By the time my conversation with Estella reached a natural pause, the meeting was just about to begin.
The participants were all present. A man stood up, scanned the room, and then spoke.
"Thank you all for joining us today despite your busy schedules. Since everyone has arrived, we shall begin immediately. My name is Clint, from the Exploration Management Department, and I will be acting as the moderator for this session. It is a pleasure to meet you."
With Clint’s opening remarks, the meeting officially commenced. Every Explorer in the room turned their full attention toward him.
"Now then, please refer to the materials in front of you. In today's meeting, we wish to discuss how our clan will respond to the anticipated rise in the demand for Explorers. To start us off, Estella O'Neill, our Head of Exploration Management, will present the department's current projections and future policy."
At Clint’s introduction, Estella stood up.
"Morning, everyone! I see some new faces today, so I'll start with a quick introduction. My name is Estella O’Neill. As Clint mentioned, I’ve been put in charge of the Exploration Management Department. I might be an executive, but I’m not the type to stand on ceremony, so feel free to pull me aside whenever! I look forward to working with you all!"
Estella delivered her introduction with her usual frankness, though her tone was notably more professional than when we spoke privately. I could sense the tension among the Explorers thawing as they listened to her.
Because this meeting was critical for them, we needed them to be comfortable enough to offer their honest opinions. This amicable, open atmosphere was essential for encouraging dialogue, and Estella’s ability to foster it so effortlessly was truly one of her greatest virtues.
"—Now, let’s get down to business. I’m sure you’re all aware that the Saubel Empire invaded the Nohitant Kingdom about two months ago. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Count Eddington, we were eventually able to force an imperial withdrawal, but tensions remain high—not just between our two nations, but across the neighboring countries as well."
The imperial invasion had already become common knowledge among the general public. However, the details of our involvement—and the fact that I had personally repelled a "Great Hero"—had not been reported. Between that and the information control exercised by the Count Eddington House, very few people knew the truth. Even within the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, the facts were restricted to the executives, the members of the First Unit, and those who had been stationed in the Regrif Territory at the time.
"We believe that, in the wake of the invasion, the Nohitant Kingdom is going to pour its resources into the development of Magic Weapons. If that's the case, the value of Labyrinth Materials—not just Magic Stones—is going to skyrocket. Magic Weapon casings are almost exclusively manufactured from materials found in the Labyrinth. It’s self-evident that the people most affected by this shift will be the Explorers."
The primary evidence for this conclusion lay in the Northern War that had erupted sixty years ago. That conflict, which centered around the Republic of Junoe and the Great Labyrinth of the North, saw a radical shift in warfare between its beginning and its end.
That shift was defined by the advent of Magic Weapons.
At the time, the Republic of Junoe was considered to be on the brink of defeat. The introduction of Magic Weapons completely overturned the tide of battle. Previously, Special-grade Magic capable of wide-area annihilation was the exclusive domain of a handful of elite Mages; Magic Weapons, however, allowed almost anyone to produce those same devastating results.
The Magic Weapons of that era had significant drawbacks—most were single-use or required massive Magic Stones to function—but they were nonetheless powerful enough to rewrite the rules of the war. Since then, technology has advanced; modern Magic Weapons include several models with suppressed power that can be used repeatedly or for extended periods.
For the Explorers of that era, many of whom had no direct stake in the war, the appearance of these weapons was a massive windfall. As Estella said, the production of such weaponry requires a staggering amount of Labyrinth Materials. During the Northern War, prices for materials in the Great Labyrinth of the North surged. Seeing a golden opportunity to earn, Explorers were highly motivated, pushing deep into previously unreached floors.
Records show that the Republic of Junoe entered an era of unprecedented prosperity, often referred to as a "Special Demand Boom." Based on this historical precedent, the upper management of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky anticipated a similar, if perhaps slightly smaller, surge in material costs.
While rising prices were a blessing for Explorers, they also brought new risks. The purpose of this meeting was to gather input from the Explorers themselves on how we, as a clan, should navigate these changes.
"We want to finalize our clan policy before things really start moving," Estella continued. "Naturally, individual parties might have their own ideas, and that's fine. However, we need everyone to avoid actions that deviate too far from the direction we set today. That’s why I want to hear your thoughts. Those of you in the Third Unit, don’t hesitate to speak up."
The Explorers responded with serious nods. Seeing their focus, Estella gave a satisfied hum.
"The preamble ran a bit long, but here is the policy the Exploration Management Department is currently proposing. Listen closely, and then let me know what you think!"
Estella began outlining the future of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. For the most part, operations would continue as usual, but the clan intended to implement mandatory quotas for each party.
In the past, the Exploration Management Department would recommend a specific party for requests coming from sponsors, but the party ultimately held the right of refusal. Consequently, some parties hadn't taken on any external requests at all. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing; some prioritized their own specific sponsors, and the clan generally didn't interfere with a party's internal policy.
However, with the expected surge in demand, it would become necessary for every party to handle a baseline number of requests. Those who had spent their time focusing solely on their own personal goals would find themselves forced to adjust their way of life.
I had expected some resistance, but surprisingly, no one voiced an objection. While various opinions were shared during the meeting, most were minor suggestions that could be easily incorporated into the department's draft.
Everyone in the room likely felt it—the sense that our peaceful days were starting to slip away. We were all looking in the same direction now, and the information sharing regarding our future path was a success. I felt the meeting had been highly significant.
"Thank you all for your valuable input," Clint announced as the discussion wound down. "We will finalize the policy based on the suggestions shared today and notify you of the details shortly. That concludes today's meeting. Thank you for your time."
"Thank you for your hard work!" the room chorused.
As people began streaming out of the conference room, I moved through the crowd toward my target.
"Ah, Master! Good work in there!"
"You too, Log. How was your first meeting?"
Twilight Moonbow was an Explorer party belonging to the clan's Third Unit. As the party leader, Log had been required to attend.
"To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised," Log admitted. "I expected things to be a lot more tense."
"Haha, I can see why. Depending on the topic, it can get that way, but this was an internal meeting. It’s rare for opinions to clash too violently within the same organization. It was more of an 'opinion exchange' than a debate."
"That makes sense. I’ve spoken with some of the seniors before, but I feel like I got a much better sense of everyone's perspective today. It was a great learning experience!"
"I'm glad. One of the perks of being in a clan is the ease of information exchange. Between independent parties, everyone is usually too guarded to speak freely. You should keep interacting with the other parties here whenever you can."
This was something I had believed for a long time. Because of Marquis Forgas’s philosophy, Golden Dawn had never become a clan; we remained a single party. While we had the support of the Marquis Faction, there had always been a certain sense of isolation. I felt I understood the value of this environment better than almost anyone else in the clan.
"I will! Thanks for the advice!"
"Are you headed into the Labyrinth after this?" I asked.
"No, we're taking a break today. I think I'll spend the afternoon gathering info on the 55th Floor and beyond."
"Good. If you run into anything you don't understand, just ask. We haven't seen much of each other lately, but I'm still your Master. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't. That’s very reassuring, thank you!"
I noted to myself that Twilight Moonbow was off-duty today. I also had some free time. Their progress through the Labyrinth was steady, and they still had some time before they reached the Lower Floors.
Yeah, if I’m going to step in and do this properly, now is the time.
With that thought, I looked at Log.
"...Log, there's something I want to ask you."
"You want to ask me something, Master? I'll answer if I can..."
"Don't worry. In fact, you and Sophie are probably the most qualified people to answer this."
After getting the answers I needed from Log, I made my way to a scenic hill just on the outskirts of the city.
"It’s cold out here in the winter. Stay out here too long and you'll catch a cold."
I called out to the figure sitting there, knees hugged to her chest, blankly watching the clouds drift by.
"Mas... ter...?"
Carol reacted to my voice, her eyes drifting slowly toward me.