Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Thanks to the sound of that bell, Ais was able to defeat Revis.

If it weren't for that bell sound, Ais might have been swallowed by the black flames and wouldn't be here today.

This moment is very similar to that time.

Ais found the collapsed boy in the dungeon, and the two of them huddled together.

She felt her heart become transparent, her thoughts cleansed, and the black flames completely vanished.

I vaguely felt that I had regained my "pure white self".

Ais was completely unaware that her expression had softened; she relaxed her lips and smiled.

"I... I heard your voice."

At that moment, the boy tilted his head slightly and rested it on Ais's shoulder.

Even this weight made Ais feel very comfortable.

She too had lost her last bit of strength and gently leaned her body against the boy.

"Thank you, Bell."

Ais didn't know what she had received.

Perhaps someone lost something precious at the cost of victory.

But only now, only at this very moment—

The girl and boy nestled together and drifted off into a peaceful dream.

*

A rumbling sound from the distant earth.

The enormous pillar of light connecting heaven and earth gradually disappeared.

Lefia, however, paid no attention and continued to weep.

She knelt down and cradled a young girl in her arms.

"Miss Philweis...! I, I...!"

Sobs turned into tears, falling on the girl.

Skin stained with tears gradually disintegrated, turning to white ash.

She was the girl whose life was "ended" by Lefia.

It is a spirit that has finally been freed from its doomed fate.

The magic stone pierced by the dagger began to crack, and the cracks continued to widen. It was a miracle that the girl was still alive.

The girl who has fallen into monster form is about to meet her end.

"Don't cry, Lefia... It's okay, this... is fine, this..."

Phil Weiss smiled gently at Lefia, who couldn't stop her tears.

She didn't even have the strength to whisper anymore. With each sound she made, more cracks appeared in the "magic stone," accelerating the ash-turning of her flesh.

The girl's legs had collapsed and disappeared.

His left hand also turned to ash and scattered into the air.

Seeing this, Lefia's heart tightened.

"I don't understand anything...! I don't understand anything...! Which one is the real Miss Philvis... or what is the right thing to do for you, I have no idea...!"

She screamed loudly and ran toward Phileuse of Dionysus.

Filwes remained here, embraced by Lefia.

Who is the real "true" one? How can Phil Weiss be "redeemed"?

Lefia's initial resolve had vanished, leaving her only able to sob uncontrollably in despair.

"The 'me' who relies on Dionysus is me... the 'me' who was saved by you is also me..."

"...!"

"We are both...the real me..."

Philweis's mind was shattered, so shattered that it could be separated by "magic," so fragmented that it could not be restrained by reason, and it had long since collapsed and was on the verge of losing control.

Therefore, Philweis truthfully stated that whether she was saved by Dionysus or redeemed by Lefia, she was the "original self".

Thanks to the girl, he was able to escape his pain and find "redemption".

"My heart is already shattered... I have no idea what to do... I don't know what I should be doing..."

"Miss Philweis..."

"...I am not...strong at all, not beautiful at all. Compared to you, Lefia...I am so dirty...so...filthy..."

Phil Weiss's eyes were unfocused as she murmured as if in a dream.

Faced with her words.

Faced with her confession.

Lefia bit her lower lip, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

She had a lot to say.

She has endless longing to convey.

She has moments she wants to reclaim.

But she secretly decided that she could not let this confession become Phil Weiss's last words.

"You're definitely not strong at all... Just like me, a weak elf who has to depend on others to survive...!"

Rafia puts her "truth" into words.

He conveyed his heartfelt longing to the girl who deeply regretted her past actions.

"But you, so weak yet so obsessed with honor...!"

Memories of this day and the last few moments surface in my mind, fleeting and ephemeral.

We've shared many happy moments together.

He has been saved by the other party countless times.

There were also disputes in the middle.

But she was like a sister to me, and I even used to act cute towards her.

Her angry, pained, shy, and smiling expressions gripped Lefia's heart.

Rafia struggled to control her voice, which was nearly hoarse from crying, and said:

"More beautiful than anyone...more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen!"

Phil Weiss slightly opened her unfocused eyes.

He met the gaze of Lefia, who was in tears.

The girl's tears, which she had been trying so hard to hold back, slid down from her crimson eyes.

“—Ah…”

She relaxed her lips slightly.

She let the tears stream down her cheeks and smiled faintly.

That was the most beautiful and moving smile Lefia had ever seen—

"……、……、……"

“Eh…?”

As if squeezing out her last bit of strength, Philweis brought her lips close to Lefia's ear.

It's like whispering a lullaby to a crying child.

"If you run into trouble... just remember this. It will definitely... help you..."

Ashing is still ongoing.

As if robbing the girl of her last remaining time, her limbs have lost their original shape.

The words caught in Lefia's throat.

She burst into tears.

Like a child throwing a tantrum, she kept shaking her head, even though she knew that struggling would be futile, she still resisted the imminent parting.

"Thank you, Rafia... I'm so glad I met you."

Phil Weiss smiled again.

Lefia's tears then flowed uncontrollably.

Then──

"I will... always be by your side."

Let's go admire the "Crown" together.

Although the girl didn't finish speaking, Lefia did hear her last words as the ashes dissipated.

Philweis Sharia has disappeared.

She faced Lefia with a smile until her very last moment, before turning to ashes and disappearing without a trace.

The white ash gradually rose with the wind.

Embark on the next journey from Lefia's embrace.

Lefia, trembling all over and desperately trying to keep herself from breaking down, noticed.

Points of light gradually rose from underground.

As if dancing with the "magic" that filled the cave, the dust particles scattered in the air reflected a beautiful white light, dazzling and radiant.

As if to prove that a spirit once existed in this world, fragments of light floated up and formed a circle.

"──────"

The assembled circle resembles a "crown of light".

This scene is very similar to the scenery in Lefia's hometown... the scenery that the girl "promised" to enjoy together.

The fragments of light scattered and fell upon Lefia.

Lefia always felt that on the other side of the white light, a girl was smiling at her as she cried uncontrollably.

She saw the "crown of light".

It was a halo of light floating in mid-air.

There is also a white staircase made up of countless fragments of light that leads straight to the sky.

This is the scene where he made a promise to Phil Weiss.

They are beautiful fragments of a dream.

It is the "Elf Ring" that resides in Lefia's hometown, connecting her compatriots and forging bonds.

The girl maintained her upward gaze, imprinting the dazzling light into her eyes.

After that, I let the impulse that welled up in my heart flow out.

The girl wept with grief.

She just burst into tears.

It was as if they wanted to prove that there are no tears in this world that cannot be shed.

It was as if they wanted to prove that there is no such thing as endless sorrow in this world.

As the white fragments fell, they transformed into a rain of light.

This rain, so beautiful it was almost cruel, so pure it surpassed all things in the world, transformed into a melody born from countless teardrops that echoed through the air.

Others watching from the sidelines also silently shed tears.