—The challenger has claimed victory. Congratulations.
I sensed a large number of people rushing toward us as the angelic voice rang out.
"Captain!"
"You did it!"
"Amazing!!"
"I couldn't even see your sword, Captain!"
President Robert, the club president of the swordsmanship club, was surrounded by club members.
"Eugy!"
Airi, my childhood friend, threw herself at me.
A moment later…
"Eugy-kun!" "Eugene!"
Sumire and Sara also clung to me… This is a bit —no, very cramped.
"Hey, Sumire, Sara. Wait your turn." (Airi)
"Ehh, don't wanna. Eugy-kun, you were so cool~☆" (Sumire)
"Then, you can be last, Airi." (Sara)
"Why!? First come, first served!" (Airi)
"Uh, you three, can you let go…" (Eugene)
"""No."""
They wouldn't let go.
"Eugene-chan, you're quite popular."
"Your junior is surrounded by the Imperial Princess, a Holy Maiden of the Holy Union, and an otherworlder. That's intense."
"Ahh, youth is wonderful~~"
I could hear Carlo-senpai and the others chatting.
Just then, a golden light illuminated the surroundings.
A massive magic circle was glowing.
At its center, the Divine Beast, Kirin, was beginning to fade.
It was likely returning to its summoning origin.
Kirin remained silently gazing down at us.
I took a step forward, bowed my head, and said, "Thank you for the match."
(…You were splendid, brave swordsmen.)
A gentle voice echoed in my mind.
Our eyes met.
Its gaze was incredibly kind.
A soft, pale light surrounded us, and the Divine Beast Kirin of the 200th floor's Trial of the Gods vanished.
(Maybe the Divine Beast was actually being quite lenient with us.) (Eugene)
That thought crossed my mind.
Kirin is revered as a benevolent deity in the East Continent after all.
"Hey, Eugy. What do we do next?" (Airi)
Airi asked while still clinging to me.
"I think the angel of the 200th Floor is supposed to appear…" (Eugene)
Just as I said that…
…Clap… Clap… Clap…
Lackluster applause echoed.
"…Alright, great work~~, explorers~~!"
Floating down from the sky was a blue-haired angel wearing a shirt far too big for them.
They looked about the same age as Rita-san, the angel of the 100th Floor.
But since angels' ages are unknown, appearances can't be trusted.
"Ahh, that was an impressive victory~. It's been a while since someone cleared the 200th Floor. I'm so happy~~"
The angel spoke lazily, their tone and outfit both relaxed.
It made me feel a little at ease as well.
"?!"
Sara quickly stepped away from me and knelt before the angel.
Looking around, I saw that President Robert and the other swordsmanship club members did the same.
Since President Robert was from the Holy Union, he was likely a follower of the Goddess Church.
I followed a moment later.
I glanced over at Sumire and Airi, and saw them looking confused.
Sumire was probably unfazed since she regularly spoke casually with Eri and Rita-san, but she still went along with the others.
Airi, on the other hand, seemed unsure whether she should bow given her position as the future Empress.
"…Ah, it's fine. No need to be so formal~. Just relax~."
Sensing Airi's hesitation, the angel reassured her.
Then, the blue-haired angel suddenly turned to face me.
Our eyes naturally met.
"I am Eugene Santafield, Angel-sama." (Eugene)
I instinctively greeted them.
"Yes, I know~. Eugene-kun, you're quite the talk of the Divine Realm~. I am Mariel, the manager of the 200th Floor~. Nice to meet you~." (Mariel)
The angel smiled warmly.
Then, she looked around at all of us.
"Now then, since you've all successfully passed the Trial of the Gods, it's time for the Gift from the Heavens~. Here you go☆." (Mariel)
Mariel-san raised her right hand.
…Rumble… Rumble… Rumble…
Golden trees sprouted all around us.
The ground and grass glowed gold, and the trees bore radiant gemstones and magic stones.
A breathtakingly fantastical scene.
I have seen this before on the 100th Floor, but it was still overwhelming the second time.
(No, the quality of the gold and magic crystals here is clearly superior to the 100th Floor.) (Eugene)
It made sense that the rewards would be more valuable on higher floors.
A blue-glowing spring appeared behind the angel as we held our breath.
Its light overflowed with dense magical power.
There was no way it was just ordinary water…
{Hey, Eugy-kun. That spring…} (Sumire)
Sumire whispered.
{Sumire, that spring is—} (Eugene)
Just as I was about to explain…
"Sumire-san, this is the 200th Floor's Gift from the Heavens, the Spring of Life. It can heal any disease or injury, and even revive the dead~~~." (Mariel)
The angel, having overheard us, answered first.
"The dead…? Wait, does that mean the Resurrection Droplet that brought Leona-chan back was…" (Sumire)
Sumire seemed to realize something.
"Yes, Sumire-chan. The Resurrection Droplet used for explorers below the 100th Floor is just a diluted version from the Spring of Life on the 200th Floor." (Sara)
Sara explained.
"Wow!! So that's how it works!" (Sumire)
"Though, this is my first time seeing it directly…" (Sara)
"The Spring of Life, said to be the Divine Elixir of the Zenith Tower, surpasses even the Elixirs managed by the Empire. So this is it…" (Airi)
Airi watched it with a serious expression.
Then…
Clap!
The angel clapped her hands.
"Now then, everyone here, listen up~. As a reward for clearing the 200th floor, you may freely take the gold, jewels, and magic crystals from the Golden Forest. There is a limit on how much you can take, but it should be enough to ensure a lifetime of wealth~~." (Mariel)
Angel-san explained in a well-practiced tone, as if she has repeated it many times before.
"Or~~, you may choose to obtain the Spring of Life and aim for the 300th Floor… The choice is yours, brave explorers~~!" (Mariel)
With a sharp gesture, the angel pointed at the Spring of Life.
(This part is the same as on the 100th Floor, huh.) (Eugene)
Back then, everyone in our exploration team had chosen to move forward.
Sumire, Sara, and I received weapons and armor to help us advance.
But…
"I'll take the gold! With this, I can…"
"Yes! Now I can prove myself to my brothers!"
"Now that I've cleared the 200th Floor, I'll be recruited as a knight commander for sure!"
"I did it!!"
I overheard the swordsmanship club members talking.
It seemed they all planned to end their exploration here.
(They made it to the 200th Floor, yet…) (Eugene)
I thought it was a waste.
And surely…
"Anemoi-san would be disappointed." (Eugene)
I muttered.
"Eugy-kun? Did you say something?" (Sumire)
Sumire seemed to have heard me.
"No, it's nothing." (Eugene)
I brushed it off.
The Dungeon Master, Anemoi Babel, has caused a fair share of trouble and is certainly a troublemaker. However, she is putting effort into ensuring explorers continue to challenge the upper floors at the very least.
The breakthrough to the 200th Floor this time was thanks to that.
But if most people end up stopping at the 200th Floor, I am sure she would be disappointed.
Someone approached as these thoughts crossed my mind.
"President Robert, what will you do?" (Eugene)
It was the swordsman I had fought alongside earlier.
"I'm ending my exploration at the 200th Floor as well. The Holy Maiden Matrona-sama has instructed me to return to the Holy Union and join the Holy Knights." (Robert)
"Matrona-sama… she was the one who attended the school festival before, right?" (Eugene)
I only know her by face and name.
"Ah… so Robert-san is joining Matrona-sama's faction." (Sara)
Sara, standing beside me, had a complicated expression.
"Faction?" (Sumire)
Sumire looked puzzled.
"Sara-kun, you belong to the faction of the Oracle, Orianne-sama, right?" (Robert)
"Yes… Orianne-sama was the one who recommended me to become a Holy Maiden after all." (Sara)
"I see… Once I return to the Holy Union, casual conversations like this will be difficult." (Robert)
"Yes, I wish the eight Holy Maidens could get along better…" (Sara)
"Haha, that's impossible. That's never happened in history." (Robert)
"This isn't something to laugh about, Robert-san…" (Sara)
President Robert chuckled heartily, while Sara looked troubled.
{The Holy Union sounds like a real hassle.} (Sumire)
Sumire muttered under her breath.
{Seems like it.} (Eugene)
{The Empire isn't like that, Sumire!} (Airi)
Airi cut into the conversation.
The Emperor's authority is absolute in the Empire after all. There aren't any factional conflicts.
"You're aiming for the upper floors, right, Eugene-kun?" (Robert)
"Yeah. Sumire and I are aiming for the 500th Floor." (Eugene)
"I see… I'm a little envious. I'm glad I got to fight alongside you today." (Robert)
With that, President Robert returned to the other members of the swordsmanship club.
(Maybe President Robert actually wanted to aim higher.) (Eugene)
But the higher-ups of the Holy Union wouldn't allow it.
Everyone from the swordsmanship club chose gold as their reward.
Carlo-senpai and Rebecca-senpai, on the other hand, chose the Fountain of Life, just like us.
Incidentally, Airi also chose the Fountain of Life.
She wasn't planning to challenge the upper floors any further, but she just wanted to stay with us.
The Fountain of Life could only be stored in a special magic container, which was provided by the Angel-san along with the liquid itself.
The magical container, about the size of a wine bottle, shimmered with radiant magical light.
Each person received one.
The Angel-san explained:
"As I mentioned earlier, the water from the Fountain of Life will fully heal injuries and illnesses when consumed~. If sprinkled on the dead, it will revive them. However, its effects diminish the farther you are from the Zenith Tower, so please be careful." (Mariel)
By the way, it required an intact body for revival like the Resurrection Droplet.
So, those devoured by monsters couldn't be brought back.
"I see. So Sara-chan and Airi-chan can't take it back to their families." (Sumire)
Sumire remarked.
"That's right. It's considered a Gift from the Heavens to support those conquering the Zenith Tower." (Sara)
Sara nodded.
After thanking the Angel-san, we took the dungeon elevator down to the first floor and parted ways.
Usually, Sumire or Sara would barge into my room afterward, but today, they held back.
Probably because I looked exhausted after the battle with the Divine Beast.
Even Eri didn't summon me today.
Airi, on the other hand, had a scheming look on her face.
(She's probably planning to come over later…) (Eugene)
Well, I will figure out what to do when the time comes.
Back in my dorm room, I collapsed onto my bed and was immediately overtaken by sleep.
◇◇
—I had a dream.
A vast golden prairie stretched endlessly before me.
The sky shimmered in mysterious seven-colored hues.
It resembled the golden forest I had seen earlier on the 200th Floor, but far more mystical.
(This…isn't just a dream, is it?) (Eugene)
For a moment, I wondered if this was Eri's doing, but it didn't seem like her style.
As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed a small figure looking down at me.
They appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old.
Pure white wings extended from their small frame.
In other words, an angel.
I neither knelt nor reacted immediately, just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the angel before me.
The angel crossed their arms, looking slightly displeased.
They kept staring down at me without saying a word.
So, I had to be the one to break the silence.
"Uh… Mother?" (Eugene)
It was my mother who I briefly reunited with at a small church in the Empire.