Chapter of Midsummer, Episode 7: Shirley’s Debut

Everyone dreams when they fall asleep. When they awaken in their bed, they’re left with vague memories of their dream, and they may mutter to themselves about how strange it was. One can only search for their dreams in their past memories. But if one were really able to see their dreams with their own eyes, maybe they could view a sight like this.

It was dark all around me. The view was blurry, and the sound was muddled. When I reached out to touch the things drifting around me, my fingers simply passed through them as I felt a slippery sensation. As I considered what a strange place it was, I noticed a woman walking before me with her black hair swaying and seemingly melding into the shadows. She turned around to face me.

She was the legendary being known as the Arkdragon, Wridra. She was quite a strange individual; I had heard she was thousands of years old, and although I could sense her grand majesty at times, there were also times when I couldn’t feel it at all.

Silently, she parted her crimson-painted lips as she spoke to me, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. It was as if her voice was being diffused before it could reach me.

Realizing I couldn’t hear her, Wridra smiled faintly, then pointed. I followed her finger with my eyes, and then noticed I was holding a hand that was much paler than my own.

It belonged to the half-fairy elf, Mariabelle. She was quite a strange one too. I looked to my side to find her ear, shaped like a spear tip, and her amethyst eyes met my own. There was a wise light shining in those eyes, their beauty gleaming brightly even in the darkness. Perhaps it was because half of her very being was connected to the fairy realm. Mariabelle tugged on my sleeve, then moved her vivid lips closer to my ear.

“I hear this place is called the shadow realm. The pools of darkness that Wridra controls are connected to strange worlds.” Her whispers sounded like we were underwater, making them hard to decipher. I couldn’t help but reply with a question upon hearing an unfamiliar term.

“Shadow realm?”

“Yes, that’s what they call it. Your world was born with the words ‘Let there be light’ according to mythology, right? But maybe the shadow realm existed before that. Hey, do you remember when we fought a being from this world?”

I stared blankly for a moment in response to Marie’s question. When had we ever connected with and fought anything in this world? I scanned the darkness around us and thought about it, and the sensation around me somehow felt familiar.

Then, I remembered the residents of the shadow realm that had suddenly appeared when I fought Shirley the floor master. They had stared at me with their big, golden eyeballs, swinging their sharp claws in both hands down toward me. When I looked around again, it felt as if those creatures were lurking within the shadows.

“Wridra called this ‘the world on the other side.’ She also said it was a place of emptiness. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. We just need to keep moving forward, like children walking down the street at night. Let’s go.”

With that, she pulled me by my hand. Wridra and Shirley awaited us ahead, and although I could only see their blurry figures, I could tell they were chatting about something. To the floor master and the Arkdragon, this was nothing but a familiar sight.

The words “world on the other side” that Mariabelle had mentioned caught my attention. I had the ability to travel between shrines by borrowing power from the god of travel. The view that I saw while in transit felt like a “world on the other side” too, and I wondered if this place had anything to do with it.

“Come on. Don’t make me leave you alone in this darkness.” Mariabelle urged me forward. I apologized and quickened my pace. Whatever this place was, it was far beyond my understanding. As soon as we left this land, it would surely return to a state without sound or light and only the faintest of warmth.

When we caught up to the others, Wridra turned with her hands on her hips, seeming displeased about our tardiness. She then turned away again, her big tail facing us as she continued her trek.

“...get there, you should be able to hear my voice.”

It seemed we were nearing our destination. Wridra flicked her hand, and the shadows that had been pooled around her grew thinner. After a slight delay, her bored-sounding voice finally reached my ears.

I was taken aback. The bright sunlight came down upon me abruptly. I narrowed my eyes at the light, putting a hand before me to make shade as I adjusted to the brightness. The streets that were semi-buried in sand gradually came into view, and beyond them were rows of sand-colored buildings.

It seemed we had arrived in the country of Arilai. It would normally have taken days to get here from the second floor, but it only took a few hours with the help of the Arkdragon. Her powers were quite convenient.

The center of Arilai had been developed around a gently sloping mountain. I noticed our companion staring at the scenery with great interest, and we slowed our pace.

The woman had bright, honey-colored hair and was adorned in an outfit that seemed easier to maneuver in than her usual dresses. But I felt like her outfit didn’t really affect her ease of walking through the sands, considering her spectral form. Maybe she just felt like dressing that way.

“Hey there, Shirley. This is the desert country of Arilai. Come to think of it, I’ve never taken a leisurely look at it like this before.” Last time, we had invited her to the Manor of Black Roses to scare the hero candidate, Zarish, together. I imagined how awful it must have been to receive such an invitation, but then Shirley turned to me, her smile widening.

Shirley was not human, and she lived on the second floor of the ancient labyrinth. It felt strange seeing her enveloped in the bright sunlight with the cityscape of Arilai behind her, not to mention the hazy shadow that could be seen at her feet.

Perhaps it was due to all the sand in the air, but the blue sky had a whitish tint to it, and the wind was completely dry now that the rainy season was over. Shirley ran a finger through her stray hair and tucked it behind her ear.

It was hard to believe her true form was actually that of a ghost, since her body wasn’t in its usual semitransparent state thanks to the Arkdragon’s help. This only affected her outward appearance, but most people couldn’t tell. And they obviously wouldn’t have known that she was a floor master.

Just then, I remembered something. I rummaged through my bag and found what I was looking for.

“Shirley, let me show you something.” Shirley moved closer with a curious expression, and I showed her a piece of parchment.

I smiled as her sky blue eyes went wide, then carefully untied the binding and spread out the parchment to reveal the words “Up to four foreign members may participate in the raid.” It was the permit for entering the ancient labyrinth, and we would reach the maximum party limit of four members with Shirley’s inclusion.

“Look, you joining our party was officially approved by Arilai. I heard the raid on the ancient labyrinth is reopening again, so we should go pay our respects to everyone we’ll be working with.”

In response, Shirley placed her hands on her own chest, then made a groaning gesture for some reason. She then started fussing with her hair... Wait, was she getting nervous? A floor master that’s afraid to talk to people?

“Oh, are you not good at meeting new people? But you didn’t panic when you first met me and Marie,” I noted with confusion, but Shirley groaned again and took two steps away from us. She explained by gesturing with her hands and fingers, but...according to her, she wasn’t afraid of us because we were cute and small. It was hard to believe she was a terrifying floor master.

“There’s no need to worry so much. Just a simple bow would do,” I advised, but it seemed Shirley was beside herself, restlessly twirling her hair with her finger and staring up at the sky. As I was trying to figure out what the issue was, Marie tugged on my sleeve from beside me.

“Wasn’t Shirley wearing some sort of semitransparent veil over her face when we first met her?”

“Hm, now that you mention it... Maybe she was wearing it because she’s shy.” Shirley blinked. She then pulled out an embroidered piece of cloth, and I watched as she wrapped it around her eyes.

Wait, why did she put that on? That embroidery does look nice on her, but does she not want to look people in the eyes that badly? Marie and I had many questions, but meanwhile, Shirley made a cute victorious pose as if everything was fine now.

I thought that she would only stand out more, but I swallowed my words and figured it wasn’t too strange for a ghost to cover her eyes and let it go. Shirley’s melancholy seemed to have been resolved. I didn’t want to ruin it for her or bring her mood back down.

We walked around within Arilai’s castle walls for some time, then arrived at a well-maintained area. Various water storage facilities could be seen all over the place, with water flowing downward via waterways. The colorful fabrics, spices, and tea leaves lined up at the storefronts seemed to have an air of refinement to them.

This area was where the upper class lived, and they had the privilege of hearing the pleasant sound of running water while walking around the premises. But one had to get recognized by the government as a person of importance in order to earn that privilege, and it came with the duty of participating in raids on ancient labyrinths, so I didn’t particularly want to live here.

As I was explaining this, Marie suddenly jumped into the conversation.

“Oh, but that’s how it is in any country. Nice places to live have high value, and we’ve raided the ancient labyrinths too. We even defeated floor masters twice.” Well, Shirley forfeited the fight on the second floor... I nearly pointed this out, but then a thought came to me.

Maybe Marie wanted to live in a nice mansion or something. I was reminded of the time Zera and Puseri had let us use theirs. It seemed to me like Marie was starting to get accustomed to luxury.

“But we didn’t accept an S-Rank mission, so I don’t think we’ll get much credit.”

“Maybe we should have accepted it,” she muttered with furrowed brows, and I felt a bead of sweat roll down my face. We wanted to explore the ancient labyrinth, but we didn’t want to take on serious work, so we had just turned down the mission from the royal family the other day. I had a full-time job anyway, so it would have been difficult for me to participate in any official capacity.

The reason we were heading toward the facility where the raid parties gathered was just to greet them as I had mentioned earlier. One never knew when something unexpected would happen in the labyrinth, so I thought it would be a good idea to be on good terms with them.

And so, we made our way through the high-class district and past the gated area, and we saw a large building in the distance. We arrived at a place for social gatherings among aristocrats known as Royal Arilai.

A servant opened the doors for us to enter, and the classy interior with a high ceiling awaited us. It was constructed with an abundance of expensive glass, but the place was only moderately bright thanks to the curtains filtering out the sun. Marie’s eyes lit up at the sight.

“Oh, oh, so this is what life is like for rich people! We’re finally able to visit amazing places like this now, huh?”

To be honest, I couldn’t understand what was so amazing about it. I mean, I could of course tell that everything was obviously expensive. But I felt like I would get yelled at if I touched anything, so the place made me feel uneasy, if anything. I expressed this to Marie, and she just made a smug face, then pointed at the things around us and started to explain.

“You may not understand this world, since all you did was travel all the time. Take a look at that over there. See those swords lined up in that corner? That area is for training and testing your skills. That area is for practicing dance, and that looks like the library. I’m sure there are very valuable books there too. Nnh, I’d love to go over there right now and see what they have!” Marie spoke much faster than usual, and her eyes were alight with excitement. It seemed like she was just expressing her overwhelming interest rather than giving me an explanation, and all I could do was respond with a hesitant “R-Right.” She really must have wanted to come here.

I felt like I now had a pretty good idea of what this place was like. This was a place of respite for those in high social standing, and it also served as an entertainment facility. Seeing all the well-dressed people having pleasant chats together, I was again reminded of how out of place I felt.

Just then, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

“You guys always seem to have fun wherever you go.” I turned around to find a tall man smiling at me. The well-built, black-haired man was the leader of Team Bloodstone, Zera. He was generally a friendly person, and he had fought heroically with the instincts of a wild animal when we had teamed up at the ancient labyrinth.

“Oh, hello, Zera. I’m sorry if we were being noisy.”

“I thought I recognized your familiar faces, but I see you have a new team member. Oh, no need to be scared. I may look like this, but I’m actually a gentleman, really,” Zera explained hastily when he saw that Shirley had immediately moved to hide behind me. A woman with fiery red hair shot him an exasperated look from behind him.

“You? A gentleman? Please.”

“Doula, please don’t look at me like I’m completely hopeless. Besides, weren’t you complaining about how these high-class places make you uneasy?”

“Yes, I hate them. But I’ve been taught how to deal with it, and my mother has brought me here many times before. I’d never want to go through that again.” It seemed she had been reminded of some sort of traumatic past. The displeased-looking woman was Doula, the leader of Team Andalusite. We had been on friendly terms with her ever since we rescued her on a mission. Marie had also gotten close to the two of them even though she had once been known for her hatred for humans.

“Since you two are here, does that mean you accepted the S-Rank mission?” Marie asked with a pleasant smile.

“Yup, we’re in the same boat as you. Let’s do our best and...”

“Oh, but we didn’t accept it,” Marie said, and Zera’s hand froze in midair as he was reaching out for a handshake. His face twitched as his smile also froze, and he glanced back and forth between Marie and Doula, as if he was wondering, “Then why are you here?” He must have figured I was the easiest one to talk to, because he put his arms around my shoulders.

“Hmm? Kazuhiho? Why haven’t you guys taken the mission after basically inviting us to do it in the first place? Hm?”

“Well, I discussed it with Marie, and...” It wasn’t as if I could tell him I had work. I made an awkward attempt at an explanation, but he wasn’t buying it at all. I looked around helplessly, but Marie had walked off toward the back of the room, and I felt a bit shocked about being left behind. Marie turned around, perhaps to help me out of this awkward situation.

“Everyone is gathering already. You wouldn’t want to get scolded for being late, would you?”

“Oh, good point. All right, Kazuhiho, I wanna talk to you more about this later.” With that, I was released.

The raid on the third floor of the ancient labyrinth was about to begin, so there was no time for fooling around. I quickly followed the others.

A guide led us into a room where a crowd of people was already gathered. There were a total of forty-three members there, including Team Diamond, Team Bloodstone, Team Andalusite, and our Team Amethyst.

A familiar dark elf waved her hand as we made our way to our seats, and I gestured a small wave to her, signaling “Let’s talk later.” Eve seemed to be doing well as usual.

I drew a chair from a circular table, and Marie whispered her thanks as she sat down. I took a seat next to her, and someone else came by to pass out tea. I scanned the room while taking a sip.

The men in the room had strange looks in their eyes for being at a meeting that was supposedly meant to unite us. They weren’t menacing or anything, but there was an air of restlessness as they glanced around. I wondered why, then followed their gazes and found the answer.

Team Diamond, also known as the flowers of the battlefield, along with most of our team, consisted of women. This meant about a third of the members here were women, and beautiful ones at that. Those who weren’t used to their presence couldn’t help but get distracted. That must have been why some of them were fixing their hair or putting on their best manly face. I understood how they felt, but it was also somewhat sad to see.

The buzz in the room was quickly quieted by the sound of two loud claps. I looked up at the platform, and there stood Hakam, the leader of the raid into the ancient labyrinth. The well-dressed, sun-bronzed man had an air of authority as a military leader.

“I thank you all for gathering here today. I’d like to begin the raid on the third floor with all of you, but there’s something I must say first. Out of the eight who had lost consciousness during the raid on the second floor, five of them have reawakened.”

Many had fallen during the raid on the second floor. They had awakened as Reapers after having their souls sucked out of them, and Marie and I had defeated three of them. We couldn’t think of any way to save them in the moment, but I sometimes found myself wondering if we really had no other choice.

It was a relief to know the others had regained their souls. This was, of course, thanks to Shirley’s help. I looked at her side profile with the veil over her eyes, but there was no change in her expression. She didn’t have much of an emotion when it came to death despite her lovely appearance, which was probably part of her nature as a god of death.

Some responded to the news with some reserved claps. They seemed to be in celebration for those who made it back, and a prayer for those who hadn’t.

Hakam looked around the crowd once it quieted down, and his sharp gaze settled on me for some reason. I wondered if I’d done anything to earn his glare.

“I will now talk about the third floor, but just so you’re all aware: that boy there didn’t join for the mission. He joined just for fun. Now, some of you may be confused by this. I am too. His team just happened to be here during this time, so if they happen to let slip some confidential information, you don’t need to come reporting it to me. I’d rather not know about it.” There was a burst of laughter, and I got some teasing comments like “Can’t help it if you’re here for fun!” Marie and I turned red.

I mean, our actions really must have been inexplicable from an outsider’s perspective. Nobody wanted to raid the third floor, but we were doing it for kicks. I had to thank Hakam and Aja for accepting our request anyway. I looked over at Aja the wizard, and I saw that he was laughing joyously by the window. I heard that he had taken a few disciples since the last time I saw him, and they were spending their days analyzing and researching the uses of Magic Stones.

Hakam cleared his throat again, directing everyone’s attention back to himself.

“We’ve reduced the number of soldiers by seventy percent compared to the last raid. I’m sure this raised some concern for some of you. If you wish to withdraw out of fear for your life, now would be your only chance. But I’ve only gathered those whom I can trust here today. I believe this is my most important asset. Hear this, warriors of Arilai: all of you, the most distinguished fighters in this country, will band together as one. I can’t wait to take on the challenge of this upcoming raid with your combined strength at my side. Go forth and unleash your power to your heart’s content.”

With that, Hakam looked upon the crowd with eyes burning with passion. Then, like firewood the moment embers are cast upon it, their spirits too were set aflame. They all believed that a reduction in the number of soldiers didn’t necessarily mean their fighting prowess would also be reduced.

Conversely, I couldn’t help but turn my eyes downward.

According to rumors, the scouting party that specialized in espionage had been wiped out. That team consisted of the royal family’s most skilled, which spoke volumes on the difficulty of the third floor. The danger I sensed instinctively kept my mind calm.

As I debated whether we really should have been there, I noticed someone casually moving in closer to me. Wridra’s almond-shaped eyes looked to me, and she whispered softly into my ear.

“Kitase, what are your thoughts on this raid on the third floor?” I glanced to my side and could see her dark eyes narrow in an amused smile. The Arkdragon’s expression told me she may have known a lot more than she was letting on, but I also knew she probably wasn’t going to just give me the answers. The question was, how could I extract information out of her?

I considered my reply for some time, then opened my mouth to speak.

“The purpose isn’t to get Magic Stones or treasure, but there’s something on the third floor that could be a threat to Arilai. And they’re running out of time. I think the so-called rebels have something to do with it,” I said to gauge her reaction. Wridra made an impressed noise, then moved away from me without saying anything. That told me my guess was correct, even though she hadn’t said so outright.

That explained why the royal family had issued an S-Rank mission directly. I felt like the pieces were finally fitting together, and I felt immense gratitude toward Wridra for confirming my suspicion.

It wasn’t as if I had thrown out a completely wild guess.

The members of the raid party had been reduced to thirty percent. We hadn’t gained much from clearing the second floor, yet the raid was ongoing. In fact, things were now moving at an accelerated pace. Not to mention, the royal family’s elite warriors had been sent on a mere scouting mission.

Considering all this, my conclusion was pretty much the only plausible one. Though, that was no reason to be relieved by any means.

But I was still left with one question: if Arilai was faced with such a threat, why didn’t they go all out and gather their forces to face the issue? It seemed to me like there was some horrible threat outside of the rebels and ancient labyrinth that they were preparing for.

I broke out into a cold sweat at the thought, but then I heard something unexpected.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce a powerful ally... The finest of Arilai’s warriors.”

A powerful ally? We already had Team Diamond here, and I couldn’t think of anyone more skilled than them. As I was taken by surprise, I saw someone making their way onto the platform.

The crowd began buzzing when they realized it was a man who had an estimated level of 120. There were streaks of white in his hair and animalistic features on his face that didn’t seem to fit his age. He smirked.

“Hey, you brats. I doubt anyone here hasn’t heard of me, but I’m Gaston, the only participant out of Team Ruby. No matter what you do, don’t ask about my age or whether or not I have a girlfriend.” In the silence, I thought I could almost hear someone say, “You don’t have a girlfriend?”

He seemed like one of those aggressive, bossy types. I thought he was a fierce-looking old man when I had seen him at the oasis from afar, and hearing him speak didn’t change that impression one bit.

The old man Gaston then said something strange.

“According to prophecy, that ancient labyrinth will be where I die. That’s why I’m leaving my beloved team members behind. Boy, I can’t wait. I finally get to meet the reaper in person!” He opened his mouth wide and laughed. I could hear the others gulp from his sheer intensity. There was something strangely powerful about his very presence. Shirley pointed at herself, as if to ask, “Is he talking about me?” I shook my head.

After we went over the strategies and team formations, Hakam took the group out of the meeting hall. The raid would soon begin, and we would step foot inside the ancient labyrinth the day after we departed.

As an aside, we were technically considered outsiders for this mission, so we were allowed to meet up with them at the site. I wanted to keep Wridra’s long-distance travel skill a secret, so that was convenient for us.

And so, the raid party of forty-four members had been formed.

§

This library sure is bright... Such were my thoughts as we looked around the facility full of expensive-looking glass. Libraries usually blocked out the sun to prevent the pages from getting damaged, but it seemed this place was built differently.

There were many large windows all over the place, and the curtains gently waving in the sun had intricate embroidery on them. It went without saying that this was the perfect place for an elegant afternoon reading a book. Any booklover would have surely been thrilled to spend their time here.

“Wow, it’s so pretty. Let’s go see what kind of books we can find here at Royal Arilai.”

With that, Marie went deeper into the room without hesitation. I turned around and saw Wridra and Shirley ordering some tea from a servant, waving their hands as if telling us to enjoy ourselves. I wondered if a ghost could even drink tea as I went to follow Marie.

The receptionist checked my proof of membership as soon as I entered the room, then quietly welcomed me inside. Aja had thankfully given us these cards earlier, allowing us to use these restricted facilities. I recalled how the old man looked at us like we were his grandchildren. When I caught up to Marie, she was checking the spines of some books one by one.

“Look, they’re all very old, but they’re well taken care of. It’s unfortunate that they’re not very practical.” I looked at the books she was gesturing to and saw that most of them covered topics regarding developing the country, like swordsmanship, construction, tactics, history, and commerce. It seemed there wasn’t much here that would have been useful for a Spirit Sorceress like Marie. She probably would have been brimming with excitement if they had some picture books like my local library did.

Marie turned her pale purple eyes toward the windows. Seeing a woman sipping some tea as she read a book there, Marie’s eyes lit up.

“Drinking some tea while reading seems like a wonderful practice. We should learn from her.” I smiled as she began busily picking out some books, then decided to help her with her selection. The books she handed me were about farming and architecture. I was reminded about the pumpkin seeds we had planted, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you guys. What are you picking out books for?” I turned around and saw a dark-skinned woman standing there. The long-eared woman was obviously a dark elf, as well as a member of Team Diamond.

“Oh, Eve. I didn’t know you were interested in libraries too.”

“I’m not. You really think I have any interest in a place like this? Ugh, Marie, why are you reading books about architecture? You’re kinda weirding me out, to be honest.”

“Don’t say that when you’ve never read one yourself. As an elf, you’re going to live a long life. Why don’t you study and learn a thing or two? It’s important to have hobbies, you know.”

R-Right... Marie was a bit too into her hobbies and was knee-deep in otaku culture, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want her glaring at me.

Marie stood with a mountain of books at her back, and Eve was currently shrinking away from one of her glares. The dark elf’s face then turned smug for some reason, and she pointed at herself with a thumb.

“My mind and body automatically reject it, so no can do.” In other words, she just didn’t want to study. Though, that was no surprise. I thought she was kind of similar to Zera in that sense, but I kept my mouth shut.

Marie let out an exasperated sigh, then turned her purple eyes toward Eve.

“You said you’ve been looking for us. Why?”

“Well, we’re about to head to the oasis, right? I don’t feel like walking all the way there, so I was hoping you could give my team a quick ride there.”

“Wait, who told you about that?” I asked without thinking, and Marie quickly put her hand over my mouth. It was too late. Eve had just thrown out a guess, but a smile spread across her face as her suspicion had been confirmed. She beckoned us over with a finger, and we followed her to a nearby window. It seemed she was about to dig our secrets out of us.

I felt Marie pinch my butt from behind to reprimand me for my slip of the tongue. But it only tickled, if anything, and when I mouthed an apology, she just wrinkled her brows with a cute expression.

Eve rested her chin in her hand at the circular table, then moved her face closer, as if to demand answers. What I couldn’t understand was, how had she guessed our secret on instincts alone? She should have needed some hints to reach that conclusion at all.

“Eve, how did you know we had a way to travel around?”

“Well, everyone was busy getting ready, but Team Amethyst was the only one that was just chilling, so I thought that was suspicious. I’d understand if it was just Wridra, but you two seem more careful about that kind of stuff. So I thought, why not ask?”

That made sense to me. I nodded. I’d never considered that the fact that we were picking out books had tipped her off. Come to think of it, she had the unique ninja class, so maybe she was especially skilled when it came to gathering intel. Or maybe it was just a woman’s intuition.

I glanced at Marie, and she shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “Do as you wish.” I debated whether this was something we should have revealed at all, but Eve did look out for us to protect our secret at the Manor of Black Roses. She already knew about our ability to travel between this world and Japan, so I figured it wouldn’t have been a big issue to tell her about our means of travel.

“Can you keep a secret, Eve?”

“Of course! I’d never break a promise with a friend,” she replied confidently, and I decided to trust her. I had Marie block off sound from leaking outside of our circle, then raised three fingers at Eve. Her blue eyes stared with great interest.

“We have three methods of travel. There’s my long-distance travel skill: Trayn, the Journey’s Guide, which I’ve told you about before. We can also fly through the sky with the Magic Stone, and finally, we have Wridra’s magic.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean you can fly with a Magic Stone? Can I ride it too?” She excitedly moved her face closer, but I urged her to let me finish.

I could only bring Marie with me with my long-distance travel skill, and it was limited to locations with a shrine dedicated to the god of travel. Plus, it was limited to one use per day. The Magic Stone required either Marie or myself to ride it, and we could only bring one more passenger at most. This meant neither method was suited for bringing Team Diamond along with us.

Wridra’s magic could have solved this issue, but we wanted to keep this method a secret as much as possible. It was far too convenient of a skill, and we definitely wanted to avoid any undesirable attention.

“Well, that’s not gonna work. You guys are the center of attention already. You cleared the second floor, and every aristocrat is fighting each other to bring you under their control,” Eve said.

“Yes, that’s why we’ve been staying at Puseri’s and Zera’s places. As you said, it would be trouble if people found out about our travel methods with everything else going on,” Marie added. We all groaned at once. If Team Diamond also arrived at the oasis in an instant, many people would start asking questions. A group transport skill was just that valuable. It could turn the tide of a battle if used to send soldiers across a battlefield, and it would be sought after as a means of escape in the ancient labyrinth.

“Hmm, all right. I’ll give up on it then. My team would get upset if I’m the only one who goes there with no effort and I leave them all behind. But about that beach trip you two mentioned before...? Can’t you use that magic to take me with you?”

She had a point. We had turned down her request once before, but it would have been possible with this method. Even Wridra may not have been able to fly in unfamiliar lands, but we could arrive on the site with my skill, then go pick her up from there. We had the third floor of the ancient labyrinth and the rebels to deal with first, but we could probably take Eve with us afterward.

Marie also nodded with a look that said she was begrudgingly impressed.

“You really are good at being wily when it suits you, aren’t you? Fine, we may as well have a fun goal to look forward to while we’re on this mission.”

“Yay! Thanks, Marie. I’m so glad you’re my first elf friend. Love ya!” Eve wrapped her arms in a hug around Marie, who blinked with a surprised look on her face. I couldn’t help but feel happy seeing them get along like this, even though Marie was screaming as Eve happily pressed her lips against her cheek in a kiss.

After some time, we said goodbye to Eve for now. It was right around that time that the proud elites of Arilai departed for their mission.

§

The area around the gates was particularly lively with the priests’ instruments sounding loudly. They were a blessing to send off those who were departing for the ancient labyrinth.

Not only were there priests who worshipped the land god, but countless flowers were scattered from the second floor of the surrounding buildings as a blessing for Puseri of the Blackrose Clan. The royal families of old were still beloved to this day, and the leader of the reformed Team Diamond smiled at the citizens showing their support. Though, internally, she may or may not have been upset at a certain dark elf for wasting time doing who-knows-what.

The crowd pushing forward only added to the clamor, and they directed their passionate gazes to the departing warriors as if they were the next generation of heroes. The raid party was a great boon for the country of Arilai’s economy. The people wished for their triumphant return and didn’t hold back their words of support. However, among them was someone who stared with a different intent than the rest of the people.

The one who stood at the balcony of the royal castle and cast a cold glare below was an important member of the royal family. There was a shade of resignation and contempt in the young man’s eyes, and those around him stared at the raid party with similar expressions.

The man who stood at their lead opened his mouth to speak.

“Hmph... Do you know how many of that raid party will return alive?”

“Lord Wallace, I do not...”

“They will all die within a few days. My father was fooled by Hakam’s empty promises, but it pains me to think they will all end up as corpses soon.”

Outside, the people were still giving their words of blessing. The flower petals added beautiful colors to the scene as they were scattered to the sky, and despite the cheerful smiles of the departing soldiers, the royal looked at them as if they were already dead.

The small raid party had been the topic of conversation throughout the country. Everyone wanted to know why its size had been reduced to a mere third of the previous one. The popular theory was that they were planning on sending the elites to lead the way, then sending reinforcements later on like last time. Sending too big of a unit at once would mean most of the soldiers wouldn’t have had much to do at first. So it was more efficient to send more units in later on as needed. Such was the main rumor that had been going around as of late.

However, some people knew the truth. This small roster had to conquer the third floor and on by themselves. They knew they would not come back alive.

“In fact, I feel sorry for them. They’re seen as expendable,” the royal said before turning his back. The rest of the royal family was gathered just beyond, and he greeted them before focusing his attention on the large map on the table.

Numerous seemingly handmade pieces could be seen on the map, and those gathered gave their opinions to one another.

With the raid on the ancient labyrinth underway, another battle was about to begin here.

§

I looked up to the sound of chirping and shaded my eyes from the sun as a bird flew overhead.

We had taken our time making preparations. I felt bad about having it so easy, but we just needed to wait for the others at the hall on the second floor. I had heard they would arrive late at night, so we would probably have been asleep by then. The actual raid wouldn’t start until tomorrow morning, so it wouldn’t have been an issue if we were to regroup late.

Supposedly, our base of operations was to be in front of the door leading to the third floor. It was somewhat far from the second floor, and they would be using a route that went around the hall, so they shouldn’t have been too noisy. But honestly, I was the noisiest one in the forest as I pounded some stakes with a metallic clang. The clanging continued, and some birds flew in from a distance to see what was going on.

There was still time, but not enough to waste. I wanted to use this opportunity to check on the tools we had purchased in town and put up the instant tent. Since Wridra was carrying us here, I had splurged on some items that would let us spend our time in leisure.

Marie had been reading a book in the shade, but it seemed she had found a good spot to stop, so she stood up and stretched. She brushed the leaves off of her bottom and looked at me.

“So, why did you end up buying such a big tent?”

“Well, we’ll be going on this mission with a bunch of people, but we don’t want others to see us sleeping. So I thought it would be better if we came back here to rest. Shirley can manage her forest as usual, and we’ll get to rest peacefully.” As long as we had our reliable companion, Wridra, we could return here whenever we wanted. If we secured a comfortable place to sleep, it would surely make our mission easier going forward. I explained this to Marie, who looked rather surprised and impressed.

“Now that you mention it, we wouldn’t have to carry the pot around either. Okay, then I’ll help too.”

“Oh, it’s okay, it’s not too much work. I already finished setting up the roof and support poles,” I said, but internally noted how difficult it was to put up a tent. I straightened out the poles, secured the foundation, then placed a large piece of fabric over it. I had become painfully aware of why people usually did this in groups.

After securing the exterior with some ropes and laying down some thick cloth on the ground, the process was pretty much done. With the milky-white tent having been erected, I pushed the curtain at the entrance open to check if it was fine to stay in.

“I think that should do it. Marie, you can come in now.” Maybe she thought it would come collapsing down on us. Marie entered the tent gingerly, looking around the circular room with caution. A satisfied expression then came over her after observing the spacious interior.

“Oh, this is nice. It’s more breezy than I thought. It’s actually quite comfortable in here.”

“I bought one that’s on the pricier side. It’s nice to have money for times like these.” I found it pointless to dwell on money in the dream world. Still, it was greatly advantageous to be able to buy things we needed whenever we wanted.

I showed Marie my palms, and she mirrored the gesture. Just as we slapped each other’s hands for a high five, the curtain opened and a familiar voice called to us.

“What are you two doing in there? There is something I wish to discuss. Cease your fooling around and come here.”

“Oh?” we said, looking silly with our hands pressed against one another.

§

Wridra guided us to an empty lot on the other side of the river. Curiously, there weren’t many weeds growing there, and it was well maintained like a sports ground. There was a lone tree there with a table and chair under it, which seemed somewhat out of place.

“Huh, I thought there were some woods over here.”

“I had Shirley move them out of the way. We will need to think of the layout now, after all. Hey, Shirley!”

Hm? Layout?

Wridra led us to a circular table, and I took a seat. The metal table with lattice-pattern holes seemed to be a fitting design for a Western garden. I realized I was getting distracted and decided to get our meals out of my bag. I didn’t have much time to cook lately, so I had brought some simple sandwiches today.

The ingredients, such as eggs, tomatoes, and bacon, were all sandwiched between slices of white bread and offered a vibrant and colorful spread beneath the shade of the trees. Once the tea had been passed around, it was time for a late lunch and a meeting to begin.

“Om nom, delicious... Mmf, this tuna sandwich is my favorite. The flavor that melts in your mouth is simply to die for. I cannot help but appreciate its sheer brilliance,” Wridra said.

“You always eat the same thing, Wridra. Tuna mayo was your favorite kind of rice ball too,” I replied.

“I cannot help that it is so delectable. In any case, we shall agree that all of the tuna sandwiches belong to me and begin our discussion.” She had claimed the rights to all of the tuna and mayo ever so naturally. Marie ignored Wridra’s claim and picked up one of the tuna sandwiches, taking a sip of her tea.

“What’s the layout you mentioned earlier? You aren’t planning on building a house here, are you?”

“Is that a problem? I have records of gardens and buildings with Japanese and Western elements from using my projection magic. You see? Behold.”

Wridra made images of Yamamoto-tei appear in the air, one after another. Marie and I watched with our mouths agape, while Shirley looked completely unsurprised. Come to think of it, this empty field was about the same size as that manor... A gust of wind blew by, and we finally returned to our senses.

“But we would need a lot of materials and manpower, wouldn’t we?”

“What are you saying? With Shirley and me here, there is virtually nothing we cannot make. After all, that is why we went to see the garden in person.” Wridra looked at me as if to ask, “Am I wrong?” but this was all news to me.

Seeing Shirley nodding in agreement, it finally dawned on me that they were serious about building this house. I calmed myself as I took a sip of tea, then let out a breath. I scattered some bread crumbs for the birds that were gathering, then turned to Wridra. I could feel my heart beating in my chest.

“So we’re really building a house, then? And how much time do you think it would take, Wridra?”

“We will first need to decide upon the layout. For a relatively simple one-story house, it should take no more than a few days to construct its overall structure,” Wridra said as she leaned in closer as I had. Marie also leaned in as the reality of the situation began to set in, and I got to feel like we were having some sort of secret meeting.

Shirley missed her chance to join our little circle, so Marie and I took her by the hand and drew her in closer with us. And so, she was the only one with a big smile on her face as our meeting officially began.

“I’ve actually dreamed of living in a one-story house for a long time. If we’re going to do this, I want it to be perfect. Is that okay with everyone?” I said.

“Oh wow, this is exciting. I prefer something that’s simple and warm over something flashy. It would be nice if there’s a place to read books too,” Marie replied. Wridra chuckled, then pointed her palms toward the table. A blueprint of a house was then projected into the air.

The real surprise was yet to come. Dark particles were expelled from her fingertips, taking shape into pillars and furniture on the layout and forming a miniature three-dimensional building. We all raised our voices in amazement at her abilities. It was like seeing a magical 3D printer at work.

“Hah, hah, this will be the layout for our reference. We will implement your ideas here. I assume there are no objections?”

“No, no, not at all. We’ll need a bath too. A clean one!” Marie said.

“I have no objections either, of course. Boy, I can’t wait. Creating things is your specialty, Wridra, but I didn’t think we’d get to see something on a scale like this.” Hearing our honest compliments, Wridra’s mouth curled into a confident smile.

It sure was nice having an Arkdragon friend. To think we would have our own house on the labyrinth’s second floor when we had been staying at other people’s places until now. I figured we could use that tent we had put up earlier while we waited for the house to be completed.

“Okay, if we’re doing this, let’s go all out. We won’t make it needlessly big, and we obviously don’t want it to be too small. Let’s make a house with a nice view that’s comfortable to live in.”

We all put our hands together, with Shirley gingerly putting her hand in last. Our collective “Yeah!” reverberated through the forest, and the birds that had been pecking at their bread crumbs turned around in surprise.

Now, deciding on the layout was a much more difficult process than we had expected.

We each shared our opinions based on the miniature that Wridra had made. We started placing things by order of importance, but it started to look worse as we added halls and individual rooms. Strange corridors and unnecessary spaces started getting tacked on to the design, and Wridra had to redo the layout each time. Marie stared hard at the miniature with furrowed brows, then muttered.

“Hmm, you can really tell how well designed those buildings are when you look at it like this.”

“My admiration for those architects grows the more we attempt to make our own. The Japanese are well versed in the art of using small spaces to their fullest. But that place was made to welcome a great number of guests, so it is not necessarily suitable for living in.” I didn’t expect us to struggle with architecture like this.

I couldn’t count how many times we started over from scratch. Before I knew it, Shirley was already nodding off to sleep. A small bird was resting atop her head, also falling asleep.

We could have gone to Japan to check out other model houses, but I couldn’t imagine any of them would have a design fit for this forest. In that sense, Yamamoto-tei really was the ideal building. We had hit a wall completely, and Wridra scratched at her head in frustration.

It would take some time for amateurs like us to finish the layout. But there had to be something we could do. If only there were a way for even amateurs to come up with a layout...

“Oh, I know. Why don’t we have Marie’s spirits actually build the layouts for us? We can’t help but look at the overall picture with the miniatures, and we’re no professional architects. It might be easier if we see the building in its full scale,” I suggested.

“Oh, that’s a good idea. We did learn about the concept of pillars before. We can make something like a house, but don’t expect it to be too sturdy. This will also help me level up my skill in the process.”

“Then I shall lend a hand as well. Marie’s spirit sorcery by itself may not be quite enough yet. I will provide support for the more intricate parts,” Wridra said. Maybe she thought this little exercise would help her stay awake. They both stood from their seats, then started getting to work with stone spirits while looking back and forth between the miniature and the field.

During our time in the ancient labyrinth, we had quickly adapted the three-dimensional structure of the walls into our fighting strategy. Marie had been training her spirit sorcery since, so she was able to put up the layout of the house in no time. All I could do was applaud, and seeing the stone spirits change before my eyes made me feel like I had wandered into a picture book. I reached out to one of the stone walls to find that it was definitely solid to the touch. The walls were too thick, and the ceiling couldn’t be held up due to its sheer weight. But it was definitely easier to take in compared to the blueprint we had been using.

“I’m impressed, Marie. I don’t think there are many people in the continent that could build this with such accuracy.”

“Ahem. I’ll have you know that I’m actually quite talented,” Marie replied. Well, I’d known just how talented she was since the day I met her.

Once the support pillars and walls were built, we all went inside through the entrance. I had fun watching the process of adding some windows to brighten up the place and changing the layout as we went.

“Let’s keep the reception room next to the entrance as is. There’s a lot of sun coming in here, so it should be a nice place to read some books.”

“No objection. We may even make it more spacious by combining this room with the space in the back. Perhaps we should expand the lot. It is not as if we will need to pay for the land.”

Some of the walls crumbled down, and the six tatami mat room was doubled to twelve. The lot size was increasing in the meantime, adding plenty of space to the right of the entrance for the reception room and another spacious area to the left of it. There were gardens to either side of the hall, and we could add shoji screen doors as dividers from which we could get a nice view.

“Yeah, this is nice. I’ve always dreamed of a view like this. It’ll be even better with a big bathroom and a rest area at the end of the garden,” I said.

“I know! I heard there’s an open-air bath at our travel destination in Izu. We could wait until after our trip to decide on the final layout.” Wridra nodded in agreement to Marie’s comment.

Maybe this house would be getting closer to completion through our visits to Japan and as we went sightseeing. We had been struggling with the sloppy blueprints earlier, but we were no longer sweating the small details. We had been rearranging the layout on the fly, so it obviously wasn’t going to be perfect. In fact, I felt as if those little imperfections were what gave it a unique flavor that suited us well.

Time flies when you do what you enjoy. We had finished working on the guest rooms, main hall, and the rough overall layout for today. Though, all of it had the potential to change once we stayed at the inn in Izu.

We all took a seat at the makeshift veranda and stared at the empty garden. We’d just visited Yamamoto-tei recently. The sight that we had seen then was still fresh in our minds. All I had to do was close my eyes to see the beautiful, verdant garden. I couldn’t help but feel our garden would look like that one day, and things would get even more exciting as our farming started coming together.

“Oh, I cannot wait!” Wridra had a huge smile on her face as she lay on her back. The rest of us also smiled as we lay on our backs, then noticed the sun was starting to set. Maybe someday, we would get our bedding ready on an evening like this and cook up a meal in the kitchen. Marie stretched, her eyes narrowing happily as if she was picturing the same thing.

“It really makes you see that the world isn’t all about money. I appreciate moments like this so much.” I understood her sentiment, but I couldn’t imagine how much money it would have cost to get a place like this in Japan. And yet, it was true that I did feel content. We laughed together, then headed toward the tent we had pitched earlier. I had work tomorrow, and once I was off, the raid on the third floor would begin.

Things were getting busier with Obon coming up. Along with my dreams, even Japan was turning into a place of recreation, so I kind of felt bad about having so much fun all the time.

As for whether or not it was comfortable sleeping in the tent, I had completely forgotten that I could sleep anywhere, any time.