The next morning, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
I only relied on portable rations on the days I was actually diving into the Labyrinth. When I wasn't exploring, I made it a point to eat a proper meal. It wasn't that the rations tasted bad, but real food was just leagues better.
As I entered the hall, I felt everyone’s eyes on me, just as I had two days ago. People watched from a distance, but no one seemed brave enough to actually approach me.
Well, that was to be expected. I had joined the clan out of nowhere and been promoted to an executive position the very next day. They probably had no idea how to act around someone like that.
I hope I can blend in soon...
"Ah, Orun-kun!"
I had just received my food and started eating when someone called my name. I looked toward the voice to see Lucre approaching, accompanied by a girl wearing glasses.
"Mornin'! Mind if we join you?"
"Good morning, Lucre. Not at all, go ahead."
With my permission, Lucre took the seat directly in front of me, while the girl with glasses sat diagonally across.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Nina. I'm with the Magic Development Room here at the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky."
The girl introduced herself politely. She had light-blue hair cut into a short bob and deep indigo eyes.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Orun. I've been assigned to the First Unit of the Exploration Department as of a few days ago."
"You both are so stiff!" Lucre chimed in. "We're all the same age, so let's just be friends!"
Since she said "all" of us, it seemed this Nina was also eighteen.
"You're just too relaxed, Lucre..." Nina sighed.
"Ahaha... In that case, is it okay if I just call you Nina?" I asked.
"Y-Yes. That's fine. Then I'll call you O-Orun as well."
"Mm-hmm, I'm glad to see you're getting along! Oh! That's right! Nina, look at this!"
Lucre activated the spell I’d taught her yesterday—a simple trick for levitating light objects—and made her spoon and fork hover in mid-air.
"............Eh? Wait, what?! What is that?!"
"Heh-heh. Pretty cool, right? Orun-kun taught it to me yesterday!"
"Is this... is this an original spell of yours, Orun?" Nina asked tentatively.
Being part of the Magic Development Room, she was clearly fascinated by magic and magic tools.
"Yeah. If you're interested, I can teach you how it works."
"Wait, really?!"
Nina leaned across the table, her face uncomfortably close to mine in her excitement.
I had intended to make this magic public eventually anyway. I felt its true value lay in making everyday life easier rather than in Labyrinth exploration.
"Yeah, I don't mind. But I do have one request in exchange."
"W-What kind of request?" Nina asked, her expression turning cautious.
"I want this magic to be released to the public under the name of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. I don't care about the specifics of how you do it. If the clan wants to make a profit in the process, that's fine too. For example, you could sell it as a magic tool first and then release the spell formula to the public after a while."
"...This is an original spell, right? Are you sure you want to give it away so easily?"
Nina's concern was valid. Developing a new spell was no small feat. Given how many spells already existed, creating something useful and unique was incredibly difficult.
"I actually stumbled onto this while working on something else, so it didn't take much effort to develop. Besides, it's the kind of utility magic that's likely in high demand; someone else might already be working on something similar. If we’re going to release it, sooner is better than later."
Moreover, if this magic generated significant revenue, my standing within the clan would improve. I had been appointed as an executive despite having no track record yet. I wanted to establish some visible achievements as quickly as possible. It was a bit of a cynical move, but I kept that to myself.
"Understood. I promise we'll handle it well. ...By the way, the First Unit usually dives every other day, right? On your off-days, why don't you come down to the Magic Development Room?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I've already got plans for my off-days. Plus, I have my executive duties. I'm sorry. I'll try to drop by if I find some free time, though."
"That's a shame. You've already got a full schedule. Is the work something I'm allowed to ask about?"
"Yeah. I'm acting as an instructor for a rookie party."
"Rookie instruction? Isn't that usually handled by the Exploration Management Department?"
"Apparently, there are some kids who are exceptionally gifted. The management department wants to fast-track them into the Exploration Department, so they reached out to me since my schedule is relatively flexible."
"Gifted kids? Oh, you mean that arrogant little brat."
So he really does have that reputation within the clan.
"If that's the case, why don't we have Lucre do the teaching? Then you can come to the Magic Development Room!"
"Hmm? ...What about me?" Lucre looked up, startled, her face full of food.
"Lucre is surprisingly good at teaching people. Let's swap!"
"How cruel! We've been a team all this time! You're ready to trade me in the moment a better prospect comes along?! To you, Nina, was I just a woman of convenience?!"
"Hey! Stop saying weird things!"
The two of them began bickering like a comedy duo. They really were close.
After breakfast, I parted ways with the girls and went out to buy a newspaper before returning to my room.
As I scanned the pages, I saw that two of the three major publishers had run front-page stories on the Hero Party's failure. Of the three big papers, one effectively held a monopoly on exclusive information regarding the Hero Party. Because of that, the other two were usually stuck rehashing old news, leading to a decline in their readership.
Perhaps motivated by a bit of spite, both of the secondary papers had dedicated their entire front pages to the recent blunder.
Knowing the truth of the incident, I could see that they weren't lying, but they were certainly exaggerating for effect.
This is going to cause a stir.
Magic tools were indispensable to modern life, whether for providing light or producing water. Those tools required magic stones to function. To get those stones, one had to slay magic beasts. Since beasts rarely appeared on the surface, the explorers who ventured into the Labyrinth were essentially the backbone of society's infrastructure.
That was why the public followed the movements of explorers so closely, and why the Hero Party—hailed as the best of the best—enjoyed such immense popularity.
The real issue wasn't the monster itself; I had been there and managed to take it down. The problem was that a Deep Floor boss had been lured into the Middle Floors, nearly costing countless explorers their lives.
However, printing that with blunt honesty would normally incite mass panic. Why would two companies run such a story at the same time?
What made even less sense was the fact that these articles were allowed to circulate at all. Marquis Forgas, the Hero Party's primary sponsor, hadn't moved to suppress the story. No matter how much those papers wanted to bash the Hero Party, a high-ranking noble like the Marquis should have been able to force them to retract the articles.
It’s unlike Marquis Forgas to ignore the public’s perception. What is he playing at?