Daneel looked at his companions for a few moments, before bursting out with hearty laughter.
As they were all watching him quite closely, they understood that his laughter was also one that encompassed his own relief due to the fact that whatever he had worked out had been right, allowing them to retain their lives and return here.
Before they could wait for him to stop, though, they found themselves teleported out again, and this time, it was back to the obelisk where they had chosen the mission.
Looking all around, the Headquarters seemed the same, but for some reason, something felt off.
After thinking for a bit, they realized that the reason behind this was not outward, but inward - due to everything they had gone through in the Nightmare Dungeon, they had all changed, and this was most applicable in the case of Perfect.
Daneel stopped laughing, and at that moment, the entire Headquarters fell silent as a voice was heard over the area.
"A team headed by the Overload has succeeded in passing the Nightmare Dungeon with the highest level of completion. Their names shall be recorded on the Board of Achievements. The Order congratulates them, and hopes that they can reach many new heights."
For a few moments after the announcement was given, the silence stretched on, but after that, someone who was right below Daneel shouted, "There he is!"
With that, a thick buzz of conversation broke out, and it looked like a scene similar to what had occurred after his 'Airdrop' mission might break out.
Not intending to see this happen, Daneel teleported away after sending a message to his teammates, following which they disappeared, too.
They soon reappeared in front of the quarters before walking in.
Daneel led the way, and because the rest were in Lanthanor, their quarters were empty.
Even after reaching them, he did not allow the others to speak by placing a finger on his lips to indicate that they should stay silent.
It was only after they sequestered themselves in the room with scorched walls did a word finally exit Daneel's mouth, and it was, "Well…"
"Well, what? How the hell did you know that that was what we were supposed to do? None of those I talked to even gave me a hint about it!"
Perfect exclaimed in this way, causing the other three to give him an odd look.
He understood right away that the reason must be that he was the one who was supposed to be giving answers now related to what he had revealed, so he tightened his lips and replied, "We can talk about it after you explain!"
After frowning for a bit, Daneel nodded.
The way he saw it, the implications of what Perfect had revealed were much more important than the line of reasoning that had led him to the solution for the final test of the Nightmare Dungeon, but he decided to oblige the man. After all, it was no small thing, so it might be possible that he needed to build up the courage to get back to it.
Once again, Daneel checked all of the formations he had laid down. The system did so, too, and the objective was to make sure that even the Overseer couldn't listen in.
It was only after he satisfied himself that he conjured a few sofas, before settling into one and gesturing the others to do so, too.
Even Elanev and Faxul had puzzled looks on their faces, but of the two, Faxul seemed to be working out something in his mind.
With a smile, Daneel flew over a wine bottle and said, "It seems that my friend has begun to figure it out. Think about the outcome, and everything that we went through in the Nightmare Dungeon, and you'll see it too."
He paused after this, allowing the others to put their minds to work while he poured out four glasses of the strongest wine that was in the room.
Of course, it was nothing for Champions, but it still gave them a kick that lingered on the tip of their tongue.
All of them gulped down their glasses, and Daneel decided to put them out of the suspense.
"I'll explain, because it might take time for you all, and we have more important matters to get to."
Perfect flushed a bit as he heard this, but he still eagerly trained his eyes on Daneel, waiting for the answer.
Looking at them all, the King of Lanthanor said, "All of it hinges on one thing: 'Step back, and welcome death.'"
As this quote which they had seen and heard multiple times in the Nightmare Dungeon was repeated, something seemed to click in the mind of Faxul.
"Right! We were not supposed to step back!"
With a clap, Daneel pointed his finger at his best friend and said, "Bingo!"
For the sake of the others, though, who looked like they were close to rioting, he decided to elaborate.
"Well, it was a combination of things, but it all leads up to this. Since the beginning, this statement was repeated, and I never saw its significance. Anyway, let me tell you my line of reasoning. First of all- I started to think on the basis that the objective of the Nightmare Dungeon was not to kill people indiscriminately. In that final chase, that seemed to be the only outcome, so it just didn't make sense. Until then, the tests had involved self-discovery and the act of forming bonds, and this indicated the conclusion that the Nightmare Dungeon might be a place where teams were molded and forged to become the best that they could be. If so…the final test should also be something of this manner, and from here, I took a close look at everything we had been given, until then. That was when I spotted that quote, which stood out- we kept taking steps back from our foes, and what had we gained? Nothing. In fact, even the number of dogs had started to increase, which meant that we would have faced our doom soon. This seemed farfetched, but when I spotted one other thing…it all fell in place. Do you remember the second half of the message we were given after we passed the second test?"
Except for Elanev, the other three were Champions, so their memory was much better than someone normal. Right away, Perfect repeated it.
"'A word of caution. You might have done so out of compulsion to stay alive, and if so, you might be feeling a lot of suspicion right now. However, the Nightmare Dungeon suggests that you leave behind this feeling, as bonds created in this Test are often long-lasting. It is only mistrust between the members which causes rifts to appear, and if all of you can see past your differences, you will form something fulfilling that will last for a lifetime. The decision is yours. Step forth to begin your last test. Or, again, step back, and welcome death.' Wait…step forth to begin your last test?!"
Just as Daneel expected, Perfect was able to spot it right away.
With a smile, he said, "Exactly. This almost seemed like normal phrasing, meaning that we would walk forward and find the third test, but the fact was…that exiting that door, itself, meant that the test had started. Almost no one would be able to spot something trivial like this, unless they analyzed everything based on what they were going through. From here, it was easy. If there is one last thing that can be done to set in stone the bonds that are formed in the Dungeon, then it is to create a situation where the team members entrust their lives to the one who has found this out, or believe in themselves and what they have spotted to pass the test. Either way, it results in a moment of courage that goes a long way in forming an incredible team, and that was obviously the objective. Oh, yes, a clue can be gotten from the fact that the pace of the dogs only increased gradually, allowing the chase to go on, which indicated that there must be a significance behind it. Basically, the Nightmare Dungeon gave a lot of chances-it is only up to the participants to think with a clear mind and spot them. If even one of the team members didn't trust this and continued to run, or if they abandoned their team, I guess that it would have resulted in failure. We stood together and did not step back, and we won! Now, then, let's get to the Church, shall we?"
Daneel's way of explaining it had lulled Perfect into an admiring mood, as he saw it all uncovered in a simple way which made him feel dumb for not spotting it. No one could be blamed, though, as just the idea of having 200 Champion-level fiends on one's heels would be quite distracting.
However, with that last sentence, all of it was gone, and was replaced by that same unwillingness.
Seeing it, Daneel said, "Look, Perfect. Others may discard whatever happened in there, but I am not of that sort. In my eyes, a bond is only for life. I am prepared to be your comrade in reality, and help you. I admit, I want to help myself, too, in the sense that there is a chance that I might find something which aids me in my goal to save Angaria. For that, I need to hear it all. First, let me make a guess. The very fact that you were able to say it means that you are not bound by an oath to keep it secret. Any way I see it, it means that you probably found out without your family knowing that you have. Is that true?"
Perfect seemed to be quite dazed after he heard Daneel's words. If Daneel knew that this was because it was the first time anyone had spoken in this way, honestly, to him in the longest time, he would have pitied the man, whose fate would have reminded him of that of Percy's.
As Daneel waited, Perfect continued to think for a bit while looking straight into Daneel's eyes and then finally nodded.
This made a glow appear in Daneel's eyes, as he had spotted…that in front of him might be a chance that if used properly, would benefit him in ways that he couldn't even imagine.
Controlling his excitement, though, he was about to say something, but Perfect spoke up after giving a look to the other two in the room, too, who also showed no animosity towards him.
With a disbelieving laugh, he said, "From the get-go, it was clear that you lot are the loyalist type. So…I expected you to look at me as if I am an enemy, or try to bind me so that I wouldn't run away. The fact that you did none of those things mean a lot to me, and I feel all the more that I did the right thing. It was such a f*cking burden that I feel as if I can finally raise my head after decades, and for that, I am truly thankful. Well, I see no reason why you shouldn't know the rest."
Perfect's words made smiles appear on Daneel and his sovereign's faces.
It was at that moment that they realized that a connection really had been formed between them, as they hadn't even thought of doing those things. They had started to treat him as an ally almost unconsciously, and the credit for this definitely had to go to the Nightmare Dungeon.
With a deep breath, he began.
"Our family has a custom of gathering every decade. It was during one of these gatherings, that I made the discovery that changed my life…"