We’d passed through a corridor hidden by an illusory wall, survived the hallway that prohibited our weapons, and bested the powerful gatekeepers specially designed for intruders. We’d reached the depths of the labyrinth, an area that no normal human could even hope to reach. What’s so special about the Nursery that’s so tightly guarded beyond this door?
“Fresa-san, Apple-san, I’m gonna open the door,” Datil said.
“Go for it,” she replied.
Thump...
Datil pushed on the door, it suddenly disappeared, and...
“H-Huh?! Whaaat?! What’s going on?” Fresa screamed.
We now found the door, closed, behind us. What’s going on here?
“I’m not sure. When did we go through? I didn’t even hear it close shut!” Datil said.
“Th-This place gives me the creeps! Let’s hurry up and get out of here!” Gruszka yelped.
With puzzled looks on their faces, the three proceeded down the hallway. After a short while, we saw a bright light at the end of the passage.
“Huh?! Are we...outside of the labyrinth?” Datil said.
“But we should be in the desert!” Fresa replied.
“W-We did it! We made it out!” Gruszka crowed.
A blue sky, grassy meadow, flowing river, and trees swaying in the wind appeared in front of us. For a split second, I thought we made it outside too—but that’s not it!
“Can you tell, Furutsu?” Grida asked.
Yeah. This is all fake, isn’t it?
“Every part of it is creeping me out.”
I agree. The wind blowing in our faces is so unnerving that I just want to get out of here.
“Seems like we made it out,” Datil said.
“The wind feels great!” Fresa exclaimed.
I guess you two haven’t realized how clearly off-putting this is. Is this the Nursery then?
“Yay, we’re outside! We made it!” Gruszka said, running off in joy.
“Wait up! Do you not understand your position here?” Datil said, chasing after him.
“Datil! Wait!” Fresa said sharply. Datil turned around at once, but Gruszka wasn’t even listening.
Gruszka’s still running and running and...oh, he tripped.
“What’s wrong, Fresa-san?”
“Apple-san seems to be on edge.”
You’re as observant as always. I have no idea how you can tell, but you’re right; Grida and I are on high alert. This place is filled with malicious intent. So much so that “creepy vibes” don’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling here.
“Apple-san, what’s the matter? Is something wrong with this place?” Datil asked.
I don’t know. But I do understand that it’s supposed to have some special meaning. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t have been forced to remove all our weapons, much less been greeted by those powerful gatekeepers.
“Furutsu, be careful! Someone’s coming!” Grida said. Surprised, I glanced around.
When did he run that far? Gruszka was already a good distance away, and in front of him was a man and a woman. There’s people here?!
“Fresa-san, are those the things we just defeated?!”
“We can’t make it in time from this distance!”
Great, you two noticed. But even though you guys have boosted abilities, it seems like you can’t see clearly from that far away. They’re obviously humans, and Gruszka’s talking with them.
“I’ll go first. Cell Manipulation!”
“Be careful, okay?”
Datil ran toward Gruszka as fast as he could. You say mean things, but you’re really nice after all.
“Apple-san, we should go too!” Fresa said, and she took off in pursuit.
Datil’s already next to Gruszka and he...sheathed his sword? So they aren’t enemies after all.
“Whew, I guess we’re safe,” Fresa said, realizing the change in the air. We slowed down and approached the group.
“I see, you came from that door! You must have been through quite a lot.”
“I simply cannot believe humans would emerge from that door!”
It seemed like Datil and Gruszka were mid-conversation with the two strangers.
“My name is Okhar. I’m the leader of Rhuvae Village,” the man said.
“I’m his wife, Noix. Welcome.” The couple smiled at us.
“Rhuvae? That name doesn’t ring a bell at all. What’s the name of the closest town from here?” Gruszka asked.
“Pardon?”
“Closest...town?”
The couple looked at each other in confusion before both cocking their heads to the side. “We don’t quite understand your question. What is a ‘town’?”
...Huh?
“Ummm, like, don’t travelers or merchants come to your village?” Fresa asked.
“Travel? Traveling merchants?”
It seems they’re not understanding Fresa either.
“My husband and I haven’t seen any other humans aside from the residents of our village. Are there more people beyond that door?” Noix asked.
What? This is starting to sound a bit complicated.
“That’s not good! We must hurry and bring them in here! How many people are outside? Two? Three? You will all be safe here. We have ample food and work available,” Okhar said.
“Wait just a second. What are you guys talking about? You haven’t interacted with anyone else outside of your village?” Gruszka said. “At a glance, this land seems to be surrounded by several mountains.”
The couple looked at each other with doubt.
“Your words don’t make sense to me. Rhuvae Village is the only thing in this world,” Okhar said.
“This is a place of paradise created by our god, the Great Gaokerena. Only chaos and darkness rule beyond that door—it’s Hell. Are you not those who were left behind, unable to be saved by our lord and lost to Hell? You’re the descendants of the abandoned, who managed to survive in their good fortune. Are we wrong?” Noix said, lowering her voice.
We’ve heard that name, Gaokerena, a countless number of times before we got here. That might be the owner of this labyrinth, and the World Tree. But what do they mean by “abandoned”?
“A long time ago, the world was Hell, ruled by chaos and darkness, overflowing with demons. To save the humans who had to live alongside fear, despair, and meaningless death, the Great Gaokerena created this paradise of Rhuvae Village,” Okhar said.
“It’s said that the Great Gaokerena then sent their messengers to Hell, hoping to lead people to this paradise,” Noix said.
“As far as I know, none have been led here in decades. I had thought that the abandoned citizens had all perished.”
I see. Messengers leading people... I think I’m getting an idea.