After leaving the meeting room, we headed to the Exploration Department's section.
"Looks like everyone was free anyway. So we're doing full introductions right now."
Selma-san informed me as we walked toward the meeting spot.
Just like she'd said this morning, it was time to meet the party members face-to-face.
I had no problem with gathering everyone, but how did Selma-san know in real time that they were all available?
We'd been together the whole time.
When I asked her directly, she gave a sly grin and said, "I'll tell you later."
Apparently there was some kind of trick to it.
◇
"What the...?"
The honest reaction slipped out before I could stop it.
The place Selma-san led me to was filled with a massive number of books.
Thousands of volumes, at a rough guess?
A quick glance at the spines showed titles about magical beasts and individual floors.
"Even you look shocked, Orun."
"Um... are all these books about the Great Labyrinth?"
"Yeah. Most are about labyrinths across the country, but we have plenty on the Great Labyrinth too. It includes everything publicly available from the Guild, plus information the clan has gathered independently."
This was the power of a major clan.
The Hero Party could never have collected this much.
Only a clan with so many adventurers could pull something like this off.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information the clan possessed.
If this was just labyrinth-related stuff, then other topics—like magical tools—probably had comparable collections.
This place was paradise.
I wanted to hole up here for days and devour every piece of unique knowledge *Silver Rabbit* had accumulated.
"Even you get stars in your eyes like that..."
"Of course I do! There's this much information right in front of me! How could my eyes *not* light up?!"
"I-I see... Clan members can read anything here. You just can't take books outside the building."
Selma-san looked a little taken aback.
Yeah, I wasn't usually this hyped.
But come on—unknown information, potentially tons of it, all right here!
Who wouldn't get excited? No one. Absolutely no one.
"Can I just... read everything?!"
"I hate to interrupt your excitement, but introductions come first..."
Right.
That's why we were here.
Fine. The books weren't going anywhere. I'd hold off.
◇
At the back of the library were more than ten doors.
Selma-san opened the sturdiest-looking one and gestured for me to enter.
"This is the dedicated room assigned to our First Unit. We usually hold meetings here. —Looks like everyone's already inside."
They were all waiting.
I followed Selma-san in.
The room wasn't much different from the meeting room the Hero Party used to rent in their mansion.
A large central table with five chairs, a big blackboard on the wall, and storage in the back for consumables used during exploration.
Besides Wilcox-san from this morning, two girls were there too.
Both had participated in last month's joint subjugation.
"Sorry for dragging everyone here on a free day. You already know why. Let's do proper self-introductions anyway."
"Sure. Um... long time no see? I'm Rain Hagwell, 24...! years old, mage. Nice to meet you all~"
Rain-san emphasized her age during the introduction.
Sorry to say it, but she looked like she could pass for early teens at best.
During the joint subjugation, I'd been shocked that someone who looked so young was participating—only to learn she was actually 24.
Her black hair was tied into twin tails that fell exactly to the midpoint between her shoulders and ears.
Her eyes were a clear sky blue.
She wore a loose black-and-blue robe that seemed slightly too big for her.
From what I'd seen last month, she favored quality over quantity—spamming high-grade spells with controlled scale.
"Next up, me! I'm Lucretia Otis—call me Lucre! Position: support healer. We're about the same age, so let's get along♪"
Still as energetic as my first impression.
Shoulder-length semi-long blonde hair, emerald-green eyes.
Black blouse, blue miniskirt, black tights.
During the joint subjugation, she'd fought more like a mage than a healer—mostly upper-tier attack magic, with average cast speed.
"Guess I'm next. Wilcox Severy, 20. I've been running frontline attacker lately, but my main role is defender. I thought I'd be stuck converting permanently, so Orun joining is a huge help. Call me Will. Nice to meet ya!"
That explained why he'd moved like a frontline attacker last month.
One of the escorts during the guided expedition had been a defender—Anthem or Barnard, probably. If either had been promoted, Will would have been shifted to attacker.
Silver hair a bit on the longer side, amber eyes.
He wore a cropped jacket that gave off a flashy, carefree vibe.
But he was in the First Unit. His skill was the real deal.
"I don't think I need much of an introduction, but—I'm Selma Claudel. Leader of this party and support enchanter. I'll generally be the one giving orders during exploration, but feel free to ask questions if anything's unclear. Looking forward to working with you all."
Selma-san was, without question, the continent's top enchanter.
They said she'd mastered every standard spell, with flawless situational judgment.
Activation speed and effect strength—both impeccable. Truly one of the continent's elite explorers.
"And finally, me. Orun Dura, 18. Position: frontline attacker. I'll do my best to catch up to the party's coordination quickly. Looking forward to it."
"Eighteen!? Same age as me!"
Apparently Lucre was 18 too.
Selma-san was 21, if I remembered right.
The average age here was pretty low.
Same as the Hero Party, actually.
"Since we're party members starting today, drop the formal speech. It just drags conversations out and wastes time."
"Uh, but I'm the youngest and the newest here..."
"I'm younger too, and except for you I joined most recently—but I don't use polite speech and it's fine!"
"You could stand to show a little more respect to your elders, though."
"What?! Will's just a total flake! How am I supposed to respect that?!"
"I'm not a flake! I act according to my principles!"
"Uh-huh. And those principles involve hitting on girls?"
"I don't hit on anyone! Stop spreading misunderstandings!"
"Huh? But the other day—"
"Shut uuuup! Don't say it!"
Just like that, the two of them launched into banter.
My objection got steamrolled, and formal speech was officially banned.
Speaking casually might actually help close the distance faster.
Polite language does keep things distant.
TPO still matters, of course.