In this world, there was a fish called an oil-eater. It was a fat, misshapen creature that resembled an anglerfish and was about the size of a bucket used to draw water from a well.

Oil-eaters were totally unique creatures. They were often mistakenly believed to be monsters, but they did not live in labyrinths, which meant they were animals. According to biologists, they couldn’t technically be classified as fish, and it was hard to call them amphibians, too. They were a hotly debated species in the field of biological classification.

Oil-eaters reached adulthood three years after hatching. It was then that they reached a crossroads; depending on the environment they grew up in, they could become saltwater fish, freshwater fish, or grow legs like a frog and live on land. They could even adapt to extreme environments such as the desert or the deep sea, though at the cost of a shorter life.

But that metamorphosis was only the second of the oil-eaters’ defining traits. The fishes’ most unique habit was that they, well, ate oil. Not edible ones like rapeseed oil or beef tallow, but oil-based products such as cushioning, packaging materials, and other relics created by the ancient civilization.

Oil-eaters ate these items and excreted them, along with digested leaves and micro-organisms from aquatic plants. The oil created by refining their feces was very useful. It was a cheap source for indoor heating, and it was easy to preserve and transport. It also didn’t produce mana while being used, meaning it didn’t interfere with intricate spells or magic items.

“Magic Search.”

A wick doused in black oil burned brightly within a crude lamp, illuminating the room. The oil released a grilled-fish scent that could not be totally removed in the refinement process.

“…Okay. There’s no sign of searching spells or magic items in our vicinity,” a petite blond girl said to the others in the room. Though her words were meant to reassure, there was no emotion in her face.

Although she was beautiful and well-dressed, her ever-present stern countenance made her difficult to approach. Her eyes tended to be especially stern when she cast magic. She was aware of that habit but did nothing to fix it; in her opinion, no one had any right to judge her when she was hard at work. Tiana was that kind of mage.

“That is a relief. Shall we open the safe?” asked a young man with chestnut hair, who was sitting next to Tiana. He pulled out a key decorated with an ornament. The lamp cast a bewitching light on the key, but it couldn’t rival the captivating, tranquil beauty of the man himself.

He wore priestly clothing but lacked the medal that all priests were supposed to wear around their necks. That meant he had been excommunicated. That fact may have been off-putting to some, but it only made him more attractive to the many women he had seduced into a one-night stand. Zem projected an alluring aura, like a magic lamp on a moonless night.

“Wait, Zem,” said a red-haired girl sitting next to Zem. She guarded the locked safe with her scaled hands. These people may have been her companions, but she wouldn’t let them touch it until she was ready.

“What’s wrong?” Zem asked.

“He’s not done with the ledger,” the girl said, flicking her tail to point next to her.

That tail was only one trait that set her apart from ordinary humans; she was much taller than the average woman, her arms were covered in scales, and two marvelous horns grew from her head. Karan was a dragonian, a humanoid race with dragon-like traits. Her figure appeared soft and feminine at first glance, but a close look at her physique showed her untiring training. She had a more stoic personality than either Tiana or Zem.

“Gimme a sec, Karan. I’m almost done with last month’s ledger,” the young man said. He was writing something in a binder while Karan was pointing at him.

“Hurry up,” Karan complained.

“I’d been putting this off ’cause of all the work we’ve had to do with the Steppingman mess. I don’t wanna delay this any further.”

“But no one else keeps a ledger. I heard most people just rush to a tax consultant at the beginning of the year.”

“Yeah, and those people end up flipping over their bed looking for lost receipts, then finishing their paperwork only to realize there are omissions in their bookkeeping. Then they turn in their return at the last second, which pisses off the tax collector. It’s better this way,” the young man argued as his quill pen flew across the page.

He had a slender build, but no one would mistake him for being weak. He was a fighter, one even sharper than Karan, and that was apparent in the way he carried himself. His handwriting was surprisingly neat for how quickly he was writing, each straight line and curve drawn exactly right. If handwriting was a reflection of the person, you could say Nick’s demonstrated his honesty and playful heart.

“…Done!” Nick said. He wrote the following in his binder.

Nick used this binder to record all the money that entered and left the Survivors’ funds. The records were proof of their great success as a party. The first page showed modest rewards for fighting monsters in beginner labyrinths such as Gooey Waterworks and Goblin Forest, but the amounts of money they earned only grew from there. Two early entries stood out.

But those were dwarfed by the entry Nick had just added.

“Rainy Moon, twenty-ninth day. Reward for subjugating the Steppingman: one million dina. Reward for helping to rescue the abducted children: two million dina… That is quite the haul,” a small boy said after grabbing the ledger. He had silver hair and an androgynous appearance. His face resembled Nick’s, but cuter and friendlier.

“We deserve it, too! Help us out here, Bond. I want to see if the money matches his records,” Tiana urged.

The boy shrugged. “Dear me, you all are so untrusting. Let’s see… Yes, exactly three hundred,” he said after making a circle with his fingers and glancing at the gold coins on the table. That was all the time he needed to count them.

“No silver or copper coins slipped in by mistake?”

“My visual processors tell me they are all gold coins. I also picked them up and confirmed their weight. Everything’s perfect!”

The boy—whose name was Bond—had used a special ability called Search to inspect the coins, which was not magic that normal people could use. The ability heightened his audiovisual senses so he could pick up volumes and audio frequencies that humans couldn’t detect; he could also see distant objects as if they were close to him.

But that was only a secondary ability of his. It was also not immediately clear whether “he” was even the right way to refer to him—he was both cutely feminine and coolly masculine. In truth, he didn’t have a gender, and he wasn’t even human.

“Can you all refrain from using me only as a tool for your convenience? You should use my primary function more often,” Bond complained.

“You’ve got a point, actually. We wouldn’t have survived that last fight without you,” Nick agreed.

“Oh? Have you finally seen the light, Nick? I am the holy sword called the Sword of Bonds, not a smart meter or a security item. Don’t you forget that,” Bond announced proudly.

Bond was the final member of the Survivors. He was currently using a body he created based on his wielder Nick’s, but his true form was a holy sword created with the advanced technology of the ancient civilization.

“Speaking of things we can’t forget, let’s divvy up the reward,” Nick said. The other Survivors’ faces lit up.

The party had just received their reward for the biggest job of their careers—defeating the Steppingman, a mysterious kidnapper who was abducting children in Teran, the Labyrinth City.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm… I didn’t know how I was going to afford special spectator seating for the Dragon God Cup!” Tiana cheered.

“A northern-style barbecue restaurant opened recently. They’re serving a limited amount of luxurious duck-winged deer meat that’s normally only eaten by royal families, and people are bidding over the reserved seating… I can’t pass up this chance,” Karan said.

“I booked a hotel in a harbor town for a weeklong vacation with a hostess. Please refrain from taking on any jobs during that time,” Zem requested.

“I have plans as well. I want to buy the new issue of Sixth Shining—it’s about a person with supernatural abilities who fights evil spirits,” Bond added.

They all seemed ecstatic as they thought about what they wanted to do with their time off—except for Nick.

Each member of the Survivors had a slightly embarrassing hobby. Tiana was a gambler who was especially obsessed with dragon racing. Karan was a gourmet who enjoyed sampling food from stalls opened in public parks, although lately she had started enjoying luxurious restaurants with a dress code. Zem’s hobby was the most problematic of all—he was a womanizer who frequented the red-light district and inspired many rumors in the business districts of Labyrinth City.

Nick also had such a hobby, but unlike the others, he kept his cool.

“I wanna buy a ticket to the Jewelry Production One Hundredth Anniversary Concert. Actually, I’m gonna go do that right after this… But first we have some expenses to cover, starting with three hundred thousand dina for Anemone Alehouse as an apology and to pay for our meals,” he said, transferring thirty of the gold coins into a pouch.

Anemone Alehouse was a bar whose assistant manager allowed the Survivors to use it as a base. They would strategize and sleep there as they hunted for their bounty. The other Survivors watched the gold go with resigned disappointment.

“Next is the money to repair our weapons and equipment. We’ll need two hundred thousand dina total for the five of us.”

The others were again disappointed but understanding as Nick placed those gold coins into a different bag.

“Lastly… We broke the roof of a nearby building during our fight. We’ll need one hundred thousand dina for the repair costs.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?!” Tiana asked accusingly.

“I can’t blame you for reacting that way,” Nick said, remaining calm. “It caught me off guard when I heard about it, too. You know how the factory exploded after that fight? Some fragments of broken washing tubs went flying and fell through the roof of another factory. The president of that place was pissed.”

The other Survivors looked like they’d been punched in the gut.

“But that damage occurred in the course of an Adventurers Guild job! Shouldn’t they be compensating us?!” Tiana implored.

“They would’ve if we’d caught White Mask. He got away, so they can’t compensate us.” Nick sighed, sounding exhausted. The feeling spread to the others.

“So much for special seating…,” Tiana muttered.

“There goes my barbecue…,” Karan lamented.

“My romantic adventure at the harbor town remains a dream…,” Zem said wistfully.

Karan and Zem regretfully watched the gold coins go into the bag. Only half of their reward remained.

“Hey, that’s not so bad. There is still plenty left. Are we splitting this five ways?” Bond asked, attempting to soothe the group.

“No, six ways,” Nick corrected. The rest looked at him with confusion, but then comprehension dawned on their faces. “She gave us a lotta help. It sucks, but she deserves her share. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

The others responded that there wasn’t. Nick smiled and stood.

“All right, guys! The Survivors are on holiday, starting now! Go and make the best of it!”

“““You got it!””” the others responded.

And so, having had their fill of adventures for now, the Survivors split up for a much-needed rest.

Work days started late at the publishing company called Mysterious Teran. That was a necessity, as night was the best time for its reporters to pursue the suspicious rumors on which they based their articles. They could interview adventurers who were off the clock and nightlife workers who were on the clock; they could even witness article-worthy cases directly. The reporters typically finished working around midnight and woke up the next day, when most people were finishing lunch.

As such, it was nearly evening when Nick and Bond met with their acquaintance to offer her share of the reward to her.

“Are you sure about this? I was kinda undercover, so I’m not sure I should accept this money,” she said, giggling to herself as she inspected the bag full of gold coins.

Nick and Bond were in a reception room on the third floor of Mysterious Teran with a bespectacled girl who wore an old coat despite being indoors. Her name was Olivia. The building was just as empty as the last time they’d visited; it seemed Olivia was the only one sitting around with no work to do.

“We’ll gladly keep it if you don’t want it. I don’t envy life as a volunteer. You have my nonfinancial support,” Nick responded sarcastically.

“On second thought, I’ll take it. Thank you very much. I’ll be writing a receipt.” Olivia snatched up the bag with impossible speed just as Nick tried to put it away.

“Then you should’ve just taken it instead of beating around the bush,” Nick complained. He didn’t like that he wasn’t able to follow her movements with his eyes. It wasn’t just Olivia’s speed that was impressive; she was able to read his body’s movement to tell that he was going to lower his arm before he began to do it. That was a special skill that could only be obtained with serious training; as a practitioner of martial arts, Nick was well aware of that. “Anyway…you smell terrible.”

“Hey! Rude! It’s not my fault! I went through the underground tunnels earlier in pursuit of a case!” Olivia fumed, before taking a sniff of her coat and grimacing.

“The underground tunnels?” Nick said. “There’s nothing down there but sewage.”

There was a whole subterranean network beneath Labyrinth City. They mainly existed as maintenance passageways for the sewers and as escape routes for aristocrats. Many people saw the tunnels as mysterious in some way, but they were completely ordinary. The Order of the Sun Knights and the Organization for Labyrinth City Development cooperated to make a detailed map of the tunnels, and they were regularly patrolled. Security was actually tighter underground than above it.

“I’ve been wondering about them lately, though. I want to figure out how White Mask got around the city, so I’m checking places that I initially excluded,” Olivia said.

“Oh, you were actually doing serious work,” Nick responded.

“Well, I was looking for material at the same time. Sneaking around underground to avoid detection was a thrilling experience.”

“I would tell you to take better care of yourself at work, but you’re not human, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

“Hey, I find that phrasing offensive.”

What Nick said was true—Olivia wasn’t human.

“Yeah! Intelligent magic items have rights! They should be respected in the workplace!” Bond proclaimed.

“Why are you getting angry?” Nick asked.

“Because we’re the same. Sort of.”

Olivia’s true identity was the Sword of Might, a holy sword developed by the ancient civilization, just like Bond. Nick had a hard time seeing her as such a legendary being, but she had saved the Survivors with her incredible fighting ability when they were in grave danger against White Mask.

“That ‘sort of’ was uncalled for. Is that any way to speak to me after I helped you?” Olivia whined.

“I say that only because you may no longer be a holy sword… You’ve mutated, haven’t you?” Bond asked.

Olivia smiled. “So you figured that out.”

“Your name is proof enough. It has nothing to do with your origin. Your name would have to be something like ‘Valerie’ for valor or ‘Powpow’ for power to prevent mutation.”

“‘Powpow’? Really? That doesn’t suit my elegant image.”

“Huh? Why’re we talking about her name?” Nick interjected.

“Remember when Tiana said you shouldn’t change the name of an advanced magic item too drastically?” Bond asked.

Nick thought for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, I do. She said if you name a holy sword ‘Mop’ it’ll gain cleaning properties.”

“Your name is different from your production name, which means that you must have mutated. What happened to you?” Bond inquired.

Olivia laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek. “It’s kind of a long story… I guess it boils down to falling in love and going to war.”

“Man, sounds like you could write a book,” Nick said, eliciting a laugh from Olivia. “Does it really matter if you’ve mutated, though? It’s not like you turned into a mop.”

“Well, I don’t like to admit it, but there are some issues,” Olivia replied. “For starters, advanced magic items like us have design specifications sealed deep within our core. As long as we have that, we can regenerate from any injury, even something as drastic as a smashed head or a severed blade. You wouldn’t be wrong to call us immortal. Unfortunately, we lose our design specifications when we mutate.”

“Really…?” Nick said.

“That is only an aftereffect of the mutation, not the mutation itself,” Bond interrupted, clearing his throat. “Losing your immortality is trivial compared with the risk of your mission being distorted. Worst case, a holy sword could turn on the human civilization that created it. Then it’s no better than a monster.”

“Like when the Sword of Evolution became the Sword of Ruin?” Nick asked.

“No. He didn’t abandon his mission, he simply twisted it to find logic that allowed him to attack mankind. I imagine Olivia has mutated much more significantly,” Bond answered.

“So the Sword of Evolution went astray? What a shame…,” Olivia said.

“You sound like you just found out a friend’s child dropped out of school…,” Nick interjected.

“Where is the Sword of Evolution now?” Olivia asked.

“Sealed in an undisclosed location. We gave him some books and other things to entertain himself with. Stuff like adventure novels and audiovisual data from idol concerts,” Nick responded.

“I have major questions about those choices, but I’d rather not get involved. The less people know where he is, the better. He’s not as dangerous as the Sword of Distortion anyway.”

“The Sword of Distortion?” Nick echoed.

The distaste on Bond’s face suggested that he knew the name. “Surely she’s not still active.”

“The Teran Distortion Agency, which housed her main body, was totally destroyed. Their headquarters has been a vacant lot for centuries, and now a concert hall is being built there. I think it’s going to be called Starmine Hall,” Olivia responded.

“Oh, I know that place. Jewelry Production is going to perform the Hundredth Anniversary Concert there,” Nick said.

“You’re really obsessed with idols, Nick,” Olivia commented, and Nick snapped at her.

“Shut up.”

Bond looked conflicted. “I—I see… She was something of a headache, but I do miss her,” he said.

“Care to tell me who you’re talking about? Their name sounds pretty messed up,” Nick asked, confused.

“Oh, have you never heard of her? I thought the name Teran Distortion Agency was remembered in history,” Olivia said.

“I’m not from around here,” Nick explained.

“Fair enough. Allow me to elucidate. Ahem! Once upon a time in a land not so far away—”

“Cut the theatrics, please.”

Despite Nick’s interruption, Olivia continued speaking. “The Teran Distortion Agency was an organization founded to warp and purify the calls of the demon god, and to chant a city-class ritual spell called ‘Distort’ to weaken the demon god. The Sword of Destruction was the name of the holy sword who cast the spell. She also went by the name of Hizumi.”

Olivia’s voice was uncharacteristically serious when she said that name. It was obvious she had mixed feelings about this holy sword. Nick thought her organization sounded completely beneficial to society, however.

“Her name is kinda terrifying, but it sounds like she did good,” Nick said.

“Her actions certainly did help everyone in the end. She contributed greatly to the sealing of the demon god,” Bond interjected.

“Her achievements are undeniable, but her methods were more than a little problematic,” Olivia added.

Nick gulped upon seeing their bitter expressions. “In what way?”

“Hizumi petitioned the king to gather young people with ample mana and send them to Teran. She then locked them all in isolated cells where they could hear nothing but the evil voice of the demon god and her own soothing voice,” Olivia answered.

Nick pictured one of those cells and began to sweat. “Hold on. Why’d she lock them up like they were criminals? And whaddaya mean by ‘the demon god’s voice’?”

“The demon god speaks telepathically. The sound sends humans into a state of panic, strengthens monsters, and spreads miasma. They do this through a technique called Mantra,” Olivia explained.

“Huh…”

“The demon god’s Mantra has terrible power. It’s capable of turning an entire small village into a labyrinth. Barriers were erected to ward off Mantras during the war, but Hizumi intentionally opened a hole in the barrier to let the voices in and strike fear into the hearts of the young people she trapped,” Olivia continued.

“…And then the Sword of Distortion healed them. She gave them both the carrot and the stick,” Nick said.

“That’s exactly right,” Olivia said quietly. “The young people came to hate the demon god from the bottoms of their hearts and devoutly worship Hizumi.”

“Hizumi’s worshippers became one with her power and gained the ability to invert and distort the demon god’s thoughts, which they could use to attack not just monsters but the labyrinths themselves. This turned the war in humanity’s favor. This only evened the odds between the demon god and humanity, but without her, humanity would certainly have lost,” Bond explained.

“So she was pivotal to humanity’s victory, but she went too far with her methods… Hold on,” Nick said, realizing that there was something off about the story.

“Hmm? What is it?” Bond asked.

“Didn’t you say that holy swords have a code of ethics that prevents them from gambling and getting into trouble?” Nick asked.

“Hizumi was very good at avoiding its activation. She would guide people to make certain decisions instead of her and craft budgets so that things would work out exactly as she wanted,” Bond answered.

“She never harmed anyone directly, but that didn’t make her any less problematic,” Olivia added.

They both nodded knowingly.

Nick could tell their feelings toward the Sword of Distortion were complicated. He chose to keep quiet and listen.

“She was a good leader, but she had a difficult personality and a very particular taste in people,” Olivia said.

“She was no leader. She just liked to boss everyone around. She indulged in every luxury and used her position to make her collection of beautiful boys and girls serve and polish her,” Bond argued.

“I remember she had bodyguards to protect her sword body.”

“Yes, she did. But she immediately fired anyone who displeased her. She would command them to go back to the country even as they cried and begged to stay by her side!”

“I saw her do that a few times, too!”

“Sounds like she was pretty abusive. Was she mutated?” Nick asked.

Neither of them answered.

“Don’t leave me hanging.”

“…That was just her nature. It is possible for a holy sword to have a twisted personality before any mutation occurs,” Bond answered.

“Huh. What about you, Olivia?” Nick asked.

“Whuh? Me?”

“I’m asking how much you’ve mutated. That’s where this whole conversation started, remember?”

Olivia laughed awkwardly and shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. I haven’t changed too much. I’ve simply changed my interpretation of my mission.”

Nick looked at Olivia dubiously. “What exactly is your mission? You said you were a training tool, or something like that.”

“That’s right. I was made to train people who stood up to face the threat of the demon god. I’m the Sword of Might, a Spirit-Class Anti-Demon Combat Training Program. Though I call myself Olivia now,” she said.

“Oh yeah, you mentioned that.”

“But I eventually decided that my apprentices don’t need to fight the demon god. I now simply hope that I can increase the number of able fighters in the event that humanity faces a crisis.”

“Wha…? It sounds like you have almost totally abandoned your mission!” Bond was aghast.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders indifferently. “Does it really matter? The idea that a human could defeat the demon god with a little exercise was stupid in the first place. I’m sure we could come up with plenty of more plans that are more appropriate and humane.”

“Don’t treat Stepping like it’s a simple exercise plan… I see your point, though. It’s not like it’s a weapon that’s gonna turn the tides of a war,” Nick said.

“So you decided that humans are not physically capable of defeating the demon god… I suppose you cannot be blamed for that,” Bond relented.

“Oh, no, I can say with confidence that a human could physically defeat the demon god,” Olivia responded, eliciting surprised reactions from Nick and Bond. “It would be possible if I found a person with innate talent, taught them everything I know, and helped them overcome the boundary between life and death. I once had ambitions of creating such a perfect warrior, but…”

Olivia sighed painfully.

“Anyone that superhuman would have no need for me. They’d figure out how to grow strong on their own and decide for themselves if they wanted to fight the demon god. An apprentice like that would make me lose confidence as a trainer,” she continued.

“You think it wouldn’t be rewarding for you,” Nick observed.

“I prefer raising young apprentices who need me. I like helping them discover talents they didn’t know they had and gradually opening up new possibilities for them. Eventually they learn enough to become a teacher themselves and pass on their knowledge. Such are the ups and downs in the life of a trainer,” Olivia said, breaking into her usual broad smile. “I hope Hizumi can find something to make her happy, too.”

“Yes, me too,” Bond agreed earnestly.

“Do you feel more at home as a magazine reporter than as a trainer, though?” Nick asked.

“There are a lot of complications that come with running a dojo. I prefer having less responsibility,” Olivia responded.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The demon god is sealed, right? Or dead? You should enjoy your life the way you want.”

“Huh? What are you saying?” Olivia asked, looking at Nick with surprise.

Nick stared back, thrown off by her reaction. “I was just trying to be nice…”

“No, not that. They’re not dead, you know?”

“Who’s not dead?”

“The demon god. Not only are they alive, their reawakening at the hands of their worshippers could be approaching.”

Nick’s jaw dropped. Olivia and Bond rolled their eyes at him.

“Hey, don’t do that. How do you expect me to react?!” Nick complained.

“Who do you think we just fought, Nick? White Mask is a demon-god worshipper. There’s no way his kind would operate so openly if humanity had destroyed the demon god entirely,” Olivia said.

“Exactly. You must not act like the demon god threat does not exist. If we truly were at peace, I would have no need to pass down my knowledge of heroes and holy sword wielders,” Bond added.

Nick rubbed his temples. “Tell me you’re joking… We’re done for if another guy like White Mask comes for us.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Olivia. I think they’ll be out of action for a while.”

“How could I possibly not worry? White Mask’s armor was destroyed, but he got away,” Nick argued.

“I’m sure whoever was inside the armor was greatly weakened. The demon-god worshippers also won’t be able to use White Mask’s weapons and spells without that holy armor,” Olivia said.

“Huh? Why not?” Nick asked.

Bond answered that question. “Holy armor was developed so people could explore legendary labyrinths such as the Great Red Spot and the Monster Belt. These locations can have temperatures in the thousands of degrees or at absolute zero due to no air at all. Survival in such locations is impossible without impenetrable defense and special abilities.”

“Special abilities? I get how holy armor would help people endure those harsh environments, but gear can’t give someone abilities they don’t already have,” Nick said.

Bond shook his head. “Actually, holy armor awards the abilities of its past wearers to whoever equips it. For example, equipping a set of holy armor that was once worn by a dragonian, a mage, a light warrior, and a priest would enable you to use all their abilities.”

“Seriously?!”

“The holy armor practically transcribes the souls of its past wearers, giving whoever equips it access to their knowledge and memories. It can use that information to perform advanced calculations and determine what its past wearers would do or say if they were present. It is as if the holy armor itself houses their entire personalities.”

“That’s amazing,” Nick said with a shudder.

“Destroying holy armor means burying the mighty abilities within it for good. That’s a huge blow to the demon-god worshippers,” Olivia said.

“That’s correct. Defeating someone who misuses holy armor is a great accomplishment,” Bond added.

“You’ve got that right!” Olivia agreed.

The two holy swords laughed innocently, but that did nothing to dispel Nick’s discomfort.

“…You said holy armor has personality. Does that mean the White Mask we fought and spoke to could have had nothing to do with whoever was inside the armor? Could everything they said have come from the false personality?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s very likely that the wearer used the holy armor partially to keep their identity hidden,” Olivia responded.

“So they got away without leaving a single clue about who they are. If they were smart enough to take that precaution, I’m sure they’re already thinking of their next plan,” Nick said.

“Hmm, you have a point. We’ll have to prepare ourselves for that threat,” she said, and something seemed to shift in the room. Nick sensed danger and instinctively grabbed the dagger at his hip. Olivia whipped her left arm at him like a snake, and he drew the dagger to swing it and ward her off.

“Not bad. There aren’t many people with the reflexes to react to me at this distance.”

Olivia caught the blade in her fingers. With almost magnetic force, she had stopped not only his blade but his entire wrist and arm. Before Nick knew it, he was outside, a fierce pain ravaging his back, his lungs empty, his brain foggy. It was then that he realized Olivia had thrown him backward through the window and that he was falling to the ground.

“Light Body!”

Nick used a spell to lessen his weight, then twisted to kick the gutters and streetlights to slow himself as he fell. By the time he landed, there was almost no impact. He climbed to his feet and glared up at the third floor, but he saw only the broken window he’d crashed through. Olivia wasn’t there.

“What took you so long?”

Olivia was already standing right next to Nick. She gently put a hand to his chest.

“Gah?!” Nick yelled as a violent shock ran through his body, sending him flying backward. He crashed into a building across the street from Mysterious Teran and glared daggers at Olivia. She returned his look with a satisfied smile.

“Once you can do what I just did, you’ll be able to fight White Mask in hand-to-hand combat. Don’t neglect your training,” she said.

“Damn you…!” Nick cursed.

“Anyway, I’m going on an extended trip! Let’s find the identity of the man—or woman—inside White Mask’s armor!” Olivia declared before jumping up a wall step-by-step. She accelerated and quickly left Nick’s sight.

After much pestering from Bond, Nick brought the holy sword to a secondhand bookshop on the way home.

“Man, that was embarrassing,” Nick muttered.

“Olivia is a holy sword. There is no shame in her getting the best of you… Oooh, there’s a special issue of Lemuria Monthly. I’ll give it a read,” Bond said excitedly.

“You can look at any page once and store it in your memory. Why not just read it here and put it back?”

“That would be stealing, you fool. I buy all the magazines I read.”

Bond was a bibliomaniac and had built up quite the collection of books since joining the party. He read anything from newspapers and dry scholarly papers to fun works like novels and old comic novellas. Nick had thought his occult phase was coming to an end, but Bond flipped through the pages with a furious speed he had never seen.

“I thought you were getting tired of that stuff,” Nick said.

“I’ve just been curious about something. Why do you think she’s publishing magazines like these?” Bond asked.

“’Cause she enjoys it?”

“I believe that is part of it, but I find it strange that she chose to work at an occult publishing company despite all the knowledge she possesses. She is her own news source. There is no way she bases all her articles on groundless rumors. She wrote a special feature on White Mask, after all.”

“You’re saying her articles are actually credible?”

“That is what I want to ascertain.”

“Why would she go out of her way to publish her stories in a dubious magazine that just screams ‘every word of this is a lie’? The only people who will take it seriously are occult fanatics and us… Ah.” Comprehension dawned on Nick’s face. “She does it to avoid drawing too much attention to her writing.”

“She slips some truth into all the false information. There is likely some way of determining which articles are true.”

“That would catapult the value of this magazine for anyone who realized that.”

“What should we do, Nick? I want to investigate, but withdrawing from all of this might be a good idea, too,” Bond asked, looking up from the magazine to meet Nick’s eyes.

“No… We’ve already fought a demon-god worshipper. Trying to back out at this point might actually put us in more danger,” Nick replied.

A chill ran down his spine as he said that. It was becoming clear just how much darkness lurked in Labyrinth City, unbeknownst to its citizens. He had always had a vague notion that the city contained such dangerous presences, but he never imagined he would find himself fighting one himself.

“Nick, hold out your hand,” Bond requested.

“Why?” Nick asked, doing as he was told.

“Blargh.”

Bond spit up a beautiful jewel into Nick’s hand.

“What the hell?! That’s disgusting! I don’t want your half-eaten candy!” Nick shouted.

“It’s not candy! This is a knowledge orb. The data from all the magazines I’ve read is stored on it. Fill it with mana, and you can read them, too.”

“That sounds useful. Just warn me next time you’re about to hack one up and spit it at me.”

“I am not too skilled at this type of investigation. Study it when you have time.”

“I doubt I’m much better than you… Well, I do know someone who’s good at literary study. I’ll ask them.”

A voice echoed in Nick’s head after he said that.

“Nick! Help me!”

“Karan?!”

It was his teammate.

“Karan reached out to us using Telepathy… She sounded quite desperate,” Bond said.

“I’ve never heard her sound so helpless…,” Nick said.

Bond gulped, and a deep sense of worry quickly overtook Nick’s mind.

“Let’s go!” he said.

Nick and Bond ran toward Karan. Fortunately, she wasn’t far; she was outside a café near the Mysterious Teran office.

“Hey, Nick! Please help me!” Karan pleaded.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Nick called back.

Karan looked exhausted, and the reason was apparent. She was holding and trying to comfort a toddler who would not stop crying.

“Ah… Karan. When did you become a mom?” Nick asked.

“He’s not my child!” she shouted angrily, and the toddler started screaming. “Oh, s-sorry! There, there… Everything’s okay!” Karan said, trying to soothe the little boy, but he showed no signs of calming down.

“Bond. Are you installed with any babysitting experience?” Nick asked.

“I am not,” Bond responded.

“Yeah, that was a long shot,” Nick said.

“Don’t just stand there. Help me already…,” Karan whined.

She sounded so exhausted, Nick actually began to worry for her. “Sorry. Here, hand him to me so you can rest,” he said.

“Okay.”

“Man, this kid’s got some serious lungs on him… Whose is he? He looks dragonian…”

Karan opened her mouth to explain, but she was interrupted when the café door rattled open.

“Karan, I didn’t know where you’d gone! Don’t scare me like that! And Ares, stop crying!” a beautiful blue-haired woman complained as soon as she walked outside.

“You went to the bathroom! What was I supposed to do?!” Karan retorted.

“He’s so shy. I swear, the waterworks are never far with this one,” the woman said with a shrug before she took the boy from Karan and cradled him. She seemed like his mother. “…Hmm? Who are you two?”

The woman studied Nick and Bond. Nick wanted to ask the same question about her.

Karan answered them both. “This is Nick, my party leader, and Bond, another member of my party. Nick, this is my older sister… Well, I call her that, but she’s actually my cousin.”

The café was called Knocker Donuts. It was located on the western side of Labyrinth City and primarily served coffee and donuts. Its namesake was a legendary fairy called a “knocker” that would show miners where good ore veins were. There were no mines nearby, however; instead, the area was a lively scene for the performing arts, with many parks where plays and outdoor concerts could be held, which resulted in an abundance of customers, performers, and staff. People came to Knocker Donuts to relax with a dark-roast coffee and mine for inspiration.

“So you’re the leader of the Survivors. I’ve heard so much about you all. I’m Daffodil, Karan’s cousin. This is my son, Ares,” Daffodil said after sitting across from Nick at the table. She looked at him appraisingly.

Nick observed her closely as well. She had horns like Karan. She resembled her cousin, with the most obvious differences being her scales and hair. They were both a shiny blue, and her long hair was slightly wavy and tied in a braid.

“Daffy lived with me in my home village. I hadn’t seen her since she left the village, though. I thought she was dead,” Karan said.

“Why would you think that?!” Daffodil exclaimed.

“You left ten years ago with your head in the clouds because you wanted to become a professional dancer.”

“I did become a professional dancer! I work as a trainer now, too! And you’re not one to talk about having your head in the clouds!”

“At least I act like a dragonian!”

Karan looked at Daffodil with accusatory eyes, which only angered her cousin.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? Why don’t you rely on me?” Daffodil asked.

“I had no idea where you were. How could I have? You kept moving. All our letters to you came back because we didn’t know your address. The postal charges added up, and even Gramps started to worry that you were dead,” Karan said.

“Th-that’s not my fault. I was busy… And raising a child is really hard… Have you reached out to Gramps and Dad since you got here?”

“Well…”

Daffodil and Karan both fell silent.

Bond turned to Nick and whispered, “Family, am I right?”

Nick wanted to smile, but it didn’t show on his face.

“Excuse me, can I please order?” Nick called to a server. “I’d like a coffee and donut set—classic chocolate for the donuts and black coffee. Another snack would be nice, too…”

“How about mini sesame balls?” Bond suggested.

“You got it…,” the waiter mumbled lazily, then walked away.

“I didn’t call you here to relax, Nick!” Karan said.

“You scared me, Karan. You interrupted some serious research.”

Karan sensed that he was a little ticked off and stopped arguing. “Urgh, sorry…”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that, too… I’m glad you’re here, though,” Daffodil said.

“You are?”

“I’ve been wanting to speak to you. I’ve heard so much about you all around the Adventurers Guilds.”

Daffodil’s comment put Nick on guard. There was nothing shady about the Survivors. But they did all engage in…questionable hobbies. There was nothing immoral about Karan’s gourmet habits or Bond’s bibliomania, but the other three were another story. Nick was worried that Karan’s cousin would think her friends were a bad influence.

“Thank you so much for saving my cousin,” Daffodil said politely, to Nick’s surprise.

He hurriedly shook his head. “We all help each other. That’s what an adventurers’ party does. I don’t deserve any thanks.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” said Daffodil. “Karan’s always been so gullible.”

“Stop it, Daffy!” Karan shouted.

“I’m just speaking the truth… To be fair, though, all of us rural folk end up getting tricked when we come here,” Daffodil said with a sigh.

“Did you have some trouble, too?” Nick asked hesitantly.

Daffodil shrugged and nodded. “That’s an understatement. But Karan and I were both lucky to meet people who were willing to teach us about the world. What was it you said you did, Karan? Abacus boxing?”

“Bare-knuckle math,” Karan corrected her moodily, and Daffodil giggled.

“She’s always been capable. She just didn’t have the opportunity,” Nick argued.

“She had every opportunity. She would always run away from her parents to go play when it was time to learn,” Daffodil said.

“Daffy!” Karan shouted.

“Girls like her often dream of moving to a city, and then they get scammed and can’t read job postings and get tripped up by the silliest things. There aren’t even schools in the countryside, hard as that might be for you to believe,” Daffodil said.

“I’m not from here, either, actually,” Nick replied. “I learned to read and write and do math ’cause my parents were merchants.”

“Really? That’s interesting. It’s uncommon for people like you to become adventurers,” Daffodil observed.

“You’re right about that.”

“Is that true?” Karan asked.

“Why did you become an adventurer?” Bond asked.

They appeared even more surprised than Daffodil.

“Karan. Why do you think an adventurer would choose to study or act like a merchant?” Nick posed.

“Um, to win duels?” Karan guessed.

“I’m not talking about bare-knuckle math. The answer is simple—so they can eventually quit working as an adventurer.”

Karan seemed troubled. “…Oh. I’ve seen some adventurers quit, both by choice and not.”

“People who want to work as an adventurer their whole life don’t study at all. There are plenty of adventurers who are strong enough to be hired by nobles, but are illiterate and clueless about etiquette. Those are poor traits to have, but people overlook it because it’s expected of adventurers,” Nick said. He hadn’t answered their questions.

“You seem like you could handle a lot of different jobs. Have you ever thought about quitting the adventuring life?” Daffodil asked.

“Hmm… I did work a part-time job at a trading company once because a party member got hurt and we couldn’t take on jobs,” Nick answered with a bitter expression. “All I did was manage warehouse stock, help unload carriages, and write receipts. I was pretty good at it, but…I couldn’t settle in.”

“Why not?”

“I worked with a lot of newly hired employees who told me to do some physical labor and miscellaneous tasks along with the part-timers. They were all from Labyrinth City, the same age, and had just graduated school.”

“That’s pretty common. Schools will hold their graduations at the same time, so a lot of young people get hired together.”

“They all asked me where I graduated from, and they were shocked when I told them I never went to school and that I worked as an adventurer. They never put me down for it; they actually seemed to think it was cool. It’s just… I always wanted to tell them something.”

“Tell them what?”

“That going to school and graduating made them much more impressive than me. It’s like the difference between walking down paved roads and cutting your way through rough, overgrown animal trails. Anyone would rather spend life doing the former.”

“Nick…,” Karan said worriedly, but Nick laughed it off.

“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. They were all good people. I just found myself feeling inferior,” he said.

“There are a lot of good people in this city. After living here for a while, I actually became more scared of other outsiders like me. Many of them adapt to the city in all the wrong ways and try to trick people who came from the same place as them,” Daffodil said.

“Cafés like this are a common spot for scammers to target people who look like they came from the countryside. They’ll pretend to be friendly while sitting around their victim so they can’t escape.”

“Yeah, seeing those people makes me want to punch a hole through their stomachs!”

“Okay, you two, this tangent’s gone on long enough,” Karan chided.

“Ah, my bad,” Nick responded.

“Oh, sorry about that,” Daffodil apologized. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable under the weight of Karan’s glare.

Nick took a second to collect himself. “Anyway, I just couldn’t settle in there. The Adventurers Guild suits me better. There are a lotta jackasses, but there are good people, too. Adventurers have definitely earned their dicey reputation, but I want to think they’re not all bad.”

“Is that why you told Karan not to judge people just because they’re an adventurer or an outsider?” Daffodil asked, and Karan looked at Nick with surprise.

“We’ve been through a lot, okay?” Nick snapped, looking away. “I don’t mind continuing to tell my life story, but what do you think? Have I earned your approval yet?”

“Your leader has trust issues, Karan,” Daffodil said, amused.

“Yeah. That’s exactly why I’m able to live without worry,” Karan responded proudly.

Daffodil’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I need to ask you something… Where’s the dragon king gem?”

Karan visibly jumped in response. “I—I, uh…don’t have it with me right now,” she stammered.

Nick glanced at her awkwardly. The dragon king gem was a treasured possession of hers that was stolen by Callios, the leader of her first adventurers’ party. It was a large ruby that Karan’s father, who was the chief of the fire dragonians, spent a year filling with mana. It was very valuable and would fetch a high price on the market. It was also a source of gossip that spread when Karan returned alone from the labyrinth where her party had abandoned her.

“I know a man tricked you and stole it, you dummy! I want to make sure you’re not thinking of trying to get it back!” Daffodil chastised.

“You’re not mad it was stolen?” Karan asked, baffled.

Daffodil sighed deeply. “Haah… You don’t get it at all. Criminals who steal relics and magic items are dangerous. I’ve heard rumors of terrorists and demon-god worshippers. You’re lucky you weren’t killed by a professional thief.”

Nick knew she had a point. He might have even agreed if Karan were a total stranger. But when he thought of the pain she had suffered and the road she’d taken to recovery, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“Hey, Nick,” Karan said quietly, drawing Nick out of his thoughts.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I think Callios fled somewhere he won’t be found. He’s still on the loose.”

“Yeah… Probably.”

“That means I’m better off than him. I don’t have to live in fear of the Sun Knights. I can go to restaurants and donut cafés and eat delicious food. I’m free to do what I want.”

The dwarf waiter reappeared just as Karan finished speaking and set a tray of colorful donuts and sesame balls on the table. A child’s doll was included as a freebie.

“Here, Ares. Try this,” Karan said, offering him a donut.

“Okay,” Ares responded.

“You’re supposed to say ‘thank you.’ Dragonians say that and put their hands together before they eat,” Karan instructed.

“Thank you,” Ares said. He timidly bit into the donut. He must have liked the flavor, because he quickly took a second and third bite.

“And this is what you do when you see a relative for the first time in a while,” Karan said, rubbing the boy on the head. Ares squirmed ticklishly, but he accepted her hand.

“But I hate the idea of never getting back something that was stolen from me. I don’t think forgetting about it and moving on is the right thing to do… Is it wrong to feel that way?” Karan continued, speaking her mind.

Fury twisted Daffodil’s face. “Have you not been listening?! I’m not here to have a philosophical debate about life and what’s worth doing! I’m telling you those people are dangerous and you shouldn’t go after them! Got it?”

“No, I don’t.” Karan crossed her arms and looked right at her cousin. “Not fighting back against dangerous people might be the right thing to do for most. But I’m an adventurer who makes a living by killing monsters and catching wanted criminals. It’s my job to do the right thing, whether it makes sense or not. Any adventurer too afraid to fight someone who pulls a knife on them is an idiot. I’d rather shove my face into a box of donuts and die.”

Daffodil’s glare turned even more intense. “Are you following the dragonian mission? Do you want to find a hero and save the world?”

“There’s a dragonian mission?” Nick asked, surprised.

Karan blushed slightly. “Yes… Dragonians have a mission to serve a hero and save the world. That’s why a lot of us leave home to become knights or adventurers.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Nick said.

“Well… It’s embarrassing to tell people that I’m ‘searching for my hero,’” Karan responded shyly.

Nick was confused and didn’t notice the way Karan’s eyes flicked to him. “Is it? Bond’s always pestering me to become a hero.”

“Are you implying that it’s embarrassing for me to say that?!” Bond protested indignantly.

“You’re different, Bond. You’re just telling him to think and act like a hero,” Karan said with a self-deprecating tone.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Bond replied.

“I, on the other hand, used to think there would be a hero somewhere in the world who would rise up and save everyone. But the adventurers and knights in Labyrinth City… None of them are very heroic,” Karan continued.

“You have that right,” Bond agreed.

“There are so many adventurers who drink away their rewards as soon as they’re paid, or reek because they never bathe. Others will trick their companions and steal precious treasures from them. We even met an adventurer who cheated at gambling and a respected doctor who kidnapped children on the side. There are no heroes in this world.”

“Karan…,” Nick said. She was trying to poke fun at the painful experiences she’d been through, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Nick has taken down some wicked adventurers, but idols are all he thinks about. The rest of us are obsessed with our hobbies, too. We’re all too self-absorbed to be heroes,” Karan said with a chuckle.

Daffodil looked exasperated. “That’s exactly right. There are no heroes in this city. If you know that, why are you still working as an adventurer?”

“Hmm… So I can eat good food, I guess.”

“That’s just a hobby.”

“Yeah. All I want to do is wake up in the morning, venture out with my party, kill monsters and catch bad guys, get paid, relax with a bowl of good food, and return to the inn to sleep.”

“That sounds fine to me. You don’t need to be an adventurer to live that lifestyle.”

“Yes, I do.” Karan sadly shook her head. “I’m too stupid to do anything else.”

“No, you’re not. You’ve gotten much wiser since you left home,” Daffodil insisted.

“Maybe, but I still need to learn so much more about the world. I would fail the interview for any normal job. I think I’d still be easy prey to scammers,” Karan responded.

“Karan…”

“If I ever become smart enough to make calculations and strategize, I’ll be able to find creative ways to keep doing the right thing without conflict. But until then, I want to do good in the way any idiot can. I won’t be a coward.”

“You have to be strong to truly make a difference in the world. As strong as the hero who defeated the demon god,” Daffodil said, shaking her head sadly.

“I’m not dumb enough to try to be a hero on my own, and I know I might lose to a really strong villain. I don’t want to count myself out, but I’ve already had a few close calls. That said…” Karan trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“I think everything will work out just fine if I’m with my other Survivors.”

Daffodil seemed to rack her brains for what to say and sighed. “Fine. Do what you want. But think about how long you want to keep doing this.”

“I don’t know about that…”

“I won’t tell you to quit the Adventurers Guild right now. But I want you to remember this. Your parents love you so much more than any stone.”

“Okay,” Karan said with a nod.

Daffodil turned to Nick next. “Nick. Please take this to heart. Work might be going well now, but adventurers always reach a day when they can’t go on. The heyday of any physically demanding job is fleeting. Even if you avoid a major injury, your heart and soul may end up broken from the number of terrifying experiences you end up going through. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not,” Nick admitted.

“When that time comes for Karan, I want you to make sure she retires. I don’t want her losing an arm, a leg, her life, or something even worse,” Daffodil beseeched.

Nick felt there was more to her request than simple worry for a reckless little-sister figure. There was a weight to her words that only a person who had lost something could project. Karan seemed to feel that weight, too, and couldn’t bring herself to interject.

“I can’t tell you what you want to hear. As the leader, I can kick her out of my party, but I have no right to tell her to stop working as an adventurer,” Nick replied.

“This is exactly why I hate adventurers,” Daffodil said with an exasperated shrug.

“I’m sorry, Daffy,” Karan apologized.

“Don’t say things you don’t feel. I’ve always known what kind of girl you were,” Daffodil said, rubbing the guilty-looking Karan on the head. Karan’s cries for her to stop went unheeded.

Nick spoke up to save her. “I will say this, Daffodil. We’re called the Survivors for a reason—our number one rule is to come back from any adventure alive. If Karan ever finds herself in mortal danger, I’ll tie her up and drag her to you.”

“Okay. I’ll hold you to that,” Daffodil replied.

“You’re so annoying!” Karan snapped, escaping from her cousin’s hand and turning away with a huff.

Daffodil laughed innocently. “I’ll let you go for today. You can eat as much as you want,” she said, picking up Ares and grabbing the check.

“Daffy!” Karan protested.

“It’s okay to rely on your elders now and then, Karan.”

“We ordered too much. You should take some home, at least. Excuse me, can we please have a takeout box? Oh, and is it too late to use a coupon?” Karan asked after calling over the dwarf waiter. He complained that she should’ve given him the coupon earlier as he checked them out, and Karan apologized.

“She’s really grown accustomed to this, hasn’t she…?” Daffodil giggled as she watched Karan’s exchange with the waiter.

“She’s definitely not an idiot,” Nick said. Daffodil nodded happily in response.

A few days later, when the Survivors were all gathered at the Fishermen Adventurers Guild, Nick said something that shocked the rest of his party.

There was a trade route commonly known as the Maiden Highway that ran between the western side of Labyrinth City and the capital. The name was a reference to the shamans and minstrels who’d traveled the road in ancient times. It was said that during the war with the demon god, all the women who practiced at sanctuaries in the capital traveled to a base where Labyrinth City stood now and helped to bring peace by praying for the hero.

North of the Maiden Highway was a mountain range of labyrinths known as the Five-Ringed Mountains. The “five rings” referred to the five labyrinths that made up the range, each of them particularly difficult.

South of the highway—which meant southwest of Labyrinth City—was a sprawling, barren wasteland known as Hyena Waste. One might think the name originated from prowling packs of hyenas, but that would be wrong; in fact, there were hardly any animals in the area at all. Instead, the word hyena was used to refer to the excavators and looters who searched the ancient ruins scattered throughout the waste.

Entering these ruins meant putting oneself in mortal danger. The ancient security and the monsters that spawned within the structures saw any invaders as looters and did their best to eliminate them. And yet the promise of treasure continued to tempt people into risking their lives, and over time, people came to call the area and its labyrinths Hyena Waste.

“Ugh, I can’t believe they make you take one of those,” Tiana said angrily as the party walked through Hyena Waste. She was looking at a cloth bag strapped to Zem’s back. It was folded like a camping tent.

“It’s the rule,” Zem replied.

“I know that, but it’s in bad taste. There’s nothing to inspire you like taking a body bag into a labyrinth,” Tiana complained.

“This is a dangerous job. You come to realize that after enough labyrinth exploration,” Nick said casually without turning around. Tiana just sighed as she followed behind him. “We have all the information we need. We can handle this place just fine.”

“Yes, you are right. However…” Bond nervously glanced ahead.

Karan had been walking ahead of the group without joining in the conversation. “That’s it… The hole in that giant stone is the entrance,” she announced.

She pointed toward a black opening that looked like an enlarged anthill opening in a stone structure. It led into a labyrinth that had a simple layout that spiraled downward with no branching paths until it reached the bottom floor, resembling the rings on a vase left by a potter’s fingers as they spun it on their wheel.

This labyrinth was called Pot Snake Cave, and it was a C-rank labyrinth infested with deadly poisonous monsters. The place had a special meaning to Karan; it was where her first party, White Heron, had left her to die.

Nick was the one who suggested taking on this labyrinth, for a couple reasons. The first was that the Survivors had been raised to D rank in recognition of their accomplishments at the Manhunt guild, and all they had to do to reach C rank was clear one C-rank labyrinth.

C was an important rank for adventurers. It gave a party access to the Pioneers Guild, where highly skilled advanced adventurers gathered. It was also the rank where ambitious adventurers competed most ruthlessly to keep going up the ladder. Reaching it was a goal for Nick.

The other reason Nick chose Pot Snake Cave was much more important.

“How do you feel, Karan?” Nick asked.

“The monsters won’t be a problem. But I feel…queasy,” she answered.

The main reason Nick suggested they challenge this labyrinth was because he feared Karan was suffering from an illness.

“I knew it. You have labyrinthphobia,” Nick said.

Labyrinthphobia wasn’t an official illness recognized by sanctuaries and hospitals. It was considered a variety of panic disorder at most, and it was never specifically mentioned in clinical records. But in Labyrinth City, where a lot of adventurers lived, everyone knew what it was.

The illness presented no impediments to daily life, but coming across a monster that had clobbered you once or thinking of a labyrinth where a party member died could cause extreme anxiety, tension, and vomiting. It was a disastrous—and potentially lethal—illness for adventurers. The emergence of symptoms in a critical situation would put not just you but your entire party in danger.

Labyrinthphobia needed to be conquered as soon after diagnosis as possible. Adventurers who did nothing to cure their illness were eventually kicked out of their party and given a notice by the Adventurers Guild, forcing them to retire. There were no exceptions.

Nick first suspected that Karan had labyrinthphobia when a guild employee handed them a list of C-rank labyrinths. The employee kindly explained that they would be promoted to C rank if they cleared even one of the labyrinths, and when she shared details about Pot Snake Cave, Karan developed a nasty headache and didn’t get up from the table for a while.

Nick noticed it right away. Karan had developed a severe case of labyrinthphobia that would threaten her career as an adventurer if left alone. That’s when he declared they were going to Pot Snake Cave.

“I think so, too,” Karan agreed.

“Focus on taking deep breaths. Zem, do you have any medicine?” Nick asked.

“I’ll prepare a calming decoction… But do we really need to rush this?” Zem said, sounding doubtful as he dissolved ground-up medicinal herbs in hot water.

“Yes, we do. I won’t consider withdrawing,” Nick answered frankly.

“Why?! Just look at Karan…,” Tiana said, worried.

“I don’t mind. Let’s go,” Karan said.

Tiana gulped. “You’re really pale. This is reckless,” she insisted.

“My heart feels cold just being near this labyrinth. My legs are restless, too,” Karan said, speaking clearly despite her shaking voice. “I never thought something like this would happen to me. But I was wrong. I’ve been scared this whole time. I’m scared right now.”

“Then let’s leave!”

“No. I have to fix this.”

Karan gave Tiana a brave smile, but the mage still looked distressed. Nick remained cool, not letting Karan’s state throw his emotions out of balance.

“There’s only one way to heal labyrinthphobia: rechallenge the labyrinth or monster that caused it and win. The longer you wait, the harder it gets,” he said.

“But I’ve heard there’s a way to heal labyrinthphobia by clearing easier labyrinths,” Tiana replied.

It was the shared opinion of Labyrinth City adventurers that curing the fear required facing the labyrinth or monster that caused it. The only other option in their minds was to quit working as an adventurer.

The time to full recovery differed greatly depending on the person. For example, an individual who knew an advanced adventurer and was blessed with friends who were willing to help them could perform a drastic treatment that involved forming an overpowered party and quickly stomping whatever caused their illness. Not many people had that option, however. The most common and safest method of treatment was to repeatedly clear a lower-level labyrinth that was the same type as the place that triggered the symptoms and gradually reduce them before tackling the main labyrinth again.

“We’d end up having to come here in the end anyway. It’s best to get it over with,” Nick insisted, believing they should clear Pot Snake Cave as quickly as possible. It was rare for him to make such an aggressive choice. It would be fair to say he was being stubborn and reckless.

“What do you think, Bond?” Tiana asked, repressing her anger.

Bond creased his brow and answered. “Hmm… Honestly, I believe this method to be crude. It would be best to treat the illness over time with appropriate counseling. I cannot wholeheartedly agree with Nick’s decision.”

“Then—”

“But such counseling is not available in Labyrinth City. Asking a private physician or a priest for help would be pointless, and I don’t have an alternate plan.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Bond’s answer only ticked Tiana off more.

“That’s enough complaining,” Nick snapped.

“Who do you think you are?” Tiana asked.

“The party leader. If you have a problem with my decision—”

“Oh, I have many problems with it. But I get your reasoning. That’s not why I’m mad.”

Tiana was angry because of Nick’s attitude, which was why she was pressing him so firmly.

“Why’re you upset, then?” Nick asked.

“I don’t like this dumb tough-guy act you’re putting on,” Tiana answered.

“Just follow your leader’s orders. That’s how we operate. An adventurer who’s scared of labyrinths is useless. We need to do this. That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s a lie.” Tiana glared at Nick, and he met her with the same expression.

“What’s a lie?” he asked.

“Do you not see it? You normally take a vote for even the smallest of decisions and ask for our input when planning. But you’re not listening to us this time. We barely even took time to prepare. It’s weird,” Tiana said.

“There’s no point in discussing this. We don’t have the luxury of choice here. If you’re that upset about it, you can leave.”

“Oh, you’re going there, are you? Let me say one thing.”

“As if I could stop you.”

“You know you’re pushing Karan too far, and you’re acting like a tyrant so all the blame rests on your shoulders. You’re acting this way to make us hate you. Just like a certain adventurer who drove you away using similar methods.”

Nick grabbed Tiana by the collar, enraged by her accusation. But she didn’t stop there.

“The leader of your previous party didn’t give you a reason you could accept when he fired you, and even worse, he didn’t listen at all when you tried to defend yourself. Wasn’t that infuriating? This Argus might have been an amazing adventurer, but he definitely hurt you that day. Are you trying to do the same thing to us?” Tiana asked.

“Why, you little…,” Nick growled threateningly.

“Oh dear. Did I make you mad? Why? Because I brought up your past? Curing labyrinthphobia requires overcoming past trauma. If you’re going to demand that of others, you shouldn’t get so worked up when someone drags up your issues.”

“That is enough, Tiana!” Zem called out.

“Hey, Tiana!” Karan shouted.

Karan watched Nick and Tiana, too stunned by their exchange to move. The tension between them was so great, it seemed they would come to blows. Ten seconds of silence stretched to a minute, and then five. Eventually, the intense anger receded from Nick’s face and he calmly let go of Tiana’s collar.

“Sorry. I wasn’t clear enough with you all,” he apologized.

Nick had been acting like Argus. He couldn’t deny it. Wounds of the past became a part of oneself, for better or for worse. Some wounds inspired direct growth, while others took time to overcome. The Survivors all had plenty of the latter.

“For goodness’ sake… Care to explain yourself?” Tiana asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

“This place should be easy for us, considering our strength. But you never know what could happen in a labyrinth… If something goes wrong, I thought it would be easier for you all to handle if you had someone to blame,” Nick said.

“That’s ridiculous! You pick the worst times to act stubborn,” Tiana replied with a shrug.

“I can tell you’re probably thinking about what Daffy said,” Karan began quietly. “But I’m the one who has to brace myself and overcome this illness, not you. There’s no reason to torment yourself for my sake.”

Zem, who had been observing the conversation quietly, spoke up next. “Nick. I understand how you feel, wanting to cure Karan’s labyrinthphobia. I also agree with your general plan.”

“Zem…,” Nick said.

“However, you should have explained yourself to Karan. And Karan, I understand why you want to respect Nick’s thinking. But you should talk to him before you blindly follow his orders. Have you forgotten why Nick made the rules we abide by as the Survivors?” Zem admonished.

“Urk…”

Karan’s expression made it clear that she had forgotten.

“We are all equal partners. It is your duty to protect the safe and not let us touch it. You should apply that mindset to our adventures as well. If Nick is behaving in a way that doesn’t make sense, you can confront him about it. In fact, as his comrade, that is exactly what you should do,” Zem continued.

“O-okay.”

“I’m not telling you to suspect Nick of nefarious intentions. I trust him as well. But he can have errors of judgment. He has a virtuous soul, but no one is perfect. Party members need to speak up and share their opinion when the situation calls for it.”

“…Okay.” Karan nodded meekly.

“It’s time for you to speak up, Nick,” Bond said.

“Since when were you in charge? Eh, whatever.” Nick smiled with some chagrin. He stood up straight and began to speak. “Adventurers suffering from labyrinthphobia can do as Tiana said. Most actually do spend time clearing a labyrinth of slightly lower difficulty until they feel ready to take on the source of their trauma. It’s an effective method if you want to save your career as an adventurer. But it’s not good enough for Karan.”

“Why not?” Tiana asked.

“White Mask is a demon-god worshipper. His comrades will target us now that we’ve defeated him,” Nick said, sending a chill down the others’ spines. “I don’t have proof of that, but it’d be dangerous to assume they won’t want revenge. They’re good at hiding their identities, they’ve got a boatload of valuable magic tools, and worst of all, they’ve all got more than a few screws loose. We don’t know when or how they’ll come for us… Karan, do you think that Callios guy who stole your dragon king gem could be one of them?”

Karan’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Callios…a demon-god worshipper?”

“Are you sure you aren’t overthinking things?” Tiana asked.

“I’m obviously just guessing… I actually have no basis for that at all. But it doesn’t matter either way. All the demon-god worshippers would have to do to trigger Karan’s labyrinthphobia would be to use a disguise or an illusion and put her face-to-face with someone who looks like Callios. Labyrinthphobia announces your weaknesses to the world. If we really are being targeted, she’ll be in mortal danger until we cure it,” Nick continued.

Karan was shocked to hear this. She had already wanted to cure her labyrinthphobia as quickly as possible, but she hadn’t considered any of that.

“Did you think telling her that would put too much pressure on her? I respect that, but your strange behavior was probably making her even more nervous. Something was clearly off with you,” Tiana chided.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Nick protested.

“It absolutely was!” Tiana insisted.

Just when it looked like the two were going to start arguing again, Karan spoke up softly. “I thought you were hung up on the promise you made to Daffy.”

“That was part of it. She was right that I should make you retire before adventuring breaks you. You’d be surprised by the number of people who refuse to admit their labyrinthphobia isn’t cured only to charge into a labyrinth alone and die,” Nick said.

He steeled himself and looked at Karan.

“Labyrinthphobia destroys adventurers’ careers without exception if uncured. I’d rather kick you out of the party than watch you fail to cure it, push yourself too far, and die.”

The rest were rendered speechless by his brutal honesty.

A fire burned in Karan’s eyes. “I don’t want you to kick me out of the party. I don’t want to die, either,” she said.

“Good,” Nick replied.

“And I especially don’t want to lose to a crook because they took advantage of my illness with a cowardly trick.”

“I agree with you there.”

“Let’s not do this the slow way. Let’s clear this labyrinth and kill the pot snake now.”

“Got it.”

“But I can’t do this alone. I can’t do it with people I don’t trust, either. Give me your support,” Karan requested, extending a fist before her. The others each put a fist to hers.

“Karan. You’re just as brave as you think you are. You’re just as strong as you think you are. And you’re much smarter than you think you are. But we’re here for you if you need us. You don’t have to watch your back,” Nick reassured her.

“Okay,” Karan said.

“Let’s move out, everyone,” Nick said.

Karan sucked in a large breath, channeled all her anger and resolve, and bellowed.

“RAAAAAAARGH!”

Her draconic roar echoed endlessly in the labyrinth, stirring the monsters within.

The Survivors resumed walking.

“Karan! Take out that silver stag!” Nick yelled.

“Take this!” Karan screamed.

Silver stags were incredibly nimble and had hard shells, but unlike most monsters in Pot Snake Cave, they were not poisonous. They served a different purpose; if poison was this labyrinth’s sword, their shiny silver bodies were its shield.

“Watch your surroundings, Tiana! Bond and I will cover you!” Nick called out. He was knowledgeable about the monsters in this labyrinth and stayed composed as he gave orders to his party members.

“I know! Icicle Dance!” Tiana yelled, sending icicles flying in all directions. She didn’t shoot them at random; each one was carefully aimed to strike a monster lurking in the dark. The icicles didn’t all connect, but they restrained the monsters and allowed Nick and Bond to finish them off.

“There are three new ones behind Zem! They’re all underfoot!” Bond said telepathically.

The Survivors’ strategy was simple. Bond used his excellent hearing and smell to find the enemies hiding in the dark and gave orders using Telepathy. The party was able to get through the labyrinth without significant injury or fatigue.

“I sense no more monsters in our immediate vicinity. The only one that remains is…” Bond trailed off.

“The one in the pot,” Nick finished. The others nodded.

The Survivors had reached the bottom floor of the labyrinth. The giant serpent waited there, slumbering within its pot.

Nick laid out the strategy. “All right, let’s review. Tiana will restrain it from behind. Heat and cold will be ineffective if it uses its pot as a shield, so lightning spells will work best. But you don’t have to kill it. Don’t move up to the front line.”

“Got it,” Tiana answered.

“I’m gonna wield Bond as a sword and fight it using hit-and-run tactics. We might have to use Union. Be ready for that,” Nick said.

“Understood,” Bond responded.

“Karan. You’re gonna defend the group by fighting up front. Do your best to provoke the pot snake,” Nick ordered.

“Okay!” Karan exclaimed.

“And Zem. You’re the key to this assault,” Nick said.

“I will cast anti-poison spells once the snake’s color changes. I have learned quite a lot of new spells lately,” Zem replied with a smile. It wasn’t like him to boast.

“When did you learn that kind of magic, Zem?” Tiana asked.

“I found some useful spellbooks while sorting through Nargava’s belongings. The residents there offered them to me as a reward after I gave them treatment. I also found a copy of a spellbook page for Restoration,” Zem explained.

“Excuse me?!” Tiana yelled, surprised. The others were astounded, too.

“That’s the spell that can regenerate a lost limb,” Nick said.

Restoration was a very advanced healing spell that could regenerate a body part lost to injury. There were limitations: It didn’t work if the wound was closed, and it restored body parts while retaining any tumors, sicknesses, or scars. Even so, it was a powerful spell.

“The spell is too advanced for me to use currently, but I will learn it eventually,” Zem said with quiet resolve.

“It was presumptuous of the Garbage Heap residents to think the spellbooks were theirs to give,” Tiana commented, eliciting a bitter smile and a shrug from Zem.

“They have their own way of doing things there. Anyway…I believe I have a good understanding of the nature of the monster’s poison. Please wait as I make an antidote,” Zem said.

“Sweet!” Nick cheered.

Pot Snake Cave was considered a difficult labyrinth because of one unique characteristic: The nature of its monsters’ poison changed over time. The components morphed along with the passing of seasons and years, requiring new antidotes to heal it. There was no shortage of labyrinths with poisonous monsters, but this one was infamous among them. Fortunately, given his knowledge of medicine, the variety of illnesses he encountered in the nightlife district, and the notes and books he had received from Nargava, Zem was more capable than the average priest.

“Most monsters here consume and store poison like puffer fish or oil-eaters. I found moss inside the stomach of a snake I caught. It’s called blue-fire moss, which, unlike most moss, is poisonous,” Zem explained joyfully as he made the medicine.

The others felt a sense of dread as they watched him; Zem was not the type to consider taste when making medicine.

“Urgh… This is disgusting,” Nick grimaced after sniffing the medicinal tea Zem gave him. He held his nose and chugged the green, black, and pink liquid. “Blech… Don’t just watch me, you two. Drink up.”

Tiana and Karan reached for the medicine hesitantly…

“Run, everyone!” Bond yelled, and they all scattered reflexively. A giant spear whooshed through the spot where they had been standing a moment earlier.

“Wh-what the hell just happened?!” Nick shouted, shocked.

He turned around and saw the dim shape of a giant snake. Its eyes shone faintly in the dark. It was undoubtedly the boss of this labyrinth, the pot snake.

“Hey, what gives?! I thought it only emerged when you disturbed it!” Tiana shouted.

“It’s definitely not supposed to leave its nest! Adventurers have killed this thing hundreds of times!” Nick called back.

“Y-yeah! It didn’t come out until I kicked the pot last time!” Karan said.

“There are always exceptions! We’ve seen mutants before!” Tiana said.

“There are records of mutants, but… Well, there’s no point in discussing this now,” Nick said.

The pot snake picked up another weapon in its mouth. Nick figured it had picked up a spear dropped by a deceased adventurer and chucked it at the party as hard as it could. The throw was surprisingly accurate, given the darkness of the cave.

“This is bad… It is using some kind of stealth ability or spell to negate its noise, scent, and body temperature. It is visible, but only barely.” Bond sounded unusually concerned.

“Snakes primarily sense by detecting heat, right?” Nick asked.

“Yes. Snake monsters should be the same,” Bond answered.

“Karan! Tiana! Disturb it with fire and lightning! Don’t worry about drawing attention to yourselves!” Nick ordered.

Karan breathed fire and Tiana cast lightning spells, but the pot snake just calmly backed up. It used a long-handled spear like a crutch to lift itself off the ground, pot and all, and hop around the cave.

“We have a problem, Nick. The medicine…” Zem trailed off, looking at his pot and cups. They had been shattered by the spear. The ingredients he used to make the medicine were on the ground as well.

“Shit… Did you all drink it?” Nick cursed, looking at his party members.

“I am mostly immune to poison,” Bond responded.

“I drank it. However…,” Zem said.

“Karan and I didn’t,” Tiana finished anxiously.

Karan was pale as a sheet.

“Karan, are you okay?” Tiana asked.

Karan jolted at the sound of her name, but she quickly put on a brave front. “We weren’t even sure Zem would be able to make medicine. The plan was to avoid its poison and kill it. We’ll be fine.”

“We didn’t account for a mutant, though. No one’s ever seen it preemptively attack adventurers and use a weapon to move around, right?” Tiana asked.

“Yeah. Both of those are firsts. This is definitely a mutant,” Nick answered. He looked unsure for a moment, but he quickly made up his mind. “We’ll stick to the plan with one alteration—get ready to use Union, Bond and Zem. If anyone gets hurt, we’ll heal them immediately and kill the pot snake.”

Karan gulped. She clenched her fists to stop them from trembling.

“You’re still gonna fight up front, Karan. We’ll heal you with Union if you get poisoned, but we may not be fast enough. Keep that in mind,” Nick said.

“O-okay!” Karan responded.

“Do you understand what we’re asking of you? You’ll have to fight very carefully,” Tiana warned.

“I can’t get cold feet now. Losing my concentration could get me killed,” Karan said.

Tiana groaned. For once, she had no argument.

The Survivors’ fight against the mutant pot snake began.

The final floor of Pot Snake Cave was expansive. The boss was strong, yet its sluggishness made it relatively easy to handle in close combat. At least, that was normally the case.

“Dammit, what’s with this thing?!” Nick cursed.

“The pot is made of a light and soft material! It can contract like rubber or muscle, allowing it to jump! It’s also using its muscles to push off the ground, so think of it as a full-body spring!” Bond yelled.

“Snakes aren’t supposed to jump around like springs! That’s just stupid!” Nick yelled back.

The Survivors struggled to keep up with the pot snake’s shocking agility. It skillfully dodged each of Tiana’s spells. She probably would’ve had no trouble hitting it if they were outdoors, but the dark cave had many stalactites the snake could use to hide behind and swing around on to change directions. Whenever the party lost sight of their quarry, the snake would swing its body like a pendulum from the ceiling and crash toward them pot first.

“The way it zips around reminds me of a weirdo I know. Now I know how annoying it is to deal with,” Tiana complained.

“Hey, who’re you calling a weirdo?” Nick snapped.

“What should we do?”

“I’m thinking.”

The pot snake fell to the ground as they spoke, leaving a small crater. It jumped again, wrapping itself around another stalactite. The Survivors would be crushed if they weren’t careful, and any contact with its poisonous fangs could be lethal, too. They had successfully avoided both so far, but they had been injured by the rocks the pot snake shook from the ceiling.

“It’s wearing us down. If I pause to use healing magic, it will certainly target me,” Zem said, giving Nick a look that communicated a clear message: Should we use Union?

“We can’t lose Zem! Stop trying to protect me, Nick! Just do what you need to do!” Karan yelled.

Zem and Tiana looked at Nick with surprise. He had been protecting her throughout the fight by keeping an eye on her and covering her blind spots. Karan had taken some scratches but no real injuries.

“You need to tell us if you’re gonna do something like that,” Tiana said.

“That would’ve defeated the purpose,” Nick grumbled.

Tiana looked at Nick with relief, but his expression was grim. It would’ve been best if Karan hadn’t realized he was protecting her. Clearing the labyrinth wasn’t important; the only goal was freeing Karan from the shackles of her past trauma.

“I’m not a helpless victim that needs to be protected! I’m a member of your party!” Karan yelled. She lifted her Dragonbone Sword overhead and swung it down as hard as she could.

“Hsssss?!”

“Wha…? I hit it?”

She had struck the monster as it fell toward her, scraping its pot. The creature beat a hasty retreat, shrieking all the while, until the cave fell so silent, it was as if there had never been a battle at all.

“Th-that was incredible… How’d you know it was there?” Nick asked.

“Hee-hee… That was pure luck,” Karan said with a broad smile, deflecting his praise.

“Pure luck… Now, that I don’t believe.” Tiana was baffled.

“Yes, there’s no need to be humble. Feel free to call it intuition,” Zem added, equally surprised.

Karan continued to smile. “The timing was lucky. But you all were in danger. I had to do something.”

The others fell silent for a moment, then reacted with astonishment once they realized what Karan meant.

“You’re kidding. Was that whole conversation an act?!” Nick shouted.

“I meant every word. But I thought I might draw the snake toward me,” the dragonian responded.

Karan was out of breath, and her complexion hadn’t improved. She wasn’t exactly in perfect shape at the moment. But Nick felt a strange sense of ease from her, and a conviction that told him she wasn’t someone who would meet her end here.

“Karan. I’m gonna focus on locating it. Don’t let it interfere, no matter what,” Nick ordered.

“Okay,” Karan responded.

“Bond, cut off your mana a little. Release your blade when I give the signal.”

“What are you planning? You cannot use Magic Search or Search.”

“I’m gonna use Magic Sense.”

That was one of the few spells Nick had learned. It was a simple spell that allowed the user to detect the presence and amount of mana in objects they touched.

“Huh? What are you gonna do with that?” Tiana asked.

“The pot snake’s stealth ability is why we’re having so much trouble. But…I just sensed it,” Nick said after taking off a gauntlet and touching the ground with his bare hand. “It’s quietly moving along the ceiling using the stalactites. The ground and the room’s mana shake subtly when it shifts its weight. There are limits to its stealth, even when it’s out of view. I just felt it under my feet.”

“You can sense that?” Tiana asked.

“It’s easy when I touch a bare hand to the ground… All right, Karan. It stopped moving. It’s gonna attack soon,” Nick warned. Karan began to ready her Dragonbone Sword, but he stopped her. “Don’t give it any indication we know it’s coming. Keep your breathing slow and exhausted. Wait for my order. When I yell, strike as hard as you can.”

“You’ve gotten a lot more reckless,” Karan said.

“You were damn right before—we aren’t helpless victims that need to be protected. We are the hunters,” Nick declared.

Karan calmly digested his words and smiled. Her fiery eyes and sharp teeth shone in the dark. Nick felt sweat run down his back.

“Don’t get too excited, now,” he chided.

“Oh, whoops,” Karan said.

They relaxed for a moment, and the pot snake began to move. It swung like a pendulum without making any noise and flung itself at the Survivors, using its giant body as a weapon.

“Wait, Karan! It’s coming from your right… Now! Hit it with all you’ve got!” Nick yelled.

“GRAAAAAAAH!”

Karan’s roar—which sounded just like an angry dragon—seemed to rise from underneath the ground as it echoed in the cave. White-hot flames surrounded her body, stronger than any she had summoned yet. Nick hadn’t thought much of it when he’d called them hunters, but he felt like he’d hit the nail on the head. The dragonian before him was fearsomely strong.

“Take that!” Karan swung her sword down and cleaved the pot in two before it hit the ground. “…Did you all see that?”

The pot was used to store the snake’s poison and as a shell, and it was a biological part of the snake’s body that connected to its nervous system and skeleton. Karan’s strike was lethal.

But the pot snake’s vitality was something to behold. Its head snapped at her as she powerfully forced it to the ground. Its movement was greatly slowed once its body was severed, but…

“Don’t let down your guard yet, you idiot!”

…the snake only needed to graze her with its fangs to take her down with it. Knowing that, Nick dashed forward and cast Light Body and Heavy Body in quick succession to give himself the strength to leap forward. That wasn’t something he was taught; he’d learned it by watching and mimicking Olivia’s Stepping. He slammed into Karan before he had a chance to celebrate the success of his gamble.

“Shit!” Nick yelled as a sharp fang grazed his breastplate. The armor just barely protected him, but the snake shot venom at him out of its mouth. Sensing that death was near, Nick gritted his teeth.

The world went black.

The first thing Nick saw when he woke up was the setting sun.

He was riding on what he thought was his father’s back, but it was surprisingly soft.

What highway was this? Why were they walking so late? Were they camping again?

Nick’s parents were kind. They tried their best to teach him everything they knew, including how to read and write, how to do math, how to sing, what wild grasses were edible, how to haggle with a merchant, how to read and write a contract, and even how to negotiate with a people without written language.

If there was ever something he couldn’t comprehend, his “teacher” would stay with him until he learned it. His teacher knew everything and didn’t treat Nick like a child. She acted like an older sister to him.

But no one ever told Nick what he really wanted to know. His parents called themselves traveling merchants, but what was their real job? Who really was the teacher, and why did she only seem to appear when called for? Who were they running from?

Nick figured they didn’t tell him those things because he was weak. He worked as hard as he could to not be a burden on their travels. He slept on his father’s back when he was too tired to walk, but he hated slowing them in any way.

That was why Nick’s dream as a child was to live in a city. He wanted to live in a wood or brick house with his family and sleep in a soft bed without fear of being pursued. It was a wish so meager, it could hardly be called a dream.

He wanted to go home, but there was no home to return to. Nick and his parents had been traveling from town to town as long as he could remember, so in a way, the highway was his home. And yet that desire never left his mind.

“I wanna go home…,” he muttered.

“We’re almost there.”

The voice he heard from the person carrying him wasn’t his father’s. It wasn’t his mother’s, either. It was the curt voice of a girl.

“Where am I?” Nick asked.

“The road home.”

Nick’s consciousness slowly came into focus. He finally realized that this was the highway back to Labyrinth City from Pot Snake Cave and that Karan was carrying him on her back.

“Hey… Put me down…,” Nick said, his speech weak and slurred.

“No. Don’t move. You sound terrible,” Karan commanded.

“Oww… My mouth hurts. My jaw hurts. Everything hurts…”

Nick was worse than sore; the moment he became aware of his body, it felt like he was being stabbed by a thousand tiny needles. He didn’t even need to move to feel pain.

“You don’t remember, Nick? You fell headfirst into a puddle of pot snake venom after you shoved Karan aside,” Zem said with a small smile. He was walking behind them.

“I drank the medicine, right…?” Nick asked.

“You probably would have been unhurt if you inhaled poison in mist form, but you swallowed liquid poison and fainted immediately. It is thanks to the medicine that you are here. We were this close to having a use for that body bag,” Zem answered.

“What were you thinking?” Bond muttered.

“Why should our leader be the most reckless member of the party? You need to abide by our name and ‘survive,’” Tiana said.

“Now, now,” Zem said to calm them down. He inspected Nick’s eyes and throat without the usual gentleness a doctor showed an overeager patient. “You are fine. Do your best to bear the pain.”

“Geez, this is so embarrassing…,” Nick muttered.

“You’re worried about embarrassing yourself after saving my life? Stop talking. You’ll bite your tongue,” Karan chided, but Nick didn’t listen to her. He was worried he would faint again if he stopped speaking.

“You took this road home alone last time,” he said.

“Yeah,” Karan responded.

“You really are amazing.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you want to keep working as an adventurer?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Karan agreed without hesitation and stared at the setting sun. She wasn’t watching the night sky or the stars that were blinking into view behind it but the sun itself, seeming to enjoy its beauty as it painted the sky red.

“If you do something that reckless again, Nick, I’ll kick you out of the party,” she said.

“Sorry. That was stupid of me,” Nick apologized guiltily.

Karan laughed, as if she could see his expression without even turning around.

“I have to say, though… I kind of like it when you act stupid,” Karan said. She blushed in the light of the evening sun, but Nick didn’t see it. He just looked at the distant sky and smiled.

“You should follow your heart. If you want to do the right thing, do it. If you want to keep adventuring, don’t let anyone stop you. I’ll support you, even if you laugh at me for doing stupid things. I’ll probably rely on you more than the other way around, though,” Nick said.

“You’ve got that right,” Karan responded.

“Here’s to many more adventures. Let’s live life to the fullest,” Nick said.

The red evening sky slowly turned blue, and lights could be seen turning on in the distant city. The Survivors leisurely made their way toward them.

This was the road home.

Zem told Nick to rest for a week and forbade him from going to concerts. He was calm but stern—there was no arguing with him on this. Nick had no trouble following the former priest’s advice; he was injured all over, and the intense pain and exhaustion he felt from the poison left him little choice but to stay in bed for three entire days. His party members took care of him, and on the fourth day, he was finally able to get up.

“You scared me when you didn’t come to the fan club meetup. I thought I’d visit and fill you in.”

“Thanks, Jonathan.”

Nick had received a visitor in his apartment during his period of rest. It was Jonathan, a boy who seemed to have been raised well. Nick had once saved him from being swindled by his girlfriend out of an expensive necklace, and when the boy was feeling depressed afterward, he invited him to an idol concert to cheer him up. Jonathan ended up becoming just as big an idol fan as Nick.

“Let’s see…” Nick read the report Jonathan gave him. “‘Thieves have been disguising themselves as fans and slipping into concerts to steal expensive new magic items being used for production and lighting. Security has been increased in response, and magic barriers are being erected before the stage.’ What idiots.”

“The lighting at the last couple of shows has been stunning. I heard some fans who are mages and researchers say they’d never seen anything like it,” Jonathan informed him.

“I would’ve liked to see that. Man, I wanna get back to concerts as soon as possible.” Nick sighed.

“Oh, I do have some bad news. The front row has been moved back from the stage a little,” Jonathan said.

“Ah, I guess that’s because of the barrier spell.”

“The barrier’s superstrong, too. Not just any mage could produce it. I’ll bet it’s strong enough to work as a shelter during a Stampede.”

“That feels a little excessive, but…I guess it’s warranted.”

Nick flipped to the last page of the report. It displayed what looked like Wanted posters, complete with sketches of each person and their criminal charges.

“Restless Ironman Giuseppe, a D-rank adventurer. He was banned for life for repeatedly stalking idols’ carriages… This other guy was banned for starting a brawl with spectators… This man was banned for disrupting a concert by howling at the full moon… Even a court mage got banned. That’s crazy,” he said, reading the page.

It was a blacklist for idol concerts. The venue staff and security guards could be trusted to handle ban-ees who were regular people, but some of them were adventurers and knights. That was why the fan club published a list of dangerous banned fans—many of whom had a criminal record—to help with security.

“Huh? I feel like I’ve seen this guy before,” Nick said uncertainly after looking at one of the pictures.

“You mean that Eishu guy?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah. I don’t think I know him. Maybe I just passed him on the street. Hmm… His profile says he writes fraudulent and deceptive documents.”

The man named Eishu had his crimes listed beneath his sketch. He drew and sold moving portraits of idols without permission and sent cursed fan letters that played a voice when touched. He was also wanted on charges of theft, assault, and forging documents. There was a warning saying that anyone who saw him should stay away and report to the closest Sun Knight station.

Nick was taken aback by his description. “He’s clearly skilled and blessed with mana. Why can’t he use that to live a regular life?”

Jonathan agreed with an awkward smile. “And I don’t want to cross someone like that at a concert…”

“If you do, let me or another adventurer handle it. The Hundredth Anniversary Concert’s gonna be a blast,” Nick said.

“Yeah it will! You have your ticket, right? Scalpers have been robbing people blind with the reissues, so you’ll be in trouble if you lose it,” Jonathan warned.

“Yeah, of course. I carry it around…everywhere… Wait, where is it?”

Nick had made plans to go to a special large-scale concert with Jonathan and other idol fans. It was the Jewelry Production One Hundredth Anniversary Grand Idol Appreciation Concert—which fans called the Hundredth Anniversary Concert for short—and the tickets were in high demand. Nick had waited in line for hours to buy his ticket, and after he got it, he’d wrapped it in oiled paper and placed it under a thin wooden board that he fixed to the inside of his breastplate so it would never leave his side.

His breastplate might have been knocked off during the fight against the boss of Pot Snake Cave. The thought sent a wave of anxiety coursing down his body.

“Eh, I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. It’ll be fine,” he said.

“The concert can’t come soon enough! Anyway, I’ll see you later!” Jonathan said before leaving Nick’s room.

Nick immediately began to search his armor, terrified he’d dropped the ticket on the bottom floor of Pot Snake Cave.

“Hey, Nick,” Jonathan said, coming back to the door as Nick frantically looked for the ticket.

“Wha—?! O-oh, hey, Jonathan. Did you forget something?” Nick asked.

“Why do you look so panicked? Anyway, you have a guest,” Jonathan responded.

“Thanks for the help, kid,” said the man Jonathan brought to Nick’s door.

“No problem. See you, Nick.” Jonathan exited again, leaving Nick alone with the new visitor, who was in the hallway by the door.

“…What the hell do you want?” Nick asked.

“I thought you might’ve croaked when I couldn’t find you at Fishermen,” the man said.

Nick held the door open only a little, wary of his new visitor. He would shut the door even more if the man told him to open it.

“I see you’re still breathing, too,” Nick said.

The visitor was a skinny man with long black hair tied into a rough ponytail. He wore a kimono and had a long blade called a katana at his hip. He looked more like a wandering vigilante than an adventurer, the type who would be more likely to hunt bounties in the Garbage Heap—or be pursued by bounty hunters himself—than to fight monsters in a labyrinth.

“The exit’s that way, Garos. It’s down the stairs and to the right,” Nick said.

“I’m here to see you, man… This is quite the room you’ve got here. You can’t see the wall behind all the posters. So you’re an Agate fan. I’d expect a virgin like you to be more of the Diamond type,” Garos commented.

“Mind your own business!” Nick snapped, slamming the door in his face.

“I’m not makin’ fun of you, man! I’m sorry!” Garos yelled through the door.

“I don’t care. I’ve got no business with you. Don’t ever show your face to me again.”

“I came to pay you back!”

“…Huh?”

Nick was stunned. He reopened the door slightly. Garos put down his sword, sat on his knees, then put his hands together and bowed.

“I stole from the party wallet and framed you. I’m sorry!” he said.

“Don’t bow to me out in the hallway unless you want my foot in your face!” Nick yelled.

“If that’ll make you feel better, then—”

Nick kicked Garos in the jaw before he could finish his sentence, and Garos glared at Nick reproachfully.

“God dammit, man! That hurt! I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” he shouted.

“How the hell did you think I’d react?! You can’t treat people like that and expect to be forgiven with a simple bow! You should’ve come here ready for me to kill you!” Nick ranted.

“Now that’s just unfair!”

Nick kicked Garos’s sword down the hallway and lunged, while the ornaments on the sheath rattled like bells. Garos reflexively kicked up at Nick from the ground. Nick dodged it, but a thin blade on the edge of Garos’s shoe cut him on his chin.

“Oh shit, I’m wearing combat shoes. Sorry,” Garos said.

“You’re not supposed to attack back!” Nick yelled.

And so a fight broke out.

“Oww… Did that make you feel better?” Garos asked some time later.

“Oh, shut up. That’s what you say after letting someone hit you without hitting back,” Nick retorted.

There was a large red bruise on Garos’s face where Nick had hit him. He was also gingerly patting his side. That spot seemed to hurt more than it should have, given how lightly Nick had hit him. That might have meant that Garos had an existing injury, but Nick couldn’t be less concerned. He had basically won, but he’d taken a few punches and kicks, too.

“You’re still as fussy as ever,” Garos said.

“Oh, fine… You can come in. I’ll give you five minutes to talk. Don’t touch your sword,” Nick relented.

“What if someone takes it?”

“There’s no one here dumb enough to steal an adventurer’s weapon. Besides, you’re the one who taught me to be cautious of anyone who can kill you, even if they’re a friend or a lover.”

In addition to being Nick’s former party member, he was also an older apprentice of Argus’s. As the senior, he’d taught Nick a number of lessons, most of them involving practical techniques one couldn’t learn from formal sword or martial arts training.

Garos once took Nick to a dojo in the dangerous southeastern part of Labyrinth City to train, luring out thugs with money and attacking them. The point was to teach him how to deal with being surrounded, how to flee in a city, the subtleties of wielding a blade in tight spaces, how to immobilize a foe with a blow or a joint lock, and when to flee when someone was looking for a fight.

Nick still made use of those skills now. His success in the Garbage Heap had even more to do with the knowledge he’d gained from Garos than from the fundamental combat techniques he’d learned from Argus.

“Oh, I did say that, didn’t I?” Garos mused.

“You were always taking me places and teaching me skills you said would be useful for guard work. Do you have any idea how many times you made me pay for your booze?” Nick said.

“Why would I remember that? Well, that’s what I’d like to say, but it’s kinda why I’m here.”

Garos picked up a bag and tossed it at Nick. It was full of gold coins. Each one depicted the sailor saint Braun from the creation myth and was worth ten thousand dina in this kingdom. Judging from the size of the bag, it probably contained at least three hundred thousand dina.

“You didn’t obtain this doing some dangerous job, did you? Are you working as an assassin?” Nick asked.

“Of course not! I got this doin’ guard work. My client took a likin’ to me after I ran off some thugs who attacked their carriage. They gave me a special bonus,” Garos explained.

“So you’re working freelance now?”

“Yeah. Argus doesn’t much like guard or bouncer work.”

Nick knew Garos as an alcoholic, a gambler, and a philanderer, but he was also an elite swordsman. He was a master of a weapon called a katana that was imported from a ruined country called Nozomi, and he could even slice through steel and the hardest of monster shells. He was even better at fighting people than he was at fighting monsters; that was apparently what the katana was designed for.

“If you have time for side gigs, you should go to a labyrinth,” Nick chided.

“Combat Masters was only barely holding together because of the prep work you did for us. You know how important you were,” Garos responded, causing Nick’s anger to flare again.

Combat Masters couldn’t take on the difficult labyrinths they did without careful preparation and sufficient funds. Weapons and armor were necessary, of course, and the work didn’t stop with buying and equipping them—they had to be maintained and eventually replaced. Food and medicine were essential as well, and they needed to buy magic tools and talismans for especially challenging labyrinths.

Nick was saddled with taking care of all that preparation. He managed their funds and items and made sure his party members, who never saved any money, were ready to go. And yet he was kicked out of the party.

“Says the guy who got me kicked out,” Nick snapped.

Garos groaned. “At least let me clear up that misunderstanding.”

“What’re you talking about?” Nick asked suspiciously.

“Argus didn’t just abandon you, and he never believed my lie.”

“…Really.”

“You always had the wrong idea, Nick. Argus is a freakin’ powerhouse. He’d be a match for any S-rank one-on-one. But he has no interest in rank. The only reason he runs Combat Masters is to look after lowlifes like me.”

“Who calls themselves a lowlife?”

“You’re the only one who wasn’t. I actually always thought we were holdin’ you back.”

“Seriously?”

“You know Argus’s history, right? He was a mercenary in the Demon War. I was, too.”

The Demon War was a war between human countries and demon countries that had ended ten years earlier. Demons were a race created by the demon god in ancient times, but they split from their master after deciding they didn’t want to keep living as puppets. They did not make peace with humans, however, and there had been many wars throughout the ages.

“When wars end, it’s always sudden. Even the most skilled mercenaries end up unemployed. Argus started Combat Masters to look after people who can’t do anything other than fight,” Garos said.

“…Wait. This is news to me. He was always talking our ears off about how he chose to be an adventurer and how adventurers should behave. Are the other members of the party former mercenaries, too?” Nick asked.

“Yep. He always fed us those lines ’cause we didn’t start as adventurers. A few of us prolly would’ve ended up with bounties on our heads if he didn’t tie us down like that… Oh, that guy’s a perfect example.”

“Who?”

Garos pointed at the blacklist in the fan club report.

“That Eishu guy. He’s the son of some grand master painter or calligrapher, and he made a name for himself makin’ talismans for the army. Then he got carried away in Labyrinth City and ended up as a wanted criminal,” he said.

“Don’t tell me he was a member of Combat Masters,” Nick asked timidly, but Garos shook his head.

“Nope, he wasn’t. He worked alone ’cause he hated takin’ orders… He did try to force us into buyin’ some talismans once, and Argus got so mad, he threw him out the door. Eishu already had a bounty on his head by that point. You were small, so you prolly don’t remember.”

A vague memory resurfaced in Nick’s mind after hearing that. He could see Argus arguing with a grizzled talisman salesman.

“Anyway, Argus always wanted to set a good example. He told us to forget our pasts when we moved to Labyrinth City and to work as adventurers, and made me swear to never talk about it,” Garos said.

“Then why’re you telling me all this now?” Nick asked.

“’Cause Combat Masters ain’t gonna be around much longer. I don’t need to keep his secrets anymore. You’re independent now, and we’re all about to retire. I’m gonna earn money as a bodyguard and move to the countryside,” Garos responded, standing up.

“Hey, wait! What’s Argus doing?!”

“He’ll have no trouble findin’ work if he goes freelance. It’s nothin’ you gotta worry about… How long do you plan to work as an adventurer?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I ain’t sayin’ you’re not cut out for it. But we humans can’t do violent work like this for too long. It breaks your body and your mind.”

“That’s just your opinion. Plenty of decent adventurers have stayed healthy.”

Garos smiled coldly, as if he knew Nick was bluffing. “That may be true, but never assume the man before you is a decent person. You’ll end up knockin’ on death’s door before you know it.”

“Huh?” Nick said blankly. He didn’t immediately process what Garos said, but then he noticed something. Garos was somehow holding the katana that Nick had kicked down the hall. He had his right hand on the hilt and was ready to strike at any moment. Nick hadn’t thought he’d let his guard down at any point during the conversation. “Try m—”

Garos swung the blade at him before he could finish his sentence. The blade traveled a perfect arc for his neck, bringing certain death.

“Man… You’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Garos said.

“Shut the hell up,” Nick seethed, glaring at him and sweating.

Nick had realized he had no chance of dodging Garos’s swing. The man’s overwhelming speed rivaled Olivia’s, and Nick was in a disadvantageous position sitting down. So he’d put his hands together and caught the blade. He’d first cast Light Body to significantly increase his speed, then once he stopped the blade between his palms, he cast Heavy Body to give himself strength far beyond Garos’s expectations. As Nick caught the katana, he realized he might be able to use that technique to replicate what Olivia did when she threw him out the window.

“I thought I’d give you a little more instruction, but I guess that won’t be necessary,” Garos said.

“You think I’m happy to hear that from you? You just went easy on me, didn’t you?” Nick asked.

“Yep. But I won’t hesitate to kill you if my next job requires it. Got that?”

He reached for his weapon, but Nick slapped his hand away and threw it out of the room. They heard it stab into the wall of the hallway.

“Hey, what gives?!” Garos shouted.

“Don’t think this money is enough to make us even. You’d better hesitate if you ever end up with a chance to kill me. You’ll carry that guilt for the rest of your life,” Nick warned.

“What?!” Garos responded, clearly unsure of what to say. After a short silence, he began to snicker. “Man, you haven’t changed at all. You’re not still givin’ guild receptionists and merchants a hard time, are you?”

“Better that than being as careless as you! Are women still swindling you out of your money?!” Nick fired back.

“Shut up! Look around you, bud! Your room is covered in Agate posters and merchandise!”

“I’m not being swindled! I chose to invest in her!”

“That’s even worse!”

“Excuse me?!”

Their argument devolved into another fistfight, until Nick ran out of steam and Garos slipped out of the room like smoke, leaving the bag full of coins. Nick stared at them silently without pocketing them.

Something about this farewell seemed final. If they ever did see each other again, it wouldn’t be as former comrades. Neither would hold back in a fight, even if it meant killing the other. Nick knew it.

That was their last interaction as fellow apprentices.

One week had passed since the Survivors’ adventure in Pot Snake Cave. Nick had finally recovered enough for the party to go to the Adventurers Guild.

“What took you all so long to make your triumphant return? Who do you think you are, cabinet ministers? You should’ve come sooner.”

The woman facing the Survivors was Vilma, a guild employee. She was a white-haired old woman, but her dignified manner and sharp eyes gave her an intensity that many active adventurers lacked. She was a former adventurer herself and was truly strong.

Nick didn’t argue in response to her slight provocation, surprising everyone. “I don’t wanna be here… Can I go home?” he asked.

“Nick, please show a little more enthusiasm,” Zem said with a strained smile.

Nick was the perfect picture of the phrase “down in the dumps.” He was hunched over, despite his usual good posture, his eyes were lifeless, and his gloom seemed to pervade the whole space.

“When did you become so spineless? You just cleared Pot Snake Cave,” Vilma said. She wasn’t trying to provoke him; she was genuinely confused by his behavior.

“He has been this way since he realized he might have dropped a concert ticket in the labyrinth,” Zem explained.

“You’re always so careless,” Karan said.

They both stared at Nick with disbelief, but he just sank back into the conference room’s couch.

“It was an S-tier ticket for the Hundredth Anniversary Concert. And I can’t have it reissued ’cause a bunch of assholes have been making forgeries… Argh! Damn it all! I’m so stupid!” Nick complained.

“Hmm, I see. I don’t know if that makes you lucky or unlucky…,” Vilma muttered.

“Huh? What could possibly be lucky about losing my ticket?” Nick asked.

“Never mind. Save your hobbies for after work. You’ve already gotten your reward, so the only thing left to do is the report,” Vilma responded.

“Oh, right. Let’s get it over with…,” Nick said gloomily, making an effort to collect himself. He faced Vilma and told her about the mutant pot snake they’d encountered.

“You all are finding mutants on every adventure,” Vilma commented.

“You’ve got that right. How do we keep getting so unlucky? Does the world just hate us?” Nick complained.

“Stop thinking that you’re special. That mindset is so typical of young people. Fourteen mutant monsters have been sighted over the last three months. Your encounter rate is rather high, though,” Vilma said gravely.

“So mutant numbers are increasing after all. Do you think it’s coming?” Nick asked.

“Yes, I think so. Estivation is almost here, though, so it’s more likely to happen in the winter,” Vilma answered.

The other Survivors were confused by their ominous exchange. Tiana spoke up for the group.

“What’s coming?” she asked.

“A Stampede,” Nick answered.

Nervous comprehension dawned on his party members’ faces. A Stampede was a disaster-grade event, when a massive number of monsters spawned and left their labyrinths to attack human settlements. The abundance of monsters out in the world enriched the ground with miasma, which fed life to the demon god. That meant it was a sign of the demon god’s resurrection.

“That’s really bad!” Tiana shouted. She started to jump to her feet, but Nick stopped her.

“Calm down. Most Stampedes are small in scale, just like earthquakes and storms. As long as it isn’t a massive, once-in-a-few-centuries Stampede, there’s no risk of the demon god being resurrected,” he reassured her.

“Really? I’ve never heard of Stampedes happening around the capital,” Tiana said.

“That’s ’cause there aren’t many labyrinths around the capital, and the mana in the ground is stable. Here, we’re surrounded by labyrinths and much less stable ground, so small Stampedes are pretty common. There was one three years ago, right?” Nick asked.

Vilma nodded. “Yeah. There were three monster hordes. One was made up of over five hundred goblins, one had golems, and the other consisted of tree monsters. Some traveling merchants fell prey to them on the highways, but they were stopped before they reached any farming villages or towns.”

“Oh, that’s not as bad as I thought… I expected a nationwide emergency,” Tiana said.

“It would be if the Stampede was big enough to reach the capital, but that only happens once a century or so… Oh, wait. You might be in for a hard time, Tiana,” Nick mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Tiana asked suspiciously.

“When the Stampeding monsters leave their labyrinths, they mostly emerge onto expansive plains and highways. Dragon knights are more suited to taking them out than adventurers. It’s best to crush them with mobility and numbers.”

“What do dragon knights have to do with me?”

“You don’t know? The dragons and their jockeys that compete in dragon races are recruited to fight as dragon knights. Races will be canceled for around a month until the Stampede is suppressed.”

Tiana’s face went blank until the meaning of what Nick said set in. “No! I don’t want that to happen!” she screamed.

“Sorry, but—”

“There are a lot of important cups in the winter, like the Big Dipper Memorial and the Pumpkin Stakes! Do something about it!” Tiana whined.

“Calm down, Tiana. There’s no guarantee that’ll happen!” Nick said.

Vilma put a hand to her forehead and sighed for the umpteenth time. “Nobody’d ever know you high-strung kids were on the cusp of C rank.”

“Oh yeah, I wanted to confirm the promotion,” Nick said, relieved by the change of topic.

“That’s fine with me. You all are free to go to Pioneers and take on more lucrative jobs. You can also take on more dangerous labyrinths. I wish you luck in continuing to increase your rank. Well, that’s what I would say, but…” Vilma paused. “First, I have a job for you. It’s a bodyguard job. You all have never done one of those, right? Want to give it a try?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that.” Karan sounded interested.

“Bodyguard and escort jobs are typically handled at the Travelers branch of the Adventurers Guild, but this place and Manhunt also handle ones that stay in the city,” Nick explained.

“Have you ever done one?” Karan asked.

“We did a decent amount of them in Combat Masters. Argus and Garos were really good; everyone wanted to hire them…,” Nick replied with a mixed expression. He had just remembered what had happened with Garos.

“What’s wrong?” Karan asked.

“N-nothing. The clients are usually rich, so the jobs become a real pain if you upset them in any way.”

Vilma smiled at Nick. She reminded him of a witch taking delight in a suspicious nightly ritual.

“Oh? Are you sure you want to talk about a job from this client that way? I can picture you a few minutes from now kneeling before me and begging, ‘Please let me take this job!’” she teased before handing a piece of paper to Nick.

Though suspicious of Vilma’s attitude, he began to read it.

“I couldn’t tell you why, but the client chose you all for this job. If you don’t want it, though, by all means, tell me. I’ll give it to a different party,” Vilma said playfully.

Nick didn’t even hear her. His eyes darted across the page, hands shaking. He read it multiple times, ensuring the words would stick in his head.

“Wh-what is it, Nick?” Bond asked.

“Is this…real life?” Nick finally said.

Sensing that they weren’t getting anywhere, Tiana snatched the paper from Nick’s hands.

“Hey, what’re you doing?!” Nick complained.

“Let’s see here… It’s a weirdly long job. I don’t love the idea of being tied down by guard work until the end of next month. We probably won’t be able to explore any labyrinths,” Tiana said.

“Yeah. I figure the job will last until after the concert,” Nick said.

“Concert? What?” Tiana read the document again. “The main locations for the job will be the client’s office, Starmine Hall, the southern town hall, and other event venues within Labyrinth City. The client is…Jewelry Production.”

“That means we’ll be working as bodyguards at idol concerts,” Nick explained, his voice shaking. The other Survivors put their palms to their heads.

“So what’ll it be?” Vilma asked.

“Please let me take this job!” Nick begged, fulfilling Vilma’s prediction.

Broadly speaking, Labyrinth City got poorer and cruder the farther southeast one went. The most impoverished part of the city was the Garbage Heap, where residents settled down in abandoned buildings and expanded them with their own amateur construction. The people there led decadent and dangerous lives.

By contrast, the opposite side on the northwest of Labyrinth City was known for its sanctuaries, research facilities, aristocratic and magic schools, luxurious restaurants, and wealthy residential districts. The government office buildings and political agencies of Labyrinth City were located in the center of the city, so the most powerful bureaucrats and political leaders actually didn’t live in the northwest, but the district still had a high threshold for entry. The wealth made it easy for any visitor to feel out of place, which served as its own form of security. That made it a perfect base for an idol agency, as long as it could afford the high property value.

“Should we really have come here dressed so obviously as adventurers? I feel out of place,” Bond complained.

The Survivors didn’t exactly fit in among the people walking the streets in the northwest district of the city, and the primary reason for that was their clothing. Most men wore a suit and tie or majestic robes, while the women wore blouses tailored specifically for them or glittering robes that looked like magic school uniforms.

“That’s not our fault. Besides, armor is at least semiformal. These clothes would be appropriate to wear if we were invited to a noble mansion,” Nick argued, but his party members could tell how happy he was to be here. The slightly higher pitch of his voice gave him away.

“Don’t forget why we’re here, Nick. This is a bodyguard job. If you start acting like a creep around the idols, you’re gonna pay for it,” Tiana warned.

“Yes, you should act naturally. I am worried that your image of these idols will be shattered upon actually meeting them,” Zem said, giving advice of his own.

“D-don’t worry, I’ll take the job seriously,” Nick said.

Nick had jumped on the job immediately when Vilma offered it, but Tiana and Zem quickly admonished him. He normally inspected the contract and asked question after question before accepting any job, to determine its legitimacy and the chances of actually receiving the reward, so the others were taken aback by his behavior. Nick regained his composure after that, but he didn’t find anything wrong with the job’s terms. Vilma teased them because she knew they would accept it.

“Make sure you stay focused, okay? They might ask us about the paladin. I doubt they would’ve contacted us in this roundabout way if they found us out, though,” Tiana said.

“I know. We never would’ve been able to take this job if it hadn’t been given to us directly. We would’ve had to be really lucky if we applied,” Nick replied.

The Survivors hadn’t actually signed an official contract for this bodyguard job yet. They might have signed one at the guild if it was a basic escort, but this job involved working as bodyguards for over a month. They would sign the actual contract after the client interviewed and tested them. The party was heading toward the office of the client—Jewelry Production—to gain their approval.

“Good. I don’t want you getting nervous and fidgety. It would be rude to the people we’ll be protecting,” Tiana warned.

“That’s enough, Tiana. He’s already much better now than when he’s in idol mode,” Karan said to calm the mage down.

“Eh, I guess you’re right. Whatever happens, happens. Are we almost at the meeting place? Where is it?” Tiana asked.

“We’re supposed to meet a guide at the bridge, but…I don’t see anyone,” Nick answered, looking around. Just when he started to wonder if he had the wrong location, Karan tugged on his sleeve.

“Look at them, Nick. They’re amazing,” she said.

“Who?” Nick asked.

Karan pointed toward a river. A group of girls in casual attire was running and shouting on the riverside. They stood out in this district even more than the Survivors did.

“Quit dragging your feet! Raise your voices!”

“Yes ma’am!”

“I can’t hear you! Yell loudly enough to reach the fans in the back row! Your voices should travel to the peaks of the Five-Ringed Mountains!”

It was a training session. A pink-haired girl in dark red athletic gear was calling to the girls with a loud, aggressive voice one wouldn’t expect from her small physique. She seemed to be some kind of leader or trainer, and the other girls didn’t complain—or couldn’t complain—as they obeyed her commands and pushed themselves. Some of the girls were too exhausted to move a finger, while others were still running and exercising with ease.

Nick found the sight heartwarming. Argus had pushed him just as hard, and he didn’t slack on his training now that he was independent. He would never think to train in a wealthy residential district like this, though.

“I wonder who they are. You don’t typically see all-female knight or mercenary groups. This is a weird place to train, too,” Nick said.

“Yeah,” Karan agreed.

“Eh, whatever. We need to focus on finding our guide. They might be somewhere near the pink-haired girl,” Nick said, looking around.

“You might want to look again,” Karan responded. She pointed to the riverside a second time.

“Huh? Yeah, I see them. I don’t think they’re… Wait.” Nick stared at the girls by the riverside, looking flustered. “Hey, that looks like Agate. And is that Topaz and Amber beside her?”

“How can you tell from this far away? Can you put that skill to use in labyrinths, please?” Tiana nagged.

Bond made a ring with his fingers and looked through it at the riverside. That was a habit of his when using Search to look at something in the distance. “That blue-haired girl is definitely Nick’s idol— Oh, they noticed us,” he informed the group.

The pink-haired girl turned around and smiled. Her face had a tranquil, statuesque beauty, and her smile had all the radiance of the sun. Even Nick’s party members were captivated by her appearance.

“Yoo-hoo! Over here! You’re the people sent by the guild, right?” she called out.

The Survivors could hear her surprisingly clearly even though she was on the opposite side of the river. Strangely, however, her voice wasn’t ear-piercingly loud; it instead sounded as if she was right next to them.

“How is she doing that? That’s crazy,” Karan said, surprised.

“She’s not yelling. She simply strengthened the directionality of her voice. We are the only ones who can hear her,” Bond said.

“What do you mean, Bond?” Tiana asked.

“The sound waves of her voice are not spreading. She is using a strengthening spell on either her vocal cords or her throat,” Bond deduced. He sounded impressed.

Nick offered a further explanation. “Sound crackles when you use a magic item to amplify a voice. That happens ’cause the sound collides with dust and other things inside the magic item. It’s hell on your ears. But somehow, some of Jewelry Production’s idols can use a technique to get around that. It’s called Vocal Guidance.”

“Can you stop trying to make it sound like it’s some earth-shattering discovery?” Tiana said wearily, but Nick ignored her and looked at the pink-haired girl, who was beckoning them over despite their obvious bewilderment.

The history of Teran, the Labyrinth City, was at once long and short.

The name Teran dated back over a millennium. The land had once hosted a facility called the Teran Magic Laboratory. Later, it fell under control of the demon god vanguard and came to be known as the Teran Cluster. Mankind retook the land during the war with the demon god and built a defense institution called the Teran Distortion Agency. Many more destructive events ravaged the land, until a massive Stampede finished it off and turned it into a ruin surrounded by labyrinths.

Eventually, the region once again saw major development and became what was now known as Labyrinth City. The destroyed and abandoned buildings were cleared away to create vacant plots, and adventurers helped grow the economy by collecting materials from monsters, which were either exported or processed within the city to create magic items. Some adventurers retired to work in commerce and industry—or if they were smart enough, to get involved in the city’s politics.

One person named Diamond, the leader of an adventurers’ party called the Adamantine Ensemble, had a major influence on the city’s entertainment industry. Her party was the predecessor of the modern-day Jewelry Production, and unusually, every member could sing and dance. They eventually discarded their swords and staves, but not their music, and they performed live in the streets, at bars, and even outside the city as they devoted themselves to aiding Labyrinth City’s development. That was how a unique music culture formed along with the development of Teran itself.

“So essentially, the original Diamond laid the foundation for modern idols,” Nick said.

After they met her at the riverside, the pink-haired girl led the Survivors to a rudimentary building that looked like a warehouse. The mechanical atmosphere and ducts running along the ceiling made it look like a repurposed factory.

“That’s why Diamond is a special name. Idols at this agency inherit a number of different jewel names, but only one girl every ten to twenty years gets the name Diamond, like you. Some get slightly different names like Pink Diamond or Black Diamond.”

“Wow, you know your stuff! I’m impressed!”

The Survivors had been led to a reception room inside the warehouse-like building. Just like Nick said, the pink-haired idol’s name was Diamond. She was petite and slightly taller than Tiana, and she was wearing dark red track pants and a T-shirt with a large word from the ancient civilization’s language printed on the front. Her long pink hair was too glossy and soft to belong to a human, swaying and bobbing at the slightest movements.

Diamond’s most attention-grabbing feature, however, were her eyes. They were large, full of energy, and most of all, extremely adorable.

“Thanks,” Nick said, doing his best to remain composed before the most famous idol alive. If he wasn’t on duty, he probably would’ve asked her to sign his armor by now.

“By the way, do you come to my concerts, Nick?” Diamond asked.

“Your solo concerts always sell out immediately. The only times I’ve seen you is when you appear as a surprise guest at Aggies’s concerts,” Nick explained, the words flying out of his mouth. His party members normally would’ve ribbed him for the way his speech accelerated when idols were involved, but they were overpowered by Diamond’s mystical presence as well. It wasn’t out of fear or awe, however.

“What’s wrong? You’re still nervous, aren’t you? Come on, smile! Show me those pearly whites! It’s an adventurer’s job to smile!” Diamond said.

“No, it’s not,” Tiana commented.

Diamond gave her an enthusiastic wink and a thumbs-up. Tiana chuckled, then seemed to be shocked by her own behavior.

“Stop acting all stuffy and formal! Or would you rather join us and work as idols? You look like you have good balance, dragonian girl! Have you danced before?” Diamond asked.

“I performed the Dragon Dance when I was a kid. I don’t hate dancing, but… I don’t want to quit working as an adventurer,” Karan said.

The Dragon Dance was a traditional dragonian dance. It involved dancing along to percussive instruments, and it was performed at summer and winter solstice festivals and to give a warm welcome to travelers.

Most dragonians left home to become adventurers or warriors, but some occasionally decided to try to make a living as dancers.

“Hmm. Okay. Well, you wouldn’t be the only girl who performs as an idol on the side, so feel free to apply at the recruitment window anytime!” Diamond said.

“That’s great and all, but it’s not what we’re here for. I want to talk about our job,” Tiana interjected. She seemed just as overwhelmed as Karan.

Diamond had a natural knack for lifting others’ spirits just by being around them. The Survivors all felt like she was a mirthful fairy who had jumped right off the pages of a novel.

“Yeah. I wanna hear about idol stuff, but we’re here to discuss the bodyguard job. Umm… Can we consider you our direct client?” Nick asked timidly.

“Yeah, I am!” Diamond responded with an enthusiastic nod.

“No, she’s not,” a bald man in a suit who was sitting next to her answered at the same time.

“Hey, this was my idea! I should be the client!” Diamond whined.

“Miss Diamond. You need to leave backstage jobs and security to the staff.”

“Oh, come on, that’s just dumb. There’s a lot I need to explain to them directly,” Diamond complained, swinging her legs and clicking her tongue to show her annoyance. When she didn’t protest beyond that, the bald man turned to Nick.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Joseph Coleman, Diamond’s producer,” he said.

“I’m Nick from the Survivors. It’s nice to meet you,” Nick replied.

“Yes, I have seen your face plenty of times. I am also Agate’s producer,” Joseph said. Nick nodded with a troubled expression.

“Mr. Coleman. It sounds like you already know this, but this guy is a hard-core idol fan. Are you okay with that? Are you sure you want him as a bodyguard?” Tiana interjected.

“I appreciate the concern. This issue was hotly debated within the agency,” Joseph answered.

“What do you…? Eh, that makes sense. It’s definitely strange,” Nick said, starting to argue but then nodding with understanding.

“Oh, do you think so?” Zem asked.

“Honestly, I half suspected this job was given to us by some criminal posing as the agency. And even if it was legit, I thought there had to be something weird going on,” Nick admitted.

Zem’s expression turned serious. “You should have said so sooner, Nick. I thought the prospect of working with idols might have driven all critical thinking from your mind.”

“Sorry. I did get a little excited,” Nick replied. Zem looked both exasperated and relieved. “It also occurred to me later that my friends in the idol fandom might shun me forever if they hear about this. I’m taking a big risk here.”

“Are you afraid of learning all our secrets?” Diamond asked with a smile.

Joseph observed quietly; it seemed like he wasn’t going to prohibit her from casual conversation.

“Trust me, I’d love the chance to watch you all up close, but I’d hate if I couldn’t be a fan anymore,” Nick said.

“I don’t want to give up your ability to be a fan, but… You’ll have to stop going to fan gatherings for a little while. At least while you’re under our employ,” Diamond responded.

“You both must want to know if we’re fit for the job. This is business, not an extension of my fan activities. I think we should get to the point,” Nick said.

“There are some idol fans who treat our concerts as business opportunities, you know.”

“Huh?”

“Though I guess it’d be more accurate to say they pretend to be idol fans. Have you heard of scalpers?”

Nick grimaced. “Yeah. They’re jerks who buy all the tickets they can and try to make money off them. I’ve heard some people make fake tickets and try to force their way into the venue.”

“It’s a real headache. These people are hurting our image,” Diamond said.

Surprise formed on Nick’s face. “Hold on… Do you want us to catch these guys?”

“This isn’t normally the kind of problem you’d turn to adventurers for, but we’re afraid this might lead to a concert being disrupted or one of our girls being targeted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Who do you think is buying the resale tickets?”

“The spoiled sons of nobles and merchants with too much money? Oh wait, I know where you’re going with this…,” Nick said.

“The biggest threat is fans who have been banned from concerts for life and can’t buy legitimate tickets. Some of these banned fans are advanced adventurers, knights, and mages,” Diamond told them.

“You can’t be serious,” Tiana said.

Nick pressed his lips together, thinking back to the fan club report Jonathan had given him. “Those idiots do exist, unfortunately.”

“We need to determine if these people are just fools or if they are serious criminals with connections to demon-god worshippers,” Joseph said.

That got the Survivors’ attention.

“Why would you suspect that?” Nick asked.

Instead of answering, Joseph produced a slip of paper. “Jewelry Production’s tickets are made with a special process. They are printed with ink extracted from particularly beautiful flowers that only grow in labyrinths, and the coloring and patterns cannot be achieved with normal printing equipment,” he said.

The surface of the paper shone slightly and changed colors, depending on the viewing angle. The special printing had a sparkling, jewel-like quality to it. By contrast, the text was simple and easy to read.

JEWELRY PRODUCTION ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY IDOL APPRECIATION CONCERT

BLAZING MOON DAY 30. 6:00 PM. STARMINE HALL. ROW C SEAT 15.

It was an idol concert ticket.

“Wow, it looks like paper money,” Bond remarked.

“Oh yes, paper money was used in the past,” Zem said.

They both examined the ticket curiously.

“Paper money still exists, actually. All the countries and banks that printed it were devastated by past wars, but what remains still has value. Very few people use it, though,” Tiana said.

“Wow, you know a lot!” Diamond exclaimed, surprised.

“But this is the first time I’ve seen something resembling paper money that was made in the modern era,” Tiana commented.

“Hee-hee. The recent advancements in modern printing are incredible. This ticket costs ten thousand dina because of the anti-counterfeiting measures… Which would be fine on its own, but the problem is they’re being resold for a million,” Diamond said. This news was a shock to all the Survivors but Nick.

“A million?!” Karan responded, shocked.

“Yes, it’s true. Some people have also begun to take advantage of the rising ticket prices by making and selling forgeries,” Joseph added.

“It takes only ten forged tickets to make ten million dina. Crazy, right? Look at this,” Diamond said, picking up a slip of paper. She put it next to the ticket. Its luster and coloring appeared identical, and so was the writing.

BLAZING MOON DAY 30. 6:00 PM. STARMINE HALL. ROW C SEAT 15.

“Is that a fake ticket?! It looks exactly like the real one!” Nick exclaimed. It was his turn to be shocked.

The iridescence of the ticket and its coloring were slightly different, but anyone who noticed that would chalk up the differences to slight variations in printing between each ticket. The design and writing were identical.

Nick found one aspect of the ticket strange. “Wait, this is a ticket for reserved seating. A general admission ticket would be way easier to get away with.”

“I imagine the forgers made it a reserved seat ticket so they could sell it for as much as possible. And the larger the concert, the harder it is to catch duplicate tickets at the point of entry. It’s also unlikely anyone who arrives with a fake ticket will follow orders and leave without a fuss. Some people simply want to enter the venue,” Joseph explained.

“Do some people try to get backstage and into the dressing rooms?” Zem asked with a knowing expression.

“Yes, actually. We have had multiple guards assaulted and injured trying to keep fans out of dressing rooms. No idols have been injured yet, but neither have any criminals been captured or identified,” Joseph answered.

“Do you think they’ll come back?” Zem asked.

“We could handle any repeat offenders, but there is a chance a large group of people will storm the backstage area at once. The Hundredth Anniversary Concert next month is Jewelry Production’s largest event ever, and I expect the risk of violence to be proportionally large,” Joseph said.

“But where do demon-god worshippers come into this? I can’t imagine why they’d bother with an idol concert,” Nick asked.

“Oh? Are you surprised to hear me mention them?” Joseph said.

“How could I not be? They’re a mysterious group plotting to resurrect the demon god.” Nick seemed exhausted.

“Oh, I see. That’s how you think of them,” Joseph said.

“Huh? Who do you think they are?” Nick asked.

“We just perceive their real threat slightly differently. To us, they’re an illegal organization that makes a massive profit by selling stolen goods and contraband. It wouldn’t be wrong to call them a combination of a heretic cult, a gang, and a band of thieves.”

Nick’s mouth fell open in shock. “R-really?”

“Yes. Demon-god worshippers have attacked research facilities and artifact storehouses. Any other industry or business that deals in large sums of money must be wary of them.”

“So you have to be more careful of them than the average person.” Nick thought these explanation made sense.

“Of course, we currently have no reason to suspect them other than by the process of elimination. We have no evidence of involvement from other illegal organizations. But the threat posed by the counterfeit tickets is more important right now than identifying the criminals. That is why we want to hire capable, trustworthy people as guards.”

“How can you trust us when this is the first time we’ve met? Doesn’t the client normally perform a test for an extended bodyguard job like this?”

“Think of this conversation as your interview. I do already plan to give you an official offer, though.”

“What?” Nick was surprised to hear that. He was about to ask for the reason when Joseph continued.

“You want to know why we chose you, right? It’s because you fought White Mask,” he said.

The tension in the room rose noticeably.

“…Guess we’re celebrities now,” Nick commented.

There were a few shady rumors associated with idol agencies. Some people suspected they were actually consulting firms that lent money. Others believed they obtained their talent through human trafficking. Yet more people suspected connections to major politicians or noble lords. Nick thought most of those rumors were unfounded, but he was beginning to believe some pieces of them might be true.

“In other words, your allegiances are clear. We know you don’t work for demon-god worshippers,” Joseph said.

“It’s not like we chose to fight White Mask, though. Surely there are other people you can trust on that count. The Sun Knights, for instance,” Nick argued.

Joseph didn’t seem to care. “The Sun Knights are reliable, but I don’t expect them to consider our every need.”

“We’ve had knights start trouble with fans and even use their position to get close to idols. I don’t do well with those types.” Diamond sighed.

Nick nodded with understanding.

The Order of the Sun Knights worked to protect the peace in Labyrinth City, and deftly handled incidents involving violence and threats. Their authority gave them a difficult relationship with the populace, however.

“Your job will be to protect the idols. You’ll help escort them from the office to concerts and guard them within the venues. Essentially, I want you to protect them every hour they spend working as idols. There are numerous events and concerts before the Hundredth Anniversary Concert, and I would like you to begin work today,” Joseph explained.

“Huh? Today? We’re not even waiting until tomorrow?” Nick asked, surprised.

“Our agency has twenty idols who have already made their debut. We have five carriages to transport them, each of which is operated and protected by a team of guards. We’re still short one team, however. Multiple guards have been injured trying to stop fans who entered a venue using fake tickets and grew violent. We just don’t have enough people.”

“So you’ve already got holes you need us to plug.”

“I’d like to hire a team that has reliable leadership and members who know how to divvy up responsibility. You had plenty of bodyguard experience in Combat Masters, didn’t you, Nick?” Joseph asked with a glint in his eyes.

He was suggesting he knew a good amount about Nick’s past. Nick nodded, trying not to react to that.

“We will prepare an ample reward,” Joseph went on. “I cannot guarantee you personal interaction with idols, handshake tickets, or concert tickets, however.”

“You have to take a break as an idol fan,” Karan said with a teasing smile. Her eyes were determined, and she looked ready to crunch heads with her shining canine teeth.

“What do you think, Bond?” Nick asked. The holy sword had been unusually quiet.

“We don’t have a choice. We have already fought White Mask. It was only a matter of time before we wound up in danger or a chance presented itself,” Bond answered.

“Yep,” Nick agreed.

“But this job will keep us busy for quite a long time. As our leader, you need to make sure we are properly rewarded. Specifically, we’re going to need…,” Bond said, lowering his voice and leaning in abnormally close to Nick’s face.

“Hey, back off,” Nick protested, bewildered.

“No. I don’t want to be overheard,” Bond said.

Nick noticed something in Bond’s eyes, and he nearly gasped in surprise. They were small letters. One eye said “Don’t use” and the other said “Telepathy.” It was a warning.

“…Yeah, this is gonna be a really difficult job,” Nick muttered.

And so the Survivors stepped into the world of conspiracy hidden behind the brilliant idol facade.

The rhythmic clopping of horse’s hooves on stone pavement echoed within the carriage as Tiana drove it through the city. Nick was sitting next to her.

“Haah, I never thought I’d find myself working as a coachman.” Tiana sighed.

“You should just be grateful we’re not fighting with veteran guards over deployment like you normally have to on jobs like these,” Nick responded.

Joseph Coleman had placed the Survivors in charge of a carriage shortly after their conversation. It was rare for the deployment of adventurers on bodyguard or escort jobs to be decided so smoothly. Coordination with veteran guards was normally an issue, and there was no guarantee that the person who needed protection would follow orders from the newcomers. Nick had been prepared to receive a less-than-warm welcome.

Contrary to his expectations, the veteran guards relaxed when they saw the party, relieved to have received reinforcements. The injuries had left them understaffed and overworked. Joseph had apparently spoken positively of the Survivors’ accomplishments and told the guards that they’d caught the Iron Tiger Troop, so they got off on the right foot.

Nick was beginning to realize that guarding idols was an exploitative and thankless job that didn’t pay enough for how exhausting it was.

“I’m glad one of us is good with horses. That’s a huge help,” Nick said.

“Don’t mention it,” Tiana responded.

Tiana was the one who had the most experience with horses. Nick and Zem had both ridden and taken care of horses plenty of times, but they weren’t experts like her. Karan was terrible at riding, which was true of all dragonians; horses were spooked by their dragon scent and sizable mana. Bond had absolutely zero experience and was so curious about them, it would have been dangerous to have him drive the carriage.

As such, they had stationed Zem and Bond behind the carriage, Karan inside the carriage with the people they were protecting, and Nick and Tiana on the coachman’s platform.

“Hey, Nick. You’re free to use Telepathy now.” Bond’s voice echoed within Nick’s mind.

Telepathy was a spell that allowed one to transmit their voice into another person’s head without making noise, regardless of distance. It could be used to communicate in labyrinths while avoiding detection from monsters or to speak to comrades without being overhead during a negotiation. It was highly convenient.

Bond had never told the party not to use it before.

“What was that back there?” Nick asked.

“I can customize my skin and eye color to an extent, which lets me…”

“Not your eyes. That was the first time you’ve ever told us not to use Telepathy,” Nick interrupted.

“I think the office was being monitored,” Bond answered.

“Monitored? You mean someone would’ve noticed our Telepathy, like we did when the Iron Tiger Troop used it?”

“Yes. That is what I felt. They would not have been able to hear our conversation, but they could have used the process of elimination to figure out that we were the ones who used Telepathy.”

The party gulped in response.

“Who was it? Someone from the agency? Or was someone monitoring us from the outside?” Nick asked.

“It felt like something was set up within that room. I do not think it came from outside,” Bond answered.

“Why would someone do that?”

“They were probably being careful. There aren’t many people who can use Telepathy,”

Zem began to speculate. “Perhaps our initial suspicions were correct, and the agency offered us this job after guessing that we might be the paladin. They could have set a trap in that room to detect the usage of any ancient spells such as Telepathy.”

“…I could see that,” Nick said.

Nick and Tiana had actually used the ancient spell Union to save a Jewelry Production idol. The idol was even inspired by that incident to write a song called “The Lovely Paladin.”

“But what would they do after finding the paladin? Like you said, Tiana, they wouldn’t have used this roundabout method if they just wanted to say thanks,” Karan said.

“Hmm… Maybe they’re being cautious. They could see us as a threat similar to White Mask,” Tiana guessed.

“If they were cautious of us, they never would have met with us in the first place.”

“That’s true… Oh, I don’t know. My brain feels like mush.” Tiana sounded exhausted.

“How do you feel about all this, Karan?” Nick asked.

“Like you are all overthinking this job,” Karan replied. She didn’t sound nearly as gloomy as the others. In fact, she sounded confused about why they were so down.

“Really?” Nick asked.

“All we have to do is protect the idols from anyone who might target them. And protect ourselves, too. Can’t we just do our jobs like normal?” Karan responded.

“Sure, but…I think they’re still hiding information from us,” Nick said.

“That’s normal. Just because they trust us enough to meet with us doesn’t mean they trust us enough to reveal everything. We just have to do our jobs and report. If they like what they hear, they’ll tell us what we need to know. If this job still feels wrong then, or if they don’t tell us anything, we can quit.”

The others were struck by Karan’s composure as she spoke. She had grown since their adventure in Pot Snake Cave.

Before, Karan probably would have spent her time in this wealthy residential district glancing around anxiously and having a hard time focusing on the job. She would have been more flustered when Diamond tried to recruit her as an idol, too. She was showing a new level of calm, not letting the unfamiliar perturb her like it used to.

And now she was remaining composed, despite the strange nature of this contract.

“If this job was a trap, they could have poisoned our tea at the agency. Maybe they have a trap planned for us in three days or in a week, but we have no way of knowing that now,” Karan said.

“Th-that’s a good point,” Nick responded timidly.

“What do you think? I don’t know much about idols yet, but I’ll do my part to protect them. You should do whatever it is you want to do. I’ll…give you my support,” Karan said, finishing weakly.

“…Thanks,” Nick replied with a bit of embarrassment.

The Survivors all relaxed, their anxiety fading as their secret conversation ended on a surprisingly peaceful note.

“Make way, make way! I’m coming through!” a coachman called out as he raced past the Survivors’ carriage.

The party had reached the central street that separated Labyrinth City’s northern and southern halves, and it was packed with carriages and pedestrians.

“Whoops, wasn’t paying attention,” Tiana said, quickly grabbing the reins and directing the horse to move the carriage out of the way. The horse whipped its tail indignantly, but it obediently pulled them to the side.

“Sorry, horsey. I didn’t forget about you. Let’s go,” Tiana apologized. It proceeded smoothly down the street while avoiding carriages and pedestrians as if it understood what she said. “It’s easy to lose track of what’s in front of you when you’re focusing on Telepathy. I don’t really want to use it while driving. I already have mixed feelings about working as a coachman.”

Nick looked confused. “Do you not like driving? You seem fine with horses.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Maybe we should demand we be escorted along with the idols. Diamond did recruit us, after all.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

The Survivors were transporting two idols to a concert. They were inside the carriage along with Karan and a few staff members. One of the idols was going to perform at the concert, which meant she was the primary person they needed to protect. The other idol had come to support her. She was speaking to her to help calm her nerves.

Nick was a little relieved he wasn’t sitting with them. It would be awkward if they spoke to him while he was using Telepathy, and even if he wasn’t, he wasn’t confident he’d be able to keep a cool head. One of the idols in the carriage had that effect on him.

“It’s not the driving that I dislike. It’s just that I don’t want to be seen by old acquaintances,” Tiana explained.

“Ah… That seems pretty unlikely,” Nick responded.

“Sure, but this area reminds me of the capital. It’s putting me in a bad mood.”

“Are there idols there, too?”

“No. Only regular minstrels. The music culture here is pretty unique.”

“A lot of people say that, but that’s not quite right. Idols come from a legitimate form of music entertainment that originated in the ancient civilization. Diamond says we’re reviving an ancient and honorable custom,” a girl said after clattering open the carriage window. She was one of the idols the Survivors were protecting.

“Seriously?! Hey, that’s dangerous. Get back in the carriage and close the curtain before someone sees you,” Tiana ordered.

“Do I have to?” the girl whined.

“I can’t believe you picked us on our first escort job, Agate. Are you not scared?” Tiana asked.

The girl’s idol name was Agate. It had been less than a year since her debut, but her striking performances had gained her a large following. She was also the person who had saved Nick from the depths of despair after he was betrayed by his ex-girlfriend Claudine, getting him hooked on idols in the process. Later on, in a curious twist of fate, Nick and Tiana ended up using Union to save her life. It was as if they were bound by an invisible string.

“I feel better having guards that I’ve met. I prefer you to random people that my producer happened to approve after a test and interview. Oh, wait. I should hide that I know you, right?”

“Don’t ask me. It’s a little late for that anyway. You already shouted, ‘Oh, it’s the stray dog! Long time no see!’ when you saw me,” Nick said.

“Oh yeah. Ah-ha-ha,” Agate laughed.

Once the Survivors were assigned a carriage, the question then became who they would escort… Though it didn’t remain a question for very long. Agate approached the party immediately when Diamond and Joseph introduced them to the idols present at the agency, making it more than clear she knew them.

“Agate,” Tiana said. “This guy’s a hard-core idol fan. You know that, right?”

“I’m kinda the one responsible for that,” Agate responded.

“That’s a terrifying thought,” Tiana said.

“Anyway, I had been wondering if you two were in the same party,” Agate said.

“You know each other? That’s news to me,” Nick commented, looking at them questioningly.

Tiana seemed to be searching for words.

“Is that something I’m allowed to say?” Agate asked.

“Don’t make it sound like we know each other more than we really do,” Tiana replied irritably. “I have to ask… Did the agency choose us for this job because of the casino incident?”

“Hey, you don’t trust me! I haven’t said anything!” Agate insisted.

“Huh? Really?” Nick responded. He’d assumed Agate must have given them away somehow.

“Even I can tell what I should and shouldn’t say… I think!” Agate said.

“That sure inspires confidence.” Nick sighed.

Agate glowered at him, but her expression quickly softened. “Honestly, I also wondered if management hired you all because they found out… I can’t say for sure that I was never caught by a leading question. I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. I really would rather you keep it a secret, but sometimes you can’t prevent someone from finding something out,” Nick said.

“What will happen if they find out for sure? Will that cause you trouble?”

“Quite a bit, yeah.”

“Then you’ll have to be careful about unleashing your full strength…” Agate lowered her head, her expression serious.

“What is it?” Nick asked.

“…There have been a lot of people at shows recently with strange looks in their eyes. The number of fights has also increased significantly in the last two or three weeks. Some people have even deluded themselves that they’re the paladin and going crazy,” Agate said.

“Seriously? I haven’t heard about that.”

Nick had been busy with his work in the Garbage Heap and their trip to Pot Snake Cave during that time, necessitating a break from idol concerts. He made a mental note to ask his idol fan friends about this later.

“I want this show to go well for Amber, so…it would be reassuring if I knew the real paladin was there to cheer her on,” Agate said.

Amber was the other idol in the carriage. She was going to perform at the venue they were traveling toward.

“Protecting the idols and making sure the concerts go off without a hitch is the job. Leave it to the real deal,” Nick said.

Agate’s expression relaxed. “I’m counting on you, stray dog and stray cat!”

“Who are you calling a stray cat?! Geez, I don’t remember you being this bold…,” Tiana grumbled, but she had a soft smile on her face.

The horse’s hooves continued to clop along the road under the bright blue sky.

The concert was at the town hall in the commercial zone of Labyrinth City’s southwest district. It was the same venue as the first concert Nick went to.

Fans were lined up outside, eagerly waiting for the doors to open. Amber—the star of today’s show—had suffered a number of unfortunate setbacks, and a lot of fans had shown up to cheer her on and help make the concert a success.

Amber’s first solo concert was originally supposed to be held over half a year before, but it was foiled when the owner of the venue they had booked skipped town overnight. The next attempt at the concert fell through when that venue was shut down due to an outbreak of yellow demon fever among the staff. Such unfortunate incidents continued, perpetually delaying her solo debut.

Amber’s image as an idol was defined by an unyielding spirit and a bright personality. Those were true aspects of her character; she was always taking the initiative and encouraging others. But her bright personality coexisted with a sensitive nature. She was frustrated when Agate, who had entered the agency at the same time as she had, made her solo debut first. But she didn’t let it break her.

She applied herself to practicing and improving her dancing skills, polishing her natural sense of rhythm. Having her debut delayed actually lit a fire in her heart. Topaz, another idol who’d started around the same time, also debuted before her, but again, she let that motivate her even more in her training. Her contagious effort galvanized other idols as well, and while it was later than she initially envisioned, her solo debut was finally set.

As tough as Amber was, though, the continual delays had begun to break her spirit. Any further delay could do serious damage to her mental state and her future career. She was becoming known as a popular yet unlucky idol who would never get a solo concert, and she had even gained the nickname “Miss Cancellation.”

This was Amber’s chance to redeem herself, and she couldn’t afford for it to fail. She was determined to catch up to her contemporary idols.

Unfortunately, she fainted before the show.

“Amber collapsed?! Help her, Zem! Please!” Nick pleaded with Telepathy.

“I did. She just had anemia. She’s fine now,” Zem responded.

The Survivors got right to work after arriving at the town hall. They stationed Karan in the waiting room and split up so the other four members could each watch a different part of the venue, but it wasn’t long before Karan told the others that Amber had collapsed and dragged Zem to the waiting room. Nick panicked with concern for Amber, but Zem quickly calmed him down.

“Th-thank goodness! A friend of mine named Jonathan is a huge Amber fan. He’s really looking forward to this show,” Nick said.

“I understand your concern, but please focus on your job. You’re losing your composure,” Zem chided.

“Sorry… I’m a little worried about something. We need to be careful.”

“Worried about what?”

“The fake paladins. Agate said people are convincing themselves they’re the paladin and getting violent.”

“That is…definitely concerning. The venue’s doors are about to open. Take care.”

Nick focused on his surroundings after he finished talking to Zem in his head. This kind of job had a surprising amount of downtime, which meant the ability to stay focused was even more important than fighting strength.

Shortly afterward, Bond used Telepathy to inform the group that he sensed someone suspicious within a passageway that led into the venue, accessible only to staff. Nick was closest, so he went right there.

“You can’t use this entrance. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said sternly when he found two men by the door.

They were both Amber fans, which Nick could tell by their cheaply dyed jackets that were closer to reddish-orange than to amber. They clearly weren’t working together, though; one man was unconscious and bleeding from the nose, while the other was dragging him by the collar. It was obvious the one on his feet had assaulted the other man.

“Let him go. Put your hands up and face the wall,” Nick commanded.

“Take me to Amber,” the man growled.

The man was a bigger threat than Nick had thought. He seemed deranged. “Bond! Tiana! I need support! This guy’s dangerous!” he called out with Telepathy, and leaped at the man.

“What the…?” Nick muttered.

The assailant must have been either an adventurer or a knight, as he was a good enough fighter to knock a person out with one blow and quickly enter a defensive stance when Nick jumped at him. Nick had surmised as much, however, and when the man instinctively raised his arms to protect himself, Nick used Light Body to leap off them and land behind him.

“Time for you to take a nap. I’ll hear what you have to say later, after I’ve given you to the Sun Knights,” Nick said. He wrapped his arm around the man’s neck, blocking his carotid artery. That was his signature move. Something felt wrong, though; the man’s neck was hard, as if he was wearing thin, invisible armor that clung to his skin.

“I’m Amber’s paladin! Me! I was chosen by the ticket!” the man shouted. A black fog-like substance that was barely visible drifted from the ticket in his chest pocket and wrapped around his body, and he ripped Nick’s arm from his neck with impossible strength.

“What the hell—? Gah!” Nick grunted after the man punched him hard enough to launch him into the air. He thought he was going to crash into the ceiling, but someone caught him.

“You’re…much lighter than you look. It’s uncanny.”

“Bond! Thank you!” Nick exclaimed.

“Who is that man?” Bond asked.

“An idol fan,” Nick responded, just as the man swung at him with tremendous force, the black fog around his arm increasing its weight. “This is bad… Wait, that looks familiar! Doesn’t that fog look like White Mask’s armor?!”

“That fog is one stage before cognition armor! It’s not manifesting, because he does not have enough mana, but its power will increase and make him impossible to handle! We must incapacitate him!” Bond replied.

The moment he was almost killed by White Mask flashed in Nick’s mind, and he cleared it away by glaring at the man before him.

“Yeah. The concert could be canceled if we don’t stop him here. We need to take him out as quickly as possible,” Nick agreed. Not an easy task. This man was out of his mind. Nick didn’t know if that was due to the man’s nature or to the influence of a dangerous drug or spell, but either way, he was totally unpredictable. He might hurt Amber or a fan or wreak havoc on a much larger scale if they let him get away.

“I’m here!” Tiana said breathlessly as she ran up behind Nick, holding her staff.

“Tiana! Bond! We’re gonna take him out in less than three seconds! Don’t let him see us!” Nick commanded.

They all knew what they had to do.

““Union!”” Nick and Tiana yelled.

A white light blazed out against the black fog in the narrow corridor.

There was a festive mood in Amber’s waiting room. The paladin who was rumored to have saved Agate had reappeared to protect another idol. That had to be a good omen. Amber, who had suffered anemia after being overwhelmed by the pressure ahead of her debut concert, had made a full recovery.

“U-um, Ms. Paladin! You’re the real paladin, right?!” Amber asked.

The person was as beautiful as a fairy and had fine golden hair that flowed like water. Their body was supple, and they were more beautiful than most idols and models. No one in the room had seen this person except for Agate, but Amber knew who it was right away.

““Yes. I am the real deal, my lady. I caught the fake paladin, so you can relax,”” they answered.

“I-I’ll do my best!” Amber said. She was struggling not to cry as she shook the paladin’s hand. It seemed like she had come to think of the paladin as a real hero after hearing that they saved Agate. “Thank you so much, Ms. Paladin.”

““I’m cheering you on. Good luck with your concert,”” the paladin responded. They said good-bye and left the waiting room. Then, after checking to see if no one was in the hallway, they entered an empty room and dispelled Union to split into Nick, Tiana, and Bond.

“You have to be more careful! You’re gonna give us away!” Tiana complained immediately.

Nick and Tiana had quickly incapacitated the intruder after activating Union. They had used a slightly dangerous spell called Steal Heat to cool his body temperature and had taken the strange ticket that had given him strength. He’d been knocked out almost instantly. The only problem was they were seen by a part-time janitor who happened to be passing by.

Zem and Karan had warned Amber and her staff not to leave her waiting room, but Nick, Tiana, and Bond had missed the presence of the janitor. The janitor had screamed upon seeing Nick and Tiana in their combined Union state, but fortunately Agate had heard him, rushed over, and calmed him down (“You came back to support us, Ms. Paladin! Thank you so much!”).

“We didn’t have a choice. That guy could’ve easily killed a fan or a staff member if we didn’t stop them,” Nick argued.

“That’s true, but…it’s only a matter of time before people find out we’re the paladin,” Tiana said.

Bond tried to calm her down. “That Agate girl was quick on her feet. I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Even if someone does figure us out, I am sure idols and their staff are strict about keeping secrets. If we keep their secrets, they will keep ours. Anyway…”

Bond pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. It was the fake ticket they had taken from the assailant. The ticket looked completely different from the one they were shown at the agency; the paper had turned a dark color, as if it was soaked in venom.

“This is one of the fake tickets… It seemed to act like a talisman,” Nick observed.

“I’ve never seen one like this, though. Even the way he used it is totally different,” Tiana responded.

Talismans were one-use magic items that activated a spell when broken. Some expensive types automatically cast a healing or poison-curing spell when the owner’s life was in danger. Most talismans were light-brown pieces of paper with a magic circle drawn in black ink, but the paper itself didn’t change color after being used.

The piece of paper Nick was holding didn’t resemble a normal talisman. When he held it to the light, it was possible to see densely packed hieroglyphic characters that were a slightly different shade than the rest of the dark ticket. This design and the sinister color it turned after use were like nothing they had seen.

Someone knocked on the door as the three of them examined the ticket.

“Excuse me! Is anyone in there? Can I come in?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Nick answered, and Agate walked into the room. She sighed with relief when she saw the three of them.

“That was my second time seeing the paladin, but it was still shocking… Is that some kind of ancient spell?” she asked.

“Hmm-hmm, actually—,” Bond began, but Tiana slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Let’s keep that a secret. I want no part of any scandals between you and the paladin,” she said.

“Hey, I wouldn’t tell anyone!” Agate sniffed. “Thank you, though. Seeing the paladin really cheered Amber up. She was worried about a stalker, too… That was probably the guy you just caught.”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. We’re not the ones who saved her,” Nick said bluntly.

“Of course. My lips are sealed,” Agate said with a smile.

“Was that guy really a stalker, though? A few things aren’t adding up for me,” Nick said.

“Really? Umm, he did seem pretty weird.” Agate wasn’t sure what Nick was getting at.

“I’m not talking about the man. His strength and this ticket he had on him are what feel off. Have you ever seen one of these?” Nick asked, showing her the ticket.

“What is that? It’s creepy…,” Agate said. It seemed like she had never seen a counterfeit ticket turn black. “Is this what the fakes look like? It doesn’t look anything like the real ones.”

“I think it looked like a normal ticket at first. It turned black when some strange mana appeared from it, and that’s when the man attacked me,” Nick explained.

Agate went pale for a moment as she realized they were in much more danger than she had imagined.

“Bond. Agate’s not hiding anything, is she?” Nick asked with Telepathy.

“Hmm. I detect no heart palpitations or variation in her breathing that would suggest lying… Do you suspect her?” Bond replied.

“I don’t want to, but we can’t forget to keep an eye on our employers, too. Tell me if you notice anything.”

“Understood.”

Agate observed the ticket seriously, completely unaware of their conversation.

“I’ll ask my producer about this later… Oh yeah, I came to tell you the concert is starting. You can catch a glimpse of the performance from the wings of the stage. Everyone but Nick, that is,” she said casually.

“Huh? Why everyone else?!” Nick asked, shocked.

“Because there are friends of yours in the front row,” Agate explained. “The fans don’t have the angle to see the wings of the stage, but someone might be able to sense you anyway. Beastmen have good hearing and there are some idol fans with a sixth sense for noticing people.”

Nick gasped and fell to his knees.

“Ah-ha-ha, that’s such a shame, Nick. You behave yourself as we enjoy the show,” Tiana said teasingly.

“Yes, we’ll keep a very close eye on her,” Bond agreed, chuckling.

Nick was white as a sheet, lacking the energy to even argue.

The concert was a roaring success. Amber was in top form—her voice was clear and her choreography was perfect. Her performance had never been sharper. The encore sent the crowd into a wild frenzy, and the crowd’s thunderous cheers continued long after the show ended. Fans called it the best concert ever as they filed out of the venue.

“Agate! Topaz! I did it! I performed my own solo concert! Whoo-hoo!” Amber cheered.

“You were amazing, Amber!” Agate responded.

Agate and Topaz, who’d rushed here after finishing another job, were waiting for her backstage. They hugged their fellow idol as she cried a little.

“Hey, that hurts! Let me go! I’m sweaty!” Amber protested happily as they mobbed her.

Amber’s manager and other staff members who’d devoted themselves to this concert all had tears in their eyes as well. The joy in the room was palpable.

But the Survivors’ job wasn’t done yet. They still had to escort the idols by carriage back to the Jewelry Production office through the nighttime streets of Labyrinth City.

Just when Nick was about to start preparing, he noticed that Karan was acting strangely.

“What is it, Karan?” he asked.

Karan watched the idols blankly, not hearing Nick.

“Hey, Karan,” Nick said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She jolted and turned around.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t hear you,” she said.

“What’s wrong? Are you tired?”

“No. It’s just…amazing.”

“Right? Amber was stunning. She put her own spin on all the cover songs, and that last original song was out of this world. I wish I could have seen the dancing… I heard that Aggie and Topaz gave her advice on the lyr—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“O-oh.”

“It’s amazing that this kind of place exists. They’re all following their dreams. They get along and cheer each other on, but they’re also fiercely competitive. They all want to be the best.”

Karan watched the idols with a distant look in her eyes. It was as if there was an invisible wall between her and the celebrating girls. There were always walls between fans and idols, or between clients and adventurers, but this wasn’t the same.

Nick was about to continue that conversation, when a town-hall employee entered the room.

“Excuse me. We’re about to turn out the lights…,” she said apologetically.

Amber clapped her hands and addressed the room. “All right, everyone, that’s enough fussing over me! Let’s go home! Thank you for today!”

Everyone in the room thanked her and hurriedly got ready to leave.

“We’ve got one last job tonight, Karan. Let’s get to work,” Nick said.

Karan collected herself and nodded. “Okay. I wish we could use a dragon-drawn carriage instead of a horse-drawn carriage, though. Horses are such cowards.”

“I prefer horses, personally. They’re friendlier than dragons,” Zem said.

“That’s a tough one for me… I definitely prefer watching dragons,” Tiana said.

“That’s a nice way to say ‘gamble on,’” Bond quipped.

“Shut up, Mop.”

The Survivors got started on their last job of the day.

“We are calling this man and all others like him false paladins,” said Joseph.

The Survivors went back to the Jewelry Production headquarters the next day. Joseph and Diamond invited them into a conference room, and they wasted no time getting to the main topic.

“That name sounds way too dramatic for a bunch of idol fans who have lost their marbles,” Nick commented.

“I wonder if the real paladin would be offended by that name,” Diamond said with an awkward laugh.

Nick decided not to let that slide. “They would,” he said bluntly.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that,” Diamond said timidly, shrinking away. She was usually easygoing, but Nick had successfully intimidated her.

“Let’s drop this charade. We have our secrets, and I’m sure you have yours. But you’re asking us to fight for you. If you hold back information we need to know, we’re going to quit,” Nick declared.

“That is understandable. Allow me to explain and offer my apology. I see now that is how we must begin,” Joseph said. He wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. “We know you are the Lovely Paladin. We obtained a list of everyone who was at the casino when it was attacked, and ninety percent of them said they thought it was you. The incident in the Garbage Heap only strengthened our conviction.”

“Okay. Go on,” Nick urged, speaking for the group.

“We wrote a song about the paladin, and despite being reasonably sure about their identity, we never considered reaching out and paying you a copyright fee,” Joseph said.

“That’s not the problem!” Nick shouted. He and his party members looked astonished.

“It’s not?” Joseph replied with genuine surprise. It seemed he truly thought the Survivors were angry that Jewelry Production hadn’t shared any of its earnings.

“We don’t want people to know we’re the paladin. Asking for money would’ve given us away. Do you want us to give you an invoice under the name The Lovely Paladin?” Nick retorted.

“Um… Why are you keeping it a secret? That ability of yours is very unique, but surely you are not doing anything illegal. Are you afraid of catching the attention of the Sun Knights?” Joseph asked.

“That’s part of it. This secret getting out would cause a lot of problems for us,” Nick responded. He didn’t intend to elaborate on that.

“You guys are heroes, but you’re living in obscurity. Wouldn’t the Adventurers Guild make you S-rank adventurers immediately if you told them that you’re the paladin and shared what you’ve done?” Diamond asked

Nick wasn’t sure how to respond. The Adventurers Guild itself was the problem.

“Oh, do you have a bad relationship with the guild? Or are you hiding something from them?” Diamond asked.

“No, of course not,” Nick said.

Diamond narrowed her eyes and grinned. “I can tell you’re lying, Nick. Your breathing is giving you away.”

“If that’s what you want to talk about, we’re leaving. Thank you very much for the job. We look forward to working with you in the future,” Nick said bluntly.

“Hey, wait! I’m sorry!” Diamond apologized.

“Let’s move on and talk about the false paladins,” Nick said. “That really does sound wrong…”

Joseph seemed relieved that the conversation had returned to work. “This all began about three weeks ago, when people began to appear calling themselves the paladin.”

“Why would they do that? I don’t get it,” Nick asked.

“That we don’t know… But we have finally found something to connect them,” Joseph said.

“What’s that?” Nick asked.

“All the false paladins have had special counterfeit tickets. They seem to have some impact on their mental state. I never would have thought the tickets were quite so dangerous…,” Joseph answered.

Tiana spoke up for the first time since entering the room. “Did you not realize the tickets are talismans? You have some of them, don’t you?”

“The counterfeit tickets are deceptive in two ways. Not only do they imitate the design of the real tickets, they are also made so that you cannot detect that they are talismans,” Joseph explained.

“Talismans have mana. Couldn’t you detect that?” Tiana asked.

Joseph shook his head. “We checked, but the tickets barely contain any mana. There is so little that not even Magic Search can detect it.”

“What?”

“The counterfeit tickets contain only the smallest speck of mana. The special paint used on the legitimate tickets already contains a little mana, so such a tiny amount cannot be used to identify a counterfeit ticket.”

Joseph looked at the black strip of paper on the table. It was the ticket Nick had taken from the man they’d captured.

“The assailant is a D-rank adventurer known as Restless Ironman Giuseppe, who works primarily from the Travelers Adventurers Guild. He suffers insomnia and excels at taking the night watch,” he said.

“Can he use magic? Has anyone heard of him giving shape to his mana and wrapping it around his body?” Tiana asked.

“No, he seems to be an ordinary swordsman… Do you all want to know more about him?” Joseph asked, acting strangely hesitant.

“Can’t we visit him in prison?” Tiana asked.

“…I don’t want to put them in our debt. Some of our idols have been followed, and they might interfere with our concerts, claiming a need to increase security,” Joseph said.

“Who’s ‘them’—?” Tiana began to ask, but she was interrupted when a staff member entered the room.

“Mr. Coleman. She’s here,” they said timidly.

Joseph made a rare sour expression. “Oh, great… Let’s get our stories straight, everyone. This will be best with Nick alone. It may turn into something of an interrogation.”

“Whoa, I don’t like the sound of that. What’s going on?” Nick asked, mirroring his expression.

“A Sun Knight is here,” Joseph answered.

Diamond quickly said, “I’ve got training! Bye!” and fled the room with catlike agility. It was a truly impressive escape.

“I didn’t expect to find one of the adventurers who distinguished themselves in the Garbage Heap here. Today’s my lucky day.”

“R-really? It’s nice to meet you,” Nick stammered, speaking with unusual politeness.

He was at a simple table set up next to the building’s reception rather than in a conference room. Joseph chose this spot because he said he didn’t want to let the person they were meeting any farther inside the building. Nick and Joseph were at one end of the table, and the new guest was sitting opposite from them.

“You’re so formal. That’s not very adventurer-like of you,” she said. She appeared unoffended by Joseph’s brusque treatment.

The guest was a beautiful woman with short blue hair and a demeanor so cheerful, she could have passed for an idol, though her eye-catching clothing—which consisted of a shiny silver breastplate and a white cloak—made it clear she was not. A hexagon with flames at each point was etched onto the cloak. It was the emblem of the largest order of knights on the continent—the Order of the Sun Knights—which made catching criminals and maintaining the peace its goal, rather than fighting monsters or warfare.

“Everyone’s heard of the famous beautiful woman who serves as a Sun Knight captain. Any adventurer worth his salt would be nervous around you,” Nick responded.

“I find that reputation flattering. Nice to meet you, Nick,” the beautiful woman said, reaching out for a handshake. Nick gave his hand to her, trying to hide his surprise that she knew his name.

“I’m Nick of the Survivors,” he said.

“I’m Alice Burrows. I’m the captain of the Gauntlet unit, which belongs to the Northwest Company of the Sun Knight Teran Defense Battalion,” the woman replied, smiling at Nick.

Alice the Sun Knight was well known among adventurers, bounty hunters, and wanted criminals in Labyrinth City. The Burrows were a famous family that produced many people who assumed important roles in the Order of the Sun Knights. Alice could have joined the order as a captain, but she rejected that to sign up as a regular knight.

Alice quickly proved that she was not just a noble having fun. She captured criminal after criminal with bounties totaling over one million dina each and earned her position of captain on her own merit. Wanted criminals spoke of her with fear on their lips. Too many ruffians to count underestimated her before she became famous and were nearly killed for it, and adventurers came to fear her, too.

Once introductions were out of the way, they got down to business. Alice wanted to station Sun Knights at concerts to catch assailants, and Joseph objected, because he was afraid they would disrupt the shows. Their argument gave Nick a stomachache.

“But there have been frequent incidents. I’m going to station Sun Knights around the venues even if you won’t let me place them inside. Are you okay with that, at least?” Alice asked.

“That would be reassuring. I really don’t want to trouble you all, though,” Joseph responded.

“Are you afraid of troubling knights you don’t know? Do you want to join the Sun Knights, Nick?” Alice offered.

“Very funny. I’m not remotely qualified,” Nick said.

Facing a Sun Knight with your employer in this manner was a common occurrence for an adventurer. The Order of the Sun Knights protected the populace, but they didn’t consider the financial concerns of those they guarded. They also prioritized catching criminals over saving victims. Many people decided to hire adventurers as guards, instead of Sun Knights, for those reasons; adventurers had to safeguard the interests of their employer.

Nick had thought this meeting was an extension of some kind of turf war. He figured that Joseph would act angry at first and then look for a compromise. But he had been completely wrong.

“Don’t be humble. We’re grateful for your cooperation. You heard about the identity of the assailant, right?” Alice asked.

Nick answered while counting off on his fingers. “He’s a D-rank adventurer, an idol fan, and he was caught having assaulted a victim. Now he’s in prison, eating slop.”

“He says he bought the counterfeit tickets from a hooded man in a back alley in south Labyrinth City. His memory of when he committed the crime is hazy, so I think the ticket either triggered a state of extreme excitement or placed him under hypnosis.”

Nick and Joseph visibly reacted to Alice’s words.

“So if we can just capture that hooded man…,” Nick said.

“It’ll be case closed. The dangerous nature of the tickets points to the seller being a demon-god worshipper. They’re quite knowledgeable when it comes to special magic items and lost magic and technology. I want to get this counterfeit ticket dealer into custody,” Alice said.

Nick breathed an internal sigh of relief. He realized why this knight was so passionate about her work. There was no greater achievement for a Sun Knight than capturing demon-god worshippers, who were known to work in the shadows. She wouldn’t give them much trouble as long as they didn’t get in the way of her efforts to distinguish herself.

But just as he was starting to get comfortable, Alice gave a warning. “We can’t relax yet, Nick of Combat Masters. We barely have any leads on the seller.”

“That’s my last party. I’m a member of the Survivors now,” Nick said.

“Do you know any demon-god worshippers?” she asked.

“Of course not. I’d arrest them if I did.”

“You know a man named Garos.”

“…He’s a C-rank adventurer. He wields a katana and fights on the front line for Combat Masters. He spends his free time on booze and women.”

“I heard he went to your apartment recently. What did you talk about?”

Nick looked down, wondering why she was asking that. Deciding he wouldn’t be able to fool her with a lie, he braced himself and told the truth. “He brought money to repay a debt.”

“Interesting. Where do you think he earned that money?” Alice asked.

“I was kicked out of Combat Masters. If you want to know about Garos, you should ask him or current members of the party,” Nick said.

“Combat Masters filed for a break from the Adventurers Guild,” Alice replied.

Nick felt his heart rate quicken. That news made sense, given what Garos had told him, but hearing it now only gave him a bad feeling.

“We’re unable to locate them. The whole party disappeared shortly before you all defeated White Mask. You met with Garos after he moved out of his inn and vanished,” Alice said.

“I don’t see where you’re going with this. Do you think Garos is the one selling the tickets?” Nick asked.

“The rate of demon-god worshipper activity decreases the more active Combat Masters is. As soon as they took a break, White Mask began wreaking havoc in the Garbage Heap.”

Nick barely held back a gasp of surprise. He had never heard anything of the sort, and he didn’t believe for a second that his former comrades were demon-god worshippers. But he couldn’t deny they were suspicious. That wasn’t just because of what Alice said; looking back, Garos’s behavior during his sudden visit was very strange.

Nick pressed on with the conversation, not knowing what to believe. “But…that would make Argus and the other members suspects, too. Don’t you have any other potential demon-god worshippers? No one in Combat Masters can even use magic. They’re too simple to worship a demon god.”

“A person without magic can still use a magic item or a talisman. In fact, wouldn’t a less magic-oriented party be even more accustomed to using them in combat?” Alice retorted.

Nick had no response. What she said was true.

The Survivors didn’t use many talismans or magic items because Tiana, Zem, and Bond could all cast their own spells, but Nick had spent plenty of one-use talismans when he was in Combat Masters. Even Garos and Argus, who were skilled with weapons and hand-to-hand combat, didn’t mind relying on magic items and talismans. They actually made good use of them.

“Garos is the last member of the party to be seen, and he chose to meet with you,” Alice said.

“But…I defeated White Mask.” Nick was unable to manage anything but that excuse. He knew it didn’t prove anything, though. White Mask’s holy armor copied the skills of its past users and enabled the current wearer to use them. If Garos held back from using his own skills and only used capabilities given to him by the holy armor, Nick would have had no way of knowing it was him.

One of the purposes of White Mask’s armor was likely to hide the identity of the wearer.

“That’s right. You defeated White Mask and brought peace to that area of the city. You should be proud of that accomplishment. Many adventurers have faced White Mask and failed. How did you do it?” Alice asked with a captivating smile. She wasn’t leaving without an answer.

“Strategy. Ability. Resolve. Luck. It all came together at the right time,” Nick replied bluntly.

“Did White Mask let you get away because you’re a former party member?

“No. Shouldn’t fighting White Mask be enough to make my affiliation clear?”

“You must have some kind of special power to fight demon-god worshippers without any connection to them and come out alive. Does it come from your lineage? Is it innate ability? Or could it come from an ancient artifact that you excavated from a labyrinth? I don’t know which it is, but you must have some kind of power that most people don’t.”

Nick felt sweat run down his back. “Mind if I get my lawyer?” he asked.

“We’re just chatting. Is your lawyer good at livening up a conversation?” Alice asked.

“My lawyer runs a cross-dressing bar in the southeast district. Beautiful and, yes, a good conversationalist.”

Alice barked a laugh. “Good one. It takes guts to joke around in a situation like this. You’re an adventurer to the core.”

“Thanks,” Nick said, keeping it to himself that what he’d revealed wasn’t a joke.

Joseph gave Nick a look asking if he needed help, and Nick signaled back with a glance that he was fine.

“What kind of adventurer do you want to be, Nick?” Alice asked.

“I’m perfectly satisfied with going on adventures and spending my free time going to see idols,” said Nick. “My instructor and my old party members taught me some skills, but I only use them to feed myself. I’m not gonna reveal those skills in casual conversation, and I wouldn’t misuse them, either. All adventurers have one or two talents they want to keep a secret.”

“Just one or two? Are you sure you don’t have a few more secret skills than that?” Alice pressed.

“You think you know all about me, don’t you? Are you a fan of mine?” Nick asked sarcastically.

Alice smiled. “Ha-ha, yes. I am a fan of yours. You joined the incredibly skilled party Combat Masters as a young boy with no family and became an adventurer. You then went independent, recruited talented adventurers, and defeated one of the demon-god worshippers lurking in the dark underbelly of Labyrinth City. You sound like a hero out of a minstrel’s story.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I have no intention of becoming a hero.”

“The citizens of this city are under threat. A day will come when people’s ordinary lives are turned completely upside down. The weak will be preyed upon—that’s the nature of this city. Don’t you want a hero to appear to fight injustice?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“I do, too.”

“Let’s cut the chitchat and get back to work. The counterfeit-ticket seller is still out there.”

“Yeah. Let’s make it a competition.”

“What?”

“Whoever catches the culprit first wins.”

Nick had been trying to figure out what he had gotten himself into as he answered her questions. He didn’t know if he was walking into the den of a lion, a dragon, or something even more dangerous. That was why he’d been avoiding questions he didn’t want to answer, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had a trap waiting for him at the end of the conversation. The thought made him anxious.

“Remember. You can listen to someone’s breathing to tell if they’re lying.”

Nick heard Diamond’s voice. He was sure he didn’t imagine it, but he also knew it wasn’t Telepathy. He clearly heard her voice in his ears.

“Hmm? Did I say something weird?” Alice asked.

“Yeah, you did,” Nick responded.

Alice and Joseph must not have heard. Nick quickly realized how she had spoken to him—she’d used Vocal Guidance, controlling the direction and reverberation of the sound to send her voice directly to Nick’s ears like a billiard ball.

“You don’t need to respond. Keep your face straight and continue your conversation. She’s not just after Garos—she’s after you, too. I don’t know why, though,” Diamond said.

“Just to make sure we’re on the same page…you want to compete instead of cooperate?” Nick asked Alice.

“Oh, do you want to work together? I’d welcome your transfer to the Sun Knights,” Alice responded.

“Observe your opponent. No matter how perfect a script she’s following in her mind, she has to speak using her lungs, throat, and mouth, just like any other flesh-and-blood human. Once you know her breathing, you know her rhythm. And grasping her rhythm will let you feel her emotions. Align yourself to those emotions, and you’ll be able to win her over. Don’t allow her song to rule you. Make this your own stage.”

How do you expect me to understand all that idol lingo? Nick thought, but he did as Diamond said.

He strained his ears to listen for Alice’s breathing. It was perfectly steady; he couldn’t sense her emotion at all. It was discouraging at first, but then he noticed that something was off. Her breathing was too calm, as if it were following the perfect, mechanical rhythm of a clock. No person’s breathing could remain that steady without special training. She was taking care to make herself look calm and prevent her emotions from showing. Just like a card or roulette dealer.

“That’s it, Nick. No human is unbeatable. Good luck,” Diamond said.

“What happens if I lose?” Nick asked Alice.

“I know a place where we can be alone,” Alice said, smiling.

“So you want to interrogate me.”

Alice was teasing him and pretending like this was nothing more than a pleasant chat. That was a sign that she was feeling anxious.

“But you can’t tell what I know, so you’re hesitating to bring me into custody. You’re afraid that you might end up helping the demon-god worshippers by doing so. Is that right?” Nick said.

“I won’t deny it,” Alice replied.

Why was she anxious? It had to have something to do with his accomplishments. He had been intentionally avoiding certain topics, but those might be useful to get the upper hand now.

“I see what’s happening here,” Nick said. “The Sun Knights have been after White Mask for a while now, and it won’t do your reputation any favors if it turns out he really was defeated by simple adventurers. You need to achieve something even greater than defeating White Mask to make up for it.”

Alice’s breathing was disturbed for the first time. Her goal may have been to catch demon-god worshippers, but that didn’t explain why she was questioning him so persistently. Nick realized she wasn’t fixated on him because he was a former member of Combat Masters; it was because he’d defeated White Mask.

“Did you make this a competition in order to set me loose and see what would happen? The demon-god worshippers are sure to come for me. They won’t leave me alone after I embarrassed them like that,” Nick said.

That was when he realized that this was the opportunity he needed. It was good that he discovered her weakness, but it wouldn’t benefit him to rile her up further. Offering her some kind of compromise would be best. He was fine with letting the Sun Knights get the credit for exposing White Mask’s identity and finishing them off.

But there was still something he had to say. Diamond’s words echoed in his head. Make this your own stage.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be a Sun Knight? You suddenly have me on the defensive,” Alice said.

“I’ll tell you everything we learn about the demon-god worshippers. I don’t need credit or money. But I don’t regret anything I did during that case. I won’t apologize for beating you at your own game,” Nick declared.

Alice’s face stiffened. Nick knew he shouldn’t anger someone of her station, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Martha Canning. She was a daughter of the Canning family, which runs an armor store on Blacksmith Street. She was ten years old. She had blond hair, a mole on her neck, and burn scars on her left wrist. Her parents were late to submit a missing persons report because she had a habit of running away from home,” Nick began, counting off on his fingers as he reeled off facts about the girl.

“That’s…”

“That’s the name of a girl that the Steppingman—that Nargava—kidnapped. She contracted yellow demon fever in confinement and died. She was almost buried in a communal graveyard without being identified.”

Nick had never had much love for the Order of the Sun Knights. That feeling was shared by most of Labyrinth City. The Sun Knights worked hard to catch petty thieves but did little to catch serious criminals. They also accepted bribes and did their best to please nobles and wealthy merchants.

That said, they were unexpectedly helpful when needed, and it was true that people had no choice but to rely on them. Nick had come to accept the Sun Knights’ laziness for what it was, and he didn’t think much of the adventurers who actively opposed them. He’d realized something recently, however.

He didn’t just slightly dislike the Sun Knights.

He hated them.

“We searched for the missing children, and when we found one of them dead, we gave our all to saving the rest and bringing the case to a close. Isn’t that what fighting injustice is all about?” Nick asked.

“That should be the desire of any knight,” Alice replied.

“You said we should make this a competition. Whoever catches the counterfeit-ticket seller first wins, right? If you win, I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“But if I win, I want you to apologize to the girl who died. Tell her you’re sorry for being completely ignorant of her.”

Alice nodded silently, turned around, and walked out. Her easygoing, joking attitude had disappeared completely. Her footsteps were heavy as Nick and Joseph watched her leave the building.

“I’ve really done it now,” Nick said.

“That is an understatement,” Joseph responded candidly. “I’ve never seen an adventurer speak so aggressively to a Sun Knight.”

Nick bowed his head in apology, belatedly realizing he had roped Jewelry Production into a fight. “S-sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I understand what you’re angry about,” Joseph said. He didn’t look upset; his expression appeared closer to satisfaction. “Now then, Nick. There are no events or concerts today, so you are free to do as you wish as long as you leave a few people to guard the building. I’ll let you deploy guards as you wish.”

“Huh… Are you sure?” Nick asked.

“Just make sure you catch whoever’s selling the counterfeit tickets before the Sun Knights. Forget the competition—you can consider that an order from your client,” Joseph said.

“Thanks… That’s not something I should’ve done without consulting you. Sorry,” Nick responded.

“I’m not nearly brave enough to jump into a conversation like that,” Joseph said with a wry smile.

“Really? You look like you’ve been through more than a few battles to me.”

“Ha. No. I get that a lot, but I assure you, I am no fighter.” Joseph smiled and shook his head. “That’s enough about me. You may have a hard time explaining this to your party members.”

Joseph was exactly right. Picking a fight with the Order of the Sun Knights wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.

“I don’t think I’ll be much help to you there. Good luck,” Joseph said. He smiled, clearly amused, and left.

“Oh well… Better go confess and apologize.”

Nick steeled himself and began to search the building for his party members so he could explain what had happened. He asked an employee where they were, and they directed him to the training room.

“Hey, guys. The meeting’s ove— What are you doing?”

“H-hey! Don’t startle me like that!”

“Oh, hey. We meet again.”

Nick had opened the door and entered the training room to find a few familiar faces among the idols. Karan was there, having changed out of her armor and into workout clothes. She was with another female dragonian who was the same height as she was but seemed more put-together. Unlike Karan, she had blue hair and blue scales. It was Daffodil, Karan’s cousin that Nick had met recently.

Zem was sitting in a chair behind them, watching over Ares, Daffodil’s child.

“Umm, Daffodil? This is an idol agency,” Nick said timidly.

“Yeah. I know. It’s also my place of work. I told you I’m a dance instructor,” Daffodil shot back, as if he’d said something stupid.

“Seriously?!” Nick exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t be let in the building otherwise.” Daffodil sounded a little annoyed.

“Wow… That’s amazing. You’re the real deal,” Nick said.

“I’m retired from dancing, though. I was never as famous as the girls here,” Daffodil admitted with a self-deprecating shrug. “But training promising girls and choreographing their dances is really fun.”

She smiled kindly. To Nick, she seemed like a broad-minded, motherly person.

“It’s a small world,” he said.

“How did it go, Nick? I heard that a Sun Knight showed up…,” Karan said, approaching Nick with concern.

Nick had decided to be careful and not use Telepathy during the conversation with Alice, so his party members didn’t know yet what had happened. This wasn’t the place to say he’d picked a fight with a Sun Knight, so he avoided the question.

“Those clothes look good on you. That style is perfect for tall people,” he said.

“Aren’t they great?! They’re luxury workout clothes made by a sports apparel company! They’re stylish enough that we could do her hair and makeup and send her out onstage as a dancer just like that!” Daffodil gushed.

“D-don’t be stupid! I’m an adventurer!” Karan protested.

Amber, Agate, and another idol walked up behind her.

“Right? I knew it wasn’t just me! When I saw her at the concert, I was confused about why an idol was working as a bodyguard,” Agate said.

“She has such a cool silhouette. She’d immediately improve the aesthetics of any show,” Amber commented.

“Yeah, I think she’s ready for her debut already. We can be her mentors!” the other idol agreed.

The three girls talked excitedly about Karan while ignoring her protests. Nick couldn’t help but smile as he watched her expression shift between troubled and embarrassed.

“Go easy on her, you all,” he said.

“We’re strict teachers, so we can’t make any promises… Oh, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Topaz. It’s nice to meet you,” the girl with Amber and Agate said. Nick didn’t need the introduction; he was more than familiar with this blond-haired, carefree idol.

“N-nice to meet you, too,” Nick said. “You can count on us to keep you safe.”

Agate, Amber, and Topaz were popular as a unit who’d entered the agency together. They all had their solo activities, but they often performed together, too. Nick knew a lot of Amber and Topaz fans, and he began to sweat, knowing that he was learning secrets he couldn’t tell them.

Nick also felt his irritation from the previous conversation fading. Karan was clearly having fun interacting with a world she’d had little contact with. He knew that as the party leader he should tell her to get back to work, but he wanted to watch her for a little longer.

“I won’t tell you to stop dancing, but make sure you do it in moderation. We’ve never said members of our party can’t have side jobs,” Nick said jokingly.

Daffodil cheered, seeming to take his words seriously. “Yay! Your leader gave his permission! Is the makeup artist coming today?”

“He didn’t mean it, Daffy! And you watch it, Nick!” Karan said hurriedly.

Daffodil calmed her down with a wink. “I’m joking, too. We should talk about this later, though.”

“Ugh, I’m exhausted…” Karan sighed deeply.

“Is Diamond here, by the way?” Nick asked.

Daffodil looked around. “Huh? She was here earlier… Do you know where she is, Agate?”

“Nope. That’s our elusive Sergeant for you,” Agate responded.

“Sergeant?” Nick echoed.

Agate clapped a hand over her mouth. “Please don’t repeat that to anyone. We all call her ‘Sergeant’ and ‘Demon’ because of how strict she is in practice.”

“I’m pretty sure she can hear us… Eh, whatever. My lips are sealed,” Nick said. He pivoted to walk away.

“Hmm? Where are you going?” Karan asked.

“I have a bone to pick with someone,” he responded.

Nick walked the halls of the agency alone, looking for Diamond. Once he found a spot with no one around, he spoke out loud with a normal, conversational volume.

“Thanks for earlier, Diamond. I want to talk.”

The hallway remained silent. But Nick could feel that Diamond had heard him.

Nick looked up at one of the ducts running along the ceiling. “You can hear conversations from any room with a duct running through it, can’t you? They look like they’re for ventilation, but they’re actually there so all voices in the building travel to you. Am I right?” he said. “Where are you hiding anyway? You’ve got a concert coming up. Do you really have time to mess with me?”

Nick’s intuition had been good recently. Learning the spell Magic Sense, which allowed the user to detect mana in things they touched, had enabled him to sense faint presences and irregularities. Using it while fighting an opponent let him sense the flow of their mana and predict their next move. He could also sense the subtle flow of mana beneath the ground on which he stood.

It was then that Nick noticed a mana-drenched voice coming from Diamond. It didn’t travel directly to his ears like last time. It was more that he’d happened to pick up a sound wave that leaked out of the duct.

Nick started to walk, climbing staircases and moving through hallways as he searched for where Diamond’s singing was coming from. He drew steadily closer.

Nick could feel her rhythm, and from that, her emotion. He found himself wandering after Diamond’s voice, forgetting why he was looking for her in the first place. He opened doors that were likely only meant for employees, climbed fire escape ladders, and ended up in an attic.

The attic had been repurposed into an empty room with acoustic foam wedges covering the walls and ceiling to absorb sound. The fine wooden floor was marked all over with tape, and Diamond was standing in the center of the inelegant room, intently practicing a song.

“Hey, here you—,” Nick started to call out, but he broke off.

Diamond continued to sing, dancing on the old wooden floor, which looked like it should have creaked from the smallest amount of pressure. Sunlight streamed through a window in the ceiling, and her smallest movements kicked up dust that shone faintly in the light.

Despite all that, her dancing was modest and quiet, as if she were the star of her own little world.

“All right. Sorry about that. I wasn’t ignoring you. I just wanted to focus on getting through that song,” Diamond said once she was done.

“That was ‘Undying Love Song,’ the third song after your debut,” Nick said.

Diamond smiled in acknowledgment. “It was actually my most popular song last year. How was that performance? I’m sure it felt different, hearing it up close like that.”

“It gave me chills,” Nick responded.

“Yikes, is that all you have to say? I wanted to see if you’d go full idol fan and gush over how amazing I was,” Diamond teased.

“Shut up,” Nick retorted, embarrassed. A hundred words of lavish praise would hardly be enough to convey his feelings after seeing her practice that song up close. That was how beautiful Diamond and her voice were as she sang.

His intention to deride her for slacking off and for interrupting meetings while she worked her junior idols to the bone had vanished like smoke. Diamond did practice. She took her job more seriously than anyone. She valued Jewelry Production and all its idols as much as she did herself.

“I’m pretty skilled, you know. And my hearing is superb. I hear nearly everything in this building, so I know if any suspicious people arrive or if any secrets are divulged. I know people call me Sergeant Demon, too,” Diamond said.

“I believe it. You knew exactly where my conversation with the Sun Knight was going,” Nick responded.

“I often prevent trouble at concerts when I go to support my fellow idols, too. Sun Knights are no match for me.”

“I always thought you had a quick temper.”

“I was a real troublemaker back in the day. I’m definitely in no place to judge you.” Diamond giggled with an impish grin.

Her expression quickly turned calm again, and Nick felt himself drawn to her serenity. She looked like both an innocent girl and an adult woman who had tasted the sweetness and bitterness of life.

“I’m going to be spending a lot of time practicing from now on, so I won’t be going to many meetings or training sessions,” Diamond said. Her resolve was visible despite her nonchalant tone. “I’m gonna perfect my singing and my dancing. That’s why I want you to protect me and the other idols at this agency.”

“Why me?”

“Because you passed.”

“Huh? So there was a test?” Nick asked. He was trying to sound upset, but he wasn’t a good enough actor to fool Diamond.

“I wanted to know if you all could use Telepathy, but you all hid that from me. People who rely too much on that spell tend to get careless,” Diamond said.

“I happen to know some people who paid dearly for that mistake,” Nick agreed, thinking of the Iron Tiger Troop.

“Focusing too much on the conversation in your head can cause you to lose track of what’s in front of you. There are also ways to mess with people who can use Telepathy.”

“Huh? Like what?”

“You can remove the limiter on the spell and send a high-density thought into someone’s mind to knock them out. It’s terrifying.”

Diamond was acting as if she was just remembering an old prank, but Nick could tell she was speaking from experience.

“I’m scared to ask how you know that…,” Nick said.

“I learned it through this job. I once worked with a magic laboratory to see if we could dream up a new kind of concert that used Telepathy. They withdrew after saying it wouldn’t be profitable enough.”

“Whoa, that sounds amazing.”

“Every now and then some naughty kid will use a telepathy orb to try to spy on the agency, too. Protecting the new idols from people like that is a full-time job.”

“Is that why you don’t use telepathy orbs? You’re afraid of getting careless and being sensed by others?”

Diamond smiled painfully. Nick got the sense she was regretting something from her past.

“I want you to have this, Nick,” Diamond said, tossing Nick a small jewel-like object.

Nick caught it suspiciously. “What’s this? I’m guessing it’s not just a gem…”

“It’s a severance orb. It casts Discommunicator on yourself. Use it when you want to prevent someone from reading your mind or if someone sends you dangerous thought waves,” Diamond said.

“That sounds really valuable,” Nick replied hesitantly.

“If there’s anything else you want, just ask for it. To protect others, you have to protect yourself first. We don’t know where the demon-god worshippers are. You can’t be too careful.”

Nick pocketed the severance orb while feeling the weight of her words.

“I appreciate it. It seems like I’ve got the Sun Knights to worry about now as well as the demon-god worshippers,” he said.

“That Alice girl is interesting. I don’t know if our interests align or not, but she has more integrity than I expected. After you denounced the Sun Knights for their systematic dishonesty and indolence, I felt shame rather than anger from her voice and gait. This is just instinct, but I think you’ll be able to rely on her,” Diamond shared.

“…That kinda sucks to hear after picking a fight with her,” Nick replied.

“Debating ideals is not fighting. It’s like a pair of lovers sharing a kiss,” Diamond said, putting a finger to her lips. It was a beautiful gesture, fitting for the most popular idol in the city. Nick felt a rush of admiration for her.

“If I’m being honest, you’re scarier than that Sun Knight,” he said in awe, but Diamond didn’t respond. Instead, she changed the subject.

“All I want is for everyone to smile,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“That includes people who feel trapped in life. People who are buried in regret. People who have been hurt by others or have hurt others without meaning to. I want more fortunate people to smile as well. I hope that, at least while they listen to our music, they can forget all the difficulties in their life and be happy.”

“I definitely have fun when listening to your songs.”

“But we had to do so much to reach this point. It’s been really hard… Making it to our one hundredth anniversary is a big accomplishment.”

“Yeah, it’s really impressive.”

“I need to narrow my focus so I can give my all to this moment. And that means rendering myself defenseless,” Diamond said, performing a spin. That simple movement was executed with a flawless, crystalline beauty. “I have connections to stronger adventurers than you, of course. But sometimes you need more than strength. I want someone with ideals, who I can count on to get up and keep going when those ideals prove insufficient and carry them directly into a wall. Just like idols. That’s the only way you’ll gain my trust and that of my girls. I admit you’ve had plenty of reason to complain, though.”

“I excel at complaining and fussing over details. Guild employees tell me how annoying I am all the time.”

“That’s just what I want. You’ll stand up to the Sun Knights and fight injustice… I love that. It’s so cool. It even makes my heart flutter. You pass the test.”

“Geez, I had to make your heart flutter to pass? Talk about pressure.”

“You should consider that an honor. I’m the most popular idol in Labyrinth City, if you can believe it.”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Oh, are you a fan of mine?”

“Of course. Aggie’s my fave, though.”

“That’s a bummer. I’m gonna be jealous.”

“I’ll catch whoever’s selling the counterfeit tickets. I won’t let any false paladins ruin your concerts, either. The demon-god worshippers and the Sun Knights won’t get the best of me. You just focus on making your own stage.”

“I’m counting on you, my bodyguard.”

Nick nodded in response to Diamond’s affectionate words. The idol glided across the room and stood on a white X of tape on the floor. It was the center of the practice room, where she imagined herself onstage, surrounded by fans. Her presence here was proof that she stood above all the other hardworking idols in the city.

“Can you listen to one more song? I want to practice it,” Diamond asked.

She began to sing. Nick turned his back and listened, standing guard so that no one would interrupt.

The bodyguard job from Jewelry Production had turned out to be much more complicated than the Survivors expected. They knew it would entail protecting idols from blacklisted fans who were buying counterfeit tickets to get into concerts, but now they had learned that the tickets gave their owners strange power.

“Are we good on that part?” Nick asked.

“Not at all, but whatever,” Tiana responded.

The Survivors had gathered in Tiana’s apartment after work for a meeting. Nick was going back over everything that had happened so far, step-by-step, and the others were listening with slightly annoyed expressions.

“The counterfeit tickets seem to be talismans made by demon-god worshippers,” Nick said.

“I don’t like that, either, but go on,” Tiana said.

“That caught the attention of the Sun Knights, who are now poking their noses into this case to catch demon-god worshippers,” Nick continued.

Alice, the Sun Knight who visited the Jewelry Production headquarters, thought that Garos, Nick’s former party member, might be a demon-god worshipper. She was also suspicious of Nick because he defeated White Mask. Knowing that this would only lead to trouble, Nick relayed the conversation he’d had with Alice.

“…So yeah, I ended up picking a fight with a famous Sun Knight. I’m in big trouble if we don’t catch the counterfeit-ticket seller before them. Sorry,” Nick finished.

“If you knew it was going to be a mistake, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place!” Tiana scolded.

“I’m really sorry. I know I messed up,” Nick repeated, shrinking away from her.

The others chuckled; they all had a soft spot for Nick’s quick temper.

“All right. I’m not actually that mad,” Tiana said. “It’s inevitable the Sun Knights were going to suspect us, given what we’ve done.”

“Yes. We are all in the same boat. There is no point in dwelling on the past,” Bond agreed.

“Hey, you’re partially responsible for all this!” Nick retorted. Bond’s supercilious behavior was getting under his skin.

Zem laughed. “So in short,” he said with his typical calm, “we have to keep the concerts safe and find the counterfeit-ticket seller. We must accomplish the latter before the Sun Knights. Is that right?”

“I think I’m gonna look for the ticket seller myself. I might ask for your help in spots, though,” Nick said.

Zem frowned. “I don’t love the idea of you working alone. I am also uneasy about our chances of fighting off the idol fans with those counterfeit tickets—the false paladins, I suppose—without you. We would not be able to use Union.”

“That’s true…”

Nick and Zem both looked anxious. Bond had registered Nick as his owner. His sword form was optimized to Nick’s mind and body, so transferring ownership would not be easy.

“That won’t be a problem. We used Union last time without thinking, but I don’t think we needed it,” Tiana said.

“Yes, I agree. We can handle the assailants if we can just figure out how the tickets work,” Bond agreed.

“How?” Nick asked.

Tiana answered, sounding free of concern. “All we have to do is steal or burn the ticket.”

“That’s easier said than done, especially if the false paladin is an adventurer trained in martial arts,” Nick argued.

“You would think,” Tiana said. “But the only thing that sets the counterfeit tickets apart is the special paint. They’re made of paper.”

“That is right. The fastest way to deal with a ticket might be to fill a bucket with water and drench the assailant,” Bond said.

Zem looked surprised. “Could they not have waterproofed the tickets? That feels like a major oversight.”

“They could have, but…” Tiana thought for a moment. “These tickets don’t make any sense. They have incredible effects despite not having any mana, but it seems like durability wasn’t prioritized at all.”

“Perhaps that is because they were hastily made?” Zem suggested.

“Maybe. I have no idea. Would someone capable of making these tickets cut corners on something so important?” Tiana said, collapsing on her bed in resignation.

“No… I know the reason,” said Nick. “It’s simple, actually. Making the tickets waterproof would change how they feel. They wouldn’t pass for legitimate tickets when entering a venue.”

“Your useless idol knowledge is actually coming in handy,” Tiana teased.

“Shut up,” Nick snapped.

“Well, I think we’ll be able to handle ourselves protecting the idols. But…” Tiana looked at Nick with concern.

“What is it?” Nick asked.

“It’s just… One of your former party members is suspected of being a demon-god worshipper, right? Are you going to have to catch him and turn him in?”

Nick shrugged. “Don’t worry about that. I got kicked out of my last party ’cause he stole money and framed me for it. I’m not gonna waste any sympathy on him if it turns out he’s a criminal.”

“Oh yeah… I remember you telling us that. This guy’s caused you a lot of trouble, huh?” Tiana gave Nick a sympathetic look.

“You’ve got that right… But I don’t think Garos is the one selling the counterfeit tickets,” he said.

“Do you have proof?” Tiana asked.

“He came to my apartment the other day, and he didn’t show much interest when he saw how obsessed I am with idols. If he was selling counterfeit tickets, he would’ve seen me as a customer.”

“You don’t suspect him because he didn’t try to sell one to you.”

Tiana, Zem, and Bond looked relieved. Karan, however, was lost in thought.

“Did you realize something, Karan?” Nick asked.

“N-no, it’s nothing,” Karan responded, shaking her head. Her hesitancy was surprising, given her recent calmness.

“What’s wrong? If you’ve realized something, anything, you should tell us,” Nick urged.

“U-um, it might be unrelated, but… Is that okay?” she asked Nick shyly.

“Yeah, of course,” Nick answered.

“Daffy is working really hard. It surprised me how invested she is in Diamond and the other idols’ dance practice,” Karan said.

“Man, I wish I could’ve seen that,” Nick lamented. The others snickered.

“I am ignorant of idols and their music, but even I could see how impressive their training is,” Zem said.

“Diamond changed her entire persona just by adjusting her posture in front of the mirror and finding the rhythm of each song… It felt like she was onstage even though there was no lighting or audience,” Tiana agreed.

“It was as if the idols were truly minstrels,” Bond said.

“Huh? That’s ’cause idols are minstrels,” Nick responded.

“Modern idols, yes. In ancient times, idols were people who used music and singing to fight. They combined mana with sound and visual effects to amplify spells. They could also place an audience into a trancelike state to gather mana from them and perform special ritual spells. It was a support job similar to shamans.”

The others were stunned.

“Idols? Fighting? What, did they bring guitars to the battlefield?” Nick asked.

“The strings would break in no time,” Tiana said.

“Singing in a labyrinth sounds like a terrible idea, too. You might as well shout ‘Hey, monsters! I’m over here!’” Karan responded.

“Their music is certainly catchy, but I would rather enjoy it outside of work hours,” Zem said.

Bond recoiled from their differing negative reactions. “What’s cooler than taking a guitar into battle?! And yes, they actually did that! I saw fighting minstrels!”

Nick turned away awkwardly. He just couldn’t believe him.

“Hey, you aren’t taking me seriously! If you don’t believe me, look me in the eye and say it!” Bond demanded.

“Okay, okay! We were talking about how Diamond is as amazing as ancient idols, right?!” Nick said.

“That’s better,” Bond huffed.

Karan spoke up timidly. “Um, that’s not it… Sorry, I wasn’t very clear. I wasn’t just talking about the idols. Daffy is working really hard, too… So hard that it was weird.”

“How so?” Nick asked, confused.

“Daffy has always liked dancing in front of others, but she never had any interest in teaching. It’s more her personality to see someone like Diamond and get competitive. I don’t think she’s the type to give up dancing and commit to a teacher role,” Karan continued.

“Maybe she had a change of heart after she retired from dancing?” Nick guessed.

“That’s not all. She won’t talk about Ares’s father or anything else related to her family.”

“Has it just not come up?”

Karan shook her head. “It feels like she’s avoiding it. She won’t talk about her personal life at all, even when I ask. But then she’ll ask me if I’m eating properly and tell me I need to ‘take the dragon by the horns’ and gain experience outside of adventuring… Something’s definitely off with her.”

“It is weird that she won’t talk about herself. We’ve already seen her kid,” Nick agreed.

“I’m worried Daffy has gotten herself involved in something dangerous,” Karan said.

“We could look into it, but we have never performed a background check… Labyrinth exploration and searching for people in the slums have become our specialties,” Zem said with a shrug and a weak smile.

“Actually… There might be a way,” Nick said.

Karan’s tail twitched in response.

“I know someone who specializes in that kinda thing. I planned to meet with him to ask him about Garos. There’s no guarantee he’ll learn anything, but… Do you want to go with me, Karan?”

“Really?!” Karan asked.

“All right, I’m gonna borrow Karan for tomorrow. We’re gonna gather information. Does that sound okay?” Nick asked the group.

Karan looked doubtful. “Are you sure you don’t need my help for more than one day?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’ll be fine. It won’t matter when we’re meeting with an acquaintance, but once I start actually searching for the criminal, it’ll be easier to act alone.”

Karan didn’t seem to approve. “I don’t like the idea of you going off by yourself. I know I’m not one to talk, but you’re always the one to rush headfirst into danger.”

“That’s right. You have a sharp eye, Karan,” Tiana laughed.

Nick winced. “S-sorry. I won’t do anything reckless.”

“Really?” Karan asked.

“We need you at the concerts anyway. The idols seem to feel more comfortable with you around.”

“That…is true. You’re also Daffodil’s cousin,” Zem agreed reluctantly.

“I would be uncomfortable being the only physical fighter there,” Bond said. He seemed unsure, too.

“…Fine. But Nick…,” Karan began.

“Y-yeah?”

Karan looked Nick right in the eye. He flinched slightly under her silent gaze. She had always been brave on the battlefield and easily flustered over private matters, but her personality was steadily changing.

“If you run into any difficulty, don’t just press on by yourself. Rely on us when you need to,” Karan urged.

“…Got it,” Nick said, half to himself. He was wondering if he truly would do as Karan said.

“Is visiting an inmate in prison your idea of a date?”

“Some people apparently attend trials on dates.”

“It’s in bad taste to enjoy someone else’s life as entertainment.”

“Says the fraudster.”

A wicked laugh echoed in the dim room Nick and Karan had entered. They were visiting an inmate in the Sun Knight prison. Fortunately, it seemed like the knights working here hadn’t heard about Nick from Alice, and they happily let him through after some coins changed hands.

“Nick. I don’t want to give this guy sweets anymore. We should give them to the knights instead,” Karan said, upset at the inmate’s teasing.

“Calm down, Karan,” Nick responded.

“This is my second time here. Please don’t tell me he’s the adventurer who specializes in background checks,” Karan said.

“He’s not. There’s just a few things I wanna check with him. This won’t take long,” Nick said.

Leon snickered. “Are you tired of comin’ to me for help? You should follow your party member’s example and learn to use all the resources available to you.”

“I don’t want your advice,” Karan said, turning away in a huff.

That only amused Leon more. “This is a deal, missy. You fulfill my request, and I answer your questions. It’s fifty-fifty. Let’s put the past behind us,” he said flippantly.

“The one in jail doesn’t get to say that,” Karan said, sighing, before reluctantly handing him the sweets. “These were made from a puree of boiled southern sweet potato mixed with butter, cow’s milk, and sugar. You add dried fruits and berries and slowly bake it in an oven. The taste is good enough for high-class restaurants.”

“Wow, that doesn’t sound so bad… So whaddaya wanna ask me? You still havin’ trouble with that rare magic item?” Leon asked.

“The Steppingman broke the phantom king orb. We collected all the fragments,” Nick answered candidly.

Leon raised his eyebrows and went silent for a moment. “Wait, before we talk any more about this. A magic sword called the Butterfly Sword and a staff called the False Root Staff should’ve been stolen together with the phantom king orb. Did the Steppingman you guys were after not have them?”

“No… He didn’t. Are they dangerous?” Nick asked.

“Yep. The Butterfly Sword has two bells, one attached to the blade and one to the scabbard. They’re called the dream bell and the reality bell. You can use those to fool your opponent about the position or trajectory of the sword and perform an attack they can’t see. You can also use sound and light to overwhelm their senses. The False Root Staff can be used to control magic creatures and golems. They’re both just as nasty as the phantom king orb. Be careful of whoever has them,” Leon warned.

“You’re being strangely open with this information. We didn’t even bring you the phantom king orb like you wanted.” Nick was confused.

Leon snickered again. “You’re not the type to lie about something like this. And even if I can’t read you, the girl behind you is an open book. I’ll acknowledge that you fulfilled your end of the bargain.”

Karan looked offended, but then she quickly realized the emotion she was showing and tried to bury it. “I’m easy to read, am I?” she challenged.

“You just got angry and tried to hide it. You’re not good at this,” Leon said.

Karan seemed embarrassed and unsure of what Leon meant. “Huh? Are there ways to be good or bad at hiding your emotions?”

“Yep. One way to keep your anger from showing is to fantasize about ways to kill whoever’s pissing you off. Or you can pretend to be weak and bait your opponent into a slip of the tongue. You have to find ways other than your facial expressions and body movements to vent your emotions. Try too hard to suppress them, and they’ll escape in unexpected ways,” Leon said.

Those words surprised Karan. She had been reprimanded many times and told not to let her emotions rule her, but no one had ever told her to find a way to vent them.

“Understand what I’m saying? You don’t control your emotions by trying to hold them back. You do it by deciding how exactly you want to release them. That’s more important for races like you and me that have ears and tails that can give us away,” Leon continued.

Karan sensed something in his words, and she stared at him. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I told you, dragonian. We had a deal,” Leon responded.

“…Okay,” Karan said.

Nick, however, was getting fed up. “You’re hardly in a position to give life advice, man.”

“You can’t live here without a little hypocrisy… Who was the Steppingman, by the way?” Leon asked.

“A former priest named Nargava. He was using a phantom king orb given to him by White Mask. White Mask killed him once he realized their intentions no longer aligned,” Nick said.

“White Mask?! What happened with him?!” Leon yelled suddenly.

“We fought and defeated him. The person inside the armor fled, though,” Nick answered.

“You defeated White Mask…? Unbelievable. Well, I guess your sword’s ability would make it possible,” Leon said, surprised.

Nick found his reaction curious. “Is White Mask that famous? Do you know his real identity?”

“Of course I don’t. No one does,” Leon said.

“You clearly know about him, though. Give us whatever details you have,” Nick urged.

“Hmm… People call him the Southern Saint, but he seems much more like a pawn of the demon-god worshippers and an inhumane thief. He tends to target antique magic items.”

“Antiques… Oh yeah, didn’t you mention a major magic item broker last time?”

“White Mask is really only known for his strength and cruelty. The broker, on the other hand, is a powerful person who manages the distribution of goods. They support crooks like White Mask but never step out from behind the scenes themselves. I might have brought them up on a whim, but I don’t know their intentions.”

“Really…”

“But man, that’s great news that you defeated White Mask. You know how many adventurers he’s killed who specialize in excavating ruins? Their comrades would cry tears of joy if they heard that.” Leon noticed that Nick wasn’t smiling at the praise and said, “What’s with that face? That’s a good thing.”

“The Sun Knights are watching me now ’cause I upstaged them. Whoever wore White Mask’s armor must hate me, too. And I think there’s more than meets the eye with this job we just started,” Nick replied.

“Really? Sounds interesting. Tell me about it.”

Nick told Leon about their current situation, including how they were hired by an idol agency to work as bodyguards and that Nick would be arrested if he didn’t capture the person selling the strange tickets before the Sun Knights. When he was finished, Leon clapped a hand over his mouth and laughed.

“Pfft… Heh-heh. The price of fame is high! Your life is so damn funny!” he said.

“Don’t laugh. My life isn’t for your entertainment. Do you have any idea who the counterfeit-ticket seller could be?” Nick asked.

“Antiques are my area of expertise. I’m sure you and your fellow idol groupies would know more than me.”

“I guess that’s true… Do you know anything about Garos?”

“Why the hell would you need to ask me that? You were his party member.”

“You had to have looked into him, though, and from a different viewpoint than me or the Sun Knights. Don’t you remember when you guys swindled me? There’s no way you didn’t consider the possibility of my party members trying to get revenge on you.”

Leon grinned. “That’s a good point… As far as I know, Garos is a typical Labyrinth City adventurer. He’s reliable when it comes to monster extermination in labyrinths, but a total slob in his personal life. He spends all his time on gambling and women and never saves money.”

“All true.”

“What stood out was his unusual fighting skill… And how comfortable he was with killing. I saw him outside a bar once and got chills. Thought he was gonna kill the guy he was fighting.”

“You saw Garos fighting?”

“Not just him. He was with everyone from Combat Masters but you.” Leon pointed at Nick, as if warning him about an ominous monster in the depths of a labyrinth. “I didn’t wanna make an enemy of everyone in Combat Masters. I considered telling Claudine to back off, but luckily you were kicked out of the party.”

Nick was annoyed by Leon’s frankness, but Leon was probably telling the truth. Making an enemy of Argus and all his former party members would place you in mortal danger.

“You’re definitely not weak, Nick. With that holy sword, you have the strength of an S-rank adventurer. But that doesn’t matter when it comes to takin’ a life. You can easily make up for a lack of skill if you’re prepared to kill,” Leon continued.

“…I’m sure,” Nick said.

“You’re naive. If your old party member turns out to be a demon-god worshipper, kill him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Listen up, man. Your life is in danger. You need to be ready to find the truth and kill your enemies. Watch out for your former party member. It’s also possible the person behind this is someone you’d never suspect… That Diamond girl who hired you is pretty suspicious. So hold on to your doubt. If you become sure that someone is an enemy, don’t waver. It’s kill or be killed.”

Leon wasn’t provoking Nick or making fun of him. He meant what he said, and his voice carried the touch of sympathy a doctor used when speaking to a patient.

Karan watched Nick with concern.

Nick and Karan left the prison to find the sun shining brightly. Carriages traveled along the street, and mailmen rushed from one destination to the next. The prison was located behind a Sun Knight station, beyond which cafés and shops lined the street.

Nick thought melancholically about the difference between places where darkness gathered and light shone. One small misstep in life could leave you in the shadows before you could blink.

“It’s such a peaceful day,” Nick said after stopping and scanning the street. Leon’s words turned in his head.

You’re naive.

“You shouldn’t worry about what he said,” Karan told him.

“Yeah,” Nick replied half-heartedly.

“No one hears that and actually stops worrying, though,” Karan said.

Nick burst out laughing at her overly honest words. “You’ve got that right. It’s not like we really solved anything.”

“I’m bad at this. I never know what to say,” Karan said unhappily, looking away.

Her innocent behavior was washing away the dark feelings that had settled in Nick’s heart.

“It’s been a while since you’ve made that face,” he said.

“I came to accept that it’s okay not to know everything. That there’s no use growing flustered over not knowing what to do or say… But it’s still frustrating when there’s something I wish I understood,” Karan said.

“What do you wish you understood?”

“Other people’s feelings,” Karan replied dejectedly.

Nick responded with a weak laugh. “I have trouble figuring that out, too.”

“But I’m even worse. Everyone else is smarter than me. I don’t think dumb people can understand how smart people feel.”

“Once again, Karan, you’re not an idiot.” Nick tried to console her.

“I don’t know…”

“Besides, even if you can’t read a person’s mind, you can try to figure out what they’re feeling by watching them.”

Just then, a houndian delivery boy sprinted past them. A human boy on a bicycle chased after him. They were both in their midteens and holding a bag full of mail.

“Wait, you idiot! I’m gonna pass out at this pace!” the boy on the bicycle yelled.

“Shut up! I’m not gonna lose to someone who needs wheels! Whoever finishes last has to buy the other dinner!” the houndian shouted back.

“You’re on! I’m gonna win this time!” the boy on the bicycle declared.

After making a game of their job, the boys rushed to a postbox and deftly shoved their letters inside. The houndian boy was in the lead at first, but the boy on the bicycle began to catch up.

“H-huh?” the houndian boy shouted.

“You’re too easy to read!” the human yelled.

The human was watching the houndian’s tail. The twitches would point to which postbox the houndian was aiming for next, which the human boy used to race ahead and throw his letters in first. An old man on the side of the road yelled at them to put the letters in neatly, startling and scaring away a napping cat.

“Having beast ears or a tail is a disadvantage. It’s going to take me a while to learn how to do what Leon said,” Karan muttered after watching them.

“I’m jealous, personally. It looks easier to get your balance, and they’re sensitive to sound and wind,” Nick said.

“That’s true,” Karan said, patting her tail.

“Does it really move involuntarily?” Nick asked.

“I think so. I don’t really notice it. I don’t think I can stop my tail directly, so I need to control my emotions instead.”

“That sounds hard,” Nick racked his brain for advice, but he couldn’t think of anything beyond the generic platitude that practice makes perfect. “It would be fair if humans had tails and big ears, too.”

“It really would.”

“Then what if you imagine that? Look at a person and think about how their tail would move if they had one.”

“Huh?”

Karan’s eyes widened in amazement at Nick’s advice. She looked at the delivery boys racing down the street. She turned to the angry old man next, then the cat, and then Nick.

“Wh-what is it?” Nick stammered.

“I…wonder if everyone has moments when they think simple things or zone out and think nothing at all,” Karan muttered, seemingly to herself. There was surprise on her face.

“I’m pretty sure everyone does that,” Nick replied.

“The boy chasing the other one looks frustrated… But he’s actually having fun,” Karan said.

Nick nodded in agreement. “There you go. I’m jealous of how much energy those kids have.”

“You sound like an old man.” Karan burst out laughing.

“Hey, don’t say that. That hurts,” Nick complained.

“Then start acting younger,” Karan giggled. “I’m…always getting distracted by weird or interesting things I see.”

“Yeah, I can relate to that.”

“I wonder if smart people are able to think things are interesting or weird without getting distracted.”

“Probably.”

“They also get frustrated when they lose, excited when they win, and annoyed by loud people, don’t they?”

“Uh, yeah. I think that’s a safe assumption.” Nick was unsure where Karan was going with this.

“Huh,” Karan said, her expression suddenly changing. She looked refreshed, as if her confusion had been cleared away. “Let’s get going, Nick. We’re meeting with the adventurer who’s good at investigating, right?”

Nick and Karan arrived at a brick building located near Anemone Alehouse. There was nothing vulgar about the place, but the inside was messy, as if the owner had no expectation of receiving guests. It was Nick and Karan’s destination, Woods Credit Check Office.

“I know why you’re here, but I don’t have a clue where Callios from White Heron is, either,” a man inside the office said without standing up. He looked around thirty years old and was wearing a battered white button-down.

“What?” Nick said. He and Karan were both startled. “What’re you talking about, Hector?”

It was the man’s turn to look surprised. “Huh? You haven’t heard from Vilma? She gave me a job to find out the identity of a thief who masqueraded as an adventurer. I thought you must’ve gotten impatient and come here to pester me about it.”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of that… So Vilma went to you,” Nick said.

“I’ve hit a brick wall, though. I know he was a magic item broker for connoisseurs, but I’ve got no records on him whatsoever. He’s either a real big shot, or ‘Callios’ is a code name used by multiple people… Ah, whoops. You’re Karan, right?” the man named Hector asked, scratching his head.

Karan cocked her head, apparently unoffended. “I don’t care about learning the identity of one thief. I just want my dragon king gem back. Anyway, who are you and what is this place? I don’t know what a credit check is.”

Hector chuckled and finally stood. “The name’s Hector Woods. I’m currently looking for your dragon king gem. I’ve seen no sign of it on the black market, so it’s probably been stored somewhere.”

Karan didn’t seem bothered by that answer. She looked like she had already accepted it as inevitable.

“Okay. So what’s a credit check?” she asked.

“Ah, it’s just a formal way of saying detective work,” Hector answered.

Karan’s tail began to wag. The word detective must have caught her interest.

“Most of my work comes down to looking for missing persons and performing infidelity investigations. I also look into financial affairs and loans,” Hector continued. Karan’s tail stopped wagging, signaling her disappointment. “Ha-ha-ha, sorry if that’s not as interesting.”

“Oh, but if you’re good at investigating people…” Karan trailed off, looking at Nick. She seemed to have realized why he brought her here.

“That’s right. Hector specializes in background checks,” Nick said.

He explained that Hector was originally a lesser noble in the capital and had a job compiling social registers, but he had to flee to Labyrinth City after a certain incident. Karan felt sorry for him until Hector elaborated—he was chased away after he had an affair with someone’s wife.

“Nick saved me when I came to Labyrinth City and got mugged. I started helping him out with Combat Masters problems after that,” Hector explained.

“I scratch his back; he scratches mine,” Nick said, eliciting a glare from Hector.

“You should’ve shown yourself sooner if that’s how you think of our relationship. I was worried about you when I heard you were kicked out of your party, then the next thing I know you’re making a name for yourself in a new one. I wanted to hire you as a part-timer and push all my busywork on to you,” Hector complained.

“Sorry, sorry. And that’s too bad for you,” Nick replied with a wry grin.

“You two seem close,” Karan said, sounding a little bored.

“Whoops, sorry, miss. What did you two come here to discuss?” Hector asked after clearing his throat.

Nick put on his work face. “We have two matters. First, we’re looking for someone who’s selling counterfeit tickets to idol concerts,” Nick said.

“Do you mean a scalper? I wouldn’t know much about that. Want to make it an official request?” Hector asked.

“…No. I don’t wanna put you in danger. The seller might be a demon-god worshipper,” Nick said.

“Why would a demon-god worshipper sell idol concert tickets?” Hector wondered.

“I know it sounds weird. I’ve heard this is a real problem for rich people,” Nick answered, smiling awkwardly.

Hector shook his head. “I’m not doubting you. I’m just genuinely curious. It’s hard for outsiders to enter the underground marketplace for this kind of entertainment and make any money. Ticket prices change all the time, due to shifts in popularity. You hear of robberies and kidnappings for ransom, but selling something with such short-lived value is unusual.”

“So selling these tickets wouldn’t be worth it unless you were a fan,” Nick said.

“It could be someone who loved idols so much that their feelings turned to resentment. The kind who gets overexcited at a show and gets banned for life or a girl who tried to become an idol but couldn’t make it,” Hector continued.

Nick thought back to the idol blacklist. “That makes sense… I hadn’t considered that. Thanks.”

“What’s your other matter?” Hector asked.

“This one is an official request. I want you to look into a dragonian dancer named Daffodil, Garos from Combat Masters, and the idol agency Jewelry Production,” Nick said.

“Jewelry Production, huh…? Well, I suppose I would want to investigate them if I’m doing an entertainment-related job,” Hector responded. His grim expression gave Nick a bad feeling.

“Don’t tell me Jewelry Production is actually bad news. They’re not involved with gangsters or demon-god worshippers, are they?” Nick asked.

Hector shook his head. “The opposite, actually. There are rumors the company is tied up with nobles—influential ones close to the lord of Labyrinth City.”

“Are you serious?” Nick exclaimed.

Most nobles living in Labyrinth City did not own territory. Instead, they were nobles of the robe who gained their high-society status from administrative or judicial posts. Even so, the average citizen saw them as lofty rulers who could not be opposed.

“I’m not saying this based on definitive proof. But there are other idol agencies that clearly have the backing of an armed organization or gang, and Jewelry Production is the biggest idol agency of all. I wanna tread lightly with them,” Hector said.

None of this was surprising for Nick to hear; at the very least, he got the feeling that Diamond and Joseph were not ordinary people.

“I won’t pressure you to do anything dangerous. You can consider Jewelry Production an extra, inessential request,” Nick said.

“Got it. What do you want me to focus on exactly?”

“Daffodil’s background and behavior. And whether she has a connection to the demon-god worshippers.”

Hector’s eyes sharpened, his casual attitude quickly disappearing. “Garos is an adventurer, so I know what he looks like. I already told you how difficult Jewelry Production will be. I don’t know who Daffodil is, though. Tell me about her,” he said.

Nick didn’t know what to say, but Karan answered for him. “Her full name is Daffodil Tsubaki. Nick said she’s a dancer, but it seems like she’s mainly working as a dance teacher and choreographer. She’s twenty-eight years old and has a son named Ares.”

“Did she get married and have her child in this city?” Hector asked.

“Probably. And I don’t think she would have a kid without a husband,” Karan answered.

Nick watched Karan, surprised by how smoothly she was answering his questions.

“Got it. I’ll do a quick check,” Hector said.

“Right now?” Karan asked.

“The full investigation will take time, but I can do a quick profile right now.”

Hector got up from his chair and stood before a bookshelf, scratching his head. It was packed with rough binders containing newspaper and magazine clippings.

“What are those?” Karan asked.

“Watch this, miss. Bibliosearch,” Hector said, casting a spell.

He released a dim light from his hands, which wrapped around the bookshelf. The bookshelf shook slightly, but nothing else happened. Karan frowned doubtfully, but Hector didn’t falter.

“I got a hit,” Hector muttered as one of the binders left the bookshelf and floated toward him, opening and turning pages in the air. He caught the binder and read. “She was in a D-rank adventurers’ party called Terpsichora. I have an application here for their disbandment. The leader was Jack Codeau, and the other members were Daffodil Tsubaki and Jane Wyald… They disbanded because their leader was declared MIA after a labyrinth expedition. Their final labyrinth was Thousand Sword Peak.”

It seemed to be information from a time when Daffodil worked as an adventurer. The pages contained information about her party’s history.

“He went missing in action, huh…? It would’ve been easier for them if he just died,” Nick said with a mixed expression.

“Missing in action? Does that mean he’s still alive?” Karan asked.

“Ancient ruins that have become labyrinths often contain traps that warp people down to the bottom floor or send them flying out of the labyrinth. When a companion is lost in such a manner, you report their status as MIA, which stands for missing in action,” Nick explained.

“So he could be…” Karan trailed off.

“Barely anyone who goes MIA in a labyrinth comes back,” Nick said coolly. Karan’s face hardened. “A lot of adventurers report a party member as MIA because they don’t want to acknowledge their death. The guild allows it, though once enough time passes they are treated as officially dead.”

Karan looked down sadly, but she quickly recovered and asked another question. “Was that a spell, Nick? Can you use it to quickly search documents?”

“Yeah. It’s a special spell used by civil officials and librarians,” Nick answered.

“The spell itself is simple,” Hector added. “Putting together the bookshelf is actually the hard part. You have to build and manage the bookshelf yourself for the spell to work.”

“You compiled all this yourself?” Karan muttered, surveying all the binders with surprise.

“As you can see, though, these binders mostly contain stuff you could put in a scrapbook, like newspaper articles and Wanted posters. It’s just public info, so nothing exhaustive. But it’s really useful,” Hector said with a smile.

“This guy’s well-connected. He’s able to get his hands on registers and account books that are inaccessible to most people. He also receives newspapers from cafés that they were planning to throw out and cuts them up to put in his binders,” Nick said.

“That’s a valuable way of collecting information. Plus, this stuff is perfectly legal to view and copy if you have the qualifications and status. Using it for unintended purposes can land you in deep trouble, but…I’d appreciate it if you could pretend you never saw that part. Let’s see here…” Hector turned the page. “Is this a victim report? It looks like she was a victim of fraud.”

“What’s it say?” Nick asked.

“The real estate agent she was working with when she was trying to open a classroom scammed her out of close to five million dina. She’s running a dance classroom now, though, isn’t she? She has to be getting money from somewhere,” Hector said.

“Are you implying she might be in debt?” Nick asked.

Hector nodded. “I highly doubt she got her money back from the scammer, so it’s possible. If she is borrowing money, we’ll want to find out how much and whether the lender is reputable.”

Nick was getting worried. This was a lot of information for Karan to take in at once, and she might storm out to question Daffodil about everything directly. That was more trouble than he wanted to deal with.

To his surprise, however, Karan remained calm and asked Hector a question. “Can you find out if anyone bad is following her?”

“Of course. I’m just getting started here; the meat of my job is after this,” Hector answered.

“And you didn’t see anything about a marriage or a family, did you?”

“It’s possible she just didn’t submit a marriage certificate. Some people see submitting paperwork as unnecessary because of the marriage customs of their clan. I’ll look into that, too.”

“Please,” Karan said, not letting herself get flustered.

“I should tell you it’s more than possible this could turn out to be nothing. It’s far from unusual for a business owner to take out a loan. The fact that she overcame her troubles and is working hard is actually a sign she’s doing well,” Hector said.

“You’re a surprisingly good guy,” Karan responded.

“Right?” Nick agreed keenly.

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘surprisingly?’”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Nick. “What about the other two?”

“There’s too much information about Jewelry Production to really glean anything. Finding the necessary information will be a challenge. Give me time. So…I’ll start with Garos.”

Hector cast Bibliosearch again, but only one binder flew toward him, bringing up nothing but adventurer files. There was much less information on Garos than there was on Daffodil.

“What in the world? There’s barely any info about him at all,” Nick said with some relief.

Hector looked grim, however. “…That’s strange.”

“Is anything bothering you?” Nick asked.

“I know about Garos. You complained about his bad habits with booze and women all the time, and how he would take out advances from the party wallet before you received your rewards,” Hector said.

“Yeah, I remember,” Nick replied.

“A guy like him should be mentioned in more records. I’d expect to see that he got arrested by the Sun Knights after getting in a drunken fight or that he failed to return a loan and hurt his credit score. But I’m not getting anything like that.”

“Is that really so surprising? I wouldn’t even expect the crooks living in the Garbage Heap would show up in many documents.”

“The people in the Garbage Heap don’t emerge if anything happens to them. There’s usually a decent amount of info on them from before they move there, though. Garos is mentioned in my database even less than the average Garbage Heap resident.”

“It still doesn’t seem that weird to me…”

“Has he paid you any sudden visits recently? Strike it rich out of nowhere?”

Nick laughed awkwardly, but then he noticed something—Hector was serious. He wasn’t joking around or trying to scare him.

“Listen up, Nick. There are two types of people who have no public records: those who never go outside because of a sickness or some other reason and those who excel at hiding and falsifying information,” Hector said.

“I wouldn’t expect Garos to fit in that latter camp… But he is cautious,” Nick admitted.

“I’m disappointed I have so little info on him. I thought my records on adventurers were exhaustive.”

“Getting no information still tells us something, though. You just explained how weird it is.”

“That doesn’t make it any less frustrating. I pride myself on having a perfect library… I need more data,” Hector said.

The word data reminded Nick of something. “Oh yeah, I have something interesting. I’ll lend it to you for you to read,” he said, fishing through his pocket and pulling out an item.

“What’s that…? Oh, it’s a knowledge orb. What’s in it?” Hector asked.

A knowledge orb was a gem with information from books and documents stored inside. This was the one containing past issues of Lemuria Monthly that Bond had given him.

“Past issues of an occult magazine,” Nick answered.

“Why would you waste a knowledge orb like that? Do you have any idea how much these cost?” Hector sighed as he took the knowledge orb from Nick.

“I know it sounds crazy, but there might be some legit information in there. Analyze it when you have a chance,” Nick requested.

“Eh, I guess I don’t mind. Anyway, are you gonna be okay? If Garos is guilty of what he’s being accused of, you’ll probably end up fighting him. Didn’t you say he’s a skilled fighter?” Hector asked.

Leon’s words resurfaced in Nick’s head.

What stood out was his unusual fighting skill…and how comfortable he was with killing.

“…Yeah. I can vouch for his strength,” Nick answered.

“This is a shady situation you’ve gotten mixed up in. Be careful,” Hector said.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Nick suppressed a shudder.

The sun was setting when Nick and Karan left Hector’s office. Streetlights were beginning to pop on, but the scarcity of lights around the detective office, the red sky, and the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings combined to create a strange, dark atmosphere in the immediate area.

It was still early for dinner, as was apparent from the amount of pedestrian traffic made up of people leaving work. Nick and Karan had been on their feet all day, however, and couldn’t wait for restaurants to open at night, so they bought food at a stall and ate as they walked.

They were both carrying a grilled octolegs as a snack. It was made by covering the legs in a mixture of wheat flour and water, then grilling them. The food was beloved by everyone in Teran, from the rich to the poor.

“Man, if you dunk one of these in some soup and smother it in cheese, it’s so damn good,” Nick remarked.

“Isn’t it? A stall on Hammer Alley pioneered that recently,” Karan said.

“Ah, that’s hot…,” said Nick, gasping as he burned his mouth. Karan laughed at him.

Nick could tell that Karan was worried about him. She was being kind, but not in the simple way she was earlier when she was worried about what she should say; she knew she didn’t need to say anything and was comfortable with that.

“You’ve matured a lot recently,” Nick said, causing Karan to choke. “Wh-whoa, are you okay?”

“Th-that was your fault! Don’t say things like that out of nowhere! Geez…” Karan swallowed the rest of the octolegs in her mouth and collected her breath. She then timidly asked Nick a question. “How have I matured?”

Nick looked away, too embarrassed to answer honestly. “Uhh… Well, Hector comes across as kinda shady, but you were able to remain calm and give him what he needed to know.”

“Oh, that…” Karan sighed, sounding both disappointed and relieved.

“I really mean that. Can you not tell how much you’ve grown?” Nick asked.

Karan put a hand to her chin and thought. She spoke slowly when she realized how to respond. “You told me to imagine humans having tails and think about how they would move.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“So I followed your advice and tried it. I thought about how his beast ears and tail would move if he had them. Imagining that as I talked allowed me to put off my feelings for later.”

“For later, huh…?”

“I thought that smart people, and cunning people like Leon, were totally different creatures than me. But…then I realized that everyone has things they want to do, things they don’t want to do, and things they want to do but don’t understand. Once I figured out that everyone has that in common—even people who are nothing like me—I became able to picture how humans’ ears and tails would move. I was focusing all my attention on watching Hector’s.”

Karan’s words sent a chill down Nick’s back. He’d had a similar feeling at Pot Snake Cave—that Karan was breaking out of her shell. He wondered at the mystical moment when she would finally cast it away entirely; would she emerge as someone brilliant and promising or as someone strong and terrible?

“How did Hector’s ears and tail move?” Nick asked.

“He had the tail of someone who was disappointed their hunt failed but didn’t want anyone to know it. He was trying to keep it high but couldn’t stop the tip from drooping,” Karan answered.

“You’re making him sound weirdly cute,” Nick said, chuckling.

Karan wasn’t trying to be funny, though, and she continued speaking. “I think…he felt a little embarrassed, too. You helped him in the past, right? He saw a chance to repay the favor, and when his search failed, he was hiding his disappointment.”

“I dunno if Hector’s that considerate of a person…,” Nick said. But I don’t feel like she’s that far off the mark.

Karan might not have been right about every detail, but Nick thought it was likely that some unconscious part of Hector did feel guilty. He’d complained to Hector about Combat Masters a decent amount, and the literary-minded detective had always agreed with his feelings. It was probably true that Hector felt sympathy for Nick when he was kicked out of the party and thought about either offering help or trying to place him in his debt.

But then something unexpected happened—Nick formed a new party with surprising speed and resumed work as an adventurer.

“We’ll have to make good use of him, then,” Nick said.

“Yeah,” Karan agreed.

“So, Karan. How’s my tail…?” Nick trailed off, deciding that no good would come of asking that question. Would he be able to lead Karan if she saw his feelings of hesitation? His feelings didn’t matter anyway; they knew what they had to do. Find the demon-god worshipper selling counterfeit tickets and catch them.

Shit, that’s exactly what Leon was talking about. My softness will get me killed if my goal is to catch them, Nick thought.

He couldn’t show mercy, even if the demon-god worshipper turned out to be Garos. No, especially if they turned out to be Garos. All he needed was the resolve to do what needed to be done. If killing was his last resort, he wouldn’t get the job done. He needed to be like steel and make killing the goal.

How much damage would it do if he made Karan anxious because she saw his lack of resolve?

Nick felt a wave of embarrassment and looked away from Karan. “Never mind. Let’s go back to the inn and rest.”

“Nick,” Karan said.

“I said it’s nothing,” Nick answered without turning around.

“Hey! Nick!” Karan called out, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back.

Nick stopped walking but didn’t turn around. “Hey, what gives? That hurts.”

“I’ve…always wanted to know what you’re thinking,” Karan said.

“It’s not anything important. Let’s go home,” Nick repeated.

“I act like an awkward, clumsy fool around you all the time. Not even my parents have seen that side of me,” Karan said.

“Where the hell is this coming from?”

Nick didn’t hide his irritation, and Karan faltered for a moment. But she didn’t stop talking. “I’m telling you that I have nothing left to be embarrassed about. I was tricked and left to die, and even then I thought it must have been some kind of joke. Who would be that stupid?”

“Come on, Karan! How many times do I have to say it?! You’re not an idiot! Don’t use that as an excuse to justify the things you can’t do!” Nick shouted.

“Then look at me!” Karan shouted back.

“What do you want?!” Immediately, Nick regretted raising his voice. He calmed down, afraid he might have hurt her feelings. “Wait, huh?!”

But as soon as he relaxed, Karan reached out and grabbed his arm. She was imitating Nick’s signature move, which he’d used to lock Nargava’s arm joints.

“Hey… Amateurs shouldn’t try joint locks! You’ll break something!” he yelled.

“Then teach me how to do it!”

“Is this really the way to ask me?!”

“Please teach me!”

“Okay, okay! Let me go!”

Karan released Nick, and he cursed. He took a breath and lifted his head to find himself looking right into Karan’s eyes. They were beautiful, reminding him at once of jewels and flames as they quivered before him.

“I have nothing left to hide. Nothing I’m scared of other people learning about me. Are you okay with learning other people’s secrets but not sharing yours? Do you suddenly think of yourself as some kind of hero?” Karan accused.

“You’re the one who’s been pushing me to become a hero all this time,” Nick shot back.

“I only meant you should become a hero if you have the opportunity. I’m not searching for a hero anymore anyway,” Karan declared. She startled at her own admission, but then she met Nick’s gaze again and continued. “You’re not a hero. You’re just a regular person.”

“…That’s right. I’m just one fragile man.”

“Yeah. You taught me how to lie. How to see through a lie, too. You even taught me how to cover it up when you get stubborn and make a mistake. You’re a dishonest person who can’t do anything on his own. You and everyone else.”

“So?”

“Say something.”

“Say what?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what you’re thinking or hiding. Share something with me.”

Nick’s instinct was to tell her to back off, but he couldn’t say it. Her eyes scared him as she stared straight into his.

“You always keep your worries inside. You try to do everything by yourself, even when Tiana gets mad at you and I tell you not to charge ahead alone. I was wondering why you do that. So I wasn’t trying to act mature just now. I was thinking about how I want to know more about you,” Karan said.

Nick had a realization at that moment.

“I don’t want you to just lead me around by the hand all the time. I want us to be true partners,” Karan continued.

He knew that Garos, Leon, Nargava, and all the other liars he had met wouldn’t have been able to withstand those all-seeing eyes Karan was giving him.

Nick also realized he was at a fork in the road. There was a line on this dark and shabby street where they were standing right now, snacks in hand beneath an evening sky changing from blue to red. If he crossed that line, there was no going back.

The road to becoming a true liar was so tempting. He could ignore the things he didn’t want to see or excuse his way out of dealing with any kind of undesirable situation by saying he simply didn’t notice it, that it wasn’t his problem. If he put all the skills he’d cultivated to use, he could race off into the night and continue turning a blind eye to his own pitiful flaws.

“…I know I’ve always talked a big game with you. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna share everything. There are things I don’t want to share, specifically because of our friendship,” Nick said.

“How could I have known that?! Actually, I’ve known that for a while!” Karan responded.

Like Karan said, Nick had no right to act this way after all he’d said to the party. He’d never had any qualms in the past about setting aside his pretensions and showing them the most pitiful sides of himself.

“I figured… I think everyone’s the same way,” Nick said. “We all have something we try to keep to ourselves, no matter how obvious it is to others. Even if our secret’s exposed, we keep lying and pretending we’re doing just fine. We even take pride in our ability to get by with lies. Life is easier that way.”

“I don’t want you to become that kind of person, Nick. I don’t want you to be like Leon and Nargava. The only reason I didn’t turn out like them is because of you,” Karan said. Her fiery eyes welled up, and the tears finally spilled down her face.

“Don’t cry, you dummy. It’s not worth that,” Nick said.

“Don’t call me a dummy. You’re always getting mad at me for calling myself stupid,” Karan complained.

Nick hugged Karan. It was a little too rough to be a lover’s embrace, yet too gentle for simply consoling a friend. That was how things often felt between them.

“I only call you a dummy when you do something reckless or when you cry. But I would never call you that for not knowing something. Everyone grows smarter over time as they become aware of the things they don’t know,” Nick said.

“So you’re making fun of me. You must think I’m a fool who knows nothing of the world,” Karan responded.

“I wouldn’t expect you to stick by someone who makes fun of you without realizing their own stupidity,” Nick said.

“You’re right about that,” Karan agreed.

“Okay. I was acting like an idiot,” Nick admitted.

Karan wiped her damp eyes, and Nick quietly comforted her until she was done crying.

“Listen up, Nick. Make sure to sharpen your knife yourself. Don’t just perform the minimum upkeep and leave the rest to a craftsman. Customize your grip, too. Keep it in perfect condition and sleep with it at your bedside.”

“Be just as cautious of people as you are of monsters. Some people pose as adventurers and attack others in labyrinths. It’s real easy to kill and erase all evidence that way. Take much better care than you would on the highway to remove all traces of any bonfires you make.”

“Lend me some money.”

“When you enter a bar, be wary of anyone stationed in a spot where they can see every seat. That goes double if they’re alone and not drinking.”

“If you’re alone in a street fight, knock them over and get on top of them. If multiple people attack you at once, do your best to fight them off and try to get away. Wait as long as you can to draw your blade. You wanna make them think they can’t beat you even when you’re barehanded.”

“Never push yourself too far in a fight. Avoid fightin’ at all if there’s no one to mediate. If you’ve got no choice, make sure you give ’em a drubbin’ they won’t forget. You should consider killin’ ’em, too. Wanna know how to hide a corpse? …That was a joke, dummy. Of course I don’t know how to do that.”

“Hell yeah, I caught a camel bird! The fat in the hump is delicious.”

“I’m gonna return your money, bud. I know everyone says that, though. I’ll figure it out once we get our next reward. Don’t sweat it.”

“Come on, Nick! I need money! Please? Think of all I’ve taught you.”

Nick and Karan found a bench in a nearby park, finished eating their now-cold grilled octolegs, and started to talk once they had calmed down. Nick was telling Karan about Garos. There were a lot of good memories and even more bad ones. Karan listened calmly at first, but she was slowly losing patience as he spoke.

“…Anyway, he was the first one to look after me after Argus brought me into Combat Masters. Once I gained some skills and made myself useful, though, he started to ask me for money and force me to accompany him to bars. I had to take care of him, more than the other way around… And in the end, he framed me and got me kicked out,” Nick said.

“That’s terrible,” Karan responded.

“You’ve got that right… But he brought me money and apologized. Hector warned me about Garos suddenly finding money or coming to see me, and he’s already done both,” Nick said.

Karan’s anger turned to surprise. “…Yeah, he did say that.”

“His visit scared me. I didn’t know what he was doing there. His money could’ve come from anywhere, so I’m hesitant to use it,” Nick said, looking tired. He didn’t actually feel as much fear as he said he did, though.

“Nick… Do you respect him?” Karan asked.

“He’s a scumbag who spends too much on booze and women, but in terms of pure skill, he’s one of the best. He can cut through steel and avoid detection by monsters. I can’t think of a better bodyguard.” Nick wasn’t really answering the question.

“It’s hard to believe a drunk could be good at working as a bodyguard,” Karan said.

“One of Garos’s special skills is being able to vomit on command. If he was ever wasted when we received an emergency job, he could just throw up and be good to go. He could use that trick to save himself if he ingested monster poison, too. He’s strong without having to rely on weird magic items or drugs. His instincts are better than beastmen’s, too, so he can’t be caught off guard,” Nick continued.

Karan gulped. She could feel the praise and fear in his voice. “Do you think he’s the demon-god worshipper selling counterfeit tickets?”

“I dunno. But he’s definitely up to something.”

Garos had visited Nick from out of nowhere with a large bag of money in hand. Combat Masters took a break at almost the exact same time the Survivors defeated White Mask. Alice, Leon, and Hector all warned him about Garos in different ways. It was all too much to be a coincidence. Garos was clearly involved in this case.

“I think I know why he’s so good at bodyguard jobs. It’s because he knows how killers think,” Nick continued.

“You don’t have to fight Garos if we encounter him,” Karan said.

“Don’t even try that. Garos wields his sword to kill people, not monsters. He’ll kill you.”

At least, he would if she didn’t have the resolve to kill him. Nick didn’t want to force the weight of taking a life onto Karan.

But Karan smiled his warning away. “But you’re not alone, Nick. We accepted this job as a party. We can team up and kick his butt together.”

“I suddenly feel bad for the guy,” Nick said, bursting out laughing. She was so nonchalant about it.

Karan didn’t join the laughter. Instead, her expression hardened. “Don’t. There’s no way he’ll play fair when he attacks. Besides, don’t get the wrong idea, Nick.”

“Huh?”

“Fighting Garos is not what this is all about. We were hired to protect the idols and catch the counterfeit-ticket seller. No good will come of you getting worked up over this.”

Nick winced. He was embarrassed; Karan’s words made him realize he had become entirely focused on Garos.

“I feel like I understand what Tiana was saying. You can be a real airhead sometimes.” Karan sighed with open exasperation.

“Excuse me?!” Nick exclaimed. He was shocked to hear that from Karan.

“There’s no guarantee that everything you’re afraid of will come true. Even if it does, you don’t have to fight alone. The enemy is a demon-god worshipper who’s stealing magic items and selling fake tickets. There’s no way they’ll fight fair. Do you disagree?” Karan asked.

“No… You’re probably right,” Nick relented.

“It’s fine if you really want to resolve this yourself. But you’d better not leave us out because you don’t want to get us involved. We’re all doing the job we signed up for. You already abused your authority when you begged Vilma to give us this job,” Karan said.

“S-sorry about that…”

“And don’t make me keep telling you to confide in us.”

This was the first time Karan had ever scolded Nick like this. He was embarrassed by it, but a part of him felt happy, too.

“I’ll back you up if it comes to a fight. Ask Tiana and Bond if you need their knowledge, and rely on Zem if you need to win someone over. You formed the Survivors because you knew there were things you couldn’t do on your own,” Karan finished.

Nick couldn’t argue with anything Karan said. But rather than frustration, he felt pride. Karan had become an outstanding adventurer.

“Well, damn. I’ve been in the wrong. I’ll tell you everything,” he said, resigning himself. He had no choice but to face the true feelings he had been keeping even from himself. That he was afraid.

“I…think I’m scared of fighting Garos,” Nick admitted.

“Okay,” Karan said.

“I don’t want to have to try to kill a former party member. I think I’d have a seventy-to-eighty-percent chance of dying.” He clasped his hands together.

The ridiculous speed of Garos’s blade was still seared into his memory. He stood little chance of defeating Garos; it was much more likely his own head would be separated from his shoulders. If he did happen to win, he’d be rewarded with the dead body of a former party member. The only outcomes awaiting him were painful ones, and the idea filled him with fear and dread.

“I think anyone would feel the same way… There’s no way to fight a former comrade to the death without forgetting about all the good times you had. I don’t want you to become so broken that you can do that,” Karan said quietly.

Nick had actually felt that he wouldn’t be able to survive and protect his friends without sacrificing, like Leon or Nargava had. But Karan was showing him that wasn’t the case. As an adventurer who had been through one of the darkest experiences imaginable without letting it corrupt her, she was living proof of that. He could see that true strength was the ability to recover when the world threatened to break you or send you into despair.

Nick suddenly felt his shoulders relax.

“…I’m gonna start going after the counterfeit-ticket seller tomorrow,” Nick said.

“Will you be okay?” Karan asked with concern.

Nick let himself be more vulnerable than he otherwise would have. “I’m planning on asking my idol friends about the counterfeit tickets, but there’s a chance one of them could be involved with the seller. I’ll try to act casual so they don’t know I’m performing an investigation. If a fight breaks out and things get dangerous, come help me out.”

“You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you, Nick?” Karan teased.

“Hey, I’m being serious. I’ll help you if you find yourself in a crisis, too,” Nick said.

“…Okay. I’ll hold you to that.” Karan gave a shrug and a laugh.

“I know I have you to watch my back. Whether we’re together or working apart, that doesn’t change,” Nick said, looking Karan right in the eye. The darkness of night only emphasized the bright and honest beauty of her eyes, and he didn’t look away.

The identity of the counterfeit-ticket seller was a mystery. Jewelry Production had given up searching, and the Order of the Sun Knights had yet to discover anything.

With Hector’s advice in mind, Nick was beginning to grasp the reason for that: It was because the buyers were all keeping their mouths shut. They weren’t just staying quiet because they felt guilty but also because they felt a camaraderie with the seller and wanted to keep their secrets. He also figured the seller was being very careful to only sell to idol fans. The only people who could do that had to know how idol fans thought and how to pick them out of a crowd.

Nick had that ability, too. He also had friends who were just as capable and might be able to find the counterfeit-ticket seller.

“You can’t tell anyone that I’m giving you this information. As a lover of idols, this seller offends me to my core, but I’m scared of them targeting me. I’m helping you because I owe you more than one favor. Please be careful. I mean that in all seriousness.”

“I know, I know. Don’t tell anyone the agency hired me, either.”

But there was one problem—Nick was a traitor.

He had taken a job that involved speaking to idols directly and seeing them backstage. From an idol fan’s perspective, that was a traitorous action. Nick had initially planned to gather information while not revealing that secret to anyone, but his conversation with Karan made him realize there was only so much he could do alone.

Actually, once he sat down and thought about it, he realized that finding the seller without giving himself away would’ve been impossible. The other idol fans definitely would have grown suspicious of his questioning. They were always quick to realize when one idol of their number was trying to get a leg up on the other in terms of information.

“I understand. I’m so ridiculously jealous, though. You have no idea!”

“I’m truly sorry.”

After that realization, Nick turned to his friend Jonathan and shared many details about the case to get him on their side. He told him that they were hired by Jewelry Production to manage security, that idol fans were being brainwashed by strange counterfeit tickets, that the Sun Knights were watching him for some reason, and more. He kept his friendly relationship with Agate a secret, however.

Jonathan’s expression was mixed when Nick finished. Actually, he was straight up angry. But Nick had saved him in the past when Claudine very nearly swindled him out of a significant amount of money. After much consternation, he decided to assist with the search for the counterfeit-ticket seller in exchange for the promise that Nick would get him a signed card from an idol.

“So you think they’ll show up at the west ticket agency,” Nick said.

“Yeah, I’m sure of it. That’s where he’s targeting idol fans who failed to buy a ticket,” Jonathan answered.

Jonathan hadn’t agreed to help on an empty promise. He was from a merchant’s family and was on the wealthy end of the idol fan spectrum. The seller had contacted him before, and he had a good idea of when and where they would appear. He led Nick to the ticket agency in western Labyrinth City to lure them out.

“If you complain at this agency about not being able to get a ticket and leave without anyone with you, the seller will approach you,” Jonathan said. “Even if he doesn’t show up today, I’m sure he will after a few days.”

“Do we have to wear these clothes, though?” Nick asked.

They were both wearing the uniform of a magic school in Labyrinth City. The loose, brand-new robes didn’t have a single crease, and anyone who saw them would think they were apprentice mages.

“You’re too muscular, Nick. He’d know you’re an adventurer right away,” Jonathan replied.

“Ah, they’ll realize I’m a professional.”

“That’s not the problem. He’ll assume you don’t have any money.”

Geez, he doesn’t hold back, Nick thought, but he followed behind Jonathan without argument.

“Like we agreed, I’ll be a magic school underclassman, and you’ll be my supportive upperclassman. We don’t want any idol fans to see us, so put up your collar and wear your hat,” Jonathan insisted.

Nick ignored his tone and performed a final check on his appearance. “Got it. Let’s do it, my underclassman.”

Nick and Jonathan entered the ticket agency. This wasn’t the branch that Nick visited regularly; instead, it was primarily used by nobles, merchants, and other members of high society. It also sold tickets for cultural events such as operas and theater productions.

While Nick looked around with interest, Jonathan lashed out at the employee behind the register.

“What?! You’re out of tickets?!” he cried.

“As I said, the purchase period is over,” the employee said.

“Are there really no available seats at Pazzy’s concert?! What about canceled tickets?!”

“I am sorry, but—”

“That’s impossible! You must have leftover tickets from people who canceled!”

“Once again, we don’t have any! Reserved tickets that are canceled are put into a lottery! We won’t know anything about that until we hear from management!”

Jonathan continued to harangue the employee as persistently as he could. It was an excellent performance of a fan who couldn’t accept his tickets being sold out.

“H-hey… Calm down, Jonathan,” Nick said, half acting and half serious.

“It’s not my fault! I wanted to sneak out at night and line up for a ticket, but the superintendent at my dorm was keeping watch, and I can’t afford to fail any classes,” Jonathan complained.

“Forget about it, man. You don’t wanna have to repeat a year ’cause you got too obsessed with idols. That would just be embarrassing,” Nick said, soothing Jonathan and apologizing to the employee with a look and a quick bow of his head. The employee responded with an exasperated glance but seemed mostly used to this.

They left the ticket agency, Nick pushing Jonathan from behind. Jonathan played the part of being frustrated, but once they moved far enough away, his expression turned serious.

“A scalper has infiltrated the ticket booth. That employee is probably an accomplice,” he said.

“Are they selling the tickets illegally?” Nick asked.

“I doubt they’re putting unsold tickets on the black market, but they’re probably leaking information on canceled tickets and customers. The scalper appears when customers plead at the ticket window like I just did.”

“Do you think he’ll bite?”

“Probably. But he won’t approach me if we’re together, so we need to split up.”

“Yell if you need help,” Nick said quietly before raising his voice for another performance. “Give up already, man. Let’s hang out somewhere, then get back to campus. Oh, how about that café? The waitresses are really hot.”

“Go back without me! I’m not going to go around flirting; I’ve devoted my life to idols!” Jonathan yelled back.

“Tch, fine then, weirdo. Make sure you get back before curfew,” Nick said with an exaggerated shrug. He split up with Jonathan and walked to the café. He pretended to relax as he scanned the crowd for anyone following his friend.

“I’ll have a coffee,” Nick called to a staff member.” I’d like it to go.”

“Are you free, young man? Sounds like you had an ugly split with your friend,” an amorous waitress asked Nick. She was a houndian, and her sharp ears must have picked up on the performance. “I’m so bored. I’ve been getting no customers today. Do you want to have some fun?”

“Ah-ha-ha! You’re beautiful and a flatterer! You shouldn’t tease kids like me, ma’am,” Nick said, trying to laugh her off, but that only seemed to make the waitress like him more. She stepped toward him and smiled suggestively.

“I like kids. Do you hate adults?” she asked.

The woman softly traced an index finger from Nick’s chest to his chin. His eyes darted around for some way to escape, and from the corner of his vision, he noticed Jonathan being led into a back alley by a suspicious man.

“S-sorry, miss. I’m worried about my friend,” he stammered.

“Ah… I see that man around here sometimes. He really is suspicious. I wonder if he’s some kind of gangster. If he starts trouble, get your friend and bring him here. I’ll give him shelter,” the waitress said.

“Thanks! I might take you up on that!” Nick called back.

He slapped money on the table to pay for the coffee and dashed after Jonathan. Fortunately, he didn’t lose sight of them and was able to catch up. The man was wearing what looked like a black mage’s robe with the hood up, and it was difficult to see his face.

“Would you be willing to take less for this seat? And this is a legitimate ticket, right?” Jonathan asked.

“I won’t force you to buy it. I have other customers,” the man responded.

“Huh? W-w-wait, I never said I wouldn’t buy it…”

He’s a natural actor, Nick thought, impressed by Jonathan. He was skillfully extending the conversation while acting like a stingy idol fan.

“O-okay, fine. I’ll buy it… This investment is more than worth it for Pazzy!” Jonathan declared.

“Hmm? Are you a Topaz stan? I thought Amber was your fave,” the man commented.

“W-well, there are a lot of people who support Amby, Aggie, and Pazzy as a group. Some people even throw in Diamond.”

“…I guess that’s true. Whatever. Agate’s new song was sensational. I want the three of them to sing it together.”

“I would die for that.”

Nick was surprised by how talkative the man was. He seemed like someone whose hobby had grown until he found a way to make money off it. His customers became accomplices to his wrongdoing, and they didn’t want to betray him, because they thought of him as one of them.

Nick couldn’t tell if that was by design or if his love for idols was genuine.

“By the way, I have a tip for you. Have you heard the rumor about counterfeit tickets?” the man asked.

“I have, but… These aren’t fake, are they?” Jonathan asked.

The ticket seller grinned, his mouth barely visible under his hood. “If you doubt me, hold the ticket tight and pray. If your love for idols is true, you will receive the strength of the paladin. That is proof that it is legitimate.”

“The paladin? Do you mean the one that saved Agate?”

“Ha-ha-ha… You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

The man gave Jonathan his ticket without incident. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he watched from the shadows.

Jonathan intentionally avoided Nick as he left the alley and grabbed a carriage to go home. The rest was up to Nick. He took off his robe and hat so that the rustling of his clothes wouldn’t give him away, then entered the back alley to follow the seller. Nick didn’t have much experience with tailing people. He did, however, know how to avoid detection in labyrinths by beasts and monsters with stronger senses than humans.

He was currently light as a feather, using Light Body to mute the sound of his footsteps. Not only did the counterfeit-ticket seller he was following not notice him, neither did the people who habitually gathered in the back alleys. He was like a ghost floating by without a physical presence in this world.

Back alleys were places of ambiguity. They lacked the light of the main streets, but they didn’t have the decadence of the Garbage Heap, either. They were a zone where beasts maintained the reason to continue wearing their human skin. That final flicker of light before a person fell into total darkness either warped them or returned them to sanity. The back alleys were a crossroads where people were either tempted into deeper darkness or returned to the light of the city.

Nick continued to quietly follow the man. He wondered if he was Garos. He knew darkness awaited him, and he tried to keep the animosity down.

Eventually, the man dropped a strange piece of paper, and that was when Nick started having trouble keeping track of him. The more Nick tried to concentrate on him, the more difficult it became.

Crap, is he using a phantom king orb? Or is it another kind of illusion spell?

One way to break an illusion was to say the person’s name. The technique strengthened your conviction about their identity, but it only worked if you got it right.

Nick asked himself if the man was Garos. Karan’s words answered him—that there was no guarantee that everything he was afraid of would come true.

If he’s not Garos, who is he?

Nick considered that as he carefully picked up the piece of paper the man had dropped. He was afraid the man might get away as he picked it up, or that the piece of paper was a trap and the man would attack him, but he pushed that fear aside.

It was likely a talisman, but the design was atypical. It somewhat resembled the design that was barely visible on the darkened counterfeit ticket. The paper was a useful clue, but it wouldn’t help him figure out whether the man was Garos.

Or maybe it would. The counterfeit-ticket seller might have been a person who couldn’t cover their tracks without relying on this kind of trick. Garos would have noticed he was being tailed with his own senses and shaken off his pursuer without leaving a trace.

After some thought, Nick decided to take a chance.

“Your name is Eishu,” he muttered.

That was the name of one of the blacklisted idol fans and one of Garos’s old companions. Eishu had been drawing and selling moving portraits of idols without permission and sending cursed fan letters that spoke when touched. He used to make talismans in the army but had become a wanted criminal in Labyrinth City.

He was definitely capable of making the strange counterfeit tickets, he was obsessed with idols, and he was connected to Garos. Nick said the name with confidence that there wasn’t a better suspect, and the man’s fading shape solidified.

Nick’s suspicions about the paper were correct—it was a talisman that cast an illusion spell. It seemed to have a similar effect as a phantom king orb, though not as strong. He was both excited and nervous from successfully dispelling the illusion. He was growing steadily closer to the truth and to danger.

He continued to follow the black-robed man, who kept walking for about ten more minutes before suddenly stopping. Nick was afraid the man had noticed him, but fortunately, he hadn’t.

“Yo. How’s business?”