Chapter 39: Invitation to the Royal Castle
"But even considering that, the monsters that come out of the labyrinth are completely different from everyone in the village."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone had different personalities, and each had their own preferences. But when compared to everyone I remember from the labyrinth, they don't have those qualities. Yet, they strangely become sharp in battle."
"Hmm. Well, they weren't 'born' from the village, they were born in the labyrinth. That's what Ilmehilt said."
"I don't really understand. Did you have parents?"
"Yes."
Nodding as if it were obvious, Ilmehilt smiled nostalgically.
"The village had rules, you know. Like not being allowed to go outside, or letting anyone in."
Certainly, as far as I know, I have never encountered any species of monsters within the labyrinth that are friendly to humans or exhibit friendly behavior towards humans.
Even if they are in control, they seem to live with some degree of free will.
Hmm. In terms of imagery, is it isolation or protection... I wonder? Then who? For what purpose?
"Who decided on these rules?"
"Hmm, I never really questioned it. Come to think of it, I wonder who it was? It's curious."
Ilmehilt tilted her head, placing her hand on her cheek.
"Well..."
"This is how Ilmehilt is."
Seira said.
...Even without being under control, this might just be... she's just carefree.
"Well, in any case, I don't think the village exists on the shallow levels."
"Is that so?"
"Based on my research on the labyrinth, I haven't heard of a monster settlement layer. Considering the situation and purpose of the village, it seems like they don't want to let anyone invade or let the residents go outside."
"Hmm... Then, it seems impossible to continue searching as we are now."
Ilmehilt sighed.
At that moment, a knock on the door echoed. Heather showed her face.
"What's the matter?"
"There is someone who wants to meet Mr. Theodor. They're waiting for you."
"I understand. I'll go to them right away."
"Huh? Ah, no. Wai... Wait a moment."
Although I responded to Heather, she turned around and tried to stop someone.
"I apologize. As I mentioned earlier, please wait in the lobby. We're currently in the middle of a visit."
"No, I don't mind. I have an urgent matter."
"Just wait a moment, Mr. Chester."
"It's fine."
They were exchanging words like that.
No... It's not really fine.
When I glanced at Seira, she was frowning uncomfortably. Well, of course. She was quite cautious about me and Ilmehilt meeting.
In urban areas—especially here in Termwills—there is relatively more tolerance towards different species, including elves and dwarves. It is this foundation that leads to a willingness to accept friendly and harmless magical creatures. The Adventurers' Guild is also knowledgeable about the true nature of monsters.
However, that tolerance only goes so far. Discrimination and persecution still exist.
Grace also faces similar circumstances. As long as she wears a cursed item, her vampiric impulses are suppressed, and her appearance doesn't give her away, so she can avoid such things. But if not—for instance, if she were a half-breed—she would likely be treated the same way as a vampire. So I can understand why Sheila is worried.
For now, it's probably best to be cautious if we don't know who the person is. I'll make sure they leave and not enter the room.
Peeking out from Heather's side, I made eye contact with a brown-haired man. He wore a coat adorned with a crest and carried a sword at his waist.
Based on his appearance, he seems to belong to the Order of Knights. Around 20 years old. Although he wears a seemingly refreshing smile, I don't have a particularly favorable impression of him at the moment. I can't yet determine if it's intentional or natural.
"Hey, are you the rumored magician?"
"I am Theodore Gartner."
"I'm Chester Glenbel. I've come with an invitation to the evening party held at the royal castle. Well, I went to your house yesterday, but it seems you were out. I heard rumors that you were exploring the labyrinth, so I searched around for you."
"I see."
"Well, it's fine since I made it in time. It's in five days. There will be an event held at the royal castle, and they want you, who defeated the demon, to attend in advance. So they arranged an invitation for you hastily."
"And what kind of event is it?"
"It's not something grand. His Majesty will also be in attendance, though."
...In five days? It doesn't seem particularly urgent. Rather than being summoned from the royal castle, it feels more like they invited a rumored person as a surprise guest.
However, why would a knight be the one delivering the invitation?
Well, I won't ask. It would be troublesome if they started talking about it here.
The Mage Corps and the Order of Knights at the royal castle don't get along, and it's probably not a pleasant background story anyway.
"I understand. In that case, I can't just ignore it and not show up."
"Yeah. By the way, did he definitely give it to you?"
Chester withdrew quite readily and left. What was that about?
"I'm sorry, Theodore-san. I told him to wait in the lobby."
Heather comes and bows her head.
"No, there's nothing we can do if he entered without permission. Anyway, who is he?"
"He's someone who has recently risen in the ranks of the Knight Order. It's rumored that he has considerable skill. Oh, and he mentioned an event happening five days from now. It's probably the Knight Order's sponsored banquet. It was supposed to be a grand event because His Majesty was going to attend... despite the chaos caused by the demons. I wonder if it will proceed as planned."
So the knight came because it's organized by the Knight Order. Well, that's a straightforward reason.
"So, you're calling me at this timing... Does that mean you want to make it a celebration of my victory against the demons?" I asked.
"Ah, that's a possibility..."
Heather slightly furrowed her brows in response to my words.
Several soldiers have lost their lives, but if they were to cancel it now, all the preparations made so far would go to waste. If it's held in the royal castle, with the king making an appearance... Well, they probably don't want to cancel it that easily.
Therefore, they revised the purpose of the event by calling me, turning it into a victory celebration or a gathering to honor the brave soldiers who have fallen. That's probably the idea behind it. And that's why my attendance became necessary. They referred to it as an invitation, but they needed me there as an essential part, and they must have really wanted me to attend, hence the ambiguous term "event" instead of "banquet."
They wanted to make the event definite by giving me the invitation as soon as possible and obtaining my acceptance. They probably wanted to show that they value me by using a renowned knight and create an atmosphere where I couldn't refuse. He seemed to be a pleasant young man at first glance.
He gave in easily because I readily accepted, but if I had shown hesitation, he might have persisted.
...Well, no, the choice of person is completely wrong.
I don't know much about Chester's personality, but if he's naturally like this, he's completely unsuited for being an emissary, except for his martial skills. And if he did it intentionally, he must have been secretly dissatisfied with being treated as a mere messenger from above.
"Will you attend?"
"Well, I've already received the invitation."
As for me, I had expected discussions like this to arise sooner or later after defeating the demons.
I still want to explore the labyrinth for a while, and I don't want my way of life to be decided without me being present.
If it's unavoidable, I'll attend and express my position and thoughts, as long as I can have a fruitful conversation with the important people.
Also, I want to probe a little about what has happened with the information I received from Lynette.