episode_0036

After having breakfast, I stepped outside the mansion into the garden to bask in the sunlight for a moment.

Guests are likely to arrive by today, so it wouldn’t be wise to go into the labyrinth.

And yesterday… I was somewhat engulfed in darkness.

“Sir.”

Sitting in the garden for a while, Rinde approached with a tray of tea.

“Oh, thank you.”

I took the tea and had a sip.

It’s slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness at the end.

Did we have this kind of tea at our house?

“Well… about yesterday.”

I hesitated a bit, but I decided to apologize first.

“I must have been emotionally strained. I said some harsh words. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Rinde replied immediately.

“No, still… I don’t think you’re not important to me. If possible, I want to succeed in bringing Pratia back and continue living with you all. That’s sincere.”

…”

Rinde’s demeanor cooled off a bit.

Or maybe it’s because the morning air is still crisp.

Either way, to dispel the slight chill, I took another sip of tea.

“It’s good tea.”

“Yes? Oh, right. It’s a special tea.”

“What kind of tea is it?”

“It was given to me by my master.”

“Your master? Ah, right… You’re a witch, I remember now.”

Languid.

“A witch in training… was it.”

A woman who wants to become a witch seeks out a witch she admires to learn magic.

That’s the only way to become a witch.

What was the difference between a female wizard and a witch again…

The sunlight lazily shines…

“Yes. Are you feeling sleepy by any chance?”

“Uh… well… when the guests… arrive… wake me up…”

I couldn’t hold back my drooping eyelids.

***

“Sigh.”

I opened my eyes again.

Looking at the sky, the sun is at its zenith.

It seems like I took a nap after a long time.

Rinde… she must have left by now.

But then, hasn’t anyone arrived yet?

I thought Dimitri would send someone by mid-morning.

“Ugh…”

Stretching as I got up from the chair.

After a long time, taking a nap feels refreshing.

I feel cool and light.

Loosening up my body, I went back into the mansion.

“…?”

Some activity seems to be happening in the reception room.

I walked over there and opened the door.

“Hmm? Mr. Rashwood?”

“You’ve finally arrived.”

“You two…”

In the reception room, I saw two familiar faces.

Griam, the Vice Guild Master of the Labyrinth City Mage Guild, with a full beard, wearing a blue hat and cloak.

And Lamie, the Alchemy Guild Master, with slightly dark vibes, white hair, covered by a semi-transparent black cloth, revealing violet eyes, exuding a peculiar atmosphere.

Both of them are people I know.

“When did you both arrive?”

“Well… about two hours ago?”

Lamie said.

“What? Seriously…”

I turned my head to Rinde, who was sitting across from them.

“If they came, couldn’t you have woken me up? I told you.”

“Me? Did you say that?”

“Huh?”

I’m pretty sure I mentioned it.

Was it too soft for her to hear?

“Well, never mind. Is your visit related to bringing monsters from the labyrinth underground?”

“That’s correct. We’ve been quite busy with this and that, so we haven’t been able to visit often. But since a good opportunity arose, here we are.”

Griam stood up from his chair and walked towards me.

…He has aged quite a bit too.

“I apologize for not coming often. Mr. Rashwood.”

Griam reached out his hand to me.

“You’re the Vice Guild Master of the Labyrinth City Mage Guild. I understand things have been chaotic.”

I shook his hand.

I first met Griam 30 years ago when he was just an ordinary mage and adventurer who didn’t stand out much.

However, his diligence, working twice or thrice as hard as others, was commendable. I helped him here and there, and before I knew it, he entered the Mage Guild and eventually became a middle-ranking officer.

Since then, as Griam mentioned, we haven’t met frequently.

From then on, I ended up working at the guild instead of going into the labyrinth, so it’s only natural.

It’s been about 10 or 20 years since then, but at that age, it wouldn’t be strange for an adventurer to retire.

“I’m truly grateful that you understand. Mr. Lashwood… you’re still the same as ever. You haven’t changed a bit…”

Yearning and a hint of nostalgia welled up in Gryam’s eyes.

“You brat. Have you become quite the giant?”

I lightly thumped his chest with my fist.

“You used to carry around a stuffy nose because you studied magic until late at night.”

“Oh, back then, that was true. Really… it was.”

“Hey, crying?”

“What? Oh, like this. These days, it happens occasionally. I must have shown an ugly sight.”

“No, it looks good. Sometimes you have to look back.”

“Hehehe… Mr. Lashwood, do you do that too?”

Lamie asked.

“You probably do it less than you.”

The Alchemy Guild Master of the Labyrinth City.

A behemoth who controls all the potions in this city.

Even she started from a small corner with just a handful of people.

Not even ten years old, a messy girl with a repulsive face trying to force potions on me feels like it happened just yesterday…

And now that kid is the guild master after twenty-something years.

Moreover, the atmosphere has completely changed.

Well, to become a guild master at such a young age, she must have seen all kinds of things…

“Anyway, except for me, did you proceed with the story? I’m really disappointed.”

I sat down in the empty seat next to Rinde.

“After all, Mr. Lashwood doesn’t know much about magic, right? Or… do you have your own knowledge in some way?”

“A little? Well, I don’t have the talent to intervene in your stories anyway.”

I did try to learn magic once.

But I quickly gave up.

For the Eboni tribe, our resistance to magic was so strong that learning magic was difficult.

Since practical application was almost impossible, just learning theory didn’t spark any enthusiasm.

“Oh, Rinde seems to have a great interest in magic.”

“Oh, I was really surprised. It’s my first time talking to a witch of this level up close, so I was a bit excited.”

Lamie and Gryam said.

“Really? …Oh, is that so? Rinde.”

“Yes?”

“How did you learn magic? The Eboni tribe has very high magical resistance.”

Is it possible because you’re a half-blood?

Even if that’s the case, fundamentally, your resistance should be much higher than others.

How did you learn magic strong enough to kill a dragon with that resistance?

“The witchcraft I learned is a bit different. In fact, the higher your magical resistance, the more advantageous it is.”

“Huh, there’s magic like that? If I knew such a thing existed, I would have tried it sooner.”

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Lashwood, you’re a man, right? Men can’t learn witchcraft.”

“That’s true. Well, enough chit-chat. So, have you found any clues?”

“Thanks to the help of both of you, we seem to have caught a thread.”

“Oh? Really?”

Honestly, I didn’t expect you to have figured something out already.

“What is it?”

“Ms. Pratia is a monster subservient to the labyrinth, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“So, I thought maybe we could leave her body there and send only her soul over here.”

“…?”

“It sounds far-fetched, but the possibility isn’t entirely nonexistent.”

Lamie said.

“By slightly adjusting the recipe for Ether potions, the Alchemy Guild’s specialty, we might be able to draw out the opponent’s soul.”

“That… isn’t that like necromancy?”

Manipulating souls is a characteristic of necromancy.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not necromancy.”

This time, Gryam explained.

Of course, manipulating souls is undoubtedly necromancy and taboo, but that applies only to living beings. Extracting and pulling out ethereal bodies from natural objects is a monopoly of the Alchemy Guild. This right is recognized even by the Mage Tower.

“Natural objects… the opponent is… ah.”

Monsters and creatures.

Monsters are distorted entities whose origins have been corroded by magic.

For 100 years, during the war against demons for survival, they considered themselves quite knowledgeable about their ecology.

Demons are entities where natural elements have been eroded by magic, transforming them into creatures resembling monsters.

In essence, demons exist at the boundary between living and non-living entities.

On the other hand, monsters are purely composed of magic, appearing alive outwardly but essentially being inanimate objects.

“So, you plan to transform Fratia into something like a soul and bring her out of the labyrinth?”

“The basic idea is that.”

“While the theory sounds plausible, is it realistic?”

“We don’t have time to verify that.”

“The time constraint is too tight.”

Lemia shrugged her shoulders.

“It would take at least half a year to verify, but you want it done within 100 days.”

“But you readily accepted the task.”

“The Lord offered very radical conditions. The specifics are a secret.”

“Even though the Mage Guild promised substantial rewards and support, I would have pursued this personally even without such incentives. There hasn’t been such bold research on labyrinths and monsters before. Especially after the Retributors…”

“…”

In-depth research on the labyrinth was halted following the Retributors’ annihilation.

Laws were enacted to prevent entry beyond the 40th floor, making deep exploration impossible.

While strong adventurers could enter without repercussions since no one would see them, the Mage Guild had many watchful eyes.

For thorough investigation, capable and intelligent individuals must be sent to dangerous places, with a significant number of guards accompanying them.

“The Retributors…”

Originally, they intended to hold a funeral for those dolls right away, but it seems they’ll have to wait a bit longer.

What we aim to do is bring the monsters from the 50th floor of the labyrinth, where the Retributors died.

Sorry, but please wait a little longer.

“That was 20 years ago. Rashwood was there at the time too, right?”

“Yeah. Well, Pratia wasn’t the one who killed the Retributors.”

“It’s strange.”

Ramiel said, “Why would such a girl be in the depths of the labyrinth…”

“I hope we can investigate that this time.”

“Anyway, the important thing is to bring her here somehow.”

“Yes. The Lord emphasized that.”

Dmitri…

Although our relationship is strained now, having Pratia as a link might mend things somehow.

Perhaps time will help her come to terms with reality and her feelings towards me.

“By the way, if I fail, I have to live in the 50th floor of the labyrinth for ten years after 100 days.”

“…What?”

“What did you just say…?”

Did Dmitri not mention that part?

“W-Wait a moment! Mr. Rashwood!”

Ramiel, who had maintained a dignified attitude until now, slammed the table and stood up abruptly.

And she called him Mr. Rashwood.

What an unexpected nickname.

“What’s that supposed to mean?! Ten years in the labyrinth?!”

“That’s the promise we made. I also owe my life to Pratia.”

“T-That’s… That’s… Oh…”

Ramiel blushed so intensely that even through the cloth covering her face, it was evident to everyone who had gathered around her.

The girl mentioned in the first 30 lines has quite a cute reaction.

“What’s wrong? Is Mr. Rashwood causing you that much concern?”

“N-No, it’s not that, um…”

“Haha, you’re not that different from the old days!”

I laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.

I felt a bit better.

Yes.

People change, but some things remain constant.

“…”

So, Linde, please refrain from giving Ramiel those kinds of looks.

If we really think about it, Ramiel was the one who started it.