Chapter 126 – Irmhild's Return Home

A peaceful rural village.

That was my first impression. Blue skies. Distant mountains stretching into the horizon. A flowing stream.

For a moment I thought we had teleported out of the labyrinth with Claudia. But that wasn’t the case.

“Is this… a wall?”

Ashley reached toward the boundary between the village and the outside world—beyond the wooden fence—and gently brushed against what appeared to be empty space. We were currently at the village entrance. Behind us stood a staircase.

“That would be the outer wall, or rather, the tent. The outside scenery is projected onto the interior of the tent. This section… was originally intended for growing crops. You could say it’s the most suitable for living quarters.”

Claudia answered.

Right. The distant landscape itself served as the outer wall partitioning the labyrinth sections. Seraphina climbed up the tent with interest, touching it as she went.

…If that’s the case, then we’re definitely still inside the labyrinth.

The mountains visible in the distance. The sky spreading overhead—all of it was identical to the scenery displayed on the monitor.

Apparently, the village was constructed inside a large dome-shaped space. With the scenery projected onto the tent, it gave the appearance of being outside at first glance.

You could call it a form of illusion magic, but reproducing something like this outside the labyrinth—maintaining it permanently on this scale would be impossible.

“First, there’s something I need to make clear.”

Narrowing her eyes, Claudia spoke. Her gaze was fixed on Irmhild, who was looking toward the back of the village with an unsettled expression. Sheila was gently staying close to her.

“Irmhild. You might think you’re the same as the labyrinth monsters, but that’s incorrect. You… no. The residents of this village originally came from outside long ago… and you were born here and raised to a certain age, that’s all.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. So regardless of what the labyrinth monsters are like… nothing about you yourself is unstable. Please understand that. I’ll explain everything in order.”

Irmhild nodded with a solemn expression.

“So… this section and the monsters within it have a different role and origin compared to others. They won’t attack you, so please don’t initiate any attacks.”

Claudia’s gaze was serious as she told us this. It felt less like she was speaking to Irmhild and more like she was emphasizing this to all of us. It seemed more like a plea than a command.

When we nodded, Claudia appeared satisfied and took the lead, walking into the village. We followed behind her.

Certainly, this was the village where Irmhild lived, but bringing us here also meant revealing some of the labyrinth’s secrets.

The village—true to its appearance, was exactly an “ordinary rural village.” However, all its residents were monsters.

Though they were various types of monsters—they were all from species generally friendly toward humans.

A Centaur working in the fields noticed us and showed a puzzled expression. But when Claudia raised her hand slightly to indicate there was no problem, it gave a small bow and returned to its work. What was it? If Claudia’s words were correct, they weren’t artificial… but “simple and honest” didn’t seem quite right either.

“Those children are ones who have accepted being here.”

Claudia said quietly.

“Accepted?”

When I asked, Claudia nodded.

“Or rather, they’re afraid to go outside now. Well then. First, I should probably explain the difference between those children and the labyrinth monsters.”

Right, that’s true. Labyrinth monsters are different from normal ones.

Monsters that charge forward without fear—their very thought patterns differ from ordinary monsters. In a way, you could say they’re more ferocious than outside monsters.

“…I think you’ve noticed that labyrinth monsters are different from normal ones. They’re soldiers that perform defense according to the labyrinth’s will. Dolls without souls is the most accurate description.”

“Dolls… huh.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Well, that’s…”

Even if we accept that they’re like monster dolls… where does the nearly infinite resource to create them come from?

“With vast magical power, creating vessels of flesh isn’t impossible. Like homunculi, or healing magic.”

Claudia answered my question.

I see… so magical power itself is the resource. That leads to the question of where that magical power comes from.

I thought I probably shouldn’t interrogate Claudia too thoroughly, but now that I’ve been told, I can’t help but let my thoughts wander.

Possible explanations—since the labyrinth synchronizes with celestial movements, it might gather magical power from the moon and stars. Or perhaps there truly is something like the goddess Shuath or an equivalent being, or a labyrinth core deep within the labyrinth that supplies the power.

It also seems unlikely that Claudia is creating the soldiers herself. She doesn’t appear to have much freedom regarding the labyrinth either.

As we walked, Irmhild seemed to gradually recover her memories. Her pace quickened.

“Father! Mother!”

She apparently spotted her house from within the village, finally breaking into a full run and rushing into one of the homes. We followed her and entered the house to find—

A Naga and Lamia couple there. They were looking at Irmhild with surprised expressions. The Lamia was lying on a bed and didn’t look very well.

“Irm…”

“Mother…!”

With a soft smile, she welcomed Irmhild and embraced her.

Irmhild buried her face in her parents’ chests, letting out sobs. Her parents—were smiling gently.

For a reunion after such a long period—her parents’ reactions were somewhat reserved. That said, they didn’t appear to harbor any dislike toward Irmhild. Looking closer, both had tears welling in the corners of their eyes.

Like the villagers’ reactions earlier… should I interpret this as their emotional range being very narrow?

“…Shall we talk a bit more?”

Tilting her head slightly, Claudia spoke.

Irmhild’s reunion with her parents—was Irmhild’s alone. There was no need for us to watch. As long as she wasn’t in danger, that should be fine.

Behind Irmhild’s house. We moved to a sunny spot on the grass by the stream, where Claudia settled down. We followed her example.

…It’s so peaceful you could almost forget we’re inside a labyrinth.

“The residents of this village… are descendants of monsters who fled into the labyrinth, afraid of conflict with humans. But the labyrinth monsters move to eliminate outsiders. The village residents are no exception. Did you see the bracelets all the residents wear?”

…Now that you mention it. Everyone was wearing similar bracelets.

“That’s a Cursed Tool. In exchange for reducing emotional fluctuations, it prevents them from being recognized as foreign objects by the labyrinth. By wearing it and accepting it… the residents can live here. But—”

Claudia let out a small sigh.

“There’s compatibility in everything, you see. Irmhild’s magical aptitude was incompatible with that Cursed Tool… and as her own consciousness developed with growth, it became increasingly difficult to conceal her from the labyrinth side. We knew because there had been cases in the past.”

“So… before it broke down, you had her learn the Humanization Spell and sent her out of the labyrinth.”

Come to think of it… from the beginning, Irmhild had somehow acquired the necessary knowledge to live in Termwills and the Humanization Spell.

They had anticipated this and prepared for her to go out into the outside world. The reason they didn’t provide much information was probably because they feared this place would be discovered.

“Irmhild’s father can’t use the Humanization Spell. Irmhild’s mother has been weak since a difficult postpartum recovery… They knew they would become a burden if they went out together.”

“…And you knew that if you sent a child without relatives to the Moon Temple, they would be protected in the temple-operated orphanage?”

“…That—yes, that’s correct.”

There was a slight pause before her response. It gave the impression she was unsure how to answer.

If the goddess Shuath exists… I’d think she’d protect Irmhild through an oracle or something. But that would make it seem like Shuath’s will and the labyrinth management’s will are different.

…What is it? Could it be that Shuath actually has nothing to do with this? Yet despite that, Claudia’s responses suggested she was somewhat confident that nothing bad would happen to Irmhild… Hmm.

“Things like preventing monsters from descending from upper floors. Or stopping monsters from spawning within this village. If my power reached its limits with those countermeasures, that would be the end. So we had no choice but to have her learn the Humanization Spell and let her live outside.”

“In that case… is our being here problematic?”

“It is problematic. But I can suppress it for a day or two. It’s fine to stay here today.”

Claudia said this while glancing sideways at Irmhild’s house for a moment.

Well… it’s a parent-child reunion after a long time. This must be Claudia’s kindness.

“In that case, shall we stay here tonight?”

“That would be nice. If it’s not too much trouble.”

“I want to see more of Irmhild’s hometown.”

No one seemed to have any objections.

“Then Theo. Since there doesn’t seem to be any danger, could I ask you to do the seal?”

Grace said. Right. If we’re staying, we should probably apply Grace’s seal.

When I took her hand and activated the Cursed Tool.

I noticed Claudia’s eyes widen for a moment. Why? Was it because she saw Grace’s ring?

I’m equally surprised. This is something my mother made. Claudia… did she feel she had to say something since she reacted? She shook her head slightly and spoke.

“…I’m sorry. It’s just that the ring has a Spell Formula similar to the bracelets worn by residents here, so I was a bit surprised.”

“…Similar. Yes, that might be true.”

A ring that seals power by suppressing racial characteristics. And a bracelet that escapes the labyrinth’s elimination by suppressing emotions.

But what does it mean that their Spell Formulas are similar?

…Claudia was awkwardly averting her gaze. Perhaps it’s something she doesn’t want to discuss. For example… the origin of the Spell Formula.

Then I shouldn’t press her about it. She’s definitely on our side, and since I don’t understand the circumstances, talking about it might put her in a difficult position… I should change the subject.

“…Sea urchins.”

“Eh?”

As if she didn’t understand what I was saying, Claudia asked back.

“I gathered some sea urchins. Would you like to eat them together for tonight’s dinner?”

“…I don’t mind. It’s like an octopus eating its own legs, isn’t it?”

Claudia smiled wryly.

“Claudia-sama.”

Irmhild emerged from the house accompanied by her parents. Seeing Irmhild with reddened eyes from crying, Claudia showed a somewhat uneasy expression.

“…Irmhild. I’m sure you must resent me.”

“No.”

Irmhild shook her head.

“I remembered. You taught me the Humanization Spell, didn’t you? You gave me a Lute and taught me how to play so I could use Cursed Melodies, right?”

“……”

Claudia didn’t answer. She merely closed her eyes quietly… but that probably meant it was true.

“So I’m grateful to you, Claudia-sama.”

“…I see.”

Claudia nodded quietly.