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"Ah, Sophie, good morning~!"
When I entered the room set aside for the explorers of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, Carol, who was already there, called out to me.
"Yeah. Good morning, Carol."
Carol must be tired too, but she showed none of it, wearing her usual bright smile.
It has already been two months since Orun and Luna left the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
In those two months, the environment around us has changed dramatically: labyrinths across the continent overflowed, releasing large numbers of magic beasts onto the surface, and the full-scale war between the kingdom and the empire entered a ceasefire.
The biggest change for us personally is that we now have far more opportunities to go places outside of Tsutrail.
To subjugate the magic beasts that have appeared on the surface, we explorers are being sent to various locations around the country.
Today, we are scheduled to head to a nearby town for support.
"Morning, Log."
I greeted Log, who was frowning while reading the newspaper beside Carol.
Log lifted his gaze from the paper and looked at me. His expression seemed to soften a little.
"Yeah, good morning. Have you read this morning's newspaper yet, Sophia?"
"No, I slept right up until the last minute and haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Was there some big article?"
"Hmm… You could call it big news in a way."
Carol answered my question.
She seemed to have already read it too.
Ever since Orun told us last year that we should read the newspaper, we have made it a point to look through it whenever possible.
"Here, take a look."
I took the newspaper Log handed me and lowered my eyes to the article.
The front page featured the contents of the recent summit meeting where representatives from various countries had gathered.
The summit had been realized when the explorers' guild called upon every nation shortly after magic beasts began appearing on the surface.
At the meeting, the first announcement was the appointment of a new Grand Master for the explorers' guild.
After that, three things were agreed upon.
The first was that people would set aside national borders and unite to confront the threat of the magic beasts.
The second was to conquer the three remaining Great Labyrinths on the continent.
And the third was that Orun, who had shown behavior aligned with the magic beasts, was placed on the international wanted list as a common enemy of the world, now known by the alias "Demon King."
"Amazing… It's exactly like Orun said…"
I couldn't help muttering after finishing the article.
On the day we returned from Daruane, Orun suddenly announced that he was leaving the clan.
Along with that, he told us about the future that would unfold.
I hadn't fully believed him when he said labyrinths across the entire continent would overflow, but it actually happened.
At that time, Orun had said he would cause a major incident to spread the word that he himself was the mastermind behind it.
I think that was the murder of the Grand Master in the capital.
And just as Orun had wanted, he has now become the common enemy of the world.
Everything is proceeding exactly according to the script Orun told us that day.
"Right? Still, they're calling him the 'Demon King.' That sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?"
Carol reacted to my murmur.
Cool, though…?
"That means 'King of the Magic Beasts,' you know? There's nothing cool about that at all."
Log immediately shot down Carol's impression.
"If Master is right, then the explorers' guild is the one who caused this whole situation, right? So why is that same guild acting like it's on the side of the world!? Master hasn't done anything wrong!"
Log raised his voice, his frustration boiling over.
"Hey, keep it down! What if someone else hears you!"
I hurriedly tried to calm Log.
The only ones who know Orun's true intentions are the nine of us who heard his explanation in the clan leader's office that day.
Because the clan leader followed through with the original plan and expelled Orun, the other members have accepted what Orun did at face value.
Many of the members, especially the explorers, had admired Orun, so the shock was even greater, and quite a few are now directing their anger at him.
"Anyway, what are you two planning to do from now on?"
Carol asked Log and me.
The question was vague, but we understood what she wanted to know.
"Of course, we're going to conquer the southern Great Labyrinth. That was Master's wish, so we'll definitely accomplish it!"
"I feel the same way! Orun caused that incident to protect us, so we have to repay him!"
Log and I answered immediately.
"I knew it! I'm so glad! I feel exactly the same! Let's conquer the Great Labyrinth together, the three of us!"
Good. It seems both of them feel the same way.
I felt relieved after hearing their answers, but then Log spoke again.
"But we can't conquer it as we are right now—"
Log bit his lip in frustration as he voiced his feelings.
Yeah. I think so too.
Over this past year, I believe we've become much stronger thanks to Orun's training.
But even so, it's still not enough.
The words Luna said to me on the day she joined the Twilight Moonbow last year are still burned into my mind.
—'Even from my perspective as an S-rank, Orun is an incredible person. It's only natural that you all revere him. But have you forgotten? Conquering the southern Great Labyrinth—the goal you're aiming for—is something even Orun has not been able to achieve.'
Even if the three of us joined forces right now, I'm not sure we could even match last year's Orun.
Challenging the southern Great Labyrinth in that state would be reckless.
The Great Labyrinth is not a place you can conquer by charging in recklessly.
"—That's why I'm thinking of going to the Hitia Duchy!"
Log's statement surprised both Carol and me.
"The Hitia Duchy? Log, are you going after Orun too? What about conquering the Great Labyrinth?"
"The fact that it's in the duchy is just a coincidence. I don't think Master has any time to deal with me anyway."
"Then why?"
"I want to go to the Stromelia Magic Academy in the Hitia Duchy. To learn more about magic."
The academy, huh.
I had never even considered going to a foreign country.
But when Log said it, it felt like a light had suddenly shone through.
I had been thinking about it a lot lately.
I wanted to learn about magic tools.
The Hitia Duchy is known as a magic powerhouse, with magic flourishing there, and it is also home to the world-renowned Downing Company that handles magic tools.
As an environment for learning about magic tools, the Hitia Duchy might be even better than Tsutrail!
The moment I thought that, the words naturally left my mouth.
"I want to go to the Hitia Duchy too!"
"You too, Sophia?"
"Yeah! I want to learn about magic tools! After seeing Carol's earrings, I thought that if I had my own custom magic tools, it would greatly expand my tactical options!"
"I see. Then let's go together!"
"Aww! You two are so unfair! I wanna go too~!"
"We're not going there to play or sightsee, you know?"
"Buu~ I know that! I've actually been thinking I want to go to the Hitia Duchy for my own reasons too."
"…? Your own reasons?"
"Hmm… Sorry, that's still a secret. Oh, and we have to go complain to Luna too!"
"Ah, right. If Orun has a base there, it wouldn't be strange for Luna to be with him!"
On the day Orun left, Luna had left only a letter for us and departed from the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
The letter contained an apology for leaving so suddenly, but it would be too sad to end things with just that.
"Then the three of us will go to the Hitia Duchy! But our goal isn't to chase after Master. We're going there to gain the strength needed to conquer the southern Great Labyrinth. And to complain to Luna for leaving without saying anything. Those are our objectives!"
"Yeah, that sounds good!"
"No objections~!"
And so, we decided to go to the Hitia Duchy.
I don't know if this choice is the right one.
But there's a saying: "Haste makes waste."
To conquer the Great Labyrinth, we need to become much, much stronger!