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『Orun, sorry to bother you out of the blue. Are you free right now?』
On my way back to the clan headquarters after leaving Grandpa's shop, Selma-san's voice suddenly echoed in my head via telepathy.
I gave a wry smile at the still-unfamiliar sensation of a voice appearing directly in my mind outside the labyrinth and responded.
『Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?』
『Thanks. Are you outside the headquarters right now?』
『I had somewhere I wanted to go, so I'm out. I'm heading back now, so I'll be at headquarters by tonight's briefing time.』
『I see. The clan leader is calling for you and me. Once you're back, could you come to the leader's office with me?』
Selma-san's business was a summons from the leader.
I didn't recall any urgent matters that required speaking with him soon, but since she'd been asked, it was probably something pressing.
『Got it. Do you know what it's about?』
『No, I haven't been told the details yet. This is just my guess, but I heard a guest arrived at the leader's office earlier—so it's probably related to that.』
A guest of the leader?
Since the leader was personally handling it, the visitor was likely a high-ranking noble or someone of equivalent stature—but what business would someone like that have with me?
It might make sense for Selma-san, being the daughter of a high noble, but I was just an ordinary commoner.
Which meant... this was probably related to us as explorers.
『...This doesn't feel like good news...』
『I feel the same. The leader's keeping the guest's identity hidden even from members. Whoever it is, they're almost certainly a major figure.』
『Understood. I'll hurry back. Keeping them waiting too long could leave a bad impression.』
『Please do. I'll be in the lobby lounge, so let's meet there.』
『Roger.』
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After ending the telepathic conversation with Selma-san, I hurried back to headquarters, met up with her, and headed together to the leader's office.
When we arrived at the door, Selma-san knocked and informed whoever was inside—the leader, presumably—that we'd arrived.
We were told to enter, so I followed Selma-san through the door.
Once inside, I confirmed the people present: the leader, and a muscular, tall man.
His clothing was clearly high-quality to anyone who looked, yet designed for ease of movement.
He appeared to be in his mid-forties.
Not exactly young.
Yet his bearing and aura unmistakably marked him as no ordinary man.
(This guy is seriously strong. On par with—or maybe even surpassing—the Armored Explorer I just met... Who is he?)
While I was thinking that, Selma-san—standing beside me—also caught sight of the middle-aged man and caught her breath.
But her shock didn't seem to come from being overwhelmed by his presence. It felt more like she was seeing something impossible.
Judging from Selma-san's reaction, he was definitely a high-ranking noble.
I knew the names of nobles but had few personal acquaintances, so I couldn't identify him just by sight. Selma-san, however, had far more connections among the nobility.
If I heard his name, I'd probably recognize it—but from this atmosphere, he was almost certainly military-affiliated.
Perhaps one of the Central Army's division commanders from the First to Third Divisions?
I knew Lester, commander of the Fourth Division, so it wasn't him.
"Selma-chan, it's been a while! You've gotten even more beautiful since we last met!"
The middle-aged man greeted Selma-san with a friendly grin.
As expected, the two knew each other.
"I'm honored. Warren-sama."
Selma-san replied with tension in her voice, yet a hint of happiness underneath.
(Rare to see Selma-san like this. —Wait, Warren!?)
I'd been thinking her tension was unusual, but the moment I heard the name, a shock ran through my entire body.
There was only one person I knew named Warren.
Warren Hayes.
About twenty years ago, when he was still an explorer, his party became the first to reach the ninety-third floor of a Great Labyrinth—earning him the title of [Hero].
His party—the *Golden Echo*—was said to be in a league of its own, and people genuinely believed that "if it was them," they could conquer even the supposedly impossible Great Labyrinths.
Yet, not long after reaching the ninety-third floor, the party suddenly disbanded.
The shock among the public at the time had been immense, apparently—but none of the members ever explained the reason, so the mystery remained to this day.
Rumors suggested one member had died in an accident, but the truth was unknown.
Some time later, he joined the Nohitant Kingdom Central Army's Imperial Guard. About ten years ago, he became its captain and had since served as the king's personal protector.
Incidentally, Albert Sensible—a former member of the *Golden Echo*—had transferred to the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky after the disbandment and remained their absolute ace until the day he died.
After finishing his greeting to Selma-san, the man called Warren shifted his gaze to me.
He still wore that friendly smile, but his eyes weren't smiling—they were appraising me.
"And you're Alba's successor, huh."
Alba must refer to Albert Sensible.
Since Lucre and Carol—who'd been close to him—had called him "Alba-san," it was almost certainly him.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Orun Dura, an explorer of the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky."
"Warren Hayes, captain of the Nohitant Kingdom Central Army Imperial Guard."
After I introduced myself, the middle-aged man stated his own name.
As expected, he was the former Hero Party leader himself—Warren Hayes.
But why was someone in such an important position as the king's bodyguard here?
"You're quite the topic of discussion even on our side. The kingdom's strongest explorer—and the one who defeated the so-called world's strongest [Hero]. Quite the feat."
The fact that the Silver Moon Rabbit of the Night Sky had been in Legliff territory during the recent imperial invasion was tightly controlled by the Edington family—few knew the details.
But it made sense that the kingdom's central figures would be aware.
Which meant the likely reason for his visit was...
"...I'm honored by the high praise. But that victory was just a matter of fortunate matchup. I'm nothing more than an ordinary explorer."
"No need for modesty. I've met the Empire's [Hero] myself—he's a monster. The second most dangerous person I've ever encountered. Sure, luck played a part in the outcome... but a win is a win. You should be proud."
"...Thank you."
"Warren-san, please get to the point. They don't have all day."
As our exchange wound down, the leader spoke up—his tone sharper than usual.
I was a little surprised by his forceful manner, but Warren didn't seem fazed and muttered "Yeah, yeah, same old" with a chuckle.
"Well, since someone's getting impatient, let's get to business. —Selma Claudel, Orun Dura. I want the two of you to transfer to the Central Army."
Warren dropped the friendly smile and spoke with dead seriousness.
As anticipated, his purpose was recruitment to the Central Army.
I was a little surprised that Selma-san had been included alongside me—but considering her unique ability and capabilities, it made sense she'd be targeted too.
The leader had clearly known Warren's business beforehand—his earlier tone suggested as much—but the fact that he hadn't resisted was odd.
From what I'd seen of him so far—even though our acquaintance wasn't long—I knew he cared deeply for his members.
He also knew I had no intention of joining the military.
I'd have expected him to squash any such offer before it even reached us if he could.
Which meant the pressure from Warren—or the Central Army—was that heavy?
While various thoughts raced through my mind, I glanced at the leader. He gave a small, gentle nod.
Seeing that, my response solidified.
"「We decline.」"
Our voices overlapped perfectly—Selma-san's and mine.
The leader's gesture had silently told us to answer honestly.
He'd probably planned to step in and negotiate with Warren and the Central Army after hearing our feelings.
It would put him in a tough spot with the nation, but he was someone I could trust—so I felt safe leaving it to him.
Warren exhaled softly after hearing our firm refusals.
"Yeah, figured as much."
He said it lightly, his friendly smile returning as if nothing had happened.
I'd braced myself for a difficult negotiation, so his casual attitude caught me off guard.
"I-Is it really okay to back down that easily...?"
Selma-san seemed to feel the same; she looked bewildered by Warren's demeanor.
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. This was just a formality to save face for the Central Army. I used to be an explorer myself—I get it. 'We pay more taxes than ordinary citizens, so don't drag us explorers into your stupid political games.' Right?"
"It's a bit concerning to hear someone in your position say that..."
I was grateful he'd backed off so easily—but hearing someone so central to the nation express such views made me uneasy.
"His Majesty understood my stance when he appointed me. Of course, that makes me a thorn in the side for some people."
Warren laughed heartily as if to say there was no issue.
"—Well then, let's get to my real business."
He dropped the laughter and shifted back to a serious demeanor before continuing.
"Orun Dura—I'd like to have a mock battle with you."