"So, Orun. You're really serious about leaving the clan?"
Once Rain had calmed down, Wilkes asked Orun again.
"…Yeah. I couldn't joke about something like this."
"Does that mean you're gonna become our enemy?"
The moment Wilkes asked that, the air in the room grew tense.
Orun slowly shook his head.
"I know it might sound convenient after saying I'm leaving, but even after I go, I still want to stay friends with all of you. That said, I will end up opposing the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky."
"What do you mean? You want to stay our friend while also being our enemy?"
My sister tilted her head in confusion. Honestly, it seemed like none of us, including me, fully understood what Orun was saying.
"From now on, I'm going to make a big move to crush the Cyclamen Church. If I stay in the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky while doing that, it'll cause trouble for the rest of the members. That's why I want the church to think that I've split off from the clan."
"Master, you're going to fight the church?"
"Yeah. I've got a score to settle with them. I want to finish it with my own hands. I can't drag all of you into my selfish fight."
"Then I'm fighting with you too! I've got a grudge against the church as well!"
"I'll fight too!"
"M-me too!"
"Don't be so cold, Orun. Just say the word and I'll lend you as much strength as you need!"
"Yeah! I hate it when my friends disappear. Let me fight alongside you."
"Orun is my—our precious comrade. If you say you're going to fight, then we'll fight too!"
Everyone jumped in after Carol's declaration.
Yeah, that's right.
It might be a tough battle, but if we're all together, we can definitely do it!
Orun looked surprised by our reaction, his eyes widening.
Then his expression gradually turned into a smile.
"Thanks, everyone."
Hearing those words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Good. That meant we wouldn't have to be separated from Orun after all.
Or so I thought, but the smile quickly vanished from Orun's face.
"—But no."
He rejected us outright.
"…Why?"
"I appreciate you saying you'll help. But if you're going to cooperate, I'd rather you fight somewhere other than the direct battle against the church."
"Somewhere else?"
"Yeah. That place is the Great Labyrinth. What I want to ask all of you to do is conquer the southern Great Labyrinth."
"Conquering the Great Labyrinth… Is that how we'll be fighting alongside you?"
"Yeah. …The world is going to go through massive upheaval from here on out. There will be times when common sense no longer applies. Conquering the Great Labyrinth will be the key to calming that chaos."
"Orun, what exactly do you see…?"
My sister asked him directly.
"A little ways into the future, maybe. I predict that what lies ahead is a world that will desperately need the Great Labyrinth conquered. Conquering the labyrinth has always been this clan's goal, right?"
"That's true, but…"
"I believe that if it's this clan, even a terrible storm can be turned into a tailwind. That's why I'm asking you. Please use the power of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky to successfully conquer the southern Great Labyrinth."
"…Is that what you want from us, Orun?"
My sister stared straight at him as she asked.
"Yeah. Sooner or later, someone has to conquer the Great Labyrinth. If that's the case, I want it to be all of you from the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky."
My sister looked down for a moment with a hint of sadness in her eyes, but she quickly lifted her gaze with strong determination.
"I see. Understood. I wanted to conquer the Great Labyrinth together with you if possible. But your resolve is firm, right?"
Orun gave a firm nod in response to my sister's question.
"Then leave the conquest of the Great Labyrinth to us! We'll definitely pull it off! So you go and accomplish what you need to do."
"…Thank you, Selma. I won't give up either. I promise I'll give it everything I've got until the very end."
After that, Orun told us about what was likely to happen from now on and what he was planning to do.
It was a future I had never even imagined.
"…That's why I'm leaving this clan. I'm really sorry for being so selfish. But I've already made up my mind. How you all take what I've said is up to you. Right now, what I want most is for all of you to keep living and laughing as your true selves. —Take care, everyone."
With those words, Orun ended the conversation and walked out of the room.
If we hadn't heard all that, I think everyone would have tried to stop him from leaving.
But after hearing a story like that, we couldn't do it.
Because it was clear that the reason Orun had made such a decision was to protect us.
We who were still weak enough to need protecting had no right or qualification to hold him back.
It's so frustrating…
Why am I so weak…?
"Conquering the Great Labyrinth, huh. That's definitely one of my personal goals too, but we made a promise, didn't we? Once you and Orun got back, the five of us would tackle the Great Labyrinth together again. And now… Damn it!"
In the heavy atmosphere, Wilkes spat out his frustration.
"We really didn't know anything…"
"For now, no matter what we decide to do next, we need time to think. If what Orun said is true, we probably don't have much time, but I don't think we should make any decisions based purely on emotion right here and now."
Even though she must have been hurting and confused herself, my sister spoke to us as one of the clan's executives, pulling the explorers together. She really is amazing…
"Selma's right. Orun's story must have come completely out of nowhere for you all. Especially the five of you who just got back from Daruane—you must be exhausted. For now, go rest properly."
The clan leader agreed with my sister.
"Leader, you don't seem all that surprised. My head is full of question marks right now. Even after hearing Orun's story, I still don't really understand how heavy the burden he's carrying is. How much resolve did it take for him to make that choice…?"
"I was the only one he told in advance. When I first heard it, I was pretty shaken too."
"Have you decided what you're going to do from now on, Leader?"
"I am the leader of the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. I will act to protect this clan and its members. Even if that means cutting Orun loose in the process."
"..."
Everyone was doing their best just to deal with their own feelings. I was the same— I barely had any mental space left to pay attention to what was going on around me.
But Luna, who had been sitting completely silent and observing ever since we entered the room, felt different from the Luna I knew, and it left me with a strange sense of unease.