Reincarnated as Twins: And Then, I Was the Only One Abandoned - ☆17 Into the Depths of Darkness ⑥

☆17 Into the Depths of Darkness ⑥ 

The journey back was rough. 

Seriously, did we really walk this far? It felt like an endless distance. 

Without the markers Lilith had left behind, we probably would have been wandering forever. 

…I have a terrible sense of direction, after all. 

Along the way, we were attacked by magical beasts several times. But Lilith took them down effortlessly. 

If it had been Gald, he would’ve been wiped out in an instant. 

She’s insanely strong. 

Since my right shoulder was still in pain, I focused on protecting Elysia. 

“Sorry… I wasn’t much help. All I did was take down one Wyvern.” 

“No, you did more than enough. The reason we weren’t constantly attacked by beasts was because your mana combined with mine and acted as a deterrent. If I had been alone, they would have kept coming endlessly.” 

Lilith gave me a warm smile. 

“Thanks to you, we’ve completed the map to the deepest part. From now on, adventurers will use this map as a guide to uncover the secrets of the abyss. ……Though, just like before, those who can’t grasp the danger immediately will never make it back.” 

After taking a few breaks along the way, we finally emerged from the chasm. 

The sunlight was blinding. 

Outside, Gald and Fia had been waiting patiently. The moment they saw Elysia, they rushed toward her. 

Watching them from a distance, I finally felt a sense of relief—we actually made it out. 

But even in the brightness of the sun, a crushing wave of drowsiness hit me. 

“Welcome back, Lady Elysia! Are you hurt?” 

Fia anxiously examined Elysia. Her eyes were filled with a mix of relief and worry. 

“Thank you, I’m fine. As promised, Souta protected me.” 

Elysia responded with a smile. 

For some reason, I felt an intense, unwavering gaze on me. But I was too exhausted to care. Instead, I just let out a big yawn. 

“It’s been over a full day since I retreated… I was so, so worried…” 

Fia’s voice trembled, as if she were on the verge of tears. 

Lilith, meanwhile, spoke up. 

“Alright, here’s your promised reward. I’d like to explore with you again sometime. Whether it’s taking revenge on this place or venturing into another hidden land.” 

She smiled and handed me three gold coins. 

The coins gleamed in the sunlight, their weight solid in my palm. 

Gratefully, I accepted them. 

Then, Lilith rummaged through her bag and pulled something out. 

“Could you press one of the unlit buttons while infusing your mana into it?” 

She handed me what looked like a calculator with a crest engraved on it. 

It had around twenty small buttons. Some of them were glowing in different colors while others remained unlit. 

I did as she asked, pressing a button while channeling my mana into it. I then returned the device to her. 

“When you press a button that contains someone else’s mana while infusing your own, you can communicate with them no matter how far apart you are.” 

Lilith then pulled out another identical device, which seemed brand new—none of its buttons were glowing. 

She pressed the upper-left button, infused it with mana, making it glow. She then handed it to me. 

“You don’t have one, do you? It’s useless unless there’s a pair, so I’m giving you this. When I contact you, this red button will light up. If you collect too many, it’ll be hard to remember who’s assigned to which button. So write their names underneath.” 

….…I see, so it’s basically a magical cellphone. 

“Well then, let’s meet again. I’m looking forward to seeing how much you’ve grown next time.” 

With that, Lilith left without any hesitation—as if we’d be seeing each other again tomorrow. 

This world is far more advanced than I initially thought. 

Even small towns have electricity and running water, with solid infrastructure in place. 

I don’t fully understand the mechanics behind it. But it seems like mana is heavily integrated into everyday life, just like with this magical communication device. 

…But none of that matters right now. 

I’m exhausted. 

I need at least eight hours of sleep to function properly. 

Rushing toward the inn Fia had arranged for us, I practically sprinted past the others and bolted to the reception desk. 

After grabbing my room key, I stripped down and collapsed onto the bed. 

The moment I felt the soft mattress, I was out cold. 

◆◆◆ 

The next morning.

I woke up to the sound of my stomach growling. 

After taking a shower, I noticed that my wounds had completely healed thanks to the natural regeneration from my mana. However, a dull pain lingered in my right shoulder. It reminded me that everything that happened yesterday wasn’t just a dream. 

When I changed into fresh clothes and headed to the dining hall, Elysia and the others were already there. They were enjoying their post-meal coffee. 

“You’re finally awake. You took so long that I was about to go wake you up myself.” 

Elysia said in exasperation. 

I glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already 10:30 AM. 

“Yeah, well… I was completely drained yesterday. But thanks to that, I got a solid night’s sleep and feel totally recovered.” 

“How’s your right shoulder?” 

At my words, Elysia’s eyes filled with concern as she glanced at my shoulder. 

“Nah, I’m good. See?” 

I rotated my shoulder in circles to prove my point. 

“That’s a relief.” 

She let out a small sigh of relief. 

…To be honest, it still hurt. But I didn’t want them fussing over me. That would just be annoying. 

After finishing my meal, we started discussing our plans moving forward. 

Wait… Am I still not free? 

“Lady Elysia, we should return to our country for now. We’ve successfully formed a contract with Agni, so our mission for this expedition is complete. Let’s take some time to rest and prepare for the next journey.” 

Gald suggested. He spoke to Elysia as if trying to calm down a stubborn child. 

But instead of responding to him, Elysia turned to me. 

“Souta, what do you plan to do?” 

Hmm… What should I do? 

With Kagutsuchi here, I felt like I needed some time to settle down and figure things out. 

“Hmm… For now, I want to go back to Celestia and build a house.” 

“…A house???” 

My answer must have been so unexpected that not just Elysia, but both Gald and Fia looked at me in shock.