Chapter 38: The Reason for Being Born, the Reason for Living
"...Good morning, Grace."
"Yes. Good morning."
"...Uh, good morning."
"Yeah, good morning, Ashley."
When I woke up, Grace was smiling and peering into my face.
I guess we woke up because of our voices. Ashley noticed the position she was sleeping in and widened her eyes as she sat up.
"Sorry..."
I chuckled at Ashley, who shrunk her shoulders.
"It's fine. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes."
Caduceus, who had been on guard outside, returned.
Even though the Cardiff Earldom's matter has been settled, there's no guarantee that there are no remnants. Caduceus will continue night patrols for a while.
"I'll leave Caduceus to you, Theo. I'll prepare breakfast."
"Lady Grace, I'll help too."
Following Grace, Ashley ran towards the kitchen.
I can hear the cheerful voices discussing what to have for breakfast today.
Grace... She seems to have more moments with a softer expression compared to when she was at the Gardner mansion.
"Good morning, Theodore."
"Yeah, good morning."
We took the carriage and met Sheila at the square near the Adventurers' Guild.
After exchanging morning greetings, the four of us headed towards the guild. If Ilmhillt's condition has improved, we might be able to hear some information.
After leaving the carriage at the stable and entering the guild, Heather was, as usual, sorting documents behind the counter.
When Heather noticed us, we exchanged morning greetings and I asked her about the monsters with a small nod.
"I understand. Please come this way. By the way, who is this person?"
"Well... How should I put it? They're someone who is currently considering joining our party."
Well, I haven't had any discussion with Sheila about whether she should join the party or not.
I decided to give a vague answer that implies it's okay even if she doesn't accompany us from now on or show up together in the future.
"This is Sheila. If she decides to join, she will register as an adventurer. Nice to meet you, Sheila."
"I see. I'm Heather. Nice to meet you, Sheila-san."
Heather nodded without seeming to be particularly concerned and guided us to a room at the back of the guild. According to her, it's a facility for accommodating injured people.
Ideally, I wouldn't want to rely on this room too much. As we approached the room, we could hear singing from inside.
...There is magic in songs. Depending on the lyrics and melody, they can easily become incantations, but for some reason, they are widely sung by children as nursery rhymes. Like a mixed chorus of harpies and sirens... It's quite unbelievable.
When I knocked, the singing stopped.
As I entered the room, their gazes focused on me. There were three of them—or should I say, three female demons—who were lying quietly on the beds. They were the ones I had seen in the information from the former Caduceus.
All three of them seemed to be using transformation magic, as they had taken forms very close to that of humans. The harpy had feathers peeking out from her sleeves, and the siren had ears shaped like fish fins.
In that case, the one who couldn't be distinguished from a human at first glance would be Ilmhihlt, the lamia.
"Um... Nice to meet you, I suppose. I'm Theodore Gartner."
They had come here to express their gratitude, or so it was supposed.
"Oh my, a child. A human child."
"This is the human who helped us?"
"Well, well, how courteous. I am Ilmhihlt."
The harpy and the siren exchanged glances, then stared at me intently. As for Ilmhihlt, she smiled and tilted her head. Well... It's quite clear from their reactions that she is familiar with human society and stands out.
Ilmhihlt kept her eyes narrowed and had a relaxed and somewhat absent-minded demeanor. To be frank, she didn't seem like a typical lamia, or rather, not like a typical monster. She probably taught the nursery rhyme to the other two earlier.
"Hehe. I'll express my gratitude on behalf of everyone, Theodore-kun."
"Oh, no need. It was for my own sake as well. Um, this is Grace and Ashley."
We introduced ourselves to each other. Harpy was Dominique, and Siren was Justia. Dominique was the one with freckles, giving her a childlike appearance, while Justia, a beautiful woman with slanted eyes and a beauty mark, was the siren.
...Sheila seems a bit restless. She's wandering around somewhat aimlessly.
"Heather-san was still in the middle of work, wasn't she? It's fine here, so..."
"Is that so? Well, since it's Theodore-san, I suppose nothing major will happen. I'll leave it to you then."
When I mentioned it to Heather, she tilted her head slightly, but then she left the room.
It seems that there are quite a few people who have acquired skills in the Thief Guild and made a living as adventurers, so they don't have any dark secrets or anything, but Sheila seemed to be conscious of others.
Vice Captain Oswald knew that the people around me were sources of information regarding the kidnapping case. There were hints that this person was affiliated with the Thieves' Guild.
Therefore, it would be better not to show that Shiela has a close relationship with the kidnapping case in front of guild members. Even if the Adventurers' Guild considers it, the Thieves' Guild may be strict about such matters, and a pretense is necessary.
"Ilumhilt, are you alright?"
"Yes. A guild member brought a rabbit as a gift. Shiela-chan, you entered properly from the front today."
"Theodore helped me."
Shiela and Ilumhilt seemed to be celebrating each other's safety, so I decided to postpone asking her about it for now and talked to Dominique and Justia.
"Where were the two of you before coming here?"
"No matter where you ask... I don't know what humans call their birthplaces, and I was brought into the prison with magic without even understanding what was going on."
"Same here. I was suddenly captured by a demon."
"So you were brought directly from your place of birth to the interior of the border city?"
"That's right."
...The research results of the demon Linette, huh? It would mean forced summoning from outside the city, but there should be various restrictions on summoning magic within the city due to the barrier.
If it's the summoning of contracted demons, it's a different story, but stray demons shouldn't be able to enter the city, and if we're talking about the basics, it's strange that demons are inside the city in the first place. Such barriers are primarily set up with the aim of excluding demons.
In other words, how did Linette manage to bypass the barrier and enter? By now, the officials at the temple or the royal palace must be scratching their heads.
In that case, their situation might be unexpectedly safe. It would be good news for Shiela.
She is a valuable witness who has had some contact with demons, but as long as she is a relatively friendly and cooperative demon, there is no reason to treat her rudely and offend the Adventurers' Guild and the adventurers associated with it.
I thought there might be some mistrust because she was captured by humans, but it seems that their perception is more like being captured by demons.
"What about you, Ilumhilt-san?"
"I am a monster born in the labyrinth. I originally lived in the border city."
Well... that's what I heard from Shiela.
Would you like to hear about when you were living in the labyrinth?"
"Hmm. It's fine to tell the story, but are you interested in such a story?"
Ilumhilt put a finger to her lips and tilted her head.
"Yes. The monsters in the labyrinth are different from the usual, and they're quite intriguing."
For example, the reason I might be here could be because of the Boundary Labyrinth.
The labyrinth said to connect to another world. So, it wouldn't be strange if there was a boundary between Earth and the other world.
But well, it doesn't really matter if I don't know the secrets of my birth or origin.
As long as I'm alive like this, no matter what I do, I have to live until I die. How many people, not just someone like me, really understand the reasons behind their own origins?
Kagehisa set various backgrounds for Theodore in BFO... but he didn't include information like his mother fighting against demons. My life is mine. My mother's life is hers.
"...I also want to know about that."
Ilmhirut had a smile on her face, but there was a hint of concern mixed in. She mentioned not being able to return to the depths of the labyrinth or meeting at the Snakebite to create maps.
The reason for that... Is it to return to her birthplace or to know the reason for her existence?
"When we were all together in the labyrinth... I vaguely remember. We made something like a settlement in the labyrinth and lived there."
"A settlement... you say?"
No matter how I think about it... it's an unknown section. A gathering place for friendly monsters, perhaps?
"But how should I put it into words? It felt like I was dreaming back then... both for me and everyone else, it was a life where predetermined things were carried out as determined."
Carrying out predetermined things as determined, huh?
Other hostile monsters also seem to play a role like antibodies, eliminating foreign entities that invade the labyrinth, so I can't help but imagine their settlement as an NPC village.
"When I was in the labyrinth, it was always comfortable, and I never felt hungry. There was no anxiety at all."
"So why did you come out?"
"I don't really remember the process well. But I realized that I was outside. In that moment, it felt like the world was finally colored. In return, I was rejected by the labyrinth."
...I suppose I should consider that the labyrinth had been manipulating and controlling her.
Ilmhirut, who narrated such thoughts, doesn't look artificial in any way.