After leaving the meeting room, we headed toward the Exploration Department section.
"It sounds like everyone’s been twiddling their thumbs. We’re going to do a formal introduction now."
Selma-san spoke as we walked toward our destination. True to her word this morning, I was finally about to meet the rest of my party.
I didn't have a problem with everyone gathering, but I wondered how Selma-san knew what they were doing in real-time. We had been together the whole time, hadn't we?
When I voiced my suspicion, Selma-san just gave me a daring smile. "I'll tell you later," she said.
Apparently, there was some sort of trick to it.
◇
"Wait, what is this...?"
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
The place Selma-san had led me to was a room filled with a massive number of books. There had to be several thousand volumes here. Glancing at the spines as we passed, I saw titles regarding magic beasts and detailed accounts of various labyrinth floors.
"As I thought. Even Orun is surprised by this."
"Um, is everything here related to the Great Labyrinth?"
"Yeah. There are plenty of books on the local labyrinths, but we have quite the collection on the Great Labyrinth as well. It’s not just the information published by the Guild; we’ve recorded everything the clan has gathered independently."
So this was the power of a major clan. The Hero Party could never have compiled a library like this. This was only possible for an organization that supported a vast number of Explorers.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of knowledge. If this was just the labyrinth section, then they must have an equally impressive amount of information on other subjects—like magic tools.
Is this paradise?
I wanted to hole up in here for a while and devour every scrap of unique information the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky had gathered.
"I didn't know you could get stars in your eyes like that, Orun..."
"How could I not?! There’s so much information right in front of me! Anyone would look like this!"
"I-I see... Well, any member of the clan is free to read these. You just can’t take them out of the building."
Selma-san looked slightly taken aback. Admittedly, I didn't usually get this worked up, but how could I stay calm? There were secrets in these pages I might not even know existed. Was there a human being alive who wouldn't be excited? No, impossible!
"Can I come back and read everything later?!"
"I hate to be a killjoy when you’re this happy, but let’s prioritize the introductions first..."
Right. That was why we were here. It couldn't be helped. The books weren't going anywhere; I would just have to be patient.
◇
At the back of the library were more than ten doors. Selma-san opened the most solidly built one and waved me inside.
"This is the private room allocated to the First Unit. We usually hold our briefings here. —Looks like everyone's made it."
The rest of the team was already inside. I followed Selma-san into the room, which looked quite similar to the strategy room in the mansion the Hero Party had rented. There was a large table with five chairs in the center, a massive blackboard on the wall, and a stockpile of exploration consumables in the back.
In addition to Wilkes-san, whom I’d met this morning, there were two girls. Both of them had been part of last month’s Joint Subjugation.
"Sorry for calling you all in on your day off. You know the reason. For now, let's start with proper introductions."
"Sure, sounds good. I guess I should say 'long time no see'? I'm Rain Hagwell, twenty-four years old. I'm a Mage. Looking forward to working with you."
Rain-san emphasized her age as she introduced herself. It might have been rude to think, but she looked like she was in her early teens. I remembered being shocked during the Joint Subjugation to learn she was actually twenty-four. Her black hair was tied into pigtails that hung between her ears and shoulders, and her eyes were a clear sky-blue. She wore a baggy black-and-blue robe that looked a few sizes too big for her.
From what I had seen during the Joint Subjugation, she favored quality over quantity, firing off high-density special-grade magic in rapid succession.
"Hi, hi! Me next! My name is Lucretia Otis. I'm a Supporter and a Healer. Just call me Lucre! We look about the same age, so let's be friends!♪"
She was just as energetic as I remembered. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, and was dressed in a black blouse, blue miniskirt, and black tights. During the Joint Subjugation, she had acted more like an offensive Mage than a Healer. She mainly used Advanced Magic, and her casting speed seemed average.
"I guess I’m next. The name’s Wilkes Sevary, twenty. I've been filling in as a Front-line Attacker lately, but my real job is Defender. I thought I'd be stuck as an Attacker forever, so I'm glad you joined, Orun. Just call me Wil. Nice to meet ya!"
So that was why he had been playing the vanguard during the Joint Subjugation. The instructor for the Guided Exploration had been a Defender, too. If Anthem-san or Barnard-san had been promoted to the First Unit, Wil probably would have been forced to officially switch roles.
Wilkes-san had somewhat long silver hair and amber eyes. With his three-quarter-length jacket, he looked a bit like a playboy, but he wouldn't be in the First Unit if he didn't have the skills to back it up.
"I don’t think I need much of an introduction, but I'm Selma Claudel. I'm the leader of this party and serve as a Supporter—specifically, an Enchanter. Generally, I’ll be the one calling the shots in the labyrinth, but feel free to speak up if you have questions. Glad to have you with us."
Selma-san was the world-renowned Continent's Greatest Enchanter. It was said she had mastered every standard spell in existence, and her ability to choose the perfect magic for any situation was unparalleled. Between her casting speed and the potency of her buffs, she was easily one of the top Explorers alive.
"And finally, me. My name is Orun Doura, eighteen. I’m a Front-line Attacker. I’ll do my best to get up to speed with the team’s coordination as quickly as possible. I look forward to working with you all."
"Eighteen?! We're the same age!" Lucre chimed in.
It turned out Lucre was eighteen too. Selma-san was twenty-one, if I recalled correctly. This was a remarkably young team—though the Hero Party had been the same.
"We're all in the same party now, so there's no need for formal speech," Selma said. "It just makes conversations take longer, and that's inefficient."
"Wait, but I'm the youngest, and I'm a newcomer here..."
"I'm young too, and I was the most recent hire before you, but I don't use formal speech! No problem at all!" Lucre added.
"I think you could stand to show your elders a little more respect, though," Wil muttered.
"What was that?! Wil, you're just a total flake! How am I supposed to respect someone like you?"
"I'm not a flake! I act on my convictions!"
"Oh? Is your 'conviction' flirting with every girl you see?"
"I wasn't flirting! Don't go saying things that'll cause a misunderstanding!"
"Huh? But the other day—"
"Gaaah! Don't you dare mention that!"
The two of them immediately descended into bickering. In the end, my protests were ignored, and the ban on formal speech was finalized.
It was probably for the best. Dropping the formalities would help us close the distance between us faster. Formal speech always felt a bit cold and distant.
Though, of course, I’d still have to mind the time and place.