After rushing out of the Great Labyrinth, we made a beeline for the Guild.
"It’s the Golden Dawn! Please, get the Guildmaster or the Vice Guildmaster! This is an absolute emergency! Hurry!"
I shouted the moment we burst through the doors. It was unseemly of me, but the situation was far too dire to worry about etiquette.
"The Golden Dawn? You mean the Hero Party?! Someone, quick, go get the Guildmaster!" one of the staff members cried out, immediately alerting the rest of the office.
The Golden Dawn—that is our party’s name. Ever since we reached the 94th Floor, people have started calling us the "Hero Party" more often than not. However, we haven't changed the name once since we were rookies nine years ago, back when Orun-san, Oliver-san, and I first started out together.
As for the origin of the name... well, I’ll tell that story if the opportunity ever arises. We certainly don't have the time for it now.
"Luna-chan, what’s all this panic about? Let’s move to a conference room for now. The Guildmaster will be here shortly."
Amidst the commotion caused by our sudden intrusion, a female staff member approached us, looking entirely unfazed by the chaos. This was Eleonora-san. She’s the clerk in charge of our party and has looked after us since the Golden Dawn was first formed.
Just seeing her face helped my frantic heart settle. I’ve always admired her motherly warmth and the way she can make anyone feel at ease; it’s a quality I wish I could emulate.
The room Eleonora-san led us to was quite spacious. I assumed that other Guild executives would be joining the Guildmaster. Such was the influence of the Hero Party—that we could summon the Guild’s leadership with a single shout.
And yet, that influence was something that he built for us, and we repaid his kindness with betrayal. How could we ever make amends?
As those dark thoughts swirled in my mind, the Guildmaster and several executives entered the room.
"I apologize for the abrupt summons," I began. "I’ve come today with a desperate request. I need you to immediately perform a Forced Evacuation for every Explorer currently inside the Great Labyrinth."
Normally, negotiations like this were handled by either Orun-san or Oliver-san. With Orun-san gone, the responsibility should have fallen to Oliver-san, but he had been a silent, useless shell of himself for a while now. Derrick-san and Anneri-san aren't suited for diplomacy, and I couldn't dump this on Philly-san when she only just joined. By default, I had to act as our representative.
"As the Heroes, I assume you have a significant reason for this," the Guildmaster replied. "However, a Forced Evacuation is a massive undertaking with a heavy cost. I can’t simply agree to it without an explanation. Tell me, why is this necessary?"
I was relieved he hadn't rejected the idea outright.
"We don't have time for a full briefing, so I’ll keep this brief. I promise to provide a detailed report once the crisis is averted," I said. After the Guildmaster nodded, I continued. "The reason we are requesting an evacuation is that there is an extremely high probability that the Black Dragon—the 92nd Floor Boss—has moved into the boss areas of the lower floors or even higher. If anyone encounters it now, they will be slaughtered before they can even realize what's happening. Once the evacuation is complete, we will head back in to subjugate it. Please, prioritize lives and get them out!"
My declaration sent a shockwave through the room. It was understandable; a Floor Boss abandoning its post was entirely unprecedented. Even the Guildmaster, a mild-mannered man who never let his smile slip, looked utterly incredulous.
But it only lasted a second. He immediately called for a vote. Every executive raised their hand in favor; the Forced Evacuation was authorized. I had expected more pushback, but the decision was made with startling speed.
"Wait! Is it possible to teleport the people between the 45th and 50th Floors to a specific location? Somewhere like the square near the labyrinth entrance?"
Based on the information I had, the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky should have been exploring the 45th Floor today. They are an elite clan, and with Orun-san with them, they likely moved faster than expected. They were almost certainly somewhere in that five-floor range. If we could separate them from the rest of the crowd, I could find Orun-san that much faster.
"That much is simple enough," the Guildmaster said.
He manifested a massive magic circle, the likes of which I had never seen. I couldn't begin to grasp its complex structure. I wondered if Orun-san would have understood it? He had decoded the nature of my Ability almost instantly, so I had a feeling even this would be child's play to him.
The executives began pouring their mana into the circle in unison.
"The Forced Evacuation is complete," the Guildmaster announced. "Golden Dawn, the Black Dragon is in your hands. The rest of us will move to support the Explorers. They’ll be disoriented by the sudden transport. Move out!"
At his command, the executives scrambled into action.
"Right," I said, turning to my team. "Now we go find Orun-san."
"...Hey, do we really need that jack-of-all-trades?" Derrick-san grumbled. "Besides, who knows if what Luna said is even true. We don't need him."
"Exactly!" Anneri-san chimed in. "We only lost before because he caught us off guard. If we go in knowing we're fighting a dragon, we won't lose to a guy like that!"
Even now, they were still complaining about Orun-san’s return. I could only look at them with a cold sense of dread.