CHAPTER 3

The Seekers’ Siesta

Part I: The Islet of Illusion

A little over a week had passed since I’d been reincarnated into the Labyrinth Country, and this was going to be my first full day off. Melissa woke up early to make breakfast as usual, and I got her to let me help.

The Four Seasons ladies were first shocked and then thankful to see breakfast served. They looked relieved my efforts in the kitchen hadn’t sent any of the dishes awry. Apparently, if someone with a skill like Cooking directs an assistant on how to help, the resulting meal turns out just as good as if the assistant possessed the skill themselves. However, as soon as the other party members came down, they ordered me to sit still and get out of the kitchen since my turn to help only came around once a week. But I didn’t feel right doing nothing.

After a brief post-breakfast rest, Four Seasons headed back to their apartments for a bit. We agreed to get ready and then meet up again at Green Hall.

Later, as we waited at our rendezvous point, Seraphina and Adeline came in through the back entrance to the building and walked toward us.

“Good morning, Mr. Atobe… I beg your pardon for addressing you on your day of rest.”

“Seraphina, he really is just like Third-Class Dragon Captain Kozelka described him. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave…”

“Did you not insist a moment ago you would find a way to come even if I left you behind? There is no place for embarrassment here.”

“Yes, ma’am! …You’re far too kind. Lieutenant Seraphina and Private Adeline, reporting to accompany you on a day of leave!”

“I was about to ask if you’d like to join us. I’m glad we ran into you here,” I told the two Guild Saviors.

“Did you two perhaps know that we were going to the health resort?” asked Suzuna.

“Yes, Third-Class Dragon Captain Kozelka informed us. She granted us permission to accompany you as long as we did not have any other duties planned for the day…” It was hard to imagine the generally stern Kozelka instructing Seraphina and Adeline to take a day of leave, but I knew I shouldn’t judge based on first impressions.

“I’m so sorry to keep you all waiting… Oh, Ms. Seraphina and Ms. Adeline, you’ve joined us as well? This looks like it will indeed be a merry gathering!”

“Ms. Louisa, if may I ask one question… What kind of place is the health resort we are about to visit?” asked Seraphina.

“It’s a small island-type labyrinth called the Islet of Illusion. It has wonderfully scenic vistas, a beach we can use for recreation, lovely paths to stroll along, and other amenities for us to enjoy.”

“Seraphina, I have a bathing suit with me. Our suit for underwater drills should work, right?”

“H-hmm… That shouldn’t be a problem. Pardon me—I meant, I do not expect it to pose any issues.”

“Please do let us know if you need anything, all right? I hope we all have a great time today,” Igarashi told Seraphina. Once she’d said her greetings, the others followed suit. Cion lay down on the floor and patiently waited until we finished our conversation and the Four Seasons members arrived.

We teleported to the Islet of Illusion from a teleportation site near Green Hall. Inside the small building, we found an array of teleportation doors whose settings you could apparently adjust to your desired destination. Louisa took care of the settings for us, after which we walked through the dark for a bit before seeing another door come into view. We opened this door to find the sun gently shining down over the beach spread out before our eyes.

We’d come to the Islet of Illusion, one of the health resorts managed by the Guild, who had labeled it a Designated Safe Place—a low-risk labyrinth where the monsters that inhabited it were tamed and bred in a few different locations throughout the islet. Professional contractors had built an overwater hotel to accommodate guests, which gave it the feel of a destination resort—one I never would have dreamed I’d get to visit in my previous life.

“Whoaaa… Amaaaazing is the only word I’ve got for this!” exclaimed Misaki in wonder.

“You’ve got that right…,” agreed Igarashi. “When I heard health resort, I pictured a quiet little cottage town, but this is something else…”

I’d expected Misaki to really go wild, but it seemed she’d been stunned into silence. Igarashi also looked really happy from what I could tell. Though in all fairness, there wasn’t a single dissatisfied face in our group.

“I-is it really all right…for us to have such a beautiful place all to ourselves…?” I asked.

“Yes, since only a limited number of people can use the resort at a time,” explained Louisa. “The hotel has two four-person, four three-person, and a couple of two-person rooms. The building you can see over there is for the maintenance staff. It’s where the six Guild members who manage the facilities live.”

“Louisa, you sound just like a tour guide, ya know?” said Kaede. “This is really startin’ to feel like a vacation!”

“A one-night stay is more than good enough for me…,” added Ibuki. “I can’t wait to go for a run on the beach… I’ll bet it feels really nice to run on this super-soft sand.”

“It looks like there’s a beach volleyball court set up… Might anyone be interested in playing?” suggested Anna.

“Some light exercise sounds like a great idea. If all we do is take it easy, we’ll fall out of shape,” said Ryouko, who’d already removed her boa coat, probably since it was so warm. I didn’t mean to look, but I happened to see her adjust her swim pants and quickly averted my gaze to the safe harbors of the blue sky and the sea.

“I guess all men really are the same… But maybe that’s going a bit too harsh on you, Atobe,” said Igarashi.

“I am in total agreement. Mr. Atobe is the very picture of simplicity and fortitude; he is far removed from vulgar desires,” concurred Seraphina. The two were hitting it off really well; I felt like I’d better learn to be a saint if I wanted to survive.

“Arihito, I see you came in your suit after all… Though I guess that’s comforting, in a way,” said Elitia.

“Hey, I brought a change of clothes, of course. It’s too bad I couldn’t get my hands on a swimsuit in time, but I should be fine as long as I don’t go in the water… I’m surprised you could find one for everybody, Madoka.” I found out just as we were leaving that Madoka had ordered bathing suits for those who hadn’t gotten one yet. I didn’t know what any of them looked like, but I figured maybe I’d see some soon enough.

“Mr. Atobe, how would you like to divide the room arrangements?” asked Louisa.

“I’d appreciate it if I could use one of the two-bed rooms for myself. Everyone else can choose their own rooms as they like…”

“……”

“…Theresia looks like she wants to ask, Why would you sleep alone in a two-person room?” Melissa translated, thrusting a figurative knife into my chest. It was true there shouldn’t be a problem for the two of us to sleep there together…as long as nothing happened.

Theresia suddenly shook her head, making the ears on her lizard mask wave back and forth, then turned bright red and ran away across the beach.

“…Sorry. That was my fault.”

“O-oh, no, um… Theresia, don’t run off too far!” I called after her. Theresia stopped short at the water’s edge. It seemed lizardmen and salt water don’t mix.

“Atobe, we’ll talk it over and decide where Theresia should stay tonight. How about we all get changed and meet up on the beach?” suggested Igarashi.

“S-sure. Thank you, Igarashi. I’ll need your help with Theresia.”

I was far from the only adult with Igarashi, Louisa, Ryouko, and Seraphina around, so I knew they could take care of the room arrangements on their own. I decided to head to my room and drop off my things. I had brought my weapons just in case, but it didn’t look like I’d be needing them. Then again, this was a labyrinth, after all. Better safe than sorry.

I ran into a member of the hotel staff in the middle of freshening up a room and asked if they had any swimsuits I could rent. It turned out they sold frogman swim trunks, so I picked up a pair for about five gold. That was how I learned the profits from the swimsuit sales were one way the Guild made money on the islet. I decided to keep my shirt on over the trunks in the end, since I felt it might be a bit insensitive to go out to meet the crew half-naked.

A few of the ladies rested on chaise lounge chairs that had been set up under a small grove of palm trees abutting the beach while some of us went at it in a game of beach volleyball.

“Here goes… Take that!”

Ryouko and I were facing off against the very athletic Elitia and Melissa in a mini game of beach volleyball. Ryouko dug Elitia’s serve, and I set it up for her; surprisingly, the sand didn’t hinder my movement too much.

“Ryouko…!”

“Nice set, Mr. Atobe!” cried Ryouko, not letting the sand get in the way of her speedy footwork as she skillfully turned my pass into a spike. Melissa, holding down the back line on the other side of the net, spun through the air to dig the ball exactly as a cat would, sending a scream of delight through the onlookers. The ball lofted up through the air, and Elitia got in place to spike it back on a second-touch attack.

“Get it, Ellie! Cut through those two like a knife!”

“Wh-what are you saying…?! Ah…?!” Misaki’s cheer made Elitia lose her footing, but she recovered and managed to return the ball over the net. I probably should’ve seen that coming. Ryouko jumped up to block it.

“—Ryouko, I’ll support you!”

It had looked like her hands wouldn’t reach, but the Defense Support 1 wall activated with a crack and bounced the ball back.

“Nice block!”

“Th-thanks…! Same to you, Mr. Atobe!”

“Amazing… He can use that in volleyball, too… How the heck does that even work?” wondered Kaede.

“Just having Arihito on your team must make you that much stronger,” said Ibuki.

I’d thought this would for sure be against the rules, but it seemed all skills were on the table in Labyrinth Country volleyball provided they didn’t hurt anyone. If I could use Defense Support 1 against the other team, I didn’t see how we could lose. But it wasn’t going to be easy to break through Melissa’s impenetrable defense.

“It’s gonna take more than that…!”

“—Game on, Arihito…!”

Melissa set the ball, and Elitia unleashed a quick attack, fast as lightning in the realest sense. But I’d activated my Hawk Eyes and saw through it and where the ball was headed.

“—Ryouko!”

“On it…!”

I activated Cooperation Support 1 starting with my serve to make Ryouko’s spike the second stage of our counterattack.

“…?!”

The ball flew right by Elitia and fell in a spot not even Melissa could reach. Ryouko swung a bit too hard and fell flat on her butt.

“Eek…!”

“Are you all right, Ryouko…? Wh-what’s wrong, you two…?” Melissa I could understand, but even Elitia looked put out. I gathered they were angry.

“…W-well, a win is a win, I guess. Arihito, you will play a game on my team later, won’t you?”

“…I want to try, too. I’m frustrated he beat me.”

“A-actually… I was just thinking I shouldn’t use my skills anymore.”

“It’s fine—I used Sonic Raid, too. We probably shouldn’t use too much magic, but as long as we can recover it all in one night, we should be fine.”

“All right, all right, you two,” cut in Kaede. “Can we get in there? Arihito’s starting to look a bit wiped out.”

“I guess so… Okay, you guys take over the other half of the court.” Elitia was definitely on fire; I wouldn’t be surprised if she liked all sports.

“Elitia, just watch out your suit doesn’t slip. You’re really movin’ out there,” warned Kaede.

“R-right… Thanks, I’ll be more careful.”

Elitia had a red, white, and blue–striped bikini on under a light sweater she probably wore since the suit itself was rather revealing. The strings holding her bottom piece together had in fact loosened a bit from the fierce hustle, but Melissa noticed and retied them for her.

“…I should’ve gotten a swimsuit like yours, Melissa. It’s great for defense…and covers a lot more.”

“That’s not true. Swimsuits are all the same… I just burn easily.”

Melissa had gone with a tech suit swimsuit and was also wearing a light button-up shirt over it. I’d thought cats didn’t like water, but that didn’t seem to hold true for Melissa. Looking over the suits the ladies had chosen, I realized there probably hadn’t been a great selection of suits available, so they’d gone with what they could get instead of what they might have actually wanted.

“Still… I wonder why Kyouka insists on hiding?” asked Elitia, puzzled. “She’s definitely got the body for her suit. She should be more confident.”

“…I don’t have the guts to wear that in front of other people. Louisa’s, either,” said Melissa.

“Those two are… Well, never mind. Let’s go check on them after we’ve finished playing. I’d like to go for a walk in the woods, also,” suggested Ryouko.

“True that. You gotta enjoy one thing at a time, right?” agreed Kaede.

“Ummm, would it be all right if I practiced with you? I haven’t played volleyball since gym class,” asked Ibuki, timidly.

“Wow, Ibuki can do a jump serve… How marvelous.”

The next game had already started. I watched as Melissa expertly dug Ibuki’s serve and sent it up to Elitia for an attack.

“—Elitia, nice spike!” I called out.

“…Th-thanks… But it’s not like I’m doing all this just so you can tell me how good I am, you know…”

“Ellie, you’re sooo not honest about your feeeelings!”

“We’re not doing anything but watching…,” murmured Suzuna. “And yet after Arihito spoke, my chest got so…” I’d activated Morale Support 1 when I called out, not because I’d seen any real need to raise their morale, but since I figured it couldn’t hurt.

♦Current Status♦

I didn’t have my Light Steel Chain Gloves or my Elluminate Mountaineering Boots on, so the ladies’ morale went up less than usual. But I kept at it throughout the game and in the end wound up raising their morale to about twenty.

Afterward, I walked over to the cottage set aside for the Guild employees who managed the facilities to say hello and saw that part of it had been fenced off.

“Coral Peigo Ranch…huh.” This was most likely one of the areas dedicated to breeding the monsters on the islet. Coral I took to mean like coral reefs, but I’d never heard of Peigo before.

Igarashi had brought Cion with her to the fence as well and was staring over the border, Adeline at her side.

“Oh, Mr. Atobe… Ms. Kyouka, I’ve found him.”

“Give me a sec; I’m looking at something…”

Adeline bowed to me slightly in greeting, and I returned the gesture. I walked over to Igarashi’s side and peered over the fence. Inside, fluffy little birdlike creatures were toddling about on two legs.

“Wow…they look just like stuffed animals. I guess a Peigo is kind of like a penguin, huh?” I said.

“They’re adorable… I wonder if we could keep a few at the Monster Ranch…”

“I don’t know about that, but it says ‘Petting Allowed,’ here, so maybe they’d let you touch them if you asked.”

“What? …R-really? Then I’m going to ask one of the Guild members…” Igarashi trailed off and turned in my direction for the first time. I hadn’t really thought too much about it when I’d glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, but now that she was facing me head-on, I really couldn’t find a place to look.

“Oh! …A-Atobe, I’m sorry, I was so caught up looking at these little guys…”

“N-no, I’m sorry…”

“Mr. Atobe, you’re just like a bumblebee drawn to a flower. You simply can’t help it. I even caught myself staring at first, and I’ve got my own pair. Our captain’s got a great figure, too, but our swimsuits are made more with defense in mind. It’s really such a shame,” said Adeline, who’d gotten much chattier than usual.

Maybe she felt free to relax on her day off, or maybe it was easier since Seraphina wasn’t around. And maybe in the Labyrinth Country, people cared more about how much defense a swimsuit provided rather than how revealing it might be—or so I forced myself to think as I frantically tried to take my mind off of Igarashi.

Back at the company, people would say she was trying to accentuate her chest whenever Igarashi would wear her ribbed knit sweater in the winter; they said she knew where her assets lay and was using them as a weapon. Looking at her now, I could see that was all way off base.

“I must say, though, I was surprised you’d pick something so bold, Ms. Kyouka… Was it because you knew Mr. Atobe would be there to appreciate it…?”

“O-of course not. I wanted to swap with Louisa, but I had no other choice… I couldn’t turn down the suit Madoka had gone out of her way to get for me just because it might make me embarrassed, could I?”

“…I—I understand; I promise I won’t joke about it anymore. Y-you’re getting really close, Ms. Kyouka.” I decided to learn from Adeline’s mistake and choose my words with great care. I figured there was no way Igarashi would draw closer to me, but to think she could make contact at that distance—her chest was truly out of control.

“W-well, I think perhaps I’ll go see Seraphina… Enjoy yourselves,” said Adeline, and she slowly backed away. Igarashi readjusted the skirt wrap she had tied around her waist, finally seemed to regain her composure, and looked straight at me.

“…Very on brand of you to wear a button-up shirt at a resort.”

“I’m in good company. I’ve heard plenty of insurance auditors wear suits in sandy deserts.”

“Hee-hee… Is that something you got from a movie? Or maybe a manga?”

Movies, manga, they both took me back. Then again, realizing I didn’t need that kind of entertainment to survive was in itself a happy discovery. A friend once told me he’d die without the Internet. I wanted to tell him just how wrong he was. Though to be fair, the licenses we got in the Labyrinth Country did operate on some kind of network, which made things a little more convenient. We definitely would have had to slow down for communication without the feature that let us get in touch with people over long distances. I could imagine our seeking would be much less efficient, too.

“I really do feel comfortable around you, you know…”

“Huh…?”

“Oh, nothing. Cion’s being so careful not to scare the little ones. Let’s go ask if we can get a closer look.”

The others said Igarashi had been hiding from me ever since she’d changed, so I wondered if I should take that to mean she’d gotten used to her swimsuit. Either way, I had to be careful not to look directly at her. I didn’t want my karma spiking.

Part II: At the Edge of Forest and Water

The woman working for the Guild as a caretaker opened the gate and let us in. Then while she got to feeding the Coral Peigoes, she told us a bit about them.

“These Coral Peigoes as a species are basically just like penguins. We have this fence go all the way out into the ocean so they can swim without getting lost,” she said. Only a fellow reincarnate would think to explain it in such rough terms, but that was all the confirmation I needed. “They love fish like sword trout, but they’ll also eat shrimp, crab, and other shellfish. They’re also known for eating coral and other hard things, which is how they got their name.”

Igarashi threw a small sword trout toward the ocean, and one of the Coral Peigoes swimming in the water jumped up deftly to catch it.

“I’d heard penguins sometimes eat rocks, too. Do you know why they do that?” I asked.

“There are various theories, but we do know why the Coral Peigoes do. They cultivate magic stones within their bodies and sometimes lay them as eggs.”

“That’s amazing… Do they produce a specific kind of magic stone?”

“The type of stone they lay varies depending on their diet; here, they mostly lay tide stones. We have them on sale as souvenirs. Would you care to take one home?”

“All right, could I get one, please?”

♦Tide Stone♦

I bought one tide stone for ten gold. They apparently weren’t extremely common since the Coral Peigoes only laid about one magic stone per week. The caretaker had said they could lay other types of stones depending on what they ate, and I found it hard to suppress my excitement at such a tantalizing thought.

“Is it possible for regular Seekers to keep Coral Peigoes?” I asked.

“We get that question a lot, but Seekers need to fulfill a major requirement before they can tame a Coral Peigo. More specifically, they must encounter a Named Monster of the species. But as I’m sure you’re aware, that’s no easy feat…”

“I see, thank you. In that case, I think we’ll just look forward to visiting them again here.”

“Of course. Please feel free to stay here with your friend as long as you’d like,” the caretaker said, then headed back to the administration office. At that moment, Igarashi finished feeding the Coral Peigoes and walked toward me. White-plumed Coral Peigoes that stood about knee height followed her every step like a clutch of chicks.

“I think they’re probably fully grown, but their cheep-cheeps are so cute,” she cooed. “I know they’re monsters, but I don’t think I could ever bring myself to fight them.”

“We have run across monsters like the Cotton Balls that looked more powerful up close…but watching these little guys just puts me at ease.” They had started to climb all over Cion, who was sprawled out on the beach. The peaceful scene pulled straight out of a folk song warmed my heart.

It’d be nice to settle down here whenever I finally retire from the seeking life. I know that might be jumping the gun a bit, but this island is the closest thing to paradise that I’ve found so far.

“Thank you for asking about whether we could keep one. I feel like I’m always talking to you about the kind of pets I want to have…”

“When I heard they were basically penguins that lay eggs and magic stones, I thought they might be a good fit for the ranch. But it seems we can’t really keep them unless we run into a Named Monster of their kind.”

“Does that mean they’ve seen one on this island before? If someone defeated it, isn’t it possible it could appear again?” asked Igarashi.

“I kind of doubt we’ll run into it while we’re here, but I suppose it’s possible.” The more we chatted about it, the more I came to think that might just happen, considering our track record.

I hadn’t imagined the health resort would be in a labyrinth; while it was relaxing here, I also felt the thrill of adventure. But why was it called the Islet of Illusion? I wanted to meet up with the ladies on their walk and take a look around, though I was pretty sure other Seekers had already discovered all there was to explore by now.

“Igarashi, do you want to hang out with these guys here a bit longer?”

“I do… But the longer we stay, the harder it’ll be to leave. Don’t worry, little ones, I’ll be back to see you again whenever I get some time off,” she reassured the Coral Peigoes gathered around her legs, patting each one on the head, before she and I turned around and started walking away from the ranch. The Coral Peigoes chirped like little chicks after us, causing Igarashi to wince in pain as if someone was pulling her hair from behind. I couldn’t blame her; they were very cute.

A walking path wound through the forest covering the majority of the islet. Water apparently sprang up from deep within the forest and flowed through it, not quite deeply enough to be called a small river, but more like a shallow brook that trickled over a pebbled path. Cion looked thirsty, so I pulled out a Mid-grade Appraisal Scroll from my pouch and examined the stream. It turned out to be good, safe drinking water with a low mineral content, and we took a break to let Cion quench her thirst.

“There are so many huge trees here; it feels almost mystical. I can’t see hardly any animals, and it’s so quiet…,” said Igarashi.

“I guess it’s no surprise this place is called the Islet of Illusion. You can see some traces of where they started cutting trees for lumber, but it looks like they gave up on that pretty quickly… Do you think that’s because the Guild decided to use it as a health resort?”

“Maybe that’s it. They do have a map, so I suppose they did explore the entire island, but…” We’d been able to bring up a map of the island on our licenses as soon as we first arrived. Apparently, all labyrinths under the Guild’s management shared this feature.

“Oh! Arihito, great job in the game,” said Madoka in greeting.

“Mr. Atobe, you have impeccable timing. I was with Ms. Theresia until just a moment ago. We found a small spring farther back in the woods. She’s waiting there for you now,” said Seraphina.

“Atobe, since we’re all here, want me to see who else might want to join us on a little seeking?”

“…You’re curious, too, aren’t you, Igarashi?” I asked her with a laugh. She smiled shyly; I could tell she wanted to see if we could find the Coral Peigo Named Monster.

“I won’t go too far looking for it, of course. And if we don’t find it, I promise I’ll switch gears and focus only on relaxing.”

“This sounds intriguing. May I be of service in some way?” asked Seraphina.

“If you’re looking for something, I’ll use the Merchant’s Glass Arihito gave me and do my best to help, too!” added Madoka. She and Seraphina seemed up for an adventure. I explained the gist of what we’d heard and how we wanted to look for a Named Monster on the islet, even though we knew we didn’t have much chance of finding one just by looking for it. The group had agreed earlier to have recreational time between lunch and dinner, so we decided whoever felt up to it could join us.

Louisa appreciated how easy it was to avoid getting a sunburn on this islet and had been resting on a chaise lounge chair while the rest of us played volleyball. It seemed Melissa also loved basking in the sun. She’d taken a little rest after playing and gotten sleepy, so she stayed behind relaxing with Louisa.

The weather was perfect, neither hot nor cold, and we saw only a few animals every once in a while. But above all else, I was grateful there were no insects. We’d all embarked on our walks in our swimsuits, so we lucked out in not having to worry about bug bites.

“…Wow, I’ve gone pretty far in,” I muttered to myself. I’d split with Igarashi and the others and started on my way to meet up with Theresia but couldn’t seem to find her. Seraphina I could understand, but surprisingly not even Madoka had seemed tired, even though they had both gone all the way to the spring and back. I also felt it was odd how little the exercise was getting to me. Maybe it was difficult to feel tired unless I lost vitality?

The trickle winding through the forest grew deep enough to call a proper stream, which I thought might mean I was getting closer to the spring. At one point the path cut off, so I started making my own way through the trees. Just then—

Splash!

—I heard what sounded like water up ahead. I carefully pushed aside the leafy branches blocking my way and approached the source of the noise. I came upon a clearing where I found a crystalline spring about the size of a swimming pool. That’s when I saw Theresia’s chameleon boots next to the spring.

“—Theresia?!”

There’s no way she took those off herself. Something must have happened, I thought, and I couldn’t restrain myself from calling out for her. In an instant, a wave began to ripple over the spring—I heard a loud splash, and something came flying out from the water.

“……”

“…There…sia?”

No doubt about it, the person standing in front of me was Theresia all right. I gathered she’d taken off her boots so she could swim in the spring. Water drip-dropped from the wet black hair peeking out from underneath her lizard hood. I’d seen her in her swimsuit in the bath, but she looked totally different now; the scenic wooded spring gave her a certain mystique.

“…!”

Theresia shook herself from side to side, though of course that wasn’t enough to get all the water off. Some of it landed on me, but I didn’t mind too much. It felt relatively warm—a perfect temperature for swimming.

“……”

“O-oh, it’s okay if I get a little wet… Theresia, you sure you don’t want to dry off?” I asked and handed her the towel I’d brought just in case I decided to go for a swim. She tucked the towel under her hood and patted her hair dry a bit but didn’t seem to care for much more and handed it back to me.

“……”

“Wh-what’s wrong? It looks like you’re hesitating to suggest something…”

We went everywhere together, so a little time apart every once in a while could do us some good… At least, that’s what I’d thought, and it looked like she’d read my mind.

“The water’s so clear… I definitely get why you’d want to take a dip.”

“……”

Theresia looked back at the water, slowly lifted her right hand up, and pointed toward the deeper part of the spring. As clear as the water was, we still couldn’t see all the way to the bottom.

“Did you find something in there?”

She nodded, then started to head back in but stopped herself, turned around, and reached her right hand out to me.

“…You want to show me what you found?”

She nodded once more. If that’s what she wanted, it was time for me to lose the shirt. I placed it on top of a nearby larger rock, hoping I wouldn’t scare the others when they came, the way I’d been scared when I found Theresia’s boots.

“……”

“Ohhh, these? They had them on sale at the hotel. I’m glad I wore them just in case.”

Theresia stared straight at me. I felt a little unnerved under such close inspection, but I thought I had a pretty normal body type. If anything, I’d say I’d somehow gained a little muscle since coming to the Labyrinth Country. I guess fighting monsters was a good workout, too.

“……”

“Let me warm up a bit before I jump in… If I get a cramp, I’ll be a burden.” Theresia shook her head in response, then started doing warm-ups with me. She looked like she was learning by imitation, stretching and bending her legs as I did.

“You were just swimming so you probably don’t need this. But you didn’t want to leave me alone, huh?”

“……”

She didn’t answer but bent down to touch her toes like me—and made me realize these moves were a little dicey for someone in a swimsuit. A few gaps had opened up in different places and, depending on the angle, came close to revealing what lay underneath.

“I think we’re good now. Shall we get in?”

I started getting the limbs farthest from my heart used to the water. It was cool to the touch but perfect for swimming. Theresia slid silently into the water. This time I imitated her and carefully tiptoed deeper into the spring—but slipped on the pebbles under my feet and lost my balance.

“Bwaah—!”

“…!”

I thought I’d be okay since it wasn’t that deep, but Theresia jumped to my rescue as soon as I fell into the water.

“…Yeah, sorry, Theresia… That was a little careless of me.”

“……”

She held me up, made sure I could properly stand, then slowly backed away. I looked into the water and saw Theresia kicking her legs to tread. Was she doing that instinctively? Or had she swum like that before?

“……”

“I’m okay; it’s not like I can’t swim. Can you take me to what you found?”

Theresia nodded in response, then swam the breaststroke deeper into the spring. I followed after her with a freestyle stroke, keeping my head above water. I knew it was risky to swim somewhere monsters could appear, but I didn’t sense anything around me. Theresia had her Scout Range Extension 1, too, so she would most likely be able to notice right away should anything approach. She turned around to look at me once we made it to the deepest part of the spring.

“……”

“Is it below us? I guess we’ll have to dive down…”

I kicked myself for not asking our resident swimming expert Ryouko to come with me. She had said she was going to relax with Louisa after volleyball, though, and I’d have felt bad waking her up from a nap.

“…All right, let’s see what’s down there.”

Theresia nodded, took a deep breath, and dived beneath the surface; I followed close behind. I couldn’t open my eyes at first but then forced myself to try. Light streamed in through the pure water, making everything look vibrantly blue. Theresia took me by the hand and led me deeper through the crystal-clear water. I was shocked lizardmen were such deft swimmers but managed to keep up by kicking my legs behind me like fins.

…! This is—!

The spring was much deeper than I’d thought. It hadn’t looked nearly this deep when I peered down from the water’s edge. No one could have guessed without actually diving down to see. When we finally got to the bottom, I saw the sand had been disturbed in one area, most likely the spot Theresia had been investigating.

Something was down there. But I could only take a cursory look on this dive and started to run out of breath before I saw much of anything.

I—I can’t let myself drown here… Can I make it back to the top…?!

“……!”

Theresia saw the danger I was in, took my hand, and pulled me up through the water. Just as we were about to reach the surface, I realized I’d made a grave mistake and felt my consciousness start to slip away.

Part III: Secrets in the Spring

I hear voices.

I knew those voices. That meant I was alive somehow, not in heaven or something. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“…Arihito!”

“Arihito, please wake up! If you leave us here, I swear I’ll go right after youuu!”

“Arihito! Arihito… Please, open up your eyes… Oh—!”

I cracked open my eyes to find Suzuna sitting right by my side. She leaned over me and became all I could see.

“Thank goodness… Thank goodness, Arihito…”

“I’m sorry… I underestimated how deep the water was and ran out of breath before I made it back to the surface…,” I managed to say. Everyone else looked relieved. Anything could have happened in the water. I guess swimming underwater took a bit of getting used to, and I’d gone down too deep on the first try.

“…I’m so glad you’re okay… I was so worried…”

“Seriously… Arihito, don’t scare us like that.”

I heard Igarashi and then Elitia speak. Suzuna calmed down after a minute, then lifted her chin, wiped away tears from her reddened eyes, and smiled shyly.

“Ungh… Where’s Theresia…?”

“Hmm? You were all alone when we found you,” explained Misaki. “You were just laid out on the ground. We couldn’t see any injuries, so it looked like you were sleeping. We were sooo worried…” In other words, I’d only lost consciousness, but I was breathing on my own.

“—Oh! Theresia… I’m glad you’re okay,” said Igarashi.

“Theresia, did you leave to call for help?” I asked.

“……”

It looked like Theresia had been nearby all along. She came out from behind the trees but immediately hid again as soon as she saw me.

“…? What’s wrong with Theresia?” wondered Igarashi.

“Never mind that. Are you all right, Arihito? Do you remember our names?” asked Elitia.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry to worry you…”

“We were really…all so very worried. Mr. Atobe, you need to be very careful and get yourself used to diving underwater in a labyrinth over time,” said Ryouko, walking over with Louisa. I tried to get up, but for some reason, they both laid me back down to rest.

“U-ummm… Does that mean it’s different from normal swimming?”

“Yes. So I wouldn’t say you were careless exactly, but you do need a swimming instructor… You need my skills.”

“Some people are more naturally suited for it, like Ms. Theresia appears to be. Unfortunately, our licenses cannot display our aptitude for this task. However, you can avoid drowning in most cases if you have the Diving skill,” explained Louisa. She and Ryouko spoke down from either side of me, sounding just like teachers scolding a disobedient student. I couldn’t help but feel a little abashed.

So basically, even if you have some breath left, you can still drown if you dive too deep? …That was a close one. Good thing Theresia’s such a natural in the water.

Everyone but Melissa, Cion, and Seraphina had gathered around me. They’d apparently split up to look for me since I had taken so long to return.

“Arihito, you were diving down there, right? Did you find anything?” asked Suzuna.

“Yeah, I was… There’s something down at the bottom. Theresia found it and showed it to me. But I didn’t have enough time to find out what from a single trip.”

Even if there is something down there, we shouldn’t be too quick to touch it in case it’s dangerous. Still, whatever it is, it didn’t set off Theresia’s Trap Detection 1, so it’s probably not a trap at least. Maybe we shouldn’t get too involved… But it would be a shame to just leave it without figuring out what it is, since Theresia found it for us…

As I was thinking along those lines, I suddenly had an idea. Suzuna seemed to think of it at exactly the same moment.

“Arihito, if there really is something down there…”

“Yeah, exactly. We might be able to find out what it is if we use your Morale Discharge.”

“Which means… Arihito, you’re gonna need me, aren’t you…?” Misaki cut in.

“He probably will, but you don’t need to be so flirty about it,” chided Elitia. Misaki stuck her tongue out at Elitia in protest.

On the third floor of the Field of Dawn, we’d connected Misaki’s Fortune Roll to Suzuna’s Moon Reading and discovered the teleportation pad leading to the hidden floor.

Could that combination help us out here, too? Maybe whatever’s down there has something to do with why Named Monsters haven’t appeared yet… It’s possible, at least.

I was pretty sure other Seekers with the Diving skill had come here before, but if the sand had covered anything below and they’d missed it…that could mean there were still secrets to uncover on this islet.

“Atobe, Melissa is making lunch with the Guild employees now. Why don’t we touch base for a bit first?” suggested Igarashi.

“Good idea… All right, let’s all head back for now.”

Theresia kept herself hidden as we all walked back through the path in the woods. I poked my head around a tree she was using as cover, and she looked up at me fearfully. “I’m sorry I worried you, Theresia. I’ll be all right as long as I get used to diving bit by bit.”

“……”

“Look, I’m just fine… Theresia?”

At that moment, Theresia’s lips moved as if to say something, but no sound came out. If I learned to read lips, would I be able to understand her, even if she couldn’t speak? Then again, it would probably be difficult to interpret anything from little more than slightly trembling lips.

“……”

“Hmm? …Wh-what’s wrong? You’re turning kinda red.”

“…!”

Theresia ran off ahead. I was glad to see she had that much energy, but her odd behavior had me a little worried. I retrieved my shirt for the time being and headed back for the beach. As soon as I started walking, I realized something—my cheeks and chest were wet. It was almost as if someone had wiped me off, then touched me again with a wet hand, or dripped water over me.

Nothing beats a barbecue at the beach, and it seems that’s just as true in the Labyrinth Country, too. We had a great time grilling fresh fish and meat using a magical grill. We must have gotten a late start on lunch because the sunset had begun to paint the sky by the time we finished cleaning up. I wondered if what I saw sinking into the horizon was the real sun, or a star from a different world that had the same function.

“You found something in the woods…? How very intriguing.”

“Your party really is something special, isn’t it, Mr. Atobe? Only you would discover something new in this resort the Guild has been using for so long.”

I had explained the situation to Seraphina and Adeline and told them I was considering whether to further examine the spring in the woods.

“I’m afraid I would not be able to equip my shield in the water…,” said Seraphina.

“I see, that makes sense… I’d thought anyone could swim if Ryouko used her Lecture skill, but I suppose it could be difficult with heavy armor.”

“In that case, I’ll keep watch here with Seraphina,” said Adeline. “If I went by myself while she couldn’t go, it’d look like I was being sneaky.”

“I—I wouldn’t say I share that view… Although, however low the possibility of battle may be, you should always prepare for the worst-case scenario. Mr. Atobe, please take great care in considering your party composition and the armaments you equip.”

“Thank you, Seraphina.”

She and Adeline left for their room. They would be staying in the two-person room next to mine.

I knew we were taking a risk diving down in nothing but swimwear, so I decided I’d bring at least my slingshot since it most likely would not rust in the water. Most of my party members’ armor and equipment would be useless. Anything steel could rust, so Misaki, for example, could only bring her dice; the others faced similar limitations as well.

“Arihito, you really pumped us up during the barbecue… I’m suuuper set to go!”

“Thank you very much, Arihito. We’re all ready.”

Misaki and Suzuna weren’t the only ones. I’d managed to max out everyone’s morale, and we were all prepared to set out. I’d asked Madoka and Louisa to stay behind with Seraphina and Adeline, just in case we did end up facing a Named Monster.

♦Current Party♦

♦Cooperating Party♦

The members of Four Seasons said they wanted to come along, so I added them to our group. We would all essentially have Diving 1 for a limited time after Ryouko used her Lecture skill, meaning we wouldn’t run the risk of drowning.

“Hmm, it’s getting darker…,” I commented.

“It’s still pretty light out even with the sun setting. I wonder if we’ll be all right with just the light of the moon… Or do you think it’ll be too dark in the forest?” asked Igarashi.

“On this islet, it never gets too dark, even after nightfall. One can roam around during the day and at night, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular as a health resort,” explained Louisa. She was exactly right; we could see well enough that we didn’t have to worry about losing our footing. If anything, nightfall served to highlight the illusionary feel of the scenery. Here and there, the undergrowth in the forest shone with a pale luminescent light and swayed gently in the breeze like fireflies.

“Everyone, please do be very careful,” said Madoka.

“We rested up all afternoon, so we’ll keep each other company and wait for you to come back,” added Louisa.

“We’ll be back as quickly as we can. All right, see you two later,” I said, and we all set out for the forest. It turned out to be bright under the trees as well, so we had no trouble finding the spring again.

However, it looked completely different than under the afternoon sky. Moonbeams shone upon the spring and reflected against the white sand deep below.

“It’s stunning… Who could have guessed it’d look like this at night…,” said Igarashi, captivated by its beauty. She had on a rather eclectic outfit composed of her swimsuit, sandals, and her spear. Still, we were all in a pretty similar state since nobody else had the luxury of choice, either.

“All right, now let’s get ready to swim. You’ll be able to hold your breath longer than usual, but please be careful not to go overboard,” said Ryouko.

♦Current Status♦

“Th-thank you very much… Mr. Atobe. This is amazing; I used so much magic, but you filled me up again so quickly.”

“It’s nothing—don’t mention it. It’s all thanks to you that we can even swim, you know.”

The Scholar’s Ankh I had hanging from a string around my neck activated after I used Outside Assist and helped me recover some of my magic. This was a huge help; it restored about one third of the magic I shared with Ryouko. I took a swig of a Mid-grade Mana Potion to bring my magic back up to max just in case. Then we all stepped into the water. The whole spring shone with light, making it easy for us to wade in without much hesitation.

“This is kind of cool, like a fun night activity,” said Misaki. “And it’s not even scary like a dare.”

“A pure spirit flows through this spring. I don’t believe a monster would be living in here…,” added Suzuna. This could be a dead end in terms of finding that Named Monster if that were true, but I still wanted to try and uncover the secrets this spring held.

“We’ll start diving around here. Don’t push yourselves too much, all right?” I called out to everyone.

Ryouko and Theresia took the lead and I followed. The bottom had felt so far away the first time I’d dived down, but this time I made it to the spot we wanted to inspect without feeling out of breath thanks to Ryouko’s Diving 1.

I looked over at Misaki, who made an okay circle with her pointer finger and thumb in response. Suzuna nodded as if to say, I’m ready when you are, and then—

♦Current Status♦

“…?!”

All the moonlight streaming in through the water seemed to gather around Suzuna and envelop her in a bluish-white light, transforming her into an angelic vision. She stretched out her hand toward the streambed where sand had once again buried and hidden our prior discovery. Then, as if responding to her call, five points began to shine in the ground. We split up and dug around those spots—and uncovered five round marble slabs that someone, or something, must have buried.

What do we do with these…? Nothing happens when we touch them. Do their positions mean anything? Or did we fail to meet some requirement? …Hmm?

I felt a tap on my shoulder while I was thinking. It was Igarashi. She pointed toward Suzuna, who was swimming straight for the rocks on the floor, her hand outstretched.

Suzuna… Does she know what we have to do? Does Moon Reading reveal that much to her…?

A beam of light shone forth from Suzuna’s hand and pierced through the water. She aimed it at one marble slab, then the next, drawing some sort of figure in light. The moment she finished, we realized what it was: a pentagram. Traces of light floated up from the circle, enclosing the star shape within.

“You are all about to be forcibly teleported. Dear devotee, you must try not to separate from your party members.”

…! Everyone, grab the hand of the person next to you!

I had no way of knowing if they got my message through the water, but I followed Ariadne’s advice and grabbed hold of someone’s hand so we wouldn’t get split up.

A bright light covered everything before my eyes, and I felt like I was floating. The next second, I realized I’d been whisked away to a forest somewhere.

“…A-Arihito, what the hell just happened to us…?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Arihito… I instinctively took your hand…”

“Ruff!”

It was just Kaede, Anna, Cion, and me. Cion had been swimming after us and must have been close by. I tried checking where the other members were on my license, but all it said was Currently on the Islet of Illusion: First Floor. I pulled up the map and couldn’t believe my eyes—we’d landed in an unexplored area far away from the Islet of Illusion.

“…What you saw was a teleportation mechanism. And we are now standing on a totally different island,” I explained.

“A different island… W-was that even on the map?” asked Kaede.

“So in other words…this labyrinth is actually a vast ocean studded with islands? It was probably originally explored by ship, so unless you teleport, you wouldn’t be able to make it here…”

I agreed with Anna’s theory. Luckily, the landscape was very similar to the first island, so we could still see well enough around us, even though we were in the middle of the woods.

“In that case, ya think that means the others got blown away to some other place on this island, too? Maybe we can yell for them… No, I guess that’d be risky if there were monsters around,” said Kaede.

“True. Let’s take a careful look around this area. If it doesn’t seem like we’ll find anybody, we’ll… Actually, no, I have a feeling they’re close.”

“Seriously? Arihito, you got a sixth sense or something? I don’t feel a thing.”

“Cion just came out of the water, so her sense of smell looks like it isn’t working yet, but she should recover soon.” Cion seemed to understand she shouldn’t make any loud noises. She didn’t bark at all but shook her body to dry off, sending water everywhere. Kaede removed the wooden katana she had hung on a string from her back and wiped it to remove the moisture. Anna’s racket appeared to be water-resistant, so she was able to use it without any issue. I was pretty sure my sling would also be all right, but I wiped it off too just in case.

“Arihito, d’ya think it might be a good idea to redo our formation in case we run into a monster?” asked Kaede.

“Not a bad idea… Could you all try to stay in front of me? I’d appreciate it if you could keep that in mind.”

“Understood, I’ll make sure to keep ahead of you,” said Anna.

“Guess me and Cion’ll be up in front, then.”

With Cion and Kaede taking up the vanguard, Anna the midguard, and me bringing up the rear, we began to make our way through the forest. I could vaguely sense the rest of the group off in two different directions, both of which took us deeper into the woods.

“Think we could get our bearings by looking at the stars? …Probably not, huh?” wondered Kaede.

“We don’t even know if the sun rises in the east… In any case, we can’t tell which direction we’re heading since we teleported here,” said Anna.

“Actually, if my license is correct, we’re headed northwest.”

“Oh yeah, I’d forgotten it could do that. Good thing we don’t need a compass.”

“Our licenses so often impress me. The Guild must have gathered its members’ skill sets to make them, don’t you—?” Cion had been leading the way and cut Anna off by picking up speed and turning back to look at us. It looked like she’d found something. When we caught up to her, we saw a huge impression in the ground: an enormous groove that divided into three branches.

“Is this…? Could it be a footprint?”

“I-it’s friggin’ huge… Think it’s fresh?”

“This looks like Coral Peigo tracks but exponentially bigger…,” said Anna. “If this is any indication of how large the monster is…” The Named Monster was somewhere on this island. I decided to take a look at our surroundings with the Owl Scope I’d brought along with my weapon.

“…There’s a clearing up ahead. Looks like there’s some water there, too.”

“So, like…a watering hole that monsters use?”

“Let’s proceed very carefully,” cautioned Anna. “We have no choice but to continue exploring this island if we are ever to return to the Islet of Illusion.”

“We still have the Return Scroll as a last resort if we need it, so let’s not do anything too drastic,” I said. The scroll still worked, even when wet. Older models were apparently useless if submerged in water, but the new ones had been upgraded to avoid that kind of problem.

“Arihito, you’re a regular Mary Poppins. All I got is my wooden sword…”

“I believe we may have been a little lax in our preparations…”

“‘Better safe than sorry’ is my motto…but even I wasn’t prepared for this much adventure.”

We could’ve enjoyed a simple day of rest and said good-bye to this labyrinth, but the fact that we didn’t all but proves we’re workaholics. I guess Seekers just can’t let loose, even on days off.

I walked up next to Cion and took a look through the Owl Scope. I was still checking if it was water-resistant, but so far, I could use it without issue.

“…Hmm?” I felt like I saw something dash across my line of sight. I moved the scope around to check, but nothing popped up.

“Arihito, see anythin’…?”

“Yeah… There’s definitely something up there.”

“…We’re about to encounter a strange monster while seeking in a mysterious land… It’s a bit scary yet, at the same time, rather exciting… Do you think that’s a touch reckless of me?” Anna asked. She always spoke with restraint beyond her years, but I guess she also had a curious nature more appropriate for her age.

“Not at all. I think you’re much better off just enjoying it instead of worrying about that… Of course, we don’t often have that kind of mental space when we’re fighting for our lives.”

“Heh-heh…true that,” said Kaede. “I gotta say I’m pretty glad I followed you here, too. Beach volleyball is great and all, but getting flown off to new places and seeking together is fun, too, ya know?”

“…This will serve as a fond memory someday, if we make it back safely. But now I must brace myself.” Anna gripped her racket tightly. She’d removed the tennis ball that’d been tied to it in case she needed to use it.

“Do you only need the one ball?” I asked.

“Yes, I can activate my skills and use it several times without breaking it.”

“Anna’s ball always returns to her hand, so she’s good with just one. She’s playing tennis, but it’s like she’s using magic.”

I had seen it once for myself already and was yet again counting on Anna’s skills to be an asset in battle. We’d ideally be able to hold off on fighting until we met up with the others, but we’d have to make it through the clearing up ahead first.

“Cion, if we run into an enemy, make sure you hang back and get a feel for it first. It’s too dangerous to rush in,” I warned. She wagged her tail in response and led us onward. It was tough going walking around the footprint; one false step could send us tumbling.

Finally, we made it out of the forest into a meadow next to a river. We would have no trouble finding our friends if they came here.

“What the—? It looks like we just stepped into some sorta hunting game… Everything ’bout this looks mad suspicious.”

“I think the others are probably somewhere down that trail over there… We’ve got no choice but to cut through here.”

“Ufff!” Cion tried to respond without barking and instead let out something more like a sneeze. I was so impressed at how smart she was, I couldn’t help but smile. Still, Anna was exactly right; we needed to be on guard now more than ever. We cautiously stepped out into the meadow. Then, as we were making our way forward—

“…Th-the heck’s over there? …A shadow or somethin’?”

“Hmm…?”

A faint shadow now loomed over the meadow. I was sure it hadn’t been there a moment ago. A chill ran down my spine.

“—KRAAAAH!!!”

Something came crashing down from the sky and emitted an earsplitting birdlike cry. Whatever this something was, it had been using a skill to conceal its shadow as it flew over us. Now that it had locked onto us as prey, it revealed itself and dived down.

“Cion, get back—!”

“Grrrr…!”

““Eeeeek…!!””

The giant monster landed with a loud thud. The earth shook, and Kaede and Anna screamed.

♦Monster Encountered♦

“…Did that thing…make those footprints…?”

All the Named Monsters we’d fought so far had looked evil, even the Cotton Ball one. But the nine-foot-tall monster that stood before us now, huge as it was, looked just as cute as the Coral Peigoes.

Part IV: Blizzard

“KRAH! KRAH!”

“I-is it just me, or is that thing tryin’ to say something?”

The huge penguin covered in fluffy white feathers screeched at us. It looked like a stuffed animal, but as a level-7 Named Monster, we couldn’t afford to let our guard slip for even a second.

“I believe it’s saying, I’m surprised you made it this far, O brave humans and dog.”

“Y-you think…?”

Anna stood there unnerved, closely observing the monster. If that’s what she thought it was saying, strange as it might sound, she could be right.

“Bow! Bow!”

“She’s saying, O ruler of this island, if you cross my master, you will pay for it dearly.”

“Th-that sounds accurate, but isn’t that thing gonna think Cion’s pickin’ a fight…?”

A huge penguin and large dog: I doubted their conversation would actually be that theatrical if translated, but it did feel like Anna had gotten the gist right. As if to prove the point, Cion and the penguin, or Jeweled Wings, as it showed up on my license, both looked ready to pounce at any moment. I guess we weren’t getting out of this without a fight.

“—Get ready; it’s coming!”

“KRAAAH—!!”

♦Current Status♦

The giant penguin, or Jeweled Wings Dancing over Frozen Wasteland, as it was apparently called, hopped up and down and vigorously flapped its wings.

“A-Arihito—! The ground is freezing around its legs…!” cried Kaede.

I would’ve thought a monster like this would prefer a warm climate given its natural environment, but I was totally off. The white feathers coating this Coral Peigo Named Monster were perfectly adapted for the environment it created by activating its skills.

“Bow! Bow!”

Cion looked strong as ever even in the cold, but the freezing air the penguin spewed drastically dropped the temperature around us so much we could see our breath. At this rate, the cold would quickly drain our body heat and slow us down.

“Looks like we’ll have to put an end to this quickly…,” said Anna.

“Or hold it off until the others get here. It’s a higher level than us, and a Named Monster to boot… A single blow could take us out,” I countered.

“Its beak looks real sharp, too. We’re gonna have to stay on our toes and make sure it doesn’t get a good shot at us… Arihito, I don’t care who I’m up against, I can always land the first strike—just say the word.” I had a fairly good grip on Kaede’s and Anna’s fighting styles, but with the ground frozen, we ran the risk of losing our footing if we rushed in.

“KRAH! KRAH!” Jeweled Wings cried in a lower voice, as if to say, Now that I’ve frozen it, this field is mine.

“—Grrrr…!”

♦Current Status♦

Cion decided on her own to activate the fire garnet on her Insect-Repelling Anklet. At that, the frozen soil around her paws began to thaw, and steam rose up from the ground.

Go for it, Cion…!

I winked at Cion, and she knew exactly what I wanted her to do: strike while our enemy still thought it had the upper hand. If this battle proved too difficult, we could always consider retreating, but I wanted to do whatever we could first.

“—Kaede, get on Cion’s back!”

“…O-okay! —Whoaaa!”

Cion set off running, showing no signs of slipping on the ice. She scooped up Kaede and charged at Jeweled Wings. Her speed caught the monster off guard and stalled its reaction, giving Kaede enough time to prepare her stance and get a firm grip on her wooden sword. I took my sling and got ready to try the new stone I’d just added to it: the manipulation stone.

“—Hyaaa! Eat this!”

“Cooperation Support…vanguards!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAAH—!!”

Our first combination attack went off perfectly. Cion ran at Jeweled Wings and scratched up the monster, while Kaede rode on her back and fired off strike after strike with her wooden sword. She was so quick I could barely see her. The manipulation stone, it turned out, wasn’t a one-and-done deal, but would only work after several hits. It looked like each successive hit would help Force Shot deal a stronger blow, though with less additional power than when I used Attack Support 1. The slingshot really couldn’t compare to Murakumo in terms of decisive force.

“—Anna, time for us to bust in!”

“Okay! …Here I go!” She tossed the tennis ball in the air and swung the racket we’d used lumber from Thunder Head to make. I didn’t know if she’d activated a special skill, but for a second, it looked like the racket flashed a bolt of lightning as she struck.

“Cooperation Support…rearguards!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAH—!!”

“—We did it…!” Anna yelled after seeing the damage we’d inflicted. Her special racket attack didn’t just deal a lightning-type strike. It also added on an electric shock, an extremely useful means to safely take down an enemy.

“Arihito! I’m goin’ in for one more…!”

“—Wait, Kaede! Back up now!”

“…!”

Some of the feathers covering Jeweled Wings’s body stood up and turned blue. We’d driven it into a corner so quickly it’d realized we could not be taken lightly. White spots started appearing on the blue feathers; the moisture in the air froze and shrouded the monster’s entire body like a suit of armor.

“Arihito…!”

“—KRAAAH!”

At the first sight of danger, there was only ever one choice to make—the safest one.

Please, let me make it in time…!

♦Current Status♦

Jeweled Wings let out a piercing cry, and it felt as though the air around me froze. Instantly, icy spikes started shooting out of the frozen ground one after the other.

“…Arihito, are you all right?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine…! It’s using the soil to attack… We’ll be at a disadvantage if we fight on frozen ground…!”

I immediately picked up Anna and used Rear Stance, then transported us behind Cion, who had escaped the enemy’s range of attack. Just a split second later and we would’ve been hit with those thorns that shot out from the ground. They probably wouldn’t have skewered us, but if we’d caught one in our leg, it would’ve definitely taken us out of the battle.

“A-Arihito… I’m fine now, if you’ll put me down…”

“All right, everyone, stay out of its range of attack and give me a second! I’m going to check it out!”

“—No, don’t! It’s too dangerous to split up…!” cried Kaede.

“If I need to, I can dodge in an instant like you just saw… With the ground like this, we’ve got no choice but to shoot at it long-distance!” I started running, avoiding the frozen areas and making my way around to the other side of the ice thorns to Jeweled Wings.

Maybe we should give up this fight and run… No, I can feel the others getting closer. I need to find out what this thing’s got up its sleeve before they get here…!

“KRAAAH…!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAAH…!!”

Jeweled Wings flapped its wings ferociously, but the bullets the magic gun shot out inflicted a magical attack, not a physical one. Maybe that was why it failed to neutralize the black lightning that Electrocuted and slowed down the creature. It looked like we would be able to maintain the upper hand as long as Anna and I alternated attacks and kept delivering electric shocks to the enemy. And once Igarashi joined us, she could also hit its weak spot with her Lightning Rage.

Actually…it looks a little shaken since it misread that attack… No, this isn’t the time for wishful thinking…! It’s gotta have some way to attack us, even with all those spikes on the ground. There’s ice covering its stomach, so maybe it can slide over the ground like a sled. Then again, that’s the trouble with monsters in the Labyrinth Country—they never do what you’d expect.

“VRROO… VRROORROO…”

It sounded like the massive penguin monster was blowing a whistle whenever breath leaked out through its beak, possibly due to the electric shock. But it never let its guard down or became any less hostile toward us. Then it let out a loud, clear cry that echoed through the meadow.

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAAH…!!”

“……!!”

The ice thorns exploded into powdered snow that blocked everything from view. A glittering white blizzard instantly filled the sky and shrouded Jeweled Wings from our sight.

“—Arihito, on your right!”

Even Hawk Eyes couldn’t detect it. I suddenly sensed a murderous spirit on my right and reacted as quickly as I could, cocking my gun loaded with dark bullet stones. But I never pulled the trigger, because what I saw when I turned to the right looked like a hazy ghost in the shape of a Coral Peigo.

“Arihito…!”

“Arihitooo…!!”

I sensed that murderous spirit now coming from my left. I’d seen nothing but empty space there a second earlier, but now Jeweled Wings was right there and just about to open its beak.

“Woof!”

♦Current Status♦

“Yiiip…!”

“—Cion!”

Cion let Kaede off her back and jumped in between me and Jeweled Wings. White Breath blew over the right half of her body, instantly freezing it. Yet Jeweled Wings showed no mercy and raised its wings to follow up with yet another blow.

“—Hyaaaa!”

“I won’t let you…!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAAH…!!”

“—Grrrrr!!”

♦Current Status♦

Its attack disrupted, Jeweled Wings leaned backward. In that brief pause, Cion activated her fire garnet and used the heat to melt away her Frozen status. She immediately lunged at the retreating enemy, but Jeweled Wings had already faded into the blizzard.

“Everyone, get back into position! It’s using some kind of illusion to get your attention, then attack your blind spot! Don’t get distracted!”

“—KRAAAH!!”

“……!!”

♦Current Status♦

“I dodged it…somehow…!”

Kaede’s quick reflexes allowed her to evade Jeweled Wings even after she noticed its presence. However, it disappeared into the driving snow the next second and denied her the chance for a counterattack. I recovered the damage Cion had taken as best I could with Recovery Support 1, but she still wasn’t back to full health.

I knew our friends would reach us if we could hold on just a little longer. I thought we might be able to kill time if we focused only on evading Jeweled Wings’s attacks, but the freezing climate it had created was definitely slowing us down.

…What’s going on? It’s not attacking… What’s it doing…?

I’d thought Jeweled Wings was using the blizzard for both defense and offense, blocking our line of sight and having the phantom enemies disturb our concentration. But we could now see several of those phantom bodies playfully dancing amid the snow and howling winds. Jeweled Wings’s eyes glinted sharply over the scene, warning us not to invade its playground.

“KRAAAH!”

♦Current Status♦

“Wh-what the hell are those…?!”

Jeweled Wings’s forehead began to emit a red light from the other side of the blizzard curtain. Then, the feathers on its head stood up, and the monster that had looked like a baby chick at once transformed into a fully grown southern rockhopper penguin.

“…KRAH… KRAAHH…!!”

Its White Breath added to the already freezing winds crackling the air as they whipped around its body. They looked cold enough to freeze you with a single touch. Snow White, it appeared, was nothing more than a first step needed to prepare for this move. Faint, white, shadowy Coral Peigoes danced around the monster as if frolicking in the snow.

“…Is it playing…with the shadows it made…?”

Anna saw the same thing I did. This was no trick of the imagination, nor were we overthinking things. Even though it was still engaging us in battle, it looked like Jeweled Wings was enjoying the ghostly figures it’d summoned in the likeness of its own species.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it had Coral Peigoes following it since it’s a Named Monster version. But it’s the only one here…and I don’t see any other Coral Peigoes coming out, either.

What did this mean? I knew I shouldn’t be trying to walk a mile in my enemy’s shoes as I fought it, but I couldn’t stop the thought from crossing my mind.

“D’ya think…it’s lonely? So lonely it’d make its own friends, even though they’re just dumb shadows…?”

“…It’s possible. But first things first, we need to find a way to survive this.”

“True… Plus, I think we’re kinda trapped…!”

The warm woods we’d been walking through that night now opened up by the riverbed into a massive snowscape. At some point in the chaos, we’d lost sight of anything past the sheets of falling snow. I had no idea what the scene looked like from the outside, but it seemed we wouldn’t be able to escape this arena Jeweled Wings had cordoned off so easily.

“…Bow!”

Cion’s determination never wavered despite our dire situation. She really was built for snow country, silver fur and all. But I couldn’t have her draw the enemy’s attack; it was too dangerous. At the same time, we had to find a way out of this. The shadowy figures dancing around Jeweled Wings could still throw us off, and we had no idea what other powers they might have. No matter how many there were, we had to make it through the first strike. Everything else counted on it.

“—Anna, let’s start with a long-range attack!”

“…Here I go…!”

♦Current Status♦

“—I missed…?!”

The ball Anna shot directly at Jeweled Wings cut through one of its ghostly dancers instead. The real Jeweled Wings danced in the field and cast a swaying shadow over the battlefield, just as its name foretold.

“—Wooof!”

“Cion, wait!”

Cion charged over the snow to fulfill her role as vanguard. She slashed with her claws mid-jump yet had no better luck and hit nothing but the illusions.

“Grrr…!!”

“Dodge it, Cion!”

♦Current Status♦

Jeweled Wings raised its bright white beak and plunged it downward. The white dancing ghosts gathered together to form two giants as big as Jeweled Wings itself and proceeded to surround Cion.

“—Ariadne, I request your help!” I shouted.

♦Current Status♦

“Yiiip…!!”

Ariadne’s Guard Arm managed to block only two of the blows—one of the giant clones jabbed Cion with its sharp beak and sent her flying.

“—Cion!”

“—Kaede, Anna, please! We can’t let this chance Cion gave us go to waste!”

“…Hyaaaaa!!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAAAH…AHH…”

Jeweled Wings stumbled under the onslaught of attacks. The electric-type strikes had an immediate effect—they split open the feathers forming a sort of crest on its head with a loud crackle. Kaede went in with a multiple-stage attack, which also increased the number of support attacks. I could feel something building up in the magical bullets powered by the manipulation stone.

“KRA…KRAAAH…”

“H-hey, looks like it’s gettin’ tired… Think we can push it over the edge…?”

“—KRAAAH!” cried Jeweled Wings, as if to deny what Kaede had said. Just then, the dancing shadows gathered around it and formed an orderly formation.

♦Current Status♦

“—Oh no…! It’s…!”

♦Current Status♦

I felt it just as Anna called out to warn us: Jeweled Wings had abandoned its defenses in order to build up and deal some kind of blow that would wipe us all out. Its cute appearance and somewhat human mannerisms aside, this was still a monster. And monsters were driven to take out Seekers by any means necessary.

But still…what is this feeling I’m getting…?

I didn’t know if we should kill it. Sure, this thing hurt Cion and was building up another attack right before my eyes, yet doubts still crept into my mind. All those Coral Peigoes at the ranch…and this Named Monster no one had seen for ages, stranded on this island. It’d been alone for so long that it had summoned snowy replacements for its lost brethren.

By all rights, shouldn’t it be with its own kind? What if something had torn them apart, leaving the Named Monster here all alone on this island?

“—Are you stuck here without your family?! We could take you to them!”

“…KRAH…”

Jeweled Wings cried in a low voice as if it’d already made its decision. Then it covered itself and its clones in ice and started to transform into an enormous bird.

“Arihito, stop! If it comes at us like that, we’re all done for…!” Kaede yelled out. I knew it wasn’t particularly wise for the rearguard to rush in, but this was the only way I could stop the monster. I had to use Rear Stance to send myself behind Jeweled Wings. But if I failed to cancel its attack, I’d let a vast-ranging assault engulf us all.

A rearguard really is only strong when he’s surrounded by fighters. That much is painfully clear. If only we could hold this thing off a little longer…but there’s no time left to come up with Plan B.

Part V: Warm Rain

“—Atobe!”

“……!!”

In the split second before I activated Rear Stance, I was sure I heard it—her voice.

♦Current Status♦

Igarashi and Theresia jumped out from the forest behind us. Igarashi’s Thunderbolt ripped through the air and rained down upon Jeweled Wings mid-transformation. The Electrocution slowed its progress for just one second, but the brief pause gave Theresia enough time to land the next strike.

“So that’s the Coral Peigo Named Monster… You want us to stop it, right…?!”

I didn’t even need to explain the situation for Igarashi to figure it out. The moisture in the air around us had begun to freeze over again, and the enormous bird-shaped mass of ice grew larger and larger.

“—Mr. Atobe! Everyone!”

“Arihito!”

That’s when Ryouko and Ibuki reached us. Theresia sneaked her way around, stealthily closing the gap between her and the monster. Ryouko had showed up close to the river, meaning she could use that skill.

“—Ryouko, shoot an Aqua Dolphin over its head!” I yelled.

“A-all right…!”

“……!”

Theresia read my mind and knew exactly what I wanted her to do—I could feel it. She unleashed her Morale Discharge just before setting up a team attack.

“Cooperation Support…Magic Crossing!”

♦Current Status♦

“KRAAAH…?!”

After the dolphin Ryouko made from river water hit Jeweled Wings, Theresia activated the blue flame stone and set her sword aglow with a pale blue light. She sliced through the dolphin, instantly turning it into a warm rain shower with the heat from her blade. At that moment, Ibuki jumped in and pummeled her fists into the remaining ice armor covering Jeweled Wings’s body.

“—Haaaah!”

♦Current Status♦

All of the ice protecting its body splintered and fell away. Jeweled Wings stumbled back one step, then another, then fell flat on its bottom and stopped moving.

“K-KRAH…”

The red light shining from its head disappeared, and the feathers standing up on its head reverted to their former positions. The monster’s eyes still flickered with the last remnants of its will to fight, but it could move no longer. Then, as if to signal it’d accepted defeat, the penguin monster hung its head and grew still.

“Haaah, aaah… A-Arihito…I…,” panted Ibuki.

“Yeah… Good job making it here, all of you… But please, could you not finish it off just yet?”

The air was still full of steam from Theresia and Ryouko’s combined attack, leaving us all soaking wet. But we didn’t have time to worry about that.

“Whoaaa! …I-it’s a huuuge penguin…!”

“Thank goodness… I’m glad you’re all safe. I’m so sorry we got here late.”

“…It’s a Named Monster, but I can’t harvest it for resources. Too cute.”

“Way to go, Arihito… You took complete command, even with new members.”

Misaki, Suzuna, Melissa, and Elitia finally caught up with us, and at last we were all together again. I used my Recovery Support on Cion and further healed her wounds. I petted her head as she licked my hand, then stepped closer to Jeweled Wings.

“A-Atobe…are you sure it’s okay to get so close?”

“I’m sure… I tested out the manipulation stone during that battle. I think you have to use it a few times first, and it won’t necessarily work on everyone, but it looks like I can control…I mean, negotiate with this monster and get it to work with us.”

“B-but you’re not a Monster Tamer… Can you even do that…?” asked Kaede incredulously. In my understanding, Monster Tamers fought alongside monsters in battle, though it seemed not many reincarnates chose to go into that line of work. We already had experience capturing the Demi-Harpies and others and gotten them to join our team. I was willing to bet any party could get monsters to fight with them, as long as they met the right conditions.

“…Did you guys see any monsters on this island?” I asked the group.

“Now that you mention it…we didn’t see anything at all until we got here,” replied Igarashi.

“Us neither. We got blown suuuper far away, so it was really hard to get here…,” explained Misaki.

“S-same for us,” added Ibuki. “Teacher, did you guys run into any other monsters aside from this one?”

We’d been scattered across the island, but no one had seen a single monster. There was very likely nothing here except for Jeweled Wings.

“For some reason or another, this Named Monster was the only creature to appear on this island, and the rest of the Coral Peigoes only exist on the island with our hotel. I think that’s why there haven’t been Named Monster sightings on the islet,” I explained.

“Assuming the Guild didn’t know there’d be an island on the other side of the ocean…the theory holds up.” Elitia also approached Jeweled Wings, who started to visibly tremble; perhaps it sensed the power in her blade.

“So…if possible, I’d like to spare this little guy and take him back with us. Maybe even reunite him with his friends…”

“Arihito, is that what you had on your mind during that fight? I was in total kill-or-be-killed mode…,” said Kaede.

“Me too… I didn’t have the composure to think clearly. I jumped at the chance to show you what I could do with my new racket…”

“Well, we had to fight first to use the manipulation stone… Plus, he’d decided we were enemies, too. No matter what brought him here, we only have this chance now because you all worked so hard.”

I wanted to make it clear I didn’t think it would be easy to capture and get this Named Monster to join us. It hadn’t left us a lot of room to pull punches, and I’d chosen all the attacks I’d thought would affect it the most, leaving it heavily wounded as a result. We were betting against the house that this creature would hear us out. It wouldn’t shock me if it refused to even listen.

“…Will you come with us? I’ll do whatever I can to take you to your friends, but you’re gonna have to listen to what we say, even after that.”

Jeweled Wings watched me closely through its barely opened eyes. It shifted its wings slightly as if to beat them but, instead of struggling, parted its beak by a hair.

“…KRAH.”

♦Current Status♦

“…Did he just answer you…?”

“I—I think so…”

“Then we need to heal him! He’s hurt real bad! And his feathers are all over the plaaace!”

“Some potions are dangerous for monsters, so we need to hurry and get him back to the Islet of Illusion to get him help…”

We had fought this monster practically to its death, and now we were trying to treat its wounds. But none of the members of Four Seasons complained or called it unfair. Kaede turned around to wipe her eyes, and tears welled up in the other three ladies’ eyes, too. It was nice to also have this option and not simply defeat every monster we fought. I decided to use Outside Assist on the creature to try to restore its vitality.

“…Whoa… S-sorry, Theresia. I think I used too much magic.”

“……”

“I wish we could give you loads of Apples of Wit… I saw a few growing back the way we came,” said Igarashi.

“What? …R-really?”

The others had also seen fruit-bearing trees, though in their rush to get to us, they hadn’t had time to pick anything. They went off to bring back what they’d found while I stayed behind and healed Jeweled Wings.

I checked my license to see what we’d picked up when we destroyed Jeweled Wings’s Ice Armor and stolen loot through Triple Steal. What I found surpassed my hopes for anything we’d find on this island.

♦Newest Acquisitions♦

I healed Jeweled Wings until he had a good amount of vitality. After a moment, he got up on his own two legs and started walking off somewhere. We followed after him and eventually came upon a teleportation pad set in the ground. Perhaps he hadn’t been able to activate the pad on his own and thought maybe we could do something about it? He couldn’t speak our language but had calmed down ever since I restored his vitality and would answer my friends with a “KRAH!” whenever they spoke to him.

Luckily, we didn’t need to dive underwater or combine Fortune Roll and Moon Reading this time. We could’ve used the Return Scroll, but I wanted to find some other way back without relying on that.

The Guild staff members were still up awaiting our arrival when we finally returned to the islet. Their jaws dropped when they first saw Jeweled Wings, but they agreed to lead us to Coral Peigo Ranch once I explained what happened.

“As I mentioned when you visited us this afternoon, in order for the Coral Peigoes to obey your orders, you need to have a White Jeweled Feather. But I never expected you would be able to find one today…”

“KRAH!”

“On top of that, you tamed this Named Monster and brought him back with you. I know I speak for the entire staff when I say we almost fainted at the sight. You really are an incredible band of rookies…,” said the Guild staff member in amazement. She looked about the same age as Louisa and exchanged greetings with her after Louisa ran over to us.

“So in regard to how this all played out…,” I started, trying to explain what we knew about Jeweled Wings. I wanted to prepare the Guild employees in case another Named Monster showed up on this islet, too. But the woman held up a finger to stop me and smiled.

“That kind of information is as valuable as precious jewels for Seekers. We Guild members must not question you about such matters without offering anything in return. Your only duty in terms of sharing information with us is if it pertains to a stampede.”

“…I see. It just feels like we’re stealing some secrets and taking them back with us. Are you sure that’s all right?”

“Of course, please do not concern yourself with that at all. As long as this Named Monster lives, no others will appear on this island. In other words, we have you to thank for securing our safety… Please allow me to express our appreciation again on behalf of all the members of our staff. I hope you’ll consider seeking here once more should you ever have the chance to visit again… But perhaps I shouldn’t suggest that, since this is a health resort, after all,” she replied and opened the gate to the Coral Peigoes ranch.

“…KRAH!”

“It’s okay, go ahead,” I reassured Jeweled Wings. He timidly stepped forward and almost got stuck in the gate but managed somehow to pull himself through.

“““Cheeeep!!”””

We could hear the Coral Peigoes’ cries coming from inside the ranch. I don’t speak Coral Peigo, but even I knew those were shouts of surprise and joy.

“…KRAH…”

Jeweled Wings seemed at a loss as he watched the Coral Peigoes gather around and follow him. He looked just like a parent playing with his children, and the little ones looked like they’d reunited with a long-lost friend.

“…KRAAH!”

“Whoaaa… L-look, Arihito! Gems or something are dripping out of the big penguin’s eyes…!” cried Misaki.

“Tears from a Jeweled Wings Dancing over Frozen Wasteland turn into gems called Snow Drops,” said the Guild staff member. “I’ve heard it’s extremely rare to see it in action…”

“…Good thing we brought him back. He gets to stay here and hang out with others like him.”

“Yes… You’re right. I’m sure he’ll be happy here,” agreed Igarashi, sounding a little disappointed. Still, she kept her distance from Jeweled Wings and the Coral Peigoes and turned her back on the ranch.

“I’m sorry if bringing such a big guy here all of a sudden causes you any trouble,” I told the Guild employee. “We’d be happy to help if there’s anything we can do.”

“Thank you, but that’s part of our job, so… Oh?” Jeweled Wings turned and walked toward me just as I was about to leave him in the Guild’s care.

“KRAH! KRAH!”

“…Are you maybe saying you want to come with us?”

“KRAAH!”

I worried he’d be lonely again if he joined us after all he went through to be reunited with his flock. But it seemed his mind was made up.

“If he has accepted you as his master, it should be possible for you to keep him at the Monster Ranch you have a contract with, as long as it is all right with you,” offered the Guild employee.

“But will he be all right, away from his family?”

“If that’s your concern…now that you have a White Jeweled Feather, you have the option of keeping Coral Peigoes as well.” Even if we did that, though, we’d be taking them away from the rest of the group—or so I thought.

“Cheep!”

“Cheep!”

Two Coral Peigoes came chirping after Jeweled Wings. They turned back to the group and raised their wings as if to wave good-bye.

“…These little ones really can surprise you. They really love each other, and they’re so clever.”

“That’s…true. I suppose he wouldn’t be lonely if he had some family with him at the ranch.”

“KRAH!” cried Jeweled Wings, happily. The Coral Peigoes jumped onto his back and climbed up on top of his head.

“You’re going to live together from now on, the three of you. There will be other friends for you to meet, so try your best not to fight with them,” I told them.

“KRAH!”

Jeweled Wings had really cheered up and paid close attention to whatever I said. It looked like he’d do just fine at the Monster Ranch.

“Haaah, I’m suuuch a sucker for this kinda thing. I cry so much people are gonna think I’ve got allergies.”

“A-are you okay…? The staff are gonna laugh at you if you sob like that, you know?”

It wasn’t just Misaki—there wasn’t a dry eye in the group. And to think, if we’d defeated Jeweled Wings, we never would have gotten to see such a moving scene.

Louisa and Seraphina came over after everyone calmed down a bit. Louisa looked completely refreshed except for her eyes, which had also turned a bit red. “Mr. Atobe, everyone, excellent work today. I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you, but I hope I can make it up to you some other way…”

“Thank you very much. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long.”

“We trusted you would be all right, Mr. Atobe. You’ve inspired me to find a shield I could take with me to any environment, so as to not burden anyone again in such a situation…”

“It took us a long time to find Arihito and the others, so we don’t know the full story yet,” said Elitia. “Arihito, could you tell us what happened?”

“Sure. Cion, Kaede, Anna, and I got blown away together. Right away we encountered Jeweled Wings and engaged him in battle…” I decided I’d tell the members who’d been waiting for us all about the battle with Jeweled Wings, the teleportation device at the bottom of the spring, and everything else.

We headed to the overwater restaurant that doubled as a cottage, which every large group of visitors to the resort could use once. Madoka and Adeline came out to greet us, the lights shining warmly in the cottage behind them.