Chapter 302 – Towards the Full Moon Night

“This is… quite the masterwork,” Viola murmured admiringly as she examined Lazaro’s greatsword.

Ah. So it really was a fine piece after all. I wonder if breaking it was problematic.

After finishing our business at the Adventurer Guild, we had immediately brought it to the workshop.

“We encountered various things in the labyrinth. I’d like to have this sword repaired – is it possible?”

“I’ll give it a try. I can’t believe I get to handle such a fine weapon.”

Viola cheerfully carried the greatsword into the adjacent room. Hmm. With that attitude, she’ll probably be able to repair it. As she left, Grace returned carrying a tea set on a tray.

Well then, let’s have a leisurely conversation over tea.

“So you went to the Blazing Fortress? What happened there?” Alfred asked, tilting his head as I took a breather while drinking the tea Grace had prepared.

“Well, do you know about the Mirror Knight Lazaro?”

“Ah. That story has been passed down in the Verdgar royal family.”

“It seems they transplanted Lazaro’s memories and combat skills into a magical creature to serve as a guardian for the Orb.”

When I said this, Alfred’s eyes widened.

“He apparently wanted to test whether I was worthy of entrusting with the Orb, so we had a sparring match to gauge my skills,” Rosemary added by way of explanation.

“I see… So that’s why Theo-kun fought him.”

“It was like this – he stopped the sword’s movement, then pinched it with his shield and snapped it from below,” Sheila explained with gestures.

“…Well now. If I kept being surprised by everything Theo-kun does, I’d never survive… But still, that was quite something to do to an opponent like that.”

“I think at the end, he was also going all-in to win. He probably intended to break my ribs around there and finish me off.”

If he had been using feints or maintaining the flexibility to change tactics based on my movements, it would have been difficult to deliberately break his sword.

“And so, regarding who likely left Lazaro’s shadow behind… I believe it might have been one of the Seven Sages who cooperated with Verdgar.”

Old Sigmund stroked his beard when I broached the subject.

“Can we hear from that person?”

“I believe we can. However, it seems he doesn’t retain many memories unrelated to combat. Since there’s also the shadow of the Verdgar king from that time, he said he’d like you to hear the story from him once the seal is broken.”

“Oh?”

“From my perspective… I’m wondering if such techniques for creating magical creatures still exist in Silvatoria. While we could create an outpost of the Blazing Fortress outside the labyrinth to allow them to leave… I think the best outcome would be for both Lazaro and the former king to be released from the labyrinth and be able to live ordinary lives after fulfilling their duties.”

At my words, Old Sigmund nodded as if convinced. He and Valentina both wore somewhat happy expressions.

The same goes for Claudia. If the Seven Sages used the labyrinth’s mechanisms to create the seal, then researching their techniques and spell formulas should be useful not only for Lazaro and the others, but also for Claudia’s liberation.

“In that case, I’d be happy to cooperate.”

“If we’re talking about techniques for creating such unique magical creatures, would they be in the ancient documents stored in the treasure room?” Valentina said after a moment’s thought.

“Most likely. If the Seven Sages were involved in sealing the demon within the labyrinth, then sealing-related techniques would probably be treated as secret arts.”

“When His Majesty Eberhart returns, it seems we’ll need to head to Vinesdora as well,” the two of them began discussing arrangements for that time.

Since Zadias and Volheim likely have information too, we’ll probably need to visit Vinesdora ourselves.

For now, let’s have them take a look at today’s harvest of magic stones and such.

“And… these are today’s spoils.”

I placed the Lava Chimera’s magic stone and other items we brought back on the table.

“My, my. To bring back such magic stones. Encountering such formidable creatures so readily is characteristic of the Boundary Labyrinth… but no, it’s only possible because you’re here to defeat them.”

“I should add that the monster that housed this magic stone was defeated by Sir Lazaro, so I didn’t actually fight it,” I clarified.

It seems we still need to collect a few more magic stones for the airship construction. Well, let’s continue exploring the labyrinth at this pace.

When we returned home, Justia the Siren and Dominique the Harpy had come to visit.

It was about the upcoming full moon performance. Since Irmhild had been out with us in Silvatoria, they needed to practice together.

I worked on deciphering Mother’s notes while listening to their performance in the game room. It seemed they were practicing a new song.

Clear singing voices and musical tones filled the entertainment room. The Carbuncles who had been playing in the courtyard stopped their chasing game and lined up along the game room window frame, listening intently.

Eventually, as if they had finished a round of practice, Justia looked up and said, “Irm was practicing properly after all.”

“The new song went smoothly too. With this, the performance should be fine.”

“Though it wasn’t really practice – she was just so happy to learn the new song that she played it everywhere she went,” Irmhild said with a wry smile.

“Is the coordination with the stage going well?”

“That’s fine. They’ve let us practice at the theater several times already.”

“Actually, we’d like to perform with Sheila and Cyrille too, including the new instruments.”

“Right?” When I asked, the three monster girls exchanged glances and said this.

Sheila plays drums, and Cyrille the Centaur plays bagpipes.

“Hmm. Still need more practice. We also have to think about the stage effects.”

“It changes things when new instruments are added,” Sheila and Cyrille nodded.

Aside from Irmhild, Sheila had been out in Silvatoria, so she hadn’t had much time to practice.

“It might be good to practice with both of them here too. Our sound coordination has been going well, so we have time.”

“Then let’s,” they decided to practice with all five of them this time. Everyone else in the game room seemed interested in their practice too, stopping their billiards and darts games to watch.

“This is fascinating. So she can handle multiple percussion instruments by herself?” Camilla said, watching from where she had been relaxing with Elliot. Ashley nodded at her words.

“Theodore-sama made them.”

“I see…”

“It’s not like we’ve never seen them before,” Elliot and Old Sigmund nodded admiringly at Ashley’s words.

Sheila and the others seemed ready.

They started with Sheila’s solo part, it seemed. Regular, subdued drum sounds echoed through the room. Cyrille, who had released her Humanization Spell, tapped her hooves in rhythm with the drums as if doing a tap dance.

The drum sounds resonating in our lower abdomens and the floor-tapping sounds overlapped briskly, creating a pleasant rhythm.

The drumming had a somewhat ethnic feel to it. Irmhild and the others’ performance and singing voices layered over it. Cyrille was playing the bagpipes while dancing. Powerful drums combined with mystical singing voices… creating a song that felt expansive, both mysterious and grand.

As the song progressed, Sheila’s drumming elevated the entire musical composition. Her precise rhythm-keeping was truly impressive. The singing ended, and the final part featured another drum solo by Sheila. Her two sticks flashed at considerable speed, striking drums and cymbals.

Leaving just a slight aftertaste and reverberation, Sheila’s movements stopped.

Then, applause erupted from everyone present in the game room.

“It’s a wonderful song,” Grace said with a smile.

“…Even though you said you needed more practice, it doesn’t look like there are any problems,” Rosemary said while clapping, and Marlene nodded repeatedly.

“We can only really show one song like this satisfactorily.”

I see. So it’s a matter of repertoire.

“What about the stage production?”

“That’s more or less decided.”

Hmm. In that case…

“How about joining in to perform one song towards the end of the concert?”

“That’s a good idea. Then it doesn’t matter if the program is long or short.”

“What do you two think?” At my suggestion, they looked happy and were encouraging Sheila and Cyrille to participate.

“Then… I’ll do my best.”

“We need to practice.”

“Hmm.”

Sheila had her usual expression, but that was just her way of showing determination. They continued their performance practice. Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing how the next performance turns out.