When we requested a visit from the receptionist at the medical office, Daniela was still conscious and accepted to see us.

The patient is still in need of rest, so we will not allow more than two people to visit him at a time," she said. You will not talk to the patient in a way that will excite him, and then....

　The nurse woman showed us to the hospital room while explaining the precautions. We were limited to two people, so Igarashi-san and I were to meet with Daniela-san.

　We make everyone at the party wait in the waiting area and enter room 305 where Daniela-san is. Daniela-san was lying on the bed, and as we entered the room, she slowly raised herself up, supported by the nurse.

　After the nurse leaves, when Daniela-san looks at us - without any effort - she smiles at us. Her appearance was so fragile that it was hard to believe that she was the same person as she was when she was competing with Serafina-san.

'If you'd like, you can sit down. It's not like I'm going to be a big deal, but...''
No, no, not at all... thank you for your concern.

　Igarashi-san brings me a small chair (stool) for visitors. Daniela ties her hair into a single knot and changes into simple clothes for the hospital room.

'Please keep me warm so I don't get cold in my stomach,'
Thank you. I'm distraught, but she's fine I'm sorry, I'm sorry I made you look uncomfortable. And I'm also uncomfortable...
...There was definitely a feeling of why we had to go that far. With a group as large as yours, there must have been other ways to do it.

　Daniela-san seems to have a hard time with the position of her body on the bed, so she sits back on the edge of the bed with Igarashi-san's assistance.

''........Why did we take that method? Is that what you came to ask?
'Yes, sir. After you tell us that, we would like to make a suggestion. We must respect Daniela's wishes, so we have no intention of forcing her to do anything. I just feel that we need to talk to each other to satisfy ourselves.

　I can't help but feel hesitant about mentioning Rolando, who is said to be in a 'lethal coma', right away. But I can't procrastinate, either.



　I found myself gripping the knees of my trousers tighter and tighter. Igarashi-san notices this and continues to speak instead.

'We want to defeat that demon.
No....no....
'I don't think the way the 'Alliance' people did it was fair. You may wonder why we feel that way.... But we also have an incentive to promote ourselves as quickly as possible.

　If you don't know more about our situation, you might think that's enough of a reason to take a risk and fight the 'merciless decapitation'.

　Daniela-san remained downcast. However, the silence did not last long.

''........Roland.......my husband originally came to this labyrinthine country with his friends. Before he was reincarnated, he was in the army of a country and was in the air force. He said that six of us reincarnated together, and with his experience in the army, he was able to move up to the seventh ward very quickly.

　If he had been in an environment that tested his physical abilities and judgment before he was born, we could imagine that he would be quick to adapt after his reincarnation.

　However, Rolando-san had failed once in the Seventh Ward - and that's also how Daniela told us.

'It was two years ago that Rolando's party came first in the pecking order in District Seven. However, Rolando was wounded when he covered for a member of his party, which led to the plague. That disease, given to him by an unidentified 'named', has no effective treatment even now... he was very lucky. He was treated by a healer (healer) sent from the Great Temple in the Fourth Ward, and he survived.

　Daniela was a physician at the medical center at the time. She became a 'supporter' early on and was in charge of treating Rolando and exchanging words with him, she said.

"...Rolando was bedridden when he regained consciousness and it took six months for him to get up. In the meantime, his companions went up to the Sixth Ward. His companions left word and message for Rolando.

　--See you again sometime in the higher ranks. Sergeant Rolando Voln.

'That's it Mr. Roland, I wish you well in your recovery...'
'I think that was part of the feeling. But they didn't want to wait a month for Rolando to contribute to the party. Just like Roland always said, 'Don't hesitate to cut him off if he becomes a liability'... even though it's very difficult for Roland, who became a level one while he was recuperating, to make it on his own.
That's why you were there to support us. So that's what happened.

　Daniela nodded. Her level had also dropped to 2 once she retired, but she had returned to being an explorer to follow Roland-san back to Ward 8 to regain her intuition.

'At first... there were times when I felt repugnant that he was only thinking about catching up with his friends, even though I had connected with his life. I wanted to admonish him, so I went along with him with the intention of meddling... but by the time my companions had gradually increased in number and I was able to explore in the Seventh District once again, I remembered how I felt when I was an explorer too. There was a time when I too wanted to solve the mysteries of the labyrinth country with my friends.

　The mystery of the labyrinth country - not that I can tell you from the guild to solve it. But it's something I've always felt, too.

　There is something profoundly secret in this country. Ever since I met Ariadne in the hidden hierarchy of Akebono's Field, that thought has always been there.

''But........it was when I returned to the upper guilds of the Seventh District. Roland remembered something from the past. He had nightmares that seemed to plunge him into the depths of darkness every night, and he was getting weaker and weaker. Still, I just couldn't give up trying to get to where my former friends were.

　The 'Alliance' then turned to the 'Beaches of the Falling Sun' as a safe place to hunt to earn a contribution.

''Roland had to go through so much pain. So we wanted to be tolerated for taking this approach. I knew that I would be blamed and marginalized, and I was trying to reopen it... I knew that it was shameful, so I acted badly in response to the Guild Saber's persuasion.

　However, relying too much on 'Crab' to make a contribution led to an unexpected situation. Now that it has come to that, it can't be said that she regrets it, but it's inevitable to blame her now.

　The 'Alliance' was an organization of up to 27 members, but now it's down to 18. I've been stuck on that too.

''Why did you decide to remove the five injured people from the 'alliance'?　It seems unnatural for you, Mr. Rolando's wife, to agree to this, but...
''.......Under the current circumstances, I can't fulfill my responsibilities as deputy leader of the 'Alliance'. That's why I decided to leave the policy to the person who will continue to lead the 'alliance' from now on.

　--I still have to tell you.

　Gray would have orchestrated the replacement of the people with the real authority of the 'alliance'. That it was brought about by his injustice.

''Well Gray has asked you to give up your position of leadership, hasn't he?
'No, no ... he is trusted by Rolando, and he's done well in this mission ... so far, and he's done well enough to be recognized by the rest of the team ...' ...
It's not supposed to be. I listened to Mr. Rolando and Gray talking about it. Mr. Rolando's policy was to consider the contributions of members from the early days rather than Gray, who joined later in life. I believe you heard that, Daniela, too, didn't you?

　What I'm talking about right now is just inference. However, it wasn't necessarily off the mark, and Daniela-san seemed to have an idea of what I was talking about.

''.........So.......but.......he who procured the 'call sign' this time has a lot of achievements......''
''It's true that the 'call sign' was one way to satisfy the 'alliance' policy so far. But the fact that he used the 'call mark' to force the demons to appear was also the cause of this time. And the person who tried to fight with Roland-san to the end should be Thomas-san... he's not convinced of the current situation where Gray might be the leader.
'Then I think we need to talk about it again... so why was he (Gray) talking with the body that he was already the leader?

　Mr. Igarashi questions - Daniela is confused and uncomfortable to say something that would further confuse her, but she has no choice but to tell the facts as they are.

　If it's physical evidence, it exists. I was careful not to let 'that indication' flow until I came here - I took out the license and showed the relevant part to Daniela-san.

"....tricks, star.......skills, concealed.......
'This is the method Gray used to improve his position in the 'alliance'. He activated the skills that gave him an advantage in every negotiation without the others noticing. This is a record of the time he used the skill when he was trying to pull our party members out.
'My God...me, Roland, and the rest of the team...all the people who have helped the 'alliance' in the past, this way...'

　There was a phase where Gray was moved to do what he wanted. When it was shown in a way that couldn't be any better, Daniela-san cringed with her head in her hands.

'Because you're a rear kun, you were able to notice what Gray did. Using such a despicable method.......I can't forgive you.......!
'I'm surprised that such a skill exists, too. I thought the skills of explorers were basically for use in combat or to help their fellow explorers.

　That's the only way to get ahead - and even if it's such a job title, you can still make use of your skills without abusing them. But Gray did not choose that path.

'From now on, you will not have to visit Gray alone. When he comes to the medical center, he may try to use his skills to get permission to visit you. However, if Daniela refuses, it should be difficult for him to come here. That won't be enough to stop Gray from doing that, so I'll do something about it.
''Please ... to the extent possible. I didn't think I could say no to him if he asked me to give up the leadership position again. If that is also the effect of his skills, I can't help it if he doesn't realize that he is using them.
''You could denounce it in front of the members of the 'alliance' but.......Rear, what are you going to do?''

　Even if Gray reveals what he did and his position in the 'alliance' deteriorates, he may try to get back into the other searchers.

　It's a risk to leave Gray in a situation where he can move freely now - but if he's going to try something, it could be a stake in the opposite direction.

''For now, our priority is to defeat that 'named' Daniela-san, even if we were able to defeat 'Named', the contribution lost by the 'Alliance' would still disappear under the current circumstances. If you have the authority as deputy leader, could you please make a 'request' to us?
''But ... but ... Rolando is already ... even if we defeat that demon now, he's not ...''

　Tears run down Daniela-san's cheeks. The tears poured out endlessly and couldn't be stopped, she covered her face and began to cry - Igarashi took her hand and hugged Daniela.

'I can help. Mr. Rearward saw that big crab catch Mr. Roland's soul. If you can get it back, I'm sure you can...
''It may be difficult to believe in something we don't know well yet. But the time until we rescue Roland-san is already limited, and only we and the members of the 'alliance', who have engaged once, have any chance of encountering that monster. The only ones who have a realistic chance of defeating it are us.

　Elitia has a high level, but the others are level 6 at maximum - can we beat a level 8 'named' with us?

　But we know very well that level doesn't determine everything. I'm sure that we can break through the difficult situation by not doing 'any means necessary' but by 'using all the means we have'.

　With a face wet with tears, Daniela-san looks at me as if clinging to me. The only thing I can do is not make a face that says I'm going to make a hard choice - just laugh.

'I want my parents to be there to welcome that child with open arms. I don't know if I was - I don't know if I was - but I don't think anyone would have been happy that I was born.

　Igarashi-san pulled away from Daniela-san. Daniela-san bowed her head deeply and then, while shuffling heavily, she still said.

''Please........defeat that demon.
Yes I promise. We'll take the request and defeat that demon. Whatever happens in the process, it will be an event that involves the defeat of the demon.
'Our leader seems to want to say that even if we can get Roland-san's soul back, it's still a business matter........ In other words, as I said before, we have a motive to fight, too. It's not about self-sacrifice to help others or anything like that.

　Igarashi-san tries to lighten Daniela's heart as much as possible. As for me, I don't want to cause you any heartache, so I want you to wait for me with a quiet mind - otherwise it would be meaningless.

　Daniela knew how to make a 'request'. She operated the license that was placed on the bedside chest and I indicated my intention to 'accept the request' and formally concluded the request.



　That's a difficult promise to make, to be honest, but Igarashi-san shook hands with Daniela-san.

　I had already thought of a few ways to defeat that giant crab.

　I will definitely return here before half a day passes - everyone is safe.

　Request currently being carried out◆

　Request from the Alliance for Freedom: Defeating the Ruthless Decapitation