Five days had passed.
The morning air still held a sharp chill as Log, Carol, and I arrived at the Amunzaas assembly point. Nearly thirty members of the Action Unit had already gathered.
"…Wow…"
I caught my breath.
Every one of them possessed a lean, well-honed physique. Even without them moving, the sheer weight of their experience—a presence far removed from the average explorer found in the Labyrinth—was palpable.
"With this many gathered, the pressure is on another level," Log whispered. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, but I noticed his fingers were stiffening slightly.
Beside him, Carol remained her usual self. "This is quite the morale booster, isn't it?" she chirped.
As expected of Carol, I thought.
Then, Luella noticed us and walked over.
"You’ve arrived, you three." Her tone was flat, but her eyes were sharper than usual. She had the look of someone focused entirely on the job.
"There are more people here than I expected," Log said, surveying our surroundings.
"The Cult facility has multiple entrances," Luella explained. "To ensure we can infiltrate from every route, we’re splitting into units. You three will be in the same squad as us."
"So it's the three of us, you, and Fred—that makes five?"
When Log asked for confirmation, Luella shook her head.
"No. There are two more. Over there."
Luella gestured with her chin toward a woman wearing a large, pointed hat and a tall man standing nearby.
"Wait, those people are…"
"They're from the Hero Party Master used to belong to—the Golden Dawn!"
Log and I gasped in unison. The two noticed our reaction and slowly approached.
The tall man—Derrick—looked down at us and scoffed. "…These are Orun’s disciples? They’re just brats."
"Are we really expected to babysit children?" the woman in the pointed hat—Anneri—added with a heavy sigh.
"We aren't children. We're adults," Log shot back, his face darkening with annoyance.
The two stared at him as if they were appraising a piece of equipment.
"Even if you’ve come of age, you’re still brats to us," Derrick said, exhaling slowly. His voice dropped to a low, serious rumble. "This isn't a simple investigation. Given who we're up against, this could turn out to be more dangerous than the Labyrinth itself."
The words weren't a provocation; they were a warning.
"W-We understand the risks… and we're ready!" I stepped forward, forcing myself to meet his gaze without flinching.
Anneri narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hmph. Fine. Well, we can’t have you becoming a hindrance, so just stay hidden behind us if a fight breaks out. As your seniors in the explorer business, we’ll protect you."
"Ahaha. As usual, you two have a real talent for saying things in the most misleading way possible."
Fred, who had been quietly watching the exchange, finally spoke up in his usual, leisurely drawl.
"What was that? You looking for a fight?" Anneri snapped, her eyebrows arching. Derrick matched her with a stern glare of his own.
Fred remained entirely unfazed, smiling back at them. "No, no, I’m not looking for a fight. It’s just that it didn’t seem like the three of them understood what you were actually trying to say. I thought I’d offer a translation."
"Huh?" "The hell are you talking about?"
Their voices were perfectly synchronized.
Fred waved a hand dismissively and continued at his own pace. "What they meant was: 'If you get into a bind, we’ve absolutely got your backs, so don’t be afraid to lean on us.'"
"…Wh-What?! No, that’s—" Anneri’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she hurriedly tugged the brim of her hat down to hide her face.
"Wrong! Don't just project your own interpretations onto us!" Derrick turned away and crossed his arms, but I couldn't help but notice his ears were slightly red.
"Oh? So are you saying you won't help them if Log and the others are in a pinch?" Fred teased.
"I never said that!"
"Exactly! If anything happened to these kids, do you have any idea what Orun and Luna would say to us? Right! I just don't want to deal with their nagging, so I'll help them out of necessity!"
"Yeah," Derrick grunted. "Orun and Luna both give the longest, most annoying lectures on the planet."
Their logic was a mess, but their desperate attempts to hide their concern were almost cute.
"Hee… I see, I see. So both of you are fully prepared to help them with everything you’ve got." Fred kept smiling, driving the point home.
The two didn't deny it further, simply averting their eyes. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Whatever their way of speaking, they didn't seem like bad people. Beside me, Log’s disgruntled expression softened as well.
"—Everyone is present."
We turned toward the voice. The General Commander of the Amunzaas Action Unit—a man with a massive, powerful build—had stepped forward. The lighthearted atmosphere vanished instantly. I snapped to attention, straightening my posture.
"We will now begin the final briefing for the operation." The commander’s voice was calm, but it held the weight of tempered steel. "The target is the Cyclamen Cult Experimental Facility. While we haven't mapped the entire internal structure, five separate entrances have been confirmed. Each unit will infiltrate simultaneously from their assigned routes to secure survivors and eliminate all threats."
The explorers surrounding us nodded with grim resolve. Nearby, Derrick crossed his arms while Anneri listened without moving a muscle. Seeing them like that, I was struck once again by the sheer intensity of professional explorers.
I have to make sure I don't drag them down.
"Re-confirming the units," the commander continued. "First Unit—"
He read through the names one by one until he finally reached ours.
"Lastly, Fifth Unit. The leader is Lueria. Members: Frederick, Anneri, Derrick, Sophia, Logan, and Caroline. That makes seven."
My back went rigid at the mention of my name. Beside me, Carol clenched her fists, her eyes burning with intensity.
"Finally," she whispered. "I can finally go save them!"
There was no hesitation in her profile, only a fierce, unwavering determination.
Log and I had traveled to the Hitia Duchy to further our magical studies at the academy and grow stronger. However, Carol’s objective had been different from the start. Her goal was to rescue as many children held by the Cult as possible. She had come here specifically because it was the epicenter of information regarding the Cult's movements.
I hadn't truly understood the depth of her resolve until we arrived in the Duchy. Carol had been kidnapped by the Cult as a small child and subjected to horrific treatment. Though she and her siblings had eventually managed to escape, she knew there were countless others still suffering.
"I want to save everyone," she had told me.
I shared that sentiment. My intensity might not match hers, but I, too, wanted to reach out to those trapped in the darkness.
"—This concludes the final briefing. All units, begin teleportation preparations!"
At the command, the room became a hive of activity. Explorers adjusted their gear and marched toward the chamber engraved with the Teleportation Circle. Tension and excitement swirled deep in my chest.
"All right, let's go," Luella said, her voice gentle yet firm. We followed her toward the unknown.
The moment we stepped into the dimly lit facility, a sickening stench assaulted us.
Is that blood? And chemicals…
My throat constricted. On the walls were the marks of metal shackles used to bolt something—or someone—down. Dried black stains covered the floor. Broken pieces of magic tools were scattered everywhere, and though I desperately wanted to avoid imagining what they had been used for, the horrific scenes played out in my mind regardless.
This is horrible… my heart won't stop racing…
It felt as though my very spirit was being eroded by the sheer wrongness of the place. As my footing faltered, I noticed Carol’s shoulder shaking beside me.
"Carol, are you okay…?"
"I’m fine," she whispered. Her voice was thin, but she forced herself to keep looking forward. "I’m… I’m used to seeing this."
I have to be the one to support her, I realized.
In that very moment, Log cried out, "Someone’s there!"
I looked ahead and saw a girl. She looked even younger than we were. I rushed toward her immediately.
"Are you all right?! We’re—"
"—Get back! Don't get close!" Luella’s sharp warning cut through the air.
Instinctively, I leaped to the side. A split second later, "something" whistled through the space where I had been standing. There was a sound like metal scraping against metal as the air was sliced open.
When I looked back, I saw the girl’s hand. No—it wasn't a hand anymore. It was a Beast Claw. Her fingers had been warped into monstrous, obsidian talons. Her arm had turned a bruised black, and mana was swirling around her like a violent, muddy torrent.
Is this… a Majin?
The girl’s eyes were swallowed by total darkness. There wasn't a trace of reason left in them.
"Stop!" I cried out, but my voice didn't reach her. Her body shook with a painful convulsion before she lunged at us like a wild animal.
"Sophie!" Log shouted, stepping into a defensive stance.
But the thing attacking us had a small body, small hands, and was letting out a small, terrified cry.
I can't… I can't attack a child!
I tried to construct a spell formula, but my mind locked up. Something deep inside me simply refused to do it. Seeing my hesitation, Anneri deployed a massive array of magic circles around herself. But just as she was about to unleash her attack magic, a hand stopped her.
"Leave this to me," Fred said, stepping past her. "[Status Down]."
The debuff hit the girl, visibly slowing her movements.
"It's all right. You can sleep now," Fred said. His voice was no longer lazy; it was filled with a deep, sorrowful compassion. "[Induction Sleep]."
The girl’s eyes fluttered shut, and she fell into a peaceful slumber. Fred turned back to us, but his gaze was cold.
"Sophia, Logan. This is the reality of the situation. With the level of resolve you’re showing—"
He was cut off by a piercing alarm that shrieked through the halls of the facility.
"Wh-What now?!"
"An alarm?"
The floor groaned and shook beneath our feet. From the cracks in the stone, a thick, black mist began to billow upward.
This… this looks like the mist when a magic beast dies…
The familiar sight from the Labyrinth overlapped with the nightmare before me, and unease throbbed in my chest. But this time, the process was reversed. The mist wasn't fading away; it was taking shape.
"Get ready! Battle positions! Intercept them while protecting the girl!" Luella commanded.
The black mist solidified into the silhouettes of monsters. Four-legged beasts, multi-eyed tentacles, and armed demi-humans. One, then two, then three… they manifested in a relentless wave.
"And here I thought we were outside the Labyrinth," Derrick grumbled.
"Stop complaining and start killing, Derrick!" Anneri barked.
With a flick of her wrist, she fired a Water Javelin, bursting a magic beast back into black mist. Derrick stepped forward, thrusting his great shield out to meet the charge.
Our battle in the facility had truly begun.
Author's Note: Happy New Year! I look forward to your continued support this year as well. Well, 2026 has begun. That means the Incompetent Enchanter anime is almost here! The first episode will begin airing on various stations starting January 4th. Please tune in and witness the start of Orun and his companions' new journey. Additionally, the first episode is already available for early streaming on d-Anime Store and ABEMA! Please check it out ahead of the broadcast!