The enemies that had given me such a hard time—ones I could barely take down a few of—Orun wiped out in an instant.
Orun is our ace.
Of course he would clear them out much faster than I could. I am not even surprised anymore.
(But what was that movement just now…?)
The way Orun moved when he exterminated the wolves was simply too fast.
It almost looked like he was repeatedly using Space Leap. I could not even follow his movements properly.
If he had been using magic, a magic circle should have appeared.
Some spells can be made so small they are practically invisible through various techniques, but something as complex as Space Leap cannot be shrunk to the point of being undetectable.
That means the movement Orun just showed—something akin to teleportation—was achieved purely through physical ability.
Well, he is probably receiving buffs, but still.
While I was thinking about that, a man's voice that did not belong to Orun came from behind me.
"I heard about Orun's insane learning ability, but still—it's only been two months since he saw Shukuchi, and he's already mastered it? That's ridiculous."
When I turned toward the voice, there stood Hart and Fuuka from Copper Twilight.
Wait—Shukuchi!?
Shukuchi is considered one of the ultimate techniques in martial arts, an esoteric art.
It is called an ultimate technique for a reason. Not only now, but throughout history, very few people have ever been able to use it.
I have heard the saying that "Fuuka has reached the pinnacle of martial arts."
If that is true, then Orun must have learned Shukuchi from Fuuka?
"I just copied what I saw. I know better than anyone that my Shukuchi is nowhere near Fuuka's level."
"Hmm. By the way, Fuuka-sensei, if you were to grade Orun's Shukuchi just now out of a hundred, what would you give it?"
"…Sixty."
"Ho, so he got more than half. And what's the passing score?"
"At least eighty. Too much wasted movement. His weight shifting still needs a lot of work. It might work against weak opponents like those wolves earlier, but it's nowhere near usable against strong enemies."
I was surprised to hear Fuuka speak at such length.
I had always thought she was mostly silent and only spoke when absolutely necessary.
In these past two months, Orun and Fuuka must have grown quite close.
…Hm? Why am I even bothered by the idea of them getting closer?
"I get it, I get it. —Hey, Selma-san, you okay? That nosebleed is from overusing magic, right? We'll keep watch around here, so just rest for now."
Orun ended his conversation with Hart and the others, then gently guided me to sit on the ground and surrounded me with a barrier of magical power.
The wilderness kicked up dust fairly often, but Orun's barrier protected me from the sandy wind.
"Ah, yeah. Thanks to you showing up, Orun, I managed to survive. Thank you."
When I looked up at him to thank him, he gave me a gentle smile that put me at ease just seeing it.
"It's not something that needs thanks. If you knew a comrade was in danger, you would do the same thing for me, right, Selma-san?"
While talking with Orun, I took a towel out of my storage magic tool and wiped away the nosebleed.
The bleeding had already stopped, so no more blood came flowing out.
"I suppose that's true… So why are you all here?"
"Her Highness Lucila told me you were here. After that we hurried to catch up with you."
"Of course it was Lucy. So that means you also heard the reason I came here?"
"Yeah. I heard that Sophia's marriage to the eldest son of Viscount Emelt has been decided."
"I see. In that case, can I count on your help too, Orun?"
"…My goal is to bring about the outcome Sophia wants. Separately from that, since there's a risk of this labyrinth overflowing, I'm going to conquer it anyway."
I see.
That is very like Orun.
"Yeah, that's plenty. Thank you. I'm grateful. —All right, since you guys are here now, let's hurry up and conquer this labyrinth."
My head still hurts, but we cannot afford to waste any more time.
"...Got it. Can I take command? You probably don't know Fuuka or Hart-san very well yet, Selma-san."
When I mentioned resuming the conquest, Orun looked like he wanted to say something but held back.
He probably wants to send me—the liability—back, but he is taking my feelings into consideration.
In that case, I should not push my selfishness any further.
Like Orun said, I only know about the two of them from hearsay.
"All right. I'll leave it to you, Orun."
"Then first we'll head down to the twenty-first floor. We rushed here, so we only have the bare minimum of information on this labyrinth. I'd appreciate it if you could fill us in, Selma-san."
Not just me—Fuuka and Hart also agreed to Orun's instructions.
"As for combat, Fuuka and I will basically handle exterminating the magic beasts. Hart-san, please protect Selma-san while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Selma-san, just rest. We can all handle our own buffs, so I'd really appreciate it if you could connect us all with telepathy."
…Heh. So my support is not needed, is it?
I understand why he is saying that—right now I cannot even construct proper spell formulas because of magical overuse.
Even so, it reminds me.
Last year during the training expedition, when Orun fought the black dragon.
Back then too, when I tried to cast support magic on him, he told me it was not necessary.
'I have the telepathy connected. Can all three of you hear me?'
Using my ability, I sent a telepathic message to the three of them.
"Wow, so this is Selma's ability. The voice comes through clearly even at a distance?"
Hart, having received the telepathy, let out an impressed sound before asking me verbally.
"Yeah. As long as they're within range of my ability, the voice should reach regardless of distance. If you want to speak through telepathy, just think the words while willing your voice to reach the other person, and it will arrive."
'Like this?'
Following my advice, Hart sent a telepathic message, and his voice echoed in my head.
'That's perfect. It's just like speaking out loud—once you get used to it, you can send telepathy without even thinking about it much.'
'Haha, this is super convenient! I get it now. So this is the biggest reason Selma is called the Continent's Greatest Enchanter. I've heard about it, but this telepathy is way too useful.'
"…Hart, shut up. Don't yell inside my head."
As Hart got excited over the telepathy, Fuuka voiced a complaint.
Her expression did not change, so I could not tell whether she was serious or joking.
"That's harsh, hey. I can't help getting excited over something this convenient. You think it's convenient too, right, Fuuka?"
Hart did not seem particularly bothered and asked Fuuka to agree on how useful telepathy was. She responded with a quiet "…Yeah."
"Fuuka, try using telepathy too. I think you could pull it off even on first try, but better to practice, right?"
Once their exchange settled down, Orun prompted Fuuka to test it.
'…Like this?'
Fuuka tilted her head while looking at Orun, and her voice echoed in my head.
The whole gesture somehow looked incredibly cute.
…For some reason, watching Fuuka gives me the feeling of looking at a little sister.
When Orun replied 'Yeah, I can hear you' through telepathy, he turned back toward us and spoke.
"All right then, let's head for the twenty-first floor first."
◇
'Fuuka, take the two on the right.'
'Got it.'
The moment we encountered three rhino-like magic beasts, Orun and Fuuka immediately closed in on them. Orun sent instructions to Fuuka through telepathy.
While Orun took down one beast without issue, Fuuka had already finished off the other two.
Some time has passed since I reunited with Orun and the others.
Even in perfect condition, it would have taken me several times longer to handle them. Yet Orun and Fuuka were slaughtering beasts on par with great labyrinth lower levels with ease. We had already reached the deepest floor—the twenty-seventh.
"You two are amazing…"
Watching Orun and Fuuka fight from the side, the words slipped out of me unintentionally.
Hart, who was next to me, laughed and spoke up.
"Yeah. The two of them are already monstrously strong individually, and in these two months they've raised their coordination to an insane level. Add in Selma's Mental Sympathy for perfect communication, and the beasts here are like babies to them."
I have confidence that I am growing every day too.
Even so, the gap between me and Orun keeps widening, whether I like it or not.
Rain once said it.
That maybe we are not worthy to be Orun's comrades.
Watching Orun and Fuuka fight together, it almost feels like back when Orun was with the First Unit, he seemed somehow stifled.
Ever since Orun joined Night Sky's Silver Rabbit, the benefits he has brought to the clan are immeasurable. But in return, what have we—or the clan—done for Orun?
…Are we holding Orun back?
(—No, stop. My mind is getting unstable again.)
Sophia's situation, the headache, my own lack of strength—everything is piling up, and my thoughts keep spiraling in a bad direction.
"…Selma-san, you okay? Should we slow the pace?"
Seeing me sink into negative thoughts on my own, Orun asked with a worried expression.
Right now I cannot even use magic properly. I am useless.
I forced my way into coming along with them, so I cannot afford to cause any more trouble.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying."
"...Got it. I know it's tough, but we're almost at the deepest part. Just hang in there a little longer."
"Yeah."
Even after we resumed moving, we encountered magic beasts several times. But with the flawless, almost telepathic coordination between Orun and Fuuka that was almost mesmerizing to watch, the beasts turned into magic stones in the blink of an eye.
Their combat was so seamless it almost felt like Fuuka was Orun's second sword—perfectly covering the gaps in his movements with no openings at all.
Orun fought as if he could predict Fuuka's actions in advance. Watching from the side, it almost seemed like both of them could see the future.
And finally, we reached the deepest part of the labyrinth. We obtained the labyrinth core there and returned to the surface.
◇
"Orun, Hart, Fuuka—thank you again for helping conquer the labyrinth. If you hadn't come, I would have died."
"How many times do I have to say it? We're comrades, so of course we would. Besides, after hearing that story, there was no way we could leave the labyrinth unconquered."
Orun spoke casually with his usual calm expression, as if it were no big deal.
Comrades, huh.
Earlier my thoughts had gone negative and I started thinking that way, but Orun is calling us his comrades.
If that's the case, then I just have to keep training so I can become someone worthy of standing by his side.
"Being able to test telepathy during combat here was exactly what I wanted. Don't worry about it."
Next, Fuuka spoke up.
From her words, it sounded like there would be more opportunities in the future to fight while using telepathy.
I have heard that Future Sight lets you see a little into the future, but maybe it is not just a few seconds—maybe days or months ahead as well?
"More importantly, Selma-san is close to her limit. You should rest now. I know you're worried about Sophia, but if she saw you in this condition, she might blame herself even more."
While I was pondering the meaning behind Fuuka's somewhat cryptic words, Orun told me to rest.
Honestly, he probably wanted to make me rest the moment we reunited.
Even so, he took my feelings into account and let me come along for the conquest.
In truth, while it has improved a little, my headache is still severe.
I should listen to Orun and rest properly here.
The labyrinth is conquered.
I can leave Father to Brother without worry.
"All right. I cannot keep worrying you guys any more than this. I'll rest obediently now."
After that, I reported to Brother and Lucy—together with Orun and the others—that the labyrinth conquest had been successfully completed. Then I returned to my room and slept like the dead.
Thank you for reading to the end.
I would be happy if you continue to the next chapter as well.