by Fujino Omori
“Syr…how did you meet Mother Maria and these kids?”
“It was just…a happy accident. I just strolled onto Daedalus Street one day, and…”
There’s a path among the buildings that surround the church’s backyard. We follow it all the way to a wide road.
Well, a wider road, anyway. It still feels like a back alley would in a different part of the city, except here there are stairs going up and down in every direction. At the same time, there is quite a bit of rubble strewn about, as well as the last remaining walls of collapsed buildings jutting into the air.
Maybe it’s because of the bright blue sky, but seeing this isn’t all that depressing. I can’t see or hear anyone else around, so walking through here with Syr is kind of calming. Even time seems to be passing at a leisurely pace.
We come to a massive building, probably community housing. The wall facing us is thick and tall, almost like the side of a distorted castle. Even so, we gradually make our way past while navigating through the rubble.
“The truth is…I grew up in this slum.”
“!”
“I don’t have a mother or father…so maybe that’s why I can’t leave those children to their fates.”
I turn toward her; she’s looking off into the distance in front of us. I can see only half her face. The eye in my line of sight is almost completely closed, yet, somehow, twinkling.
Syr grew up dirt poor, as an orphan in this slum—.
This secret I’ve learned shocks me to my core.
She takes a quick glance at me before going into more detail, explaining she comes to Daedalus Street for the same reasons that Maria chose to open the orphanage.
Once she knew it was there, it had become her routine to visit and interact with the children.
Parents…
I have no memory of my mother and father. I don’t even know what their faces looked like.
What I do know is that they both passed away soon after I was born.
But I don’t think I was ever lonely. All thanks to Gramps…His happiness, his energy always kept up my spirits.
But…the desire to meet my parents, to hear their voices…I can relate to that feeling.
I’m not all that different from those orphans. They have Maria and Syr to bring light into their lives, just like Gramps did for me.
“But II didn’t want you to know, Bell.”
“Oh?”
Step, step, step. I look back in her direction and see her ascending a flight of stairs that leads to the top of only another pile of rubble.
There’s no path through there; she’s walking on top of the rubble on purpose. “That’s dangerous!” I call up to her. But she just keeps walking, the hem of her white dress dancing around her legs as she goes. It’s no use trying to convince her to come down, so I climb up after her.
“What didn’t you want me to know?”
“What I do on days like today. Putting a lot of effort into making lunches, running around with a bunch of children…It’s embarrassing.”
I step carefully on top of the stone slabs as I follow her. She doesn’t look back when she answers my question. All I see is her silver hair swaying in the light breeze.
Syr nearly loses her balance when one of the rocks beneath her feet shifts unexpectedly, but she catches herself in time and keeps walking forward.
“I don’t really care about that…”
“Well, it was embarrassing for me…Although it never was before today.”
Her voice trails off into a whisper. “What did you say?” I call out, asking her to repeat that second part, when…
“Eeek!”
Her foot falls into a crack in the sea of rubble, and she stumbles forward.
I warned her! There’s no time to yell at her, though—I have to help!
Dashing forward across the stone slabs, I grab hold of her hand and pull her to my chest.
“…”
“…”
“Whew…” Even before her sigh of relief is over…
Her body is pressed against mine, her eyes raised toward me. Our faces are so close that I can feel her breath.
I can see my white hair and red eyes reflected in her silver ones.
Heat—my skin is heating up all over my body. I can feel her every curve against mine. My cheeks are boiling. Oh, she’s blushing, too.
This is a side of her I didn’t see at the church—a little flustered. Her true face.
“I…didn’t mean to do that.”
“Of course you didn’t mean to!”
What is this girl saying?
Who in the world would fall like that on purpose?
“S-so embarrassing…”
She steps away from me, hiding her red face in her hands.
Seeing her reaction makes me realize something very important, albeit a bit late.
The reason she came up here, and probably the reason for the lap nap, was because she was ashamed and wanted to hide her “embarrassment.”
The straight face was all an act. She had to go out of her way to do embarrassing things on purpose just to put up with her own shame.
“…”
She’s older than me, but this is the first time I’ve seen her act like a girl. It really is strange.
I’ve always seen her as someone who’s got every base covered, always on the ball, as well as polite and friendly.
But after everything I’ve witnessed and learned today, I don’t think I can see her the same way again.
There are some butterflies in my stomach.
My cheeks flush as I look at her shyness; I’m drawn in by that look on her face.
“…Maybe this is a good thing.”
“?”
A few heavy heartbeats pass in silence on top of the rubble. Syr looks up from her feet.
There’s a carefree smile on her face, cheeks a rosy pink.
“Maybe it was good that you…found out after all.Because it became a happy memory,” she says.
She said that last part without hesitating, even though I can tell she still feels a little awkward.
Now it’s my turn to blush. She puts her fingers to her lips and smiles from ear to ear. That’s real happiness in her eyes.
I can only open and close my mouth a few times as I look at her beneath the beautiful blue sky.
“?”
Suddenly…
We’re being watched.
I’ve recently gotten really good at sensing pairs of eyes focused on me. Reflexes taking over, I spin and look up.
The upper floors of the “castle” community housing.
A balcony is sticking out of a tower overlooking us. And on it is a black and gray catman.
That guy…I’ve seen him before.
For some reason, his thin frame triggers my memory.
I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m sure we’ve crossed paths somewhere before.
“Bell?”
“!”
I’m facing away from her, and she calls out to me.
“What’s wrong?” She tilts her head to the side. I look back up to the top of the building, but the catman has disappeared.
“Was somebody there?”
“Yes…I’m pretty sure.”
My voice wavers as I look back and forth between her and the balcony.
Almost as if it was a midday mirage, there’s no trace of the catman. The only thing left on the balcony is the bright sunshine from overhead.
The sun is starting to go down.
Syr and I were assaulted by a barrage of questions from all the children the moment we got back to Maria’s Orphanage.
“Where did you go all by yourselves?” Fina led the charge as one kid after another upped the ante with every question. The two of us somehow manage to hold our own against the avalanche when I hear, “Would you like to stay for dinner?” Maria invites me to join them.
I don’t want to make the goddess and the others worry…but I can’t ignore the pleadin
g looks on all the kids’ faces, and there’s Syr’s request to consider. So I decide to grab a quick bite and then get home as soon as possible.
I never thought that I’d spend my day off playing with a bunch of friendly kids in an orphanage.
I can’t help but grin once I see how happy they are after I agree to stay for dinner. Looks like I’ve got a bit of time on my hands before it’s ready, though.
“…Hey.”
“?”
Maria and some of the kids have gone into the kitchen to start preparing the food when I feel a pull on the back of my shirt.
I turn around and see the half-elf Ruu looking up at me with the same blank stare while holding on to the hem of his shirt.
“What’s up?”
“Here…”
I bend down to his height as he holds out his hand…with three metal coins in his palm.
“O-oi! Ruu.”
“Are you really going to ask?”
“Both of you said you’re worried about it…”
Lai and Fina see us talking and dash over to Ruu’s side.
Ruu’s flat and level tone seems to have answered their questions. Falling silent, they look up at me.
“Um, what’s this…?”
“It’s our…secret stash.”
S-secret stash…?
These three metal coins? A bead of cold sweat runs down the back of my neck as I look at the three valis in the palm of his hand.
“It’s a reward…Sorry it’s not more.”
Okay, now I’m confused. The androgynous half-elf isn’t done, though.
“Please accept our quest…”
A darkening sky is far overhead.
What’s left of the sun casts us in a dark-red glow as I follow the three children outside and through the back garden.
“Out here?”
“Yes…Not far.”
The quest they asked me to complete—well, more like a favor—involves the road filled with rubble that Syr and I walked through earlier this afternoon.
The all-important mission of said quest is to investigate a “mysterious voice” coming from somewhere around here.
“We keep hearing this weird ‘uwaa…uwaa’ back here!”
“I was sure it was a dog or something like that…but there’s nothing here.”
Lai and Fina tell me about how they walked through here in the middle of the night recently as a test of courage and heard it firsthand.
Ever since then, they’ve been avoiding this place yet still hear it from time to time. Apparently it’s an unnerving moan of some kind, and they want to know what’s making it.
I follow their line of sight out over the sea of rubble.
It’s quiet out among the piles of stone and wood, no animals, no nothing…
“……wu…wuaa…”
…I hear it. It’s real.
That has to be this mysterious voice the kids are talking about.
They immediately run to hide behind me even as I strain my ears to try and get a better idea of what’s out there.
My Status also enhances my senses. Thanks to my sharp ears, it doesn’t take me long to find the spot where the voice is coming from under the rubble. It’s hard to describe, almost like a cry. I come to a stop directly on top of it, nerves starting to kick in.
It’s the ruins of an old building, but…there’s no mistake. The voice is coming from directly below my feet.
“One, two, three…!”
Grabbing hold of the top piece of stone, I start moving rubble out of the way.
The kids sound really impressed. My Level 3 strength allows me to move even the largest stone slabs and wooden logs out of the way to make a path.
A few minutes later, I take a step back to look at the exposed stone pavement. It matches the rest of the roads perfectly.
…Wait, isn’t that…?
There’s a stone slab sticking out just above the pavement that looks oddly familiar.
A few days ago, during my escape from the Pleasure Quarter—Lady Ishtar’s home—Haruhime led me through a series of hidden underground passages. The exits were all hidden by wooden doors and stone caps that looked exactly like this one.
Sure enough, there’s just enough space between the stone slab and the rest of the road to grab hold. What’s more, the mysterious voice is definitely coming through it.
Slipping my fingers through the crack, I pull the “door” up off the ground.
“Whoa! That’s awesome…!”
“Is…is this a secret tunnel?”
“You’re amazing, mister…”
I swat the rising dust cloud away from my face as the kids run through the sea of rubble to have a look for themselves.
Hearing the excitement, curiosity, and admiration in their voices sets my train of thought in motion.
More than likely, this tunnel connects directly to the Pleasure Quarter. And, more important, there’s something in there at this very moment.
My muscles tense as I silently prepare myself.
It’s the same feeling I get before going into the Dungeon. I control my breathing to center my focus.
For the first time today, I feel like an adventurer.
“You three, and Bell, too! My word, what’re you doing all the way out here?”
Syr’s voice and footsteps sound from the street that leads back to the orphanage.
As bluish darkness covers the sky in the east, she approaches and waves a portable magic-stone lamp at us.
She’s probably angry because we left through the back exit without telling anyone. But her silver eyes go wide the moment she sees the open doorway at our feet.
“What is that…?”
“I think it’s an entrance to an underground tunnel. Syr, please keep an eye on them while I check it out.”
I explain the series of events that led us here before letting her know my plan.
Of course, none of us knows what’s down there, so I should investigate by myself first…or at least that was the plan.
“I’m coming, too!” “And me…” “It’s…it’s a bit scary, but I…”
The kids want to come with me.
What am I supposed to do? Maybe Syr can help.
“After seeing this, you understand how hard it would be for me to just wait here, don’t you? I’ll be joining you as well.”
She said it all with a smile.
Well, it’d be a lie to say I don’t understand that feeling…I look back at her, eyes half closed in an empty gaze, and fight back the urge to sigh. There’s no refusing her at this point.
I agree to let them come along as long as they don’t go off on their own and they promise to stay close to my side. “We promise!” come three excited voices on top of Syr’s. This is starting to feel like a field trip.
But no, I have to focus. Taking the portable lamp from Syr, I start down the staircase that leads underground.
“Whoa…It looks like the Dungeon down here…”
“It’s…very dark…”
“Dusty, too…”
The light from the lamp in my hand cuts through the overwhelming darkness engulfing the stairs.
Stone stairwell, stone walls, stone ceiling…I knew it. This passage looks almost the same as the one I traveled through with Haruhime. Then it’s almost a sure thing that that estranged architect designed these tunnels.
Lai is excited, Fina is a little frightened, and Ruu is the same as always. Their voices echo off the walls as we go farther and farther down. Proceeding as carefully as possible, I catch a glimpse of something embedded in the stone wall—a lamp. Syr sees it, too. She reaches up and—bzzt! The lamp comes to life, making a small hum and lighting the tunnel enough for our eyes to adjust.
There are more lamps spaced out at intervals farther down the tunnel. With every step I take, I’m more and more certain that this is connected to the same path that I took when I ran away from the Pleasure Quarter.
Then, as the kids’ curiosity is startin
g to reach its peak…the mysterious cry sounds from deeper in, louder than ever before. All of us pause to catch our breath.
“Stay quiet.”
With whatever it is making that sound close by, I whisper to the kids to make sure they don’t draw unwanted attention.
My serious tone must’ve caught them off guard, because all three freeze like statues, their mouths shut tight. Syr, looking as composed as ever, gives me a quick nod, and I leave the kids to her.
I have allies with me when I go into the Dungeon. Just having them there gives me strength but…I’m the only one who can fight right now. No matter what happens, I have to protect them.
The Divine Knife is still tucked snugly against my waist. Of course, I don’t have any armor on. My item pouch…has only the three metal coins I received for accepting this quest. I’m completely unprepared for a fight.
A sense of the unknown overtakes me. I can’t get this feeling in the Dungeon because it has been explored by a countless number of my predecessors. Now I’m the one making headway. Fully aware of my surroundings, I scout ahead to the bottom of the staircase.
“Uwaa…uh…Uhhaa.”
A dark, open space. All I can tell is that I’m in a decently wide chamber and that the noise is coming from the opposite corner, completely shrouded in black shadows.
—No human or animal makes that sound.
All the muscles in my face tighten as I tell Syr and the kids to wait in the stairwell and shine my light into the dark corner.
It illuminates the owner of the sound that was neither a howl nor a cry.
“Uhooo.”
Emerging from the darkness are two curled horns, dark skin, flaming red hair, and a towering body frame.
The light from my lamp reflects off its golden eyes, making them flash like jewels in the darkness. Suddenly, I can’t breathe.
Two legs and two arms, just like a Minotaur. This thing making noises—this monster is of the large-category variety. It springs to its feet with a powerful jump from where it was kneeling on the floor.
“Cover your ears!”
The monster unleashes a wall of sound at the same moment I shout the warning over my shoulder.
“UHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Goose bumps cover my skin as the monster’s fierce howl passes over me.
I have to protect myself. It’s too strong for me to worry about taking care of anyone else.