We were currently on the 76th Floor of the Great Labyrinth.
This level was a snowy mountain zone, and it was bone-chillingly cold. While the 76th Floor merely had deep snow, blizzards began to howl as one descended further. It was the kind of place where you could lose your life to the environment alone if you didn't take proper precautions, even without fighting a single Magic Beast.
The reason we were here was to collect Magic Stones.
Due to our recent disaster, the Guild had ordered us to compensate them for the massive quantity of Magic Stones used for our forced evacuation. While the 91st Floor would have been the optimal place to gather them in bulk, we had been banned from the Deep Floors until the debt was settled.
Left with no choice, we had come to the 76th Floor—a level in the Lower Floors where Magic Beasts appeared with relative frequency.
"Hyaaah!"
Derrick charged headlong into a pack of Snow Bears that had just materialized.
"You idiot! You're getting too far from the rearguard! We can't coordinate like that!" I shouted, chasing after him.
He had been incredibly volatile ever since our failure. Seeking to vent his frustrations on anything that moved, he would sprint toward Magic Beasts and attack the moment they appeared.
"Shut up! I can handle these guys by myself! As if I'd lose to some trash mobs from the Lower Floors! Take this!"
Empowered by the physical buffs from Philly’s Support Magic, he began hacking through the Snow Bears with brute force.
"Oliver, move!"
I heard Anneri’s voice from behind and spun around just in time to see a Fire Javelin hurtling toward me. I managed to dodge it by a hair’s breadth, but if I hadn't, I would have been maimed.
"Watch where you’re aiming! That was dangerous!"
"But Philly told me to fire!"
"I believe I told you to mind the line of fire, didn't I?" Philly cut in.
"Huh? Did you? Sorry, Philly!"
Apologize to me too!
Ever since Philly had grasped our individual buff durations—information Orun had mentioned—she hadn't let a single spell expire. However, according to her, Orun hadn't actually told her the real durations. He had likely provided dummy information because a Guild Executive had been present.
He’s always overthinking things.
Philly’s leadership was also starting to look the part. As Orun had said, she was an excellent Enchanter. My only concern was that Anneri seemed almost infatuated with her, hanging on Philly’s every word. Anneri was someone who was honest to a fault, for better or worse; she wasn't the type to take orders from just anyone.
Still, Philly’s instructions were precise, and she was reliable.
Wait. Reliable? I mean trustworthy... right? What is this weird feeling? Whatever, it doesn't matter.
Our coordination was abysmal. Derrick would charge in alone, while Anneri was a constant threat for friendly fire. Luna didn't even bother joining our formations, silently picking off the Magic Beasts we missed.
We could never hope to conquer the 94th Floor like this. A fundamental reform was going to be necessary.
After returning from the Great Labyrinth and delivering the Magic Stones to the Explorer Guild, we headed back to our mansion. There, waiting out front, was a magnificent carriage bearing a familiar family crest and an elderly man in a tailcoat.
"Lord Oliver, I have been waiting for you. My master requests your presence. I apologize for the haste so soon after your return, but please prepare yourself immediately."
He was the butler of Marquis Forgas, our Hero Party's primary sponsor. Was he calling us because of this morning's article? I thought I had reported everything properly to the Marquis the other day. Or rather, why hadn't the Marquis suppressed the article in the first place? It should have been a simple task for a man of his standing.
"Is the Marquis only calling for Oliver?" Derrick asked.
"That is correct," the butler affirmed.
Just me? I understood the situation less and less.
"Well, if that’s how it is, I’m going out to grab some food. Good luck entertaining that old man, Oliver!" Derrick turned and walked into the mansion alone.
Lately, his attitude had been crossing the line. He had always been overconfident and prone to looking down on others, but it had become far more pronounced recently. He hadn't always been this bad. When did it start? Around the time we decided to expel Orun?
"Then, I have things to attend to at my family's home. I will take my leave now," Luna said, walking off toward her parents' house without even setting foot inside the mansion.
"Um... Philly, what should we do?" Anneri asked.
"Shouldn't we go with Oliver-san?"
"Ugh, he’s just going to nag us the whole time. Well, if Philly wants to go, I guess I will too."
Philly was willing to come along, but Anneri was right; it was going to be an earful. I didn't want to drag Philly, who had only just joined, into that kind of mess.
"Thank you, Philly. But I’ll handle this alone. You two go get some dinner."
"Wait, but—"
"It’s fine. This is the duty of a party leader."
With that, I climbed into the carriage by myself.
After a few minutes of being swayed by the carriage's motion, we arrived at the Forgas estate. It was as ridiculously massive as ever. I followed the butler inside and was guided to the Marquis's private study.
"So you've arrived. The Hero of the great blunder."
The moment I stepped inside, Marquis Forgas greeted me with a sneer.
Clive Forgas. He was a high-ranking noble who held dominion over this entire region, including Tsutrail. While he looked like a kindly middle-aged man on the surface, he was incredibly devious. That said, Orun used to tell me that such traits were a requirement for surviving in noble society—par for the course for any aristocrat.
"What is your business with me today?"
"Business? What business could I possibly have other than this?" He threw a copy of this morning's newspaper at me. "You’ve produced a pathetic result. Is this the return on my investment? The newspapers are already in print; the entire populace knows of your failure. What do you intend to do about this?"
The Marquis glared at me, his face twisted in anger.
You could have suppressed the papers yourself. I reported it to you honestly before the story broke. There's no way you didn't know.
I watched him closely as I thought this. He was angry, yes, but he also had the look of a man with an ulterior motive. At the very least, it didn't seem like he was going to cut our funding yet. To me, that was the most important thing. While we received support from other nobles, the Marquis’s influence was paramount. If he withdrew, the others would likely follow suit. It was a matter of life and death for the party.
"I will definitely redeem us."
"Hmph. I should hope so. Right now, public interest is centered on Orun Doura—the man you kicked out— and by extension, the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. If you and Orun were to duel with swords alone, you would be the stronger of the two, would you not? You are the one they call the Sword Saint, after all."
Why was he asking something so obvious? I didn't know how Orun had managed to slay a Black Dragon, but I had never lost to him in a fight. If we were restricted to swordsmanship, I couldn't conceive of a single way I could lose.
"Yes. I would win, one hundred percent."
"The commoners currently believe Orun is stronger than you. So, you must crush him. Show the world your true power. I will set the stage for you. For now, endure the shame and continue working for the Guild. Hahaha!"
...If that was what it took, I wouldn't hesitate. I had to remain the strongest. If I didn't, I would lose those precious to me all over again. If Orun was going to be an obstacle to that, then I would strike him down.
"...I understand."
"Hmph. You have good eyes. I wanted to see your resolve today, and it seems there will be no issues. You may go."
"............Excuse me."
"Was that truly for the best?" Marquis Forgas muttered to the empty, silent room after Oliver had departed.
"Yes. It was perfect."
The air in the room suddenly shimmered, and a woman materialized from nothing.
"Good grief. If I had applied even a little pressure, that article never would have seen the light of day. As a result, those bottom-feeders got cocky and wrote whatever they pleased. At this rate, even my reputation might suffer."
"Hehe... humans only truly grow when they are backed into a corner. To draw out his latent potential, we must push him even further."
"You're a woman of foul taste, toying with my pawns as you please."
"Oh? The moment you agreed with that person's vision, you became just like us, didn't you?"
"Hmph. Don't lump me in with you. I only care about being the one who stands victorious in the end. And to ensure that, it’s only natural to side with the one who rules the world, isn't it?"
"I suppose so. I'll never understand your mindset, but as long as you don't act against that person's will, you won't lose. Now then, I believe I'll take my leave."
"Fine. Just make sure you keep working so that I continue to win."
With that, the woman's presence vanished from the room.
The woman who had just been speaking with Marquis Forgas reappeared in a deserted back alley.
"Phew... using Space Leap is such a chore. Why is so much Support Magic so tedious? Honestly, I think Enchanters must be masochists. I can't wrap my head around the sanity of people who actually take this job seriously. —Still, hehe... 'ruling the world,' he says. I wonder if he has even the slightest inkling of what that person is actually trying to achieve. Oh well. It’s rare to find someone so easy to manipulate who also holds that much power. I'll just keep using him."
"Aha! There you are!"
The woman stopped her private musings as she ran into an acquaintance.
"Oh, Anneri-san. Is something wrong?"
"Don't 'something wrong' me! You disappeared before I even realized it, so I came looking for you. So? What are you doing in a place like this, Philly?"
"Hehe... just taking a little stroll."