Prologue: Seeking encounters in a labyrinth was, of course, a mistake.
After three years, they had come home.
Cui Ciyou, Alice, and Sylphy once again set foot on this familiar land.
This was the Fitoia Territory.
And the city before them was Roa City.
Only...
Their gazes swept over the outline of the city ahead.
To be more precise, it was Roa City "under reconstruction."
In their memories, it had been a magnificent fortress city.
Like a giant beast crouching upon the earth.
First came the imposing walls, nearly ten meters high and etched with countless scars of war.
At the gates, bustling crowds and a lively clamor had greeted them.
But the Roa City before them now...
Was an entirely different sight.
The walls were much lower.
Nearly half their height had been cut away.
The massive blue-black stones had been replaced in many places by newly quarried, paler stone and rough timber.
It looked like an old garment covered in patches.
On the broad road outside the city gates...
The shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and throngs of merchants from days past were nowhere to be seen.
The adventurers from far and wide, the merchants in their varied attire, and the carriages of distinguished nobles had all vanished without a trace.
In their place were scattered groups of residents.
And a few weary-looking workers pulling wooden carts.
The air no longer carried the savory aroma of roasting meat or the rich scent of ale.
Instead, it held a mixture of freshly cut timber and damp earth.
And a faint, almost imperceptible hint of... desolation.
Yes, desolation.
The city was like a giant recovering from a grave illness.
Though it had risen to its feet again...
Its steps were still unsteady.
Its breathing was still weak.
Cui Ciyou sighed softly.
Three