The following morning, early in the morning.

　I visited the guild.

　I felt disgusted by my own cowardice for unconsciously searching for Reflair, but it seemed she wasn’t here. Even if she were, I had no intention of speaking to her.

　I had already told Reflair about the party's dissolution, so today I was alone.

　The dissolution was selfish and one-sided, but in truth, the ratings race was something I should have handled alone. She gained almost nothing from it, only the massive disadvantage of being unknowingly watched by hundreds of millions of people.

　――Even if I had explained the situation to her, she might have helped me.

　But that’s because she couldn’t truly grasp what it meant to be watched by hundreds of millions of people. In a world where even television doesn’t exist, how could anyone possibly understand such a thing?

There was no way I could accept that answer just because they said it was fine. I had decided to do anything to bring Nanami back to life. That resolve hasn't wavered in the slightest. But apparently, I'm not strong enough to achieve my goal even if it means hurting others. If I were to be hurt myself, that would be fine. After Nanami comes back, I'd be willing to die. But I can't keep relying on Reflair, who doesn't even understand the situation. The more kind she is, the more beautiful she is. Every time I catch myself drawn to her innocent smile, that feeling becomes a heavier and heavier chain, tightening around my heart. Though the world turned gray again when I was alone, this is truly the world where I belong.

...So, this is fine. This was the right way.

(There are more people than usual.)

It seems that explorers, now idle due to the labyrinth being sealed off, have gathered here, making an unusually loud racket.

They shouldn't be able to enter the labyrinth—

"Alright, then! Let's begin the demon lord slaying registration!"

Looks like they're actually running the registration.

On the worn-out bulletin board, details about the demon lord slaying expedition were written:

・Only explorers of Silver rank or higher

・Each participant receives five silver coins per day

・Successful slaying grants thirty silver coins to all participants

・The team that discovers the demon lord receives ten additional silver coins

・Additional rewards based on individual merits will be given separately

I see. Even though he's called a Demon Lord, he's ultimately just another monster. If dozens of people are participating, it might be a safe and profitable event.

Incidentally, it seems the guild will be taking the Demon Lord's spirit stone.

I personally have an undead summoning spell, so the Demon Lord's spirit stone was quite intriguing—but I can't do anything about that.

(Still, there are surprisingly many explorers of Silver rank or higher.)

Though not as extreme as Reflira, they all carry large weapons and look like seasoned fighters accustomed to battling monsters. They're probably all capable of using spirit magic as well.

Their battle-worn metal armor, covered in countless scars and dents, the massive shield designed to withstand monster charges, and the long spear meant for fighting from a distance—each of these is clearly a high-quality, expensive piece.

In contrast, I was still wearing my usual cheap black clothes. My only proper equipment was a pair of gauntlets and a short dagger.

Completely out of place.

Right now, this guild was meant only for explorers of Silver rank or higher, and being stared at so openly and without restraint made me feel utterly uncomfortable.

I quickly left the guild and headed toward the labyrinth.

The crystal spiral column was still there as usual, but something felt off.

(…Is it a bit cloudy?)

The massive cylindrical crystal wasn’t transparent anymore—it shimmered like a sky sprinkled with stars.

It looked just like a chaos spirit stone.

(Could it be because the Demon King has appeared…? If so, does that mean the Demon King’s emergence can now be sensed from outside?)

At the entrance of the labyrinth, four soldiers stood as usual.

Those soldiers might possibly be the ones known as the Holy Cathedral Knights. They must be mercenaries, and strong enough to handle the job.

In addition, a signpost had been erected, and ropes were strung across the entrance.

Probably, no one was inside the labyrinth at the moment.

The Demon King's Slayer Squad would enter tomorrow.

(……Well, shall I go?)

I decided to slip into the labyrinth using Darkness Fog, taking advantage of a momentary opening.

There were only five days left in the viewer race to revive Nanami. There was no way I could spend another day without entering the labyrinth.

The rank of Shadowbind and Summon Knight bugs will soon reach three. Once that happens, I should advance to the next level, and ideally, I'd like to meet the Demon King.

I was certain that reckless actions alone would be the catalyst for becoming the top-ranked.

"Darkness Fog"

— Using magic in the shadow of trees, wrapping myself in darkness.

Today's weather is pleasantly sunny, so my figure wrapped in darkness must look quite conspicuous.

I might get spotted. If I'm caught, I could even end up imprisoned. If that happens, it'll cost me a significant amount of time.

I expanded the range of Darkness Fog, covering the entire entrance, and slipped inside unnoticed. The soldiers surely don't have night vision.

Of course, they'll probably heighten their vigilance, but at this point, that doesn't matter.

Running while spreading darkness.

It should have worked— that was the plan.

"Light!"

With that voice from behind, a sudden blinding light appeared before him, dispelling the darkness and revealing his form.

The soldier, of course, noticed the light as well.

(Why—? But that voice… just now…)

"Just as I thought. …I always believed Hikaru would come."

"Refreia…"

Turning around, there stood Refreia.

"You were waiting for me?"

"No, I saw you at the guild and followed you. That aside, Hikaru, I checked the guild records. You went into the dungeon alone on the day you said you were taking a break, didn't you?"

"Caught."

"You seemed unusually calm when you first descended to the third floor, so I did a little checking."

Personal information might not even exist if you think about it carefully.

After all, she's a party member—asking her would immediately get a response from a guild member too, right?

"You went down into the depths all by yourself...?"

"Not quite the depths. I just took a quick look at the third and fourth layers."

"……Why on earth did you do something so reckless? Do you not trust me as a partner? I'll admit, my spirit magic is half-hearted, and as a warrior, I'm only mid-tier—but—"

I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, seeing her so close to tears. And even if I did, I knew she wouldn't understand.

Reifrea is the best party member, and more than half of our viewership success is due to her efforts. But precisely because she's so valuable, I can't rely on her completely.

It's also proof that Reflea has been getting too much attention on Earth.

"Refla, it's not like that. Didn't I say yesterday? There are circumstances... I had to test my own strength. That's why I needed to go down alone."

"...But if you go alone... you won't have anyone to help you if anything happens, right...?"

"I know. That's exactly why I had to do it."

I'm the one who knows best how reckless this is.

But precisely because I know, I have to do it.

Taking risks was the only way I could possibly gain attention.

"So you were planning to go down again today? Even with the Demon King there... What were you going to do if you ran into him? You're not seriously thinking of fighting him alone, are you?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to play around a bit on the second floor."

"...Hikaru, you're really bad at lying."

Did my lie show on my face? I’d thought

that by descending all the way to the fourth layer, I might just happen to encounter

the Demon King. "There’s no point standing around chatting

, let’s go." Refrea gripped my wrist tightly and pulled

me forward. Soldiers were approaching

us. "Miss Refrea, what’s going on? Is this man the one we’ve been searching for

?" She’d been looking for me just a short while ago at the maze’s entrance

. That must be what they

were referring to. "Yes, I’m sorry for

the trouble." I gave a vague reply, and Refrea strode ahead, deliberately leaving the soldiers behind. I was dragged along—no, I was practically being dragged.

Her strength was immense, utterly impossible to

resist. In this situation, I was completely powerless.

Either way, once discovered, it was already impossible to enter the labyrinth.

Still, would the situation be interesting from the viewer's perspective?

Unable to resist, I was dragged along, pondering such thoughts.