!!"
That was my failure—letting my guard down because of the look on the traitor's face.
The surviving traitor seized the moment to launch a fierce attack, and I was left in tatters.
"…It’s over."
With that declaration, the sword she had created was raised high.
I tried to move my body, but it wouldn't obey.
...Damn it, in the end, I couldn't avenge her...
"I look forward to working with you."
When I open my eyes, I see her smile again.
Something sad must have happened.
Or perhaps it is about to happen.
But what can I do? What can I, trapped in this slumber, possibly do?
Must I watch her death over and over, only to see that miserable scene where I fail to take revenge?
I hate it.
I’ve had enough of this.
I could not protect you.
That is why I decided to annihilate the people who killed you.
If you are not coming back... no, humans should not be allowed to live.
Those people caused such foolishness.
It is their own fault.
They should perish.
If they refuse, I will return them to the soil myself.
"Gaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"
I shook off the slumber and screamed.
I cannot allow such an ending.
At the very least, at the very least, I will take revenge for her!!
*BOOM!!*
A roar echoed through the area.
"…What is the meaning of this?"
I pushed my body up.
The dirt that had covered me fell away.
"No, the source of the explosion was... me?"
Looking around, I saw that the ground was gouged out, centered exactly where I stood.
"But I was defeated by those thieving women who called themselves heroes... No, I escaped at the very end."
Yes, the moment that sword was swung down, I used magic to blind them and fled.
I expected a pursuit, but it never came.
However, my wounds were deep, and healing them required an immense amount of magical power.
In this state, I could not defeat the surviving thieving women.
"That’s right. I buried myself in the earth. Humans are foolish; there would be a great conflict before long, and I would absorb the magical power born from it to resurrect!!"
In this continent where magical power is depleted, a powerful monster like me cannot exist without the supply of magic from a dungeon.
But conversely, as long as I have a supply of magic, I can act.
"I have returned. This time, I will pass judgment on those thieving women."
I muttered that and gripped the precious sword she had left behind.
But where am I?
My consciousness was fading at the time, so I don't remember where I fled to.
For now, I should return to a dungeon and gather information.
This time, I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth.
*Clatter, clink...*
Stones fell from above.
This was not the result of the explosion.
It was the sound of someone intentionally dropping them.
"What, it exploded all of a sudden? Jeez, I need to hurry to Seraria's place..."
"Now, now, calm down, Yuki-san. We have to investigate first."
"…This is the first time the influence of spreading magic for control has manifested like this."
"…Everyone, please stay alert. Who knows what might happen..."
Humans.
If so...
"Do not worry. You will die here."
It is a celebration of my resurrection.
I will blow you all away with everything I have.
I poured my magic into the sword and swung the memento of her—the blade they called a Holy Sword—at the thieving women with maximum power.
**Side: Yuki**
I was staring desperately at the clock.
The fact that it showed seconds only made it worse.
I never knew three hours could be this long...
Is Seraria okay?
I haven't heard from Milly, so I suppose there isn't a problem yet.
But, still...
"Yuki-san, pacing around won't help, you know."