Published: August 10, 2026
Lizel was relaxing alone and reading at a café terrace.
The labyrinth they had delved into just recently had been quite taxing, both mentally and physically.
That day, they had returned to the inn and all three of them immediately crawled into bed and slept soundly. Then, when they finally woke up the next day, they realized that the source of their deep fatigue was not just physical exhaustion.
"That was a pretty serious hit to the mental side," Gill had said. Aside from the bizarre rampage of the pseudo-flowers and the giant serpent's trembling breath, they had probably been subjected to attacks they hadn't even consciously perceived.
The veteran former adventurers at the inn, the elderly couple, said they had experienced something similar before. That guess was probably not wrong.
"(Maybe I was lucky not to notice it in the labyrinth for some reason.)"
Not noticing it was dangerous, but so was noticing and then being unable to move.
Gill seemed interested in the boss of that labyrinth, so it would be good if Lizel could find a solution before Gill went back in next time. If it was simply a labyrinth-specific feature, there was nothing to be done, but if there was a way to reduce the fatigue, it would be better to use it.
With that in mind, Lizel was now devouring every related magical treatise he could find.
"(The Academy's papers are full of hasty scribbles...)"
He deciphered the documents, some of which were almost impossible to read even for their authors.
Before coming to the café, he had also stopped by the Magic Academy. He poked his head in, gave them a brief explanation about The Land of the Sacred Behemoths, and said he wanted materials on this and that. The researchers there had eagerly brought out anything that might be relevant.
Right there and then, a fierce debate broke out—"That has nothing to do with it," "This theory could work," "Wouldn't a magical tool be effective?"—and there was even an intense presentation battle over everyone's own materials, but in the end Lizel had managed to borrow the books he was interested in in relatively peaceful fashion.
"(First of all, I don't even know if there's really a magical cause...)"
He turned the page while following the awkward handwriting with his eyes.
"(Maybe what I was feeling inside the labyrinth—the oppressive presence, the strangeness—was that.)"
If so, there was no way to guard against it, but that remained to be seen.
Lizel smiled faintly to himself. He almost felt like a researcher at the Academy.
"Oh my, you look like you're enjoying yourself."
Startled by the voice, Lizel looked up.
On the bridge beside the terrace that extended over the waterway stood an elderly gentleman holding a cane with a spider-shaped handle.
He lifted his small hat and narrowed the wrinkles around his eyes in a mischievous way.
"I wanted to speak with you a little. Was I interrupting?"
"Not at all."
Lizel smiled back and offered him the chair across from him.
The old gentleman went around to the café proper, exchanged a few friendly words with the staff, and came over to the terrace.
"I wanted to thank you properly for introducing us to the Astarnia royal family."
His calm, deep voice spoke slowly.
Lizel had already sent the letter of introduction addressed to Arim. More precisely, to Innkeeper, but still.
There was a limit on how many letters could be sent to Astarnia, so he had bundled it in with the letter to Innkeeper.
Considering the distance between the two countries, they still shouldn't have received a reply yet, but the old gentleman seemed certain that a cooperative relationship with the Astarnia royal family would definitely be established.
That was precisely why Lizel had offered the introduction in the first place.
"It was just my way of repaying a favor, so please don't worry about it."
"And yet, I wonder if I may be taking a bit too much."
"That's very merchant-like of you."
"I don't usually go around bringing up debts and favors for everything, but this does feel like one."
The old gentleman gave a light, wry smile. It seemed he had asked for his coffee while passing through the shop. Soon enough, it was brought out to him.