Tsuna had desperately rushed to save Wiene, but he had arrived too late. She had perished.
"───Aaaaaaah..."
Witnessing Wiene crumble to ash in his arms, Bell let out a hollow, agonizing wail. The trauma threatened to shatter his mind, and tears poured from his eyes.
I couldn't protect her… Not again…!!
Tsuna stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the pile of ash. He clenched his fists so tightly his leather gloves groaned under the pressure. A violent maelstrom of grief and fury raged within his heart. He cursed himself for prioritizing the Familia's reputation over taking immediate action to save her.
It was then.
"[O untrodden domain, wall of taboo. This very day, I turn my back on the laws of heaven...]"
As the two boys stood paralyzed by despair, a third, ancient voice began to chant behind them. Turning around, they saw Fels stepping out of the shadows.
"[Staff of Asclepius, cup of Salus. O voice of yours that cannot be reached even with the authority of healing, please wait for me.]"
A brilliant, pure white Magic Circle suddenly materialized over the pile of ash.
"[King's judgment, lightning of condemnation. If I am to be burned to ashes for defying the providence of the Gods, then I shall gladly descend to the Underworld. Open the gate of restrictions, cross the river of the underworld. Hear me, King of the Underworld. Listen to this maddening desire. Unceasing tears, scattering wails. The price has already been paid. O path of light. Sacrifice the predetermined past and illuminate my foolish desire. Ah, I shall not look back.]"
A magnificent pillar of magical light erupted from the Magic Circle, piercing through the ceiling and ascending toward the heavens.
"───[Dia Orpheus]."
The moment the chant concluded, the pillar of light vanished, replaced by a blinding, miraculous radiance that illuminated the entire subterranean waterway. The brilliance was so intense that Bell and Tsuna instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.
"Eh…!?"
When the light faded and they opened their eyes, an impossible sight greeted them. The ash was gone. Sleeping peacefully in Bell's arms was Wiene, completely restored.
"Ah… AAAAAAAAH…!!"
Feeling the familiar, gentle warmth of Wiene's body pressed against his chest once more, Bell sobbed uncontrollably, holding her as tightly as he could.
"She came back to life…!?"
Realizing that the magic Fels had just cast was an actual, literal resurrection spell, Tsuna was left speechless.
"Yes…" Fels answered weakly.
"Fels, are you okay!?"
Fels collapsed onto the stone floor, completely devoid of strength. Tsuna panicked and rushed to his side.
"I am fine… I simply exhausted my entire mana pool to cast that spell… I just need time to recover…"
"Is that really all…? Are you sure there isn't some other horrific price you had to pay…?"
In Tsuna's future, Yuni had sacrificed her own life to resurrect the deceased Arcobaleno. To Tsuna, the idea that the ultimate miracle of resurrection only required a full mana drain seemed impossibly convenient.
"There are no other drawbacks besides the depletion of my mana… However, this spell had never succeeded before… Wiene is the first miracle…"
Memories of the countless times he had desperately cast the spell to save a life, only to fail and be crushed by despair, flashed through Fels's mind.
"Eight hundred years… I had cursed this magic, believing it was nothing but a cruel, useless glimmer of false hope that wasted a magic slot… Ah… so it truly did have a purpose after all…"
Despite possessing a spell capable of resurrecting the dead, its success rate had been so astronomically low that in his 800 years of life, he had never once felt grateful for obtaining it. But today, for the first time in centuries, Fels felt a profound, overwhelming gratitude toward his magic from the bottom of his soul.
Shortly after, Lyd and the rest of the Xenos descended into the waterways and safely reunited with them. Knowing it was only a matter of time before their pursuers arrived, Tsuna and Welf shattered the ceiling of the waterway, collapsing the tunnel behind them to block the path before leading the group deeper into the subterranean network.
"Lyd. I need to ask you something."
"What is it, Tsuna-chi?"
"Was that Poacher group the reason you guys went on a rampage on the 18th Floor?"
As they navigated the dark tunnels, Tsuna asked about the incident that occurred while he and the others had been exploring the 19th Floor.
"Yeah… They kidnapped Wiene… and they murdered Ranye and the others… We knew it was a trap, but we just couldn't forgive them. We stormed the 18th Floor to force them to give us a clue to their whereabouts…" Lyd explained, his expression twisted with sorrow and guilt.
"I see…"
Ranye was an Arachne Xenos. Like Gros, she harbored a deep hatred for humans and had refused to open her heart to Tsuna's group. Yet, learning of her brutal murder still carved a hollow ache in Tsuna's chest.
"The Poachers are the Ikelos Familia. They are a faction that has existed in Orario for over twenty years. At some point, they completely vanished from the public eye. They established a hidden base within the artificial labyrinth known as Knossos, utilizing undocumented entrances to smuggle and traffic the Xenos," Fels explained grimly.
"I knew it…"
"You figured it out?"
"Reborn did. He said using the main Dungeon entrance under Babel to smuggle live monsters would draw too much attention. He deduced there had to be a secret smuggling route connecting the Dungeon directly to the surface."
As sharp as ever. To perfectly deduce the existence of a hidden smuggling route and independently locate the entrance to the underground altar without any outside assistance proved that Reborn's intellect was truly terrifying. Fels offered silent, profound praise to the infant.
"We scoured the surface looking for that smuggling route, but we couldn't find a single clue."
"It is to be expected. It is a labyrinth constructed by the master architect Daedalus, after all."
"Daedalus… You mean the guy Daedalus Street is named after?"
"Yes. The very same man who became the first mortal to receive a Falna from Ouranos when the Gods descended."
Come to think of it…
"I have maintained strict neutrality since the founding of Orario. Therefore, I only bestow my Falna upon a select few."
Tsuna remembered Ouranos mentioning he had granted a Falna to someone during their very first meeting.
"Daedalus dedicated his life to constructing Orario's foundational architecture, including Babel itself. But one day, he simply vanished from our sight. We searched tirelessly for him, but could never track him down. Until today…"
"What do you mean?"
"We discovered that he was the mastermind behind the construction of Knossos."
"For what purpose?"
"I do not know. But even after his death, his descendants have continued to expand Knossos for over a millennium to fulfill his grand design. According to Dix, the blood of Daedalus curses his descendants, compelling them to complete the labyrinth. However, Dix himself despised this bloodline curse. To vent his twisted frustration, he found a sickening pleasure in capturing and butchering the Xenos, warping into an absolute sadist."
"…"
The sickening depravity of the story left Tsuna completely speechless.
"We successfully infiltrated their base, but Dix ripped the gemstone from Wiene's forehead. He then used a curse to herd the rampaging Wiene toward the surface."
"So that's why…"
Tsuna finally understood the full picture. To save the rampaging Wiene, Bell, Lyd, and the others had chased her through Knossos, eventually emerging onto Daedalus Street.
"…Lyd. After you guys rampaged in the town of Rivira, Bell arrived with a group of adventurers. What happened to them?"
Tsuna needed to confirm the safety of Shakti and the Ganesha Familia, who had been dispatched to secretly tame them.
"We killed the bastards who kidnapped our brethren, but we didn't kill any of the adventurers Tsuna-chi is talking about. At least, my squad didn't…"
"What do you mean?"
"To save Wiene, we called in Asterius… the Xenos who went to the deep floors to train. It's possible Asterius might have killed them."
"You mean the Black Minotaur?"
"Yeah. Asterius has a dream he prioritizes over coexisting with humanity, but he fundamentally promised not to kill humans, so he shouldn't have killed them. I can't guarantee it with absolute certainty, though…"
"No, hearing that is more than enough."
While Lyd couldn't provide a perfect guarantee, knowing there was a very high probability that Shakti and her squad were still alive brought Tsuna immense relief.
Once they arrived at a safe, secluded cavern, Lyd and the other Xenos rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts at Wiene's miraculous survival.
"Bell. I'm not asking this to condemn you. But please, answer me honestly."
Hearing Tsuna's serious tone, Bell instantly realized what he was about to ask. His expression darkened, and he averted his eyes.
"Is it true you attacked other adventurers to protect Wiene?"
Tsuna already knew the rumors were true. Still, he needed to hear it directly from Bell's mouth.
"...…Yes."
After a long, agonizing silence, Bell answered. Tsuna didn't scold him. He simply placed his right hand on Bell's head, shifted his flames to Sun, and gently began healing the boy's wounds.
The massive crater in the plaza had been caused by an apocalyptic spell fired by the adventurers to execute Wiene. To protect her, Bell had thrown himself in front of the blast, taking the magic head-on.
The reason there were no adventurers in the plaza when Tsuna arrived was because Bell, after killing the Ikelos Familia member who had impaled Wiene from the rooftop, had actively attacked the surrounding adventurers to drive them away.
"Thanks to you, the Xenos were saved. That is the undeniable truth. And Wiene was saved as well. I, too, am deeply grateful to you," Fels said softly.
"I…"
"Are you regretting your decision?"
"That man… the adventurer wearing the goggles… he told me I was a hypocrite."
Hearing Fels's question, Bell recalled his confrontation with Dix.
When Bell declared his desire to save both humans and monsters equally, Dix had mockingly branded him a hypocrite. And Bell had been utterly incapable of denying it.
To save Wiene, he had maintained a facade to avoid being hated, and in the end, he had betrayed his comrades, his idol, and the citizens who had cheered for him. And despite sacrificing everything, he had still failed to save Wiene, watching her die in his arms. He was completely crushed by his own powerlessness.
"Bell Cranel. This is merely my personal philosophy, but I believe this: only those who are cursed and branded as hypocrites possess the true qualifications to become a hero. Continue to suffer. Continue to agonize. Continue to lose your way. And then, just as you did today, make your choice."
"Fels-san…"
"The choices heroes make are often cruel, sometimes merciless, and sometimes entirely unforgivable. Yet, above all else, they are born of a noble will. The answer you arrived at today—just as they once did—is undoubtedly correct, no matter how much the world curses and despises you for it."
The heavy, suffocating despair clouding Bell's face lifted ever so slightly as Fels's words resonated in his heart.
"Allow this fool, stripped of flesh and skin, to speak. Allow this wretched creature, left with nothing but bones and lingering regrets, to declare this: Be a fool, Bell Cranel. Please, you alone must remain a fool. The ideals you cling to may seem utterly foolish to us, but to the Gods… they are undoubtedly irreplaceable."
Fels turned his gaze toward Lyd and the others. Bell followed his line of sight.
"Bell-san, thank you so much…!!"
"I'm sorry for everything, Bell-chi… Thank you…!!"
"…Thank you. I am grateful…!!"
Ray, Lyd, and Gros offered their deepest, most genuine gratitude to Bell for saving Wiene.
Bell had been consumed by agonizing regret over his choices, but hearing the sincere gratitude from the three Xenos, a profound, comforting warmth swelled within his chest.
----
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations