Published: January 24, 2026
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—Tsutolairu: Seeker's Guild—
Time rewinds a little—
“Ah, so the thanksgiving festival is canceled again this year…”
At the Seeker's Guild, Liz, a female staff member, was grumbling while organizing documents.
“Still sulking? There’s no way we can hold a festival during a war with the empire. It can’t be helped.”
Eleonora, another staff member sitting nearby, let out an exasperated sigh in response to Liz’s complaints.
In Tsutolairu, there was an annual festival called the thanksgiving festival held from late May to early June.
The thanksgiving festival was a city-wide event during which entry to the Great Labyrinth was strictly forbidden.
The reason was that the Great Labyrinth, where a wide variety of materials could be obtained, was a vital pillar supporting the economic development of the Nohitant Kingdom. The festival was a period to show gratitude to the Great Labyrinth.
However, that was merely the official explanation.
In reality, the ten-day ban on entry was intended to balance the internal state of the labyrinth.
This was done to ensure that materials could be stably and continuously acquired in the future.
But as Eleonora said, the kingdom was currently at war with the empire.
Because of this, the need for materials for magical tools and the magic stones that powered them was higher than during peacetime.
Given that the country was encouraging seekers to explore the labyrinth, banning entry was deemed impractical, so this year’s thanksgiving festival was canceled.
“It can’t be helped. I really wanted to see Orun-kun’s brave figure again at the martial arts tournament this year!”
“Liz is still a fan of Orun-kun, huh.”
“Of course! Even though he’s an s-rank seeker, he’s so gentle, and besides, he looks just the way I like!”
“So, it all comes down to looks…”
Seeing Liz passionately argue, Eleonora muttered in a beaten-down voice.
“That’s an important point! Eleonora (Ellie) was in charge of the golden dawn and got to chat with Orun-kun almost every day. I was so jealous.”
“Well, you could’ve helped a bit. You knew I got super busy right around when golden dawn became a hero party, right?”
“If it was chatting with Orun-kun, I would’ve gladly helped, but other than that, no way. Helping out would’ve stressed me out to the point of breaking. Especially Aneli! Her cheeky attitude made me want to slap her.”
“Slap her…? Aneli was cute in her own way. Like a puppy putting on a brave face while barking — it was heartwarming to see her trying so hard to appear bigger.”
“Eh, Ellie, you’ve got quite a good personality… By the way, since last year’s incident, I’ve heard a lot about Orun-kun and Luna-chan, but not a single word about Oliver, Derrick, or Aneli. I wonder what they’re up to now. Since you were their in-charge, maybe you know something?”
“...Who knows?”
“Whoa, what’s with that ambiguous pause? You definitely know something—”
Just as Liz, suspecting Eleonora held some information, was about to press her further, a sudden thudding noise came from near the entrance.
Everyone inside the building turned toward the source of the sound.
“Seriously, can’t you just open the door normally?”
“Huh? Why the hell do I have to take your crap when I’m following your orders?”
The dented door collapsed, and through the now doorless entrance, two men entered.
One gave off an aristocratic air — the rakshasa Stieg Stroem.
The other was a coarse man who didn’t even bother to hide his bad mood — the war demon Demon Ogre.
From an outsider’s perspective, they looked like a noble and his bodyguard.
“Apologies for the disturbance. We have business with Guild Master Leon Conti. Could someone summon him for us?”
Stieg wore his usual benign smile.
“Y-yes! I’ll call the Guild Master immediately, please wait a moment.”
A male guild staff member, mistaking Stieg for nobility, hurried off toward Leon’s office.
“Hey, dude. I don’t know why you’re so pissed off, but taking it out on things isn’t good. This is the Seeker’s Guild building. You shouldn’t make enemies of the guild. Apologize when the guild master arrives.”