Published: January 24, 2026
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The journey since leaving Darane has been going smoothly.
Right now, we are in the Royal Capital of the Tsaharive Kingdom, each of us going about our own business freely.
Since we've been rattling along in a carriage every day recently, this is a chance to rest our bodies.
…Well, the real reason is that Fuuka stubbornly insisted we must go to a shop here with exquisite gratin, and Mr. Haruto also had some mundane errands he wanted to take care of here.
As for me, I’m sitting on a bench bathed in the warm light of the setting sun, reading a book I bought earlier at a bookstore.
“.........”
However, most of the content of the book isn’t really sinking into my mind.
What’s running through my head is, naturally, my own past.
I was born and raised in a poor, remote village not even marked on maps.
I aspired to become an explorer because I admired my grandfather, who was an explorer, for defeating a demonic beast that appeared in our village.
Then one day, when Oliver and I were away, the village was attacked by bandits, and all the residents except for us were killed.
While burying the members of the village who were murdered, I made a vow.
“No matter how unreasonable things get, I won’t lose anything. I’ll become strong enough to protect what is truly important no matter the situation.”
Then, Oliver and I headed to Tsutolairu.
After becoming explorers in Tsutolairu, we met Luna and formed a three-person explorer party.
Later, Derrick and Aneli joined us, and we reached the 94th floor of the Great Southern Labyrinth, earning the public’s recognition as a hero party.
Then, though we were mocked as jack-of-all-trades and kicked out of the hero party, by fate we joined the silver rabbits of the night sky, and here we are today.
That is the outline of the past I know of myself.
――“Question your own assumptions (・・・・・・・). There’s a high possibility they are distorted truths.”
Lately, the final words of Gary keep running through my mind.
Each time, the headache grows more intense.
I know there’s no point in dwelling deeply on the past since I have no answers inside me.
Usually, in times like this, I would talk with Fuuka or Mr. Haruto to forcibly divert my thoughts.
But unfortunately, I’m alone here.
Various thoughts keep swirling inside my head, and I can tell myself that I’m slowly beginning to become confused.
It feels like being lost in a maze with no visible exit.
An indescribable fear rises gradually from beneath my feet.
No matter how I try to shake it off, I can’t stop my thoughts.
The headache asserts itself more strongly.
My heart pounds wildly.
Cold sweat beads on my skin.
My throat is dry.
If I have had contact with Philly Carpenter in the past, then my memories are almost meaningless.
She possesses a supernatural ability called cognitive alteration.
――Who am I?
I am Orun Dura.
I am an explorer of the silver rabbits of the night sky.
I became an explorer when I was nine.
Since then, I’ve lived in Tsutolairu.
That should be true.
The records at the Tsutolairu Explorer’s Guild back that up.
I remember writing clumsy reports back then and reviewing them several times after submission.
Even if I were subjected to cognitive alteration, they probably wouldn’t be able to falsify the written contents.
――But is that really so?
I don’t have anything here right now to prove it.
What if even the memory of having seen those records was altered?
When did I truly become an explorer?
Am I really an explorer of the silver rabbits of the night sky in the first place?
――No, this feeling in my right hand is real.
Clenching the emblem of the silver rabbits of the night sky embroidered on the left chest of the coat I’m wearing, I remind myself that I am an explorer of the silver rabbits of the night sky.
The more I think about it, the deeper I sink into despair.
Even so, the way I have lived so far refuses to let me stop thinking.
I keep thinking almost unconsciously.
Now, I have no idea what is real and what isn’t――.