*Amuntsāsu* was widely recognized around the world as one of the most notorious criminal organizations, responsible for slaughtering countless explorers.
They insisted that "the Great Labyrinths must not be conquered" and obstructed progress by systematically eliminating promising explorers.
"I've already fought *Amuntsāsu*."
"...What?"
My response made Warren-san's eyes sharpen.
"The guild seems to have kept it under wraps, but haven't you heard? About half a year ago, there were rumors that *Amuntsāsu* was active in the Great Southern Labyrinth."
"Yeah, I did hear something like that. But the death rate among high-rank explorers only rose slightly compared to average years, so it was chalked up to statistical noise. I figured it was just a rumor..."
"It's true they appeared in the Great Southern Labyrinth. Right after the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky conquered the ninety-second floor, they targeted my life. I managed to escape by sheer luck, but if the circumstances had been even slightly worse, I might have died right there."
The one who'd come after me was the robed woman—Shion Nastachium.
In that battle, I believe she let me go.
I still don't understand why, but if we'd kept fighting, I—who'd been at a disadvantage—would almost certainly have lost.
I've grown since then and gained confidence, but even now I'm not sure I could win a straight-up fight against her.
Her magic and unique ability are that threatening.
There have been strange connections between us—letting me go, fighting together—but as long as she's part of *Amuntsāsu*, she is an enemy to me as an explorer.
That one fact must never be mistaken.
"I see. That explains a lot. During our mock battle I felt you were unusually proficient at anti-personnel combat for an explorer. So you'd already been preparing for a fight against *Amuntsāsu*."
It had been more in preparation for the Cyclamen Order than *Amuntsāsu*, but I certainly hadn't ignored the possibility of facing *Amuntsāsu* again.
No need to correct him here.
"Yes. I have no intention of quitting as an explorer, so I wanted to gain experience in human combat while considering the worst-case scenario. That's why today's mock battle was truly invaluable to me. Once again—thank you for the opportunity."
"If it helped you even a little, then I'm glad I did it... Still, to think you'd already driven off *Amuntsāsu*. Guess my warning was unnecessary after all."
"Unnecessary in what way?"
"Like I said earlier—I came here intending to warn you that *Amuntsāsu* might attack the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky. But it turns out the threat's already passed, and you're even training in anticipation of future attacks. Considering all that, my advice was superfluous."
"No, no—I'm grateful you came all this way despite your busy schedule. I don't think it was unnecessary at all."
Those were my true feelings.
Today's experience had definitely contributed to my growth.
"...Hey, just out of curiosity—how exactly did you drive off *Amuntsāsu*? Don't take offense, but I was convinced that if they attacked, Selma-chan would definitely die. That's why I didn't call her here."
Selma-san... dying?
Warren-san seemed to think the entire First Unit had fought *Amuntsāsu*.
"Sorry, I think we're talking past each other. I was the only one who fought *Amuntsāsu*. The rest of the First Unit never engaged them. Half a year ago, it seems I was the sole target."
"What? So Selma-chan never fought them?"
"Yes. Sorry for the unclear explanation."
"No, my bad for jumping to conclusions... So, following the Dawn, the Rabbit hasn't been attacked by them either. Yet they singled out Orun Dura personally. What the hell does that mean?"
Warren-san muttered to himself, head bowed in thought.
While he was lost in his own world, I mentally replayed his earlier words.
And I finally reached what I believed was the answer to why he'd called only me here.
The reason he didn't want Selma-san to hear this was exactly what he'd said earlier: "If *Amuntsāsu* fought the First Unit, the chances of Selma-chan dying were extremely high."
The reason Selma-san's death would be almost certain was obvious.
She was an Enchanter.
Enchanters primarily supported allies with buffs via support magic.
Having someone manage buff durations allowed other members to focus entirely on their roles, dramatically increasing overall efficiency.
As long as coordination remained smooth, a party with an Enchanter vastly outperformed one without in total combat power.
Proof of that: since Enchanters appeared, the average deepest-floor reached by explorers across the board had risen dramatically.
I fully agreed that Enchanters were essential to exploration parties.
But naturally, they had weaknesses too.
In terms of individual combat ability, Enchanters fell short compared to other party members.
Even Selma-san—called the continent's greatest Enchanter, capable of using every kind of magic—was still a step below other S-rank explorers when judged purely on personal fighting strength.
That said, in labyrinth exploration against magical beasts, aggro control meant Enchanters rarely had to engage directly in combat.
For explorers operating in labyrinths, the Enchanter's weakness was almost negligible—allowing them to enjoy the advantages almost exclusively.
In other words—it was precisely because of the special environment called the labyrinth that Enchanters could shine.
But on the surface—in human-versus-human combat—the situation changed completely.
Against enemies with reason and intelligence, aggro control meant nothing. The Enchanter would inevitably be targeted first.
They were the party's core—yet also the easiest piece to take down.
To aim for Great Labyrinth conquest and hone anti-monster combat with desperate effort, only to reach the top and be forced into human combat... the irony was almost too much.
Well, we weren't fools.
We weren't as specialized in human combat as military personnel, but both the First and Second Units conducted training that at least partially anticipated anti-personnel scenarios.
I'd heard that had stemmed from strong insistence by Albert-san.
Now I understood why.
"...Sorry. I got lost in thought there."
"No problem. Warren-sama—have you fought *Amuntsāsu* before?"
"...Yeah. You probably already half-guessed it, right? The reason my explorer party—the *Golden Echo*—disbanded."
He'd been cheerful the whole time, but now that atmosphere vanished entirely. He looked down, wearing a sad smile as he murmured.
He had fought *Amuntsāsu*—an organization responsible for killing numerous explorers—and the *Golden Echo*, a party once hailed as heroic and at its peak, had suddenly disbanded.
If those two facts were connected—
Indeed, aside from Warren-san and Albert-san, I didn't know the current whereabouts or status of any other *Golden Echo* members.
That must be it.
"..."
"—Anyway! Things are getting gloomy, so let's change the subject!"
I was struggling to find the right words when he—perhaps sensing that—forced a return to his usual cheerful demeanor.
"I've confirmed you're seriously training for human combat. So next—let me give you some advice as a soldier, a professional in anti-personnel warfare."
Fully back in his usual tone, Warren-san flashed a fearless grin.
"Thank you. I'm listening."
I hadn't expected him to go this far—the proposal was exactly what I needed.
"First off, I'm honestly surprised you can maintain such a high level in both swordsmanship and magic. I've seen plenty of people better than you in one or the other, but balancing both at this level? I haven't seen anything like it—seriously. And when you factor in that you've grasped the true essence of the six basic support spells... across the whole world, you're definitely top-tier. In this country alone, you're easily in the top five."
"...I'm honored."
To receive such high praise from Warren-san—who had devoted immense time to combat both as explorer and soldier—was genuinely gratifying.
"But—that very balance is also your weakness, in my opinion."
"The balance itself... is a weakness?"
"Exactly. You've trained so that you can handle any situation as an explorer. And it's paying off. But because of that, you have too many options in combat... Too many choices. During our mock battle, there were several moments where you hesitated—even if just for an instant—before acting. In a fight against a high-level opponent, that single instant can be fatal. If that had been a death match, I could have cut you down in that moment."
Warren-san's words hit home perfectly.
Indeed—during the mock battle, when he'd closed in, I'd hesitated for a split second: sword or magic? If magic, which one?
It had been an unconscious, tiny delay—but that tiny gap was clearly exploitable.
"I don't mean to deny your current style. As I said earlier, at a general level you're already extremely strong. But from my perspective—that style is jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. If you specialized in one and used the other as support, I believe you'd reach much greater heights."
"...Thank you for the advice. I'll take it to heart."
After receiving Warren-san's advice on combat style, we talked about a few other topics until night had fully fallen, and we decided to call it a day.
"Warren-sama, thank you for everything today. Thanks to you, it's been a truly meaningful day."
"Then I'm glad. It was a good day for me too. Keep pushing on that Great Labyrinth conquest."
"Yes. I'll keep training so that someday I can report to you that we've conquered it."
"Hahaha! Big words. In that case, I guess I can't die until I hear that report. —See you, Orun."
"Yes. Goodbye, Warren-sama."
We said our final farewells at the restaurant entrance before parting ways.
What a day... Never imagined this morning would turn out like this.
Meeting the Armored Explorer, having a mock battle with the former hero Warren-san—it had been one strange day.
Now then—time to refocus.
The day after tomorrow, the First Unit would challenge the ninety-third-floor conquest.
To welcome the new year on a high note, we absolutely had to succeed.