Chapter 100

"……u……. Where am I…?"

When I came to, an unfamiliar ceiling was in my line of sight.

I could tell I was lying on a bed.

But why…?

"Good morning, Mr. Oliver. Do you feel any discomfort in your body?"

I heard Luna's voice from the side.

I sat up and checked my condition, but I felt no discomfort at all.

By then, I had understood why I was sleeping here.

"There's no discomfort. ……So, I lost, did I?"

It was the first time I had ever lost to Orun.

I had never lost to him before, and I had never doubted that I would never lose to him in the future.

But now, after losing, the feeling I had was almost like resignation, as if it couldn't be helped.

I couldn't explain why I felt this way.

But, I felt a sense of clarity, as if something had been cleared up.

"…How long have I been sleeping?"

"About two hours. The award ceremony is already over. The Duke Fogus has instructed us to return to the mansion immediately upon waking. I'm sorry to ask you to move so soon after waking up, but let's go."

A summons from Duke Fogus.

It was undoubtedly a scolding for not winning.

I didn't feel like going, but I had no choice.

"Understood. Let's go back."

◇

As we walked back to our mansion through a less crowded path from the arena, I was thinking about the future.

The recent state of the Hero Party is terrible.

There had been signs of this before, but it seems to have reached a level where it's difficult to repair.

The biggest factor is probably the addition of Phyllis.

Not only Aneri, but even Derrick now seems to approve of everything Phyllis does.

As a result, she is practically the one who decides the party's direction.

However, I don't think this is a bad thing, and there's no problem with her being the party leader.

I feel a sense of reassurance that I can trust her.

Then, what's the problem? It's the conflict with Luna.

It seems Luna has also undergone some kind of change in her mindset, and recently she has been more proactive in voicing her opinions on the party's direction.

It's clear that her comments are made with the party's best interests in mind, not like the all-denying attitude she had right after Orun left the party.

However, whenever Luna and Phyllis's opinions clash, Aneri and Derrick always side with Phyllis, and her opinion is adopted by majority vote.

Personally, I think Luna's opinions could also be respected, but the three of them won't allow it.

Each time opinions clash, the atmosphere in the party becomes more tense.

And for the past few days, Luna has been visibly losing her energy.

I don't know the cause, but I want to support her somehow.

(Maybe it's time to disband this party….)

This is something I've been thinking for a while.

I feel it would be better to disband the party.

I don't feel like continuing as an adventurer with the current members, and most importantly, my recent defeat will likely give the impression to the public that the "Golden Dawn" is inferior to the "Silver Hare of the Night Sky."

I need to be the best to protect what is important to me.

Otherwise, I'll lose what is important to me.

………Wait? What is important to me?

Friends?

No, I'm thinking of disbanding the party, so I don't feel like I'll lose them.

Then, family?

My parents died when our village was destroyed by bandits ten years ago.

I don't have a lover or anyone I want to build a family with.

So, family isn't important to me now.

Then, fame?

No, that's not why I continue being an adventurer.

What do I want to protect so much that I need to be strong?

"Mr. Oliver? Is something wrong?"

I snapped back to reality at the sound of Luna's voice.

It seems I had stopped walking.

"…No, nothing. Let's go back quickly."

The more I thought about it, the more I felt stuck.

I prioritized my own goal of conquering the Great Labyrinth over my promise to my best friend to conquer it together.

But when I look back, there was nothing I wanted to protect.

The goal of becoming strong to protect what I wanted to protect had somehow become the goal of just becoming strong.

Ha, why did I only realize this now…

◇

When we returned to the mansion, I headed straight for the parlor.

As expected, Duke Fogus was sitting in an expensive chair with a glass of wine in his hand.

Across from him, Phyllis was sitting in a chair, and it seemed she had been in a meeting with him.

Aneri and Derrick were standing behind her like attendants.

I felt a sense of unease at the self-centered behavior of Aneri and Derrick, but if that was all, it might be forgivable.

They have been so devoted to Phyllis recently.

However, the two of them were standing with unfocused eyes, as if they were dolls, creating a strange scene.

It was easy to tell that something was wrong with the two of them, but Duke Fogus was the priority now.

"I have returned."

Duke Fogus, who had caught sight of me, had a look of barely concealed anger on his face.

"You've disgraced me not once, but