The forest had grown quieter as Rio, Ryota, and Sayanaki followed the winding trail away from the hidden dungeon. Late-afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, illuminating patches of moss and fallen leaves scattered across the path. Birds called from the branches overhead, and a gentle breeze stirred the foliage, creating a peaceful atmosphere that felt almost unreal after the destruction they had left behind.
The battle against Necroshama had been brutal. The dungeon had suffered extensive damage, and the confrontation had attracted far more enemies than any of them had anticipated. Yet now that the fighting was over, the three players were walking through the forest as though they had merely finished an ordinary afternoon excursion.
Ryota strolled beside Rio with his hands resting behind his head, occasionally kicking a pebble off the trail whenever one crossed his path. He appeared to have already forgotten how dangerous the previous encounter had been. On Rio's other side, Sayanaki casually spun a dagger between her fingers, her relaxed expression making it difficult to believe that she had recently slaughtered nearly a hundred enemy players.
Rio, however, was already thinking about their next move. Sayanaki had mentioned obtaining information about Sarrow, the leader of Epsilon Dawn, and Rio intended to hear the details as soon as they returned to Crowned Era's headquarters. Whatever had prompted the crimson-haired assassin to search for her so urgently, it was probably worth investigating.
Unfortunately, Sayanaki appeared to have another matter on her mind.
She glanced over her shoulder.
A few seconds later, she did it again.
After the third time, she released a long, deeply exasperated sigh.
Rio noticed the repeated glances and turned toward her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Sayanaki replied.
She continued walking, her dagger turning lazily between her fingers. Several more steps passed before she sighed again, this time with enough irritation to make it obvious that something was bothering her.
"Actually, there is something wrong."
Rio followed her gaze toward the trees behind them. She studied the path for a moment before her expression changed with quiet understanding.
"We need to do something about her," Sayanaki declared.
Rio nodded. "You're right."
Ryota, who had been enjoying the peaceful walk without paying much attention to the conversation, blinked in confusion. He looked from one woman to the other, waiting for an explanation that never came.
"Sorry. What are we talking about?"
Neither of them answered.
Instead, Rio gradually slowed her pace. Sayanaki followed her example, and after a few more steps, both women stopped in the middle of the forest path.
Ryota continued forward for another second before realizing that he had been abandoned. He turned around, looking thoroughly bewildered.
"What are you two doing?"
"Waiting," Rio answered calmly.
"For what?"
Sayanaki's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Our very persistent guest."
Ryota stared at her before slowly turning toward the bushes behind them. A branch rustled near a broad tree trunk, followed by a faint movement that someone with less experience might easily have mistaken for the wind.
His expression changed.
"Oh."
Another moment passed before Rio raised her voice, making sure it carried clearly through the surrounding trees.
"You know, if you're going to follow us, you could at least make it a little harder for us to notice you, Suo."
The forest fell silent.
Then came a small, mortified sound from behind the bushes.
Sayanaki immediately covered her mouth, although the mischievous smile visible between her fingers made it painfully obvious that she was enjoying herself. Ryota, meanwhile, turned toward Rio with an expression of genuine disbelief.
"You knew?"
Rio gave him a puzzled look. "Of course."
"Since when?"
"Since she started following us."
Ryota stared at her as though she had just revealed an outrageous secret. Before he could protest, Sayanaki finally gave up trying to contain herself and burst into laughter.
"Oh, this is wonderful! She's been sneaking around behind us for several minutes, and you only just noticed."
Ryota pointed accusingly at her. "You knew, too!"
"Naturally."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because watching you figure it out was more entertaining."
Ryota looked personally betrayed. Rio shook her head at their exchange before turning her attention back toward the bushes.
"Suo, you can come out now. We aren't going to bite."
Sayanaki tilted her head. "Well, I won't."
Rio gave her a warning look.
Sayanaki smiled innocently. "Probably."
A branch rustled again. After a moment of hesitation, Suo slowly emerged from behind the tree.
Her shoulders were hunched, and her head was lowered so far that her hair nearly concealed her face. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she avoided looking directly at any of them. She looked like someone who had just been caught committing the most embarrassing crime imaginable.
Considering how carefully she had attempted to follow them, Suo probably felt that way.
She had intended to trail the group quietly, wait until she found an appropriate opportunity, and ask Rio the question that had been bothering her since they left the dungeon. Instead, she had been discovered almost immediately, and the three members of Crowned Era had apparently decided to stop and wait for her as though they had been expecting a late appointment.
"I'm sorry..." she murmured.
Sayanaki tilted her head. "What was that?"
Suo's face grew even redder. "I'm sorry!"
She bowed quickly, then hurried to explain herself before anyone could misunderstand her intentions.
"I didn't mean to bother you! I just wanted to ask something, but I didn't know how to bring it up. Then you started walking away, and I thought I could catch up with you, but I didn't want to interrupt your conversation, so I tried to follow you until I could find a good moment, and..."
Her explanation gradually lost momentum. She lowered her head again, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"...I know. It's embarrassing."
Ryota scratched his cheek, apparently searching for something comforting to say. "Honestly, I've seen worse."
Rio glanced at him. "Have you?"
"Yes."
"When?"
Ryota paused. "I'd rather not say."
"That's what I thought."
Sayanaki laughed again, while Suo looked as though she wanted the forest floor to open beneath her and swallow her whole.
Recognizing how uncomfortable the girl had become, Rio softened her expression. "It's alright, Suo. You don't need to apologize for wanting to talk to us. Come over here."
Suo hesitated before taking a few small steps toward them. Even after she stopped in front of Rio, she kept her eyes fixed on the ground, nervously twisting her fingers together.
Rio waited patiently. She already had a fairly good idea why Suo had followed them.
During the confrontation with Necroshama, Suo had watched Crowned Era's members with an intensity that went beyond ordinary admiration. She had listened carefully whenever Rio explained something, and when Rio offered the dungeon rewards to Rabbit and the other members of Rabbit Hole, Suo's expression had changed in a way that was difficult to overlook.
She wasn't simply impressed by their strength. She was searching for something she had begun to believe she could never find.
A place where she could be useful without having to apologize for who she was.
Suo was an Explorer Scout, a class designed around exploration, route planning, environmental observation, and mapmaking rather than direct combat. Her abilities could reveal dangerous terrain, identify monster patrols, and help players navigate unfamiliar areas, but those contributions were easy to overlook in a game where strength was often measured by damage numbers, victories, and impressive combat skills.
For someone who had already been made to feel powerless by Necroshama, it was especially easy to believe that her class was a disadvantage.
Rio understood that feeling better than Suo could possibly imagine.
She had seen it before, in another life.
Suo finally lifted her head enough to meet Rio's eyes. Her fingers tightened together, and she drew a careful breath.
"I'm sorry for following you," she said again. "But there's something I want to ask."
Rio nodded. "Go ahead."
For a moment, Suo struggled to find the words. She glanced at Ryota, then at Sayanaki, before forcing herself to look directly at Rio. Her expression remained nervous, but beneath that uncertainty was a determination that had carried her all the way through the forest.
"...Is it possible for someone like me to join your guild?"
The question was quiet, almost hesitant, yet it immediately stopped Rio in her tracks.
For a brief moment, Rio couldn't speak. Ryota stopped fidgeting, and even Sayanaki's playful expression softened as she watched the girl standing before them.
Suo mistook their silence for hesitation. Panic immediately flickered across her face, and she hurried to continue before Rio could answer.
"I know I'm asking for a lot. You barely know me, and there's no reason for you to recruit someone like me, especially when I can't contribute much in combat." She clasped her hands tightly together. "I'm only an Explorer Scout. I don't have powerful attacks, and I'm not good at fighting other players. If a monster gets close enough, I usually have to rely on someone else to protect me."
Her gaze dropped toward the forest floor.
"Compared to the people in Crowned Era, I'm probably not very useful."
Ryota's expression changed, but he remained quiet, allowing her to finish.
Suo took another breath, apparently determined to say everything she had been holding back.
"But even if there's only a little I can do, I'll work hard. If joining your guild means I can contribute something, then I'll do whatever you need me to do. If it's cleaning, I'll clean. If you need someone to run errands, I'll do that, too. If your headquarters needs a personal cleaner, I can be the guild's personal cleaner!"
Sayanaki blinked.
Ryota's mouth twitched as he fought back a smile.
Rio, however, continued watching Suo with a serious expression. The girl wasn't making a joke. She genuinely seemed prepared to accept any role, no matter how insignificant, as long as it gave her a reason to stand beside them.
Suo hurried to add one final qualification.
"But I can make maps. That's what I'm good at."
This time, she raised her head.
Her eyes were still nervous, but her voice carried a little more conviction.
"I can explore areas other players haven't mapped yet. I can mark dangerous terrain, identify safe routes, and record places where monsters are likely to appear. I can help your guild prepare for dungeons before anyone else knows what's inside them. If we discover a new area, I can make sure we don't lose our way or walk into something dangerous without knowing what we're dealing with."
She swallowed, then looked directly at Rio.
"The least I can do is work harder to make the safest map possible."
The words hung in the quiet forest.
Suo waited anxiously for an answer, her hands still clasped in front of her. She had already prepared herself for rejection. Crowned Era was an Apex guild, and its members were far beyond her in combat ability. She had watched Ryota defeat the Drillmole with a single attack, seen Rio face Necroshama without flinching, and witnessed Sayanaki treat an entire group of armed players as though they were little more than an inconvenience.
What could someone like her possibly offer people like that?
Yet she had asked anyway.
After what Necroshama had done, Suo had come to understand how quickly a group could decide that someone was expendable. She had experienced what it meant to be judged by her inability to fight, and she had seen how little protection her careful planning offered when stronger players decided that her life wasn't worth respecting.
She didn't want to spend the rest of her time in Evermount waiting for someone else to save her. Nor did she want to hide behind stronger players and hope that her contributions might somehow justify her presence.
She wanted to explore.
She wanted to discover places that no one else had seen, chart routes that would keep other players safe, and create maps that could help people survive encounters they might otherwise never escape.
More than anything, she wanted to stand beside people who understood that protecting others could take many forms.
Rio continued looking at her. Slowly, a faint smile appeared on her face, and the sight of it stirred a memory she had spent years carrying alone.
A memory from another life.
A life that had ended long before this moment should have existed.
The Royal Knights Headquarters — Another Life
Late at night, the enormous Royal Knights headquarters had settled into an uneasy quiet. Most of the guild members had already logged out after another exhausting day of preparation for an upcoming dungeon raid, leaving only a handful of officers in the strategy room to finalize their plans.
Maps covered the central table. Some displayed the dungeon's known corridors, while others contained notes about monster locations, estimated respawn times, potential ambush points, and the safest routes through unexplored sections. The upcoming raid would be dangerous, and the difference between a successful expedition and a disastrous one might come down to a detail that someone had overlooked.
Rio sat at the head of the table, studying the documents displayed across her interface. Her silver hair was tied back, and the faint blue glow of the system reflected in her eyes.
Across from her sat Suoka.
Not Suo, the player she had just met in this new life, but Suoka—the real name of the Explorer Scout who had once become one of Rio's most dependable assistants in Royal Knights.
Suoka had never been the strongest player in the guild. She wasn't a famous duelist, didn't wield a legendary weapon, and possessed no devastating combat skill that could turn the tide of a battle by itself. Nevertheless, she had earned Rio's trust through a quality that was sometimes more valuable than raw power.
Reliability.
Suoka could spend hours exploring a dungeon, recording every corridor, checking suspicious passages, and documenting every monster she encountered. She remembered details other players overlooked and noticed inconsistencies that could prevent an entire raid party from walking straight into a trap. Her maps were meticulously organized, and her reports were dependable enough that Rio often consulted them before making important decisions.
She was patient, observant, and stubborn to a fault. Above all, she took her responsibilities seriously, sometimes far more seriously than was good for her.
Rio glanced at the clock displayed in the corner of her interface. It was well past midnight, and their raid was scheduled for the following day.
She closed the final document and leaned back in her chair.
"Alright. That's enough for tonight."
Suoka didn't look up from the map she was examining. "Just a little longer."
Rio raised an eyebrow. "You said that an hour ago."
"I know."
"And you said it the hour before that."
"I know."
"You also promised you'd finish after the previous map."
Suoka's pencil stopped moving. After a moment, she glanced up with an expression that suggested she had already prepared her defense.
"...I said I'd try."
Rio stared at her.
"Suoka."
The scout immediately returned her attention to the map, as though pretending not to hear her name might somehow resolve the situation.
Rio slowly covered her face with one hand. "You're impossible."
Suoka smiled faintly. "I learned from the best."
"Don't use my own words against me."
"Then stop saying them."
Rio stared at her for another moment before finally laughing. It was difficult to remain angry with Suoka for long. The girl was stubborn, but her dedication came from a good place. She genuinely wanted to make things easier for everyone else, and she seemed to believe that the best way to accomplish that was to work until there was nothing left to improve.
That was why Rio had entrusted her with such an important role. Not because Suoka could defeat every monster or overpower enemy players, but because she helped the people who could fight do so without walking blindly into danger.
Eventually, Rio stood and walked around the table. She stopped beside Suoka's chair and looked down at the map.
The layout was remarkably detailed. Suoka had marked every monster the scouting party had encountered, including several patrol routes that hadn't appeared in previous reports. She had also identified a narrow passage that would allow the raid party to bypass a particularly dangerous chamber.
Rio studied the map for several seconds before smiling.
"This is good work."
Suoka's expression brightened. "Really?"
"Really." Rio tapped the map near the narrow passage. "This route could save us a lot of trouble tomorrow. We won't have to fight our way through that chamber unless something forces us to change course."
For a moment, Suoka looked relieved. Then her expression grew serious again.
"But I still need to check the western corridor. We don't have enough information about the monsters there, and if the map is incomplete, someone could get hurt."
Rio's smile softened.
"Suoka."
The scout looked up.
"You've already done enough for tonight."
"But—"
"You don't have to be the strongest person in the raid to be important to it."
Suoka fell silent. Her eyes returned to the map, and her fingers tightened around the pencil.
"I know," she murmured.
Rio studied her face. "Then why are you acting as though you have to make up for something?"
The question caught Suoka off guard. She stared at the map for a long moment before answering, her voice quieter than before.
"Because I can't fight like the rest of you."
Rio didn't interrupt.
"When the raid starts, you and the others are the ones who have to fight the boss. You're the ones who protect everyone when something goes wrong." Suoka swallowed, visibly struggling to put her thoughts into words. "I can't do that. If the frontline collapses, I won't be able to stop the monsters. If someone gets surrounded, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to save them."
Her grip on the pencil tightened.
"The least I can do is work harder to make the safest map possible."
Rio remembered that sentence with perfect clarity. She remembered the quiet determination in Suoka's voice and the way she had refused to look up, as though she were afraid Rio might see the insecurity she had tried so hard to hide.
Rio pulled out a chair and sat beside her.
"Then make the safest map you can."
Suoka finally raised her eyes.
Rio smiled. "But don't forget that you're part of the team, too. Your maps help us prepare. They help us avoid unnecessary fights, find safer routes, and make better decisions. You give us information we wouldn't have without you, and that information helps keep everyone alive."
She rested a hand on the edge of the table.
"You don't have to prove your worth by exhausting yourself. Your contribution matters even when you're not the one standing in front of the monster."
Suoka stared at her for a long moment. Gradually, the tension in her expression began to ease.
"...Alright."
Rio nodded approvingly, then pointed toward the exit.
"Good. Now go to sleep."
Suoka immediately began gathering her maps. "Can I finish one more section first?"
"Suoka."
"...Right. I'm going."
Rio watched her leave the strategy room with her carefully organized documents tucked beneath one arm. Once the door closed, Rio smiled to herself, shaking her head at the scout's familiar stubbornness.
Back then, she had believed there would always be another raid, another dungeon, and another night when they would sit together preparing for the next challenge. There would always be another opportunity to tell Suoka that she had done well, another chance to remind her that she didn't need to carry every responsibility alone.
Rio had never imagined that she would one day return to the beginning and meet Suoka again as a stranger.
Nor had she imagined that the girl would have to struggle with the same doubts all over again.
The memory gradually faded, and the forest returned around Rio.
Suo was still standing in front of her, waiting anxiously for an answer. Her equipment was weaker, her level was lower, and she had not yet become the dependable assistant who once helped Rio prepare for some of the most difficult raids in Royal Knights.
But the determination in her eyes was familiar.
So was the stubborn insistence that she needed to work harder if she wanted to protect others.
Even in a different timeline, Suo was still Suoka.
Rio's smile grew warmer.
Sayanaki noticed the change in her expression and glanced toward Ryota. Neither of them interrupted. During an earlier conversation at the gymnasium, Rio had told them about Suoka and the role she had played in her previous life. They understood why meeting the Explorer Scout again had affected Rio so deeply, and they knew that Suo represented far more than a potential new recruit.
They also understood why Rio had not simply offered her a place in Crowned Era without being asked.
Rio wanted Suo to choose it herself.
She didn't want the girl to join out of gratitude for being rescued from Necroshama, nor did she want her to accept merely because Crowned Era was an Apex guild. The memories Rio carried belonged to another life, and they could not determine the decisions Suo made in this one.
If Suo joined them, it needed to be because she believed in the guild, wanted to explore Evermount alongside its members, and had chosen that path for herself.
Suo shifted nervously under Rio's gaze.
"...Um."
Rio blinked, returning fully to the present.
"I'm sorry," Suo said quickly. "I probably shouldn't have asked. I know you have more important things to do, and I don't want to make you feel obligated to accept me just because you helped me today."
She bowed deeply.
"Please forget I said anything."
Before she could straighten up, Rio answered.
"After all that, how could I possibly refuse?"
Suo froze.
Slowly, she raised her head. "...Huh?"
Rio smiled at her. "If you really want to join Crowned Era, Suo, then I'm happy to have you."
For several seconds, Suo simply stared at her, seemingly unable to understand what she had heard.
"...You mean..."
"Yes. I'm inviting you to join our guild."
"R-Really?"
"Really."
"But I told you I can't fight very well!"
"I heard you."
"And I'm only an Explorer Scout!"
"I heard that, too."
"I mostly make maps!"
Rio's smile widened. "Then we'll have someone who knows how to make maps."
Suo stared at her in disbelief. "...That's it?"
"That's it."
"But..."
She looked between Rio and Ryota, still struggling to believe what was happening. "You don't think I'm useless?"
Ryota answered immediately.
"Of course not."
Suo turned toward him.
Ryota shrugged as though the answer were obvious. "Do you know how annoying it is to explore somewhere without a proper map? I'd much rather have someone who knows where we're going than spend three hours wandering around until we accidentally fall into a hole."
Rio nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds like something you'd do."
"Hey."
"You once walked into a wall because you were reading your inventory."
"It was a very interesting inventory."
"You were standing in front of a wall."
"I know that now."
Sayanaki chuckled. "Honestly, I'd prefer having a mapmaker around, too. It would save me the trouble of figuring out which direction to go after a job."
She tilted her head, considering the matter.
"Although I usually just follow the screams."
Suo stared at her. "...That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
Rio laughed softly before returning her attention to Suo. When she spoke again, her tone was more serious.
"Listen. Crowned Era isn't going to judge you by how much damage you can deal. Everyone has something they can contribute, and not everyone needs to stand on the front line."
She gestured toward the surrounding forest.
"Exploration is important. Information is important. A safe route can be just as valuable as a powerful attack, especially when we're dealing with dungeons or areas nobody has properly explored. Sometimes, knowing where not to go is what keeps everyone alive."
Rio thought briefly of the dangerous creatures and unexplored regions scattered throughout Evermount. A single mistake could leave a player injured, trapped, or forced to sacrifice most of their equipment after a fatal encounter. Even the strongest fighters could be caught off guard if they entered unfamiliar territory without adequate information.
A good map wouldn't guarantee victory, but it could give them the opportunity to make better decisions before danger reached them.
"And if you want to improve your combat abilities someday, we'll help you with that, too," Rio continued. "But you don't need to become a frontline fighter to earn a place here. We need people who can gather information, identify risks, and help us prepare for what lies ahead. Your class is suited to that work, and you're already willing to put in the effort."
Suo listened quietly, her expression gradually changing.
For a long time, she had treated her class as a weakness she needed to compensate for. She watched stronger players take the lead while she stayed behind, gathering information and preparing routes. Because her contributions didn't appear as impressive damage numbers or spectacular victories, she had convinced herself that they could never be enough.
Necroshama had only made those doubts worse. Its members had treated her as though her inability to fight made her expendable, leaving her to question whether her work had any value at all.
But Rio wasn't looking at her that way.
Neither were Ryota or Sayanaki.
They weren't offering her pity, and they weren't pretending that exploration could replace every combat skill. They were acknowledging that her abilities served a purpose—and that a guild needed more than people who could win fights.
For the first time since the confrontation with Necroshama, Suo could imagine a future in which she wouldn't have to apologize for the role she played.
She slowly straightened her back.
Then she bowed again, this time out of gratitude rather than embarrassment.
"Please let me join."
Her voice trembled, but she no longer tried to hide behind a list of excuses.
"I want to explore this game with all of you. I want to see places I haven't seen yet, discover things nobody else has found, and make maps that can help people travel safely. I know I still have a lot to learn, and I know I'm not strong enough to fight beside you yet, but I'll work hard. I'll do everything I can to help Crowned Era."
She took a deep breath and raised her head.
"I believe I'm meant to travel and explore this game with all of you."
For a moment, Rio could only look at her. Then she laughed—not mockingly, but with a warmth that carried more happiness than she could easily explain.
Suo blinked in confusion. "...Did I say something strange?"
"No," Rio replied, still smiling. "Not at all."
She opened her guild interface, and a translucent window appeared between them, its pale glow reflecting in the afternoon light.
[Guild Invitation]
Guild: Crowned Era
Guild Leader: Rio
Would you like to join Crowned Era?
[ACCEPT]
[DECLINE]
Suo stared at the invitation.
For a moment, she hesitated, not because she was uncertain about her decision, but because she could hardly believe that the opportunity she had just asked for was actually being offered to her.
Then she raised her hand and carefully pressed [ACCEPT].
The window flashed.
[Congratulations!]
[Suo has joined Crowned Era.]
[Crowned Era's member count has increased.]
The notification disappeared, leaving a small guild emblem beside her name.
Suo stared at it, then looked at Rio before returning her attention to the emblem as though she expected it to vanish if she looked away for too long.
"...I'm really in."
Rio nodded. "You're really in."
Ryota raised a hand in greeting. "Welcome to Crowned Era."
Sayanaki gave Suo a small nod. "Welcome aboard. Try not to get yourself killed. Rio gets very annoying when she's worried about people."
Rio turned toward her. "Sayanaki."
"What?"
"You're not helping."
"I'm welcoming the new member."
"That wasn't a welcome. That was a threat."
Sayanaki shrugged. "Same thing, depending on the guild."
Suo laughed. It was a small, slightly shaky sound, but it was genuine. The tension that had weighed on her shoulders began to fade, replaced by a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Excitement.
She had a guild now—not a group that merely tolerated her because she was useful enough to keep around, and not an organization that measured her worth by the damage she could deal. Crowned Era had welcomed her because she wanted to be there and because its members believed she had something meaningful to contribute.
Yet just as Rio was about to close the interface, Suo suddenly lifted her head.
"Wait!"
Rio paused. "Hm?"
Suo pointed at herself, her cheeks turning pink again.
"...It's Suoka."
Rio blinked. Ryota looked confused, while Sayanaki raised an eyebrow.
Suo rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed by the admission but smiling all the same.
"My real name is Suoka. Suo is just the name I use when I don't know someone very well." She glanced briefly at Rio before continuing. "I guess... since I'm joining your guild, I don't really need to hide it from you anymore."
For a moment, Rio didn't respond.
The name was one she had not expected to hear spoken so casually in this life. In her memories, Suoka had been a trusted companion who had shared countless late nights with her, preparing for raids and worrying over the safety of people who might never know how much effort had gone into protecting them.
Now, Suoka was standing in front of her again, offering her real name without knowing that Rio had carried the memory of their friendship for years.
Rio's expression softened.
"Alright, Suoka."
She spoke the name gently.
"Welcome to Crowned Era."
Suoka's eyes widened slightly at the sound of her real name. Then she smiled, bright and unguarded.
"Thank you, Rio."
For the first time since their paths had crossed again, Rio no longer had to wonder whether Suoka would choose to walk beside her in this new life.
The choice had been made—not by fate, not by Rio's memories, and not by a future that had yet to happen, but by Suoka herself.
Rio glanced at the newly updated guild roster.
Suoka — Explorer Scout
A quiet warmth settled in her chest. In her previous life, Suoka had helped her plan raids, map dangerous dungeons, and protect countless guild members who might otherwise have walked straight into disaster. Losing that life had meant losing the people who shared those memories, even if Rio alone still remembered what they had meant to her.
But she hadn't brought the past back. She had been given another chance to build something new with the people who chose to remain beside her.
This time, she intended to make sure that everyone who joined Crowned Era had a place in the future they created together.
Ryota stretched his arms overhead, apparently satisfied with the afternoon's developments.
"Well, that's one more member."
Sayanaki smirked. "At this rate, Rio might actually have to start doing guild paperwork."
Rio's smile vanished.
"...Don't ruin the moment."
Ryota immediately grinned. "Oh, she's right. We should probably make Suoka responsible for maps, Sayanaki responsible for assassinations, and Rio responsible for all the boring administrative stuff."
Rio slowly turned toward him.
"Ryota."
He took a cautious step backward. "Yes?"
"Run."
Ryota immediately sprinted down the path.
"WHY IS THAT ALWAYS THE FIRST SOLUTION?!"
"BECAUSE YOU NEVER LEARN!"
Rio chased after him, her voice echoing through the trees. Sayanaki followed at a leisurely pace, laughing at the spectacle, while Suoka stood frozen for a second before hurrying after them.
"Wait! You can't just leave the newest member behind!"
The forest filled with laughter and distant shouting as the four of them continued toward Crowned Era's headquarters. For Suoka, the journey had only just begun. She still had maps to make, places to explore, and countless things to learn before she could become the scout she wanted to be.
But she no longer had to prove that she deserved to stand beside them by exhausting herself or pretending she could fight like someone else. She had chosen her path, and Crowned Era had given her the opportunity to walk it.
For Rio, it was another precious piece of her old life finding its way into the new one—not as a memory she had to protect alone, but as a person who had chosen to stand beside her once again.
And this time, Rio intended to make sure that the road ahead was one they could explore together.