The investigation revealed that two mbers had changed their nas.
But their previous nas were 'Muljory' and 'Dick', far from that cursed na.
In other words, there was no (forr) Hans among us.
Then why did I feel this way?
'It's strange... I'm not relieved.'
I was glad there was no (forr) Hans, but I also felt a sense of disappointnt.
If he existed, these incidents might have been just a series of unfortunate coincidences...
And even if he wasn't the culprit, it would have narrowed down the list of suspects.
'...Wait a minute.'
"Troll."
"Yes?"
"What are the nas of the three trolls you're using as summons?"
I asked out of a hunch, but it was another dead end.
Their nas were Pippi, Poppy, and Yeppi, in order of height.
It was a naming sense that I, as a sane person, couldn't comprehend.
'Well, at least this confirms that soone is intentionally sabotaging us.'
A series of coincidences?
I couldn't completely rule out that possibility, but I didn't believe in such things.
Not unless Hans was involved.
And besides, the ground collapsing in Ice Rock wasn't a common occurrence.
It wasn't sothing you would experience twice in one expedition.
And...
'I have a hunch.'
I discreetly put the ring back in my pocket after briefly checking it.
"It seems like the cleanup is done."
"Yes."
"What's the damage report?"
"It's not good news, but the loss of food isn't significant."
That's good.
The other supplies were also important, but not as crucial as food.
"...What are we going to do now?"
"We continue our journey."
After confirming the damage, I ordered the expedition force to move again.
We didn't have much ti.
Waiting here wouldn't solve anything.
I had to keep thinking while we marched.
"How far can you send the Ice Trolls?"
"...As long as I can see them, sir!"
The summoner answered imdiately, as if he was worried I might bla him for the incident.
'...Is he acting?'
He was the most suspicious one.
But it wasn't the right ti to interrogate him.
"The remaining three sleds will be divided into front, center, and rear."
I changed the formation, separating the sleds to minimize the risk of another collapse.
And...
Thud, thud.
We continued our march through the icy cave, my mind racing.
If there really was a traitor among us, who was it?
There were too many suspects.
But I had to start with those who would benefit the most from our failure.
The team leaders, for example.
"...Schuitz, I'm sorry. This is my fault. I should have separated the sleds sooner."
Titana Akuraba.
She was the most suspicious one.
She was in charge of supplies, and she was always near the sleds when the incidents happened.
"It wasn't intentional, but this is the second ti. Whether you like it or not, you have to punish soone, or everyone will think you're weak."
Kaislan was also suspicious.
His helpful advice and self-sacrificing spirit were too good to be true.
And he was the one who was most eager to be the leader.
"I don't think this was anyone's fault. But... this ti, we need to hold soone accountable."
Jas Kala.
He was the least suspicious, but he still had a motive.
He had the least influence among the team leaders.
His sponsors could easily control him.
"...I'll leave it to your judgnt. That's your duty and right as the leader."
Lastly, Jun, the paladin.
He had always been strangely friendly towards , which made uneasy.
"Schuitz, the mbers are exhausted."
The march had been going on for two hours longer than usual.
"We'll set up camp."
I ordered them to set up camp and then called for a eting with the team leaders.
The first issue on the agenda was this:
"The loss of potions and other consumables is a problem, but the shortage of tents and sleeping bags is the biggest concern."
"They're already hungry and tired. If they can't even sleep properly, they'll be furious."
"We need a fair solution. If so people get to sleep comfortably while others have to sleep outside without sleeping bags, there will be resentnt."
We didn't have enough tents and sleeping bags for everyone.
My solution was simple.
"What are you going to do?"
"Increase the number of night watch duty personnel."
"...Night watch duty?"
They didn't have enough sleeping bags anyway.
If more people were on guard duty, more people could sleep inside.
"...That's too extre."
"It will only increase their fatigue."
"How about we rotate the use of tents and sleeping bags?"
The team leaders expressed their concerns, but I overruled them.
"Schuitz, if you do that, they'll resent you even more."
They weren't wrong.
It was a solution that eliminated the problem, not solved it.
They would probably complain about the barbarian leader's lack of tactical sense.
They would say I wasn't fit to be a leader.
But...
"I don't care. Announce it and have each team choose their night watch duty personnel."
I had to increase the number of guards.
More people on guard duty ant better security at night. And I had to be wary of the traitor.
That's why...
"Raviyen."
I stopped the Dragonkin woman as she was about to enter her tent.
"What is it?"
"I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier."
"You think soone did it on purpose?"
"We have to consider all possibilities."
The conversation was more relaxed than before, since we had spent so ti together on the expedition...
But there wasn't much progress.
"I don't know. I'm not good at that sort of thing."
"I see..."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, you should get so rest. You must be tired."
I let her go. I wanted to talk to her more, but it seed pointless.
And...
"..."
I walked to a secluded spot behind the tents and took out the ring from my pocket.
「Character has equipped No. 6111 Fate Tracker.」
As always, it glowed as soon as I put it on.
「The ring has detected the character's fate.」
It was a bright red light.
I quickly took it off.
'Damn it.'
It had been like this since we entered the 7th floor.
__________________
There were so Numbered Items that couldn't be used in the city.
No. 399 Cage of Silence was one of them, and so was the Fate Tracker.
So I put on the ring as soon as we entered the labyrinth.
And...
'It didn't glow back then.'
It was the sa when we t the other expedition teams on the 6th floor, and during the voyage.
But as soon as we arrived at Ice Rock,
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The ring emitted a red light.
It ant there was a negative event nearby.
'What if the traitor was only supposed to act after we reached the 7th floor? That would explain why the ring didn't react before.'
We had experienced a series of unfortunate events during the journey, but the ring's light remained the sa.
It ant that there was still a negative event ahead of us.
"Mister, wake up!"
I opened my eyes and saw Erwen.
The heating stones were running low, so we had to ration them.
I was shivering from the cold.
"Where are the old man and Ashid?"
"They're already awake and getting ready."
"Why didn't you wake up?"
"You looked tired."
Hmm... I appreciate the concern, but it's embarrassing for a warrior to be worried about his stamina by a mage and an ability user.
"Can I shave your beard?"
Erwen smiled and asked as I sat up.
I touched my chin, and a thick beard had grown.
But I didn't mind.
"It's fine. It's not bothering ."
It was actually helpful in this environnt.
It was extra insulation.
"But you look much more handso without it..."
I ignored Erwen's whining and stepped outside.
The frigid air pierced through my skin and lungs.
But the biggest problem was hunger.
Rumble.
My stomach growled as soon as I woke up.
"You're awake."
"Let's take down the tents."
I joined Didi and Ashid and helped them dismantle the tents and load them onto the sleds.
And...
Crunch, crunch.
I chewed on a piece of jerky, rationing my breakfast.
We resud our journey.
Tenth day in Ice Rock.
The path ahead was simple.
We had to navigate through a maze-like ice cave beneath a giant mountain range.
At the end of the maze, there was a giant sinkhole called the Eye of the Glacier.
And at the bottom of the Eye of the Glacier...
"An essence! An essence!"
We heard a commotion from behind us.
"Is that from ran? Did soone kill a ran?"
"What? Wait, then that's a 3rd-grade essence!"
It wasn't just any 3rd-grade essence.
It was a rare essence that could only be obtained in Ice Rock.
"Everyone, step back!"
I had the explorers move away and sent the mage to collect the essence.
It was confird to be a ran essence.
Good news always followed bad news.
Even the high-level explorers were excited by the 3rd-grade essence.
"Everyone, calm down. If anyone is interested in purchasing this essence, they'll be given priority based on the average market price, excluding the cost of the test tube. If there are multiple buyers, we'll hold an auction!"
Kaislan intervened before the excitent could turn into chaos.
"..."
So explorers looked disappointed, but most were just happy.
We had obtained a few essences during the expedition, but they were all low-grade.
A 3rd-grade essence was in a different league.
Well, even if we split it thirty ways, the individual share wouldn't be that much.
But it was still a profit.
"...We'll also be splitting the loot from Noark."
"And the royal family will reward us based on our achievents. That's not a small sum either."
"Those who want the essence should focus on earning achievents. Otherwise, they won't be able to afford it."
"So we'll be compensated for our efforts."
"If the expedition is successful, that is."
The positive news had lifted the mood, despite the recent incident.
Well, they're probably still complaining about behind my back.
But I didn't mind.
If that helped them cope with the situation,
It was a good thing for , as the leader.
'Every group needs a villain.'
Three days passed.
Thankfully, there were no more incidents. No one died, and we didn't lose any more supplies.
But...
「The ring has detected the character's fate.」
The ring's light remained red.
I continued to investigate the traitor, interrogating the summoner and rechecking the mbers' information.
And finally...
"We're here! The Eye of the Glacier!"
13th day in Ice Rock.
We were nearing the end of the 7th floor.
"What's going on? Why are we setting up camp so early?"
I ordered them to set up camp and called for a eting with the team leaders.
It was still early, but...
"There's a traitor among us."
I knew who it was.
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