"Uh… Mother?" (Eugene)
"........."
I called out to her, but there was no response.
She just looked irritated…or rather, she was definitely angry.
"Uh… Did something happen? I thought we could only meet at the church?" (Eugene)
"This is a celestial technique called Mind Link. Normally, it's a Miracle of a Goddess, but I asked for a special favor to intervene in your dream." (Laila)
"Huh, so that's a thing." (Eugene)
"Now then! Do you know why I came here?" (Laila)
"You… came to see me?" (Eugene)
Mother furrowed her brows and lowered her head with a sigh at that.
"That's part of it! But I have a lot to say, so listen up, Eugene." (Laila)
"Y-Yes." (Eugene)
Sensing that this was going to be a serious talk, I hurriedly straightened my posture.
"First of all…" (Laila)
Gulp.
"Congratulations on clearing the Trial of the Gods on the 200th Floor! We've been watching from the Divine Realm as you and your team took on the challenge. The Destiny Goddess, Ilia, the Tree Goddess, Freya, and the Water Goddess, Eir, all praised your swordsmanship. You should be proud." (Laila)
She actually complimented me.
But I couldn't just let the second half of what she said slide.
"W-Wait, the Goddesses…saw me?" (Eugene)
I instinctively looked up.
All I saw was a vast blue sky and golden clouds.
Just knowing that the Goddesses had been watching made me tense up.
"And now, onto the next topic…" (Laila)
I brought my gaze back to Mother at her words.
"Eugene." (Laila)
"Yes?" (Eugene)
Her tone turned completely serious, as if this was the real reason she was here.
"Who…is your main girl?" (Laila)
"...Eh?" (Eugene)
We went from the Trials of the Gods and Goddesses straight into this?
"Could it be Sumire-chan? She's the one who made you want to pursue being a magic swordsman again, right?" (Laila)
"Uh… well…" (Eugene)
"Or maybe Sara-chan, since she was the first one you partied with at the academy?" (Laila)
"…Mother?" (Eugene)
"Or is it Airi-chan, the childhood friend you grew up with and finally got together with?" (Laila)
"W-Wait a second!?" (Eugene)
She knows everything!?
Does that mean they've been watching from the Divine Realm outside of the trials too!?
"I hope you're not about to tell me…it's Eri." (Laila)
"......"
Judging by her tone, Mother was not okay with the Demon Lord Eri being my main girl.
"Well? Tell your mother, Eugene." (Laila)
"That's…" (Eugene)
I considered dodging the question for a moment there.
But… Mother had gone so far as to borrow power from the Goddesses just to meet me in my dream. Lying to her didn't sit right with me.
So I gave her my honest answer.
"I like all four of them equally." (Eugene)
I said it clearly.
"Mm…" (Laila)
Mother made a complicated expression.
But this was how I truly felt.
Sumire was the one who gave me the push to become a magic swordsman again. I owed her a lot.
Sara had been there for me when I knew almost no one at the academy. She was someone I deeply appreciated.
Airi and I had been distant for a time, but being able to talk with her like before made me genuinely happy.
And…when I was at my lowest, Eri was the one who saved me.
There's no way I could rank them.
"I don't have a main girl. They're all important to me." (Eugene)
"…Haah." (Laila)
Even though I was being serious, Mother let out a long sigh.
Hm?
"Eugene, I can't tell if you're being sincere or just a playboy." (Laila)
"…Is that bad?" (Eugene)
"It's not like I have any authority to approve or disapprove. It's your life, so do what you want. But if they're important to you, don't make them cry, okay? I will be watching." (Laila)
"O-Okay, Mother." (Eugene)
Watching, huh… Just how much was she seeing?
From what she just said, she has definitely seen me spending the night with Airi…and probably my moments with Sumire and Sara too…
After that, she went off on a long-winded lecture.
—Don't stay up too late. Make sure you get enough sleep.
—Keep your room clean. Girls don't like messy rooms.
—Fold your clothes neatly. No wrinkles!
—Eat your vegetables. No picky eating.
—Take a variety of courses, not just dungeon exploration. It'll help in the future.
—Stop increasing the number of girlfriends.
—Don't leave housework and child-rearing to the girls.
…There were too many things to remember.
And that last one was way too soon.
"That's about it. Eugene! Got it!?" (Laila)
"Y-Yes, Mother." (Eugene)
Finally, it seemed to be over.
"Well then, the Goddesses are calling me, so I'll be off! Do your best!" (Laila)
With that, Mother's figure was wrapped in golden mist and disappeared.
That was…chaotic.
This didn't feel like an emotional reunion at all.
And yet, despite this being a dream, I was starting to feel sleepy.
A thought crossed my mind as drowsiness overtook me.
(…Now that I think about it, this was the first time Mother ever lectured me.) (Eugene)
Pops was my only parent around by the time I was old enough to remember.
And Pops wasn't the type to get on my case about things, so I'd rarely ever been scolded by a parent.
That's probably why…this felt so new.
She said a lot, but…it didn't feel bad.
(…That was actually a pretty rare experience…) (Eugene)
My consciousness faded away as that thought drifted in my mind.
◇◇
…Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Morning sunlight and birdsong filtered through the window.
It was morning.
(Did I oversleep?) (Eugene)
I wasn't usually bad at waking up, but yesterday's battle with the Divine Beast must have taken a lot out of me.
(Huh?) (Eugene)
There was food and a note by my pillow.
Picking up the paper, I read the message.
Good morning, Eugy-kun!
Great job yesterday.
I made you breakfast, so eat up if you want! ☆
From Sumire
The note was written in a cute, rounded script.
The food was a portable meal from the cafeteria: a sandwich with ham, cheese, and vegetables.
Sumire must have gone out of her way to buy it for me because I mentioned liking it before.
(I should thank her later.) (Eugene)
Feeling grateful, I ate the sandwich and changed into my uniform.
(Morning classes… Yeah, I won't make it in time. I'll go in the afternoon.) (Eugene)
Students in the Legendary Hero Department have fewer required classes.
They're free to choose and attend whatever lectures they want.
There's a set number of credits needed to advance and graduate, but since I had already earned plenty during my time in the General Department, I didn't have to push myself.
I left my room, went down the stairs, and headed from the dorms to the academy's main building.
There was still time before my afternoon classes.
I was thinking of dropping by the training grounds when I ran into an unexpected person.
A middle-aged man in a crimson robe.
"Principal Uther?" (Eugene)
He was observing the Zenith Tower through a long tube-like device.
"Eugene, congratulations on clearing the Trial of the Gods yesterday." (Uther)
The Principal spoke to me while keeping his eyes on the tower.
"Thank you. …What are you doing?" (Eugene)
When I asked, the Principal finally pulled away from the tube and looked at me.
"This magical tool is called a Space Telescope. It allows me to see the topmost floor of the Zenith Tower, which pierces through the atmosphere." (Uther)
"You can do that!?" (Eugene)
"Well, I can't see inside, so it's not of much use. At best, I can observe the Divine Beast on the 1,000th Floor." (Uther)
"…Huh?" (Eugene)
What did he just say?
A Divine Beast on the 1,000th Floor?
"Wait a minute. Divine Beasts are supposed to be summoned at random every time, right? Why is there one on the 1,000th Floor?" (Eugene)
"It's not widely known, but Divine Beasts are summoned randomly only up to the 400th Floor. The summoning rules change starting from the 500th Floor." (Uther)
"This is the first I'm hearing about it." (Eugene)
Even in the Legendary Hero Department's exploration lectures, nothing like that was ever mentioned.
"That's because I'm the only instructor at the Lykeion Magic Academy who has records beyond the 400th Floor. I planned to share the information when necessary. It's not something you'd need to worry about anytime soon." (Uther)
"Are you sure it's okay to tell me this?" (Eugene)
"You're aiming for the 500th Floor, aren't you? Besides, I promised to share stories from my past explorations." (Uther)
It seems the Principal remembered a promise from quite some time ago.
"By the way, what happens to the Trial of the Gods starting from the 500th Floor?" (Eugene)
"Hmm… There's only one recorded case, so I can't say for certain. But there's a high possibility that the opponent in the 500th Floor trial is the Dungeon Master." (Uther)
"…What? The Dungeon Master is the floor boss on the 500th Floor?" (Eugene)
The image of Anemoi Babel, always meddling in some way, flashed through my mind.
"The top-ranked record holder, Cristo, faced the Dungeon Master on the 500th Floor. However, the Dungeon Master has some degree of control over which Divine Beast gets summoned, so there's a chance she might throw in a curveball. It's not entirely reliable information." (Uther)
"I see… The Dungeon Master as an opponent, huh… Sounds tough." (Eugene)
I have never seen her fight directly, but her mana far surpassed Sumire's, and I witnessed her dungeon magic obliterate a monster that dared to defy her.
There's no way I could take her on as I am now.
"You have a good relationship with the current Dungeon Master, don't you? If you handle it well, she might go easy on you. I wouldn't have that luxury." (Uther)
"The Dungeon Master doesn't like you after all…" (Eugene)
The Principal, who had founded the Dungeon Guild to promote safe and cautious exploration, and the Dungeon Master, who wanted explorers to challenge the upper floors as soon as possible, had fundamentally opposing ideologies.
"I don't plan on exploring any time soon, so it's not a problem. But I do want to figure out the cause of the recent disturbances in the Zenith Tower." (Uther)
"Is that why you're observing the 1,000th Floor?" (Eugene)
"Exactly. But from what I see, nothing seems out of the ordinary. The Divine Beast on the 1,000th Floor remains quiet. If it were acting strangely, that would explain the recent anomalies, but…" (Uther)
"Um… I don't know if I should even ask this, but… What exactly is the Divine Beast on the 1,000th Floor?" (Eugene)
The final barrier of the Zenith Tower.
Clearing it was said to grant entry to the Divine Realm and 'eternal life.'
Just what kind of Divine Beast would stand in the way of that?
"See for yourself." (Uther)
Principal Uther handed me the Space Telescope without hesitation.
"Are… Are you sure!?" (Eugene)
"I don't mind." (Uther)
I swallowed hard and stared at the magic tool in my hands.
Was it really okay for me to learn something like this just because I happened to run into him?
"By the way… Do the Dungeon Guild, academy instructors, or the Twelve Knights know about the Divine Beast on the 1,000th Floor?" (Eugene)
"No, I don't think anyone's ever asked me about it." (Uther)
"That seems like a big deal…" (Eugene)
"Oi oi, are you really going to worry about that now? You're one of the few who talks to me so casually, Eugene." (Uther)
…Huh?
Few?
"Principal Uther, you have plenty of acquaintances, don't you?" (Eugene)
He is the king of this Dungeon City after all.
Everyone knew who he was.
"Of course, I have many acquaintances. But few people speak to me casually. I wish they would, but it rarely happens." (Uther)
"I've always just talked to you normally, though…" (Eugene)
"Umu. That's why you're valuable. Usually, if I don't initiate the conversation, no one talks to me." (Uther)
"......"
It seems I have been treating the Dungeon City's king with an ease that no one else dared to.
(Maybe that's why the student council once accused him of favoritism toward me…) (Eugene)
Back then, before I met Sumire and made more friends, I barely had anyone to talk to.
No one ever pointed it out to me.
I assumed Sara and Claude kept their distance from Principal Uther because of their national status, but it seemed like no one ever casually talked to him in the first place.
"What's wrong, Eugene? Not going to look?" (Uther)
The Principal looked puzzled.
…Well, whatever.
It'd be weird to start acting all formal now.
I should just treat him like I always do.
"If I can see it, I'll take a look. It's a rare opportunity." (Eugene)
"That's the spirit. You're going to be shocked. Try not to faint." (Uther)
The Principal grinned mischievously.
(He's exaggerating…) (Eugene)
The 1,000th Floor Divine Beast must be well-known, but seeing it from this distance wasn't going to make me lose my composure.
I peered through the Space Telescope.
(…Huh?) (Eugene)
The first thing I saw was a single vertical line.
Beyond it, countless twinkling stars stretched across the sky.
"I don't see anything, Principal." (Eugene)
When I said that…
"You're looking in the wrong place. You're probably focusing on the 800th Floor. Aim higher." (Uther)
"…This thin line is the Zenith Tower, right? I'll look higher." (Eugene)
I slowly adjusted the angle.
At the very top of the thin vertical line, I saw something resembling a giant bird's nest.
(What the hell…? That thing's massive compared to the Zenith Tower.) (Eugene)
It was undoubtedly larger than this entire Dungeon city.
Was the 1,000th Floor Divine Beast some kind of giant bird?
"I see something that looks like a bird's nest." (Eugene)
"Hmm… That means the Divine Beast isn't there. It's probably flying nearby. Try searching around." (Uther)
"…Alright." (Eugene)
I followed his instructions and scanned the area around the Zenith Tower.
A breathtakingly vast cosmos unfolded before me.
Countless stars twinkled like scattered jewels.
As I moved the telescope sideways, I spotted a massive celestial body…
The moon.
—Something felt off.
(Wait… What…?) (Eugene)
I saw the moon clearly, more vividly than with the naked eye.
The issue is that right next to it there is…
A dragon the same size as the moon.
......…Huh?
I'm not well-versed in astronomy, but I still know roughly how big the moon is.
There's no way a creature that size could exist.
…It shouldn't be possible, yet it was happening right before my eyes.
"Um… Principal?" (Eugene)
"What is it?" (Uther)
"There's a dragon the size of the moon." (Eugene)
I asked in a trembling voice.
"Ah, that's the Divine Beast of the 1000th Floor." (Uther)
"W-What is that!? Even for something huge, there has to be a limit!" (Eugene)
I couldn't help but raise my voice…
――――And then, the dragon on the moon met my gaze.
"…Ah." (Eugene)
I fell onto my backside.
It couldn't be real, and yet, my instincts understood.
My voice had reached that dragon.
"W-What…is that dragon…?" (Eugene)
It was on a completely different level from any Divine Beast I have encountered before.
"You should already know, Eugene." (Uther)
Principal Uther let the moment linger for just a bit before speaking the name.
"That is the Ruler of the Sky, Bahamut. You studied it in mythology class, didn't you?" (Uther)