There were already others ahead of them.

"Holland!"

"What? You guys...?"

Holland raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Getting weapons?"

"Of course! Just looking at that monster, you can tell it’s dangerous. There’s no way the holy knights can handle it on their own."

In the party's quarters, around a dozen members of The Next Apex were gathered.

Each of them was already armed with their respective weapons, donned in armor, and fully equipped for battle as if ready to head into the labyrinth.

Holland brushed past them and grabbed his bow—a powerful weapon crafted from the backbone of a mighty floor boss he'd once defeated.

"I'll carry the spare quiver."

"Suit yourself."

As Holland returned to ready his weapon, the other members finally noticed her.

"The supporter..."

The voice didn’t mention her name but carried a tone of recognition.

The one who defied Godach.

"Holland, why is she here?"

One of the members, a swordsman—second in strength only to Godach and Holland—spoke in a reprimanding tone. Before Holland could reply, Klaha answered for herself.

"I only came because I forced my way here—"

"I wasn’t asking you!"

The swordsman yelled, cutting her off. He marched toward Holland, grabbing him by the collar.

"You said you were taking that brat to safety!"

"Huh?"

The sound escaped from Klaha's lips.

"What does that mean?"

"It’s a dull story," Holland said as he pried the swordsman’s grip off his collar.

"The ones here—those who came to this place to grab their weapons—none of them hate you, Klaha."

That can’t be true, she thought.

She couldn't help but feel that way.

It wasn’t just the initial hostility.

After that, she’d leaked information about this party to the holy knights. She wasn’t so oblivious as to not realize what that meant to them.

If it became known and proven that the party leader had intentionally murdered his own members, the adventurers of this party would lose their qualifications.

Even if they received some leniency due to Godach’s threats, the fact that they had abandoned comrades stabbed in the back while exploring the labyrinth would tarnish their reputations. The glorious achievements they’d built as S-rank adventurers would crumble, and their honor would be reduced to nothing.

She knew that.

"But I betrayed this party—"

"We betrayed you first," Holland said firmly.

"Isn’t that right?" He addressed the swordsman with a soft, low tone.

The swordsman replied in kind, his voice heavy.

"We didn’t want it to turn out this way either."

At first, he said,

"We admired it—the life of an adventurer. Cherishing independence, gaining everything through our own strength, and sharing it with others. Leaving the first footprints in places no one had ever seen before..."

Before they knew it, everyone in the party—those who were there—was listening.

"You’re our past," the swordsman continued. "Yeah, we’ve treated you coldly, but that wasn’t how we really felt. We just wanted you to get the hell out of here. We didn’t want you to be stuck in this pathetic excuse of a gathering of failed adventurers... We wanted you to find real adventures out there—"

"We could never hate you," Holland picked up where the swordsman left off.

"What you were doing? That was what we all wanted to do. We know it. We know you’re right. And that we’re the ones who should be judged."

As he checked his bow and put on his armor, Holland spoke to Klaha.

"We all think the same thing: 'Run away. You’ve got a future ahead of you.'"

Klaha could tell those words came from the heart.

Her hand gripped the quiver tightly, and she said firmly,

"I won’t run away."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Holland said, not even sighing.

Instead, he told her, "Grab a bow too."

"This party’s quarters weren’t built here by coincidence. From the third floor, you can snipe across almost the entire main street. Forget carrying the quiver for now. First, we need you to join in the fight."

"Understood!"

"Wait! Are you serious!?"

The swordsman shouted.

"You saw that bird-like monster too, didn’t you? Even with Godach here, we wouldn’t be able to handle it—!"

"If The Next Apex can’t handle it," Klaha said, her voice trembling, "then hiding in the cathedral won’t change anything. So I want to help. Even if I don’t deserve to."

"Give it up," Holland interrupted. "You won’t change her mind."

"She’s an adventurer. Stubborn as hell."

The swordsman gritted his teeth, looking down, as Klaha pressed on.

"If you were just planning to run, you would’ve reached the cathedral by now with your physical abilities. Or you could’ve run the other way and left the city."

But they were here.

She looked at them and said,

"You’re here because you’ll fight, aren’t you?"

"Damn it, you’re right!"

The swordsman shouted.

"This is our city—where our families live! If we don’t do it, who will?!"

Voices rose in agreement, speaking of protecting family, lovers, friends, and even nameless neighbors.

For all those without power.

To use their strength for them.

"Archers and mages, follow me! We’ll use this building as a base and shoot them down like ducks."

"Anyone who only knows how to hit and kill, come with me! We’ll be the shields down below!"

Holland led the ranged attackers upstairs, Klaha following him to the third floor.

Those equipped with swords and shields ran down the streets, their backs against one another.

They had lost all their pride.

And yet, the adventurers moved forward.