After Leaving the A-Rank Party, I Aim for the Deep Part of the Labyrinth With My Former Students

“What happened?”

The carriage held only the four of us—an ideal setting for a private conversation.
“Some stranger was following me and ended up threatening me to leave the party.”
“Was it a chubby man by any chance?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
It seemed Silk recognized the man.

“Oh, that weird guy?”
“A persistent one.”
“So, all three of you knew him after all.”
At my words, Silk let out a deep sigh.
“He kept approaching us at the adventurer’s guild, saying things like ‘I’ll join your party’ or ‘You need a man around.’ Even when we refused, he wouldn’t give up. It was a real problem.”
“For someone who bragged so much, his skills were nothing special. When we checked his Adventurer Credibility Score at the guild, it turned out he was E-rank with a pretty bad reputation.”
“Well, considering he drew a sword in the middle of town, I’m not surprised.”

At this, all three of them turned to look at me.
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I left him asleep under a spell. Still, what a nuisance.”
“I’m sorry, Sensei. It’s our fault you were put in danger.”
“It’s not your fault. And that guy didn’t really qualify as dangerous.”
Honestly, even if it had come to a fight, I would have won.

I wasn’t particularly confident in my swordsmanship, but his stance had been full of openings. Even without a weapon, I could have subdued him easily.
“Well, I’ll report him to the guild when we get back. If he shows up again, I’ll deal with him. Handling trouble like this is part of my job as the supporter and leader, so don’t worry about it. Just be cautious, alright?”
“As expected of Yuke! You’re so reliable!”
“Flattery will only get you candy.”
With a wry smile, I handed Marina a piece of candy from my pouch.

“It worked!”
“It really did…”
Rain and Silk also looked like they wanted some, so I handed out candy to them as well.
“Alright, let’s focus now. First, let’s go over the quest. Our main objective is to collect four Round Stones from the basin of Yormun Falls. That part should be straightforward once we reach the falls.”
“The problem is the magical beast.”

Magical beasts were a subcategory of monsters, generally resembling animals.
When people said “monsters,” they lumped together everything from Borgles to Wyrms to Bloodbears. But when they referred to “magical beasts,” they usually meant creatures like Bloodbears.
In this case, the monster threatening the Ordarn Lakeside Forest was at least an animal-shaped magical beast.

This was crucial information. Knowing it wasn’t a humanoid monster like an Orc or a Borgle gave us some direction.
“If it’s in a forest, we’re likely dealing with something like a bear, deer, wolf, or boar. You mentioned you’ve been to the Ordarn Lakeside Forest before, right?”
“Yeah, about two months ago. Back then, we were gathering Night-Scented Grass for a quest.”
“Did you encounter any monsters?”
Marina tilted her head thoughtfully at my question.
“Now that I think about it… no. We didn’t even see regular animals.”

Her answer sent a chill down my spine.
If it were an unexplored area, that might be normal. But the Ordarn Lakeside Forest was teeming with life—it was so rich in fauna that the local villages held harvest festivals there.
The magical beast must have already been lurking in the forest back then, keeping other creatures hidden in fear.

“That’s… not a good sign. We should be extra careful.”
“Is it that serious?”
“Yeah. If the forest’s animals are hiding to that extent, this beast must be significant. We’ll try to avoid an encounter, but…”
Avoiding it might not be possible.
Given the reports of adventurers being attacked, it was safe to assume the beast wouldn’t ignore us as we moved through its territory.
“When we enter the forest, I’ll send out GoPro-kun to record everything. If we encounter the beast and it comes to a fight, we’ll switch to a live stream. Whether we defeat it or flee, we need to capture its appearance.”
“Why do we need to stream?”

Rain tilted her head quizzically.
“There are a few reasons. First, identifying the species for the guild. Second, if we’re in danger, someone watching the stream might send reinforcements. Third, if we manage to take it down, the stream serves as proof for the guild.”
“I didn’t know streaming could be used like that…”
“More people should take advantage of it.”
The reason the magical beast in the Ordarn Lakeside Forest remained “unidentified” was that low-ranking parties didn’t have streaming artifacts.

Well, I couldn’t blame them. Streaming artifacts required alchemists to maintain and weren’t cheap. Expecting beginner adventurers to own one wasn’t realistic.
Still, I thought the guild should provide streaming artifacts for free.
“This is our streaming debut!”
“I should’ve bought an outfit that looks good on camera…”

Marina’s enthusiasm and Rain’s unexpected interest were amusing.
“I-is my hair okay? Does it look weird?”
Even Silk, who I thought might scold them with a “This isn’t a game,” seemed concerned about her appearance.

Huh. So she had her cute, age-appropriate moments after all.
…Although, with a Dark Elf, what exactly counted as age-appropriate?
“Don’t worry, Yuke. Silk is definitely seventeen. She’s not an old granny.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“Marina, please don’t broadcast my age! And Sensei, it’s impolite to dwell on a woman’s age!”
“S-sorry! That wasn’t my intention!”
As I apologized, Rain tugged on my sleeve.

“By the way… I’m actually the oldest. I’m twenty.”
“What? Really?”
The one who looked the youngest turned out to be my age.
Women really are impossible to judge by appearances. Rain, for instance, looked so—

“Hm… you just stared at my modest chest, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t! That’s a misunderstanding!”
“It’s no use, Yuke. Rain’s sensitive about her… lack of development.”
“I told you, I wasn’t looking!”
As we bickered, the carriage carrying us trundled steadily toward the Ordarn Lakeside Forest.