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"Oraaa! Hand over those materials, you magical beasts!!"
Hart-san lets out a valiant battle cry while turning magical beasts into magic stones.
"Hart, why are you so desperate?"
After clearing out the surrounding magical beasts, Fuuka asks Hart-san.
The temperature difference between Hart-san and Fuuka is stark.
"Of course I'm desperate! The debt to Orun keeps growing day by day!? You should be panicking more too!"
Hart-san widens his eyes at Fuuka's question and raises his voice as if to say 'what are you even saying at this point?'
Time flies—it's already late February.
More than a month has passed since Her Highness Lucila entrusted us with conquering the various labyrinths.
After finishing the labyrinth in Sabona Village, we continued the conquests, and this is the last remaining target.
This labyrinth conquest journey had plenty of unexpected events, but in terms of schedule, we've progressed more or less as initially planned.
The big deviation from the plan was the operating funds.
We had concerns from the start of the conquests, but the funds provided by the kingdom weren't enough after all.
The shortfall would be covered by "Copper Twilight", but since neither Fuuka nor Hart-san had that much on hand, we've settled on me covering it until we return to Tsutorail.
That's what Hart-san means by 'debt to Orun'.
"...? Doesn't the clan home have money? You'll pay Orun back when we return to Tsutorail, right?"
Fuuka tilts her head in confusion.
"Yeah. Once we're back in Tsutorail, we can pay it off immediately. But if we try to cover the full amount from savings, we'll have to cut back on Fuuka's food portions for a while."
Hearing 'your food portions will decrease' from Hart-san, Fuuka's eyes widen slightly. She turns her back on us and starts walking briskly toward where she thinks there are more magical beasts.
"What are you doing? We need to hurry and collect magic stones and materials."
After walking a bit and noticing we weren't following, Fuuka turns back and calls out to us.
Her figure looks so cute that my cheeks unconsciously loosen into a smile.
"Hart-san, you're really good at handling Fuuka."
While following after Fuuka, I speak to Hart-san.
"Can you really call this 'good at handling'? Our princess bites at the mere mention of food... I'm worried she'll get tricked by someone with bad intentions someday."
"She'll be fine. Fuuka isn't completely thoughtless, and the fact that she's acting so freely here is proof of her trust in you."
On the surface, some of Fuuka's actions can seem impulsive, but after traveling together for over a month, I can tell she acts with proper thought behind it.
In fact, she thinks quickly and can make snap judgments and act on them.
However, because she's so capable, she tends to handle most things on her own and doesn't often share her thoughts with others—that's her one flaw.
While objectively observing Fuuka like that, I suddenly realized I have a similar tendency myself.
There's a saying about learning from others' examples to correct one's own behavior, so I need to be careful too.
◇
With Fuuka becoming more proactive in hunting magical beasts, what should have involved detours ended up progressing so quickly that only the deepest part remained.
(This marks the end of the labyrinth conquest journey, huh.)
While descending the stairs toward the deepest part, I reflected with deep emotion.
It turned into quite a long journey, but the gains were plentiful.
I got to observe Fuuka—a specialist in close combat—fight up close many times, and I learned about advanced applications of ki from Hart-san.
I can proudly say this journey definitely made me grow stronger.
Now we just need to obtain the dungeon core in the deepest part to complete this conquest.
After that, we'll report the completion of all assigned labyrinths to Her Highness Lucila in Daruane, reunite with Selma-san, and return to Tsutorail.
While thinking about that, Hart-san calls out to me.
"Orun, it seems there's one last event waiting."
Though Hart-san's words carried his usual joking tone, his expression was the most serious I'd seen during this entire journey.
He must have checked the deepest part with [Bird's-Eye Vision].
By expanding my alert net more than usual, something caught my attention.
Humans.
"There seem to be a few people in the deepest part. More explorers trying to interfere with the conquest?"
I could detect several humans, but not their affiliations.
When I ask Hart-san—who has already seen them—his usual playful demeanor is gone, replaced by a grave expression as he speaks.
"That would be preferable. But they're almost certainly members of the "Cyclamen Order"."
"! Order members in the labyrinth...?"
Hart-san's words instantly heighten the tension.
Not just me—Fuuka's unchanging expression now carries a belligerent aura.
I recognize the "Cyclamen Order" as a clear enemy, and it seems Fuuka and Hart-san feel the same way.
Originally, it was Hart-san who told me that Philly Carpenter—my replacement in "Golden Dawn"—was an executive of the Order.
They probably have their own grudges against the Order, different from mine.
"Orun, what do we do?"
Hart-san asks how to proceed.
The overflow that occurred while traveling from the capital to Tsutorail with Her Highness Lucila was caused by Gary in the deepest part.
That means these people are likely here to intentionally trigger another overflow.
There might be some other purpose, but either way, it won't benefit us.
"We proceed cautiously to the deepest part. I'd like to capture as many alive as possible to extract information. But if that's difficult, I'll take responsibility. ——Eliminate them without hesitation."
After I state the plan, the two nod, and we continue toward the deepest part.
Upon reaching the deepest part, just as Hart-san said, about four people in red clothing were there.
When they notice we've arrived, they let out panicked voices: "They're here already...!?" "Damn, too fast...!"
Were they preparing to intercept us?
Regardless, the looks they direct at us are anything but friendly.
To seal their movements, I amplify the gravity at their location with [Gravity Manipulation].
This was enough to immobilize the explorers who tried to interfere with us the other day.
But against someone like Stig—who killed Gary—or Fuuka-level combatants, this alone wouldn't be sufficient.
The enemy is the "Cyclamen Order".
Better safe than sorry.
"—[Demonic Sword Union Ortration], [Zero Type Mont Null]!"
In addition to the gravity amplification, I transform Schwarzhaese into fluid jet-black mana and shape multiple chain-like forms.
Those jet-black chains bind the group.
I've also increased the chains' weight with [Gravity Manipulation] to the point where ordinary people couldn't even stand.
And since these people don't seem to be on Stig or Fuuka's level, they collapse without being able to move a muscle.
"Guh... what is this. So heavy... can't move..."
"That was quick work, Orun. ——Well, with four of them, killing two or so shouldn't be a problem. Who should we kill?"
Hart-san looks at the immobilized Order members and says something dangerous.
But from the look in his eyes, it's not a joke.
Fuuka has already drawn her sword at some point.
"Hey! Start immediately——"
One of the members tries to give an order to his comrades, but before he can finish, his head separates from his body.
Fuuka—who had severed one member's head—steps into the amplified gravity zone, switches her sword to a reverse grip, and thrusts the tip into the ground.
Immediately after, a magic circle rises from the ground beneath the members.
The blade Fuuka has stabbed into the ground gradually takes on a red hue, turning copper-red.
(The copper-red blade. So that's the change when Fuuka's exclusive 『demon blade』 unleashes its power.)
Fuuka's sword isn't ordinary.
It's apparently a national treasure of Kyokuto, imbued with something called 『demon power』 distinct from mana.
When wielding that demon power, the blade changes from its usual lead color to copper-red, just like now.
I asked Fuuka about demon power and what it can do during this journey, but she said 『I can't talk about it now. I'll tell you when the time comes』, so I still know almost nothing about it.
But I don't think Fuuka would do something meaningless, so there must be some purpose to unleashing demon power here.
While thinking that and constructing spell formulas in my mind, the magic circle rising from the ground begins to blur before finally disappearing.
(What...?)
The mana movement when the circle vanished was strange.
It didn't just disappear—it felt more like a hole suddenly opened in a container of water, and the mana was sucked into that mysterious void.
(——No... this isn't the time to think about that. Neutralizing the Order members takes priority.)
Fuuka definitely did something.
But when I try to think about it, something inside me tells me not to think any further...
"Fuuka, get away from the ground!"
I give Fuuka instructions.
I know it's unreasonable to ask that under amplified gravity, but upon hearing my voice, Fuuka kicks off the ground and leaps vertically, using the momentum to pull her stabbed sword free.
The blade gradually returns to its usual lead color.
"—[Ground Current Earth Shock]"
Confirming Fuuka has escaped into the air, I pour mana into the completed formula and activate the spell.
Electricity courses along the ground and through the bodies of the prone Order members, knocking three of them unconscious.
"—っ! Orun, Hart—invisible attack incoming! Brace for impact!"
Fuuka—still in the air after riding out the gust—lands beside us after skillfully using the shockwave and warns us again.
Her voice carried an unusual sharpness unlike her usual tone.
She must have seen something with her unique skill.
Her unique skill is [Future Sight].
Literally, it lets her see slightly into the future.
It's a powerful skill, but she mentioned it has drawbacks.
[Future Sight] shows the current Fuuka the scenes that future Fuuka sees...
In other words, the future information Fuuka receives is visual.
So with invisible attacks like this one, she can't tell exactly what kind of attack is coming.
What she saw was us being blown back by something invisible.
Still, knowing something is coming allows for minimal countermeasures.
Both Hart-san and I were blown back but took no serious damage.
After being momentarily airborne from the rearward blast, I immediately use [Gravity Manipulation] to land on the ground.
Sliding along the ground to kill my momentum, I turn my gaze back to where the Order members were lying.
The prone members had thin red lines extending upward from their backs, while the supine ones had them from their chests.
At the intersection of those four lines, a sphere made of blood continued to expand until it reached a diameter of over ten meters, then stopped growing.
"What the hell is that...?"
Hart-san—beside me—mutters while staring at the red sphere.
"Both of you, be careful. A large wolf-type magical beast is about to appear."
Fuuka—who had been caught in the same gust in midair—lands beside us after skillfully using the shockwave and warns us again.
At the same timing as Fuuka's warning, a wolf's howl echoes from within the massive red sphere.
When the huge sphere bursts, there stands a gigantic wolf-type magical beast with reddish-black fur—comparable to a Great Labyrinth floor boss—glaring at us.