Chapter 50

The next morning, I headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

I only have portable meals on the days I go to explore the labyrinth. On days I don’t go to the labyrinth, I have a regular meal.

Portable meals aren’t bad, but regular meals are definitely much tastier.

When I arrived at the cafeteria, I attracted the same amount of attention as the day before yesterday. No one seemed to want to approach me, just looking from a distance.

Well, that’s to be expected.

I suddenly joined a clan and became an officer the very next day. It’s understandable that people wouldn’t know how to approach me...

I hope I can fit in soon...

"Hey, Orun~!"

Just as I started eating after receiving my meal, someone called my name.

I turned to the direction of the voice and saw Lecre and a girl with glasses approaching me.

"Good morning! Can I join you?"

"Good morning, Lecre. Sure, go ahead."

Lecre sat across from me, and the girl with glasses sat diagonally opposite.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Nina. I belong to the Magic Development Department of 'Silver Hare of the Night.'"

The girl with glasses introduced herself. She had sky-blue short hair and indigo eyes.

"Nice to meet you too. I’m Orun. I’ve been in the Exploration Department’s First Team since the other day."

"You two are so formal~. We’re all the same age, so let’s get along, okay~?"

It seems this girl is also eighteen.

"You’re too relaxed..."

"Hehe... Can I call you Nina, then?"

"Y-Yes, that’s fine. Then, I’ll call you O-Orun too."

"Great, I’m glad we’re getting along! Ah! By the way! Nina, look, look~"

Lecre used the light levitation magic I taught her yesterday to make a spoon and fork float.

"......Huh? Huh!? What’s that!?"

"Hehe~. Isn’t it cool? Orun-kun taught me this yesterday!"

"Is this... Orun’s original magic?"

Nina asked hesitantly. Since she’s in the Magic Development Department, she must be interested in magic and magical devices.

"Yup, if you want, I can teach you."

"R-Really!?"

Nina leaned in to ask, her face close to mine.

This magic was originally meant to be made public. I think it’s more useful in everyday life than in labyrinth exploration.

"Sure, I can teach you. But, I have one request."

"W-What kind of request?"

By setting a condition, Nina became more cautious.

"I want you to release this magic to the public under the name of 'Silver Hare of the Night.' The method doesn’t matter. If it eventually spreads to the public, it’s fine even if the clan makes money from it. For example, you could sell it as a magical device first and then release the spell formula after a while."

"......It’s your original magic, right? Is it okay to release it so easily?"

Nina’s concern is understandable. Developing magic isn’t an easy task. With so many existing spells, creating something both unique and useful is extremely difficult.

"This magic was a byproduct of developing another spell, so it didn’t take much effort. Plus, it seems like a spell that might be in demand, so others might be developing it too. It’s better to release it sooner rather than later."

Also, if this magic brings in a decent profit, my standing within the clan will improve. I’ve been promoted to officer without any significant achievements since joining the clan. I want to create visible results as soon as possible, for strategic reasons. I won’t say that out loud, though.

"Alright, I promise. ...Hey, the First Team usually goes to the Great Labyrinth every other day, right? On the days you’re not going to the Great Labyrinth, can you come to the Magic Development Department?"

"That’s a kind offer, but I already have plans for the days I’m not going to the Great Labyrinth. I also have officer duties. Sorry. But, I’ll try to drop by when I have time."

"That’s a shame. You already have plans. By the way, can I ask what those plans are?"

"Yeah. I’m in charge of training new parties."

"Training new parties? Isn’t that under the Exploration Management Department?"

"Apparently, there are some talented kids, and the Exploration Management Department wants to promote them to the Exploration Department as soon as possible. So, they chose me, who has some free time, for the job."

"Talented kids? Oh, you mean that bratty kid."

...So, he’s known that way within the clan too.

"In that case, I’ll have Lecre do the training, and you can come to the Magic Development Department, okay?"

"Huh? ...Me, what for?"

Lecre, who had been happily eating, was surprised to be called out suddenly.

"Lecre, as much as she looks it, is good at teaching people. Let’s make a trade, okay!"

"That’s mean! We’ve been working together all this time! You’re switching to someone else as soon as you find someone better! To you, I’m just a convenient woman!"

"Hey, don’t say such weird things!?"

The two of them started a comedic exchange.

They’re such good friends...

◇

After finishing breakfast and parting ways with them, I went outside to buy a newspaper and then returned to my room.

Two out of the three major newspapers were prominently reporting on the recent failure of the Hero Party.

There are three major newspaper publishers. One of them has a virtual monopoly on information about the Hero Party. As a result, the other two publishers, despite reporting on the Hero Party’s activities and achievements, were only second-rate versions of the first publisher’s reports, leading to a decline in readership.

Perhaps out of resentment, both publishers featured the recent failure of the Hero Party on their front pages.

From my perspective, knowing the truth of the recent incident, the reports weren’t false. However, they were quite exaggerated.

(This is going to cause a stir.)

Magical devices, which provide light at night or water, are indispensable in daily life.

These devices require magic stones to function.

To obtain magic stones, one must defeat monsters.

While monsters occasionally appear on the surface, they primarily exist in labyrinths.

Thus, explorers who venture into labyrinths to retrieve magic stones are, in a sense, supporting the livelihoods of the people. This is why the public pays close attention to the activities of explorers, and the Hero Party, being the best among them, enjoys high popularity.

In the recent incident, I happened to be there and managed to defeat the monster by chance, but that’s not the main issue. The problem is that they brought a boss from the deeper levels to the middle levels, which could have led to the loss of many explorers’ lives.

However, if such details were bluntly reported, it could stir public anxiety. It’s easy to imagine that, yet why did they write such articles? And why did two publishers do it simultaneously?

What’s even more puzzling is that these articles are being circulated.

This means that the Marquis Fogas, a major investor in the Hero Party, did not exert pressure to suppress this issue.

Even if the two publishers wanted to report on the Hero Party’s failure, they would have had to retract the articles if pressured by the Marquis Fogas, a high-ranking noble.

(It’s unlike the Marquis Fogas, who cares about public image, to let this slide. What’s his intention here?)

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