Ian slowly climbed the stairs ahead of him.

With a slight sense of dizziness, he felt a sensation similar to when he first entered the labyrinth.

Light seeped through, cutting through the dense darkness that had obscured his vision.

It was the surface.

’Returning already?’

The Labyrinth Guard, who were standing sentry nearby, approached as they discovered the Ian Mercenary Group emerging from the labyrinth.

’Five people. All have returned.’

The Guard Captain looked for the Ian Mercenary Group’s entry record on the list and confirmed that every member had returned safely.

Looking at Ian’s group, who appeared to be in a mess, the Guard Captain said with a smile.

’Congratulations, Labyrinth Explorers. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen a whole group return alive.’

Survivors of the labyrinth, returning with harvests from the depths.

Ian’s party had now earned the right to be officially called Labyrinth Explorers.

It was proof of being a veteran mercenary, but unexpectedly, it didn’t serve as much of a bonus when applying to ordinary mercenary groups.

This was because there was a very high possibility that such a person had a twisted personality.

’Hm? Why do you all have those expressions?’

The Labyrinth Guard congratulated them on their safe return, but the party members’ expressions were subtle for people who had just survived.

The Guard Captain nodded as if he understood.

’Well, I’m sure many things happened inside. Still, consider it a blessing that you kept your lives.’

However, the expressions of the mercenaries except for Ian had a slightly different meaning.

They had prepared themselves with grim determination to risk their lives, but their expressions were drained because they realized that determination had actually been unnecessary.

The Guard Captain finally asked Ian.

’Any special observations among the personnel?’

’None.’

’...Good. If everyone is back, we don’t need to perform an inspection.’

Mika felt curious at the Captain’s last words and asked.

’An inspection?’

’Yes. Occasionally, when only one person returns or everyone looks suspicious, we have to detain them and perform a mental evaluation.’

The Guard Captain spoke to Mika as if it were a trivial matter. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

’Sometimes, explorers come out in a state where their minds are no longer sane.’

Hearing those words, Mika suddenly looked around and realized the Labyrinth Guard had been surrounding the exit from a distance.

Until now, she thought they were guards meant to prevent unauthorized entry.

...They were guards meant to stop what might come out from within.

Soon, the guards cleared the path leading to Labyrinth City.

Ian and the party members felt the sunlight and fresh air they hadn’t experienced in a long time as they walked slowly toward the city.

＊ ＊ ＊

Returning to the city, Ian’s group opened the door to their base.

’We’re back!’

Tanya shouted, but no one answered.

’Ann? Karen? Seria?’

Setting down her luggage, Tanya looked around the first floor with a puzzled expression and called out.

The base was strangely quiet.

Tanya and the members first moved their luggage and equipment to one side of the first floor.

’Is no one here?’

’They must have gone out.’

Well, since no one knew when Ian’s party would return, it wasn’t strange for them to be out.

However, Tanya noticed something odd in the traces left on the first floor.

In the kitchen, ingredients were laid out as if they had been about to prepare food right then.

There were also unorganized items in the lounge.

These were signs that they hadn’t intended to be away for long.

’They aren’t upstairs either. The dorms are empty.’

Following Tanya’s explanation, the members checked the upper floors, but no one was anywhere.

It wasn’t that they had gone out.... It was as if they had suddenly vanished somewhere.

’Um, Captain? No one is anywhere.’

’What about Ms. Louise? She should be in the basement.’

Hearing Ian’s words, everyone looked toward the stairs leading to the basement.

Come to think of it, there was still one place they hadn’t checked.

’...The door is locked?’

-Thump thump

Lia, who had gone down the stairs, cautiously knocked on the basement door.

-....

-...!

Fortunately, there was a reaction from inside the basement door.

With a bit of commotion, muffled voices were heard, and soon the door opened with the sound of a lock clicking.

’It really is the Captain! You’ve returned!’

’Let’s ask the Captain what to do!’

Inside the locked basement, Ann’s group and Louise appeared, looking as if they had been tormented for a long time.

’What on earth happened?’

After hearing Ann’s plea for help, Ian asked Louise.

Watching this, Louise let out a quiet sigh and spoke.

It was about a day before Ian’s return.

＊ ＊ ＊

The basement laboratory, where the alchemy equipment was gathered.

Louise let out a sigh as she placed the last completed Purifier on the table.

’Phew....’

The spare Erosion Purifier made with the last ingredients, as requested by Ian before he left for the labyrinth.

Now, all that was left was to perform the preservation process and put it in the warehouse.

’How much would this sell for...?’

Louise muttered, staring through the glass bottle at the brilliantly shining Purifier.

After developing a new potion, the biggest headache was determining the price.

Potions with a market price already established for similar performance were a bit better, but for such a groundbreaking potion, it was truly whatever the seller asked.

There were really many things to consider when setting a price for such an item.

A potion that purifies erosion—it would surely sell for an enormous price.

To labyrinth explorers, it was almost like having an extra life.

Even mercenaries who hadn’t dared to challenge it until now might consider giving it a try if they had something like this.

However, since the ingredients were what they were, the downside was that mass production would be difficult.

Because of that, it seemed Captain Ian intended to use them all himself, so they wouldn’t be sold wildly on the market.

’It’s about time for the results to come out....’

Louise thought of the Captain’s party who had entered the labyrinth.

Since she had helped secure the supplies, Louise also roughly knew the possible exploration duration for this party.

Whether they succeeded or gave up midway, it was about time for word of the result to reach her somehow.

At that moment, someone knocked on the laboratory door.

’Who is it?’

’There’s a delivery outside.’

Ann, Karen, and Seria entered, each carrying several boxes.

’We’ll put these here.’

’Yeah.’

It was the usual organization of ingredients they always did.

Louise didn’t pay much attention and organized the equipment she had just used.

In that instant, a strange light flashed behind Louise’s back.

’...Eh?’

Louise turned her head back.

And she immediately noticed what anomaly had occurred.

The Erosion Purifier she had placed on the table had vanished without a trace.

’...! Where did this go!’

’What?’

’The potion that was here!’

’Huh? It’s probably somewhere else. Didn’t you drop it under the desk again?’

Louise jumped up from her seat and shouted at Ann’s group, who were organizing the boxes.

It was a complex laboratory where it was hard to know where anything was.

Ingredients went missing, or strangely increased in number.

Potions ran short, or a potion thought to be lost was rediscovered in a corner under a shelf....

Such things were very common occurrences.

Since it had been quite a while since she started helping organize lab supplies, Ann no longer made a fuss over such things.

But Louise had an expression that said things had gone terribly wrong.

It wasn’t worth just a few coins; it was an important potion that used a secret recipe the Captain brought himself, along with labyrinth ingredients.

It wasn’t an item that could be casually written off as a loss just because it wasn’t visible, like ordinary potions or ingredients.

Rushing to the door, Louise locked the laboratory door with a padlock.

’Wait, what are you doing?’

’We said it wasn’t us! Go ahead and search our pockets!’

’Shut up!’

Louise shouted back and blocked the door.

’No one leaves until we find it!’

＊ ＊ ＊

’So, that’s why no one has been able to leave until now.’

’....’

Everyone nodded with exhausted faces.

’Captain. We didn’t hide it.’

’It wasn’t there no matter how much we searched the lab....’

’Isn’t it just Ms. Louise’s mistake? Like she made it in a dream and thought it disappeared....’

’You little!’

The atmosphere was on the verge of turning into a slightly hostile situation.

After all, it wasn’t just a coin or two that had vanished, but an irreplaceable precious item that had gone missing.

Louise, who had no choice but to suspect the people who were with her based on the circumstances.

And Ann’s group, who were suddenly under suspicion.

They each understood each other’s positions, but as the confrontation dragged on, dissatisfaction was bound to build up slightly.

Tanya, who had started to break into a cold sweat, looked at the reactions around her.

Tanya glanced at the fairy sitting on her shoulder.

Erosion Purifier.

She had wondered where this little one had brought that item from, and now....

The fairy looked at Tanya with a puzzled face and tilted its head.

’Th-that....’

As Tanya cautiously spoke up first, everyone’s gaze turned toward her.

’I-I think I’m the one who took it?’

’?’

’?’

Everyone, including Louise and Tanya’s friends, had puzzled expressions.

After a short silence.

Louise let out a sigh.

’Phew.... Ms. Tanya.’

’Y-yes.’

’I know you’re close friends, but this isn’t a problem that can be overlooked like that. Ms. Tanya, you are also an important member of this mercenary group, so you need to be more properly aware of your position. If you protect your friends so lightly in a matter like this, the hierarchy of the mercenary group will....’

Tanya received a lecture from Louise.

Ann also let out a sigh.

’Sigh.... Tanya.’

’Ye-yeah.’

’Thanks for taking our side, but it doesn’t make sense that you, who weren’t even there, took it.... Of course we feel wronged too, but since the Captain is here, it’s a matter that will be resolved if we investigate properly. There’s no need to take our side so unreasonably. We appreciate the thought, but we have no intention of using that to put you in a difficult position....’

Tanya also got a piece of Ann’s mind.

’That’s not it!’

Indeed, since it was a story with too much context omitted, everyone had no choice but to misunderstand.

Tanya shouted out and explained in more detail what had happened in the labyrinth.

’So, what happened was.... It seems the fairy I met in the labyrinth brought it on its own to help me. I happened to meet this little one at a spring in the labyrinth? If I ask, this little one moves items from far away....’

As Tanya explained fervently, she felt the atmosphere growing increasingly cold.

Tanya’s voice grew smaller and smaller until it went completely silent.

’....’

’....’

After a moment of quiet silence, Louise spoke to Ann’s group with a look of pity.

’See. I told you it was a really important item. It’s a medicine that treats these kinds of symptoms in people who have been to the labyrinth, and since it’s gone.... What should we do.’

’L-let’s search the lab one more time!’

’Tanya, wait just a bit! We’ll find it for sure!’

The other members, including Rin, who already knew the truth, snickered.

...If it’s come to this, there’s no choice but to show them directly.

’You’ll believe me if I show you directly, right? Watch closely!’

Tanya made a request to the fairy.

Bring anything that would surprise Ms. Louise and my friends...!

’...!’

Louise winced and hunched her body.

Following her, Ann, Karen, and Seria did as well.

’Kyat...!’

’Wh-what is this...?!’

Tanya stared at the several pieces of small, multi-colored cloth fluttering down in front of her.

Just as she had requested, it was an item that caused a surprise.

Tanya screamed in her heart toward the fairy who was laughing while flying in front of her.

What are you doing bringing other people’s underwear...!

But the fairy only tilted its head.

It was a surprising item, after all.

’What have you done, Tanya! You pervert...!’

’W-wait. I get it. I’ll believe you, so give it back.’

Tanya shook her head violently in panic.

’Wait, this wasn’t me....’

’You just said you’d show us yourself!’

’That’s true, but this is, well....’

Tanya immediately put into practice the lesson she had learned in the labyrinth.

Facing a disadvantageous situation that couldn’t be salvaged, Tanya turned around and ran away without hesitation.

In the face of that great catastrophe, Ian finally stepped forward and spoke to Louise.

’...It’s true that we were the ones who used the potion, so you can come out now.’

’Y-yes....’

Louise blushed and avoided his gaze.

...It was a much bolder design than expected.