Published: January 24, 2026
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“Long time no see, Oliver.”
I arrived at the detention center and met with Oliver.
“…Ah, long time no see, Orun.”
Oliver’s expression softened when he saw my face at the visit.
After the martial arts tournament final last year, Oliver went berserk, threatening the lives of many spectators, including nobles. Since that day, he had been detained continuously.
However, in reality, he had a secret deal with Marquis Forgus, working discreetly to solve problems within the territory in exchange for some freedom.
Earlier this year, when I was escorting His Highness Lucilla from the Royal Capital to Tsutolairu, Oliver appeared to help defeat the giant skeleton that showed up, which was probably part of that arrangement.
Today, I had already heard from Marquis Forgus that Oliver was here, but it seemed he spent more time moving around the territory than here lately.
“I heard you were away from this town to conquer the dungeon within the country. Looks like you returned safely.”
“I finished the dungeon conquest. Whether it’s truly ‘safe’ is a bit questionable.”
As we exchanged some words, I sent Oliver a telepathic message using support magic.
‘Oliver, can you hear me?’
Oliver’s eyes widened in surprise as he received my telepathic message.
‘I’m speaking to you through telepathy now. I don’t want the guards to notice, so please don’t reply aloud—answer me through telepathy.’
‘Like this?’
I heard Oliver’s hesitant voice inside my head.
‘Yeah, perfect.’
‘Selma Claudel isn’t nearby, right? So, could it be that…’
‘Ah, I’ve regained my memories. My use of all-encompassing phenomena is back to perfect as well. I’ll keep talking aloud to fool the guards. Last year, I said things like “Any enchanter can use support magic,” or “It’s just an application of parallel construction, so once you get used to it, it’s easy,” so I’m confident, right?’
I teased Oliver back with a playful jab.
This was in response to something Oliver had said the day after I defeated the black dragon that moved to the 50th layer of the Great Labyrinth due to the hero party’s blunder after I was expelled from the hero party.
‘Ugh… you hit a sore spot… I really was in the wrong then. I said terrible things in the heat of the moment. I’m truly sorry.’
‘That remark did annoy me. Sorry for teasing you too. How about we call it even?’
‘Got it. If something like this is enough for you to forgive me, I’m truly grateful… Also, I can easily talk and use telepathy at the same time.’
“That’s right. Listen to this. On the way during the dungeon conquest, I visited a village—”
To avoid raising suspicion from the guards, I continued with a casual conversation aloud about everyday matters.
While chatting casually, I simultaneously exchanged necessary information via telepathy.
‘Since Orun regained his memories and came here…’
‘Yeah. From now on, I’m going to seriously confront the cyclamen cult. Oliver, lend me your strength.’
Oliver nodded subtly so the guards wouldn’t notice.
‘No need to say it. I’ll give my all to support you, Orun.’
‘Thanks. Having you by my side feels like having a hundred men.’
‘But I’m a captive, as you can see. Escaping is easy, but do you have a plan?’
‘Yeah, I’ve already made arrangements with Marquis Forgus.’
I then briefly explained to Oliver what I was about to do.
‘…So, you’ll be chased out of here as a criminal to protect Tsutolairu from the cult’s evil hand. Considering what comes next, it’s a reasonable approach… but are you sure? I don’t mind since I’m already in a similar situation, but you might end up hated by the silver rabbits of the night sky.’
‘Being hated isn’t a big deal. If it means everyone in the group can keep living from now on. It’d be best if they could send me off smiling, but that’s probably unrealistic.’
‘Understood. If you’ve made up your mind, I won’t say anything more. But can I ask you one thing?’