The front door opened, and a black-haired boy around five years old—Orun—stepped inside from the outside.
"Welcome home. ...Hm? What's wrong?"
Orun's mother, Nicola, greeted him with a warm smile.
But tears were pooling in Orun's eyes. Seeing that, Nicola's voice softened with concern.
"...Mom, am I... not normal?"
Orun asked the question while desperately holding back his tears.
"What's this all of a sudden? Of course you're normal, sweetie."
Nicola was inwardly thrown off by the sudden question, but she forced a smile and gently denied it.
"But... nobody wants to play with me. They said I'm not normal, so their parents told them not to play with me... Uu... uuu..."
Finally unable to hold it in, Orun burst into tears.
"I see... There, there. You want to play with everyone, right? —Hey, dear. Is there really no way to cast that spell on Orun...?"
While stroking the crying boy's head to comfort him, Nicola turned pleading eyes toward Orun's father, Lens, who had come running at the sound of the sobs.
"...But—"
"I know I'm asking too much. But I'd rather help this child who's suffering right now than worry about some uncertain future. If there's a way..."
"..."
Lens's heart clearly wavered at Nicola's words, but he still hesitated to decide.
"I don't want to see my beloved child hurt and crying anymore. Don't you feel the same?"
"Of course I do! My heart feels like it's tearing apart right now!"
"...Are you fighting? Fighting's bad..."
Hearing Lens raise his voice, Orun assumed his parents were arguing. He stopped crying long enough to insist that fighting wasn't allowed.
"We're not fighting, sweetie. Right, dear?"
Nicola spoke softly to reassure Orun, then shot Lens a look that demanded agreement.
"Y-Yeah! Mom and Dad get along great!"
Though Nicola's face wore a smile, the pressure behind it was unmistakable. Lens broke out in a cold sweat as he hurriedly nodded.
"Wow... I hope I can find someone I get along with really well, just like you and Mom."
Orun reacted to the word "get along" and asked innocently.
The question stabbed straight into Lens's heart.
"...Of course you will! You're a kind kid. When you grow up, you'll be surrounded by tons of friends!"
"Tons of friends...! I hope I can have lots and lots of friends..."
"...He's fallen asleep."
After being bombarded with cruel words from the other children outside and stared at with fear by the adults, Orun had taken serious mental damage. Combined with the physical exhaustion from crying, he'd finally passed out.
"Damn it...! Why 'now'? Why 'this child'? I already know I'll fall into hell after I die. I've accepted my punishment. If it's punishment for me... then punish me alone! Orun has nothing to do with it...! I know I'm being selfish. But I just wanted Orun to have a normal, happy life..."
"...I feel the same way. But it's not allowed. Because Orun has power... That's exactly why I want him—at least for now—to live like everyone else... Please, dear. Cast that sealing spell on Orun."
"...You're right. If it means Orun can have peaceful days, even just for a while... Fine. I'll cast the sealing spell on him."
After the sealing spell was applied, Orun's physical abilities were restricted, and he became unable to construct advanced or higher-level spell formulas.
From that day on, Orun went from being called a "prodigy" to just "ordinary."
◇ ◇ ◇
Back to the present day...
When I woke up, an unfamiliar ceiling filled my vision.
(Oh, right. The clan gave me a room here.)
I sat up and looked around.
The room was spacious—easily big enough for two people to live comfortably. Most of the necessities for daily life were already provided.
Yesterday, I officially joined *Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky*.
Clan members could rent a room in the residential district of the headquarters.
It wasn't mandatory—some people rented elsewhere or lived with family—but since I'd been staying at an inn and this offer came at the perfect time, I accepted immediately.
The rent would be deducted from my monthly salary, but the price was surprisingly reasonable.
Checking my body, the muscle soreness from before had almost completely faded. I was recovered enough to dive into the Great Labyrinth again, as long as it wasn't the deep floors.
I didn't have plans to go in today, though.
I took a quick shower in the attached bathroom, then changed into clothes that would pass for a casual party outfit—nothing too sloppy.
Once dressed, my eyes caught on the long coat hanging from the hanger—the one I'd received yesterday.
It had a pretty stylish design, I thought. Probably.
And it looked practical enough not to get in the way during labyrinth exploration.
(*Silver Rabbit* doesn't run any clothing shops, as far as I know. Maybe they outsource to someone else?)
Lost in idle thoughts, I heard a knock at the door.
When I opened it, Selma-san stood there—with Sophia half-hidden behind her.
"Good morning, Selma-san. Morning, Sophia."
"Ah, good morning. Sorry for barging in so early. Sophia insisted she had to see you."
"I didn't say that! Big sis was the one who said we should come to Orun-san's place! —Um, Orun-san, g-good morning..."
They were already showing off their sibling bond first thing in the morning.
Sophia was acting just like before—no sign of the wariness I'd worried about. Maybe I'd been overthinking it, and she wasn't actually that scared of me?
"Um... Th-thank you for saving us the other day!"
Sophia blurted it out, her face bright red.
After saying it, she fidgeted uncomfortably, shifting from foot to foot.
Was she just embarrassed? Or had she forced herself to thank me out of politeness, and she was still afraid?
"...You're welcome. I'm just glad you weren't hurt, Sophia."
She kept making small "ah... uu..." sounds, unable to form proper words.
Selma-san gave a wry smile at the sight.
"How about we grab breakfast together? You probably don't know the area well yet. The residential district has a shared dining hall—we eat there every morning."
"...As expected from the country's biggest clan. They even provide meals for the members. Sure, I'd love to join you."
Sophia didn't seem opposed, so it should be fine, right?
◇
Following Selma-san and Sophia, we arrived at the dining hall.
It was huge—easily seating over a hundred people.
The menu was fixed daily; everyone got the same thing.
Portion sizes, though, came in small, medium, or large.
We picked up our trays at the counter, found empty seats, and started eating.
The food was clearly designed with balanced nutrition in mind.
And it was really delicious.
While enjoying the meal, I chatted casually with Selma-san.
Sophia ate quietly the whole time.
It didn't seem like she hated eating together—more like she was just shy. I hoped she'd warm up to me soon.
Partway through, a young man approached our table.
"Yo. You're the 'Dragon Slayer,' huh?"
I'd noticed people staring ever since I walked in, but no one had actually come over to talk until now, so I'd tried to ignore it.
The moment this guy spoke up, though, it felt like even more eyes turned my way.
I recognized him the second I saw his face.
Wilcox Severy.
He'd participated in last month's joint subjugation as a *Silver Rabbit* member.
During introductions back then, he'd called himself a defender.
But his actual movements in combat had leaned heavily toward frontline attacker, so he'd stuck in my memory.
"You're a 'Dragon Slayer' too, aren't you?"
When I replied, Wilcox's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Haha, I'm honored you remember me. I barely remember you at all, though. Sorry about that."
He looked genuinely apologetic.
"You were mostly supporting Selma-san during the joint subjugation, so it's understandable if you don't."
Enchanters were pretty low-profile to begin with.
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask! How the hell did an enchanter like you solo a black dragon? I asked Big Sis Selma, but she just kept saying 'I don't know.'"
Wait—Selma-san gets called "Big Sis" by her own clanmates?!
I was so shocked I instinctively turned toward her.
She sighed in resignation.
"Only this guy calls me that."
Her tone made it clear she was used to it.
Yeah... he did give off that free-spirited vibe. It tracked.
"Sorry, I can't really answer that here. Too many people around..."
"Oh, right. My bad for asking something weird."
He backed off immediately once I pointed out the crowd.
"No worries—I get why you're curious. Doesn't bother me."
We'd probably end up partying together eventually. Knowing a future teammate's strength and style was important.
"Oh, hey—Big Sis Selma."
"...What?"
"Any plans for the First Unit today?"
"No. There's the regular meeting, so we're free afterward as scheduled."
"Hmm. If you say so, fine. But wouldn't it be better to meet up after the meeting? I've already met the new guy here, but the other two should get faces in sooner rather than later. Especially Lucre—she might throw a tantrum if she doesn't meet him today."
"Ugh... Yeah, that's true. Dealing with her whining is a pain. Fine. I'll call everyone after the meeting. Whoever's free can come for introductions. If Lucre can't make it, that's on her. That work for you, Orun?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Lucre must mean the healer, Lucretia Otis.
She struck me as the energetic type. I could easily picture her throwing a fit...
With that settled, Wilcox headed off somewhere else without ceremony.
What a free spirit...
By the way, Sophia had been flustered the entire time the strongest party member suddenly appeared. Seeing her like that secretly warmed my heart.
"All right, weird interruption aside—it's about time for the regular meeting. Let's head to the conference room, Orun."
"Got it."
"Sophia, you have the debrief for the guided expedition today, right? Do your best."
"I know! Good luck at the meeting, Big Sis! And... um, Orun-san too..."
"Yeah, thanks."
After clearing our dishes, I followed Selma-san toward the meeting hall.