“You can.”
“Since I, as a god, can take you there, I can naturally send you back.”
“Traveling back and forth to this world is not particularly difficult for me.”
Facing the expectant or uneasy gazes of the girls, Heimer gave them a clear answer.
In an instant, the tense air around them loosened.
Hanasaka Warabi let out a long breath and patted her chest.
Kikakujou Mary also showed a relieved expression, as if once they had a return ticket, the trip to another world had turned into a slightly more thrilling school excursion.
However…
Before that relaxed atmosphere could spread, Heimer’s next words poured down over them like a basin of ice water.
“But.”
“If you intend to go there with the mindset of trying it out and coming back if things don’t work…”
“Then.”
“I suggest you stay here.”
“Life often only erupts with astonishing power when there is no way back.”
“Even the most cowardly rat, when forced into a corner by a cat with nowhere left to flee, will bare its fangs and fight desperately for that one slim chance of survival.”
“That desperate resolve of burning one’s boats is essential fuel on the road to becoming strong.”
“But once life has a retreat…”
“Once a person knows there is a safe door open behind them at any moment, and that all they have to do is turn around to return to a warm, comfortable bed without danger…”
“The will to struggle for survival in desperate circumstances will collapse.”
“It is like a person walking a tightrope.”
“If there is no safety net, every step will demand their full attention, and every cell in their body will scream to maintain balance.”
“But if there is a thick cushion underneath…”
“They will think, ‘Ah, it doesn’t matter even if I fall.'”
“And then…”
“Their steps will become careless, and the string in their heart will loosen.”
“A last stand is never merely a tactical choice.”
“It is a state of mind.”
“When a person knows they still have a way out…”
“The moment she swings her sword at a monster, there will be one less measure of force behind it.”
“The instant she dodges a claw, her speed will be one beat slower.”
“But in that world…”
“That one missing measure of force…”
“That one slower beat…”
“Is the line between life and death.”
“The place I am taking you is not an amusement park, nor is it a simulated stage for you to play at being heroes.”
“People truly die there.”
“A monster’s claws will tear open the throat of every adventurer who underestimates the Dungeon.”
“If at that moment…”
“What you are thinking is ‘I want to go home,’ rather than ‘I have to kill this beast’…”
“Then.”
“You will truly die.”
When Heimer’s words fell, the gymnasium became deathly silent.
Even Amou Kirukiru, who had been the most excited before, withdrew her smile at this moment, and her gaze became solemn.
She was not afraid of death.
But she understood what Heimer meant.
This was not simply a question of whether one would die or not.
It was a matter of resolve.
The kind of insane resolve to completely sever the past and place one’s entire life on the gambling table.
“So.”
Heimer spread his hands as if issuing the final ultimatum.
“Those who want to come with me…”
“Please kill the version of yourself in your heart that still believes you can return.”
“Treat this departure as a one-way ticket.”
“If you do not yet possess that resolve…”
“Then please stop here.”
After Heimer finished speaking, he said no more.
He merely stood there quietly, waiting for their choice.
In this situation, the first to break the silence was naturally Amou Kirukiru.
After hearing Heimer’s words, the fanaticism in her eyes not only did not fade, but instead burned even brighter.
“What a boring question.”
“To me, this world has long been no different from a lifeless grave.”
“And if it is a grave…”
“Why would I feel attached to it?”
“As long as I can feel the pain of truly being alive, so what if it is a one-way ticket?”
Amou strode to Heimer’s side without the slightest hesitation.
Once someone took the lead, naturally, a second person reacted.
It was Inaba Tsukuyo.
She held her katana and slowly rose from the cushion.
“In that case, Tsukuyo will go as well.”
“After all, Tsukuyo’s world has always been pitch-black.”
“If everywhere is night…”
“Then why care whether the door behind me closes or not?”
“Since this is a trial ground Lord God has prepared for Tsukuyo…”
“Then Tsukuyo can only go forth.”
“And if Tsukuyo can hear a different wind…”
“Then Tsukuyo will be satisfied.”
After saying this, Inaba Tsukuyo opened those red eyes that could not see.
Holding her long blade, she walked toward Heimer’s side.
In the blink of an eye, the first among the Five Swords had made her choice.
Seeing this, Tamaba Satori tilted her head, and the fake smile on her face vanished for a brief moment.
But soon, she replaced it with an even brighter and more dangerous smile.
“Since everyone is so interested…”
“If Satori doesn’t go, won’t she miss a lot of interesting things?”
“Besides…”
“A game with no way back is more exciting, isn’t it?”
After saying this, Tamaba Satori skipped over and stood on Heimer’s other side.
At this point, one after another, several people had already declared their stance.
Now, among the Five Swords, only Onigawara Rin, Kikakujou Mary, and Hanasaka Warabi remained where they were.
The pressure on the three of them multiplied.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Every second became incomparably long.
Kikakujou Mary clutched the dictionary in her arms tightly.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Heimer and the others.
This was the school she was familiar with, the young-lady life she had long grown accustomed to.
It was a little boring, but absolutely safe.
What Heimer spoke of was an unknown Dungeon full of danger, a place where one might truly die.
Once she took a single step forward, there would be no road back.
“I…”
Thinking of this, Kikakujou Mary wanted to say something in rebuttal.
She wanted to say that this was far too unreasonable, and also wanted to ask why they could not have the best of both worlds.
But when the words reached her mouth, she could not say them.
Because deep down, Kikakujou Mary knew very well.
Heimer was right.
She was exactly the kind of person who would never dare dance on a tightrope if there was a safety net beneath her.
Hanasaka Warabi was even more direct.
She sat down on the ground and buried her head into the thick fur of the black bear, as if trying to escape this heavy choice.
Onigawara Rin, however, was different.
Her hand still gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
Without the mask hiding her face, every expression was fully exposed.
Fear remained.
Hesitation remained.
But…
Apart from those…
An emotion called unwillingness was growing wildly in the depths of her eyes.
Was she really going to leave it at this?
Continue wearing that shattered mask, continue living beneath her mother’s shadow, continue playing the childish game of the Five Swords in this narrow academy?
Then graduate, get married, and live an ordinary life?
If all of that was truly what she wanted…
Then why had she chased after them earlier?
Why had she followed them here like a fool, even after being humiliated?
Thinking of this, Onigawara Rin took a deep breath.
She pushed herself up from the ground and stood unsteadily.
Her legs were still a little weak.
Her heart was still pounding wildly.
However…
Her gaze was fixed tightly on Heimer’s figure.
If there was no way back…
Then there was no need to retreat.
She only had to keep moving forward.
She only had to keep swinging her sword.
Even if hell lay ahead, it would still be better than rotting away here.
Thus, Onigawara gritted her teeth and moved step by step until she stood before Heimer.
This was not merely a decision.
It was also a declaration of war against her cowardly past self.
“I’ll go!”