The Typhonians could not possibly be excluded from the various results achieved by the Door Project. This included not only the exploration of the divine kingdom itself, but also all manner of unexpected discoveries made during the process—and as one of the project's initiators and one of the Alliance's main leaders, Gawain naturally had no intention of kicking an ally out under such circumstances.
But now he suspected that the origins of that Steel Land might be connected to the Voyagers, perhaps even linked to his own body in space. That left him no choice but to worry—he feared that unforeseen circumstances might arise during this expedition, and that none of it would be suitable for an outsider to witness.
Melita Pernia was not exactly one of Cecil Empire's own people either, but at least she was a friend whose background he knew well, and she had some understanding of the Voyagers as well. Winsor Mapel was different. Gawain knew nothing about this Typhon scholar—he had no idea how she might react if he displayed too many unusual traits on the Steel Land or activated certain Voyager technologies.
Daniel, who had said little all this time, stepped forward at that moment.
"I should go," the old mage said flatly, glancing at his former student. "A scholarly mage like you, accustomed to conducting research in stable environments, can't handle an exploration operation that requires adaptability and experience. It has nothing to do with how strong you are personally. I've had at least some experience with adventures since leaving the Royal Mage Association."
He paused, then looked toward his other student. "Besides, I can take Mary with me."
Winsor Mapel looked at her mentor in surprise, hesitation showing on her face, until Daniel added seemingly casually, "There needs to be a chief