◇ ◇ ◇
The journey since departing Daluane had been smooth sailing.
Currently, we were each taking some personal time in the royal capital of the Tsahaliv Kingdom.
Since we had been jolted around in a carriage every day recently, the break was meant to give our bodies a rest.
...Well, in truth, it was more because Fuuka had refused to budge on wanting to visit a specific shop here that served exquisite gratin, and Haruto-san had some errands he wanted to clear out of the way.
As for me, I was sitting on a bench in the warm afternoon sun, reading a book I had just picked up at a bookstore.
"……"
Even so, I could barely focus on the words on the page.
What was revolving in my mind was, naturally, my own past.
I was born and raised in a remote village that didn't even appear on maps.
I had aspired to be an Explorer because I admired my grandfather; I wanted to be like the man who had defeated the Magic Beast that appeared in our village.
Then one day, while Oliver and I were away, the village was attacked by bandits. Every resident besides the two of us was killed.
As I buried my friends from the village, I made a vow.
No matter what cruelties life throws at me, I won't lose anything ever again. I will become strong enough to protect what is important, no matter the situation.
With that, I headed for Tsutrail with Oliver.
After becoming Explorers in Tsutrail, we met Luna and formed a three-person party.
Later, we welcomed Derrick and Anneri into our ranks, eventually reaching the 94th Floor of the Great Labyrinth of the South. Before we knew it, the public was calling us the Hero Party.
Then, after being mocked as a Jack of all Trades and kicked out of that very party, a series of coincidences led me to join the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. That brought me to where I am today.
This was the outline of my past as I understood it.
—Doubt your own common sense. It is highly likely to be a distorted truth.
Lately, Gary's final words had been echoing in my head.
And every time they did, my headache grew more intense.
I knew there was no point in obsessing over my past when the answers weren't within me.
Normally, when I felt like this, I would try to forcibly divert my thoughts by talking to Fuuka or Haruto-san.
Unfortunately, I was alone right now.
Thoughts had been swirling in my mind for so long that I could feel myself starting to slip into confusion.
It felt like I had wandered into a labyrinth with no exit.
An indescribable fear gradually crawled up from my feet.
No matter how I tried to shake it off, I couldn't stop my mind from racing.
The headache asserted itself with renewed vigor.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
A cold sweat broke out.
My throat felt parched.
If I truly had contact with Philly Carpenter in the past, then my memories were effectively worthless.
She possessed the Ability known as Perception Alteration.
—Who am I?
I am Orun Doura.
I am an Explorer of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
I became an Explorer when I was nine years old.
From that moment on, I lived in Tsutrail.
That was the truth... it had to be.
The records in the Tsutrail Explorer Guild confirmed it.
I remembered writing those crude reports back then, and I had memories of reviewing them several times after they were submitted.
Even if I was under the influence of Perception Alteration, surely she couldn't have falsified physical documents.
—Could she?
I didn't have anything on me right now to prove my history.
What if even the memory of seeing those records was a fabrication?
How long had I actually been an Explorer?
For that matter, was I really an Explorer of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky?
—No, the sensation in my right hand was real.
I gripped the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky emblem embroidered on the left chest of my coat, telling myself over and over that I belonged to the Clan.
The more I thought, the deeper I sank into the mire.
Even so, my nature wouldn't allow me to simply stop thinking.
My mind continued to churn almost unconsciously.
I no longer knew what was real and what was a lie—
"……u…… ……oi, …… ……Hey! Orun!"
"—!?"
The sensation of a hand tapping my shoulder snapped me back to reality.
"Haruto-san……?"
When I looked up, Haruto-san was standing there with a worried look on his face.
"Are you okay? —Actually, don't answer that. Of course you're not. ……I'm sorry for leaving you alone."
"……No, you had things to do, right? I'm fine. ……But if you're finished, let's get to the Hitia Duchy as soon as possible."
I put on a brave face, but the combination of the splitting headache and the constant assault of my own untrustworthy memories was more than enough to wear down my spirit.
I wanted to uncover my true past and escape this uncertainty immediately.
"Yeah. I know. Do you remember what I said when we left Daluane?"
"About using a 'special route'?"
When I answered, Haruto-san nodded with satisfaction.
"That's the one. My errands were the preparations for that route. I know you want to leave right this second, but could you bear with staying here one more night so we can head out tomorrow? I promise you'll arrive at the Hitia Duchy faster than if we started walking today."
Haruto-san's expression was dead serious.
Logically, as long as the physical distance remained the same, starting earlier should mean arriving earlier.
However, he clearly had a reason for stating it so definitively.
I knew that Fuuka and Haruto-san were keeping secrets from me.
But I wanted to believe in them.
"……Understood. I'll trust you on this, Haruto-san."
"Thanks."
◇
The day after our overnight stay in the royal capital of the Tsahaliv Kingdom.
When I headed to the inn's dining hall, our designated meeting place, Fuuka and Haruto-san were already waiting.
"Morning, both of you. Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"Morning, Orun."
"Morning. We just got here ourselves, so don't sweat it. Well then, shall we?"
With that, Haruto-san set off.
Leaving the inn, he didn't head for the city gates, but toward the center of town.
While I found that strange, Fuuka followed him without a hint of concern, so I fell in line behind them.
"……Hey Orun, can I ask you something?"
As we walked through the city, Haruto-san spoke in a somber tone.
Since he was usually so aloof, his serious mood made me brace myself.
"Sure, go ahead."
"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but looking back, has the path you've walked since being kicked out of the Hero Party been one without regrets?"
He was still wearing that uncharacteristically grave expression.
Fuuka, walking beside me, usually acted like nothing concerned her, but I could tell she was listening intently for my response.
I didn't know why Haruto-san was asking this now, of all times.
But it didn't seem like he was joking or just being nosy.
If he was serious, then I needed to give him a serious answer.
"—I have no regrets. At least, not right now."
"Does that mean there was a time when you did?"
"No, I mean any regrets will probably come in the future. Most likely."
"…………"
"A year ago, when I was hesitating to join the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, a person I respect told me: 'Decisions made after hesitating will always lead to regret.' I hesitated a lot before joining the Clan. I think I'll eventually run into something that makes me look back and wonder."
Those were the words my Grandpa had told me when I was still wallowing in self-doubt after being exiled from the party.
His advice had left a lasting impression on me. It had fundamentally shaped my values.
"—But even if that day comes, I believe I'll be able to stand by my choice. My life has been that fulfilling ever since."
"……I see."
Upon hearing my answer, Haruto-san muttered to himself. His expression was complex—part relief, part guilt.
Fuuka remained as expressionless as ever, making it impossible to read her thoughts.
Haruto-san closed his eyes briefly and exhaled. When he opened them again, his usual easygoing face was back.
"Sorry for the weird question."
"No, it's fine. But was my answer what you were looking for?"
"Hm? I wasn't looking for anything in particular. What you feel is what matters, and that's that. —Oh, looks like we're here."
Haruto-san stopped in front of a building.
It was a branch store of the Downing Trading Company.
The two of them hadn't told me who they were taking me to see, but I had guessed it would be Christopher Downing, the head of the company.
I had assumed we were going to the Hitia Duchy because that was where the main store was located. Was he actually here in this branch?
But Haruto-san had said we would use a "special route" to get to the Duchy faster.
Just as I was puzzling over why we were at a local branch, the two of them stepped inside, and I hurried after them.
A staff member noticed us and approached.
"Fuuka of Copper Afterglow. Take us to that place."
Fuuka uncharacteristically took the lead, producing a card and stating her business.
"We have been expecting you. The Branch Manager has briefed me on the situation. We shall begin preparations immediately. Please wait in this room for a moment."
A polite clerk led us into a reception room, where we took our seats.
Once we were alone, Haruto-san suddenly pulled a pair of glasses out of his Storage Magic Tool and put them on.
Looking at the lenses, they didn't seem to have a prescription; they looked like plain fashion glasses.
However, mana was radiating from the lenses to a degree that was impossible for a normal accessory.
There were no magic stones visible, so it didn't seem to be a typical Magic Tool either.
What were those lenses?
"Well? Do they suit me?"
Noticing my stare, Haruto-san gave a playful grin.
"Whether they suit you or not isn't the point. Tell me what's going on. We're supposed to be going to the Hitia Duchy, right? I don't think we have time to be loitering here."
Haruto-san closed his eyes slightly. He always did this when he had the spare mana to use his Ability.
He was almost certainly checking our surroundings.
"True. ……It's just us, so it should be fine."
He muttered this after opening his eyes, then turned his focus to me.
"Like you said, Orun, we are heading to the Hitia Duchy. But remember what I told you yesterday? We're taking a special route."
"And I take it you're finally going to tell me what that is?"
"Yeah. No point in keeping you in the dark now. In short: teleportation."
"……Wait, what? Teleportation?"
"Yep. We're about to move from this room to the Downing Trading Company main store in the Hitia Duchy in the blink of an eye."
"…………"
For the first time in a while, I was completely stunned.
Certainly, there was a magic called Space Leap that allowed for teleportation.
However, the maximum distance for that spell was a hundred meters at most.
Did he have any idea how far it was from here to the Hitia Duchy?
I had been able to extend my own teleportation range significantly because Rain-san, a Singular Mage of Space Leap, had taught me the finer points of Spell Construction—but even so, jumping all the way to the Hitia Duchy was impossible.
Furthermore, it was common knowledge that Support Magic couldn't be replicated by Magic Tools.
Since Space Leap fell under the category of Support Magic, I had heard that no one had successfully automated it yet.
If long-distance teleportation had actually been achieved, it would be a revolution. It wasn't an exaggeration to say it would fundamentally change the way the world functioned.
Whether Haruto-san realized the gravity of his words or not, he just casually reiterated that we were going to teleport.
My head was starting to spin, but for an entirely different reason than before……
"I'm asking just in case, but you're not joking, right?"
"Dead serious. Though I hear teleportation requires a massive amount of mana, so it's not exactly something you can use every day. I'm no magic expert, so I don't know the nitty-gritty."
"I knew the Downing Trading Company was a world-class organization that specialized in Magic Tools, but I didn't think they'd perfected long-distance teleportation…… That's a terrifying amount of power for one company to hold……"
As I was shivering at the thought of the company's technical might, there was a perfectly timed knock at the door.
The door opened slowly, and a woman in a lady's maid outfit entered. She wore glasses, and her long black hair was tied neatly at her shoulders.
"Teruche, it's been a while."
Fuuka seemed to know her. The woman, Teruche, gave Fuuka a polite bow before turning to Haruto-san.
"It has been some time, Lady Fuuka. —And Haruto, those glasses do not suit you at all."
Her greeting to Fuuka was impeccable, but her words to Haruto-san were biting.
Haruto-san could only offer a wry smile.
"Merciless as ever, Teruche…… Well, fine. Since you're here, I take it the Young Lady never woke up?"
Since Haruto-san didn't seem bothered by her attitude, I assumed this was their normal dynamic.
"I will answer that later."
Teruche ignored his question and walked toward me with an elegant stride.
She then performed a bow that felt even more formal and respectful than the one she had given Fuuka.
"Um……"
As I stood there bewildered, she spoke.
"It is an honor to meet you, Master Orun. My name is Teruche Hagwell. I look forward to our acquaintance."
"Oh, yes. Nice to meet you, Teruche-san. I look forward to working with you as well. ……Wait, Hagwell?"
I was startled by her solemnity, but I managed to hide my surprise and return the greeting. Only then did her surname register.
"Yes. Rain Hagwell, of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, is my foolish younger sister."
I couldn't believe it. She was Rain-san's older sister.
Rain-san was quite petite, whereas Teruche-san was tall and lithe. At first glance, they didn't look related at all.
But now that she mentioned it, the sky-blue eyes behind her lenses, her hair color, and the shape of her face were definitely similar to Rain-san's.
"I see. Rain-san has been a huge help to me."
"It is a relief to hear that my foolish sister has been of some use to Master Orun. You may dispose of her whenever she outlives her utility. —Now then, shall we go?"
I was a bit taken aback by her phrasing, but I decided it wasn't my place to comment. I was about to follow her when Haruto-san spoke up, sounding frantic.
"Hey, hey! Are you really going to keep ignoring me? This affects our future moves, too, so tell me!"
"Ah. Right. Shi— Ahem. The Young Lady is still asleep. I trust that is good news for you?"
Teruche-san finally deigned to answer the question she had brushed aside to greet me.
Neither the question nor the answer made much sense to me.
"It's not exactly 'good' news. But I see. It's been several months now, hasn't it? I'm starting to get worried."
"……Yes, I suppose so."
When Haruto-san expressed his concern for this "Young Lady," Teruche-san let out a soft, sorrowful murmur.