The founding ceremony was held in an empty mansion in the Imperial City.
It was a place that a certain count had been using as a villa, but he had to put it up for sale due to financial difficulties.
There was no need for a lavish ceremony, so they just set up a banquet and invited thirty expedition mbers and their sponsors.
And...
'It ended quickly.'
The formal part of the ceremony only took about 40 minutes.
The sponsors, including the Marquis, gave speeches encouraging and supporting the expedition.
"I'm sure you've heard enough about saving the country and being heroes, so I'll keep it short."
"Kill a lot."
"And earn a lot."
My speech, as the expedition leader, only lasted about 10 seconds.
The banquet followed the ceremony.
The sponsors included the Pri Minister, Duke Keallunus, a coalition of minor nobles, the Three Gods Church, the Alminus Trading Company, and the Explorer's Guild.
It was a gathering of influential figures, but the atmosphere was far from festive.
The food was plentiful, but it had been prepared in advance and was cold.
There was no orchestra, no servants to refill drinks, and no spectators to witness the event.
But no one complained.
Everyone knew...
This wasn't a place for laughter, music, and drunken revelry.
"It's an honor to et you, Schuitz."
"I heard you fought four of Noark's guys at once? How did you win?"
"Four of them? What are you talking about?"
"Ah, you were on Sir Kaislan's team, right? Didn't he tell you about what happened?"
"It's been a while, Blood Spirit Marquis."
I was just sitting there, but countless expedition mbers ca up to and greeted .
This is what it's like to be in a position of power?
"It's nice to et you. I'm Lihen Schuitz, the expedition leader. What's your na?"
"Bentis Gerold. It's a pleasure to et you."
I didn't turn anyone away and greeted them one by one, trying to morize their faces and nas.
They were the people whose lives I would be responsible for.
I had to know who they were.
As I was exchanging greetings, a familiar face approached .
"I never thought I'd see the na Lihen Schuitz again, especially not at the founding ceremony."
"It's nice to et you. I'm Bersil Gowland."
Wow, I didn't expect to see her here.
"I'm Lihen Schuitz."
"You probably don't rember , but I—"
"I know who you are. You were the Vice-Captain of the Laレール Clan, right?"
I first t this woman when the 1st-floor Crystal Cave was in chaos.
They needed fifteen more spots for the teleportation magic, and she used dice to choose who would be left behind.
Our team was one of the unlucky ones.
Damn, it was a nightmare trying to break through with those fifteen people—
"Thank you for rembering , but I'm not the Vice-Captain anymore."
Bersil smiled bitterly and continued in a self-deprecating tone.
"I slept for too long. When I woke up, my position was gone."
"Ah... You were caught in the explosion, right?"
"Yes. I was unconscious for over a year."
"I'm glad you're awake."
"Yes... If it weren't for the 'Agent', I would still be in that state..."
The 'Agent' was the High Priest of the Tovera Church's alias.
He was known to be the best healer in the city, even surpassing the paladins.
'But her tone is a bit strange...'
Her face and expression were also gloomy.
It didn't seem like she was grateful to the one who saved her.
"Bersil Gowland, what team are you on now?"
"I'm on the 4th Team."
"4th Team..."
The 4th Team was led by the paladin, Jun.
According to the information the Marquis had given , the team consisted of four mbers, all from religious factions.
But now there was a mage on the team?
'She must be in debt.'
I could guess her situation.
And she must have realized that I had figured it out.
She looked at with a aningful gaze and nodded.
"...You're different from what I expected."
"What did you expect?"
"You wouldn't ask that if you had heard that speech earlier."
Haha, a short and impactful speech is the best.
That's what I learned from the principal's lectures in middle school.
"Are you going to talk to her all day?"
Erwen interrupted us.
"Blood Spirit Marquis."
"It's been a while. The last ti I saw you, you were abandoning us."
"...I regret that. I really do."
"You should. Look what happened because you ran away."
Bersil glanced at and then bowed her head before leaving.
"Good job."
Erwen smiled, as if she had done it for .
I just chuckled.
"Nice to et you. I'm Pike Neldain."
As soon as Bersil left, the other mbers sward around again.
I greeted them and exchanged brief conversations.
The Marquis had only given a list of twenty mbers.
It ant that the other teams weren't finalized yet—
'What? Why is he here?'
As I was greeting the mbers I hadn't t yet, a familiar face caught my eye.
"...Sven Parab."
The Vice-Captain of the 2nd Paladin Order of the Leathlas Church.
He was sitting in a corner, sipping his drink with a troubled expression. He looked a bit surprised to see .
"You know ?"
Of course, I did.
I had seen him several tis at the church, and I was certain he was the one behind the 'Goblin Mask'.
"Don't underestimate the Marquis's information network."
"...I wouldn't dare."
"That's good to hear."
"If you're going to stay here, I'll—"
"Let's talk."
"Yes...?"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, of course not..."
He said that, but his face clearly showed his displeasure.
Or rather, nervousness?
"Did Jun tell you about ?"
"About the bet? Yes, I heard."
Ah, so that's why he's so tense.
He must have heard about the fight.
"But why are you here...?"
"We'll be entering the labyrinth together soon. I just wanted to greet you. We'll be working together inside."
"Y-yes, I look forward to it."
I left Sven Parab after a brief conversation.
I felt a strange mix of emotions.
'This is going to be a problem...'
Sven Parab was the Goblin Mask.
It ant he was likely to reveal information about the expedition force at the Round Table.
'Why did they choose him?'
Damn it, how can I shut him up?
I could pretend to suspect him of being an evil spirit and keep an eye on him every 15th.
Then he would be forced to log out imdiately.
'...I'll think about it later.'
I continued greeting the remaining mbers, including those I hadn't received information about from the Marquis.
Sven Parab was a negative variable... but there was also a positive aspect to this situation.
I can't emphasize this enough.
No Hans, no pain.
There was no Hans on the team.
It was a good sign.
_______________________
The banquet continued until evening, and then the founding ceremony officially ended.
But we stayed at the mansion.
Our existence was top secret.
Most of the expedition mbers were well-known figures, so they decided to stay here and practice together until the labyrinth opened.
'Practice... what a joke.'
What could possibly change in two days?
It would take weeks for the five teams to gather on the 6th floor.
They would forget everything by then.
So...
"It's best for each team to fight independently and help each other in ergencies."
That was the conclusion of our leadership eting.
It would be inefficient and problematic to force everyone to move as one unit.
"But we should at least create a formation, just in case."
They decided to categorize the mbers.
Mages with mages, healers with healers.
They would be given different markings to distinguish their roles, and they would be trained on their positions in the formation.
It would be much safer that way.
"Warriors with shield markings will be on the outer periter, and those with sword markings will be behind them."
"What about the healers?"
"They'll be in the center, of course. They need to be protected so they can heal the wounded. Archers and ranged support will be positioned to protect the healers and mages."
Okay, this should be manageable in two days.
None of them were rookies.
They all had experience working in groups.
"Schuitz, are you listening?"
"...Of course."
Geez, I was just resting my chin on my hand.
There were only two commands for the expedition leader.
Independent combat for each team.
And 'Gather!' for the entire expedition force.
Well, there would be more commands later on, like 'Charge!', 'Focus Fire!', and 'Shield Wall!'
But for now, that was all.
"Then let's leave it at that for now, and we'll continue the formation training on the 6th floor. Or rather, what do you think?"
"I agree. Let's do that."
The eting proceeded with them discussing and then asking for my approval.
After the eting, Jas Kala, the forr clan Vice-Captain, diligently trained the expedition force on the 'Gather!' command.
And two days later...
「Entered the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.」
It was ti to enter the labyrinth.
_______________________
The Crystal Cave, shimring with a faint glow.
All team mbers were wearing robes that concealed their identities.
They wanted to avoid attention.
Tadat, tadat.
The team's movent speed was surprisingly fast, despite having a mage and an ability user who weren't known for their physical abilities.
They both had their own ways of getting around.
「Liard Ashid has cast the 4th-grade transformation magic [Foxfire].」
The mage transford into a ball of light and flew through the air.
And...
「Gruold Aldidi has used [Luberta's Dove Boots].」
The ability user relied on a Numbered Item.
Alia looked at the old man running effortlessly beside her with a curious expression.
"...Is that a Numbered Item?"
"It's a 3000-series Numbered Item called Luberta's Dove Boots. It can only be used outside of combat, but... it's very useful for soone like in the labyrinth."
"Won't you run out of Soul Power if you keep using it?"
"Haha, you underestimate ability users."
Ability users always prioritized Soul Power in their builds, so they had more MP than any other profession.
"Don't worry. I usually only use it up to the 3rd floor. It's difficult to use on the 5th floor because the passages are too narrow, and on the 6th floor... we'll be sailing anyway."
Having a high-level explorer on the team was definitely convenient.
He was prepared for everything.
'Maybe we can even speedrun this ti?'
"Emily, increase the speed."
I gave a new order and felt a strange sense of excitent.
Whoosh!
The ball of light flew forward like a teor.
Whiiiish!
Didi tilted his body and ran with his feet barely touching the ground.
"...Schuitz, why are you falling behind?"
"In, case, enemies, appear, from, the rear."
Damn, I'm out of breath.
"..."
I can't believe I'm the slowest one on the team.
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