When Mariela and the others visited the household of Margrave Schutzenwald, they were treated as guests of honor and ushered into the drawing room, where General Leonhardt and Lieutenant General Weishardt were waiting.
“Welcome, Lady Alchemist. I am Leonhardt, general of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces.”
“H-hi. Nice to meet you. I’m Mariela.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Lynx, but we will make certain to fulfill his last wish!”
“Um, Lord Weishardt. Did you know I was an alchemist from the Labyrinth City—and not the imperial capital—from the get-go?”
“Naturally. I heard your most recent expedition was particularly dangerous, and I feel personally responsible. We will be more diligent in keeping you safe from now on. However, I’m grateful for the opportunity to directly consult with you. I hope we can continue to work together.”
“Um, yes. Me too.”
“There are many things I’d like to discuss about the future, but first, why don’t we deepen our fellowship as comrades in the fight against the Labyrinth?” Leonhardt said, showing everyone to a splendid dining hall.
Mariela had never, ever, seen a feast like this one, with dishes crowding the dining table. Dick and Malraux had seats at the table, of course, but even Sieg, a slave who was normally prohibited from entering such a room, was invited to join.
“Please relax and enjoy yourselves.”
After Leonhardt led them in a short toast, a female servant served Mariela all the food she could eat. It was customary to have food brought out in courses, but they had arranged it as a buffet style for guests to enjoy the food without dithering.
“Come to think of it, I hear there is scorched earth in the Fell Forest where vegetation still fails to grow. I heard of a great mage—the Sage of Calamity—from the time of the Stampede, who went alone to defeat powerful monsters and reduce the damage to the kingdom. Do you know anything about this, Lady Mariela?”
“No. I don’t really leave the Labyrinth City. And I don’t know what went on back then, either…”
Mariela had escaped the monsters via the Magic Circle of Suspended Animation before they reached the Kingdom of Endalsia. She knew no details of the Stampede. As she hesitated, Malraux and Dick answered in her place.
“Dick and I have seen it. We pushed our way to that area before in order to earn start-up capital for the Black Iron Freight Corps.”
“It was quite a sight. The ground melted and hardened again.”
“Hmm. But people were able to escape the Stampede and survive because the sage slaughtered formidable monsters and dampened its momentum. You could even owe the creation of the Labyrinth City to this person.”
“Indeed, brother. And now we have a sage known as Lady Mariela. Let us make defeating the Labyrinth and cutting a path to the future a reality.”
Raising Mariela up to the same level as a sage and giving her a more than proper reception revealed Leonhardt’s intentions. All the dishes he served were divine, and even the conversation was steered to topics that were familiar to Mariela. Even if she wasn’t able to keep up, Dick and Malraux jumped in and calmly continued the discussion. However, Mariela’s expression was clouded. They could have been the most considerate people in the world—or trying to distract her from her thoughts—but she couldn’t shake off the idea that if she’d come here sooner, Lynx wouldn’t have died.
“Let’s discuss the details tomorrow. For today, just rest and relax.”
When dinner was over, Weishardt led Mariela and the others to the back of the estate.
The estate of Margrave Schutzenwald had undergone multiple renovations and expansions to keep up with the trends of the respective period. The oldest part at the heart of the estate was thought to have been built over a hundred years ago. As the group went farther back, the beautiful wallpaper decorating the interior changed to solid stonework walls—similar to Mariela’s home—and after they passed through several doors, they came to a staircase leading underground.
A cellar, huh? I knew it… Mariela’s stomach slightly sank.
She had expected this. She was the only alchemist in the City. Shutting her away in a cellar was the most reliable way to hide and protect her from both monsters and people. She’d just churn out potions in a dim cellar, never to be blessed with the warmth of the sun nor the gentle moonlight again. She knew this was going to happen.
Even if she could never return to Sunlight’s Canopy again, as long as she could demolish the Labyrinth …
She had come to General Leonhardt, knowing that she would have to do or die. Faltering now was unacceptable.
Mariela plodded after Weishardt.
The Schutzenwald family had a vast cellar with small rooms running from one end of the corridor to the other.
The hallway itself must have been a bastion against monster invasion with doors installed at fixed intervals. These doors stood wide open, not hindering the group as they passed through, but when they were all the way inside, the doors would probably be tightly shut on her.
The thick doors partitioning the corridor made the place like an inescapable prison to Mariela.
They proceeded farther in, one step at a time. Weishardt was in front. Dick and Malraux brought up the rear, sandwiching Sieg and Mariela.
The group arrived at the innermost room.
“This is it.”
A soldier appearing to belong to the Labyrinth Suppression Forces stood in front of the door and bowed his head to Mariela.
“He will be our intermediary,” introduced Weishardt.
Mariela lightly bowed her head. Was this man the only one keeping watch? The soldier appeared nervous as he bowed back.
“The preparations are complete. Please come inside,” he said and opened the door.
Mariela was dumbstruck at the sight in front of them.
“Preparations…? What kind of…”
The room was small enough that it felt cramped with five people in it. There were no beds, shelves, desks, or even chairs provided. There wasn’t even a single mattress on the floor, and the walls had rustic lighting for illumination with no decoration. The room had no preparations for a monster attack, let alone for people to live in.
More importantly…
“Grar-rar,” yipped the raptor that had saved Mariela and lost half its tail.
It poked its head out from a hole in the floor with stairs leading down as if to say, “You’re late!”