Translator: "Pink Tea" Editor: "Weasalopes"

「Oouuch…」

「What a blunder…」

We were dropped down after getting caught in the floor trap. We fell onto a hard floor but neither of us took fatal injury. It wasn't that deep.

Looking up, it seems that the floor has already closed, so I can't see what happened to Lunsan and others.

「Emma, are you okay?」

「Somehow… It's pretty dark.」

「Yes, but I can see properly.」

Earlier I granted【Night Eye】to Emma as well, so both of us were able to see. It looks like a fairly large s.p.a.ce, and there are stairs that lead further underground. Or rather, there are only those stairs.

「So you'd show the room and when the opponent drops his guard you drop him from the floor? I was completely done in…」

「Don't worry, it happens. And, are we going down?」

「We don't have any other way but… I kinda don't want to.」

It's like we are being led there. I suspect that Gaien wasn't much of a nice person. So there I come up with another way.

「I want to use Great Sage, so can I have a kiss?」

「Well, it's can't be helped.」

Though she says that but she does it with a lot of enthusiasm, I'm grateful. There, I ask Great Sage if there is a hidden room.

As a result, it turns out that there are even two. Both seem to have a device on the wall, so we quickly investigate it. When a wall was pressed it was designed to rotate, and behind one of them was a staircase leading up.

「So now we will be able to return to where we came from?」

「But, isn't it strange that there is such a thing prepared? I mean, if you are going to drop intruders here, then there is no need to allow them to escape?」

Emma's point is correct. Anyway, when we entered another hidden pa.s.sage, there was a door. Could it be that the door above was just a feint and this one was real? Considering that, the stairs leading up also start to make sense.

「I will open. One, two!」

Emma pushes the door open. A somewhat s.p.a.cious room had an old desk, bookshelves, jute bags, and other stuff.

It doesn't look like a trap so we split and search through it. In the jute bags was a large quant.i.ty of dirty bones. It would be unpleasant if these turned out to belong to humans and not animals.

They may have been used for alchemy.

「Noir, there was something like a diary.」

「Read it to me.」

The paper was pretty worn out, but though barely, the letters were visible. He used the diary only occasionally so dates were all over the place. The contents are about immortality only. It seems that he wanted to live forever.

「Ah.」

The name of the master came out. It is written as follows.

『I met a woman named Olivia who can create skills. Since they say that it is possible to create anything I asked her if its possible to create immortality, she answered that it is possible if she has LP. She refused when I asked for it, so I tried to force her but she started to fight back.

Among the creatures I have met until now, she was the strongest… She destroyed my creations one after another until she finally got one of my hands. Was she able to see through everything? If people didn't come to my rescue I would have been killed. No, that woman should be able to kill everything.

It is extremely disappointing, do I have no choice, but give up on immortality after all. Then at least, I should become an existence that will remain forever in people. No, I must. Because I'm a person worthy of that!』

Looking at this, I can't help but think that the problem was with Gaien. The master was simply retaliating.

「Hey! Since the floor looked suspicious I check it and found a treasure chest!」

「Hey, that's amazing!」

The floor consisted of several wooden boards, and Emma who focused on one of them hit a jackpot. Together we lift a wooden treasure chest. It wasn't locked and contained jewelry, pendants, and knives.

Through they were supposed to be old, but they haven't deteriorated too much, and once I appraise them it turns out every item had some kind of skill. Were they made by Gaien? Well, it's a treasure, so let's store it in subdimension.

「We got results, let's go back?」

「Yup. Lunsan and others must be worried.」

We go up the stairs behind another hidden wall and press on a wall that had a distinctly different color. Then we came out to the pa.s.sage right before the floor trap. Since the two of them were still there we reported to them what happened.

It seems the two of them didn't just stand here as well.

「To make sure I checked that room in the back, but there was only a large amount of bones. So here I was hesitating if I should drop down this hole as well and chase after you.」

「In addition to the hidden room, there also was another staircase leading further underground. Pretty sure another trap awaits us there.」

Since we had nothing to do here anymore, the four of us leave the place and return to Shoen-sama's house. There I took out the treasure box that I had stored.

「Mind leaving it in my care for a while?」

「Of course. If there is something usable it might be good to give it to talented people.」

「It was the right call to rely on you. On the latter date, I will make a proper report to the king, mentioning this matter as well. At any rate… Immortality, huh. To think that was the reason for the conflict with Olivia.」

It seems Gaien was quite obsessed. The diary was all about it. He was able to master the highest-ranked alchemy but still was unable to create an item granting immortality.

I tried to create【Immortality】to look it up and was asked for an outrageously high amount of LP. Well, that's natural, humans are made to eventually die.

Invited by Laursan who was beaten from training, I now was at the town's library. I hope it has something that will be able to satisfy her intellectual curiosity,

「By the way, did you do monster extermination today?」

「That's right! Don't you think it's strange to force such a maiden to fight?」

It seems she took quite an offense, so her way of talking was more aloof than usual. But since she now was 5 levels higher, the training probably went well.

Laura reads an item-related book and occasionally shows a dazed look. At times she starts getting excited and giggling by herself. I guess there are some pretty exciting items listed.

「This is a love potion. Please read it as well.」

What does it say, the recipe is completely known. To make a man fall in love, have the alchemist of the highest rank make a mixture from a love juice of ten thousand women, blood and ambition gra.s.s.

To make a woman fall in love, a mixture from the seed of ten thousand men, blood, fantasy gra.s.s, then perform alchemy.

Even if you work at a brothel this is impossible. If you have time to collect that then just use it to get closer with a person in question.

That's what I think but looks like Laursan wants to make it.

「Please wait a bit more. I will definitely bring it.」

「… Hmmm, first of all, I might not want to drink it.」

「Ufufu, that is something you will have to endure.」

If she is that resolute about this, I might actually end up drinking it. We spent a while reading books and having fun, then someone called out to us.

「Hey, Noir, are you on a date?」

「Brother, so you were here as well.」

Which reminds me, he was saying that he will research in the library about Gaien and Tonell Village. Laursan was letting out a scary aura that was saying 「Don't get in the way」, but brother just went with his forte, in other words, ignored it and continued talking to me for a prolonged period of time.

It seems that he had some results. There was a biography written by a person named Tainel, in which the wrongdoings of Tonell Village were described. He was almost eaten but barely was able to escape with his life.

Furthermore, he was a man who lived in the same age as Gaien, and he writes about Gaien in his book.

「He is also a cannibal b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Is what written here.」

「To write about a hero like that, that's amazing.」

「During that time he received harsh criticism and Tainel is also well known for his tendencies for falsehood. But, he was a top-cla.s.s adventurer. That's why such books still remain.」

People just interpreted it as a fictional biography. But we know. What Tainel wrote was true.

And even more important things were written. Gaien had a strong craving for fame and glory and frequently a.s.sa.s.sinated those who opposed him. And that he used human bodies in his alchemy experiments.

So that bunch of bones in the bas.e.m.e.nt belonged to humans after all.

The hidden face of the hero was ugly. But he is long dead. There is nothing we can do about it at this point.

「I want at least to stop damage caused by Tonell village.」

「Next year… We have to prevent new causalities.」

Right. I really want to take revenge for all the numerous victims. Here, Laursan, who was devoted to listening until now, raises her finger and gives an amazing idea.

「Doesn't this town have a lot of relics from Gaien? There might be some hints, let's go and see them.」

「That is a good idea.」

「Okay, that being decided, we should bring weapons to destroy them.」

Brother, you are resenting Gaien because of that incident, don't you? Whatever we are going to destroy them or not, we leave the library and get moving.

First I plan to take a look at the stone statues on the central square.

*Clang, Clang, Clang! … … ….. Clang, Clang, Clang!*

The sound of the bell that can even be described as clamorous, resounded through the city. Everyone who was walking on the street stopped in their tracks and stiffened uncomfortably.

Soon, soldiers, shouting in loud voices, ran through the road.

「Monsters! A large number of monsters are advancing towards Hornest. There is a possibility of the big-scale attack, residents should evacuate immediately! Soldiers gather in the training area.」

It was faster than expected, but finally, the disaster has extended its shadow.