"My name, as I said earlier, is Larry Damien. I am known as the Great Sage." The older man began.
He introduced his allies as well, and they nodded.
"We are explorers who have come to this Labyrinth—The Khaos Labyrinth—to search for an ancient artifact." He smiled broadly.
The moment I heard that, my heart skipped a bit.
'Are they here for the Arcana as well?' So this place was a known Labyrinth? I hadn't encountered any other human here, though.
"To be honest, I'm a bit surprised to see a fellow human here. It took me so long to decipher the location of this Labyrinth." Larry's words interrupted my thought.
'Ah, I see...' So this place wasn't accessible to the public, after all.
That made sense, considering how the Arcana would have been found if that was actually the case.
'Reminds me of the search I went through back in the good old days.'
"There are 21 Great Labyrinths in this world. They are hidden in mystery and shrouded in enigmas. I have devoted my entire life to unravel them, and now that I'm reaching old age, I have decided to seek them out once and for all."
Larry Damien's smile screamed of determination and youthfulness.
Somehow, his words seemed to resonate with me—particularly the energy he used to speak about his mission.
It reminded me a lot about myself.
'But there's something missing...'
"Why do you seek the Labyrinths? The treasure inside... why do you search for it?" I knew I was being impudent, but I had to know something.
"The Arcanas... so you know of them." He asked, his gaze narrowing.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." My response was simple and precise.
If the old man wanted to try something funny, I had a plan for that. If he turned out to be an enemy, I would have to neutralize both him and his allies.
'That's why I chose this cave, after all...'
However, I was sort of hoping it wouldn't come to that. Despite being currently stuck together, I could say I enjoyed their company a little.
It was much better than being alone, at the very least.
"I... want to make a final contribution to Magic. By finding the Arcanas, our world will make a significant leap in the world of Magic." He muttered.
I knew those words sounded hollow. His tired and distracted gaze told me there was more to it than that.
Would he tell me? Would he not? I was curious to see his choce.
"... At least that's what I tell everyone. But there's something else that I want."
Ah, so he was going to reveal his true goals.
"My wife died at childbirth. She was going to give birth to our child... our son." He began, his voice slowly permeating the space between us.
"We were going to name him Legris. But... even he perished along with my wife in childbirth."
I wasn't certain before, but hearing the story of this man, I was sure now.
'He's the father of Legris Damien! Or at least, he was supposed to be.'
He went on, further elaborating on the cause of their deaths—something about a weak constitution that could not sustain energy, and drained both the child and the wife—causing their deaths.
"I couldn't offer a solution then. I could only watch as both of them died."
It was a pretty sad story. And it seemed I was finally understanding his motivation.
"It's been decades since then, and I've done nothing but bury myself in research ever since I lost them." Larry spoke, a bitter tone tinged in his words.
"I'm recognized as the world's best Magic Scholar. I've revolutionized Magic and brought countless innovations to this world... all in the bid to save them somehow."
It seemed like his heart was aching as he spoke.
"I don't know why I'm telling you this. We've only just met, and while you saved my life, I don't even know anything about you, but... all I've done since I lost those two is to find a way to bring them back."
To be honest, I understood how Larry felt. I could sense some sort of bond between us—like we were kindred souls.
Even now, hearing his story, I couldn't help but find similarities to mine.
I glanced at his companions, and they appeared sad hearing Larry's words. The expression of the Half Elf, Aria, seemed particularly sad.
'Does she feel that bad for him?'
In any case, I now understood why he wanted to find the Arcanas. Sure, finding them could revolutionalize the world, but that wasn't all there was to it.
"I want to bring my family back. That's why I seek the Arcanas." He finally confessed.
Arcanas could grant miracles. The ones I found, and the others that my other self collected, all had miraculous abilities that could bend laws and change the world.
His wishes could definitely be actualized by the Arcanas he sought after.
'But, I can't help but wonder if that's the right way to live life.'
I didn't have any rights to judge, considering I also journeyed to find Arcanas in order to make things right with Emilia instead of just being a man and making up for my mistakes.
I thought I could simply reverse everything.
'Perhaps he is right. He should have a chance to save his dead family.'
That was all I could say.
'He deserves it, after all.'
"You can indeed save your family. The Arcanas can do it." I smiled at the Great Sage Larry, a positive twinkle in my eyes.
"It seems you're very sure. You must have studied the Arcanas too."
"Indeed. More than you realize." My grin grew wider.
Back in my own world, I was known as the Great Sage.
It felt nice to find another who shared the same title.
"My name is Lewis. I also seek all 21 Arcanas, and I don't plan on stopping until I have all of them."
Stretching my hand to the trio, I made my proposal.
"Why don't we make a temporary alliance and find these Arcanas together?"
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