After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
"Sensei! Please wake up!"
The next morning.
Just after dawn, with plenty of time still left before departure.
Silk burst into the room without even knocking.
"What’s wrong, Silk? Is it monsters again!?"
Jolted awake by her urgent voice, I saw her expression and immediately realized it was a serious emergency.
Looking somewhat flustered, Silk held out what looked like a note in front of me.
I took it and checked. It was written in Marina’s distinctive handwriting, with just a few short words:
—“I’m sorry. I’m leaving ‘Clover.’”
It took a moment for my groggy mind to process the message.
"Where’s Marina!?"
"She’s gone—nowhere to be found! She left all her belongings and equipment behind!"
"What the hell happened...!?"
Sure, she’d been acting a little strange lately, but this was just too sudden.
Thinking back, though, she was acting oddly yesterday—suddenly reminiscing about the past, saying things like she wanted to express her feelings to me.
Ah, I screwed up.
I must’ve missed something—overlooked it or failed to notice entirely.
I should have taken Marina’s troubles more seriously.
"Nene is already out searching. Jamie-san went to the Adventurers’ Guild."
"Got it. I’ll head out and ask around the area."
That’s what I said, but it was just past dawn.
Places like the market street or adventurers' row might be starting to stir, but people in the residential district would still be in bed.
It’s a long shot, but if Marina is out there, she might stand out.
"I’ll wake Rain and we’ll split up—she’ll check the stagecoaches and city gates. I still believe Marina is somewhere in Finis."
"Right. First, we need to talk to her."
"Yes. Marina would never do something this irresponsible. There’s a real chance she’s gotten caught up in something."
I nodded at Silk’s words and threw on my coat.
I wish I had Rain’s borrowed Seeker’s Compass, but I’d just returned it to Prince Mastoma recently—it was an artifact of national treasure class, after all, and I couldn’t keep it.
If I’d known this would happen, I would have held onto it a little longer.
"I’m heading out. If anything comes up, don’t hesitate to send a Mailbird."
"Understood."
Together with Silk, who was headed to wake Rain, I left my room and hurried down the stairs.
I wanted to believe it was just a bad joke, but Marina wasn’t the kind of girl to joke about things like this.
She was always straightforward, honest, and natural.
That’s exactly why this whole situation hit me so hard.
"Where are you, Marina…!"
Having lost all composure, I ran through the residential district, nearly on the verge of tears.
◆
We searched all over Finis for three days, but we couldn’t find Marina.
There was no trace of her in the carriage passenger logs, or in the city gate crossing records. Our inquiries came up mostly empty.
We even used magic, magical artifacts, and the adventurer guild’s city scouts to aid the search, but by nightfall, all we had learned was one thing—“She’s no longer in Finis.”
We returned to our party’s base to regroup, but the mood was heavy.
None of us had imagined it would come to this.
It felt like we’d been blindsided.
And now, in this very moment when we need someone like Marina—the one who always shone like the sun—she’s not here.
“Damn it… if only I had been more vigilant…”
“This isn’t your fault. It’s not like the rest of us could’ve done anything either.”
Jamie gave me a gentle pat on the back, trying to lift my spirits, but with so few leads, it was hard not to feel disheartened.
Why hadn’t I noticed something was wrong with Marina that night?
That regret clouded my heart, and anxiety started to rise.
What if something had happened to her…?
“Come on. Pull yourself together. The Guildmaster said they’d continue the search, didn’t he?”
“Yeah… you’re right.”
Benwood had promised to send out search notices to the other adventurer guilds.
Mamal-san was deploying scouts, and we’d asked the townsfolk to keep an eye out as well.
In short, we’d already done everything we possibly could to look for Marina.
The only other option might be to issue a public call through broadcast—but ‘Clover’ had become a bit too famous.
If we announced Marina’s departure publicly, it would likely cause major concern and confusion.
And even if we hadn’t accepted it yet, her leaving was—technically—her own decision.
We were the ones suspecting she might have been caught in something, but no matter the reason, she left of her own will.
Her note made that much clear.
If we blew this up with a public message, we might inadvertently put Marina in even greater danger.
That’s something I desperately wanted to avoid.
“Yuke?”
“I’m okay. Everyone—can I have a moment?”
Trying to compose myself, I took a deep breath and looked around at the others gathered at the table.
They all gave small, silent nods in return.
“We’ll leave Marina’s search in Benwood and the others’ hands. For now, I think we should continue with the Royal Commission mission.”
“Wait—are you giving up on Marina!?”
Niberune stood up with a loud clatter, glaring at me as if accusing me.
That’s not what I meant, but… in the end, it does sound that way.
I lowered my eyes, unable to defend myself.
“Rune, calm down. Yuke is the leader of an A-rank party. He’s obligated to act responsibly now that we’ve accepted a royal mission. You understand that, don’t you?”
“…Yeah. I’m sorry, big brother.”
Scolded gently by Jamie, Niberune shrank back and apologized to me.
“It’s alright. But I’m not saying this lightly. It’s just a feeling I have, but… I think following the ‘Seventh Sect’ might also lead us to Marina.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Marina started acting strange after Benwood showed us that cult’s broadcast footage.”
That footage we saw in the Guildmaster’s private room—it was almost like a declaration of war from that fanatical group.
After that, Marina had seemed distracted, distant.
At the time I chalked it up to fatigue, but now that I think about it, that might’ve been the trigger.
“…You’re right. Marina started acting different right after that.”
“Exactly. I didn’t realize it back then, but something did happen to her.”
“You think those cultists… did something to her?”
“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”
My companions nodded at my words.
We had no other clues—so even if it was a long shot, it was all we had to go on.
Besides, I didn’t feel like it was that much of a gamble.
I couldn’t call it certainty… but it felt right.
“So we’ll be a day behind schedule, but tomorrow, we head for Edright.”
“Alright then, I’ll go tell the Guildmaster and Mamal-san.”
“I’ll go speak with the carriage company. I’ll make sure they prepare everything.”
Nene and Silk immediately stood up at my words.
That feeling of needing to do something—I shared it too.
“I’ll head over to my little brother Tac’s place. We’ll need to arrange for Rune too.”
“I’ll come along! I wanna help get the room ready!”
Holding Jamie’s hand, Niberune also got up from her seat.
If we were leaving early tomorrow morning, things would get hectic.
Since we’d be asking Tac to take care of Rune, we needed to speak with him tonight.
I hadn’t even considered that. I still wasn’t thinking clearly, it seemed.
“Then I’ll—”
“You’ll rest. Rain, he’s yours.”
“Roger. Leave him to me.”
Before I could say I’d help with preparations, Rain gently placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.
While I watched the others rush out, Rain softly tugged on my hand.
“Let’s rest a bit. I’ll stay with you tonight.”
“…I…”
“You don’t realize, do you? You’ve been forcing yourself this whole time.”
Rain embraced me gently and placed a kiss on my forehead.
The emotions I’d been holding back finally spilled over, and tears slipped down the corners of my eyes.
“It’s alright. You’ve got me.”
“Yeah. Can I… stay like this a little longer, Rain?”
“Mm. Of course.”
I held Rain tightly.
And for just a little while—I let myself cry.
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