◇ ◇ ◇
"Cough... Wheeze... Cough..."
August Sans, having returned from the Hidden World, coughed violently as he lay upon his bed.
His appearance was no longer that of the robust, middle-aged man who had spoken with Orun and the others. He was now a withered, frail old man, clinging to the last threads of life.
"Are you dying, Master?"
Titania’s voice was devoid of emotion as she addressed the fading hero.
"Hahaha... I suppose I am... I’ve spent nearly every drop of power I had left."
"I see. In that case, I shall settle in to watch this world as it drifts toward its collapse."
"Hey now... the man you call Master is on his deathbed. Don’t you have anything else to say?"
"Not particularly."
"Sigh. How tragic. Well then... I suppose I should get to my final task."
With a pained grunt, August forced himself upright.
He managed to stand, but his emaciated body could barely support its own weight. His knees buckled and shook with the effort.
"...What are you doing?"
"Nowhere special. Just a little errand. You coming?"
"It might serve to pass the time."
"You could just be honest and say you’re curious to see where I’m going."
"Be quiet."
Exchanging light banter with Titania, August shuffled toward the adjacent room with slow, shuffling steps.
The floor of the chamber was inscribed with an intricate magic circle. August stepped into its center and spoke.
"To the Phoenix Shrine."
In response to his command, the magic circle erupted in light, and August vanished from the room.
"Phew... I’m exhausted..."
Having teleported to his destination, August gasped for breath, his shoulders heaving.
He stood within the inner sanctum of a shrine, tucked away in a secluded corner of the world.
"Why come here of all places, and now?"
"To leave a gift for the youth of the future. Though, from their perspective, they might just see it as a nuisance."
August answered Titania's question with a playful, mischievous grin.
"That doesn't explain anything."
August ignored her dissatisfied murmur and walked toward a crystal ball enshrined as an object of worship.
As he held his hand over the sphere, a staggering number of spell formulas erupted from it, filling the entire shrine with glowing script.
"Let’s see... the date was March 29th of the Four Holy Era Year 629, wasn't it?"
August reached into his memories, manipulating the principles of magic itself.
"I’ll adjust the parameters so that on this day, the Black Dragon—the floor boss of the 92nd Floor of the Great Labyrinth of the South—can exit the boss area. And while I’m at it, I’ll lock the destination of the Door of Caprice to the 50th Floor. There. That should do it."
"...Why are you specifying a date more than five hundred years in the future?"
"I told you, didn't I? It's a gift for the youth of the future. In a way, this is where the 'story begins'."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You don't need to. Not yet."
◇
"Ah... I'm so tired... I’ve finally... done it all..."
August collapsed back onto his bed after returning to his private quarters.
"What was the point of all that?"
Titania’s voice was heavy with exasperation.
"...You'll understand eventually. Ah, wait. There was one last thing."
August looked satisfied, but a sudden realization sparked in his eyes. He turned his gaze toward Titania.
"—Titania."
"W-What is it? Why the sudden serious face...?"
"What will you do now?"
"What do you mean? I already told you. I will remain a 'bystander' and witness how this world ends."
"...I thought as much. In that case, I have one thing to leave you with."
"What now? You're being even stranger than usual today, Master."
"Just listen."
"............"
"If you choose to remain a bystander, then so be it. That is the path you have chosen for yourself. But I have one thing to say to you. Remember the name 'Orun Doura.' Hundreds of years from now, he is the man who will resolve to stand against them. I wonder, Titania... having shared a connection with Orun, will you truly be able to remain a mere observer until the end?"
August wrung out the last of his power to weave those final words.
He was already at death's door, and the strain of consecutively interfering with the Hidden World and rewriting the principles of magic had been immense.
The price for such defiance was, inevitably—
"'Orun Doura'... 'Hundreds of years in the future'... Are you saying you spent the last of your life to tamper with the laws of magic just for that?"
"It was a life that was going to fade regardless... I just... wanted to leave behind... some proof that I lived..."
With those final words, August’s eyes drifted shut, and he fell into an eternal slumber.
"............ You really were a selfish man until the very end. But I suppose that’s exactly why I..."
Titania whispered, her voice so faint it seemed ready to vanish.
But there was no longer anyone left in the room to hear the voice of the fairy—.
The reason the Black Dragon was able to leave the boss area in Chapter 1 was because the Fairy Tale Hero had set those conditions in the past.
The next chapter will be the conclusion of Chapter 7!