Chapter 42

"But even so, the monsters that come out of the labyrinth are completely different from everyone in the village, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?"

"They all seem to have different personalities and preferences. The monsters in the labyrinth, well... when I compare them to everyone in my memory, they lack those qualities. Yet, when it comes to battle, they seem to think very clearly."

Hmm. To begin with, they don't just "appear"; they are born in the labyrinth. Ilmhirld indeed said that they lived together.

"I don't really understand. Did you have parents?"

"Yes."

She nodded as if it were obvious and smiled nostalgically.

"There were rules in the village. Like not going outside or not letting anyone in."

Indeed—according to my knowledge, I have never encountered friendly or human-like behaving monsters inside the labyrinth. Even if they were to be governed, they would still be allowed some degree of free will in their lives.

Hmm. It seems more like isolation or protection... Who for? For what purpose?

"Who decided these rules?"

"Hmm. I never really questioned it. I wonder who it was? It's strange."

Ilmhirld placed her hand on her cheek and tilted her head.

"Um..."

"Ilmhirld is like this," Shira said.

...Even without being governed, this might just be her carefree nature.

"Anyway, I don't think the village exists in the shallow layers."

"Really?"

"Based on my research of the labyrinth, I've never heard of a layer with a monster village. Considering the village's situation and purpose, it seems they don't want anyone to intrude or let the residents go outside."

"Hmm... Then, it might be impossible to find it as it is."

Ilmhirld sighed.

At that moment, a knock was heard. Heather appeared.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone wants to see Mr. Theodor."

"Understood. I'll be there shortly."

"Huh? Ah, no. Wait a moment."

Heather answered, but she turned back to try to hold someone back.

"I'm sorry. As I said earlier, please wait in the lobby. We are in the middle of a visit."

"No, I don't mind. It's urgent."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Chester."

"It's fine."

They were arguing back and forth.

No... It's not really fine.

Shira frowned, looking displeased. That's understandable. She was quite cautious about my meeting with Ilmhirld.

In the city—especially here in Tarmwillis, elves and dwarves, among other races, are relatively tolerant. This tolerance allows for the acceptance of friendly and harmless monsters. The Adventurers' Guild also has detailed knowledge of monsters.

However, this tolerance doesn't mean there is no discrimination or persecution.

Grace faces similar issues. As long as she wears a charm, she doesn't have the urge to feed and can pass as a normal person. Otherwise, even as a half-breed, she would be treated like a vampire. That's why I can understand Shira's concern.

For now, it's best to be cautious if we don't know who the person is. I'll go out and not let them into the room.

Peeking from behind Heather, I met the gaze of a man with brown hair. He wore a coat with an emblem and a sword at his side.

From his appearance, he seems to be from the knight's order. He's around 20 years old and has a seemingly pleasant smile, but my impression of him isn't very good. I can't tell if it's intentional or natural.

"Hey, you're the famous magician, right?"

"I'm Theodor Gartner."

"My name is Chester Glenbell. I've brought an invitation to a ball at the castle. I went to your house yesterday, but you weren't there, so I ended up searching around and heard you were in the labyrinth."

"I see."

"Well, it's good that I caught you. It's in five days. There's an event at the castle, and they want you to attend because you defeated the demon. The invitation was arranged at the last minute."

"What kind of event?"

"It's not a big deal. The king is expected to attend."

...In five days. It doesn't seem urgent. It feels more like they're inviting a surprise guest.

But why did a knight bring the invitation?

I won't ask. It would be troublesome if he starts talking here.

The relationship between the castle's magic corps and the knights isn't good, so the background probably isn't good either.

"I understand. I can't refuse, then."

"Sure. I'll confirm that I've delivered it."

Chester left rather easily. I wonder what that was about.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Theodor. I told him to wait in the lobby."

Heather bowed.

"No, there's nothing you could have done. More importantly, who is he?"

"He's a rising figure in the knight's order. He's rumored to be quite skilled. He mentioned an event in five days. It's probably a dinner party hosted by the knight's order. The king is expected to attend, so it's supposed to be a grand event... but will it proceed as planned after the demon incident?"

The knight came because it's hosted by the knight's order. It's a clear reason.

"Ah, so inviting me at this time... is it to celebrate the defeat of the demon?"

"Ah, that's possible..."

Heather frowned slightly at my words.

Several soldiers have died, but canceling the event would waste all the preparations.

Since it's being held at the castle and the king is expected to attend... they probably don't want to cancel it easily.

So, by inviting me, they are trying to turn it into a victory celebration or a memorial for the brave soldiers.

This makes my attendance necessary. The invitation is more like a crucial part, and they really wanted me to attend. That's why they used a vague term like "event" instead of "dinner party."

They wanted to confirm my attendance as soon as possible to make the event more certain and used a well-known knight to show that they value me, possibly to create an atmosphere where I couldn't refuse. He seemed like a pleasant young man at first glance.

Since I accepted easily, he left quickly, but he might have pushed harder if I had shown reluctance.

...No, the choice of messenger is completely wrong.

I don't know Chester's personality, but if he's naturally clumsy, he's not suitable for a messenger. If he did it intentionally, he was probably unhappy about being used as a messenger.

"Will you attend?"

"Well, I've already accepted the invitation."

I thought that at some point, such an invitation would come after defeating the demon.

I still want to explore the labyrinth for a while, and I don't want my position to be decided without me.

If I can't avoid it, I'll attend and state my position and thoughts to the higher-ups. Also, I want to probe a bit about the information I got from Linette.

---

I hope this translation meets your expectations. If you need any adjustments or further assistance, feel free to let me know!