Underground at Egeera Mine, the ritter order was putting all their effort into arresting Garrison Yack Aux.
From the newly discovered hidden door, ten handpicked members of the Second Ritter Order's Third Battalion, plus one extra, were heading deep underground.
"Still, to think there was a hidden door on the first basement floor. You truly live up to your name, 'Garth of Bad Luck.'"
The Third Battalion Commander, walking alongside Regulus 25—commonly known as Garth—remarked casually. By the way, the "plus one extra" referred to Garth, who belonged to the Second Battalion.
"Huh... What is that? What's this 'Garth of Bad Luck' thing?"
"Oh, you didn't know? That's what your colleagues call you. Because despite lacking skill... ahem, being rather inferior in ability, you somehow always manage to rack up achievements."
"I-Is that so?"
Naturally, this was solely because Garth acted under Laojun's instructions to benefit the ritter order.
To outside observers, it simply looked like an extraordinary stroke of dumb luck.
According to the stories, he had stumbled into the wrong empty house by mistake and uncovered evidence of a smuggling ring.
According to another, he arrested the wrong person, but as it turned out, that person was actually a far more heinous criminal.
According to yet another, he tripped and accidentally thrust his sword into the ground, stopping the activation of a dangerous magic circle.
And on and on the stories went.
From the outside, he was piling up distinguished achievements through sheer, abnormal fortune.
In stark contrast, his skill as a member of the ritter order ranked dead last. He was barely at a level that permitted him to stay in the ranks.
Well, his running speed was the only fast thing about him.
Because of that, he was reasonably competent as a messenger... though he had a habit of jumping to conclusions and taking the wrong path from time to time.
This latest piece of good fortune was treated as just another instance of that.
"We've gone down quite a ways."
They were currently making a cautious descent down the staircase leading from the first basement floor.
"...Aren't we already deeper than the fourth basement floor?"
"Yes, most likely."
Although he answered with "most likely," Garth—being Regulus 25—already knew they were closer to the sixth basement floor than the fourth.
Then, they finally reached a dead end. There was a door before them.
"Stop."
The Third Battalion Commander halted everyone and confronted the door.
As for Regulus 25, "Garth"...
(That door is a dummy, though... It won't open even if they try, and forcing it will cause this entire passage to collapse. Now then, what should I do...)
('Regulus 25, do this.')
Laojun, who was tracking the situation with a Peeper, knew that the door at the end of the passage was a dummy, and that there was a hidden door in the wall slightly back up the stairs.
And so, upon receiving instructions from Laojun, Regulus 25—"Garth of Bad Luck"—spoke up.
"Battalion Commander, sir, I propose that it might be best for me, as the messenger, to head back up for a moment and bring someone skilled at lockpicking."
"I see, that makes sense. Very well, go."
"Yes, sir!"
Perhaps designed to accommodate large cargo, the staircase was about one meter wide, allowing Garth to smoothly make his way back past the knights who were descending in single file.
"Be careful, Garth."
...Just as that warning was called out, his foot caught on a step as he ascended.
"Whoa."
Losing his balance, Garth planted his right hand against the wall. When he did, a sensation distinctly different from solid rock pushed back against his palm.
"..."
Garth froze in place.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Seeing Garth, who was supposed to be heading up, standing still, the battalion commander called up to him from below.
At this late stage, since they had already made plenty of noise during their underground search, they had long since abandoned any precautions such as keeping quiet or whispering.
And because that posed no particular issue, Laojun refrained from intervening.
In short, every event taking place underground at Egeera Mine was dancing entirely in the palm of Laojun's hand.
"Something feels off here!" Garth reported.
"What!?"
The battalion commander hurried up the steps.
"...I see. This isn't rock."
Pushing firmly, the panel slowly swung open.
"Battalion Commander! Could it be dangerous!?"
Another knight urged caution, but the commander waved it off.
"What, after making this much noise, there's been zero response. There's nothing to fear."
On Hourai Island, Laojun was monitoring every detail of the situation.
'...While it is true that there is no danger, unlike me, who knows this by "seeing" it, that commander is judging purely on intuition... Is he competent, or incompetent?'
Whether consciously or subconsciously, was it a conclusion reached after weighing various factors, or was he merely a musclehead?
Even Laojun struggled to make a definitive judgment.
"Bib #9 has made the final turn! Now, it's just the straight return to the goal!!"
Meanwhile, in Toka Village, the race was entering its final stage.
"Next to turn is Bib #1! Taking a tight turn on the inside of Bib #2, it leaps into second place!"
"Lordtoss has made his move, hasn't he?"
"With this, the running order is Bib #9, 1, and 2! Following behind are 8, 7, 5, 3, 6, 4, and 10!"
"Ah, the trailing Bib #10 has just completed the turn. From here, it's a straight line to the goal—a pure contest of speed."
The spectator stands were in an uproar, sending forth massive cheers.
"Lordtoss is doing great....Hm!?"
Jin's eyes went wide. The craft of Bib #2 had broken apart midair.
"...No, wait."
It had intentionally jettisoned all its safety components, landing wheels, and other nonessential parts, letting them fall away.
"Don't tell me... is that to lighten the load!?"
It was similar to the strategy Jin had once used in a model aircraft race....However, to think someone would actually do that with a full-sized craft. What was more, it had even discarded its landing wheels.
"Well, the pilot is an automata, so it'll be... fine, I guess?"
Jin imagined that the automata would likely support the craft itself upon landing.
"Bib #2 was thought to have broken apart, but it appears to have shed unneeded structural parts to lighten itself!! It accelerates even further!"
However, Lordtoss's Bib #1 was not to be outdone. Pouring in all the reserve power he had saved up, he intended to fly full throttle through the remaining ten kilometers to the goal.
The other craft seemed to be doing the same, all accelerating in unison. However—
"All craft have accelerated further! Even so, Bib #9 refuses to yield the lead! Just how fast is it!?"
Presently, Bib #9 held the top spot. Bib #1 and #2 were pursuing the leader while fiercely contesting second place.
The running order behind them was 7, 8, 5, 3, 6, 4, and 10.
"Less than five kilometers remaining to the goal! Every craft is soaring with the last ounce of its strength! Who will take the victory!?"
Amidst roaring cheers and thunderous applause, the ten Blow Floaters summoned their final reserves of power, racing headlong toward the finish line.