"Ow, ow, ow!"
The morning after my desperate struggle against the Black Dragon, I woke up in my inn bed and decided, for once, to indulge in a bit more sleep. But the moment I tried to roll over, a jolt of agony shot through my entire body, jolting me wide awake.
The pain was the toll from yesterday’s combat. Currently, I was a walking knot of muscle aches. I cast [Pain Relieve] to take the edge off.
"Worst wake-up call ever..."
My brain was still sluggish from overusing magic. I fished out a few raisins and tossed them into my mouth. I always made it a habit to eat raisins—or anything sweet, really—whenever my mind felt foggy. It seemed to jump-start my brain. Or maybe I was just imagining things because I had a sweet tooth.
Now then.
I’d slept like the dead since returning to the inn, so I had no idea what had happened in the interim. Even if it was just a carcass, a Floor Boss from the 92nd Floor appearing on the surface was bound to cause a massive uproar. Why couldn't the body have just vanished? My luck was either incredibly good or incredibly bad.
Just before the warp, we’d been enveloped in a pale light. It was a phenomenon I’d never seen before, but given the circumstances, the Explorer Guild must have triggered a Forced Evacuation.
Come to think of it, I’d heard the Hero Party was exploring the 92nd Floor yesterday. They’d appeared on the scene the second we arrived on the surface. The odds that they were involved in the incident were sky-high.
"Guess I'll head to the Guild for now."
The Explorer Guild was the fastest way to gather information about the Labyrinth. Since I was one of the primary witnesses, they’d likely want a statement. I could find out the cause of the anomaly and what happened after I walked away.
The moment I stepped into the Guild, every eye in the place turned toward me. Word had already spread among the explorers—talk about fast.
"Welcome, Orun-kun. I figured you'd be showing up around now."
I recognized the voice. Turning toward it, I saw Eleonora-san. She was a Guild employee who’d looked after me since my rookie days. Since she also handled the Hero Party’s affairs, I’d seen her almost every day back when I was still one of them.
"It’s been a while, Eleonora-san."
"It has. Hehe, it’s strange. It hasn’t even been a week since we last spoke, yet it feels so nostalgic."
"Ahaha, I suppose it does. So, I take it you were waiting for me because of yesterday?"
"Yes. I was waiting, but I'm still shocked by how perfect your timing is."
"Perfect timing?"
"Hehe, would you mind following me? We can talk inside."
She led me into a conference room where the Guildmaster, several Guild Executives, and the entire Hero Party were assembled. Oliver, Derrick, and Anneri all fixed me with sour expressions, looking like they’d swallowed lemons. A woman I didn't recognize sat next to Anneri. Most likely my successor, Philly Carpenter. Poor girl, getting dragged into this mess right after joining the party.
"Good of you to come, Orun-kun. I apologize for the suddenness, but would you mind giving us your account of yesterday?" the Guildmaster asked in a soft tone.
He was a man who never let his smile slip. With his salt-and-pepper hair and kindly face, he was impossible to read.
"I don't mind, but I'd like an overview of the incident first. I only fought the Black Dragon because it appeared out of nowhere. I wasn't involved in the aftermath, so the only thing I can offer is combat data on the beast."
"Fair enough. Luna-kun, I'm sorry, but could you go over the events one more time?"
"...Understood."
Responding to the Guildmaster's request, Luna began to explain. She told them how they’d been exploring the 92nd Floor when the Black Dragon appeared outside of its Boss Area. Realizing they couldn't win, they used a [Door of Caprice]. The dragon had interfered just as they were entering the rift, resulting in the beast getting sucked into the distorted space instead. They’d immediately rushed to the Guild to request a Forced Evacuation.
What the hell...?
I felt a wave of irritation so intense it surprised me.
"After the evacuation, there was some initial chaos surrounding the dragon's corpse, but with the Guild's help, it was quickly brought under control," Luna finished.
"Thank you, Luna-kun. Now then, Orun-kun. The Black Dragon traveled through the [Door of Caprice] to the 50th Floor Boss Area. According to Selma-kun of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, you happened to be there and took it down alone. Is that correct? ...Orun-kun?"
I knew I should stay calm and answer the Guildmaster rationally. But I couldn't hold back my emotions.
"I didn't think you were this stupid. Oliver, I’m genuinely appalled."
I ignored the Guildmaster and directed my words straight at Oliver.
"The hell? Why do we have to take this from you? You just got lucky and finished it off after Oliver and Anneri's attacks weakened it!" Derrick barked.
"I wasn't talking to you. The grown-ups are talking, so shut up." I didn't even look at him.
"Outsider?! I'm a member of the Hero Par—"
"Can't you understand plain English? I told you to shut up. Close your mouth."
I put a heavy edge of killing intent into my voice. Derrick flinched and fell silent. He should have stayed that way from the start.
"I get that this was an anomaly. No one expects a Floor Boss to wander out of its zone. But that’s not the point. Why on earth did you take a brand-new Enchanter straight into the Deep Floors? Luna must have objected. Why did you ignore her? Did you think you were so good that you didn't need to be careful just because you'd been there before?"
Oliver just grimaced, unable to find a retort.
"So I was right. I told you, over and over. The only reason we cleared the 92nd and 93rd Floors was sheer luck. I told you that your current strength wasn't enough to go further. There were dozens of times in the Deep Floors where one mistake would have meant death."
"T-That’s why we replaced the Enchanter!" Oliver finally snapped back, though his voice wavered. "I thought if we had someone who could use better Support Magic than you, we could... keep... going... I made the choice..."
"You made a choice, and the majority of the party agreed to kick me out. I'm not even mad about that. I was just getting by on parlor tricks anyway. There are plenty of Enchanters better than me. Being exiled hurt, sure, but you're the leader of the Hero Party. You have a duty to conquer the Great Labyrinth. I'm not disputing that. What makes me furious—is how much you look down on the role of an Enchanter!"
"We don't look down on it! I replaced you because I knew it was important!" Oliver shouted.
He actually believed his own bullshit.
"...Do you have even the slightest clue how much an Enchanter has to grind their nerves down during a dive? Your first time coordinating together was in the Deep Floors? Are you insane? Knowing you guys, you probably expected her to perform at my level from the second you stepped inside. Without even a transition period! Even a B-Rank Party would know that’s a recipe for disaster!"
"What’s so stressful about being an Enchanter?!" Oliver yelled back. "You just re-cast buffs when the timer runs out and call shots from the back! It’s easy! Anyone with Support Magic can do it!"
"...Are you serious?" I was stunned.
"Of course I'm serious! It’s the truth!"
That was the moment I realized that when rage boils over, it turns into a cold, sharp clarity.
"Oliver, sixty-one seconds. Anneri, one hundred thirty-four. Derrick, one hundred eighty-six. Luna, one hundred forty. Do you know what those numbers represent?"
Oliver looked perplexed. He tried to think, but clearly had no idea.
"Those are the durations of your buffs. An Enchanter keeps an average of three buffs on every ally. None of them are cast at the exact same time. We have to track twelve different timers in the middle of a life-or-death battle, all while acting as the party’s strategist. Oliver, could you do that?"
"Heh... it’s just an application of Parallel Construction. I could do it once I got used to it!"
"Right, because you're a genius. Maybe you could. But here's the thing: nobody tells you those numbers. Knowing you, you probably dove straight into combat to 'test the coordination' without giving Philly a chance to learn your rhythms. She was likely sweating blood, desperately trying to figure out those timings mid-fight, knowing that if a single buff lapsed, one of you might die. How in the world can you call that easy?"
Oliver's eyes went wide. Finally, it seemed like the mental burden of the job was starting to sink in.
Enchanters are constantly hunted by the clock. That sudden feeling of weakness when a buff expires isn't something you can just ignore. In the middle of a fight, it’s a fatal opening—and magic beasts aren't kind enough to look the other way. I wasn't being dramatic; if a buff fails at the wrong moment, people die.
"The only reason you’re alive today is a mix of dumb luck and the fact that she’s a damn good Enchanter. You should be down on your knees thanking her."
With those final words, a heavy silence descended over the room.