Having finished our exploration, we headed to the guild as usual to cash in our spirit stones.

"Hikaru, how about coming with me once in a while? The guild staff seem to be starting to suspect you a little, since I'm always the one bringing in the stones. They don't say it out loud, but I can tell they're being considerate..."

"No, it's fine. Today we've got Garden Panther stones too—wouldn't that just make me look more suspicious?"

"You say things like that again... Won't the promotion exam become even harder?"

"Even if it gets a bit tougher, it's no problem. The promotion exam to Ebony rank is only one or two floors, right? Then we can manage it somehow."

"Well, I guess that's true..."

As we were talking, a group of adventurers rushed into the guild hall from the direction of the dungeon, their faces pale and bloodied.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

The warrior at the front wore a pristine light blue full suit of armor, clearly quite expensive.

Probably a gold-rank adventurer, or even higher.

"Make way!"

They weren’t blocking the entrance, but clearly in a panic, they shoved past us and rushed into the guild.

Upon closer inspection, they were all in tatters.

There were four of them—possibly two had already died.

"……What’s going on? Let’s go take a look."

"Yeah, it’s definitely suspicious."

"Heart racing, meow!"

Though I haven’t been using this guild in this town for long, I’ve never seen anything like this before.

We leaned in, our curiosity piqued, listening intently to the adventurers who had just stormed into the guild, demanding redress at the counter.

"It's the Demon King! The Demon King! He's appeared on the fifth floor!"

"Thank you for the report. Are you certain it was definitely the Demon King? What form did it take?"

The Demon King was, as far as we knew, the supreme monster that emerged within the labyrinth.

While the adventurer spoke in a flustered, hurried rush, the guild member remained calm.

The Demon King might not be as rare as we thought.

"It was a massive wolf! It even spewed fire! We'd better take care of it right away—might be better to borrow a Holy Knight!"

"A wolf? Then it's probably not too hard to deal with, is it?"

"I don't know, we didn't see it clearly ourselves. Our comrades were suddenly taken down, and we barely escaped by throwing smoke bombs and meat projectiles. But whatever that thing was, we've never seen anything like it before, and even the Royal Stone is acting strange. There's no doubt it's the Demon King!"

His voice was so loud it was completely audible to everyone nearby.

　

"The Demon King, isn't it a being made entirely from chaotic spirit energy... right?"

I ask Refleia, who's standing beside me, stunned.

"That's correct. But this is bad. Once the Demon King appears, only the extermination squad can enter the labyrinth until it's defeated."

"Linkus won't be able to enter either, so he'll have to take a break in the meantime."

"Is that so? But it appeared on the fifth floor, right? As long as we're exploring the upper levels, it shouldn't matter much, should it?"

"The Demon Lord moves between layers. If he appears on the fifth layer, he'll quickly ascend to the fourth. It won't take him days to reach the third layer."

"Crossing between layers..."

"Yes. And each time he crosses layers, the Demon Lord gradually deepens his chaotic hue... in short, he grows stronger. We should aim to strike him down by the fourth layer at the very least."

Hearing this, I instantly decided to sneak in alone.

The Demon Lord's appearance.

I instinctively realized this would be the catalyst to secure first place in viewership.

Fighting him would likely mean death.

But if I'm lucky, I might survive just barely.

Alternatively, I could gather as many Chaos Spirit Stones as possible without encountering the Demon Lord, then fight by sending undead creatures forward as bait."

Even if they don't have to fight, the sheer tension of not knowing when they'll encounter the Demon Lord might boost viewership on its own.

"Get the announcement out already! The guys hiding in the fourth layer are serious trouble!"

"Understood! As of this moment, new entries into the labyrinth are hereby prohibited!"

Workers scramble about, staff running toward the labyrinth holding signs and ropes.

It seems they're temporarily sealing off access, prioritizing the defeat of the Demon Lord.

"Well, tomorrow's definitely a day off. How long does it usually take to defeat the Demon Lord?"

"I expect we'll form a strike team and enter the labyrinth by the day after tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll defeat it that day, but that rarely happens. Most likely, it'll be three or four days from now."

"I heard you were calling for the Holy Knights..."

"Yes, the knights who protect this town were mostly explorers themselves. It's common for the demon lord's defeat to require a large group."

Hmm. If that's how it's done, I might not even get a chance to participate.

"Does that mean I could join too?"

"Ah... no. The demon lord's defeat is always extremely dangerous—often resulting in several deaths—so only those at Silver rank or higher can take part."

"I see."

Well, I could probably sneak in without anyone noticing.

They might ban me from the guild, but right now, ratings are more important.

"Since I'm at Silver rank, I'll be participating in the demon lord's defeat. As for you, Hikaru... I'm sorry, but until the demon lord is defeated, your dungeon exploration will have to be on hold."

"I see. That's a pity, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"To be honest, I'd feel much safer if Hikaru joined us... defeating the Demon King brings big rewards, but it's also dangerous."

"Well, if it's already decided, there's nothing we can do."

I answered like that while thinking about what to do next.

I wondered if there was anyone among the Transmigrants who had ever fought a Demon King before.

◇◆◆◆◇

After finishing the purchase of the spirit stones, we decided to go eat.

The restaurant was, once again, the one serving shrimp thermidor.

That flavor had strangely become a favorite for all three of us recently.

There was something I needed to tell the other two.

After we sat down and ordered, I began speaking.

"Refrea. You remember, originally we agreed you'd only help us temporarily, right?"

"Yeah. Um, it was two weeks, right? So... six days left... no, five days?"

"But since the Demon King has appeared, we can't enter the dungeon together."

"That's right. ...Ah!"

Reflair suddenly seemed to realize something, placing her hand to her mouth.

"Exactly. If the extermination starts the day after tomorrow, we might not have another chance to go in together."

Even if the extermination is completed by the day after tomorrow, there'll only be two days left.

If it takes longer, we might not get the chance to enter at all.

"But, um... did Hikaru achieve their goal? The exploration went smoothly, but I noticed Hikaru seemed really rushed, like they were being chased by something?"

"It hasn't been achieved yet... but this part, well, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Then, what should we do...?"

"Anyway, it looks like the party's going to disband. I'm sorry about that."

"Huh...?"

Hearing those words, Refleia fell silent and looked down.

I feel sorry too, but from here on out, it's my solo adventure.

Five days left.

If I defeat the Demon King, I should be able to reach first place in viewership.

No, actually, it doesn't matter if I win. The important thing is trying.

"But, Hikaru-san, will you dive back in once the Demon King is defeated? If so, please hire me again. I've never been part of such a great party before, so I'll miss it."

"Yeah, I plan to. I don't know any other way to live."

"Then it's settled. Until the Demon King is defeated, I won't be called as a scout. And I'll hold you to your promise—please hire me again."

Grapefleur casually grinned and devoured the prawns brought over.

Well, she's both a companion and, at the same time, an employee.

She's likely experienced countless party dissolutions before.

"……It's terrible. Hikaru. Knowing how I feel, yet saying 'it's over' like that."

Refleia muttered resentfully, her head down.

After all, she was only hired for a two-week period. I suppose it's inevitable, but she seems displeased.

"I'm the one who delayed my return home, so once the time's up, there's no choice but to end it."

"Ending it—like that?!"

"Sorry, that came out harsh. But look, Refleia. You're going back to your country to become a Holy Knight, aren't you? I'm asking you to delay that, so I can't keep asking you to stay any longer."

"...But I still can't use Photon Ray, you know."

"But you said you wouldn't practice in the labyrinth, right?"

If you're not going to train in the labyrinth, then there's really no reason to dive into it.

Training could still be done after returning home. My combat power is already far superior, so maybe I could even pass the exam.

"...Can't we just stay together...?"

She asks this, looking up at me with those eyes.

I've made my decision.

"Honestly? I want to stay with you. It makes me happy when you say that to me, and I'd love to keep exploring together. ...But I can't. It's because of my own circumstances."

"This situation... you can't tell me about it, can you...?"

"I'll tell you everything... when it's all over. I promise."

"When it's over... Yes, I understand. ...You promise, right?"

Explaining the situation means letting her know that, even as we speak right now, she’s being watched by humanity on Earth.

And I’m hated by them as the suspect… no, the murderer of Nanami. I can only imagine what kind of glances are being sent her way, just for being with me.

— A pitiful soul unknowingly used by a criminal.

— Or perhaps, hated just like the monk is hated for hating the robe, despised as one of the gang.

Truthfully, I don’t want to see her beautiful face clouded with sadness at our parting.

Whether this is childish possessiveness or some moral pride, I can’t quite tell myself. But in any case, I can’t stay with her.

I won’t be working with Grapefruit as a duo ever again.

No matter how the ratings race turns

out—whether I live

or die—the path

ahead... I'll walk it alone.