"Ah, Master! Good morning!"
I woke up, finished preparing, and stepped out of my room.
Just then, I ran into Rogue coming out of his own room.
"Yeah, morning."
It had been a little over a month since that clash between Rogue and Carol.
Rogue seemed to have recovered since then—both mentally and emotionally stabilized. At the very least, he was no longer in immediate danger of exploding again.
"Master, morning~! Rogue too, morning~!"
When Rogue and I arrived at the dining hall, Carol—who'd arrived earlier—greeted us in her usual energetic way.
Thanks to Luna's careful follow-up, Carol had returned to normal the very next day.
After Rogue apologized to her, their relationship was back to how it had been.
I'd believed it wouldn't break irreparably, but seeing it actually mend put me at ease.
As the four of them began eating, Sophia and Luna also arrived.
I'd already eaten portable rations in my room as usual, so I sat sipping tea while skimming the newspaper.
Normally I should eat with everyone, but for years now, breakfast on labyrinth-diving days had been portable rations—it had become a habit.
Forcing a change would just throw me off, so at the very least I made sure to spend the time in the same space.
While the five of us relaxed before heading out for labyrinth investigation, the door opened quietly.
I looked over and saw Louis—the butler who had greeted us on our first day at the mansion—step inside.
He approached me directly, so I put away the newspaper and stood from my chair.
"Good morning, Louis-san."
"Good morning, Lord Orun. My apologies for interrupting your meal."
Louis bowed politely as he addressed me.
We were technically guests of Count Eddington, so we always received courteous treatment.
But today Louis's demeanor felt even more formal than usual—the "my apologies" carried an unusual weight of emotion.
"No, it's fine. Is something the matter?"
"Yes. The master requests your presence."
Count Eddington?
He had summoned me several times before, but he'd always been considerate and never called before labyrinth investigation.
For him to summon me at this timing—it must be urgent.
"Understood. Should I head to Count Orville Eddington's office as usual?"
"Yes. I apologize for the trouble, but please come with me."
Louis bowed deeply again.
Wasn't this a bit excessive?
◇
I left the others to finish their meal and headed alone to Count Eddington's office.
After knocking and announcing myself, a voice from inside told me to enter, so I opened the door.
The moment I stepped inside, the air felt completely different.
A heavy, tense atmosphere dominated the room.
"Excuse me. Count Orville, you called for me?"
I addressed the source of this oppressive air—Count Eddington.
Sitting on a nearby sofa was old man Eddington.
He wore his usual kindly grandfatherly demeanor, but his eyes alone were razor-sharp.
As I entered, Count Eddington spoke.
"Sorry to call you so early in the morning. Time is short, so I'll skip the preamble. Just moments ago—about ten minutes—we received word that several individuals believed to be Sauber Empire soldiers crossed the border into our territory. —And apparently killed several of our troops in the process."
The count dropped a bombshell without warning.
Empire soldiers suddenly entering another country was shocking enough—but killing people while crossing?
There was supposed to be a non-aggression treaty. What was the empire thinking?
This kind of act could easily escalate into war.
"…When exactly did this intrusion happen?"
"Just moments ago—about ten minutes."
Ten minutes?
How far was the border from here?
For information to arrive this quickly without an ability like Selma-san's [Telepathy] would be impossible.
Did the count family have someone with a similar ability?
For now, at least I knew there was still time before empire forces could reach this far.
There was leeway, but the sooner we acted, the better.
"…I see. In that case, we'll return to Tsutorail immediately. We'll resume labyrinth investigation once things settle."
This was a matter between nations. Explorers like us shouldn't meddle carelessly.
Moreover, if this territory became a battlefield, there was no way we'd stick around leisurely.
First we'd return to Tsutorail and discuss next steps.
I turned to leave after saying that much—when—
"That would be a problem, Orun-kun. —We called you here precisely for a day like this."
The old man spoke.
"For a day like this?"
"Yes. We'd noticed unsettling movements in the empire for some time. It was fifty-fifty, but we anticipated this possibility. We need you to work for us. Kingdom hero Orun Dura-kun."
(I see… so this was what the old man—the Eddington family—had been plotting.)
Labyrinth investigation could be handled by A-rank explorers.
Moreover, for Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky, this was a crucial period. The old man had to know that.
Yet he'd deliberately pulled three S-rank explorers here—so they could serve as combat assets if the empire invaded.
"You're overestimating me. I'm no hero."
"You're right. Unlike the empire's [Hero], you didn't single-handedly quell a magic beast flood. But among the pieces I can move, you're undoubtedly the strongest, Orun-kun. Please lend us your power."
"I decline. I'm not a soldier. I'm an explorer. I have no reason to fight."
"No—you do have a reason. —I believe the empire invaded this time to secure labyrinths. Assuming that's true, where do you think the enemy who broke through the border will head next?"
To secure labyrinths?
The empire had lost its great labyrinth, but still possessed a large number of regular ones.
There was no reason for them to target another country's labyrinths—but if the old man's guess was correct, then the next target would be…
"Lugau?"
At my words, the old man nodded with a satisfied smile.
(That damn old geezer…!)
I clenched my molars, barely suppressing the urge to slam my fist into his face.
Lugau was where Will and the others were stationed.
In other words, the count family had half-forced them into the front lines by placing them there.
"You said at the regular meeting the day after joining Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky that you would 'give everything to protect your comrades,' didn't you? Will you abandon your comrades caught unreasonably in the flames of war and flee back to Tsutorail alone?"
"—!!"
My rage seemed to ripple outward, vibrating the air.
Count Eddington drew in a breath in surprise at my killing glare, but the old man glared back sharply.
(This fucking old bastard…!!)
I wanted nothing more than to unleash this anger on the old man right now.
Being manipulated like this by him made my blood boil.
But if Will and the others were truly in danger, my feelings had to come second.
The old man's story lacked credibility. He must have considered the possibility that I'd lose my temper and attack him.
Yet he told me anyway—which meant he was that confident in his hypothesis.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and spoke.
"…Understood. I'll head to Lugau."
"I knew you'd say that. As I mentioned earlier, we anticipated this situation and prepared countermeasures. We believe we can handle it—except for one concern."
"A concern?"
"Yes. It seems the intruders are troublesome even among empire soldiers. —Apparently the crown prince's personal guard unit."
"The crown prince's guard? That means…"
"Yes. Even an explorer like you must know them well. The ones who conquered the western great labyrinth… And naturally, that includes the [Hero]."
The explorer known as [Hero]—Felix Roots Kreutzer—was the crown prince of the Sauber Empire, the key figure in conquering the western great labyrinth, and widely regarded as the world's strongest.
Beyond the great labyrinth conquest, he'd single-handedly quelled an unprecedented magic beast flood and annihilated an entire imperial division in a mock battle. His feats were legendary.
For such an absurdly powerful figure to be part of an invasion sent chills down my spine.
"I'd like you to go ahead and lure the [Hero] to the designated location. Anti-hero magical weapons have already been installed there—use them to neutralize him. We'll handle the rest of the enemy."
(Anti-hero magical weapons… so they developed something like that.)
I received detailed explanation from the old man about the weapon.
From what I heard, it wasn't meant for use against individuals—but the opponent was the [Hero].
They probably needed something this extreme to neutralize him.
"…And if even that weapon fails to neutralize him?"
"If the [Hero] is gone, we have enough forces to annihilate the rest. We'll capture them all alive. That way, the [Hero] will have no choice but to negotiate. He seems to value his comrades greatly."
"So basically—buy time until you capture the others?"
"That's right."
I had no idea how strong the [Hero] truly was.
The western great labyrinth reportedly lacked deep layers, so its conquest difficulty was considered lower.
Even so, conquering a great labyrinth untouched for centuries meant he couldn't possibly be weak.
If the rumors were exaggerated, that would be ideal—but if they were accurate, then—I had no chance of winning.
"I'm not risking my life for this. The moment I see no chance of victory, I'll retreat with Will and the others. Keep that in mind."
"That's unavoidable. Understood. In that case, I'll leave it to your judgment. But… if there's even the slightest chance of winning—you won't run, right?"
"…Consider this a debt. And I'm cooperating alone this time. Twilight Moonbow will return. I won't drag my disciples into this ridiculous war."
"Yes, we never counted them as combat assets anyway. No issue there. Then—I'm counting on you."
◇
After leaving Count Eddington's office, I immediately returned to the dining hall, then moved with Luna to an empty room.
"…Did something happen?"
The moment we entered, Luna asked seriously.
She'd clearly sensed my mood was different than usual—our long association made her perceptive.
"Yeah—time's short, so I'll be brief—"
I gave her a quick preface, then explained everything I'd just heard: the empire soldiers crossing the border, the high likelihood of invasion, and that I was heading out to deal with it.
"Why didn't you refuse? This is war. This isn't like you, Orun-san."
"…You're right. But Will and the others are likely caught up in it. I can't abandon them."
"I see…"
"Luna—take Sophia and the others back to Tsutorail first. Officially, you'll be escorting Abel Eddington to the capital. A few soldiers will also join the escort, so Twilight Moonbow won't have much to do. Once you reach Tsutorail, report this to Selma-san immediately."
I gave Luna rapid instructions for what came next.
"…Understood. Orun-san—absolutely come back alive. I won't forgive you if you die here…!"
"Of course. I have no intention of dying. I'll buy some time however I can, then catch up with Will and the others—"
After finishing with Luna, I headed straight to the stables.
I'd wanted to see my disciples' faces one last time, but time was too precious.
I'd left their explanation to Luna.
At the stables, the horses, the elderly groom, and Abel-san were waiting.
As I approached, Abel-san bowed his head.
"Orun-kun… I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
Right now, I was probably looking down at Abel-san with cold eyes.
This wasn't his fault—my emotions just weren't accepting it.
I understood that.
If you were someone responsible for protecting this territory, this was the natural course of action.
I'd probably do the same in his position.
"So when you recommended horseback riding—it was because you foresaw a situation like this."
"…"
Abel-san didn't respond to my words. He kept his head bowed, refusing to meet my eyes.
If I continued talking to him like this, I might say something harsh.
Without another word, I passed by Abel-san and approached the horse.
I stroked its neck and murmured, "Sorry for pushing you a bit, but please take care of me."
Then I mounted and galloped toward Lugau.