Chapter 2

I was forced out of the castle and was walking leisurely through the town.

"Well... what should I do?"

I had my explorer's license revoked so easily, but I wasn't as shaken as I thought I would be. Perhaps I wasn't that interested in being an explorer in the first place.

"To be honest, I had been doing it out of inertia lately... maybe this is a good opportunity."

I had often thought that I wanted to take a long break and relax. When I thought about it this way, my current situation didn't seem so bad.

"Rector!"

Suddenly, someone called out to me. I turned around to see a familiar girl.

"Misha, it's been a while."

"Yes. Since you went on your last exploration... it's been a month."

Misha MacLain was a girl with distinctive red hair. She was only twelve, but due to her special circumstances, she possessed an unusual intelligence for her age.

Her well-defined features promised that she would grow up to be a beautiful woman, and her eyes conveyed a strong will. Though her status was technically the same as mine—a commoner—her appearance was as clean and tidy as a noble's.

She was one of the few people who knew my true identity, and thus, she was aware of my activities as a Labyrinth Slayer.

"More importantly! Come over here for a moment!"

Without caring for formalities, Misha grabbed my hand and led me to a deserted alley.

"What's going on?! I just heard from the guild that they were instructed to remove your name from the registry!"

Misha shouted, clearly furious.

"I heard about it a little while ago. Apparently, explorers like me are no longer needed in this new era."

"Wh-What!? Don't joke around! The president... without even talking to the president, they decided to do this!?"

Her face, flushed with anger, shouted back at me.

Misha is the granddaughter of the president of the Explorer's Guild. Because of her position, she is more knowledgeable about the guild's operations and the status of explorers. Although my expulsion from the guild hasn't been made public yet, as the president's granddaughter, Misha must have learned about it early.

"Well, there's nothing we can do. The guild is, after all, an organization of this country."

"But that doesn't mean they can ignore the field's opinion! That idiot director...! To make such a decision without telling us...!"

The Explorer's Guild is a government agency, but not all of its staff are nobles. Only the director, who sets the policies, is a noble of this country, while the rest of the staff are civilians. The president, the highest-ranking civilian, has significant authority but still can't match the director's power. It seems that this time, the director approved my expulsion without informing the president or Misha.

"Rector! Is this okay with you!?"

Misha asked, her eyes burning with determination.

"Rector has been used by the nobles so many times! And you had to wear a mask to hide your identity, all because of the nobles' orders, right!?"

"Well, that's true..."

"That mask was given to you so that you could be discarded when necessary. The Labyrinth Slayer's trademark is the mask that covers the face and the pitch-black greatsword. In other words, anyone with these two items could impersonate you. If you ever rebel against the country as the Labyrinth Slayer, the nobles will treat you as an imposter and dispose of you, even if they know you're the real one."

"...I see."

I had a vague sense of the mask's purpose. When I was still unknown, the guild's director gave me the mask and instructed me to wear it whenever I acted as an explorer. Misha's explanation seems to be correct.

"Originally, there weren't many nobles who supported me. I had a feeling this would happen someday. ...The only exception is the princess."

"...That woman is still on Rector's side, isn't she?"

"Yes. Although for some reason, she and Misha didn't get along."

"Because she's... manipulative."

I don't think that's true... but as I worked as a Labyrinth Slayer, I developed a certain relationship with the nobles of this country. To them, explorers were like handyman services for hunting monsters, but the princess genuinely admired our activities. As a result, she is the only noble I can rely on.

Perhaps because I was thinking about this, Misha, standing in front of me, spoke with a slightly puffed-up expression.

"Rector, just so you know, if you ever have trouble in the future, rely on me, not the princess. ...If you show any weakness to her, you'll end up being locked up."

"Locked up? That's a bit exaggerated."

"It's not exaggerated at all..."

Misha put her hand to her forehead and muttered. I've been with the guild as an explorer for over five years, and I've known Misha for just as long. She must be worried about me.

Five years ago, when Misha was seven, she was much more ladylike. I wonder when she started calling the princess "that woman." Should I be happy or sad about this? Such trivial thoughts crossed my mind.

"I appreciate your concern, but to be honest, I'm not that troubled. Even if I'm expelled from the guild, it's only in this country... I could still work as an explorer in another country."

I tried to explain to avoid worrying her further, but...

"Eh... you're going to... go to another country...?"

Suddenly, Misha's eyes, which looked her age, welled up with tears.

"...No, that was just an example."

"S-Sure! I'm glad... um, I think it's more practical to stay here for now!"

Misha, looking relieved, blushed as she spoke.

"To be precise, I did consider going to another country... but I've grown up in this country. Although I've been angry with the nobles, there are also people who have helped me. I want to do something to repay them, if possible."

"Repay them... If I were you, I'd be angry at the stupid nobles and do whatever I want. ...Do you not want to explore dungeons anymore, Rector?"

"Recently, every time I went on an expedition, I felt suffocated. I don't have that much attachment to it anymore."

My statement seemed to surprise Misha, who widened her eyes. I continued, speaking from the heart.

"Besides, I've always thought that destroying dungeons one by one would never end. Whether coexistence with dungeons can succeed or not, I agree that the current situation is unsustainable. The nobles might have some ideas... in any case, a new era is dawning."

Times change.

I don't want to cling to past glories and refuse to accept it.

"The time has come for me to step down as a Labyrinth Slayer. I want to step back and watch the younger generation from now on."

When I said this, Misha let out a small sigh.

"Younger generation... Rector, you're young enough. You're only twenty, right?"

"True."

Even so, I've been in the field since I was young. But if that's the case, the girl in front of me is the same. Misha, at just twelve, is already responsible for part of the guild's operations.

"Alright, fine. If you're willing to retire, I won't stop you..."

Misha, sighing, seemed to recall something and fell into thought.

"...Hey, Rector. I have a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"There's a Dungeon Training School, right?"

"Yes. I also benefited from it at first."

It's a training institution that teaches how to explore dungeons. In principle, you can't become an explorer without graduating from this school.

"Actually, the number of students at the school has been increasing recently. The school is currently recruiting new instructors. If you're interested, Rector—"

"Rector-sama!"

A loud voice called out from a distance, and Misha stopped talking. A woman in her twenties, dressed in the uniform of a guild receptionist, approached.

"What is it, Emma?"

"It's an emergency! A student from the training school has sent a distress signal from the dungeon!!"