Chapter 14

Selma called out to the new members, and the second day of the guidance exploration began.

"Oren, I heard you were kicked out of the hero party due to lack of strength. Didn't you say yesterday that it was because of a difference in direction?"

As soon as he entered the dungeon, Logan spoke to him in a mocking tone.

Ah, I just gave a convenient reason yesterday because I was too lazy to explain properly... I wish I hadn't put on such a show...

But it's too late now.

"Stop talking nonsense and focus. The monsters here are more troublesome than yesterday."

"There's no way I would fall behind to the monsters in the upper layers. Ah, you, who lack strength, must struggle even in the upper layers, right?"

Ha... They say a weak dog barks the most, but I didn't expect such an annoying bark. I don't want anyone to think Logan is stronger than me just because of that article.

"Did you not hear me when I told you to focus?"

"―!?! Ch, I got it!"

I lightly infused my words with a killing intent and warned him again, and he finally shut up. Was I being childish?

Not only Logan, but Caroline's attitude towards me had also changed, as if she was looking down on me. These kids are really...

Despite their attitudes, the exploration went smoothly, and we reached the 31st floor. From here on, I would be giving the combat instructions. I doubt they will follow them properly...

My concerns were justified. The first battle in the middle layers for the 10th team.

The enemies were five goblins in front and one orc a bit further back.

"Caroline, draw the goblins! Logan, support Caroline with magic, and Sophia, take out the orc in the back!"

"Huh! What a passive order! Caroline, take out the orc! I'll handle the goblins. Sophia, take out one of the goblins too."

Logan ignored my instructions and gave his own orders to the party. What's with these orders that ignore the roles...

I don't know if Caroline followed Logan's orders or just wanted to fight the stronger monster, but she bypassed the goblins and charged at the orc.

Logan, as he declared, took out four of the goblins.

Sophia, confused by the two sets of orders, did nothing.

"Ch! Useless!"

Logan cursed at Sophia and took out the last goblin. Caroline, after some time, also defeated the orc, and the battle ended without any injuries.

"... What was that battle just now?"

As Caroline returned, I addressed the 10th team members. Selma, who was nearby, didn't try to stop me, so I continued.

"What do you mean? It was our way of fighting. No one got hurt."

"Was that the best way to fight?"

I suppressed the urge to yell and tried to remain calm.

"Yes. I can handle goblins. Therefore, it's not a bad judgment to have Caroline fight the orc. Oren, you're too attached to the theory. You can't explore the dungeon with such a rigid mind. That's why you were kicked out of the party, right?"

"... Let's assume your way of fighting was correct. In fact, no one was injured, as you said."

"You understand my reasoning, and I appreciate your honesty."

What does he think he is?

"But your instructions were wrong."

"Huh? What was wrong with them? Stop making baseless accusations."

"You were mocking Sophia just now, weren't you?"

"Yes, but it was Sophia's fault for not following my instructions."

"Can you really say that, ignoring your own mistakes?"

"There was nothing wrong with my instructions. I clearly told Sophia to take out one of the goblins!"

"Only you, who can visualize the story, could understand such instructions. Out of the five goblins, which four did you take out, and which one did Sophia take out? Without prior discussion on who would take out which goblin, it's impossible to attack. If you had discussed it beforehand, it would be different, but since you didn't, your instructions were poor."

"..."

He glared at me in frustration but didn't respond.

"Logan is being scolded~. Haha!"

Caroline laughed at Logan, who was being reprimanded by me.

"You too, Caroline. Why did you charge at the orc?"

"Well, Logan said he could handle the goblins, and I wanted to kill a stronger monster!"

"You are a defender. If you're in the party, you should fulfill your role. If you have spare capacity, you can act freely as long as it doesn't inconvenience the party."

"... Yes."

Both of them looked unconvinced.

I hope my words resonate with them.

"Selma, I'm sorry for taking up your time. Let's resume the exploration."

"Alright. Let's get back to it!"

◇

We reached the 36th floor, our final destination for today. Overall, the day went smoothly without any major issues.

However, the two members of the 10th team did not follow my instructions throughout.

If they had struggled a bit, they might have listened to me. But because of their high individual abilities, they didn't face any significant challenges even in the middle layers.

When we returned from the dungeon, Selma announced the end of the day.

I stopped the 10th team members as they were about to leave.

"I understand that you don't want to follow my instructions. But this is the clan's strategy. You are clan members, and I am an explorer hired by the clan. Since it's only one more day, can you follow my instructions tomorrow?"

Honestly, I want to leave these kids alone, but since I received a formal request from the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky*, I have to do my job.

"Huh... I don't need to learn anything from someone who was kicked out of the party for lack of strength. Your instructions just waste time."

Logan spoke with a tone of deep disappointment.

"Then, why don't you follow my instructions once and judge for yourself if they are useless?"

"I already know it's useless. There's no need to waste time."

Why is he so rebellious? Does he really think he's stronger than me? If so, his arrogant attitude makes sense, but what kind of thought process leads him to conclude he's stronger than me...

"Well, I think it's better to follow Oren's instructions..."

"Silence, Sophia. You were the only one who didn't lose in the new party today. Results are everything in exploration! So my instructions were not wrong."

"Results are everything, and I agree with that. But you still have room to improve. If you have the capacity, shouldn't we also focus on the content? Try different things. There's more than one answer."

"...! Shut up! I don't want to be told what to do by someone who was kicked out of the party!"

Logan finally exploded. It seems no matter what I say, he won't listen to me. I've done enough, haven't I?

"Logan, that's enough."

Selma, who couldn't ignore it anymore, intervened. Logan, who didn't expect her to intervene, was quite intimidated.

"... I'm sorry."

Logan left without saying another word. Caroline followed him. Sophia, who was flustered, also followed them after Selma told her to chase after Logan.

"I'm sorry, Oren. I didn't expect Logan to be that stubborn..."

Selma apologized, and I reassured her that it was fine.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to tell them to follow your instructions tomorrow."

"There's no need for that."

"... Why not?"

"If you lecture them, it might affect tomorrow's exploration. If you do it, do it after the guidance exploration. For now, I'll make sure they don't die."

"... Oren, Logan is an important member of our team. I know it's a bold request, but I want you to help him before he gets hurt. I'll take care of the mental support. Please."

Honestly, I don't care if Logan dies, but I can't refuse Selma's request.

"... Alright. But they seem to want to fight freely, so I'll let them do as they please."

"... Ah. That's fine."

With that, our conversation ended. As I was about to leave,

"Hey, Oren, can I talk to you for a moment?"

I turned to the voice and saw the two defenders who were leading the group.

I thought they would complain, but I was tired of it.

"... What is it?"

"... You look tired. How about having dinner together? Want to go for a drink?"

It was an invitation to dinner, not a complaint.

I wasn't in a good state, so I decided to go for a meal.

We ended up having dinner together.

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