The headache lingered for a while, but by forcing myself not to dwell on everything Gary had told me, I eventually recovered enough to move.
I retrieved Schwarzhase and snapped a single twig from the only shrub left standing in the area before making my way back toward the entrance.
If the Labyrinth’s functions had still been active, I could have warped using the crystals found at each floor’s entrance, but in this ruined place, I had no choice but to make the climb back to the surface on foot.
When I reached the entrance, the Guildmaster emerged from a small building constructed as a temporary station for the Explorer Guild staff.
"Good work, Orun. Did you capture the mastermind?"
"No, I’m sorry. I wasn't able to secure him."
"...I see. If even you couldn't catch him, something significant must have occurred. It’s a regrettable outcome, but let’s leave it at that for now."
I couldn't tell what the Guildmaster was really thinking, but he didn't berate me for failing to capture Gary.
"Guildmaster, I have one question. Was there anyone else who entered or exited this Labyrinth after I went in?"
"No, no one besides you has passed through here."
"I see..."
"So, Orun. Are you planning to head straight back to Tsutrail?"
"Yes. I’ll be taking a short detour, but I intend to be back by evening."
"That’s good. I’ll issue a formal notice later, but I’ll give you a heads-up now. I want every member of the S-Rank Party, the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, to report to the Explorer Guild today at 20:00."
"Every member?"
"Yes. There is someone who wishes to speak with you on a matter of great importance. I apologize, but consider this an official order. Please make sure you are back by tonight."
Since the summons included the entire First Unit, the person who wanted to talk was almost certainly her.
Which meant the topic would likely be—
"...Understood."
"Then I’ll head back to Tsutrail ahead of you. You understand, of course, that regarding this incident, you conquered a Labyrinth during a stampede strictly at my request. It is nothing more and nothing less. Is that clear?"
"Yes, I understand."
After parting with the Guildmaster, I headed toward the site where the Giant Skeleton had appeared to rendezvous with Oliver.
There were things I had to ask him.
As I approached the location, I saw a massive pile of bleached bones, just like the one left behind after we had defeated the skeleton the first time.
Then Oliver came into view, and facing off against him were Selma and the rest of the First Unit. The tension in the air was palpable.
"I’m asking you where Orun is, armored explorer! Depending on your answer, I won’t let this go!" Selma’s voice was thick with anger as she confronted Oliver.
Come to think of it, I had asked the members of Jade Gale to deliver a message to Selma when I sent them back to Tsutrail. They must have rushed here the moment they heard it.
"Selma, I’m right here."
I called out as I hurried over to join them.
"Orun?! Thank gods, you’re safe!"
"Where did you go?! Seriously!"
"Good grief, you really had us worried."
"But I’m just glad you’re okay."
The group let out collective sighs of relief the moment they saw me.
"Sorry. I left things here to the armored explorer and went to check on the Labyrinth where the stampede originated."
"I see. I panicked because I couldn't even pick you up with Telepathy. —Armored explorer, I apologize for casting such suspicions on you."
Accepting my explanation, Selma bowed to Oliver, and Will and the others followed suit. Oliver simply shook his head, indicating he didn't mind.
Then, muttering "You have good companions" in a lonely voice, he turned his back on us and began to walk away. Based on his direction, he was headed toward Farila Village rather than Tsutrail.
In truth, I had many questions for him, but I hesitated to reveal the armored explorer’s true identity to the others, and the Guildmaster had ordered me back to Tsutrail by tonight anyway.
Well, I could always visit him in the near future.
"I’m really sorry for worrying you. I’m happy you all rushed here so quickly."
"That’s a given! Still, it’s a shock that a magic beast on par with a deep floor boss appeared on the surface. But the armored explorer took it down alone, right? I knew he was strong from his solo runs in the lower floors, but that’s on a different level."
"Yeah," Rain added, reacting to Will’s comment. "If he ever joined a party with other top-tier explorers, they might overtake us in no time. Between him and Jade Gale, we can't afford to get complacent!"
Considering Oliver’s circumstances, I doubted he would ever join a party, but the possibility wasn't zero. As Rain said, we needed to buckle down and focus on conquering the 94th Floor.
Conquering the Great Labyrinth was my dream, so I had no complaints there.
However, I now had a new objective: heading to the Hitia Duchy.
Hitia was a magical powerhouse located in the central part of the continent. It was also home to the headquarters of the Downing Trading Company. To meet the company president directly, I would have to go there myself. But the Nohitant Kingdom was in the southeast; the journey would take a significant amount of time.
Given the current political climate and the state of our clan, could I really afford to be away for so long?
"Anyway, let’s just get home for now! Orun must be exhausted!"
"You're right. Let's head back."
With that, we began the return journey to Tsutrail.
Reflecting on how I never could have imagined things turning out like this when I left the Royal Capital this morning, I gave the First Unit a brief summary of the shocks I had experienced—omitting what I had to—and we soon arrived back in the city.
"Welcome back, everyone!"
As we walked into the clan headquarters, a member of the Exploration Management Department hurried over to us.
"We’re back. Did you need something?" Selma asked, acting as our representative.
"Yes. I’m sorry to bother you when you’ve only just returned, but a letter of convocation addressed to the First Unit arrived from the Guild. They want you at the Explorer Guild today at 20:00."
The staff member handed Selma a piece of paper folded into thirds. She opened it and scanned the contents.
"Is that the thing you mentioned earlier, Orun?" Will asked from beside me.
"Probably."
"We’ve received it. Thank you for bringing this to us," Selma said.
"Not at all, it's my job. If you’ll excuse me."
"Selma, did it say what it was about~?" Lucre asked once the staff member had left.
"No. Just as Orun said, it only states that we are to report to the Guild at 20:00."
"I guess we won't know the details until we get there."
"Yeah. We still have some time, so let’s disband for now. We’ll regroup here at 19:30. Orun, you especially—you might not have enough time to fully recover, but make sure you rest. No work allowed."
"I know. I definitely don't have the energy for paperwork right now. I’m going to go soak in the large public bath."
"Oh, count me in! Let’s go, Orun!"
The moment I mentioned the bath, Will hopped on the idea. He threw an arm around my neck and steered me toward the bathhouse.
With Lucre’s "Have fun!" echoing behind us, we parted ways with the women. After a long soak and some time spent cooling off and chatting with Will, the gathering time arrived in what felt like the blink of an eye.
After meeting back up with Selma and the others at the entrance, we made our way to the Explorer Guild.
"Oh, look, it’s Copper Afterglow!"
As we reached the Guild building, Copper Afterglow approached from the opposite direction. Will was the first to notice and called out to them.
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Yo. We’ve been running into each other a lot lately. Though I guess that’s natural after the exchange meeting." Haruto approached with a friendly grin.
"Were you guys summoned to the Guild too?" Selma asked.
"Yeah. ...I see, so we weren't the only ones. In that case, this summons reeks of trouble. Hey, can I just go home after all?"
Realizing the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky had also been called in, Haruto’s energy visibly plummeted. He turned to Katina to ask if he could bail.
"Of course not! If you run away now and the Guild dumps something annoying on us, I’m making you do all of it yourself, Leader!"
"That’s tyranny!"
"The one trying to dump his work on us is the tyrant here!"
While Haruto and Katina bickered, Fuuka ran over to me.
"Orun."
She said my name and then simply stared at me intently. It was a little embarrassing to be scrutinized like that.
"Uh, what is it?"
After watching me for a few moments, Fuuka seemed satisfied. She looked away, shook her head slightly, and muttered, "It's nothing."
As usual, her expressions were so subtle that it was hard to tell what was going through her mind.
"Ahem! We’re blocking the way, so let’s head inside for now, shall we?" Rain stepped in to soothe the arguing pair.
"Sigh... Fine, I guess."
As the members of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and Copper Afterglow entered the Guild building together, Eleonora, a Guild employee, approached us and guided the group to a specific conference room.
There were already several people inside. Seven, to be precise.
One was the Guildmaster, the man who had summoned us.
Next were the five members of Jade Gale, all clad in the same military uniforms as Warren. It confirmed my suspicions: their true roles weren't merely explorers, but soldiers of the Nohitant Kingdom’s Central Army Royal Guard. Their primary duty was likely serving as the Princess’s escorts. Loretta’s fixation on the "Hero" title was probably a desire to match Warren—the King’s guard—to further boost the prestige of her own mistress.
And finally, dressed in a gown tailored for mobility without sacrificing an ounce of its nobility, was the Princess of the Nohitant Kingdom—Lucila N. Edelweiss.
When my eyes met Lucy’s—or rather, Princess Lucila’s—her expression softened with a look of visible relief.
Once we were all settled in the room, Princess Lucila spoke.
"Members of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and Copper Afterglow, thank you for answering this sudden summons despite your busy schedules. I am Lucila N. Edelweiss, First Princess of the Nohitant Kingdom. I have requested this gathering today because I have a selfish favor to ask of you all."