The next morning, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast.
I only ate portable rations on labyrinth dive days.
On off days, normal meals.
The rations weren't bad, but real food was way better.
At the dining hall, eyes turned my way again—just like two days ago.
From a distance—no one approached to talk.
Understandable.
Join the clan one day, executive the next.
Hard to know how to interact with someone like that...
Hope I blend in soon...
"Ah—Orun-kuuun!"
As I grabbed food and started eating, someone called my name.
I looked up—Lucre and a bespectacled girl were approaching together.
"Morning! Can we sit with you?"
"Morning, Lucre. Sure—go ahead."
Lucre took the seat across from me; the glasses girl sat diagonally.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Nina. I belong to *Silver Rabbit*'s Magic Development Lab."
She introduced herself politely.
Sky-blue short hair, indigo eyes.
"Pleasure. I'm Orun. Joined the First Unit in Exploration recently."
"You're both so stiff~ We're all the same age—let's get along!"
Same age... so Nina was 18 too.
"You're *way* too relaxed..."
"Ahaha... Then—mind if I just call you Nina?"
"S-Sure, no problem. Then... O-Orun, okay with you?"
"Yeah—nice!"
Lucre clapped happily.
"Ah! Right—Nina, look look~"
She floated a spoon and fork with the spell I'd taught yesterday.
"...Huh? Wha—?! What is that?!"
"Fufu~n! Cool, right~? Orun-kun taught me yesterday!"
"This... is Orun's original spell?"
Nina asked cautiously.
Made sense—Magic Development Lab. Of course she'd be interested in spells and tools.
"Yeah. Want me to teach you too?"
"R-Really?!"
She leaned forward eagerly.
...Face close.
I'd planned to release this spell anyway.
It shined more in daily life than labyrinth diving.
"Sure. But—one condition."
"W-What is it?"
She tensed at the mention of terms.
"Publish it under *Silver Rabbit*'s name. Method doesn't matter—as long as it spreads. If the clan profits along the way—fine. Sell as magic tools first, release the formula later, whatever."
"...It's an original spell. You're really okay releasing it so easily?"
Fair concern.
Spell development was grueling.
Differentiating from existing ones while staying useful—extremely hard.
"This one was a byproduct while developing something else. Didn't take much effort. Plus—it's useful. Others might already be working on similar. Better to release early."
Also—if it generated decent revenue, my standing in the clan would rise.
I'd been fast-tracked to executive with zero achievements yet.
Visible results soon would help.
I didn't say that part out loud.
"Understood—I promise. ...Hey—if the First Unit dives every other day... then on off days, come to Magic Development Lab?"
"Tempting offer—but my schedule's already set. Executive duties too. Sorry. But—if I get free time, I'll stop by."
"Shame... already booked. What exactly?"
"Newbie party instructor."
"Newbie training? Isn't that Exploration Management's job?"
"Apparently some insanely talented kids. Management wants them in Exploration ASAP. So—they picked me since I'm relatively free."
"Talented kids? Oh—the cocky little noble brat."
...So even inside the clan, that's the impression.
"Then have Lucre handle education—you come to the lab!"
"Huh? ...Me what?"
Lucre—who'd been happily eating—froze at her name.
"Lucre's surprisingly good at teaching. Let's trade!"
"That's harsh! After everything we've been through—you ditch me the second someone better shows up! I was just convenient for you, Nina!"
"Stop saying weird things?!"
Their comedy routine started.
So close...
◇
After breakfast, I parted from them, bought newspapers outside, and returned to my room.
Two of three major papers led with the Hero Party's recent failure.
Three big publishers dominated.
One held near-exclusive Hero Party info.
The other two—stuck reporting secondhand—had been losing readers.
Resentment? Both ran the story front-page.
From someone who knew the truth—no outright lies.
But heavily exaggerated.
(This could stir trouble...)
Everyday magic tools—lighting the night, producing water—were indispensable.
They ran on magic stones.
Magic stones came from slain monsters.
Surface monsters appeared rarely—almost all from labyrinths.
Explorers retrieving stones literally supported civilian life.
That's why people followed explorers closely.
Among them—the Hero Party, hailed as number one, enjoyed massive popularity.
The incident—I happened to be there and luckily killed it.
But the real issue: a deep-floor boss appeared mid-layer.
Potentially costing many explorers' lives.
Reporting that bluntly would spread panic.
Obvious risk—yet two papers did it simultaneously.
Even stranger—the articles were public.
Meaning the Hero Party's major sponsor—Marquis Forgas—hadn't pressured them to retract.
No matter how badly those two wanted to expose the Hero Party—pressure from an upper noble like Forgas would've forced withdrawal.
(Not like Forgas to ignore public image. What's his angle?)