Live Dungeon!

The following day, Garm and the Clan retrieved Diniel from the Security Team… who wore the grim expressions of people tasked with containing a wild beast. During her detainment, Diniel had apparently passed the time honing her sniping skills, and as she departed, the archers on duty saluted her with wide-eyed respect, as though seeing off a living legend.

After stopping briefly to confer with Xeno, who had returned home to speak with Pico, Garm gathered the Clan at the Clan House. There, with Amy by his side and the mysterious paper card she had preserved in hand, he explained Tsutomu’s circumstances: the truth behind his sudden departure, and that he was no longer in their world.

“…Pathetic.”

The reactions were mixed, but none hit harder than Diniel’s blunt dismissal. Without ceremony, she declared her intent to leave the Clan and immediately began packing her belongings. Amy, after receiving a letter from Garm, followed her in silence.

“…So what, you’re telling me yesterday’s whole mess wasn’t just some joke?” Amira asked, her voice sharp with disbelief.

“There WAS conflict,” Garm replied. “That much was real.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Amira muttered. “I don’t get it. None of this makes any sense…”

She stood there for a moment, struggling to process the information. Then, frustration boiling over, she slammed her fist into the stairwell post and stormed upstairs, her heavy footfalls echoing through the house. Daryl stared blankly at the wall, too stunned to speak; he had never imagined that yesterday would be his final moment with Tsutomu.

“There’s a letter from Tsutomu for each of you,” Garm said, presenting the stack of envelopes he had retrieved from a drawer in Tsutomu’s old desk. “They concern what happens from here on out. Read them carefully and take time to consider what you’ll do.”

Most of the members, though visibly shaken, remained composed. Garm distributed the letters, and one by one they began to read. Some solemnly, others with an edge of disbelief. Hannah, having quickly skimmed through hers, stretched her blue wings idly, unsure what to do with herself.

“I see. That explains… a lot,” muttered Ollie, who now seemed to understand why Tsutomu had been quietly amassing what looked like the wealth of a terminally ill noble.

“No way… he’s giving me THIS MUCH!? I could live like a queen forever!” Gasped Maribel, eyes wide and darting in disbelief at the figures written in her letter.

Xeno, who had finished reading his letter fully faster than anyone else, turned to Garm.

“So then, you’re to serve as acting Clan Leader until Tsutomu returns?”

“For now, that’s the role I’ve been entrusted with. If anyone else is deemed more suitable, I’d gladly step aside.”

“Fair enough,” Xeno said, nodding with satisfaction. “Then I’m somewhat reassured. If you were to leave as well, I doubt Absolute Helix would survive.”

“…You’re staying, then?” Garm asked, surprised.

Xeno answered with a sly smile, brushing back his silver hair.

“To be honest, I was conflicted after yesterday. But Tsutomu’s letter made it clear what he’s left behind. It is all his knowledge and wealth! I intend to stay until I’ve thanked him properly for it.”

“I appreciate that.” Garm said with a solemn nod.

Xeno folded his letter neatly and turned to Hannah, who was still flapping her wings absentmindedly.

“What about you, Hannah? What will you do?”

“Me? I’ll do what Teach told me to, obviously! Might as well take this chance to go train under Grandpa Melchor for a bit, y’know?”

For Hannah, following Tsutomu’s guidance had always been the safest path. In her mind, there was no need to question it. That said, Leleia, Korinna, and Daryl still looked lost in thought, unable to decide. Perhaps sensing that, Xeno did not press them for answers.

“It’s too soon to demand for a decision.” Garm said. “We still need to deliver letters to Amira and the Guild Master. I’ll handle the cleanup and communication for now; the rest of you, use that time to reflect on what you want moving forward… But, Miss Ollie, I’d like your help with the inheritance and legal arrangements…”

“Of course. Mister Tsutomu mentioned that in his letter as well. I’ll handle everything on that front… and I believe there will be other areas where I can assist too.”

“Thank you very much.”

Though the letters had outlined the general process of things, the burden of managing Tsutomu’s affairs was still far too much for Garm to bear alone. As Ollie turned to begin preparations, she gently pinched Maribel on the cheek to snap her out of her gold-laced reverie. Then, the two quietly set about the solemn work of settling the affairs of a man who, though now gone, had left them more than enough to carry forward.

▽▽

Since that day, the members of Absolute Helix had been swept into a whirlwind of activity.

Ollie, in particular, was buried under a mountain of paperwork and negotiations, working tirelessly to ensure Tsutomu’s inheritance was passed on exactly as instructed. By the time the last document was filed, she had plucked more than a few white hairs from her head. Even her apprentice, Maribel, lent her support with wheezing breaths and gritted teeth.

A few days later, the official story broke: Tsutomu had retired from life as an Explorer and returned to his hometown. From that moment on, the remaining members of the Clan were hounded relentlessly by journalists, eager for scraps of scandal or sentiment. None bore the brunt more than Garm, the newly instated Clan Leader.

Yet it was not just the media attention that threatened to unravel Absolute Helix. Tsutomu’s sudden, almost evasive departure had left a gaping hole, and not just logistically. Diniel, citing recent events, wasted no time declaring her resignation. With a cold, emotionless farewell, she gathered her belongings and departed. Amira, seething with anger, returned to her family home and had not been seen since. Even Amy, despite insisting her leave was temporary, announced a halt to her activities as an Explorer and vanished without a word of explanation.

Then came the most unexpected blow of all.

Ads by PubFuture “…I’m leaving,” Daryl said one day.

Of all the possibilities, Garm had never imagined Daryl would be next. He immediately tried to stop him.

“Wait. At least give it some thought–”

“I HAVE thought about it!” Daryl snapped. “I’ve thought about it a lot! But no matter how I look at it, I can’t get past one thing, why didn’t Sir Tsutomu talk to me? Why didn’t he trust me enough to say anything? It’s fine for you, Sir Garm! You were in the loop! But me, I didn’t know anything! What was I to him, really? Was it all just… meaningless?”

“…”

“…In the end, I was just thrown away again. Just like before.”

For Daryl, who had been abandoned by his parents and raised as an orphan, Tsutomu’s departure without a word had opened an old wound that had never quite healed. He wiped at his nose, sniffling, but Garm could not bring himself to say anything in reply.

Even Xeno tried to reason with him later, explaining how Tsutomu had left behind knowledge and wealth precisely because he cared, but though Daryl could understand the logic, emotionally, he could not accept it.

Tears rolling down his cheeks, he placed his completed resignation papers on the table. Not even Ollie’s gentle pleas were enough to sway him. With his mind set, Daryl walked out of the Clan House and into the night.

“So this is what’s left of us…” Leleia said the following morning, gazing at the remaining faces around the table, “…just enough for one full party.”

In the end, Absolute Helix was reduced to Garm, Xeno, Hannah, Leleia, and Korinna.

“To not sugarcoat things, our balance is less than ideal.” Leleia continued. “Even though Hannah can double as an Attacker, we’re lacking in firepower. We may need to start recruiting new members.”

“Y-yes… you’re probably right,” Korinna said meekly, unsure whether to be relieved or intimidated by Leleia’s clear-headed assessment. Truthfully, she had thought Leleia would be the next to leave.

Hannah, meanwhile, tilted her head with curiosity.

“Hey, Leleia? Why’d you stay?”

Korinna gasped softly, shocked by the sheer bluntness of the question. Garm and Xeno, too, turned toward Leleia with interest.

Leleia paused, then replied with a question of her own.

“What do YOU think?”

“Hmm… maybe Teach said something really nice in the letter he left you?”

“…Surprisingly sharp, coming from you.” Leleia said with a mischievous grin.

“Whoo! Nailed it!” Hannah beamed, flapping her wings in celebration.

Leleia allowed herself to soften into a faint, reserved smile, but did not elaborate. Hannah, content with her correct guess, did not press further. Though Xeno gave a weary shake of his head at her lack of follow-through.

“In any case,” Xeno said, “the five of us have to hold things together, at least for now. Until Daryl, Amy, or anyone else comes back.”

“Yeah.” Garm agreed before lowering his head. “I’ll be counting on you all.”

The others responded in their own ways, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.