Nayuta led us to the medical station and while everyone was being treated, we received the news of the stampede suppression.

　We were in the lobby and we were greeted by Adeline-san who came to report to us. She told us that she had participated in the logistical support and that she had participated in the sweep of the 'Death Stalker'.

''Captain Seraphina, I'm reporting to you again!　The stampede in the 5-star labyrinth of The Sea of Calm has been subdued!　The highest achievement is, of course, Ato........
'A, Miss Adeline. Not too loudly we all worked together to subdue it.
''I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was too good to be true, I...''
"Adeline, how are Third Lieutenant Kuzelka and Lord Khosrow?
''Right now, you're being patrolled by the main guild saber unit in the Fifth Ward and the post-clearing patrol. It will take some time to return, so I have been instructed to escort you all to your quarters. It will be a freestanding room for the Encouragement Searchers, if that's alright with you?
'Yes, that would be very helpful. My companion is being treated, could you show him around afterwards?

　Theresia and Elitia are being treated for their injuries, but fortunately no wounds were left behind. Suzuna also had her magic power restored and she felt much better.

''After Atobe and the others defeated the 'Named', the 'Death Stalker' counterattack weakened and the searchers in the fifth ward joined the sweep. In the end, a total of five hundred people ended up participating in the battle. Well, it's not without motive that we can maintain our contribution if we make even one attack without hiding in the labyrinth.
''I see... but since it's that demon, I can understand why it's hard for those who have come to the fifth ward to get their hands on it.
''The Sea of Sand at Calm is considered a dangerous labyrinth because it's often taken by surprise by 'Death Stalkers' who dive into the sand. Even if you're in the Fifth Ward, it's probably the first time you've seen them. If you've been in the Fifth Ward for a long time, you'll see them even if you don't want to when the Stampede occurs.

　In a labyrinthine country, we have to live with the threat of the Stampede to some extent. Not everyone will have to fight, but it's better to have the means to defend yourself.

　Those who act as supporters will find it difficult to maintain their levels and battle instincts. Then, as much as possible, the explorers should participate in the suppression of the situation - and that's something we can't force others to do, either. We should have a policy of participating as much as is reasonably possible.

''But even so........it's really unheard of for an Encouraged Searcher to have the highest battle results of 'Stampede' suppression. The Guild Saber Headquarters in the Fifth District must be in a tizzy.
Oh, really...
''Ah........Don't worry, we won't suddenly be asked by the Guild Saber to do more dangerous missions or anything like that. It's just that the main purpose of searchers is to explore the labyrinth as they see fit.
'Thank you, Miss Adeline,'
Is it alright for all of us in Atobe-dono's party to be eight people?

　Serafina-san has received a special order to join the party, so the official number of people at the moment is eight - and just then Madoka brought Celes-san and Steiner-san to me.

It's a good thing that you're safe, Aricht. I never thought that she would be attacked to the point of destroying her equipment.
"I have a body of armor and I'd like to take over for you if I could.
Can we use your rental workshop?
''Yes, there is a vacancy in the workshop near the quarters. Mr. Atobe, what are you going to do after your stay in Ward 5 is over?
'We have a labyrinth we'd like to visit if we could. That's partly why we've been asked to do this.


　I'll have to get confirmation from Louisa-san about that as well. Considering the circumstances, I can't take it easy to ask for permission, and as soon as I'm ready, I want to enter the labyrinth where the Blazing Monkey Marquis is located.

　However, if you have to meet the conditions to enter, then you should weigh yourself for breaking the rules openly. Considering Elitia's feelings, there is also the desire to do so as soon as possible - a dilemma, but now that we've finally come to this point, we have to keep our cool.

　As we were talking, Theresia, Elitia and Suzuna, who had finished their treatment, came out - along with Igarashi-san, Misaki and Melissa, who were accompanying them.

'Teresia, is your wound okay?'
..........
'Well that's good. I'll have Ceres and the others fix your equipment, too.

　Theresa nodded her head and touched the jacket she was wearing. I wonder if she's going to give it back to me - as I look at it.

''.........''
Hmm?　Teresa...?

　Theresia is staring at me. I don't mind if she still wants to borrow it, but it's a little chilly in the Fifth Ward - that's why I should lend it to Theresia. But is my jacket okay, or should I buy something in town that I can wear?


'Oh, you're right?　Big brother, do you feel like you don't understand Theresa's damsel in distress?
''Mi, Misaki-chan, I don't want to be cheering like that.......I think Theresa-san would be embarrassed.......''
"...I'm beginning to understand Theresa more and more. You don't have to say anything, what you see doesn't lie.
.....

　It's true that the lizard's mask is red - but I finally realized that I was thinking about it. Theresia thinks she'll have to return the jacket, but I wonder if that means she still wants to keep it. It's chilly, but in this case - no, I'm embarrassed to think about it.

'Teresia, you don't have to worry about the jacket...'
.........
But it's all right, all right, all right... just get me back to my quarters.
..........

　Theresia nodded persistently. Misaki is right, I don't seem to be capable of guessing a lot of things either.

　At that moment, other explorers who have come out of the lobby to receive treatment show up. A group of people wearing a white based cloak - a woman with flaxen hair in braids seems to be leading them.

''Huh........''
'Miss Ellie, how can I help you?　Do you know...?

　Elitia's eyes widened as she looked at the group of white cloaks. And I'm guessing - they're the 'White Night Brigade'.

　In total, there are fourteen people - about two parties' worth of people. At a glance, it's hard to tell if any of the members are carrying cursed weapons like Elitia.

''Elitia.......are they the 'White Night Brigade'?'''
...Yes. That was the second party and the third party ... the Stampede subdued, and they were in on it too.
'You're involved in those kinds of activities it's not exactly what I had in mind. I don't want you to have too many preconceptions.


　The leader of the "Byakuya Brigade" -- Elitia's brother. If the members of the 'Brigade' are here, then he is probably in this fifth district as well.

　The first party of the brigade did not participate in the Stampede's suppression. Maybe they didn't feel the need to join the battle, or maybe it was their principle of not meddling in the defense of the city. I don't know the circumstances, but I felt it was surprising that a part of the 'brigade' had joined the battle earlier, as Igarashi-san said.

''Let's........go.''

　Eritia says before asking what should be done here against the 'Brigade'. After all, it was a powerless voice that couldn't hide the fact that she was thinking about it.

''Ah, ah ... okay. Can you guys move?''
'Oh, brother.......Suzu is still a little worn out.......'
'It's okay, Misaki. Don't worry about it, it's all....oh....

　'Horn' and 'Stagnation Stone' - this combination was powerful, but the depletion of magic power was too intense. It seems that once your magic power is depleted, even if you are able to recover, you still need a full-fledged rest.

　I support the wobbly Suzuna. Suzuna loses consciousness for a moment, but she soon regains consciousness and her cheeks are stained with annoyance as she looks at me.

''I'm sorry.......I'm constantly bothering Aricht-san.......''
''I'm the one who shouldn't have let him do something reckless if he was going to use his magic power like that. I'll use the combination of the 'Horn' and the 'Stagnation Stone' when I'm a bit stronger.
'Yes but let me use it if I feel I need it.

　Suzuna is using 'Minnaka' after blowing her horn, with her magic power not recovering much. As she said, she will not hesitate to use a skill that has a high level of attrition if necessary - then what I should be thinking about is how to increase the maximum amount of magic power or reduce the attrition.

''Bawp.''
''Sion-chan I'm sorry, Sion-chan fought so hard, and I'm so tired...''

　Sion, who has been waiting in a corner of the lobby with good manners, comes over to us and puts Suzuna on her back. Sion walks slowly and unshakably, as if he were working on Suzuna - he has a really gentle nature.

　Elitia sees this and smiles. She's worried about Suzuna, but her mind is probably occupied with her best friend who is trapped.

　If we were able to defeat 'The Calamity', I'd like to think that fighting 'The Blazing Monkey Marquis' is not reckless - but it's clear from Elitia's condition that 'The Monkey Marquis' is more powerful than 'The Calamity'.

　As I think about it, we pass by 'The Brigade'. Some of its members showed their surprise when they saw Elitia's appearance.

'Hey, hey, they came back so early? Are those guys useful?　You can't talk about a bunch of random mere mortals.
'Souga, they deserve to come to the Fifth Ward too. We shouldn't be conceited that we're better than them.
''Oh, oh my bad Mr. Agnes. But the fact that Elitia is back here means that the Commander....
''I'll report to the Commander myself. Elitia....

　The woman, called Agnes, calls out to Elitia. Elitia stops and just gives a small bow and walks away.

　My companions also don't want to leave Elitia alone, so Adeline-san leads me out of the medical center. The members of the 'Brigade' showed interest in me, who was the last one left, too.

'I heard that Elitia used to be active in your group. And why she left the 'Brigade'.
''Well. So Ellie is still trying to help Loury.

　Calling Elitia 'Ellie' in response to me made her mind waver.

　It's not that the members of the 'Brigade' don't think about Elitia at all. The person called Agnes clearly cares about Elitia - it would be too perceptive indeed to think of it as a pose.

''Since I am one of those who abandoned Luury, I'm not qualified to have any opinion on the matter. You must despise us, too.

　If we don't make our positions clear to each other, there are only so many words we can exchange. I know I shouldn't talk to them too much without Elitia, either.

　Still, I wanted to say one thing. What we're here for now.

'I'm not ... no. We listened to Elitia and we wanted to help her best friend. That's all.
''Are you really going to go to that labyrinth for that?　Even the Guild Saber says that it's a good idea to leave the 'monkey lord' alone. It's a demon that isn't recommended to be defeated.
'I'm sure you guys also took on the labyrinth with the 'monkey marquis' for a purpose. I don't know if what we gained in that way was worth leaving our friends behind. However, we made a different decision than the 'Brigade'.......If Elitia believes in it, we believe in it too. That even if time has passed, Ruury will still be alive.
''.........What kind of optimist would be able to get here with just that kind of wishful thinking? Let me tell you, the 'Monkey Prince' is a demon that everyone in the fifth district just passes by. It's only people with a reasonable motive to mess with them.

　The three-eyed man called Souga says, glaring at me. I'm sure he is a skilled warrior with a battle-axe on his back and a well-trained muscular body, but he says that he shouldn't be dealing with the Marquis de l'Amour.

I'm not sure what the trouble is with the 'Marquis de l'Amour'. May I ask that?

　I ask, and Souga is about to say something, but Agnes controls him.

The Marquis of the Cautious Monkey, also known as the Marquis of the Demon Monkey, is the strongest and longest surviving demon in District 5. They build forts with their followers in the Red Chamber of the Red Chamber of the Fiery Heavens at the second level of the labyrinth. They have their own territory in the labyrinth...their nature is worthy of special mention among the demons. Because it is like a 'demon king' so to speak.

　The Demon King - is he that much of a demon? She says that it's a different dimension than before.

''Well you can't win against the 'Monkey King' with you guys. Even if you go, you'll only lose your friends again. If you still want to go, I won't stop you, though.

　Souga's appearance - with his short hair upside down, dyed gold and black, and piercing - at first impressions, I thought he was aggressive, but that's not all he seems to be.

　But even if he thought he was giving advice, he couldn't accept the way he said it, as if the outcome was predetermined for him. We came here because we believed--that Luury is still alive and that we can save her.