“It’s a relief that you seem to be getting along well with the priests.”
Sister Melody looked puzzled at my words.
“Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.”
“Not really… there hasn’t been anything special.”
“You’ve chatted with the priests, shared some delicious food. That’s enough.”
“……”
She must have realized that I was looking at her with satisfaction.
Perhaps that’s why she focused on eating without saying much more.
Time had passed since I completely broke ties with the prince.
Princess Lasiell pretended not to be pleased by the news that the prince had finally given up on me, but she couldn’t hide her joy.
Perhaps feeling relieved, she seemed focused on preparing for the expedition and even arranged a meeting to introduce the new members.
‘Is the princess finally starting to care about teamwork?’
During the first labyrinth expedition, we hadn’t gathered for introductions, but it seemed she planned to do so for the second one.
I was curious about how she had organized the team and wondered how my party members, who had been through so much together, were doing during their rest.
“You might remember, but today is the day I promised to meet the princess. So I have to head out—what will you do?”
“I’ll follow you.”
Since Sister Melody also needed to enter the labyrinth, it worked out well.
This was a good chance to introduce her to the other team members.
After finishing our tasks, we headed to the meeting place together.
“Is no one here yet?”
We arrived slightly early at the designated shop.
When we went inside, no one greeted us.
“The guests haven’t arrived yet, so please take a seat and wait.”
“Oh, sure! I guess we’re a bit early.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
At the shopkeeper’s words, we found a suitable spot and sat down.
“You’ve met Princess Lasiell a few times, right?”
“Yes.”
“Should I introduce you to the team as a holy knight today? The princess knows, but the others don’t, so it should work.”
“When working in the field, we usually don’t reveal our true identities.”
“As expected. Then I’ll introduce you as a holy knight.”
Being an inquisitor isn’t something you can casually announce.
With so many people around, it wasn’t wise to reveal such sensitive information.
Who knows?
The information could leak to Prince Lorath.
Of course, Princess Lasiell must have carefully selected the team, so it’s unlikely information would leak easily.
‘But it’s better to be cautious.’
Revealing that she was an inquisitor might lead others to form prejudices against her.
If one of the team members treated her unfairly because of that, it would make me uncomfortable too.
“There they are.”
The party members arrived just in time.
But there were fewer people than I expected.
“You’re early.”
Princess Lasiell acknowledged me with a nod.
“We arrived a little while ago.”
“Alright, everyone, take your seats. Let’s begin.”
“Aren’t there still people missing?”
“This is everyone.”
What?
“We’re entering the labyrinth with just these people?”
Where did the original team go, and how could we enter the labyrinth with so few people?
Of course, there’s no fixed rule about how big an expedition team should be.
‘Some places enter with just five people.’
But the difference in scale between the first and second expeditions was too drastic.
The first team had nearly fifty members, but this group was less than half that size.
“Right. We had to choose between increasing or reducing the team size. In the end, reducing was the better choice.”
“Reducing the team has advantages, but also disadvantages.”
The biggest advantage is safety.
“Yes, I know. But the larger our team, the less safe it becomes.”
The likelihood of the prince planting a spy increases with a larger group.
I couldn’t help but nod at the princess’s explanation.
“That’s why we couldn’t choose to expand the team. And honestly, the prince wouldn’t have just sat back and watched if we did. He would’ve found a way to interfere.”
If nobles started questioning why two royals needed separate teams, the situation would’ve turned against Princess Lasiell.
But with a small team, the prince would likely ignore it.
Just as Princess Lasiell disliked the prince, the prince would also want to avoid having her in his team.
‘Not to mention, if they were in the same team, they’d have to share the glory, and he wouldn’t like that either.’
This was an inevitable choice.
A compromise with reality.
“So in the end, I had to drastically change the team composition. There was no other option.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
It must have been a tough decision.
Looking at the team, I could tell how much thought had gone into it.
Personal feelings seemed to have been thoroughly set aside.
Even some of her childhood friends, whom she often spent time with, weren’t here.
Instead, talented commoners had taken their places.
‘These people are essential. I recognize all of them.’
If someone is skilled, it’s bound to show.
People with abilities are relied upon by those who lack them.
In that regard, Princess Lasiell has definitely chosen her team members with the utmost care, excluding personal emotions and solely for the purpose of the mission.
‘I guess she wasn’t just doing nothing.’
Honestly, I thought the leader would just delegate the team management and not pay much attention to it.
But by carefully selecting the team this way, it shows that she was closely watching the members during the first expedition.
“We may have fewer members, but I don’t think we’ve become weaker.”
Even though I only saw the faces of those attending the gathering, the second labyrinth expedition felt promising.
By trimming unnecessary members and carefully selecting only those truly needed, the princess’s words were not false.
“The next expedition will last for three weeks.”
Since not many people have fallen into traps yet, they probably won’t stop ejecting people when the terrain changes. Therefore, we plan to use that to explore the labyrinth as deep as possible for the next three weeks.
“The three-week expedition will focus on getting used to each other. We know more about each other’s weaknesses than strengths. We don’t have the tight camaraderie needed to fight with each other’s backs covered. Time will resolve that, but I want to speed it up. That would be beneficial for our team’s future.”
As mentioned before, the team consists of both commoners and nobles.
Even if a commoner is skilled, the nobles might not want to get along.
The dislike for arrogant nobles is shared by commoners as well.
So, I couldn’t help but be surprised by Princess Lasiell’s words.
‘I didn’t realize she was so perceptive about the subtle tensions between them. I’ve underestimated her.’
I feel like I should genuinely reflect on that.
Though I didn’t show it, many people probably viewed her suspiciously.
And, if I’m being honest, I also had some doubts in my heart.
But I do have an excuse.
Princess Kanabi told me to look after Princess Lasiell.
Moreover, I witnessed her having a “fit” with Prince Lorath.
So I was nervous, but it turns out I didn’t need to be. She was growing steadily on her own.
‘At this point, she’s qualified to lead a small-scale expedition.’
Even adults can learn from children, and when a child grows and improves, we should acknowledge it gracefully.
“I’ve already gone to each person to get their consent, so I won’t say anything different now. But I’ll say it clearly again: any actions that threaten the unity of this team will not be tolerated!”
Princess Lasiell scanned her childhood friends.
“Nobles must not disregard their fellow teammates. Once we enter the labyrinth, we are all equals. Commoners should think the same. Anyone who refuses a helping hand cannot stay here. Do we all agree?”
Although she said she had already received consent from everyone, it was the first time I had heard of it.
As I looked at the princess with a questioning gaze, our eyes met at the perfect moment.
“You don’t need to speak up because I know where you stand. Who would preach to whom?”
Her words made me nod instinctively.
This wasn’t something I needed to agree with.
After all, I don’t discriminate based on social standing.
“I won’t ask you to respect others as much as priests. That’s impossible from the start. But I hope you all show the effort to learn from them.”
“Of course, Princess.”
“Nobles agreed with their voices, and the commoners, as long as the nobles didn’t make a fuss, nodded enthusiastically in response.”
“Enough of the serious talk, now let’s enjoy ourselves! Bring in the food!”
At the princess’s command, the waiting staff rushed in with the food.
“Wow!”
“Yay, drinks!”
With a satisfied smile, the princess said to those who liked to drink.
“Eat, drink, talk, and play! I’ll allow anything except fighting.”
“Thank you!!”
“Let’s drink!!”
“Cheers~!”