Anomaly (1)
Where the road stretched on, the carriage came to a stop. A vast plain without a single shadow. Soon, the door of the rickety old carriage creaked open, and two figures stepped down onto the ground. One of them was me—Iris, who had come to appreciate the gratitude of our meeting, awakened to the sorrow of parting, and finally reclaimed even my name.
"Yup."
And just Evel.
The carriage, having dropped off its passengers, rattled away on its wheels once more. It was heading in the same direction as us. But why had we gotten off to walk? Simple. We didn't have the money.... We'd only paid enough to get us about halfway to our destination, so there was no helping it.
Even though it was going the same way anyway, the coachman had dumped us off precisely at the midpoint, like he'd measured it with a ruler. He was the kind of guy who embodied the spirit of capitalism that would one day flourish, carrying it in his heart ahead of its time.
Clatter, clatter—the carriage's wheels rolled slowly onward. Its speed wasn't much different from ours. Close enough to touch if we reached out. I glanced back at the coachman, but he didn't spare us a look.
It was a bizarre companionship. If we quickened our pace, the carriage pulled ahead; if we slowed down from exhaustion, it closed the gap right along with us. This was a medieval fantasy world where only the strong survived, after all. Not content with kicking two orphaned girls out into the world after losing their family not long ago, he was toying with us on top of that.
"Yup. Yup."
Oblivious to the coachman's wicked intentions, Evel hopped along, stepping on the tracks left by the carriage wheels in the dirt. I watched her for a moment before finally speaking up.
"Evel."
"Yeah?"
"Wanna die?"
"...Dusty, you can't say bad words."
No, I wasn't mad at her innocence. I was just a little irritated by the situation.
We hadn't left the cabin without anything valuable. If I'd just pawned off some of Zepeto's useful magic tools or books, we'd be riding in a fancy carriage right now, buried in soft velvet cushions for a comfy nap. But Evel was the problem. She wouldn't sell a single item that carried her grandfather's scent—she'd grabbed my pant leg, plopped down in the road, and wailed like a banshee.
It wasn't entirely her fault, though. This was about her heart image. Evel's heart image was eternity and deprivation. She still wasn't ready to let go of Zepeto.
"...Never mind. Stop hopping around and walk properly."
"Okay!"
At my scolding, Evel straightened her hunched shoulders and beamed, clutching tight to my collar as she hurried after me.
And so we trudged on, choking on the acrid dust for what felt like ages. The carriage that had dogged us so relentlessly finally picked up speed. The coachman never once glanced our way, just cracked his whip annoyingly and vanished into the distance.
What a total asshole.
I grumbled as I fanned away the cloud of dust he'd left behind.
How much longer did we walk? I was starting to worry my knee cartilage might wear out completely when, at last, our destination appeared on the horizon of the open plain.
Towering spires that pierced the heavens, ringed by layer upon layer of massive walls. And at the wide-open grand gates, throngs of people milling about.
A bustling city renowned even among the kingdom's finest, harboring an unfathomable abyss deep underground—a land of opportunity and greed. The labyrinth city, Anomaly.
"Whoaaa...."
Evel, who'd been gripping my collar, gaped wide-mouthed. Not just her—I stared in awe at the imposing height of the walls too.
"Evel, don't act like a country bumpkin. Grandpa said city folk can spot it a mile away and look down on you."
"And you're the one gawking around too, Iris."
We rubbed our aching knees and took our place at the end of the line.
The reason we'd come all the way to this distant city was simple: Zepeto's dying wish that we go out into the world, meet people, and experience life. I'd regained my name, but my corrupted heart image wasn't fully healed. I was still a cynical, parched soul. And the place I'd chosen to fix that was this labyrinth city, Anomaly.
Rumors abounded that somewhere in the labyrinth's depths lay ancient artifacts capable of meddling even with one's fundamental self or heart image—like miracles. It was a trip to honor Zepeto's words by rubbing shoulders with crowds, and while we were at it, to cure my cranky personality.
"Hey, wait! I really just came to sell mana grass!"
"Does that tainted mana grass in your eyes look like something we can sell?"
A familiar aggrieved voice and the bellow of a guard. I craned my neck through the line to peer at the commotion up front by the gates.
"N-no way! They were top-quality, I swear!"
"Take him away! Lock him in the underground jail and interrogate him thoroughly—find out if he's a smuggler or not!"
"Huh? Iris! Isn't that uncle from the carriage earlier?"
Evel tugged at my sleeve. Unless my eyesight was failing, it was definitely that sleazy coachman who'd ditched us and sped off ahead.
"N-no, really, I swear! They were fine right up until we left...!"
"Quiet! You dare try to fool my eyes?"
Mana grass was a fine elixir in its natural state, but if overloaded with mana and corrupted, it turned into a hallucinogenic poison. In other words, drugs.
"Sob, h-hic...! I swear it's not! Believe me!"
The coachman sounded truly wronged. But he had no reason to be. Creating corrupted mana grass required a deliberate mana infusion process. So he'd come here to sell drugs from the start.
"Waaah! Nooo! Waaah!"
His voice sounded purely innocent as he was dragged away sobbing. Someone might pity him, but as an emotionless psychopath, I didn't bat an eye. If anything, it was amusing. Karma's a bitch—what goes around comes around.
I'd known he was no good ever since he dumped us midway and toyed with us, but a drug smuggler? Served him right.
"Next!"
After the brief uproar, the line shortened with the gatekeeper's shout. Our turn came up, and the armored guard jerked his chin indifferently.
"Identification. If none, passage fee—one silver per person, two total."
Two silvers. Swallowing bitter tears, I dug deep into my bosom and handed over the two precious coins I'd stashed away. The guard took them with a sour face and waved us through without delay.
Stepping past the gates into the city revealed a whole other world unlike anything I'd seen. Towering stone buildings linked by a web of signs. It was like my previous life's cyberpunk vibes, minus the skyscrapers, flying cars, neon lights, modern tech, and mechanical engineering.
So what was left? Romance.
"Whoa."
See? Even Evel was impressed. But you can't live on romance alone. We were strapped for cash—not just for a place to crash tonight, but even for a single loaf of bread.
"Iris! Look over there! That meat smells amazing! Let's buy some!"
Evel shook my arm, pointing at a street vendor. The sizzling aroma was assaultive.
"No way. Eat that, and we're sleeping rough tonight."
Evel's bright face fell as she pointed at the skewer. The gap between romance and reality closes fast.
"Come on. Let's find work."
I took her hand and plunged into the crowd. Our destination was obvious. Labyrinth city? First thing that comes to mind: the labyrinth. Next: adventurers. We headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
### Anomaly, Adventurer's Guild.
Guildmaster Rainerus was, as usual, buried in paperwork.
"Um, Guildmaster... I think you should come down for a sec...."
That's when it happened. The door to his office cracked open, and the receptionist from the first-floor counter poked her head in.
"What is it?"
"Well... two mages showed up... uhmm...."
Rainerus pinched his throbbing brow. She was great at everything except that habit of trailing off.
Deciding it'd be faster to check himself, he rose from his chair and headed downstairs. The first thing he saw were two grubby girls in ragged clothes.
".........."
But Rainerus couldn't speak for a moment, narrowing his eyes. From these two kids—who didn't look like mages at all—mana waves were leaking out steadily.
Mages weren't rare. The city had plenty exploring the labyrinth. But ones leaking mana like that? Few and far between.
Normies wouldn't notice, but to labyrinth-hardened adventurers, it felt like blatant provocation—or a threat. The sensation mimicked facing a labyrinth beast.
From his long experience, mages who couldn't contain their mana fell into two categories: battle maniacs or raving lunatics.
"Hello."
Finally, a black-haired girl in a hood smeared with dirt marks spoke up dryly, hood pulled low. Expressionless face. Vacant pumpkin-colored eyes devoid of emotion. She didn't care if the adventurers in the guild shifted uncomfortably at her waves, or glared daggers. Her indifferent voice rang out calmly, as if it had nothing to do with her.
".........."
Rainerus had a gut feeling. This girl was a lunatic.