The vague, dream-like feeling that had been present the entire time is now gone. In its place is a slightly chilly air that quickly wakes me up.

The ceiling is high, and the entire surroundings is illuminated by magic light.

"So this is the center."

Violet-san does a quick spin to take in the entire s.p.a.ce.

"So what is it that we should destroy?"

I don't see anything that looks like a magic core. The only thing here is a huge door standing a distance away.

"Beyond the door, most likely."

Violet-san walks on the stone paving, approaching the door.

"Makes sense."

I follow after her.

The door is ridiculously enormous. Its width is enough for 100 people to walk abreast. Well alright, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration.

Point is, it's a really big door.

That ancient-looking door is covered here and there with black stains that is clearly blood, underneath which are innumerable ancient letters packed tightly together. Wound around the entire door are swathes of chains thicker than the average human waist that are keeping it tightly shut.

"Would we be able to go in if we get these chains off?"

"Probably."

I grab one of the chain links and pull.

It doesn't even budge.

"Yep, not happening."

No matter how many tournaments for people who can't use magic I may win, something this thick is just physically impossible for me.

If I try to cut it with my sword, it'll definitely be my sword that breaks.

"You know, this thing most probably has a key."

"I see, good point."

We spot it in one second.

Right beside the door is a dais with a really fancy-looking sword stabbed into it.

"Whichever way anyone looks at it, this is it for sure."

"Whichever way whoever looks at it, this is it for sure."

The side of the sword dais is, again, packed tightly with ancient letters.

"It seems that this sword can cut through those chains."

So says Violet-san as she reads the ancient lettering.

But I've already understood it. A sword in a dais. This pattern...

"But this sword can't be drawn, right?"

"Eh...?"

"I can tell with a single glance..."

So saying, I place a hand on the sword hilt and give it a tug, but as expected it does not budge.

"As I had thought... here, too..."

So I mutter profoundly.

"This sword can only be drawn by the chosen..."

"What...!?"

Violet-san hurriedly traces the ancient lettering on the dais with her fingers.

And so, I let go of the sword.

"The sword... is rejecting me..."

So I say on the spur of the moment, but the sword's not actually rejecting me.

But the sword stuck in the dais being draw-able only by the chosen hero is mere common sense, a cliche used well and well again.

"The Holy Sword can only be drawn by direct descendants of the heroes... that's indeed what it says here. I'm surprised you managed to read and decode this magic text in one look."

"Hmph... everything exists as cliches..."

"So you're familiar enough with magic letter secret codes to recognize the various patterns as cliches... so that's how you knew."

"Something like that."

I nod with satisfaction.

A sword stuck in a dais, and a seal on a door that can only be undone with said sword. It's indeed extremely cliche, but actually I love contrivances like this.

Isn't it great? Really feels like a fantasy world.

"How troublesome..."

Violet-san sits on the dais and sighs.

"Any other way?"

I sit down next to Violet-san.

"None recorded on here, at least."

"I see."

I think for a while in the silence. Probably we're both thinking about the other.

So I speak up first.

"You want to disappear?"

"Disappear?"

"Didn't you say that if the core is destroyed, you'd disappear?"

"Hmm, how should I put it. Rather than 'disappear,' it'd be more accurate to say that I'd be 'freed,' I suppose."

Violet-san looks at me and smiles.

"What's the difference?"

"Here is a jail where memories are repeated again and again without end, for eternity. It's a bit hard to bear for me, you see..."

So she murmurs in a voice that sounds like it might vanish at any moment.

"I see. Then let's wait a while."

"Wait...?"

"If we wait a while, we might be able to do something about the door. But before that... we have guests."

Before the door appears a glowing rift in s.p.a.ce.

The rift gradually grows to a certain size, then a bald ossan and a beautiful elf girl comes out from there.

"Nn...?"

"What's the matter?"

"Not much, just that that elf-san's face looks really similar to a friend of mine."

But they're different people. Their bone structure is different. So is their gait and manner too.

"Hou... to have brought Aurora all the way here."

So says the bald ossan while looking at Violet-san.

"You know him?"

"I don't remember having seen him before. But my memory is incomplete, so maybe I've met him before?"

The two of us are whispering to each other.

"But what a pity. The door cannot be opened by the likes of you."

The bald ossan is smirking.

"You're quite an unlucky one, aren't you, lad?"

"Eh, you're talking about me?"

I point to myself.

"I don't know where or how you've wandered into here, but because you were deceived by the witch's honeyed words, you will now have to die. Cut to pieces by this Olivie here, to be specific."

Under Bald Ossan's instruction, the elf-san steps forward.

Bald Ossan is not much, but this beauty is strong.

"You can't, she is..."

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"I know, she's strong."

"Let's run!"

"Why?"

We're whispering again.

"If you must hate someone, hate that witch next to you, not me. And also your foolish self! Kill him, Olivie!"

Olivie-san readies a sword that looks exactly like the Holy Sword.

I draw my cheap Academy-issued sword. Her gla.s.s bead-like eyes are looking solely at me.

I can feel a smile spreading on my face.

"Wait, you can't fight her!"

Why?

Violet-san's voice emanates from behind me.