After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
“Ugh…”
I woke up to sunlight streaming through the window and a dull headache. While casting the spell 〈Antidote〉 on myself, I sat up with a sigh.
Apparently, I had gotten carried away and drunk too much last night.
Since Jamie had started talking about our time back in Thunderpike, maybe that had something to do with how much we drank.
When I glanced beside me, there was Jamie, fast asleep, her white shoulder peeking out from beneath the blanket.
From the hazy memories of last night, I recalled that we were both pretty drunk and ended up in bed together.
I couldn’t remember much beyond that—but given the situation, it was clear what had happened.
“Jamie, it’s morning.”
“…It’s still early…”
Still half-asleep, Jamie mumbled and clung to my waist.
Her loose hair brushed against me and tickled a little.
It was rare to see Jamie being so openly affectionate, and it was kind of cute.
“You wake up too early, Yuke… Let’s stay like this a bit longer…”
“Sure. Take your time.”
I gently stroked Jamie’s head as she resumed her soft breathing, then carefully got out of bed.
I was going to get dressed, but I felt a bit sweaty and decided to change plans.
Throwing on just a bathrobe, I headed downstairs.
“Huh? Big brother!”
When I reached the first floor, Niberune—who seemed to have been reading a book in the living room—lit up with a smile.
“Huh? Rune. You’re up early.”
“Yeah. It’s Sunday school today. Also, Marina’s sleeping posture is kinda rough…”
Niberune giggled softly, and I gave her a wry smile in return.
Technically, Niberune had her own room here at the base, but she often had sleepovers.
The others were happy about it—sometimes even arguing over who got to sleep next to her.
We’d been away constantly lately, so maybe she’d felt a little lonely.
“What about you, big brother?”
“Oh, I was just going to take a shower.”
“Right. Yesterday was pretty rough, huh…”
Niberune’s eyes lowered slightly.
The appearance of that monster may have stirred up some of her trauma.
The idea that a supposedly safe place could be unsafe must be terrifying for her.
“Don’t worry. The higher-ups will get to the bottom of it soon.”
“Yeah. As long as you guys are around, I feel safe. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Even as I replied, I didn’t want to involve Niberune too much.
The power she held—the ‘Golden’ power—was formidable, but it was the wish of the last king of Glad Shi-Im, who had entrusted her with it so she could live.
That power existed for Niberune’s happiness. It wasn’t something we should just use for convenience.
“You’re making that difficult face again. It’s fine—I’m part of Clover, too. Don’t worry so much, big brother.”
With a slightly grown-up smile, Niberune chuckled.
I smiled back, a little self-deprecating. Making a child worry wasn’t exactly admirable.
Being overly cautious and making her feel excluded would be the greater insult.
“Sorry. When the time comes, I’ll be counting on you, Rune.”
“Okay! Oh—sorry for keeping you. Have a good shower!”
Waving lightly at her bright smile, I headed to the basement.
I made sure no one else was using the place and then entered the bathroom, activating the artifact that produced warm water before turning the faucet.
As the warm shower poured over me, I found myself reflecting on yesterday.
The monster that appeared wasn’t in any of our current catalogs.
Judging by its presence, it was definitely from the ‘Achromatic Darkness’—a monster of otherworldly origin.
We managed to defeat it, and the damage was minimal.
Because of that, the general atmosphere in Finis was one of cautious optimism.
But the higher-ups at the adventurers’ guild—especially people like Benwood—and the leadership of the Kingdom of Welmeria were surely taking this much more seriously.
…Because this is something that should never have happened.
They were likely using information control and news management to make it seem like "just a minor incident," to prevent public panic, but perhaps that was too hasty.
That monster had no business appearing in Finis.
A monster with such a strong aura of the otherworld appearing in the surface world was a serious matter.
If it wasn’t an Overflow or a Stampede, then the conclusion must be the opposite:
Someone may have intentionally brought it into the city.
There had been a case on Vilmuren Island where Ilwen Pearlwood had used illegal, powerful artifacts to deliberately trigger ‘Culling’.
And the ongoing destabilization of dungeons around the world… also felt suspicious.
What is this unease that feels like something stuck in my throat?
“Yuke.”
A soft knock and Rain’s voice calling my name snapped me out of my thoughts.
I blinked, exhaled quietly, and turned toward the door to respond.
“Rain. What is it?”
“You were taking a while... so I got a little worried.”
“Sorry. I’ll be right out.”
“If you’re okay, then that’s fine. Um… a little while ago, a Mailbird from the adventurer’s guild arrived—addressed to you.”
“For me?”
Now, what could that be about?
If they’re using a Mailbird this early in the morning, it probably means it’s something urgent—and something they want to keep discreet.
“Do you know what it’s about?”
“I didn’t open it. I caught it before it reached you.”
“Got it. It might be a summons about yesterday’s incident. I’ll check it right away.”
“Okay. I’ll wait upstairs.”
As Rain’s footsteps faded, I turned off the shower and refocused myself.
Just sitting around thinking was only feeding into negative assumptions.
All I could do now was organize what I did know and confirm things one step at a time.
As for the concerns I had, I’d start by sharing them with someone like Benwood. That much should be fine.
Maybe I’d get laughed off for overthinking—but if that happened, honestly, I’d feel a little relieved.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
Nice chapter, really enjoying the pacing.
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