Volume 4 Chapter 123: Restriction

After spending the night at the inn—The Love Nest—Noel and I quickly returned to White Road.

According to Noel, aside from the manager, people were still searching for me, so it was safer to get back to White Road as soon as possible.

I was curious about why everyone was looking for me and what she meant by safe, but I decided to follow her lead without questioning it too much.

Since Noel had disposed of my clothes, I had to activate Hunter to make my way back. She looked apologetic about it, but if they were dirty, there wasn’t much to be done—even though they didn’t seem dirty to me at all.

Honestly, part of me wanted to run away somewhere, but today just wasn’t the day for that.

I had to prepare for the excavation site we were tackling starting tomorrow and attend a strategy meeting.

Later today, everyone was supposed to gather at the Spirit Wind party house. According to Elle, the excavation site we were facing was rather unusual, so she wanted to hold a planning session.

Well, if it’s an S-rank excavation site, proper preparation is necessary. Even with the manager on our side, we can’t just charge in without a plan.

I thought we could take things a bit slower…

I wasn’t opposed to retrieving mana stones for Sextet, but this felt too rushed.

Considering safety, there was no reason to act in such a hurry. We should have carefully explored other options as well.

However—Alice-chan’s words came back to me.

“There’s no time…”

Why was she in such a rush?

Come to think of it, her decision to enter Floating City Pharmament alone was strange too.

Despite her bold demeanor, Alice-chan always planned meticulously before taking action. She calculates risks and rewards, prioritizing her own safety before making a move—a trait of the Soken people, who, without magical devices, are far weaker than other races.

She isn’t reckless; she’s far smarter than I am.

And yet, with both Floating City and now this excavation site, she’s deliberately choosing high-risk actions.

I should have asked her why she was so desperate.

Not that she would have told me.

Either way, if we rejected her proposal, I had a feeling she would head into the excavation site alone.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Persuasion? Considering how Elle didn’t even try to argue, that wasn’t an option either.

So, in the end, the only choice was to go along with her plan and enter the excavation site.

I had nothing but doubts about this—but…I’d made up my mind.

I placed my hand on the door of White Road, which we had somehow reached before I even realized.

“Noel.”

Just as I reached for the door, Noel placed her hand over mine.

“What?”

“Aren’t you thinking of doing something reckless?”

She looked at me with a worried yet reproachful expression.

I wasn’t planning anything reckless. I had simply decided not to involve Noel, Fiona, or Sierra in this matter.

Ideally, I would tackle the excavation site with just the manager and Alice-chan. If I relied on the manager completely, we could probably manage somehow.

…But I knew that wasn’t realistic; my proposal would definitely be rejected.

However, if my hazy memory was correct, this particular excavation site had—a limit on the number of people who could enter.

My father had mentioned it once while drinking.

That was probably one of the things Elle planned to discuss today.

“Not thinking about anything in particular.”

“…I see.”

I answered with a natural smile. Although Noel looked slightly suspicious, she eventually let go of my hand.

I’d thought my lies would be seen through by now, but apparently, I still had some skill left in deception.

Thinking that tainted magic was useful, I pushed open the door.

◇

“So you’re telling me… senpai spent the whole night alone with this woman!?”

At the Spirit Wind party house, in the meeting room, Fiona’s voice rang out like a shriek.

Sunlight streamed through the large, round-framed windows onto the red-carpeted room. A long table draped with a white tablecloth sat at the center, large enough for everyone. A stone fireplace, an elegant chandelier, and several decorative furnishings completed the room’s look. It was originally a dining hall, but since the Spirit Wind members rarely used it, it had been repurposed as a meeting room. Even then, most discussions took place in the lounge, so this room was seldom used.

The Spirit Wind members sat opposite White Road, except for Elle, who was at the head of the table with her arms crossed and eyes closed, overseeing the meeting.

“Calm down, Fiona. Nothing happened.”

“You… how can you say that so casually? If senpai hadn’t been holding my hand so gently, I would have already twisted your neck, shredded your body into a pile of meat, and fed you to the monsters.”

“Fiona, Fiona—calm down. You’re terrifying.”

Noel smiled sweetly, while Fiona glared at her with obvious hostility and blurted out something outrageous. I tightened my grip on Fiona’s trembling hand so she wouldn’t move.

We were seated facing Elle in the order of Fiona, me,
Sierra, the manager, Noel, and Tesea. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be someone’s buffer.

In the end, everyone found out what had happened last night. It would’ve been difficult to hide anyway, but the manager just went ahead and blurted out, “Noil was with Noel last night,” or something like that. How did he even know? I wanted to ask for details, but there was no time for that. The meeting room had turned into a scene from hell.

All of Spirit Wind kept quiet.
Sophie, Mina, Kreis-san, and Letto-kun were seated in that order—Sophie sat quietly with perfect posture, Kreis-san grinned with shining teeth, and Letto-kun, looking extremely uncomfortable, leaned his head on an arm propped on the table and turned away.
As for Mina, who would normally calm things down in situations like this—she glanced at me, then quickly averted her eyes and began fiddling with her hair.

I had done something terrible to her, so it was only natural. I should at least be grateful she was here at all.

“…If nothing weird happened, then what were you doing? Tell me. Honestly.”

Sierra fixed a stare at Noel that rivaled Fiona’s. I made sure to hold Sierra’s hand too.

“This.”

Noel responded in a strangely triumphant way, taking out one of the mana bottles filled with my blood—pulled from the same pouch at her hip as mine—and set it on the table.

“…That’s Noil’s blood, isn’t it?”

Why can Elle tell just by looking? She had opened her eyes at some point, and I wondered about that.

“Yes, I got some of Noil’s blood. But I ended up taking too much, so he couldn’t move. We only rested at an inn for the night.”

“An inn…?”

Fiona’s expression grew even harsher. Noel responded with a glamorous smile.

“On Aiiro Street.”

“Ugh… you… I’ll—”

“Fiona, Fiona! We really just slept, I promise!”

I pulled on her hand when she tried to stand. Fiona’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at me.

“But senpai! I wanted to be the first one! I wanted you to take me away, too!”

“Isn’t that kind of weird?”

What kind of person am I supposed to be?
I wouldn’t just take you…

“…Brother, just one thing: did you… take a bath together?”

“No comment.”

“So you did. I’ll kill you.”

“Please don’t.”

“But senpai!”

“I wasn’t telling you to kill me, Fiona, so please don’t kill me either.”

I held both of their hands tightly, pleading. I had no idea what would happen if I let go.
As I was desperately trying to calm them, a sharp clap echoed through the meeting room.

When I looked over, the manager was pressing his palms together with a very exasperated face.

“That’s enough. If you want the same thing, just do it later.”

“…That doesn’t sound right…”

Tesea mumbled to herself, but the manager paid no attention, crossing his arms and legs again as he continued.

“In any case, we can’t proceed with the discussion like this. We don’t have much time.”

We ended up in this situation because of you, but ultimately it was my reckless behavior that caused it. And if I go back further, it’s all my father’s fault. Speaking of which, I wonder where that old man went—though I don’t really care.

“…Senpai, please take me to an inn next time.”

It’s not like I took her anywhere…
After a brief pause, Fiona still looked unsatisfied, but at least settled down for now.

“Brother, from now on, every day we take a bath…”

Yes, I do take a bath every day.
Though…I’m pretty sure Sierra means a bath together.

Honestly, there’s no longer any concept of a proper distance between us. The more I try to pull away, for some reason, the closer they get. This world is strange.

The problem isn’t solved at all, and more issues keep piling up. Even so, it seems they understand the importance of the discussion at hand and decided to leave it for later.

Elle let out a long breath.

“…As Milis said. We’ll punish Noel later. For now, let’s set aside personal feelings.”

So they’re actually going to punish her.

“Punish…so that’s really happening…”

Tesea echoed exactly what I was thinking in a small voice.
Noel herself was smiling, but if they went through with a punishment, I’d have to stop them.

“This meeting is for one reason: to explain and decide on our plan for the excavation site we begin tackling tomorrow.”

Elle began speaking in a clear, resolute tone.
Everyone, including Letto-kun—who had been looking away the whole time—turned their attention to her.

“The S-rank excavation site is called Lake Sanctuary Aria Sanctuary. I’m sure you’ve all at least heard the name. The capital city of Elist is built right on top of it.”

The large lake—Aria Lake—had an excavation site beneath it. Tracing things back, the City of Elist was originally constructed as a base to explore this Lake Sanctuary.

Now, hardly anyone challenges that excavation site, but Lake Sanctuary still exists, side by side with the City of Elist.

“As I’ve mentioned before, S-rank means an excavation site that nobody returns from. There was one individual in the past who conquered an S-rank site, and thanks to that achievement, she became the one and only S-rank miner in history. She vanished without a trace and is now legendary.”

Elle paused briefly to glance at the manager.

But the manager just calmly picked up his cup from the table, took a sip, and said nothing. Elle let out a small sigh.

“There’s no need to explain the danger we’re about to face. Honestly, I’m against it. But if we refuse, Alice won’t create the vessel. She might even disappear from our lives for good.”

We agreed on that point. It seems Elle, who knows more about Alice-chan than I do, understands various circumstances behind it.

“I don’t care. With me and Noil, it won’t be a problem.”

Let’s be clear: with the manager, not me. My presence doesn’t make much difference.

“Of course, I expect you to use your power to the fullest, Milis. In fact, without you, none of this would be possible. However, Lake Sanctuary may not be like the excavation sites you cleared in the past.”

“Hmm. I’ve heard a bit about it.”

Elle took a sip of tea, moistening her lips, and held up two fingers.

“Yes. Based on previous investigations, two things are known about Lake Sanctuary. First, each person can only bring five items, excluding food, water, and clothing.”

“What about a tool like my Storage Box?”

“No exceptions—it’s prohibited. In the past, people tested magical devices that allowed multiple items to be stored inside, but the entrance stayed sealed. A regular backpack or bag is fine, but apparently there’s no cheating.”

So inside that excavation site, you can only bring five weapons, pieces of armor, or items total. Naturally, magical devices are included. That makes it a bad match for Alice—and obviously for me too.

Only five mana bottles is pretty harsh. Asking others to hold some would waste their item slots.

This place is going to be even more difficult than I thought.

“And the other feature is the worst: there’s a limit to how many people can enter.”

So my memory was right.

“If you exceed a certain number, the entrance remains shut.”

“I see, so that’s why. How many people are allowed?”

Fiona squeezed my hand and asked Elle.
Elle took another sip of tea before slowly turning to face everyone.

“Eight. That’s the maximum. Alice, Milis, and Noil are set—so that leaves five more. Let’s decide who those five will be.”

She announced it firmly in a clear voice.