「Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a knight.」
「The knight was an unfortunate soul.」
「He should have met his end and found his rest, but by a cruel twist of fate, he found himself trapped in a strange room.」
「A mysterious space, its creator and purpose unknown.」
「A place where hunger, fatigue, and pain did not exist, but for that very reason, neither did an end.」
「A place where he could do nothing, meet no one, and go nowhere.」
「To this knight, who was fated to be isolated forever and go mad, a stroke of luck suddenly arrived.」
「He, who should never have been able to interact with anyone, was given the chance to peer into and interfere with another world, even if only through a small screen.」
「Asked by a certain hero to protect the descendant of his lord, the knight made a contract with the black-haired witch who had awakened him.」
「The beautiful and bold black-haired witch was collecting eight sacred treasures to complete an errand for her master.」
「To fulfill the request, and to enjoy the only ‘thing he could do’ in a place where he could do nothing, the knight began his adventure.」
「The knight was incredibly eccentric and reckless, but also powerful.」
「He did not know the fear of death and regarded everything as a lighthearted dream.」
「The black-haired witch suffered headaches from the knight's troublemaking at every turn, but she never abandoned him for not listening to her.」
「The knight, too, despite his grumbling, grew fond of the witch who treated him, a man in a doll's body, as if he were human.」
「As their journey continued, new companions began to join the two.」
「A weak and cowardly lion, on the verge of losing what little he had, joined their quest.」
「A foolish and witless scarecrow, who questioned things the rest of the world took for granted, followed after.」
「The party's journey was incredibly boisterous, a never-ending series of incidents and accidents.」
「In a city of criminals, they annihilated a band of thieves.」
「They explored ancient underground ruins and discovered treasure.」
「They had a delightful adventure in a city of dolls.」
「They spent a night in a mysterious and bizarre forest.」
「In a city of warriors, they seized the glory of victory.」
「They liberated the residents of a witch's miniature garden.」
「In a city of hypocrisy, they shattered a false scale.」
「They broke the contract of a wicked dwarf.」
「They brought down the tower of mages who sought to deceive the world.」
「They crushed a grand conspiracy unfolding in the Empire.」
「They took a wild and chaotic vacation at a warm resort.」
「They changed a future that had been ordained in the distant past.」
「They became a fairy godmother and granted a young girl's wish.」
「They dueled a fake knight who seemed more real than the real thing.」
「They tested their skills against the resurrected heroes of a bygone era.」
「They set foot in the dark and secretive underground and survived.」
「They overthrew the heavens that had created so many tragedies.」
「They were truly joyous days.」
「Every single day was so rewarding.」
「Through that journey, the knight was able to reclaim the heart he had lost.」
「The goodwill of his companions, the interactions between people, made it possible.」
「He no longer saw the world as an illusion, but because of that, he came to feel fear.」
「No longer able to deny his situation as a dream, he had to endure the crushing weight of his grim reality.」
「And even while correctly understanding how terrifying it was, he chose the path of shouldering it forever for the sake of his companions.」
「Thanks to the knight's devotion, his companions all reached their proper conclusions, with not a single one meeting a miserable end.」
「The cowardly lion became brave. Now, no one could deny the lion's strength and courage.」
「Those who had mocked the scarecrow for being foolish came to marvel that he, in fact, possessed true wisdom.」
「The witch successfully completed her quest, and now, she could make any place her home if she so wished.」
「But his companions did not consider this a happy ending.」
「They had absolutely no intention of accepting a puzzle with its most important piece missing.」
「The black-haired witch began her research to find the vanished knight.」
「The golden lion traveled all over the world, collecting the materials needed for the witch's research.」
「The green scarecrow brought order to a chaotic world and secured cooperation from the powers that be.」
「Rescuing the knight was by no means an easy task.」
「It was a conundrum that left even a god who had regained his freedom at a loss, a problem that made even the most skilled Great Witches in the world shake their heads.」
「But they did not give up.」
「The party had faced head-on and overturned every incident that the entire world had deemed impossible, clicking their tongues in disapproval.」
「Declaring that this time would be no different, they continued their efforts.」
「And, at last, they succeeded.」
「That is why you are seeing this message.」
*
One morning, when you awoke from a nostalgic dream of old adventures, you realized the room you were in had changed.
The computer that had vanished when you ceased to be the Tin Knight.
It had reappeared at some point and was now displaying a new message for you.
You doubted your eyes, and then you doubted your own mind.
You had tried your best to hold on, but you wondered if you had finally gone mad and started hallucinating.
But as if to deny your escapism, the scenery around you continued to change.
The desk and computer seemed to warp bizarrely before transforming into a door large enough for a person to pass through.
As you stared blankly at the door, you heard the sound of a lock clicking open.
Finally, the door opened, and a dazzling light pouring through the gap blinded you.
You squinted.
“…Hmph, you seem to be in better shape than I expected.”
A voice that seemed cold at first glance, yet held a subtle warmth, tickled your ear.
A voice you had heard countless times.
A voice you never thought you would be able to hear in person.
You cautiously opened your eyes.
Between the intense rays of light, a beauty as dark as night, who looked as if she could devour the light itself, was looking at you.
The obsidian key in her hand was slowly turning to dust and disappearing.
How much time had passed?
The witch's aura was a little more mature than when you had last seen her, and the presence she exuded was even more intense.
It was a presence that wouldn't be outshone even when compared to the Four Great Witches you met on your journey or the queen you saw in a vision.
But her ebony hair, her bold eyes, her blue pupils, and the stubborn set of her mouth hadn't changed one bit.
Perhaps she found it strange that you were just staring blankly, at a loss for words.
Dorothea's eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“What, why aren't you saying anything? Can you not understand me? I already turned on the translation magic. Or should I speak in your language? 『Hey, you hear me? Can you hear me?』”
Fearing her anger would spiral out of control if you remained silent any longer, you gave a curt nod.
A satisfied smile graced Dorothea's lips.
Without hesitation.
She stepped into the room you thought no one but you could ever enter and approached you.
Step. She held out her hand.
As you stared at it dumbly, Dorothea spoke.
“What are you doing? Take it.”
You couldn't easily reach out.
You were afraid this might be an illusion.
Afraid that the salvation that had come at the end of a hell you thought would never end was nothing more than a hallucination.
The thought that everything might vanish like a mirage the moment you took the hand offered to you kept you from moving.
Dorothea clicked her tongue at the sight.
“Tsk, looks like leaving you alone for so long really did a number on you. Well, I guess anyone would lose it after being stuck in a place like this for so long….”
Grab. Dorothea seized your hand.
The warmth of another person, something you couldn't remember the last time you'd felt.
As proof that this was no illusion, you felt something welling up from deep within your chest.
Dorothea said, “After the journey ended, ‘you’ asked if I wanted to be with you. And you nodded.”
Dorothea's gaze and expression were as confident and cool as ever.
But, holding her hand, you could tell.
Her body was trembling ever so slightly.
“A verbal contract is still a contract. Don't think you can run away after making a deal with a witch.”
She threatened that she would chase you down and catch you, even if you fled beyond the dimensions.
“Adelaide and Sophia are waiting, too. We've even prepared a body for you to use. So, I'll ask you one more time. Will you come with me?”
To ask the question even after declaring you had no thought of escape must have been her own way of confirming.
To see if you, of your own free will, intended to be with her again, rather than being dragged along by force.
You were suddenly reminded of the day this adventure began.
On that day, too, a similar choice had been before you.
「1. Begin the story once more.」
「2. End the story here.」
You savored the choice for a moment.
The answer was already a foregone conclusion.
「1. Begin the story once more.」 ←