Before crossing over, Renjiro had once read a foreign news report back on his homeland, Earth.
It told the story of a boy named Paul, who at the age of six contracted poliomyelitis—a cruel fate that left him paralyzed.
As if fate itself delighted in irony, just a few months later, a cure for his condition had been discovered.
Doctors abroad like Jonas Salk had saved countless children.
Yet Paul was among the last to suffer, unable to benefit from these medical miracles.
For decades, he lived inside a contraption called an iron lung, a mechanical respiratory device.
Should he leave it, he would suffocate within minutes.
Doctors said he wouldn't live long.
No one could have predicted what came next—a miracle.
Before he turned ten, Paul learned to breathe using a frog-like swallowing technique, risking his life to gain just a few hours of freedom outside the iron lung. Painful, exhausting, dangerous—but achievable.
And all of this, others could take for granted.
Unable to move his limbs, Paul bit pencils to write and draw, believing he was no different from ordinary people.
He said: "everyone thinks I'm disabled—but I don't think so."
It was this relentless optimism that allowed him to graduate top of his high school class and, despite numerous setbacks, become a trusted lawyer.
People often say: If there is only one true form of heroism in the world, it is to love life even after seeing its harsh reality.
Perhaps Paul never sought to be a hero, yet he lived strongly, his life itself a beacon.
From time to time, it illuminated the hearts of those who felt hopeless.
After all…
"If he can endure so much misfortune and still remain strong, why should I give up on life?"
A simple sentence, yet the culmination of decades of perseverance.
In comparison…
"And what about you, you worthless piece of trash?"
At the final moment of the Ikelos Familia's annihilation, Renjiro calmly approached Dix, who lay bloodied on the floor. His eyes radiated piercing contempt—a psychological dagger to Dix' heart.
Renjiro raised his right hand, spreading his fingers, palm aimed at Dix' head.
"The ancestors cursed their descendants for their obsessions, and the descendants took revenge on society for their unjust lives… truly a 'family' affair."
"You…" Dix' face twisted in rage.
But he didn't get a chance to finish cursing.
"BOOM~"
A scorching red flash erupted. A single, non-incanted spell obliterated Dix' grotesque face like a rotten watermelon.
Renjiro flicked his hand.
"No need to thank me. Go have a good rebirth… Oh, wait. No."
"Someone like you? Straight to hell. Go greet your cheating ancestors yourself."
Renjiro didn't directly interact with the "monsters" in the cages after the Ikelos Familia's collapse.
Today's general offensive was ongoing.
He simply summoned Venti, who was naturally interested in these groups, to contact the intelligent monsters—possibly heretics.
Renjiro himself continued deeper into the artificial labyrinth.
=======
Meanwhile…
"Phew~"
Lumine knew there were two major threats during today's assault on Knossos.
The first: Filvis Challia.
On the surface, Filvis Challia appeared as a black-haired, red-eyed elf with Falna Level 3, even fond of Lefiya during early Sword Princess Chronicles, sharing many interactions with her.
But her true body had been transformed into a "monster" by her god—Dionysus, masquerading as a benevolent deity.
At one point, despair over this fact awakened her split magic Einsel, leading to the adventurer persona Banshee.
However, "Einsel" could not compare to Renjiro's Will-o'-Wisp.
No matter how many copies of Aerial Will-o'-Wisp were deployed, Renjiro maintained his own self-consciousness—truly a "trinity" akin to mythical descriptions.
Einsel overused would risk schizophrenia.
Filvis Challia' true body sometimes acted bizarrely, arguing with herself like a character from some horse-riding world.
At full strength, she was effectively Lv.7, on par with Ottar.
The second major threat:
"My long-standing vow…"
Lumine calmly drew the sword that had already pierced someone's heart, eyes narrowing at the fallen middle-aged man: Barca Perdix, Dix' older brother.
He was the sorcerer who fully obeyed the Daedalus curse.
Barca could mass-produce cursed weapons and activate all traps inside the labyrinth.
So at the beginning of the operation, Lumine coordinated with Mona and Paimon to teleport straight in.
Elemental lightning power instantly switched—quick and decisive.
Because once Barca fell…
"All the traps inside the artificial labyrinth are useless."
To prevent any "resurrection,"Lumine used her destructive abilities to annihilate Barca's body completely.
A typical style thorough approach.
Suddenly…
"What a nuisance, the invaders always seize the initiative."
Barca's control room, filled with magical crystals for surveillance, also relied heavily on Leystone-powered circuits.
At the door, a red-haired woman wielding a massive blade appeared, blocking Lumine's path—her intentions clear.
"Revis?"
"Hm?"
The woman frowned.
"You know me?"
"Kind of."
Lumine wiped blood from her sword.
"Before we fight, just to be safe… and satisfy my curiosity, I want to ask you about the name 'Alise Lovell.'"
"Do you have any impressions?"
…..
Completed version available on [P]atreon.[c]om/Veltoria [remove brackets]