01 The celebratory feast lasted for three days and three nights. A messenger bearing news of Leonhardt’s victory was sent up through the Labyrinth and informed everyone in the City that their home had been rightfully restored to the hands of the people. With the defeat of the boss, no new monsters were generated within the Labyrinth. What had supplied the monsters with magical power was no more. However, it seemed that it would take time for the magical power already permeating the Labyrinth to naturally diffuse. Likely, the Labyrinth’s ability to maintain different climates would be lost as the magical power faded. The swarm of monsters who had headed for the surface as though driven by some command made their way back to their original strata. Those that had been able to exist without eating anything probably wouldn’t be able to survive as the magical power weakened. Monsters that had fully incarnated would eat prey and continue to live like their brethren in the Fell Forest. When asked, the Sage of Calamity had stated that most of the monsters would be unable to deal with the shifting climate of the powerless Labyrinth and that most would probably die off within a few years. Previously, the deep strata of the Labyrinth had not only maintained certain climates but had often even supported the entire place’s physical structure via the magical power of the Labyrinth’s boss. As such, the strata beyond the fiftieth had become rather perilous due to the influx of underground water and the collapse of bedrock. It seemed that Weishardt and the other mages had their work cut out for them ensuring the effects of the deep strata’s collapse wouldn’t reach the surface. Although there was still more work to be done, both the collapse of the Labyrinth and the decline of the monsters would gradually come to a close, along with the fading of the remaining magical power in the Labyrinth. Eventually, the Labyrinth City would become a normal city, no different from the other territories in the vicinity of the Fell Forest. The outskirts of the City, having been restored as a domain of people, no longer suffered frequent monster attacks, though there were still not as few as when the land had been known as the Kingdom of Endalsia. Perhaps monsters had started putting distance between themselves and the domain of humans so people wouldn’t trespass on their dens. Just as animals had their own territory, this place simply became recognized as human land. With the loss of the source of so many resources and materials, it was likely that the demand to cut through the Fell Forest for farmland and food would soon arise. Now that the crisis of the Labyrinth had passed, the City would no longer be able to receive the special consideration from the Empire it had enjoyed up to this point. The City would have to learn to survive on its own, even more than it had before. “Just as I’d hoped.” Leonhardt was brimming with confidence in the bright future ahead of his home. He gazed at the people of the Labyrinth City and the comrades who’d fought alongside him, all drunk from the celebratory alcohol. This city, its people, would now move forward by way of their own strength. After all, had not nearly every resident of the City, from children to the elderly, fought in the final battle of the Labyrinth’s subjugation? What promise. What magnificence. With such a nation, Leonhardt knew they could overcome any trial, no matter what is was. As he looked upon his people, aglow with newfound hope for tomorrow, Leonhardt felt the dawn of a new age upon him. The drunken revelry and feasting lasted for three days and three nights. Almost everyone in the city had gone into the Labyrinth. Most had been injured, but they considered alcohol more important than healing and had gone to the feast before they went to see Nierenberg or Robert. Freyja sloshed and guzzled alcohol with a vigor that truly did threaten to empty the wine cellar of Margrave Schutzenwald’s family. Inebriated, she chatted with Leonhardt. “Tha’sh why Dropsh of Life flows through the ley line and all life. They alwaysh shaid everything’ll fall into place riiiight when we need it.” The person in charge of watching Freyja was Mitchell, and he was so flustered he’d completely sobered up. Leonhardt appeared not to mind at all and interjected periodically to show he was listening to Freyja as he happily emptied his own cup. Voyd and Elmera Seele were as amorous as ever, but even Amber, who preferred not to flirt in public, freely expressed her joy at Dick’s safe return without worrying what others would think. Edgan had a lewd, idiotic look on his face, directed at the female adventurers he’d saved in the Labyrinth. The women squealed excitedly over him, while the other members of the Black Iron Freight Corps watched without enthusiasm. Even Haage, normally treated rather coldly by his staff, was surrounded by the top brass of the Adventurers Guild, and they all drank together. Caroline and Weishardt smiled at each other. Emily, Sherry, Pallois, and Elio all got to stay up late without getting into trouble. The regulars of Sunlight’s Canopy, Ghark, Gordon and the other two dwarves, Merle, and the chemists, were all celebrating, too. No one was left out; everyone was having a fantastic time. “We really owe Lynx this time,” Sieg muttered next to Mariela. “Yeah. Turns out I brought something incredibly useful into the Labyrinth without even realizing it.” Mariela looked up at Sieg, who was back to wearing the eye patch Lynx had given him. The effects of the special-grade Regen differed for each person. In Sieg’s case, the effects apparently focused on his Spirit Eye, and he’d lost his former power. Since Endalsia was no longer the warden of the ley line, Sieg’s Spirit Eye held no importance in protecting the city, either. However, the Spirit Eye itself had also seemingly grown weak, as Sieg could no longer empower spirits simply by opening it. Even so, the spirits still loved him, and if he channeled power to them through the Spirit Eye, they would show up to help him by strengthening his arrows or the like. However, it was only doable via Sieg’s own magical power. Endalsia had become one with the ley line, so she no longer provided an endless supply of Drops of Life. Controlling the Spirit Eye was still difficult for Sieg, and just opening it rapidly consumed his magical power. That was why he wore the eye patch. “I wonder if Lynx has found his way home…,” Mariela murmured as she tightly grasped the pendant at her chest. She’d only heard Lynx’s voice that one time. After the chain had snapped, Mariela had gotten it repaired and was wearing it around her neck again. The tricky opening mechanism had apparently broken from the impact of the fall, however. Now the locket could be opened and closed at the mere press of a button. Somehow, that fact led Mariela to believe that Lynx had finally completely returned to the ley line and that there was nothing left of him in this world anymore. “Mariela, I’ll never leave you. I’ll stay by your side forever.” “Thanks, Sieg. I hope we stay together forever.” The feast lasted through the night, and the people of the Labyrinth City eagerly awaited the arrival of the next day. 02 Finally, dawn broke, blurring the stillness that followed the feast and the excitement that followed the drinking. It was a silent daybreak, as if the city had tired itself out from the ruckus and had fallen asleep. No figures lurked in alleyways hazy from the morning mist, and even the morgena birds that announced the dawn seemed to have quieted their cries. On this quiet, picturesque morning, the back door to Sunlight’s Canopy opened without a sound, and the Sage of Calamity, Freyja, emerged from the house alone. On this sleepy morning, Freyja, wearing the same lightweight equipment she’d come with when she’d first arrived in the City, approached the sacred tree. “Illuminaria, take care of Mariela and the others.” That was all Freyja said as she lightly touched the trunk, then headed through the garden toward the back gate. After a statement like that, who could say where she was going? Before Freyja could open the back gate and depart Sunlight’s Canopy, however, someone stopped her. “…Are you really going to leave without saying anything, Master?” “Mariela… Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Freyja answered with her own question and a wry smile. The sage had even sung Mariela a magical lullaby. “I know you too well. I burned sleepless incense,” Mariela revealed, sullen. Mariela stood at the back door, refusing to budge. Freyja approached her, smiling. “You’ve grown.” “You didn’t fool me, Master. I told you not to disappear on me this time…” “Haha, sorry, Mariela. I can’t stand all the melancholy.” They’d talked previously about this when Mariela had spent the night with her master in the crystal cave. Ever since then, Mariela had had an unshakeable feeling that Freyja would leave even if they killed the Labyrinth. “Are you really gonna go? No matter what I say?” “Yup. I have thing to do.” Mariela didn’t bother begging Freyja not to go or asking where she was going. She knew her master probably wouldn’t answer even if she asked. Instead, she chose to value the time she spent saying farewell to her master. Freyja stroked Mariela’s head like she had when Mariela was little, and the alchemist hugged Freyja tight. “Will we…meet again, Master?” “Yeah. I’ll be sure to come see you again in your lifetime.” Mariela trusted Freyja not to break that promise. Her master was the kind of person who didn’t make promises she couldn’t keep. Surely the day would come when Mariela would see her again. Even knowing that, Mariela couldn’t bear to part from Freyja and clutched at the hem of her master’s clothes. There was still something Mariela wanted to ask. It was something she had always desired to know, but the idea of it was frightening, so she’d never put it into words. However, if she didn’t muster her courage and ask now, she risked never hearing the answer. Mariela steeled herself, raised her head, and asked the question that had long weighed on her heart. “Hey, Master. Why…me? If you wanted a kid with alchemy skills, there were others. Others who could use not just alchemy, but magic and swords, too…” Why had her master chosen her that day, when Mariela was still very young? Mariela had been a useless child with no skills but alchemy. No matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t understand the reason she had been chosen. But despite her curiosity, she was terrified of the answer. This was a question that had been locked away in Mariela’s heart since the day she’d come home with Freyja. What finally enabled Mariela to ask this dreaded thing was the self-confidence she’d built up through knowing Sieg and the many other people she’d met in the Labyrinth City. All those kind, wonderful people who’d come into Sunlight’s Canopy. Freyja smiled gently and stroked Mariela’s head with some nostalgia. “That’s right, Mariela. You couldn’t do anything at all besides alchemy. Yet you focused on what you could do without getting all sulky, even though you were still such a little thing. That’s why, Mariela. Because all you had was alchemy, because you single-mindedly persevered at what you had the ability to accomplish, you were able to reach the peak of alchemy—the Elixir.” Freyja had been watching Mariela and had understood her. Mariela’s master had known her strengths, even if she’d lacked the skills others had possessed. “No one else was good enough. Mariela, only you could have gotten there. That’s why I, Freyja, the Sage of Calamity, made you my pupil. Don’t you ever forget that. Believe in yourself, Mariela. I chose you, and you’ve become the greatest alchemist in the world through nothing but your own hard work.” Those may have been the words Mariela most wanted to hear. Many people were born with alchemy skills, but those skills were difficult to master. Even then, only a very small number of alchemists ever trained enough to be able to make special-grade potions. Just working at it hard and long enough might’ve seemed simple, but it was by no means easy. A useless child with no skills but alchemy. That phrase did not describe the true Mariela. She practiced and practiced, continued to work tirelessly, and reached new heights. Above all, what Mariela possessed was an invaluable disposition that allowed her to overcome the obstacles in her life. That was why had Freyja selected, taught, and guided Mariela. She had crossed the span of two hundred years and lived up to every conceivable expectation. “You’re my pupil, and I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Freyja said, looking at Mariela’s tear-stained face. “Master… Masterrr, thank you, thank you sho muuuch.” Freyja had said she hated sentimental stuff like this, so why had she made Mariela start crying? Although she’d finally outwitted Freyja and caught her leaving, Mariela now suffered an utter defeat at the unexpectedly tender attack. Bawling, she clung to her master. Freyja patted Mariela’s back to comfort her. No matter how old Mariela got, it seemed she would always be a child to her master. As Freyja soothed her, Mariela remembered another question that had long troubled her. A little over two hundred years ago, Freyja had picked out Mariela from many other children and made the girl her pupil. Then, before Mariela had really been aware of how odd it was, Freyja had taught her something very unusual. She had made Mariela learn the Magic Circle of Suspended Animation, which by rights an alchemist shouldn’t have regularly needed. She’d also provided Mariela with a cottage that had a cellar with no ventilation and a lantern with a large amount of fuel in it. Forcing the then-head of the Aguinas Family, Robroy, to buy rainbow flowers and proposing marriage between the prince of Endalsia and the beautiful princess must have both been by Freyja’s design, too. The fact that the princess was from a foreign country and didn’t believe in the glory of the Kingdom of Endalsia and questioned the certainty of its survival was precisely the reason she’d believed the words of the spirit Endalsia. She’d trusted the spirit’s visit in her dreams, and that was the reason she had been able to escape the disaster of the Stampede along with the twins she was pregnant with, the descendants of Endalsia. Freyja had likely had a hand in all of it. Freyja awoke again in this era, when Mariela had been struggling to work through the grief of Lynx’s death. She’d even guided Mariela and the others to the very bottom of the Labyrinth, where Endalsia awaited. It seemed as though Freyja truly knew everything. It was certain that Freyja possessed high-ranking appraisal skills, because she had the ability to access the Akashic records. Mariela hadn’t harbored any doubts about Freyja’s apparent ability to see everything, but Mariela had known her master for so long that she’d always been content to believe that Freyja knew so much because “she’s a master,” never giving it more thought than that. But what if it was true that Freyja had the ability to predict the future? What was it, then, that Freyja was working toward? What did she hope for? What was important to Mariela was the fact that her master lavished her with genuine love, and she’d never doubted Freyja’s sincerity in that matter. To Mariela, Freyja was both her mentor and her parent, someone very dear to her. As she thought about it, however, Mariela had the vaguest sense that Freyja’s desire, her true goal, wasn’t just to save this world of two hundred years after her own time. To Mariela’s master, had rescuing Endalsia, saving the people of the Labyrinth City, and even taking Mariela as her pupil all been no more than a means for something else she hoped to accomplish? Mariela could only guess at the answer. “M-Master. Um, here…” Having managed to stop crying, Mariela handed Freyja a long tube that had been set next to the back door. “What’s this?” “A Magic Circle of Suspended Animation… I wondered if you might need it, so I made one for you.” Freyja accepted the tube with the magic circle inside from Mariela. “You’re a lifesaver. Reproducing a Magic Circle of Suspended Animation with Bestow Flame Seal is just a liiittle bit tough,” she said, laughing. Watching Freyja, Mariela got the sense that her hunch about the sage was likely true. Her master hated drawing such complicated magic circles by hand. However, if it was just for herself, Freyja should’ve had other ways of reproducing the Magic Circle of Suspended Animation. She’d made Mariela memorize it specifically so that she could escape the Stampede and survive. If her master had the ability to put herself into magical sleep, even if she disliked making the circle for it, that meant… Mariela found herself at a loss for words, and Freyja seemed content not to offer anything on the subject. “Well, take care of yourself.” After embracing Mariela one last time, Freyja lightly waved good-bye, and the two parted ways. Freyja left with the same cheerfulness she would’ve had when she went out for a drink. “Master! You too! Thank you so, so much for everything!!!” When Mariela rushed to the back gate to see her master off, Freyja had already vanished. All that remained of her now was the warmth from where she’d hugged Mariela. In the end, I couldn’t ask her… Mariela had been able to ask the thing she’d wanted to know most, but she had hesitated to ask the question about her master. Though even if she had, surely all her master would’ve done was laugh awkwardly and not give a straight answer. “Master. How long have you… How much longer do you need to live?” That was Mariela’s second question. Mariela had heard that the name Sage of Calamity had existed in old stories and fairy tales. At first, she’d thought it was a different person with the same title, but now… When on earth had her master been born, and how many times had she used a Magic Circle of Suspended Animation? And for what purpose? When would her job be done? “Drops of Life flows through the ley line and all living things. So everything will fall into place in a time of great need.” That was what Freyja had said during the celebration of the Labyrinth’s defeat. If that was true, then surely she’d reach her goal someday, when everything fell into place. I hope that time can come even a single day sooner, Mariela implored the ley line flowing deep beneath her feet. 03 There was a play that was gaining popularity throughout the empire titled The Fangs of the Golden Lion Sleeping in the Labyrinth. As one might’ve guessed, it told the story of Leonhardt’s subjugation of the Labyrinth. In the story, General Leo lay on his sickbed, suffering from a curse of petrification. In the grips of death, he was visited by the queen of the spirits. The queen of the spirits was the warden of the ley line, and although she was losing her power and was about to be devoured by the boss of the Labyrinth, she brought about a miracle to save General Leo. At General Leo’s side, his younger brother, Wes, along with Wes’s betrothed, Cathy, offered prayers to the queen of the spirits. The queen connected Cathy to the ley line so that she could become an alchemist. Cathy came from an ancient line of alchemists and used knowledge that had been passed down for generations in conjunction with the spirit’s blessings to create a potion to remove the curse, saving General Leo. General Leo, grateful for his life, vowed in his heart to rescue the queen of the spirits. Cathy received divine knowledge from the queen and crafted potions. General Leo led a stalwart army. Together, they made great strides in the fight against the Labyrinth. However, the Labyrinth was no ordinary foe, and it used every means to obstruct their path. General Leo used melee attacks, while Lieutenant General Wes favored long-range tactics. The two brothers joined forces to face the Labyrinth, but in the final hour, it seemed they were nearing exhaustion and defeat. With their backs to the wall, Leo, Wes, and all their soldiers partook of a forbidden potion. The effects of the forbidden draught were marvelous, and with the power of a thousand men in each of them, they managed to defeat the boss of the Labyrinth and release the queen of the spirits. Although the queen had been freed before her life force ran out, the wounds the Labyrinth’s boss had inflicted on her were deep, and she was fading away. To save the queen of the spirits, who was slowly vanishing in General Leo’s arms like a melting snowflake, Leo used the Core of the Labyrinth, a wondrous object they’d obtained after the death of the Labyrinth boss. Thus, the queen survived, and the land became the domain of General Leo and the other humans. However… The forbidden potion had robbed General Leo and others of their mighty power. And because the Labyrinth’s boss had been consuming the queen of the spirits for so long, she could no longer take form. Even after risking his life to save the queen, General Leo could never see her or touch her again. The final scene of the play ended with General Leo kneeling on the earth before standing himself up with his sword. He stood flanked by his men, who gazed at him as one would a hero. In the background stood the silhouettes of an army of monsters. The image was symbolic of the hardships that still lay ahead of the soldiers but also spoke to their unshakeable determination. —None doubt the glory of the valorous General Leo and his soldiers. They who killed the Labyrinth shall be spoken of in legend. Sadly, those heroes have already passed from this world, the price for the power that came with the forbidden potion. What survived were mere empty shells for the memories of those heroes. Nothing remained of the power that had surpassed even the Labyrinth itself. General Leo and his soldiers, those who had each held the strength of a thousand men in their bodies, now merely pass on this story of the Labyrinth to future generations, as witnesses of the past and as storytellers of a heroic tale. To this day, the broken fangs of the lion still sleep in the Labyrinth.— 04 “Well, it got the gist of it.” “I suppose it contained some portion of the truth.” In his room within the base of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces, Leonhardt discussed the letter he’d received from his son detailing The Fangs of the Golden Lion Sleeping in the Labyrinth. Weishardt had offered the occasional interjection to show he’d been listening. Of course, they both already knew the details of this play. There had been no shortage of work to be done since the death of the Labyrinth. As such, the two brothers didn’t have time to go to the imperial capital for a performance. However, this play held major significance for those who were involved in the subjugation, so Weishardt had taken time between busy moments to supervise its creation. “And, Brother, what does the letter say?” At Weishardt’s question, Leonhardt again dropped his gaze to the letter from his son, who had seen the play in person. “It seems he didn’t like the ending. He said, ‘Father, you killed the Labyrinth. You’re still a hero the Empire should be proud of.’” Leonhardt gave a slightly embarrassed smile at the unreserved praise from his son. “You’ve raised an honest boy.” A smile appeared on Weishardt’s face. Of course the young boy didn’t accept the ending. The protagonist of the play was his own father, a man who’d succeeded against all odds against the Labyrinth. It was natural for him to think Leonhardt deserved greater praise that befitted his heroic triumphs. In fact, if Leonhardt’s true strength hadn’t deteriorated due to the side effects of the special-grade Regen potion, he probably would have been asked to serve as a general directly under the emperor. If Leonhardt had A-Rank strength, the effects of his Lion’s Roar would elevate any troops he led to roughly A-Rank power, even if their actual strength was only B Rank. True A-Rankers were rare, even in the imperial capital. With an army empowered by Leonhardt’s Lion Roar, surely the Empire could defeat any enemies that dared to threaten it. Such an army would no doubt have been showered with both the praises of the Empire and the blood of their enemies until its final days. “It takes more than honesty to survive in this world. I’ll have to teach him about the kind of battles you don’t fight with swords.” After Leonhardt folded up the letter from his son and returned it to its envelope, he carefully stored it in a drawer. Despite Leonhardt’s harsh tone, he wore a calm expression; a smile even showed on his face. The backlash from the Regen potions had reduced Leonhardt to B-Rank ability. In other words, his Lion’s Roar skill would only raise his troops to B-Rank strength. The forces he commanded were strong, but since there were many B-Rankers among them already, it was hard to say his forces boasted outstanding military force within the Empire anymore. The Labyrinth, a blight on the land for two long centuries, had been destroyed. Leonhardt had earned great acclaim for the achievement and had been awarded the appropriate honors and a medal of merit from the emperor. However, just as the play described, Leonhardt’s glory was already a thing of the past. The fangs of the lion had already been broken and were now lying impotent in the depths of the destroyed Labyrinth. This had actually been a great comfort to the nobles in the imperial capital. They had feared that Leonhardt’s military might would afford him influence and power within the capital now that he was no longer occupied by the Labyrinth. While the nobles praised Leonhardt as a hero, they secretly took joy and relief from knowing that his power was a thing of the past. It also pleased them to know that the Fell Forest, still crawling with monsters, would continue to serve as a wall protecting the imperial capital from other territories. “I learned from that master and pupil that the definition of success in life is different for each person,” Leonhardt commented. Contrary to what the nobles in the imperial capital expected, Leonhardt was extremely satisfied with continuing to remain in the Labyrinth City. His wife and child were planning to join him there once the situation stabilized a little more. For the man who had known only battle, it would be a new kind of life. Before meeting Mariela and so many others, Leonhardt would have imagined himself serving as a general of the emperor once the Labyrinth was defeated. He would’ve seen success as a path paved with glory and blood as he struck down the enemies of the empire. “Weis. What is glory? What is success in life?” Weishardt didn’t answer Leonhardt’s question, trusting that his brother already had the answer. “Everything we’ve achieved has been because of our wish to defeat the Labyrinth. It is the perseverance of two hundred years that has brought us here. Indeed, you could say this is one kind of success. But what about our ancestors and comrades, who fought alongside us? What of those who met their end before the Labyrinth fell? Did they fail? They never gave up. They continued to challenge the Labyrinth. In that way, I believe they succeeded. This triumph belongs to all of us, including our fallen comrades. Are they not also heroes who killed the Labyrinth?” Leonhardt asked Weishardt while peering through a window at a group of soldiers training. In the base, Dick had joined the soldiers weakened by the side effects of the special-grade Regen potion in their relentless training. Dick himself was in particularly low spirits due to his newfound weakness. He was training desperately. According to Malraux, Dick had apparently started losing fights with his wife, Amber, because of the side effects of Regen. If he reached out to sneakily snatch food, he could no longer avoid being pinched, and when he knew she was mad at him, he found himself unable to disobey Amber when she told him to sit in a corner. “Maybe it isn’t just my speed but also my resistance to magical power that’s deteriorated,” Dick reflected, consulting with Malraux. Yet, from the beginning, Amber had always been able to order Dick around, and he’d never won an argument with her. Malraux wondered how exactly Dick was measuring the strength he’d lost. The amount and severity of the changes differed from person to person, but the soldiers trained hard every day to try to reclaim what they had lost, even if only a day sooner. Weishardt watched the training soldiers for a while with his brother. He felt the same way Leonhardt did about those who had fought and died. “Indeed, Brother. This victory is an accomplishment for all of the Labyrinth City, and was only possible with two hundred years of history behind us.” If this victory, this accomplishment, was something everyone had achieved, what had the people who confronted the Labyrinth over the past two hundred years fought for? Surely not to get compliments merely for form’s sake from nobles in the imperial capital—people they’d never met. Perhaps that was why Leonhardt and Weishardt cared so little for compliments from such people and why the greatest medal of honor was the arrival of peaceful days like these. The dawn after a long, dark night. Nonetheless, the final moments of The Fangs of the Golden Lion Sleeping in the Labyrinth didn’t depict General Leo as happy-looking at all. From the instant the Labyrinth was defeated, nothing but “past glory” remained for the story’s protagonist. He couldn’t do anything to help the queen of the spirits, who was implied to have a romantic relationship with the general. Plus, he’d used the Core of the Labyrinth. Although the defeat of the Labyrinth returned the land to human rule, the monster silhouettes suggested that peace was not assured. The danger wasn’t necessarily past, but General Leo and his soldiers had lost considerable strength. It was hardly a happy ending to the performance. Those in the capital who saw the play likely didn’t find the ending agreeable, nor did they particularly like the overemphasis on the protagonist, General Leo. However, that melancholy, ambiguous ending was the very reason the play was gaining popularity. It seemed everything had gone exactly as Leonhardt and Weishardt had hoped. “With this, the ill-natured nobles in the imperial capital will probably stay quiet for a while.” “Yes. I don’t think there’s anyone who accepts the events of the play at face value, but we also have the inspector’s report: ‘Leonhardt and the others who defeated the Labyrinth, as well as their now Labyrinth-less city, no longer have any particular value.’” This had been the true purpose of the only somewhat factual performances: to make the people of the empire believe that Leonhardt and the Labyrinth City were no longer of use. A great number of issues had been piling up in the City after the threat of the Labyrinth was gone. Some people flocked to Leonhardt and his people after their great achievement with smiles on their faces, hoping to gain favor with the newly minted heroes. Others jealously wished for the people of the Labyrinth City to suffer misfortune and lose their status of acclaim, even going so far as to plot against the people of the City. Leonhardt and Weishardt were already busy enough dealing with real problems; they didn’t have time to deal with such riffraff. The Labyrinth had been a threat, but it had also been a gold mine of resources like medicinal herbs and monster materials. With those all but gone now, the Labyrinth City needed to change its form of industry. They chose to clear farmland around the Labyrinth City, establish a highway to the imperial capital, and trade materials gathered from the Fell Forest. The Labyrinth City, now the domain of humans again, was not afforded the same level of protection from the spirits that the Kingdom of Endalsia had once enjoyed. However, monsters surrounding the Labyrinth City at the edge of the Fell Forest had since moved deeper into the vast woods, meaning the City was in no more danger than any other village near the forest. Since the number of monsters attacking farmland during the day would probably also decrease, they would now be able to produce the food the Labyrinth City needed. The location for hunting monsters and gathering medicinal herbs and other things was quickly changing from the Labyrinth to the Fell Forest. This was also something adventurers did in the Kingdom of Endalsia’s time. While it wasn’t particularly profitable, it also wasn’t an especially difficult enterprise. It was something the villages around the Fell Forest were already doing. With so many big changes coming to the city, the house of Margrave Schutzenwald had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate its political influence. Thankfully, Leonhardt had a number of reliable retainers, including Weishardt. Things were difficult, but it wasn’t something those who had defeated the Labyrinth together couldn’t handle. Moreover, unlike in the past, this city now had many alchemists. “Speaking of the inspector, he made an amusing blunder when we talked about the alchemist.” “Yes, truly.” Leonhardt and Weishardt recalled the inspector’s appearance back when he’d asked about the alchemist who’d made the Elixir, and they both laughed. 05 “By the way, I happened to hear that an alchemist participated in the Labyrinth subjugation. Where is that person now?” The inspector, a rather tactless man, was a famous noble so straitlaced he was a rare sight even in the imperial capital. It was probably a direct order from the emperor that had sent this fastidious man with an instinctive dislike of bribes to be an inspector. He was the first to be dispatched to assess the current situation after the Labyrinth had been defeated. It was thanks to this that the less scrupulous nobles, those who would seek to pounce on the Labyrinth City during its time of instability, were kept in check. “You have sharp ears. Certainly, without the alchemist and the miracle of potions, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Labyrinth and purify the ley line. Nor would it have been possible to train new alchemists so quickly.” Leonhardt responded to the inspector’s question with a bit of additional information about more alchemists. “New…alchemists?” “Yes. After the Labyrinth’s subjugation, that person took on a large number of pupils and trained new alchemists. Weis, how many are we up to again?” “I believe today’s alchemist was the seventy-eighth?” Seventy-eight people. The inspector’s expression changed almost immediately as he heard the absurd number. “Did you say seventy-eight?! That’s so many! Are you not aware, my lords? When an alchemist allows a pupil to make a Pact with the ley line, they give their pupil part of their experience. With such a large number of Pacts, that alchemist’s power will greatly weaken. They’ll never be able to make the Elixir again!” There it was, just as Leonhardt and Weishardt had suspected. The real reason for the inspector’s visit was to measure the power of the City’s alchemist and to discover the secrets of the Elixir. “Yes, it’s certainly regrettable, but this was an agreement made to ensure the cooperation of the nobles in this city, and above all, that’s what the alchemist wanted. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that relying on a single person for potions has its drawbacks. Besides, without the material for it, the Elixir can’t be made anyhow. We’ve deemed this to be both a profitable and a proper choice for the Labyrinth City.” The inspector took a moment to digest Leonhardt’s logical reasoning. There was a look in the man’s eyes like he was searching for the true meaning behind Leonhardt’s words. “…What was the material for the Elixir?” An alchemist who could make the Elixir. An alchemist of the highest rank, beyond any that could be found even in the imperial capital. That alchemist had taken on pupils with reckless abandon, and in doing so had greatly diminished his or her own abilities. The Elixir was now out of reach. It was an unforeseen circumstance, but only having that one alchemist would’ve been nothing but a risk for the City. Leonhardt’s point was infallible, and from a policymaker’s point of view, he’d made the correct decision. Although perturbed for a moment, the inspector was a shrewd person, and the situation being what it was, he’d switched to asking after other bits of valuable information. By nature, alchemists couldn’t use alchemy if they left the ley line they were connected to, so the City’s alchemist posed no threat to the capital. Perhaps the inspector’s true purpose really had been to gather information. If the inspector learned the Elixir’s ingredient, no doubt the imperial capital alchemists would try to find it in hopes of making the potion themselves. “The material for the Elixir? It’s the core of a labyrinth.” The core of a labyrinth. Despite how casually Leonhardt had revealed the ingredient, it was not something that could be obtained easily. One would not find such a core by killing a young labyrinth with shallow strata, and the subjugation of an older labyrinth of even fifty strata was a monumental undertaking. When one factored in that the Elixir also needed to be made by an extremely proficient alchemist, the odds of all the necessary pieces coming together seemed too low to even be possible. It had been neither a miracle nor an accident. Instead, it had only been out of necessity that the ley line—that Endalsia—had drawn all the pieces together at the right time. Leonhardt couldn’t help feeling that it had all been by the grace of someone extraordinary. An alchemist survived the tragedy of the Stampede and awoke two centuries later. Then she went on to meet and save the life of Siegmund, a descendant of Endalsia. What other explanation for such circumstances could there have been? If a person drank an Elixir, it was possible for that person to ascend beyond the mortal, gaining unprecedented power and eternal life as the warden of the ley line. But after seeing the state of the Labyrinth’s boss with his own eyes, Leonhardt didn’t think it possible that a being as insignificant as a human was capable of such an ambitious undertaking. Leonhardt and Weishardt had readily accepted that they would never again obtain the Elixir, as well as the decline of the alchemist who had achieved the pinnacle of her craft. To the inspector, it seemed that the brothers were content to regard both as part of a predetermined series of miracles. “I see… So that’s how it happened, is it?” The inspector stayed in the Labyrinth City for a few days after that but returned to the empire after concluding his innocuous observations. Likely, he would report that this Labyrinth City had exhausted its powerful forces and that its alchemist had lost her touch. Everything the City had gathered to kill the Labyrinth was seemingly gone, and the place had now become rather ordinary. The play performed in the imperial capital had successfully transformed the story of the Labyrinth City into a heroic tragedy, all while concealing the existence of Mariela, the Sage of Calamity, and the Isolated Hollow. The performance’s story would come to be the one remembered by history as the years went on. Not Leonhardt, Mariela, or even the soldiers of the Labyrinth Suppression Forces once came to regret all that they’d sacrificed. They never lamented what the Labyrinth City had lost in exchange for the peaceful days the land had so longed for over the past two hundred years. They were all truly happy. 06 “It took a bit of time to distract the nobles in the imperial capital, but we must give you the honors you’re due for your many contributions to the Labyrinth subjugation.” As this was a private meeting, Mariela and Sieg had been invited to Leonhardt and Weishardt’s estate via the underground Aqueduct. Mariela had been secretly worried that the brothers were going to demand that she pay her master’s tab at the pub. When Mariela realized that Leonhardt and Weishardt were going to give her something instead, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She looked as though a load had been taken off her chest, though there was hardly any “load” there to begin with. “Miss Mariela, you refined the Elixir and are the finest alchemist in the Labyrinth City—no, the entire Empire. And you’ve already taken in so many young nobles as your pupils. You ought to have a fitting title.” “…Huh?” Mariela had been excited, wondering what she would get, but Leonhardt had only offered Mariela something she didn’t really want or understand. “Of course that goes for you, too, Siegmund. We may be the only ones who know the secret of your Spirit Eye, but you are the rightful successor to the Kingdom of Endalsia. Although the kingdom is no more, a proper position is essential, even when considering your future with Mariela.” Weishardt offered the same honors to Sieg, and the way he coyly mentioned Sieg’s “future with Mariela” was quite crafty. As Leonhardt and Weishardt had said, Mariela had already helped dozens of pupils make a Pact with the ley line, and the Labyrinth City was enjoying an unprecedented alchemy boom. “If you cooperate, we’ll allow your children, should any have alchemy skills, to become Alchemist Pact-Bearers.” This was the card Freyja had played to sway the nobles of the Labyrinth City when potions had started being sold on the market. Many people had alchemy skills. Even if someone’s biological child didn’t, it would be easy to adopt one that did. Up to now, there had been only one alchemist in the City. The potential benefits of having an alchemist in the family were unfathomable. Many nobles thought that way, and all of them had cooperated with the Labyrinth Suppression Forces. In exchange, the sacred tree spirit Illuminaria in Sunlight’s Canopy’s rear garden led dozens of nobles’ and officials’ children to the ley line, and they connected to it with a Nexus, becoming alchemists. Of course, it wasn’t only the children of nobles who became new alchemists. Mariela had made an unbelievable number of potions, so she hadn’t lost all that much experience. All the alchemists she helped were only connected to a shallow layer of the ley line because of the danger of not returning from making a Pact. As such, each Pact consumed only a little bit of Mariela’s experience. Incidentally, the thickness of each pupil’s Nexus was the same as those of the alchemists in the imperial capital. Apparently, only Mariela’s was unusually thick, and generally, thin ones connected only to the shallow layer of the ley line. Their Library information disclosure configurations were the imperial capital standard, so they could view information without memorizing everything first, and they also weren’t prohibited from using magical tools. A policy of mass-training alchemists by standard imperial capital methods was put in place because of the idea that a stable supply of potions was a top priority. Caroline had become worried by Freyja’s unorthodox teaching style and gathered information from the Aguinas family alchemists in the imperial capital. There had been no problem implementing them. Incidentally, Caroline was Mariela’s first pupil. Thanks to the manipulation of information done by the Labyrinth Suppression Forces, the popularity of The Fangs of the Golden Lion Sleeping in the Labyrinth, and rumors spread by those not in the know within the Labyrinth City, Caroline Aguinas was believed to be the “first alchemist.” Her presence and aura matched that title far more than Mariela’s did. When the two of them were introduced together as “the first alchemist and the first pupil,” ten out of ten people believed Caroline was the first alchemist, and about one in ten was likely to ask “Where’s the first pupil?,” completely ignoring Mariela. Putting Caroline center stage was one of the measures taken to support Mariela, whose behavior and influence were unreliable. Above all, Caroline had wanted to do it for her friend. At seventeen, Caroline was a bit old for making a Pact with the ley line. However, perhaps due to the joy of achieving her heart’s desire and Weishardt holding her hand and calling to her, Caroline connected her Nexus and returned surprisingly easily. The “Master Mariela” title had been ruined. It seemed extremely unlikely that the unofficial title Caroline bore would ever be dropped Knowing Lady Carol, she might have come back on her own even if no one called her, Mariela thought. Perhaps the very first alchemist had been someone like that, someone like Caroline. She really was something, able to create mid-grade potions in almost no time at all, thanks to her preexisting knowledge and strong work ethic. The road to high-grade potions would probably be a long one, but knowing Caroline, it was likely she’d be able to make them soon. This person was completely different from a certain drunkard master somewhere, who’d been satisfied with mid-grade potions and slacked off as much as she liked. Although it was some time after the nobles’ children, the children of the chemists in the Labyrinth City, too, made Pacts with the ley line and became alchemists. Despite the slight delay, they were helpful children who’d learned and studied medicinal herbs from their parents. When one looked back on it, the noble children had probably needed the head start. It was impossible for Mariela to instruct her suddenly large number of pupils one on one. Instead, they studied in schools at the Labyrinth City. They didn’t have just Mariela as a teacher, either: Aguinas family alchemists from the imperial capital who’d been involved with the new medicine were also summoned. They were in charge of classroom lectures, while Mariela handled practical skills. Incidentally, Mariela’s practical skill training had somewhat of a bad reputation: “She does difficult things like they’re easy, and her explanations are too abstract and hard to understand.” It seemed the novice teacher had her work cut out for her. “I wonder if I should aim for a hundred pupils,” Mariela would comment as she filled requests for special-grade potions between her lessons, unaware of her unpopularity among her students. “If their numbers increase any further, you wouldn’t be able to take care of them all, would you?” Sieg answered. He’d been accompanying Mariela to the school as her escort. He dared not express his true thought: that Mariela couldn’t even handle the current number of alchemist students she had. “Mmm, but you know, since there’s the Library, I bet they could just learn on their own…” As one might’ve expected from someone raised by Freyja, Mariela really had a rather laissez-faire teaching policy. Perhaps she needed “teacher training” before she taught her pupils. Fortunately, Mariela’s best pupil, Caroline, was far more teacher-like than she and was quickly gaining respect for it. The only one who actually called Mariela “Master” was the sole Sunlight’s Canopy child out of the four—Emily, who actually had alchemy skills. Even then, she normally called Mariela “Mari” and only used “Master Mari” to butter Mariela up when she wanted something. It was that complete lack of dignity that caused Mariela’s students not to respect her. So much so that a particular portion of the nobles’ children didn’t take her classes; rather, alchemists from the imperial capital were summoned as private tutors for them. Even then, Mariela didn’t seem particularly concerned. “Those kids might be able to make new potions! They should check the Library!” she exclaimed, rather carefree. The idea of alchemists forming ridiculous cliques as the Labyrinth City was beginning its new era wasn’t particularly welcome, however. Even if Mariela was given permanent escorts in addition to Sieg, a lot of inconvenient things, like money, a title, and social status, would also be needed to ensure her physical safety. Knowing this, Leonhardt and Weishardt had been considering proceeding with bestowing titles and establishing guardianship with regard to Mariela’s and Sieg’s futures. I don’t really get it… Mariela was completely unable to grasp the details or the importance of the conversation. Earl? Viscount? Baron? What’s the difference? They’re all just bigwigs, right? Mariela’s carelessly lumping so many different titles together was dangerous. If she mistook a butcher for a fishmonger, all the butcher would say was “We ain’t got that kinda thing here. What about this instead? It’s tasty.” However, the more important the person, the more you needed to be particular about their social position and title. Mistaking one title for another could prove disastrous. Seeing that Mariela didn’t really understand and that his plan wouldn’t go as he’d hoped, Sieg said “With all due respect…” to urge Leonhardt and Weishardt to reconsider. “…This is more than I deserve, and I’m grateful, but I’m just a hunter’s son. My lack of ability would prevent me from adapting to an official title or the like.” “Why, even the royal family of Endalsia were originally hunters, were they not? Their blood is so strong within you that you even bear the Spirit Eye. It’s not more than you deserve.” Apparently, Weishardt had taken Sieg’s rebuttal as mere humility. “However, Lord Weishardt, neither my father nor my grandfather had the Spirit Eye. But I’ve heard there has always been someone who possessed the Spirit Eye in the past two hundred years.” “Go on.” “Most likely, many other descendants of Endalsia exist.” At Sieg’s response, Leonhardt instinctively looked up at the heavens. He’d believed for a long time that only his own house of Margrave Schutzenwald had inherited the blood of the Kingdom of Endalsia, yet the proof of that, the Spirit Eye, had never appeared in his family. Just how far had the blood of Endalsia spread in the past two centuries? During the time of the Kingdom of Endalsia, the princess was praised as having the greatest beauty and hunting skills. Her son, who’d survived the Stampede and had lived the life of a commoner, apparently had suffered no difficulty finding a spouse. Neither did his descendants. There had been many unknown kin who had thrived. Perhaps Endalsia had smiled upon them all. “However, your abilities and Miss Mariela’s skill as an alchemist alone are worthy of a house.” Weishardt refused to give in. Certainly, the alchemists in the imperial capital who could make special-grade potions were surrounded by many pupils and escorts and relished their own self-importance. The number of Mariela’s pupils alone was enough to rival them, so why couldn’t she enjoy the same benefits? However, considering Mariela’s abilities, her noble amenities would likely have to include some amount of protection as well. Still…, Sieg thought as he looked at Mariela. She was sitting across the room in complete “leave everything to Sieg” mode and was stuffing her face with the teacakes they’d been served. It certainly seemed like she was enjoying the sweets, but she didn’t have an ounce of the elegance that befitted a noble. To Sieg, it didn’t seem at all like Mariela would ever adapt to a lifestyle where she was given a title and social status. Aren’t Leonhardt and Weishardt getting the wrong image about Mariela being some fine and magnificent alchemist? Sieg wondered. He decided to use his ace in the hole. He’d prepared a certain document in an envelope, thinking that he might need it. Now that the time had come, he conspicuously extended the envelope and its contents to the brothers. After Weishardt accepted the offered envelope with a puzzled expression, he opened it, and his face contorted with shock. “Wha—? This is… It can’t be…” “Yes, Lord Weishardt. It’s just as you see. Therefore, I don’t believe we’re suited to noble life… Because Mariela’s intelligence is a three.” “Bwah?! Sieg?” Leonhardt and Weishardt fell completely silent at Sieg’s coup de grâce. Poor Mariela almost spit out her tea. Within the envelope Sieg had handed over was Mariela’s appraisal paper from back when the two of them had first arrived in the Labyrinth City. Although she was an alchemist, her intelligence was lower than Sieg’s. Mariela had tucked away the appraisal form in the back of the dresser in her bedroom, and she could’ve sworn she’d secretly thrown it away when she’d had the chance, but… “H-how? I thought I tossed that…” “…It fell on the floor and I happened to pick it up. There was never a good chance to give it back, but that may have been for the best!” Sieg grinned. “It fell on the floor” was a total lie. Obviously, he’d noticed it in the trash bin, took it out, and kept it. “Impossible… An alchemist possessing that much knowledge with an intelligence of only three…,” Weishardt muttered as he looked Mariela’s appraisal paper up and down again and again. Although referred to as “intelligence,” the term encompassed a variety of things. Memory and problem-solving were big factors, but the appraisal took the average of various skills like mathematical ability, spatial awareness, and writing ability. Even accumulated things like general knowledge and experience were taken into account. Mariela had learned the effects and processing methods for a great variety of medicinal herbs, as well as potion-refining methods. Her memory and quantity of knowledge were beyond those of an ordinary person. Weishardt had never thought Mariela’s behavior was an act to disguise her true character. However, he’d always assumed her uninhibited ways were the result of being raised by such an unusual master. Weishardt had believed it was merely Mariela’s folksy personality that suggested a lack of wisdom. He’d always trusted that her intelligence score was at least the same as his own. Never would he have thought it possible that it was lower than a five. Mariela only having a three in intelligence despite the exceptional amount of knowledge she possessed meant… Unbelievable… Does this really mean that, other than her memory and knowledge, she’s actually as dim as she seems?! Weishardt was speechless. If Mariela’s ability to think was as poor as her memory and knowledge were exceptional, she was absolutely unsuitable for exchanges with her fellow nobles, those who read into facial expressions and the hidden meanings of words. Of course, foolish nobles existed, but they still boasted exceptional educations. Sieg’s sneaky decision to secretly hold on to Mariela’s appraisal paper, choose this point in time to show it to Weishardt, and give a grin as he did so meant he could probably cut it as a noble. No one present believed Mariela was up to the task anymore, however. The girl herself had grown so flustered she’d almost spit out her tea. Perhaps Mariela’s drink had gone down the wrong pipe, as she was coughing with tears in her eyes. As Sieg gently patted her back, he said, “I would be grateful if you took this into consideration,” and bowed his head to Leonhardt and Weishardt. “Weis, different people find happiness in different ways…,” Leonhardt said. Weishardt, still gripping the appraisal paper in his hands, agreed to arrange an environment where Mariela and Sieg would be happy. 07 A certain small hill east-northeast of the Labyrinth City allowed a sweeping view of the city. This was the hill of parting. The place of farewells, where people who’d died in the Labyrinth City returned to the ley line. The dead were carried to this hill and were liberated from their bodies via flame. The autumn sky was clear and vast, but a chilly breeze blew, cooling bodies flushed from the excitement of the Labyrinth. It was like waking from sleep. “I feel as if I was in a very long dream,” murmured Robert Aguinas as he gazed at the glass coffin on the cremation altar, leading Estalia, the woman now sleeping within the glass coffin, to the new world. It had been a marvelous dream indeed, although Robert had been stained with blood and curses along the way. “At last, I was able to show you the way,” Robert whispered. Behind him, his father, Royce, and sister, Caroline, watched in silence. He had long wanted to see off Estalia on this hill that overlooked the Labyrinth City. His wish would finally come true today. The stairs leading to the cellar where Estalia had slept were so narrow that it would have been difficult to carry the coffin out as it was. Thus the coffin had been removed after major construction to tear away the floor of the level above the cellar. Estalia, who had passed into eternal sleep via the effect of an erroneous Magic Circle of Suspended Animation, was no longer of this world. Half of her body had already turned to salt and crumbled away. Even the slightest disturbance risked collapsing her whole body, so they had taken the utmost care when transporting her. It would have taken too much effort to hold a memorial service for every single person. However, for Robert, and for Royce and Caroline, who attended, this ritual was necessary. The Aguinas family’s dearest wish—to lead Estalia to a new world—had at last been fulfilled. To the three members of the Aguinas family beneath the clear blue sky, the Labyrinth City appeared reborn in a new era. The future head of the Aguinas family, Caroline, descended into the ley line with the guidance of the sacred tree spirit Illuminaria, becoming the first alchemist born in the Labyrinth City. In the past, fledgling alchemists in the Kingdom of Endalsia had become full alchemists by exchanging True Names with the spirit Endalsia and connecting a Nexus to the ley line. However, the ley line now had no warden, so Caroline gave her True Name and engraved it into the ley line to link her Nexus. “I, Caroline Aguinas, swear this: as an alchemist, I shall heal the people and live here in this land with them and the ley line. O ley line, grant me a glimpse of your secrets.” This was how Caroline and the other new alchemists of the Labyrinth City formed Pacts with their ley line. Caroline and the others believed these kinds of Pacts befitted a city that would rely on its own power from there on out, rather than hide behind the divine protection of the spirits. When asked, Illuminaria said that the ley line still seemed to be without a master. She said the spirits, none of whom had the individual power to become its master, shared the management of the ley line. However, they lacked organization, and they weren’t very thorough with their handling of Drops of Life. So sometimes the land was hit with a natural disaster or an epidemic. However, though it might not have been the case in a previous kingdom, the people of the current era had managed to defeat the Labyrinth. They were more than prepared to overcome such hardships and live in harmony with the ley line. Perhaps one with power great enough to become the new master would appear someday, or maybe the ley line itself would give birth to its new master. Apparently, even the spirits didn’t know if such a thing was a few years away or a few hundred years. At any rate, the current Labyrinth City was a place where humans could support themselves without the divine protection of their previous guardian. The Labyrinth had been defeated. Monsters no longer controlled this land. Robert placed his hands on the lid of the glass coffin. The thin film that had been melted around the edges to create an airtight seal on the coffin broke with a light cracking sound, and the glass lid slid open. Exposed to fresh air for the first time in over a century, the upper half of Estalia’s body suddenly turned to salt and gently crumbled to pieces. The wind blew as though it had been waiting for the lid of the coffin to finally open. The autumn breeze swept the bits of salt and carried them high into the sky. Robert reflexively stretched his hand out to Estalia as the wind carried her away, and then he pulled it back down to his side. “Good-bye, Estalia,” Robert gave his sendoff to the beautiful person who had so thoroughly enchanted him ever since he’d first seen her as a child. Farewell, you who lived in my childish dreams, he thought. Robert had once felt sorry for Estalia, imagining her trapped eternally within the glass coffin. And yet she’d long since returned to the ley line and become free. The one who’d been trapped was Robert himself. As he thought about it, Robert realized he didn’t even know what kind of person Estalia had been. He realized he’d attributed so many of his own ideas the dreamlike woman sleeping in the cold glass coffin. “Good-bye, Estalia. You’re free.…and so am I.” The sky was clear and stretched endlessly into the distance as the breeze carried Estalia off. As he watched, Robert felt that even his own body might be lifted up and away. “Brother, are you truly going to leave us?” Caroline asked after Estalia’s remains were out of sight, and Robert was no longer watching them. “Yes. The Aguinas family will be safe in your hands, Carol.” The existence of an eldest son who’d been removed as the head of the family would only get in the way of the new Aguinas family. The one that Caroline, the first alchemist of the Labyrinth City, and Weishardt would manage. Understanding this, Robert had decided to depart from the City. “But you could still stay if you like…,” said Royce. His son had committed sins, but many of them had been brought about because Royce himself he had been the previous head of the Aguinas family. He pitied his son for having to bear such a burden alone. “Don’t look at me with such sadness, Father. I’m free now. No, I was always free, but I was prisoner to my own desires. My heart was shut away in this beautiful glass coffin.” Robert recalled what he’d been told by the Sage of Calamity after the Labyrinth had been slain. He’d been working so hard healing all the wounded adventurers that the Labyrinth had died before he’d even known what happened. Adventurers and guards had hoisted him up on their shoulders and brought him out of the Labyrinth. They carried him like that into the celebratory party, where Robert’s former patients poured him drink after drink and offered their gratitude, even though he had once used people as materials to make accursed medicine. The livelier the feast became, and the more the adventurers expressed their thanks, the more Robert felt he was losing the place where he belonged. Here, nobody needed treatment, and that was no place for him. He was about to leave when he’d had an unexpected encounter with the Sage of Calamity. “Rooob, you drinkiiing? Ahhh. You’re not drinking at all, arrre you? Heeey, you a teetotaleeer? You look like a frooog. And frogs don’t drink. Frogface, ribbit, ribbit, Rob the froggy teetotaleeer.” Freyja’s behavior had reached new heights of disgracefulness. Freyja held a bottle of alcohol in one hand and put her other arm around Robert’s shoulders. Robert had thought all women smelled like flowers, but the only scent that reached his nose was the intense odor of alcohol. Thankfully, he’d learned by then that if he said something like that, Freyja would launch a forehead poke attack, so he kept his mouth shut. Besides, after treating adventurers in the clinic, Robert found himself preferring Freyja’s alcoholic odor and arrogant behavior. Adventurers got just as intoxicated; they even started fights. Some suffered injuries and had to be carried into the clinic. Others drank too much and vomited up the valuable food they’d consumed. Worse, some even drank themselves to death. For once, Robert didn’t give his usual middling response. Instead, he replied, “I’m not drinking because some other drunkards might need medical attention.” Freyja stared for a moment; then she whispered in Robert’s ear. “You’ve committed sins, and you have the motivation to atone for them. You’ve got the hands to create the future and the feet to move forward and reach it. Isn’t that reason enough to keep living? From now on, you can determine your own path, walk freely.” Freyja was capable of saying wise things once in a while. Robert reflected on the Sage of Calamity’s words. She really did have a knack for showing up when she was needed. Robert no longer thought of her as a demon, but she still seemed to him like some sort of nonhuman entity. Her parting words had burned themselves into his heart as if they’d been branded. Curiously, they seemed to erase the gloomy feelings lurking within his soul like a cleansing fire. Until recently, Robert had believed he had nowhere to go. He had no family to lead, no tasks to fulfill, nor even a place he belonged. Now he was free from those bonds. He could go anywhere, do anything he pleased. On the hill overlooking the Labyrinth City, Robert recalled Freyja’s words. Though he would continue to carry his many sins upon his back, there were no shackles on his feet. As he thought on that, Robert marveled at what a vast place the world was and how small the Labyrinth City appeared, surrounded by its protective walls. “The world is so vast, it leaves me dizzy…,” Robert muttered rather spontaneously. Edgan of the Black Iron Freight Corps, who’d been waiting for Robert at a distance, approached and called to him. “The view from here is like a speck compared to the rest of the world. And wait until you see the beautiful ladies in the imperial capital; you won’t believe your eyes.” “Wouldn’t it be nice if that was what finally made Edgan blind?” Yuric asked, harsh as ever. The demi-human had suddenly appeared behind Edgan. “If I went blind, Franz would cure my eyes, right? I’m counting on you!” Edgan was in rare form and hadn’t even flinched at Yuric’s wicked remark. Had his period of newfound popularity strengthened his mental fortitude? “If you go blind, get a specialized potion for eyes. Anyway, I think what Edgan needs more is treatment for his head.” Ever since the Labyrinth subjugation, even Franz had been treating Edgan rather coldly, due to the “take all comers” attitude he’d adopted with both clients and women. “Ha-ha, that’s enough, you two. Mr. Robert, if we do not depart before long, we will not be through the Fell Forest by sunset tomorrow.” “We’re gonna be making good time. The carriage has been remodeled for speed, so there’s no problem. Even if the ride is a little bumpy.” Grandel and Donnino each called for Robert to come to the armored carriage. The Black Iron Freight Corps had been contracted to transport Robert to the imperial capital. “Indeed. Let’s go. I’m off, Father. Carol, I’m leaving the family in your hands.” Robert boarded the Black Iron Freight Corps’s travel carriage and departed the Labyrinth City. As she saw off her older brother, Caroline felt relieved that his parting words didn’t connote permanent separation. She prayed for Estalia to illuminate and guide Robert’s path. 08 “Pardon meee, I cut my hand.” “In that case, use a low-grade potion.” “Uuugh, my stomach hurts…” “A low-grade potion for that, too.” “My skin’s been kinda dry…” “Here. Apply a low-grade potion to it.” Mariela had recently been recommending low-grade potions again and again with a kind of dismissive attitude. “Yer customer service’s been sloppy lately,” Gordon commented in regards to Mariela’s behavior. “Whaaa? But they really all can be cured with low-grade potions…,” Mariela protested, asserting that she was still looking after her customers in earnest. It was another busy day for Sunlight’s Canopy. Low-grade potions were enough for common injuries and illnesses, and the potions themselves could now be bought anywhere, thanks to the sudden increase in alchemists who were working hard to produce the concoctions each day. Mariela was still the only one who could make high-grade potions, but she didn’t want to monopolize the market, so she supplied the ones she made to the Merchants Guild, who distributed them from there. Elmera of the Merchants Guild had become Mariela’s contact as an intermediary for special-grade specialized potions. This meant almost all the people who ordered those more powerful potions didn’t know who’d actually made them. Maintaining that anonymity was why the product lineup in Sunlight’s Canopy was no different from any other potion shop in the city. Most people still didn’t know Mariela was the first alchemist. Curiously, however, there were many who came to Sunlight’s Canopy claiming that Mariela’s potions felt more effective than those of other shops. But then, most of the regular customers visited frequently to have tea in the sun, not to buy potions. “Mariela, I got earth dragon meat today!” “Welcome back, Sieg. Sounds like the joint expedition with Captain Dick and the others went well!” Sieg returned home carrying a large mass of earth dragon meat, and Mariela greeted him with a smile. He had left before dawn that day to hunt down some earth dragons. “Since you got so much, maybe we should have a barbecue for everyone,” suggested Mariela. Immediately, there were replies like “I’ll get some booze!” and “I wanna have sausage or shrimp, too!” and “Buy some veggies and bread for us, too!” from Merle, Gordon, and the other members of the dwarven trio. The group of regulars all stood up together and left to prepare. It was still lunchtime, but since earth dragon meat was a high-class item, Mariela thought it was fine to overlook a bit of early drinking today. “Well then, here you go, Gordon.” Amber quickly tallied up the ingredients they needed, wrote shopping lists that evenly divided the responsibilities, and distributed them among the volunteer shopping group. Such a thing had become almost common practice in Sunlight’s Canopy. “Sherry and the rest of you are eating, too, right? I’ll contact Dr. Nierenberg and Ms. Elmera.” “Yeah! I’ll help, Mariela!” “I will too!” “Meee too!” “Hold on, Elio, Emily. Finish your homework first.” At Mariela’s invitation, Elio and Emily immediately discarded their homework and offered to help, but Pallois scolded them. Sherry had finished her homework and was already preparing the meat in the kitchen. “Mariela, would it be all right if I joined you as well?” “Of course, Lady Carol. But are you sure?” “Yes, since you are the one holding our buffet, there is no problem. Lord Weis is a magnanimous person, after all.” Caroline expressed her desire to participate while nonchalantly slipping in a compliment about her beloved. Though Caroline had a good relationship with Weishardt and was a young noblewoman eagerly counting the days to her wedding, should she really be participating in a barbecue at a commoner’s house? Even with guards from the house of Margrave Schutzenwald present, it seemed rather low class. Not to mention, the very act itself of continuing to regularly visit Sunlight’s Canopy wasn’t very becoming for the head of such an esteemed family. Weishardt was lenient toward Caroline, however. And if Caroline wanted to turn the barbecue into a proper buffet, then a buffet she would get. “All right, you guards over there. Sorry, but could I ask you to set up the venue in the rear garden?” “Yes, ma’am.” The guards of Sunlight’s Canopy did not hesitate at Amber’s command. Among them were soldiers dispatched from the Labyrinth Suppression Forces and soldier slaves employed by Reymond the slave trader. Now that the Labyrinth had been subjugated, there was less demand for manpower in the City. Adapting to the times, Reymond had started a new slave liberation business. Apparently, it allowed those who’d been falsely accused or those capable and possessed of relatively good personalities to be deployed for guard duty or monster hunts. That way, they could raise their rank and gain their freedom. Even after penal laborers and lifelong slaves were freed, they paid half of their earnings to their former masters for ten years, so it seemed a very profitable venture. Expecting that the people deployed to Sunlight’s Canopy would all straighten themselves up and take their work more seriously upon learning Sieg was a former slave, Reymond had sent soldiers there at a reasonable price. They seemed to be learning rather quickly, too. Even though they were good people, many of them reminded Seig of his younger naivete. He trusted they would come into their own in time. Perhaps the body language Sieg had learned from Nierenberg and Haage helped in training the soldier slaves. Or perhaps it was because Sieg’s policy was to use gentle persuasion with delicious monster meat. He was worthy of the old nickname Mr. Meat. “Mariela, work finished early today, so I brought my husband and Grandpappy.” “Thank you for always looking after the children.” “Hello there, young lady, sonny. Ye can cook this, too.” Elmera, Voyd, and Old Man Ghark had come to the barbecue-turned-buffet. What Ghark offered for Mariela to cook was orc king meat that had been processed into sausages. Turning already-delicious orc king meat into sausages gave the stuff twice the appeal. “Whoaaa, this is so good and hard to get!” Ghark’s present made Mariela’s eyes sparkle. Orc king meat was still her favorite, it seemed. “I’ll go cook it right now!” Since the Labyrinth had been subjugated and the Labyrinth City was now the domain of people, medicinal herbs hardly grew in the City anymore. Even in the backyard of Sunlight’s Canopy, herbs only grew sporadically. Tables and chairs had been set up under the sacred tree. Several chemists had been working on selective breeding to try to create medicinal herbs that could be cultivated even within the city. Maybe someday soon, herbs would grow in Mariela’s garden again, but for now the garden would be where they held their party. “Ith tho good, Thieg! I wish Edgan and the other guys could’ve come.” “Ahh, delicious! …Now that you mention it, we haven’t seen Edgan for a while.” With earth dragon meat in her right hand and an orc king meat sausage in her left, Mariela was truly blissful. Sieg watched her with a happy grin. Were Edgan and the rest of the Black Iron Freight Corps in the imperial capital? Apparently, Edgan was still enjoying the prime of his youth, as Mariela and Sieg hadn’t seen him in a while. He’d been given the rather exaggerated nickname “User of All,” seemingly because of his usage of multiple elements in battle. However, the truth was the nickname had been given to him because of his lack of integrity toward women. Sieg wondered if he should keep Edgan at a distance from now on, since Mariela wasn’t very well educated in such things. If Sieg’s biggest worry was Edgan, truly the Labyrinth City and Sunlight’s Canopy had become quite peaceful. Everyone at the party happily enjoyed themselves, partaking of meat, alcohol, and conversation. A gust of wind surged through the yard. The gale extinguished the flames of the charcoal fire and shook the sacred tree as it went by. “Illuminaria?” Spirits were extremely fickle, and although the sacred tree spirit Illuminaria could have made many appearances, she rarely did so. She’d been leading quite a few fledgling alchemists down into the ley line recently, so perhaps she’d had enough of talking with children and had decided to become completely anti-social. Even today, despite the rare large gathering for the party, she hadn’t shown up. Perhaps she hated smoke or the smell of meat. “She sure is moody…” Mariela stopped herself from adding, “Just like master,” and suddenly felt very lonely. Master, where could you be? What are you doing right now? Freyja had promised to visit again, so where was she? Mariela couldn’t help but wonder when she’d see her beloved master again. She wondered if it would be after dying and returning to the ley line. “Young lady, I don’t see Fire anywhere. Where the heck has she gone?” Glint, shine. Was it possible that the blade of the Limit Breaker could even cut through gloomy thoughts? Guildmaster Haage, like the house of Margrave Schutzenwald, had been extremely busy ever since the Labyrinth subjugation. Due to actually working hard at the Adventurers Guild for once, he apparently hadn’t noticed that Freyja had disappeared. “Master went on a trip,” Mariela answered dejectedly. “What? And she didn’t even say good-bye? Awfully cold of her. You’re feelin’ down ’cause she left you behind, right? Well, this is Fire we’re talkin’ about. She’s probably gettin’ dead drunk somewhere. Why not give her some time to get in a fix from a big ol’ tab at the pub and then go looking for her?” At Haage’s lighthearted tone, Mariela said “But I don’t know where…” before choking on her words. “What’re you sayin’? You’ve been down in the deepest parts of the Labyrinth, where no one’d been before. Findin’ someone as unforgettable as her would be a piece of cake for you, young lady!” Bam! Haage gave a snappy thumbs-up and a dazzling smile. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right! I don’t need to sit around and wait for my master to come back. If I want to see her, I can go find her myself!” Mariela had traveled across two hundred years and to the very bottom of the Labyrinth. Wherever Freyja was, Mariela could find her. “It’d be impossible by myself, though…” Mariela looked at Sieg, who was standing at her side. “Yeah. You have me. I promised you, right? I’m always be with you. I’ll follow you to the ends of the world.” Mariela saw her face reflected in Sieg’s blue and green eyes. She looked around at all her gathered friends in the garden of Sunlight’s Canopy. At the time of the Stampede, all Mariela had been able to do was escape alone. Now she’d made so many reliable friends, and she had Sieg at her side. Mariela took the hand Sieg offered to her, and they locked eyes. “Shall we go look for Lady Frey?” With Sieg, Mariela knew they could reach her master, even if she was hiding. Sieg smiled, and Mariela gazed back at him, feeling hopeful. She’d completely gotten her energy back, and she beamed with a smile of her own that lit up her face. “Eventually! ’Cause you know, we can see her any time. Now that I think about it, that darn master is such a handful! I wanna go to a lot of different places and do lots of things with you, Sieg!” “Oh, Mariela—” Mariela’s unexpectedly proactive proposal had caused Sieg’s voice to jump an octave. Apparently, even he needed some more training. Someone calling that more meat was ready brought the two out of their own little world and back to the rear garden of Sunlight’s Canopy. “Let’s go, Sieg.” At Mariela’s invitation, Sieg took a step forward with her. Toward the place they belonged. The place they’d built in the Labyrinth City and would defend with their lives. “Aah, Guildmaster, you’re here skipping out on work again!” “W-wait! I haven’t had any meat yet!” “It’s lunchtime, so your wife will have a boxed lunch for you. Or do you want me to tattle?” “I don’t remember trainin’ you to be a snitch!” Haage had been discovered slacking off at a party, and the Adventurers Guild staff members dragged him back to work just before he got his hands on some food. Some things really never changed. Laughing, Mariela waved to Haage, then surveyed the garden and shifted her focus to the huge tree creating shadowy spots. Sieg also looked up, following Mariela’s eyes. The branches of the sacred tree climbed toward the sky. Its many arms and leaves swayed, adrift in the clear blue sky like decorations. Commonplace, trifling, wonderful days. Suddenly, a leaf from the sacred tree gently fell and landed on the top of Mariela’s head. The spirits weren’t visible, but Mariela had the feeling that Illuminaria and Endalsia were smiling tenderly from within the sunlight pouring down through the canopy.
Chapter 191
68 min read