Act 24 - The darkness' holy fire

Seirei Gensouki 24 - Yami no seika, The darkness' holy fire.(精霊幻想記24闇の聖火)

Synopsis
The boy falls. As he burns himself in hellfire -
 * -|English =

Rio continues to explore the labyrinth and gather information in the Holy City Tonelico with Sora.

A young child wearing a white robe called out to the two who returned to the surface after fighting a large number of monsters. What is the true purpose of the child who calls herself Elle and blatantly closes the distance?

On the other hand, Takahisa Sendo, a hero who disappeared from the Galarc Royal Castle, wandered into a brothel district and was pressured by a prostitute girl to become a customer.

[eh, hehe... Thank... you. My Hero. Sama......]

A harsh fate awaits at the end of a reckless escape, and the end is--. ソラと共に聖都トネリコで迷宮探索や情報収集を続けるリオ. 膨大な魔物との戦闘を終え地上へと戻った二人に声を掛けてきたのは、 白い法衣を纏った幼い子供だった. 自らをエルと名乗り、 露骨に距離を詰めてくるその子供の真の目的とは？ 一方、ガルアーク王城より失踪した勇者・千堂貴久は娼館街へと迷い込んだ挙句、 娼婦の少女から客になるよう迫られていた.
 * -|Japanese =

「え、へへ……. あり、がとう. 私の、勇、者さま……」

無謀な逃亡の果てに待ち受ける過酷な運命、その結末は――.

Prologue.
Holy kingdom Armada, the dungeon in the holy capital Tonerico, at the same time that Rio and Sora got stuck in the dungeon’s eleventh floor. Somewhere in the dungeon’s depths a child wearing white priest clothes stands inside a magic circle in the center of a great space. The child seemed to be younger than ten years old and their long bangs covering their face didn’t let see if they were a boy or a girl. The child was looking at the ceiling while smiling happily when a man that resembles Reis wearing a white robe approaches them and greets them. The child tells the man that it has been a while and the man tells the child that he came to pick up a golem because he needed it and then he asks the child what they are looking at. The child tells the man that there is a very interesting existence and asks the man how it was the outside world lately.

The man tells the child that it is unusual for them to be interested in the outside world. The child says it suddenly got their interest and that they think it could also be related to the reason why the man wants the golem. The child finally stops looking at the ceiling and greets the man, Fenris nii-san, with a mischievous smile. Fenris stays silent for a moment wondering what the child might be thinking about. The child tells Fenris that there are two interesting people invading the dungeon and that right now they are on the eleventh floor. Fenris frowns as if realizing something. The child asks Fenris if he understood something with just that information. Fenris says he did because it is impossible to arrive at the eleventh floor without a group of hero-class people or at least a great hero-class person but those two must be exploring the eleventh floor without fighting or running away. The child tells Fenris that he guessed right, that the intruders annihilated the monster they sent their way and seems to be looking for the way down to the twelfth floor. The man says that for what he knows the fitting candidates are scarce, the three, now four, that he designed as caution warranting targets, and that the intruders must be two from those.

The child asks Fenris if there are still other two monster-like people like the two on the eleventh floor. Fenris tells the child that the world is wide and that there might still be strong people he doesn’t know about. The child says that it is like that and that he will teach Fenris about the two in the eleventh floor, a familiar of the dragon king and a boy in his teens they don’t understand well what they are. Reis says that as expected and sighs deeply while holding his chin on his fingers and sighing. The child asks Fenris if he can’t guess it already since there isn’t a reason for a familiar to obey someone else aside from their lord. Fenris asks the child if they mean that the boy is the dragon king and says that it is impossible, that there isn’t a way for him to mistake him for someone else and that his familiar aside he can’t think the dragon king is alive. Unlike Fenris the child is excited, they tell Fenris that they don’t think either the dragon king is alive and asks Fenris if the boy in the eleventh floor being the same as the person he has in mind doesn’t mean that he is acknowledged as a transcendental by the world. Fenris doesn’t answer. The child says that the boy probably used an authority and asks if it wasn’t then that God’s rules activated and he became a transcendental despite having a human body. The child says they can’t believe it, that there shouldn’t be a way for a human body to endure the use of an authority and that even the heroes would die despite them being assimilated with the great spirits. Fenris agrees with the child but tells him that the boy being a transcendental and him living in human society until now are unshakable truths.

The child tells Fenris sulkingly that he knows a lot about the boy. Fenris says that it is because he has a past with him, that even before he became a transcendental a lot happened. The child says that it seems like Fenris was having fun while they were locked in the dungeon. Fenris says he struggles to understand what gave the child that impression from their talk. The child asks Fenris if it isn’t because he got a rival, that a plan that is like a game where only one of the players can move their pieces through the board is boring, but that now it is getting interesting. Fenris tells the child that their plan isn’t a game. The child says that duty and pleasure go hand in hand, that it is because it is fun that a duty feels like a match. Fenris tells the child that the opponent in the match might be the wise God Lina. The child frowns unhappily listening to Lina’s name and says that it wouldn’t be strange for her to be involved too if the dragon king is there but that she thought she died alongside the dragon king. Fenris says that it is uncertain if she is alive or dead but that it is true that that Goddess’ existence seems to flicker on this, that she might have foreseen their plan one thousand years ago and have something prepared. The child says with a happy tone in contrast to their words that if that woman who can see the future is involved it will be complicated to do everything at once, that even though she is just playing small tricks she is insuperable.

Reis tells the child to go back to the topic, that it is an incredibly bad situation to have the boy that holds the authority of the dragon king that should be dead invading the dungeon while bringing along a familiar. The child says that normally it is impossible to access the twelfth floor without their permission but that if the dragon king’s authority is involved things change and asks Fenrir if they should eliminate the invaders even though sudden great battles aren’t of their liking. Fenrir tells the child to not do it, that they don’t need to do anything as long as the invaders stay on the eleventh floor. The boy tells Fenris that he is cautious, that several golems are in stand by where they are, that if them, the dungeon’s administrator, is with him they can reduce the effect of God’s rules and he should be able to fight while having recovered his original power to an extent. Fenris tells the child that he fears that if the boy can make full use of the dragon king’s power they will also suffer losses that they can’t ignore, that he is anxious but that it isn’t a situation where they can panic, that first they need to get information about that why he came to the dungeon and of how much he knows of their plans, that if he doesn’t go down to the twelfth floor they will do it like that. The child says they understand and tells Fenris to let it to them. Fenris asks the child while sighting what they say they will take care of. The child says with an intrepid smile that of course they mean the information gathering and asks Fenrir if they don’t need to know how many of their cards were seen.

Chapter 1: At the holy city Tonerico.
While Fenris and the child are talking, Rio and Sora meet each other at the entrance of the eleventh floor after exploring it. Rio says that it doesn’t seem like there is a way down to the twelfth floor. Sora apologizes to Rio for not finding either a way down-looking path. Rio tells Sora that she doesn’t need to apologize and that there isn’t any visible corridor, that then as expected the path might be hidden somehow or the eleventh floor might be the lowest one. Sora asks if she should try to break the walls while making punching gestures with her arms. Rio tells Sora that they should just dig if they are sure there is a space beyond the walls, that if they dig without a plan there is the risk of a collapse. Rio also thinks inside his head while looking at the vast space that it would be a lot of work to search all of it, that even if he can check what it is beyond the earth circulating his magic power through it the several kilometers wide and hundred meters high eleventh floor is too big. Rio sighs reluctantly but there isn’t a way for him to just go back, the eleventh floor is the deepest part reached by humanity, that it might be where the divine war started or that there might me a clue about why Lina make the dragon king reincarnate, so he tells Sora to use spirit arts to search for spaces beyond the walls, floor and ceiling together even if it will take time. Sora says that there isn’t a way for her to allow the dragon king to do such a chore and tells Rio to please leave it to her. Rio tells Sora that he won’t have her doing such a thing alone, that they are in space that it is so big and they should do it together. Sora tries to refuse and Rio tells her that it is fine and that he wants to help her. Sora agrees happily after being told that and the two begin to inspect the eleventh floor.

At the same time the child looks at Rio and Sora continuing with their research, they say that it is as expected, that they don’t know the way to go down to the twelfth floor but that they seem to continue their investigation. Fenris says that the problem is if they are investigating because they are convinced there is a twelfth floor or because they think there might be a twelfth floor. The child say they wonder which will be, that if they came to the dungeon on Lina’s orders the way to go down to the twelfth floor is something they should know about, but that if they give up and leave the chances of they knot knowing if there is a twelfth floor or not might be high. Fenris agrees and says that for the time being they can just wait and see. After seeing Fenris sighing, the child tells him to let Rio’s and Sora’s surveillance to them and that it is fine for him to go back to his job and asks him if he isn’t busy unlike them who are locked in the dungeon. Fenris says he wouldn’t suffer if he could do that. The child asks Fenris if it isn't fine for him to trust more in his cute little sister. Fenris tells the girl that she doesn’t know well about Rio yet and that he has been an opponent he can’t lower his guard against even from before he became a transcendental. The girl asks sulkingly if that is the reason why he thinks she will do something that will ruin their plans. Fenris tells the girl that it is because with her personality she could go to meet Rio the moment he takes his eyes off her. The girl tells Fenris to be at ease because she will choose a time and place for that.

Fenris asks the girl with surprise if she will meet Rio outside. The girl says she will, that it will be suspicious if she meets him inside the dungeon. Fenris is dubious and the girl asks him if it won’t be not that bad if she appears in front of them outside the dungeon. Fenris tells the girl that she also is at risk of being too weakened while in the outside world. The girl tells Fenris that he really loves her, that when she thought he was worrying about her doing some mischief it turned out he was being overprotective. Fenris tells the girl that it is because her existence is indispensable for completing their plans. The girl says she will let things be like that and asks Fenris what they will do, she asks him with her gaze if she won’t let her go to meet Rio. Fenris agrees reluctantly while saying that the girl might certainly be more fitting for probing Rio than him. The girl says that it is decided then and that the first will be to make sure if Rio is or not the dragon king.

A little later, at the pope’s office, Fenris sits on his chair while sighing worriedly, then a priestess called Anna Mendoza, his secretary, knocks the door of his office with her arms full of papers and asks Fenris if she can enter. Fenris tells Anna she can come in. Anna greets Fenris and congratulates him for his hard work at the several months long sealing ceremony. Fenris says he is very tired so he wants her to let him have a rest because he will have to go back soon to the sealing ceremony. Anna tells Fenris that it can’t be, that during his absence the number of matters she needs him to look into piled up and tells him to please check them. Fenris says that it is because of that that he didn’t want to come back and asks Anna if she can explain the pending matters in an easy to understand manner. Anna says that gladly, that the thing with the highest priority would be the priests’ embezzlement. Fenris gives answers like “Aha”,”understood” or “I see” to Anna’s explanations while eyeing the documents. Fenris thinks that things got bad precisely when he finally came back home but then corrects himself, he begins to think it might be fortunate that Rio came when he was back, then he looks at the window.

Fenris thinks if Rio and his familiar are in the dungeon the defenses of the Galarc kingdom where Rio’s forces are dispersed should be thin, that it would be the perfect moment for attacking with the golem he came to get but… What if Lina is the one pulling Rio’s strings? Fenris can’t think Lina didn’t foresee this situation and what actions he would take after seeing the defenses around Rio’s group are thin, he fears there is a trap waiting for him. Reis thinks Lina is a troublesome opponent, that if that Goddess’ face hadn’t been flickering on this now he would be attacking the Galarc kingdom without any doubt, that with that he would eliminate Celia and with luck Aisia too. Anna calls out to Fenris when she sees him sighing with hesitation. Fenris asks Anna what it is. Anna tells Fenrir that seeing him looking at the window made her fear he had his mind on the clouds. Fenris says he was just thinking about other things while listening to her explanation and that he also got a good idea about what to do with the people embezzling donations. Anna says that as expected of him while taking back the documents from Fenris. Fenris says he just took a look at where the numbers were wrong or unnatural and that he will go give a warning to the involved people and see if things get better from now on. Anna says that then next in order is… Fenris tells Anna to take care quickly of everything, then he looks through the window at the city’s streets while thinking he needs to stay in wait and see mode until the information gathering is done, that it would be troublesome if he meets Rio in the city and that it won’t do either if he doesn’t take Renji back to the Proxia empire.

Two days later, at noon, Rio and Sora are finally leaving the dungeon after failing to find a way down to the twelfth floor with their spirit arts. Rio says that as expected the sunlight is dazzling when going out. Sora tells Rio to take care of not letting the sun damage his eyes. Rio says it is fine and that he will get used to it soon. Sora then begins to curse Lina for having Rio stay in such a dark and damp place. Rio says that it isn’t like it is Lina’s fault. Sora says that everything is Lina’s fault, that she can’t just make the dragon king reincarnate one thousand years later in order to have him do something and not let a single clue for him, that it is her fault that they wasted so much time. Rio thinks it might be obvious Lina would let a clue for him if she wanted to have him do something, but that if someone who can see the future didn’t let a clue that in itself might have a meaning too. Rio tries to calm Sora down telling her that it is also a good harvest to know they won’t find any clue-like clue and tells Sora to go eat something delicious in town to change their mood. Sora agrees happily and tells Lina to be thankful for Rio’s mercy. Sora walks in a good mood towards the city but Rio takes a last look back at the dungeon while thinking it is a suspicious place, that it would be unnatural to not suspect of the dungeon seeing how it still produces monsters one thousand years after being turned in the place where the monsters from another world began to invade because of the wise God’s experiments, but despite that the during the last two days researching its eleventh floor he didn’t find a way down and not new monsters appeared either, he thinks researching with just the dungeon being obviously suspicious at the reason won’t achieve anything right now. Sora asks Rio if something happened. Rio tells Sora that it is nothing and to keep going. A little after Rio and Sora walk away from the dungeon a small child comes out of its entrance and follows after them.

A little later, Sora and Rio walk through Tonerico’s main street while looking for a place to eat, Rio tells Sora that he thought what Lina foresaw during the divine war era must have been something related to it, but that it could also be something completely different. Sora tells Rio that in that case they don’t have a way to investigate it anymore, and that he doesn’t need to concern himself with that because it would be that stupid Lina’s fault. Rio tells Sora that it is possible too that they overlooked something and that as expected the dungeon is related to it. Sora asks if they will enter the dungeon once more. Rio says that it might be fine to enter the dungeon one more time but that before that he wants to research the land in detail. Sora asks Rio if there is a place where there is information that isn't as shallow as the normal citizens’. Rio says that there is, that a place where it seems like he can investigate a lot of things comes to mind. Sora tells Rio that as expected of him and asks him where that place is. Rio says that it is the temple, that it is the residence of the people who rule the city, that it must have a library with ancient documents about the land. Sora says she understands and asks Rio if he wants to go to the library. Rio says he wants to with a troubled face because he doesn’t think it will be a place where anyone is granted access easily since a library is a place full of valuables called books.

Rio thinks he has no more option that sneaking into the library and staying there for a while after, that even if people won’t able to remember his face if they see him entering the library they will still remember someone got inside and reinforce the security accordingly, that he won’t be able to just come and go from there. While Rio was thinking about that someone called out to Sora and him. Rio lets out a surprised voice and looks at a child no bigger than Sora with white clothes and long bangs that cover their eyes standing next to her and whose androgynous face makes it unclear if they are a boy or a girl. The child asks Rio what about the temple. Rio wonders if the child’s priest clothes mean that they are an apprentice at the temple, Rio is also surprised at the child calling out to a transcendental and his familiar despite them not having done anything conspicuous. Sora tells the child that they are busy and that they have no time to lose with a brat and to go away. The child tells Sora that she is interesting and that she is also a brat. Sora tells the child that she is an adult lady and that they are a rude brat. Rio tells Sora to calm down, apologizes to the child and asks them who they are. The child tells Rio that as he can see they are someone from the temple so when they listened to him talking about the temple they got a little curious.

Rio says he understands and tells the child that rather than about the temple he is interested about the land’s history, so he was wondering if the temple would manage that kind of information too. The child says they understand while approaching Rio and looking at him with their face very close to his. Rio asks the child if something happened. The child asks Rio if this is their first meeting. Rio tells the child that it should be like that. The child says they understand, that they must have felt strangely nostalgic because of their similar hair color, that it is as Rio says their first meeting while laughing happily. Then Sora tells the child to get away from Rio and asks them if they plan on picking him up focusing in that similitude, she tells them they are getting carried away for a brat. The child steps away from Rio calmly while laughing and saying that it is really their first meeting. Sora tells the child that she would never forget a brat as rude as them. The child says it seems like they won’t forget about them either, then they also say they forgot to introduce themselves and say they are Elle while offering a hand to Rio. Rio introduces himself and Sora while returning the hand shake while Sora sulks next to him. Elle says that it is coincidence that three people with names with just two katakanas met, that that might be fate too and that she will teach them about the land if they want to know about it. Rio hesitates to accept the offer, the other person is a child he has just met. Elle says that despite her appearance she is a scholar working at the temple and is familiarized with the history of the holy city and with how things were before its construction during the divine war era. Rio says that it would be thankful if it is like that with doubt because the timing for Elle’s offer is just too convenient.

Elle says that it is decided then and tells Rio to be at ease because she is older than her looks. Rio tells Elle to please let him thank her with something for her teachings while bowing his head to her with a hand on his chest. Elle praises Rio’s flexibility when she sees his change in aptitude, she tells Rio that there isn’t much she wants so it is fine for him to just invite her to something delicious, that she also wants to know more about him, that he is a traveler going by his appearance so she is curious about the outside world she doesn’t much about, then she tells Rio and Sora to follow her, that is has a been while since her last visit but that there should be a restaurant with delicious food nearby. Sora sulks about Elle deciding their destination by herself and Rio tells her that it is fine, that it is thankful to be guided to a restaurant and to go with Elle.

Epilogue:
* TLN: As usual the summary of the rest of the book will be posted here at anytime between the 10th of 14th day since the book's publication, or in other words, at anytime between the 10th and the 14th of August.

Short stories:

 * 1) Melonbooks - Amande's sleeping beauty: Liselotte was told by Aria to take a nap and Aria prepared a special stuffed toy so Liselotte could have an even better sleep.
 * 2) Bookwalker - The three reincarnators' pijama party: Latifa visited Rio's room at night, but why is Liselotte behind her too...?