“Yes, of course, we welcome you,” I replied.
The day after the Union House was completed, I informed Hilde, who had come to Alka, that Aria and Mako were now officially engaged to me. She greeted the news with a calm acceptance.
“While Aria, being underage, is one thing, I still need time to sort out my feelings, so our marriage will have to wait,” Mako said.
“As our guest, that is understandable. Rushing into marriage would not be good for either of you,” Hilde responded.
“Thank you, Lady Hilde.”
“We are grateful, Your Majesty,” Aria and Mako said, bowing to Hilde.
I had been told by the Holy Mother Dragon Gaia that I would have twelve wives, and now they were all gathered. Of course, Aria was still underage, and Mako, being from Japan, wanted time to adjust to the Helios Orb’s marriage customs, so their marriages would still be some time away.
“So, Sister Hilde, we’re here today to investigate the newly discovered labyrinth, correct?”
“Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience, but we’ll need your assistance.”
After our triumphal return to Torencia and Amister, Hilde had been busy stabilizing the Torencia region, which had been thrown into chaos by the attacks of Solemn and Slume Lord, and preparing for our expedition to Solemn. She hadn’t originally planned to visit Alka, but the previous night, a report about the discovery of a new labyrinth had arrived at White Demon Castle. It was located in the Golud Great Glacier, about a half-day’s journey from Krater. While the Golud Great Glacier was expected to have stragglers of Icicle Tigers and Friezas Tigers, monsters not normally found there had appeared. This led to a swift investigation and the discovery of the labyrinth.
“Saber’s from the Krater branch discovered it and have investigated up to the second floor, but they had to abandon descending to the third floor,” Hilde explained.
“That’s understandable. The first floor is a snowy, icy region, while the second floor is volcanic. It’s completely opposite in terms of climate and necessary countermeasures.”
“Seriously? First an icy region and then a volcanic one. Just advancing would be difficult enough, but the environments and the elemental attributes of the monsters are completely reversed.”
“It’s said that monsters from the first floor are S-rank, and the second floor has G-rank monsters. Even the High Sabers who participated in the Slume Lord subjugation wouldn’t have had an easy time.”
“Indeed, even High Sabers would find it tough. The Saber’s Guild’s Krater branch has had its combat strength reduced due to the Slume Lord’s attack. They don’t have the resources for a thorough investigation, so the information was shared with the Hunter’s Guild. However, due to the location in the Golud Great Glacier and the fact that hunters who participated in the war with Solemn haven’t returned yet, only a few raids have entered the Krater Labyrinth.”
“According to the Saber’s Guild investigation, the first floor is an icy region, with many B-rank Speared Rabbits and S-rank Longfoot EarScythes. Flame Tails and ice-type wolves have also been confirmed.”
“Rabbit species, wolf species, and fox species, huh? Speared Rabbits are B-U rank, Longfoot EarScythes are S-R rank. Ice-type wolves are subspecies of Glass Wolves and Green Wolves found around Feel, with the same Monster Rank. The most troublesome among them would be the Flame Tails, which inhabit icy regions yet can freely manipulate fire. The Flame Tails are an evolved form of the B-N rank Red Fox found in western Torencia, and I recall hearing that Torencia hunters flee on sight when they encounter them.”
“The second floor appears to have monsters from the Seryado Volcano.”
“So the second floor is a volcanic region, and since the Seryado Volcano is nearby, monsters from it appear. However, there don’t seem to be any ice-attribute monsters like Icicle Tigers or Ice Rocks. If that’s the case, the troublesome ones would be the G-R rank Magma Golems, right? Though the Saber’s Guild apparently didn’t encounter them.”
“It sounds quite vicious.”
“A High Saber might be able to handle it, but with the monsters from the Seryado Volcano, there will likely be evolved species and rare variants of Fire Rocks, and other troublesome creatures.”
“Yes. Although it’s not confirmed, there were reports of monsters that looked like giant lizards.”
“Giant lizards… The first thing that comes to mind is Saur species, but they don’t inhabit the Seryado Volcano. Then it would be S-rank Flame Lizards… No, Flame Lizards are only about four meters long, so they can’t really be called giant.”
“From what I’ve heard, it sounds like a labyrinth with a difficulty comparable to the Instant Labyrinth or Solpreza Labyrinth. However, Lady Hilde, you haven’t requested an investigation from the Torencia hunters, is that alright?”
“It’s not that we haven’t, but with a labyrinth where S-rank monsters appear from the first floor, many hunters are hesitant.”
I understood Lydia’s confusion. As Hilde said, I remembered that in Torencia, few hunters willingly fought even S-rank monsters, let alone G-rank ones. The hunters who participated in the war were different, but the war had just ended, and they had returned to their daily lives, likely on vacation. Also, it was difficult for the Phantom King’s family to issue specific requests. However, high-difficulty labyrinth investigations should be conducted quickly, which is why they are requesting assistance from us, the Wing Crest, which has ten Ancient Class members.
However, there was a problem. It was fine to go to a newly discovered labyrinth, but we also had our own schedules, so we could only spare about three to four days.
“We understand that. I will also be attending the meeting in Float five days from now,” Hilde said.
As Hilde mentioned, we were scheduled to attend a meeting with Torencia and Libertà in Float in five days. We had many things to discuss, including the reconstruction of Libertà, the governance of Solemn, and the response to Retisencia and Valentia. Since the Wing Crest included the princess of Amister, the lord, and the queen of Torencia, we couldn’t afford to be uninvolved.
“We won’t have time to fully investigate, but since Torencia hunters are avoiding S-rank and G-rank monsters, investigating up to the third floor should be sufficient for the time being, right?”
“That seems to be the only option. Sister Hilde, is that acceptable?”
“Of course. We feel we are asking a lot of you.”
We had also participated in the war, so we wanted to take a few days of rest. However, more than that, we strongly desired to obtain monster materials that wouldn’t cause mana degradation even for Ancient Class users. Therefore, we had intended to go to the Solpreza Labyrinth tomorrow. We had no idea what kind of monsters inhabited the new Krater Labyrinth, but that was also of interest. Furthermore, Torencia’s combat strength was undeniably weakened, so for me, it was not a particular issue.
However, only I, Prim, Mana, Yuri, Meena, Flam, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Aria, Mako, Eos, Marisa, and Viola were scheduled to go to the Krater Labyrinth this time. Rika could not move as she was the provincial governor of Feel. Hilde also could not participate due to matters in Torencia. Ed and the others wanted to relax for a while. Raus and the others were staying behind because we didn’t know what would happen if they leveled up too much and evolved.
“Ed and the others will be crafting weapons for Sir Ciel and Seras. What about Raus and the others?”
“They’re hunting around Feel. We know most of the monsters in that area, so it’s unlikely they’ll level up recklessly. I think it’s also suitable for Reina’s combat training.”
“Yeah. Raus is level 62, and Rebecca is level 60. It wouldn’t be surprising if they evolved into Ancient Class the moment they leveled up. However, both of them are still minors, only 14 years old. We have no idea what will happen if they evolve into Ancient Class, so the decision is to maintain their current state for another year or two. Besides, due to acute mana fluctuation syndrome, Carol and the other two occasionally suffer from intense pain. If they evolved into Ancient Class, we can anticipate even more severe pain. Carol is level 54, and even Reina is level 34, so the monsters around Feel are no match for them. Reina had no combat experience until recently and was even in the single digits. So, it’s perfect for combat training.”
“Ah, can I join too?” Camellia asked.
“Of course,” I replied.
“Camellia is also hunting with Raus and the others. She was considered very promising in Libertà and is on the verge of evolving into High Class, so that seems like a better option.”
“In that case, I, Marina, Fiana, and Fiana will be crafting weapons for Sir Ciel and Seras. Raus, Rebecca, Carol, Reina, Yuria, and Camellia will undergo combat training around Feel. All the Ancient Class members, along with Sir Yuri, Marisa, Viola, and Eos, will go to the Krater Labyrinth. Lady Hilde and Rika will be handling duties in Torencia and Feel.”
“That sums it up. It might feel unbalanced with so many butlers here, though.”
“That’s how it is. Once Seras comes here, we might have one more.”
“Well, yes. However, having only Yuria remaining as a butler in Alka might be a slight issue. Even with the homunculi, there’s still communication with the Union House in Feel, and they do the shopping. We should probably increase the number of butlers.”
“Increasing the number of butlers… That seems like a good idea.”
“Yes. Well, we have people managing the Union House, so perhaps we could slightly adjust their contracts.”
“We’ll observe for now, but that would be the safer option. So, Hilde, it’s fine to go to the Krater Labyrinth, but have you obtained permission from Emperor Reinhardt?”
While it would be best to address the butler situation quickly, there was no *urgent* need. More importantly, the issue was whether they had obtained permission from Emperor Reinhardt to go to the Krater Labyrinth. We were hunters, so it was normal for us to hunt and enter labyrinths, but Hilde was the central figure in governing Solemn, and there were also matters concerning Retisencia and Abarisia, so we couldn’t act too arbitrarily.
“We informed you about the emergence of the Krater Labyrinth, but we haven’t told you that we’ve asked Lord Yamato and the others to investigate. Knowing Brother Rai, he likely anticipated that Lord Yamato and the others would head there for investigation.”
“Well, that’s true. In that case, I’ll head to Amagi Castle after this and tell him directly. We’ll have to pass through Madame Sayuri’s mansion, and I can’t just show up unannounced, so I’ll ask Marisa to contact them for me.”
