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Triumphant Return 

Satou here. I don’t mind participating in a big festival, but I never thought I would end up being in the spotlight at one. I appreciate people celebrating us, but it’s also a little embarrassing. 

“““PENDRAGON! PENDRAGON! PENDRAGON!””” 

We could hear the crowd chanting our explorer team name from the roadside. 

“Whoa, what a welcome!” 

Clad in her magical-girl-style dress, Arisa ran to the front of the fancy two-story carriage and waved excitedly at the audience gathered by the road. 

Of course, her unlucky purple hair was hidden under a blond wig as usual. 

“Arisa, be careful or you’ll fall over the railing.” 

I grabbed her by the belt and pulled her back from the edge. 

Today we were participating in a parade celebrating our floormaster conquest, arranged by the guildmaster and the viceroy. 

Pulled by golem horses, our enormous carriage proceeded smoothly down the mazelike streets of Labyrinth City. The explorer schoolkids walked ahead of the carriage, scattering petals from baskets to lead the way, contributing to the enjoyably festive atmosphere. 

“I knooow, master.” 

Arisa grinned back at me. 

The rest of the group had evidently drawn lots during dinner last night to determine the seating arrangements and even went so far as to have a preliminary lottery to see who would draw first. 

They must have been really excited for the parade. 

Everyone was dressed to the nines, beaming at the crowd around us. 

Their outfits were accessorized with cosplay-style shoulder pads, short cloaks, and so on, giving their outfits the overall impression of explorer costumes. In particular, the round glass orbs pointlessly affixed to their shoulder pads had the nostalgic air of a Showa-era outfit. 

Of course, I was dressed up to match my comrades, too. 

I wore a noble’s ceremonial white suit with golden embroidery, along with an extravagant gold-braided short cape that Arisa had picked out. 

“So many peeeeople?” 

“Everyone’s smiling and waving at us, sir!” 

Arisa was flanked by the young, dog-eared girl Pochi and cat-eared Tama, who were waving frantically with their arms and tails. 

“Master, you should wave at the crowd, too, I advise.” 

Seated on my left in the second row of the top deck, the busty blonde Nana tugged on my arm, giving off an air of excitement despite her usual expressionless face. 

All right, I get it. Just please stop pressing my arm into your chest. 

Since she was wearing a gold breastplate, it was somewhat painful. 

“Mrrr, guilty.” 

Sitting on my right was Mia the elf, who yanked my arm from Nana’s breast. 

Carried away by her own momentum, she ended up basically diving into my lap. 

“It’s dangerous to play around in the carriage.” 

Mia looked up at me from my lap. 

Her aqua-colored pigtails bobbed and swayed, giving a glimpse of her slightly pointed elf ears. 

“Sorry.” 

As always, she was very brief with her words. 

“Master, your hand.” 

Nana persisted with her request, so I obliged and waved. 

“““Sir Kniiiight!””” 

As soon as I did so, a group of young women in the crowd raised high-pitched shrieks. 

I felt like a famous singer or actor, which was somewhat embarrassing. 

“You should wave, too, Lulu.” 

I beckoned to Lulu, who was shrinking into the back row. 

“B-but no one would want me to wave at them…” 

Despite her stunning good looks, Lulu’s features were unfortunately considered unattractive by the bizarre beauty standards of this world. 

Today she was wearing her usual maid outfit, adorned with cosplay armor to match Arisa and the others. 

“That’s not true. Here, take a look.” 

I patted Lulu’s black hair and pointed at one section of the crowd. 

“““Miss Luluuuuu!””” 

The young maids from our mansion waved with all their might. 

Because Lulu had taught them cooking, self-defense, and so on, they all looked up to her very much. 

“Awww…” 

Seeing them, Lulu’s face broke into a big smile. 

As always, her smile was a sight for sore eyes. 

“Liza, go on and wave, too.” 

“Yes, master…if you insist.” 

Liza looked nervous as she agreed. 

Even during a parade, she held her Magic Cricket Spear on her shoulder; when she waved hesitantly, her orange scales glittered in the sunlight. 

“““Ooooh! It’s Liza of the Black Spear!””” 

Amid the explorers in the crowd, men and women alike shouted Liza’s name. 

Liza kept her expression calm as always, but her tail was thumping against the floor of the carriage, so clearly was she pleased on the inside. 

“Bean warriors! Have your wounds healed?” 

More cheers arose from the crowd. 

“Bean warriors” probably referred to Pochi and Tama, who wore round armor. 

The injuries the crowd was kindly expressing concern about were actually fake; when we returned two days ago, I had dressed everyone up in dented armor and painted-on injuries, since it would look too suspicious if we were all unharmed after defeating a floormaster. 

Pochi’s and Tama’s dummy armor was particularly busted up, and Liza had carried them out like corpses when we returned. It was no wonder they must have left a strong impression. 

“See? I told you they were fine! They even waved at us!” 

“Yeah, but when have you ever seen the untouchable Pendragon party so beaten up before?” 

Certain explorers had started calling our explorer party “untouchable” because Team Pendragon always returned from the labyrinth unharmed. 

Of course, it was really just because we always healed up after each battle and before returning to the surface; every one of our members had been injured at least once before, even the rearguard trio. 

“Yeah, and the shield maiden’s beloved shield was even broken.” 

That seemed to be referring to Nana. 

“Shield maiden! No shield todaaay? If you need a new one, come to Benson the armorer’s shooop!” 

I had to admit, it was gutsy to name-drop his own store in his cheer. 

“Liza of the Black Spear! I’ll beat you next tiiime!” 

“Yeah right, idiot! I’m the one who’s gonna beat her first!” 

“Psh, come back when you’ve learned ‘Spellblade’!” 

Since returning from the labyrinth, more explorers and fighters had come to challenge us than before. 

Since I was already busy enough, Liza had been taking them on for me. 

Recently, there were even some challengers who sought out Liza from the beginning. 

“““Arisaaaa, over heeere…””” 

“““Nanaaa! Say hiii!””” 

The voices of children rose up from the roadside: The kids from the orphanage were here for the parade, too. 

“““Lady Miaaaa!””” 

On the other side of the road, some scrawny young boys who seemed to be fairy races called out. 

“Lady Mia! You look as lovely as ever!” 

“Ah, Lady Mia, your fleeting profile is like a lily of the valley in bloom…” 

Wow, Mia’s popular. 

“Looks like you’ve got fans,” I teased Mia lightly. 

“Nuh-uh,” she grunted irritably. 

Whoops. Maybe that was a little insensitive of me. 

“““Arisa! Treat us to meat skewers sometime!””” 

Alas, the only people calling out for Arisa were young girls and bratty-looking boys. 

She probably didn’t want to be comforted about this, either, so I decided to leave it be. She kept glancing in my direction and loudly muttering, “Just kids again, huh?” but sometimes it can be cruel to be kind. Better to just ignore her. 

It had been less than a trimoon—ten days—since the Dogheaded Demon Lord appeared in the great desert to the west of Labyrinth City and was defeated by a sky-rending Meteor Shower, but it seemed like people had already forgotten about it. 

Of course, it probably helped that I used the power of the former Flue Empire City Cores sleeping under the desert to prevent any damage from reaching the city. 

It certainly was a surprise when our ceremony to call a floormaster wound up summoning a demon lord, but since he’d shown up in front of me, I was able to resolve it without any of my friends getting killed, so I decided to view it as a blessing in disguise. 

“If you don’t hurry up, we’re going to drink it all!” 

Amid the crowd, I saw the foxfolk officer and captain from the labyrinth army waving to me. 

I raised a hand lightly to them in return. 

If it wasn’t for that coincidence, both of them probably would’ve been killed by the demon lord, along with Lady Helmina of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga and the rest of their investigation party. 

“You should wave more, too, then, master!” 

Smiling gleefully, Arisa grabbed my arm and waved it back and forth. 

“““Sir Kniiight!””” 

A few pretty women who seemed to be ladies of the night called out to me from the side of the road. I waved at them with a smile. 

For some reason, Arisa and Mia pinched me from both sides. Unbelievable. 

And here I’d been spending my days focused purely on training, without even indulging in any nighttime pleasures. 

Since I should have more free time soon, maybe I could invite some Labyrinth City friends out for a night on the town. 

“Guilty.” 

“You’re having impure thoughts, aren’t you?!” 

Despite making full use of my “Poker Face” skill, Mia and Arisa both saw through me somehow. 

“Ha-ha… Of course not…” 

As I responded stiffly, the two-story carriage reached its destination. 

“Wow, the hall is packed.” 

The parade’s destination, a hall near the west explorers’ guild, was full of people from all walks of life. 

This place had been arranged for by friends of mine like the viceroy’s wife, General Erthal of the labyrinth army, and the guildmaster. 

I didn’t think such a big venue would be necessary, but looking at this massive crowd, I realized they were right to say that the plaza near the guild hall wouldn’t be big enough. 

In fact, at the announcements after Mr. Jelil’s party defeated a floormaster, the crowd had overflowed all the way to the front of the guild. 

“All right, we’ll do it like we planned. Once I’m done with the greetings, Arisa will take the lead on showing the spoils.” 

There were guest speeches in between, but all we had to do for that was sit and listen like obedient students, so I left that part out. 

“Okey-dokey!” 

Arisa responded cheerfully. 

“I’ll heat things up so they bring in tons of cash at the auction!” 

“Just don’t overdo it.” 

“I know, I know! I’m sure they’ll put out reports on each item before the sale, so I’ll be careful not to tell any lies.” 

With Arisa’s promise, I went back to rereading the “Analyze” results of our spoils of war. 

“It’s too bad we can’t keep all those amazing items,” Lulu murmured anxiously. 

Yeah, really. 

The spoils from the floormaster my group had defeated were considered “offerings to the kingdom” and temporarily confiscated, then sold at an official auction in the royal capital. The next day, we would receive the same amount of money they earned as a reward. 

The guildmaster had told us all that when we returned from the labyrinth. 

Now, in the incredibly rare case of the appearance of a magic item or weapon that could threaten the balance of the kingdom, the government would keep it locked away in the royal treasury. In that case, we would be paid three times the amount the item was estimated to be worth. 

“True, but it makes sense. This practice has been in place for a long time to prevent disaster.” 

In the past, when spoils like that were released to the public, they had resulted in bloody wars between nobles. 

However, the conquering party technically had the right to claim first priority for one item from among the spoils. 

Some nobles might chase the party down, hoping to buy that item, but it would be more effective to just look for the item they wanted at the auction, so there were fewer fights like that since the practice had been put in place. 

“…Master, they’re done looking things over. We can head in anytime.” 

“Let’s get going, then.” 

I led my group over to the venue. 

“Team Pendragon would like to thank you all for gathering today…” 

Standing atop the stage, I addressed the crowd with the standard formalities while Liza stood at my side, holding up the core of the thunder squid emperor. 

After the introduction, there were lengthy speeches from nobles, knights, and mithril-badge explorers. 

Clearly, bigwigs talked too much even in a parallel world. 

I used my “Poker Face” skill to get through this painfully long segment with a smile. 

Although some of our number, like Nana and the younger children, grew visibly bored partway through. 

“Thanks for waiting. This part’s all you.” 

“I’m on it!” 

I accepted the mic from the presenter and handed it to Arisa. 

It was actually a staff-shaped magic item with voice-amplifying abilities, but to anyone with the knowledge of modern Japan, it clearly looked like a microphone. 

I was told that it was generally used for giving instructions in battle, cheering on allies, and such. 

“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the reveal of the spoils!” 

Arisa’s cheerful voice echoed through the hall. 

“Wooooo!” 

The crowd was easily swept up in Arisa’s enthusiasm. 

“First, we have this! It’s an all-purpose Full Restore—I mean, a miracle potion! From loss of a limb to poison to petrification, from incurable illnesses to demon lords’ curses, this elixir can cure it aaaaaaall!” 

“““OOOOOOH!””” 

Next to Arisa, Lulu held up a large five-hundred-milliliter vial containing a deep-crimson liquid. 

For some reason, the elixir we’d found in the treasure chest was a different color from the ones I made myself. 

The “Analyze” result confirmed it was an elixir, and it seemed to have the same effect, but it strangely contained more liquid than the blue elixirs I’d made, which fit in a standard small vial. It must be created with a different method or ingredients. 

Since I used the lesser elixir we’d previously found in an areamaster treasure box in too much of a rush to worry about the color, I hadn’t noticed the difference until recently. 

“We found other kinds of potions, too, but we’ll save those for later! For now, it’s the fan-favorite magic weapons and armor!” 

The crowd would get bored if everything was introduced in order, so Arisa insisted on centering the featured products. 

The guild would release a properly ordered list of the items tomorrow anyway. 

“Really? The star of the show is taking a break backstage already?” 

The guildmaster came up behind me in formal wear. 

“No, it’s the girls who are the stars today.” 

“I was worried when the untouchable Pendragon party came back looking injured, but it appears they’ve all healed up just fine.” 

The guildmaster looked kindly at the rest of my group in the hall. 

“Did the folks who challenged the floormaster with you go home already?” 

“Yes, they left Labyrinth City the same day we visited the guild.” 

As I responded, I thought back on the day we returned… 

 

“Honestly, I can’t believe you really defeated a floormaster.” 

“Yes, although we had no small amount of help from these fine people.” 

Right after we returned from the labyrinth, I went to the guildmaster’s study to report the details of our victory over the floormaster. 

I was accompanied only by the leaders of the parties that had officially participated in the battle; the others had been transferred to the mansion under the pretense of healing their wounds. 

“So you undertook the battle with a team of eight parties and a hundred and two people, then returned with sixteen survivors? That’s a heavy loss but the fastest time on record.” 

I was a little surprised that we’d set a record, but my “Poker Face” skill carried me through. 

We’d spent a good five days partying in the labyrinth to kill time, but we still somehow beat the fastest record… 

“Yes, well, our composition focused on firepower.” 

I made an arbitrary excuse. 

Secretary Ushana lined up various documents on the desk and continued. 

“So we’ll be presenting mithril badges to sixteen members from the six groups Pendragon, Ghost Arrow, Samurai General, Blue Rose, Twin Demons, and Great Ghost, then?” 

“I shall pass on this honor.” 

“We need no titles granted by a mere human child.” 

“Agreed.” 

“We came only to repay our clan’s debt.” 

“Erm…” 

I should have given the elf teachers another acting lesson. During our party, I’d lectured them on what to do, but they appeared to have forgotten all of it. 

Ushana seemed unsure how to respond to this, so I quickly cut in. 

“We’ll be happy to accept the honor.” 

“R-right. So other than Pendragon, no other group wishes to apply for the distinction?” 

“Dull.” 

“We’ll leave the rest of this business to you, Sir Pendragon.” 

As the elf teachers firmly responded, the guildmaster and Miss Ushana decided to accept it and move on. 

Aside from me, the rest of the group left the office with the guildmaster’s permission. 

“Talk about unapproachable.” 

The guildmaster gazed at the closed door and sighed. 

“Shall I try to talk to them again later?” 

“No, we wouldn’t want to force a mithril badge on anyone. If they say they don’t need it, we won’t insist. For now, get started on recording the spoils and filling out mithril-badge applications for Satou and company.” 

“Very well.” 

Once Miss Ushana left the room, the guildmaster turned toward me. We were alone. 

“Those were elves from the Bolenan clan, weren’t they? They were just in disguise.” 

I smiled vaguely at the guildmaster without giving a clear response. 

But considering that the elf teachers had said obviously fairy race–esque things like “mere human child” and “our clan,” and the guildmaster had a long relationship with the Bulainan elf Miss Sebelkeya, who served as her adviser, it wasn’t surprising that she would figure it out. 

“They said something about a debt. What in the hell did you do that they’d be willing to help you fight a floormaster?” 

“Enough with the ridiculous interrogation, Lilian.” 

Whacking the guildmaster on the head with a wooden staff, Miss Sebelkeya appeared in the room. 

“Don’t call me that.” 

The guildmaster—whose real name was Zona—groaned at the painful old nickname. 

“And I’m not just asking out of curiosity here. This guy assembled a force that could easily take down the whole city like it was nothing, okay? You know I can’t just let that slide.” 

I had arranged for stand-in reinforcements to hide my group’s strength and equipment, but I never imagined that would be a problem in itself. 

“Talk about being paranoid.” 

Miss Sebelkeya rapped the guildmaster’s head lightly with her staff a few more times. 

“Cut it out. I know as well as you do that Satou isn’t that kind of guy.” The guildmaster brushed Sebelkeya’s staff away. “But not everyone knows Satou’s lack of ambition as well as we do.” 

Oh, I see. She wasn’t interrogating me—she was worried about me. 

“There’s no need to be concerned, Guildmaster. It was a miracle that I was able to assemble forces like that this time. I’m sure it won’t happen again.” 

I used skills like “Fabrication” and “Making Excuses” to assure the guildmaster that the elf teachers’ assistance was a onetime deal. There really was no reason I could think of that I would need to gather them again in the future anyway. 

“Well, all right, then. Now, I’m sure you know this, but…” 

Fortunately, the guildmaster accepted my excuse. She told me about the rules and exceptions regarding floormaster spoils and laid out plans for the parade, the ceremony in the royal capital, and so on. 

According to her, at the kingdom meeting happening at the beginning of next month, mithril-badge explorers could receive awards, honorary titles, and so on. 

In cases like mine when one already had a title, most people only received medals, but since I was the leader of a party that had defeated a floormaster, it was all but certain that I would be conferred an honorary baronet title. 

Although I was perfectly content with my honorary hereditary knight title, which granted me noble status. 

 

“…Satou. You listening, Satou?” 

The guildmaster shook me by the shoulder, bringing me back to the present. 

“Ah, sorry. I was spacing out a little.” 

“So have you decided which item from the spoils you want to keep?” 

“Yes, I believe our top priority item will be the ‘Analyze Goods’ orb.” 

By “orb,” I was referring to a Gift Orb: a one-use artifact that allowed the user to gain a skill. 

We’d found three Gift Orbs in our treasure chest: “Analyze Goods,” “Paralysis Resistance,” and “Water Magic.” 

I’d secretly been hoping for a Chant orb, but of course life wasn’t that easy. 

The guildmaster had informed me that all three orbs were great finds, with “Analyze Goods” being especially rare. 

We debated over the decision for a while: Should we teach “Paralysis Resistance” to our tank, Nana, or healer, Mia? Should we teach “Water Magic” to Nana or Lulu? Should we teach “Analyze Goods” to our scout, Tama; resident cook, Lulu; or the knowledgeable Arisa? 

In the end, it was decided that if Lulu had “Analyze Goods,” she could make sure ingredients were safe before cooking, so we chose the “Analyze Goods” orb as our reserved item to have Lulu use it. 

It was typical of my food-loving kids to base their decision on that logic. 

“““WOOOOOO!””” 

A loud cheer interrupted my conversation with the guildmaster. 

They must be showing off the magic equipment in the main hall. 

“Seems like you found a lot of good stuff.” 

“Yes, even excluding cursed equipment, we still found more than ten pieces.” 

The main attractions were an adamantite war hammer and a Paralyzing Thorn Spear, but there were also mithril daggers and twin blades, a blue steel battle-ax and halberd, a longbow made of wood from the Face Tree, a Mantis Berserker Sword, a Thunder Pearl Staff, and several Thunder Rods, among other things. 

“Huh? What, you don’t like cursed weapons?” 

The guildmaster looked at me strangely. 

“Don’t like them…? Isn’t it normal to avoid them?” 

“Not at all. Check it out.” 

The guildmaster pointed at a garnet-badge explorer who wore a black broadsword on his back. 

Even without activating “Miasma Vision,” I could tell from its suspicious design alone that it was a cursed weapon. 

“And that’s not all…” 

The guildmaster pointed out a few more in the crowd. 

Among the higher-level explorers, as many as 20 or 30 percent were equipped with cursed weapons. 

“Now that you mention it, there are quite a few.” 

“Yep, cursed weapons show up in treasure chests in the labyrinth much more often than normal Magic Swords. And most of all, they’re much stronger than ordinary weapons. So there are a good amount of folks who’re willing to ignore the negatives and use ’em.” 

I guess there weren’t as many “once you touch it, you can’t let go unless the curse is lifted”-style weapons here as there were in games. 

Of course, any potentially lethal cursed items were brought to temples immediately to be purified. 

Come to think of it, the dwarf Elder Dohal who I made the fairy sword with in the Bolehart dominion of Ougoch Duchy used a cursed war hammer, too. 

“““OOOOOOH!””” 

There was another chorus of cheers. 

Whenever Arisa brought out a new item, the crowd roared. 

“Ta-da! This is today’s biggest highlight!” 

As Arisa exclaimed, there was a da-da-daaa sound effect. 

Mia seemed to be providing background music and effects to liven up the event. She’d even called on a musical pseudo-spirit called an “Instrumentalist” for support. 

They were really going all out. 

“It’s a full set of Thunderhand Armor! This beauty is made primarily out of mithril, and it’s got these totally amazing tentacles!” 

“““WOOOO!””” 

Uh, should you really be getting so excited before she explains what’s amazing about it? 

Pochi and Tama each pulled on a tentacle, adorably demonstrating the length. 

“You won’t believe this! The tentacles move on their own to defend the wearer from attacks!” 

“““Woo!””” 

Huh? The cheers died out a little. Maybe that wasn’t what they were hoping to hear? 

I thought it was pretty convenient, but apparently, wearing it reduced your maximum MP by 100 points, so maybe it would be difficult for magic users. 

The Thunderhand Armor offered full-body protection, but it had the ability to automatically adjust its dimensions to the wearer so that anyone could use it regardless of size. 

I thought it was an impressively gamelike feature, but maybe it wasn’t that unusual for Magic Armor from the labyrinth. 

But unlike a game, there was a limit to the automatic adjustment, meaning it could give or take only about 20 percent of its scale. That seemed somewhat limited, but it should be enough to cover for anything but the most extreme body types. 

From what I heard in the elf village, the rare automatic-adjusting metal armor that occasionally showed up in labyrinth treasure chests was usually a variation on a teal silver-and-adamantite alloy, but this one was primarily made of mithril. 

There must be some recipe I didn’t know about. 

Just between us, I’d nearly given in to my scientific curiosity and taken it apart. 

In the end, the armor Arisa had called the “highlight” didn’t get as big a reaction as the adamantite battle-ax or the indestructible large shield. 

The latter gave the user the same effect as the “Indestructible Body” skill, so it was very popular. 

Maybe I would try making one sometime, since I had the right materials. Something that nice-looking might make good dummy equipment for Nana. 

 

“Great job out there.” 

“Whew, I’m beat…” 

“Mm. Tired.” 

I gave Arisa and Mia some cold veria water when they returned from the stage. 

After a solid two hours, we had finished the official announcement of our floormaster conquest and resulting treasures. 

Between Arisa’s natural skills as an entertainer and Mia’s skillful pseudo-spirit sound effects, the crowd’s interest had multiplied, and their excitement had reached almost dangerous levels. 

We had just finished the last of the program for the day, and now a buffet party was beginning in the hall. 

Onstage, an orchestra brought in by the viceroy’s wife was playing a cheerful tune; Sarishusas, the minstrel we’d met during the explorers’ school scholarship tournament, was reciting poetry about us. 

“A tempting sceeent?” 

“Smells delicious, sir.” 

Tama and Pochi closed their eyes and sniffed the air. 

Multiple food stands had been set up around the perimeter of the venue and were offering food and drinks for free. 

The cost was being covered by the explorers’ guild—or rather, the king. I wouldn’t have minded paying for it myself, but since it was evidently customary, I decided to take them up on it. 

“No eating yet, you two. We have work to finish first.” 

Liza joined the guild employees in transporting the spoils. 

They would be stored for safekeeping in a vault under the guild house until they were shipped to the royal capital. 

“Are you really okay with all this, though?” 

“What do you mean?” 

As we were walking to the vault, Arisa looked at me awkwardly. 

“I mean, you said before that you didn’t want to stand out too much.” 

“It’s all right. The only reason I didn’t want to stand out was that I was afraid to attract the wrong kind of attention before my kids could protect themselves.” 

At this point, my group could probably handle a whole army on their own. 

Besides, as I had built up plenty of connections and such, too, I was bound to hear about it if any people or organizations were targeting us. Then I could take care of it, whether by getting involved myself or pitting other mutual foes against them. 

For my part, besides not wanting to draw attention, I also was afraid of doing anything flashy that might draw the attention of a demon lord. 

It would be hard to go sightseeing if I was constantly being pursued. 

For the same reason, I didn’t intend to tell anyone but my closest companions that I was really Nanashi the Hero, either. I didn’t want to be too busy with duties to have any fun, like Hayato the Hero. 

“But what if the Shiga Kingdom tries to assign you some weird post?” 

“It should be fine. The guildmaster, the cabinet leader of the Ministry of Labyrinth Resources, the general, and positions like that are all the exclusive domain of high-pedigree nobles. Even if I do get an offer, it’ll just be an invitation to an order of knights or an intelligence agency or something, right? And I should be able to turn down anything like that with my connections and such, so I’m not worried.” 

If anything, it was more likely that I’d be asked to become a chef at the royal palace. 

Accompanied by the guild employees, we brought the spoils we’d just shared to the underground vault. 

“…Transport complete. We’ll have guild employees and the royal capital’s local guards take responsibility for bringing this to the royal capital.” 

“Thank you very much.” 

Secretary Ushana locked the vault as she promised to take care of the rest. 

Just to be safe, I put markers on all the most valuable items. 

“Good work today, everyone. What do you want to do now? I have to say hello to all the bigwigs at the party, but you’re welcome to go back to the mansion and rest if you’re tired.” 

As we went back to the ground floor of the guild, I asked the rest of my group about their plans. 

“No way! We’re gonna put on a concert on the stage!” 

“…A concert?” 

The established program had ended with the unveiling of the spoils, but Arisa insisted that she wanted to perform on the stage once it was free. 

“Mm.” 

“Tama’s a tiny dancerrr?” 

“Pochi’s gonna spin around, too, sir!” 

“Sounds like fun. I’ll be sure to watch, then.” 

I patted the kids’ heads and promised to come to their concert. 

“Mm. Pinkie promise.” 

“You have to come, okay?!” 

“We’ll do our best…” 

“It’ll be the best show ever, sir!” 

That settled things for those four, but what about everyone else? 

“Master, I promised to visit the food stalls with the orphanage larvae, I report.” 

“This is no time to rest. I have a duty to conquer every kind of meat available at the food stalls!” 

These two never change. 

“Meeeat?” 

“This is bad, sir. If we’re busy dancing, we’ll miss out on meat, sir.” 

“Toughiiie?” 

Tama and Pochi flailed their arms in a panic. 

They must have realized that they couldn’t go to the food stands if they were performing. 

“Don’t worry, you two! I’ve already asked the maids to save some tasty meat for you and bring it to the stage.” 

“Très bieeen?” 

“Arisa’s amazing, sir.” 

Much to Pochi’s and Tama’s admiration, Arisa never missed a beat. 

“Master, I’ve been asked to demonstrate how to butcher a maze bass. Is that all right?” 

“Yes, of course. But make sure you use this normal knife.” 

I put a large knife in a Magic Bag within Storage and gave it to Lulu. 

It probably wouldn’t be wise to show off the shiny golden orichalcum tuna knife she normally used in the labyrinth vacation house. 

“Yes, sir!” 

Still, maze bass were found only in the Middle Stratum of the labyrinth. I wonder who went to catch them? 

It would’ve taken too long to go fish some up and come back in the short time since we’d returned, so maybe they came from a gourmet merchant or something. 

“Lady Lulu, are you ready?” 

Clad in aprons, the maids from the mansion came to get Lulu. They must be helping with her demonstration. 

“Master?” 

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll come by and check things out later.” 

“Yes, sir!” 

Lulu nodded excitedly. 

Now I definitely have to remember to go. 

“Master, I will retrieve the orphanage larvae, I declare.” 

“Sure. You’d better hurry; I’m sure they’re excited.” 

“Yes, master.” 

Nana nodded and headed for the private orphanage. 

“We’d better get going, too, then.” 

“Yeah, let’s…” 

As I was responding to Arisa, I trailed off abruptly. 

The radar in my AR display told me that I was about to be reunited with a dear old friend. 

 

“Goodness, the main explorers’ guild certainly is crowded.” 

“You’re right, Miss Iona… I didn’t expect it to be this busy.” 

I still couldn’t see her in the crowd. 

“Lou, let me have one of those meat skewers.” 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll trade you for one of the red ones.” 

“Honestly! I was wondering where you two went. I should’ve known you were stuffing your faces!” 

“C’mon, all the food stalls are free. It’d be a shame not to load up!” 

“It seems like some kind of festival is going on. A very generous one, if they’re offering everything for free.” 

“Yeah, I heard it’s ’cause some noble called Sir Pendragon beat a superstrong monster.” 

Her group was as noisy as ever. 

Across the crowded room, I caught a glimpse of a distinctive hair color. A brighter blond than even Nana’s. 

“Really! We ought to be greeting the guild staff first—” 

…Our eyes met. 

“S-Satou!” 

She practically threw the bags in her arms at Lilio and ran over, making her way through the crowd. Though she apologized to anyone she bumped into, she never took her eyes off me. 

“Satou…” 

“Hello.” 

Caught up in her own momentum, she jumped into my arms, and I caught her gently. Her light leather armor was soft yet sturdy against my skin. 

“Satou…!” 

I waited for her to say something other than my name. As she peered up at me, there were tears in her eyes. 

“…I—I made it.” 

There must have been a great deal of emotions packed into those few words. Her voice was trembling as she stammered them out. 

“Welcome to Labyrinth City, Miss Zena.” 

Upon hearing my words, the uncertain smile on Zena’s face blossomed like a flower in full bloom. 

It’d been a while. 





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