Deep within the Large Tree Labyrinth, Floor 20 of the Dungeon.
At first the way was so narrow it barely admitted a single body.
Then, after a few dozen more paces, it opened out all at once.
The black cave yawned like an abyss.
Trailing behind the lizardman ahead of them, Artorias and Alise crossed a vertical shaft, ducked under a spring, and surfaced from a cavern hung with stalactites.
A little farther on, the pair — one adventurer, one Xenos — came at last to the hidden paradise at the end of the road.
In a sheltered clearing coiled about with tree roots like a natural fortress, a warm bonfire burned at the center, driving back the year-round chill of the underground labyrinth.
Faint light glimmered further off.
Several Red Cap Goblins stood near the entrance with magic stone lanterns in hand, waiting patiently, like attendants ready to guide arriving travelers.
Alise, who had never imagined a place like this existed, looked around with her eyes alight.
“[Unexplored Territory].” A space no adventurer had ever set foot in.
A haven where monsters were never born.
A blank space in all the Guild’s records.
“I really never thought there’d be somewhere like this on Floor 20.” “Ah, humans from the surface —” “Adventurers Lyd brought all the way here…
are these the strange ones Fels told us about?” “Red hair…
such a pretty human.
And strong, too.” Alise and Artorias found themselves ringed in by a crowd of monsters of every shape and size.
Red Cap Goblins, Al-Mirajes, Hellhounds — creatures from the upper floors all the way down to the middle floors were represented here, and in every one of them there was some faint human tint that ordinary monsters simply did not have.
Reason enough to communicate.
Intelligence enough to hold a conversation.
None of the wild bloodlust monsters always turned on adventurers.
In its place there was curiosity, open staring, and a rather clumsy warmth.
Amid the chattering, chirping racket, it was Lyd — the one who had led the two of them in — who spoke first.
“Well, since we’ve made it this far, guess I’ll introduce myself properly all over again.” “Adventurer from the surface, and our newest kin — we are the Xenos.” Xenos.
Among the gods the word meant heresy: the outsiders, the ones cast out by everything orthodox.
“Welcome, both of you.
Welcome to our home.” “Bring out the food, bring out the drink!
On behalf of all my kin, I welcome you!” “Ohhhhh — !!!” At those words the monsters broke into a roar loud enough to shake the cavern walls.
Dungeon-grown fruit of every color was thrust into Alise’s hands, each creature elbowing for the chance to give it.
“Oh, oh, this is a Meat Fruit!
I’ve never even eaten this high-class an ingredient before.” Alise bit into the red fruit and her face melted with delight.
Then she held it up to Artorias, who was still perched a little dizzily atop her head.
The white rabbit took it and gnawed off a mouthful.
Soft flesh and a rich, meaty savor burst across his tiny palate — better by far than any ordinary monster-meat dish, and his eyes went wide.
It even took the edge off the overstuffed discomfort still sitting in his belly.
“This is really good…” Glug, glug, glug — “Right?
Right?” Lyd drained a cask of cheap liquor from the town of Rivira to the last drop, wiped his mouth, and laughed out loud.
“Nothing’d make me happier than you two enjoying yourselves.” “Truth is, I was planning to test you a little.
Wanted to see what kind of people would actually take our kin in — whether it was all just talk.” The lizardman who led them sat by the bonfire, a plump grilled mushroom sizzling with oil in one claw, and spoke without ceremony.
“But Fels told me you just went a round with a Floor Master and came out the worse for it, so forget it.” “Besides, an adventurer willing to fight shoulder to shoulder with monsters like us doesn’t need to be put through some shabby little act.” “Still, that’s some feat.
Going head-on against that Goliath and winning.
Honestly, we wouldn’t even dare imagine it.” Lyd shook his head in admiration, and something like awe crept into the look he gave Artorias.
“Most of our kin here came from the upper floors, and most of them are weak.
Fels brought them back one at a time and kept them safe.
You’re the first I’ve ever seen escorted here by an adventurer — and one of us who can transform, no less.” “You said kin from the upper floors…” Artorias, sprawled on Alise’s head and finally getting his strength back, swept his gaze around the clearing.
“But aren’t there rather few Xenos here?” In his memory, the Xenos should have been a far larger group than this.
“Ah, that’s what you mean.” Lyd scratched at the scales on his head.
“There are twenty-odd of us gathered at this base right now.
But you know how it is — everyone’s got their own temperament.” “Ray…
she’s one of the ones who’s friendlier toward humans.
She and the others took a job from Fels, they’re busy with something down on the lower floors.” “And as for the rest…” Lyd’s voice dropped a little.
“You know it too.
A lot of our kin have been hurt by humans.
The ones who don’t like humans heard adventurers were coming, and they left.” At that he set the mushroom down.
His round yellow eyes moved between Alise and Artorias, and his expression turned serious.
“Kin.
I’d like to ask your name.” “Artorias.” “Mm.
Artorias.
Our newest kin among the Xenos…” Lyd drew a deep breath, as though bracing himself for some important decision.
“One of us, yet able to live in friendship with adventurers.
An adventurer, yet willing to listen to our voices.” “To the two of you, I want to ask a question.” The bonfire lit that inhuman face, and yet the feeling in his eyes was purer than anything a human wore.
“Do you think we Xenos…
could ever live alongside humans?” “Could we live like they do, up on the earth where the sun shines?” There was a tremor in Lyd’s voice as he spoke of what the Xenos longed for.
Of how they no longer wanted to hide in the dark underground, no longer wanted a life hunted by their own kind of monster and put to the sword by human adventurers.
Of the [Fantasy] that visited their dreams now and then in the pitch-black depths — crimson light, the sky they could never see inside the labyrinth, a beautiful sunset staining the whole world red.
Of the longing they carried, so far beyond their reach.
Everything an ordinary person could have simply by opening a door was, for them, an impossible extravagance.
“…I know it myself.
We’re things that can’t be shown in daylight.
Humans hate us, monsters hate us.
But even so, I at least want the freedom to chase a dream.” “That’s why what you two have — an adventurer and a monster working together — is our [Dream] made real, more than anything else could be.” By the time he finished, a bitterness that belonged on a human face had settled over the lizardman’s.
Artorias did not interrupt through any of it.
“It’ll be fine.” He already knew all of this, and he had a fair idea of the price the Xenos would pay chasing that dream.
But he only listened quietly, and then gave a small nod.
“…” Beside him, Alise looked startled at first.
She had never imagined that these so-called monsters could be troubled by something like this.
But the surprise turned quickly into understanding, and then into agreement.
After all, justice made no distinction of race, and the longing for a good life was a right every living thing shared equally.
“I think it’ll definitely be fine too!” Alise broke the heavy air with a brilliant grin.
She reached up and ruffled the fluffy head perched above her own, with no hesitation at all.
“There’ll probably be plenty of hardship ahead, but one day your dream is going to come true.” “I mean, look — my comrades and I already have an irreplaceable animal friend like Artorias, don’t we?” The red-haired girl’s eyes were clear, and every word landed with weight.
“If we can be friends, then in the future there will absolutely be more humans willing to accept you.” She held out her hand to the monster in front of her.
“My name is Alise.
Alise Lovell.
As a member of Astrea Familia, the Familia of Justice, I’m willing to support your dream.” “…Support our dream?” Lyd froze, staring at the palm extended toward him — and then burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha!
Well said, human girl.
I’ll hold you to those words —” Just then a shell-plated hand reached out from behind him and rapped him irritably on the skull.
Thunk — “Ow!
Who was that?” Lyd clutched his head and turned around.
“Enough babbling, Lyd.
Don’t dump some airy nonsense like that on kin you’ve only just met.” “Can’t you see how troubled you’re making them look?” A Xenos stepped out of the corner — a woman’s torso above, a spider’s body below.
Her white hair was cropped short and neat, and there was a distinct impatience on her face.
“I don’t care about the surface in the slightest, and I don’t care whether we can live in peace with humans.
Don’t lump me in with the rest of you.” “Humans are irrelevant.
So long as I can go on living quietly here with my kin, I’m perfectly satisfied.” “Ranye…” Lyd looked at the kinswoman who had just clouted him, torn.
She had only recently escaped from poachers, and she was one of those very Xenos he’d described — the ones who bore humans nothing but hostility.
The Arachne, Ranye.
And yet this Xenos who claimed to hate humans had not left with the others who refused them.
She was still here.
Her gaze traveled past Lyd and came to rest on Artorias, complicated.
The moment her eyes met his, all that stern composure went strangely awkward.
“…Thank you, kin.
That day, you saved me.” She looked away, and her voice dropped without her ever noticing it had.
“You’re…?” Artorias blinked.
It took him a moment of study before he matched her to the armored spider monster he’d freed that day, back when he was moving with Kaguya and the others.
She’d shed the armor, so he hadn’t recognized her at once — but that obviously rude observation died quietly in his throat the moment he noticed her skin, as snow-white as her short hair.
The white rabbit kicked his hind legs and put on his best innocent face.
“I’m impressed you could recognize me looking like this.” “The scent of the kin who saved my life…
how could I ever mistake it?” “Honestly, it wasn’t all my doing.” Artorias shook his head and tugged at Alise beside him with one paw.
“Her Familia’s comrades did most of the fighting that day.
All I did was let you out on the way past.
If you’re going to thank anyone, you should thank them.” “No.
That’s different.” Ranye shook her head with startling stubbornness.
“At that moment, that woman adventurer was already about to destroy me as an ordinary monster.
It was because you stopped her that I can still live here with my kin today.” “For me, that is everything.
So…
I want to repay this debt.” “Please, let me do something for you.” “Even if you say that —” There was no arguing with her.
Looking at this spider woman who was so plainly embarrassed and so unexpectedly immovable, Artorias let out a small, headache-stricken sigh.
“Hm?” “Hm-hm-hmmm?” Alise’s eyes went back and forth between Ranye and Artorias, and the smile on her face slowly turned mischievous.
“All right, all right, we can talk about repaying debts another time.” Sensing the air turning suggestive, she cut in at exactly the right moment.
“Looks to me like Ari’s worn out, and I need to get back to the inn and rest.
The town of Rivira on Floor 18 isn’t far from here.” “So, Ari — coming back with me to rest, or staying here to catch up with your kin?” Alise asked it lightly, and Artorias answered just as naturally.
“Rivira, obviously.
We came down in such a rush earlier that I never got a look at Floor 18.” “Heheh.
Then as long as you stay in the bag and don’t go wandering off, I’ll show you around.” With that the white rabbit hopped expertly back onto the top of Alise’s head, settled into a comfortable spot, and waved a forepaw at the Xenos.
It wasn’t as though they’d never meet again.
As long as he kept exploring the Dungeon, there would be plenty more chances to deal with these Xenos.
“Mm, we’ll come visit again when we get the chance!” Alise waved to the assembled Xenos as well, then turned and left with Artorias.
Watching the two of them go, Ranye — who moments ago hadn’t cared in the slightest — let a clear trace of dejection surface on her face.
“Oh dear, oh dear.
Shot down, were you, Ranye?” Lyd looked at her crestfallen expression and couldn’t resist a wicked grin, the ache in his skull entirely forgotten.
“No wonder you didn’t head off to another floor with Gros and the rest.
Turns out you’ve got your eye on our new kin.” “Who’d have thought Ranye of all people had a side like that?” “E-enough babbling, Lyd!” Ranye brandished her sharp spider forelegs in furious embarrassment, trying to cover her own fluster.
“I only…
I only want to repay a debt!” “Ooh, ooh, Ranye’s blushing!” “Ranye’s so cute!
Go for it!
Don’t lose to the human girl!” The surrounding Xenos, who had been a little reserved with humans present, dropped the last of their restraint and joined the heckling.
Even the ones who couldn’t speak clapped along in excitement.
The bonfire danced, laughter echoed through the depths of the Dungeon, and the air filled with pure, unclouded joy.
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