Chapter 407 – The Old Sin

…It seemed that visitors from the outside world were quite rare for them as well. People walking along the streets stopped and looked surprised, and some were peeking from house windows. When our eyes met, they would pull back their faces, and I got the impression that the adults’ reactions leaned more toward being afraid of us.

On the other hand, the reactions of small children might not differ much no matter where you go. Some were watching us with interest from alleyways, while others tried to approach us only to be stopped by what appeared to be their mothers.

“There’s no need to worry. They are my guests.”

“Y-yes.”

When Forset spoke to the mother who had come to retrieve her child, she replied apologetically. I bowed slightly in response, and she returned the gesture.

Perhaps because Forset and Sion were with us, it didn’t seem like people were openly avoiding or rejecting us.

“Please don’t take it too personally. Everyone is afraid of the outside world,” Forset said.

“If they’ve had no opportunity for contact with the outside, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Judging from the residents’ reactions, they didn’t seem like Demons.

This kind of hiding lifestyle and fearful reactions toward intruders would be unlikely given the nature of Demons, to begin with. At the very least, it seemed certain that Forset knew about the King of Ignorance.

“I think it’s because most people here can’t fight, so they’re scared of those who come from outside.”

“…But those who can fight do go outside to hunt and gather.”

“We even asked if we could help too.”

“The real reason was… to chase away anyone who came near the entrance.”

At Sion and the others’ words, Forset closed his eyes.

“We… are here by our own will. But these children are different. If they wish to go outside, I wanted to help fulfill that desire.”

At Forset’s words, Sion and the others looked down with apologetic expressions. They were probably reflecting on their actions.

“…When Sion and the others weren’t around, were you still erasing the memories of intruders?”

“Since most who enter the forest are adventurers… there have been a few, though very rare, who managed to reach Halvaronis until now. In such cases, we erased the memories of those who strayed here and sent them back… but the Raw Materials for the medicine are scarce, and continuing like this indefinitely would be difficult. That’s probably why Sion and the others took such actions.”

So the Barrier wasn’t perfect after all. In reality, it seemed adventurers had come close to Halvaronis as well. Sion and the others’ actions of eliminating them before discovery to save medicine made logical sense.

Eventually, proceeding along the town’s main street, we arrived at the Blue Tower. It appeared to be an important facility, but there was no one standing guard. I supposed peace reigned within Halvaronis.

The building was constructed from dark blue stone. Its surface was smooth like marble.

“Sion, could you go call the elders? I’ll take them to the council chamber and begin our discussion.”

“Understood.”

Sion and the others nodded and quickly walked down the corridor inside the tower.

“Now, this way.”

Forset proceeded in the opposite direction from where Sion and the others had gone. Walking along the corridor corresponding to the tower’s outer perimeter, we were led to a room with a large round table and chairs.

“Please have a seat. I’ll bring some drinks from the next room.”

There was a small room adjacent to the council chamber, from which Forset brought a tea set. There probably weren’t any servants or similar staff. Forset personally prepared the tea. He was likely making it clear in front of everyone that he wasn’t adding any drugs or similar substances since he was preparing it openly. Well… I had countermeasures against Magic Potions, drugs, and Poison anyway, so it wouldn’t be a problem either way.

Once drinks had been distributed to everyone, Forset sat down in a chair.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Forset Frestina, the leader of Halvaronis who oversees the Barrier.”

Saying this, he bowed and raised his head.

“You must have many things you wish to know as well. It will be a long story… but shall we proceed step by step? It connects to matters concerning Sion and the others’ origins as well.”

“Please do. I’ll ask questions if there’s anything I don’t understand.”

Forset nodded.

“First, perhaps we should start with the reason why the people of Nahalbia call us sinners. To begin with, it’s because our ancestors committed a great sin long ago and were exiled from their homeland. ‘Those who betrayed the noble princess of old, cast from the shining capital into the desolate wilderness.’ That is the reason we came to this land.”

…That is…

“…You are descendants of the Moon Folk,” Claudia said quietly.

“You knew that as well? Our ancestors… are said to have betrayed the Moon Princess who sacrificed herself for the world in the distant past.”

“I know. The Frestina family was a clan of civil officials serving the Moon Royal Family. The family head at that time was Hazael, and his daughter was Sheila. When I was young… Sheila used to play with me too.”

When Claudia spoke, Forset’s eyes widened and he half-rose from his seat.

…Right. That makes sense. A city utilizing such advanced Magical Technology would be explainable if its inhabitants were descendants of the Moon Folk. Though I couldn’t tell if they were direct descendants or mixed with surface dwellers.

“…C-could it be… You are—”

“Claudia Shuastrus. That is my name.”

“The ancient…! Noble princess…!”

As Forset moved to prostrate himself after leaving his chair, Claudia stopped him.

“There’s no need for you to bow to me. It wasn’t something you did to begin with… and while the exile of the entire clan was probably decided by the king at the time… that’s quite something. I wonder what happened.”

Urged by Claudia, Forset quietly returned to his chair.

“…Your words are too generous. For His Majesty at that time, it was probably an act of mercy to save more lives. But even after being cast down to the surface, we still released a calamity upon the outside world. We call ourselves sinners as a reminder not to forget that.”

“Is the calamity you speak of the leader of the Demons?”

“…Yes.”

When I asked, Forset nodded with a furrowed brow.

“The betrayal of me… was it about the incident where surface dwellers tried to invade the Labyrinth Core? Did the Frestina family assist with that?”

“There was confusion at the time, but probably so. After the princess—Claudia-sama descended to the surface… it took considerable time for the Magical Storm to subside. I’ve heard that the Moon fell into severe hardship once they could no longer rely on surface supplies. During that period, a genius of Sorcery was born to the Frestina family. That was Ishtulm Frestina.”

Forset closed his eyes.

“Ishtulm… proposed that after enhancing his own power through training, by performing a special ritual, any Moon Folk could draw power from emotions directed toward themselves, such as faith, just like the Moon Royal Family.”

“A Demon…”

Forset quietly nodded at Sheila’s murmur and continued speaking.

“The Moon Folk reportedly split into three factions: those who welcomed this due to material hardship, those who doubted the uncertainty of the ritual… and those who opposed it as sacrilegious for infringing upon the royal family’s mystery. His Majesty at the time was also said to be skeptical of Ishtulm’s words.”

…That makes sense. Ishtulm’s ritual would only threaten the position of the Moon Royal Family.

“The opposition faction also presented counterproposals based on research. That the Magical Storm might have already been calmed by the Labyrinth’s power. And… if that were true, Ishtulm probably thought the Labyrinth was no longer needed. Ishtulm—is said to have interfered with the surface to push through his own claims.”

“Was that—the seizure of the Labyrinth’s Deep Floor?”

“Yes.”

The idea was to make people dependent on Ishtulm’s Technique by stopping or destroying the Labyrinth, thus solving the Moon’s hardship.

Conversely, if things had been left to follow their natural course, Ishtulm might have been seen as a nuisance by the Moon Royal Family and the opposition faction.

Become the hero who saves everyone from hardship, or wait passively and go with the flow. Ishtulm chose to become called a hero, even if it meant dirtying his hands.

Or perhaps… he might have already known what results his proposed ritual would bring. That he intended to… supplant the Royal Family.

“And when the matter came to light, Ishtulm was executed. Those who sided with him were also driven from the Moon capital into the wilderness teeming with Monsters. We are… their descendants.”

…Forset called the exile the king’s mercy. If so, perhaps the opposition faction wanted heavier punishment. Leaving resentment with half-hearted treatment could lead to political instability later. With hardship, population reduction was also necessary. That’s probably why it became exile to spare the innocent… right?

Forset sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head as if confessing his own sin.