120 Irmhild's homecoming
A quiet rural village.
That was my first impression. Blue sky. Mountains spread out in the distance. A flowing stream.
I almost thought that I had been transported with Claudia and had come out of the labyrinth. But she isn't really like that.
“Is this a wall?”
Ashley reaches out to the other side of the wooden fence, the border between the village and the outside world, and lightly strokes the seemingly empty space. The current location is the entrance to the village. There are stairs behind us.
"That's an outer wall, or rather, a tent. The outside scenery is reflected on the inside of the tent. This section was originally a section for growing crops. You could say it's the most suitable for living in."
Claudia answers.
yes. The distant view itself is the outer wall that divides the sections of the labyrinth. Seraphina looks amused as she touches the tent and climbs to the top.
If that's the case, this place is definitely inside the labyrinth.
Even the mountains visible in the distance. The sky that spreads out above my head was also the same as the scenery displayed on the monitor.
Apparently, a village was built inside a large dome-shaped space. The scenery was projected onto the tent, and at first glance it looked like it was outside.
You could call it some sort of illusion, but recreating something similar to this outside the labyrinth would be impossible to maintain on a constant scale on this scale.
"First, let me make something clear."
Claudia narrowed her eyes and said. Ahead of his line of sight was Irmhild, who was looking into the depths of the village and looking restless. Sheila is gently cuddling with me.
"Irmhild. You probably think you're the same as the monster in the labyrinth, but that's not the case. You...no. The residents of this village originally came from outside a long time ago... …And you were born here and grew up here to a certain age, that’s all.”
"……Really?"
"Yeah. So no matter what the monsters in the labyrinth are like... something about you will never waver. Understand that. I'll explain it step by step."
Irmhild nods with a mysterious look on her face.
"So... this section and the monsters within it are different from others in terms of their role and structure. They won't attack you, so don't attack them."
Claudia had a serious look in her eyes as she told us that. Rather than telling Irmhild, she reminded all of us. Although it seemed more like a plea than an order.
When we nodded, Claudia seemed to be satisfied with that, and she took the lead and walked into the village. We also followed Claudia.
It is true that this is the village where Irmhild lived, but guiding her here will also mean disclosing some of the secrets of the labyrinth.
The village was truly an ``ordinary rural village'', true to its appearance. However, all the residents are monsters.
There are a variety of different types of monsters, but in general, they are all monsters that have a friendly attitude toward humans.
A centaur who was working in the fields recognized us and gave us a suspicious look. However, when Claudia lightly raises her hand to show that there is no problem, he gives a small nod and returns to his work. I wonder what it is? If Claudia's words are correct, it's probably not a fake thing... but I feel like calling it naive is a little off.
“Those kids are people who have accepted being here.”
Claudia says quietly.
“Are you accepting it?”
When I asked, Claudia nodded.
"Or rather, you're afraid to go outside now. Hmm. First of all, I guess I need to explain the difference between those kids and the monsters in the labyrinth."
Yes, that's right. The monsters in the labyrinth are different from normal ones.
The monsters that fearlessly come toward us--their very thought forms are different from normal monsters. In a sense, it could be said to be more ferocious than the monsters outside.
"...I think you've noticed that the monsters in the labyrinth are different from normal ones. They're soldiers who follow the labyrinth and defend it. It's best to say they're dolls with no souls."
"Doll... huh?"
“Is it strange?”
“Well, that is.”
It's okay to say that those things are like monster dolls...but where on earth do the resources that are generated almost infinitely come from?
"If you have a huge amount of magical power, it's not impossible to create a meat vessel. Homunculus, healing magic, etc."
Claudia answered my question.
I see... magic power is a resource. Now, let's talk about where that magical power comes from.
I don't think I should ask Claudia too much, but I can't stop thinking about all sorts of things after hearing it.
One possible possibility is that the labyrinth is linked to the movement of celestial bodies, so it collects the magical power of the moon and stars. Or perhaps the goddess Shuas, someone comparable to her, or something like the labyrinth's core exists deep within the labyrinth, and is it being supplied by it?
It's hard to imagine that Claudia is creating soldiers. There doesn't seem to be much freedom in the labyrinth.
Did Irmhild's memories gradually come back to her as she walked? He gradually becomes faster.
"father, mother!"
It seemed like he had found his home in the village, and in the end he ran out completely and jumped into a house. We followed her and entered her house.
There was a couple, Naga and Lamia. He looked at Irmhild with a surprised look on his face. Lamia is lying on her bed and her complexion doesn't look very good.
"Irum..."
"Mom..."
With a soft smile, she welcomed Irmhild and hugged her.
Irmhild buried her face in her parents' chest and let out a sob. His parents - smiling kindly.
The parents' reaction to seeing each other after a long period of time was rather indifferent. That being said, it doesn't seem like he has any hatred towards Irmhild. If you look closely, you can see that both of them had tears in the corners of their eyes.
The same goes for the reactions of the villagers earlier...but should we consider the range of joy, anger, and sadness to be extremely small?
"...Shall we talk a little more?"
Claudia tilts her head and says.
Irmhild's reunion with her parents is something only Irmhild can do. There's no need for us to watch. As long as she's not in danger, that's fine.
Behind Irmhild's house. Claudia moved to a sunny patch of grass by the stream and settled down there. We will follow her example.
...It's so quiet that I forget that I'm inside the labyrinth.
"The residents of this village... are the descendants of monsters who fled into the labyrinth because they were afraid of fighting with humans. However, the monsters in the labyrinth move to eliminate outsiders. The village residents are no exception. Have you seen the bracelets worn by the residents of ?
……by the way. They were all wearing similar bracelets.
"That's a cursed tool. In exchange for reducing the range of emotions, it is meant to prevent the labyrinth from recognizing it as a foreign object. By wearing it and accepting it... it makes life here possible. .But-”
Claudia lets out a small sigh.
"There is a compatibility with everything. Irmhild's magical qualities are not compatible with that cursed tool...As her own consciousness develops as she grows up, it becomes increasingly difficult to hide it in the labyrinth side. I knew this was going to happen because there had been cases in the past."
"So... before it went bankrupt, I made him learn the art of human transformation and let him out of the labyrinth."
Now that I think about it... from the beginning, Irmhild had acquired the knowledge and humanization techniques necessary to live in the Termwills.
Did you anticipate this from the beginning and prepare to go out into the outside world? The reason he didn't give much information was probably because he was afraid that this place would be discovered.
"Irmhild's father can't use the human transformation technique. Irmhild's mother has a weak body due to poor weight gain after giving birth. ... I knew that even if we went out together, she would become a burden."
"...Because you knew that if you sent a homeless child to the Moon Temple, he would be taken care of at an orphanage run by the temple?"
"...That's... yeah, that's right."
There was a moment before he answered. I get the impression that he wasn't sure how to answer.
If the goddess Shuas exists...I think she would use an oracle or something to protect Irmhild. But if you do that... it feels like Shuath's will and the labyrinth administrator's will are different.
...I wonder what it is. I wonder if Sures has nothing to do with it after all? Considering that, Claudia seemed to have a certain degree of confidence that nothing bad would happen regarding Irmhild's treatment. ...Hmm.
“To prevent monsters from coming down from the upper floors. To prevent monsters from coming into this village. If I run out of power to deal with things like that, it will be the end. I had no choice but to learn the techniques and live outside.''
"Then...is there a problem with us being here?"
"It's a problem though. We can manage it for a day or two. You can stay here today."
Claudia glanced at Irmhild's house for a moment and said that.
Well...it's been a long time since we've seen each other again. Is this a courtesy from Claudia?
"If that's the case, should I stay here tonight?"
"That's good. If you don't mind."
"I want to see more of Irmhild's hometown."
It seemed like everyone had no objections.
"Theo. Since there doesn't seem to be any danger, may I ask you to seal it?"
Grace says. That's right. If I were to stay there, I would have to seal Grace.
That's when I took her hand and activated the cursed tool.
I could see that Claudia's eyes widened for a moment. why? Did you see Grace's ring?
I'm also surprised. This is what her mother made. Claudia...Maybe she thought she had to say something in case she reacted, so she shook her head slightly and opened her mouth.
"...I'm sorry. It's a ring with a similar technique to the bracelets of the people living here, so I was a little surprised."
"...They look alike. Indeed, that may be the case."
A ring that seals power by sealing racial characteristics. A bracelet that allows you to escape from being eliminated by the labyrinth by suppressing your emotions.
However, what does it mean that the techniques are similar?
...Claudia looks away awkwardly. Maybe it's a part of her that she doesn't want touched. For example... the history of the technique.
In that case, you shouldn't ask her about it. There's no doubt that she's on my side, and since she doesn't know what's going on, if she tells me about it, her position might get worse. ...Should I change the topic?
"... sea urchin"
"picture?"
Claudia asked back, as if she didn't understand what I was saying.
"I caught some sea urchins. Would you like to eat them with me for dinner tonight?"
"...I don't mind. It's like an octopus eating its own leg."
Claudia smiled bitterly like that.
"Claudia-sama"
Irmhild comes out of the house accompanied by her parents. Seeing Irmhild whose eyes were red from crying, Claudia had a somewhat worried expression on her face.
"...Irmhild. I'm sure you have a grudge against me."
"no"
Irmhild shakes her head.
"I remember. You taught me the art of human transformation, right? You gave me a lute and taught me how to play it so I could use spells, right?"
"..."
Claudia doesn't answer. She just quietly closed her eyes...but maybe that was the truth.
"That's why I'm grateful to Claudia-sama."
"……yes"
Claudia nodded silently.
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