A stale, sour odor hit them the moment they opened the door. It was similar to the room for growing magic plants they had encountered earlier, yet distinctly different—this time, it was laced with the metallic tang of blood.
Several jail cells lined the room. The sight alone was enough to make the purpose of this place clear to anyone.
"!?"
Nakt was the first to rush inside. He was frantic to see if anyone was in the cells—more specifically, if Tibia was there. Fortunately or unfortunately, Tibia was nowhere to be seen.
In fact, the jail cells were entirely empty.
Nakt let out a small sigh of relief. He began searching the cells once more, hoping to find even the slightest clue.
"The smell of blood lingers, but it doesn’t smell like fresh blood that was just shed. It’s likely the scent of blood that has soaked into these stones over many years," Rei muttered with displeasure. His sense of smell was sharper than a normal person's, and he found the stench revolting.
"In other words, House Marstchel has been doing this for a long time. I wonder if the reason they finally left a trail was because of the Holy Light Religion?" Vihera asked.
"Probably," Nakt agreed.
The Holy Light Religion had only appeared in Exil to begin its proselytizing a few years ago. But the smell of blood wafting from the jail cells—the scent of death itself—was not something that would soak in over such a short period.
"But how did they procure people before the Holy Light Religion arrived?" Vihera asked casually, though her beautiful face was twisted in disgust.
She lived for combat, but she always took risks herself. To unilaterally torment an opponent who couldn't resist went against her aesthetic of battle.
"Likely through slaves and prisoners. I’ve heard rumors that prisoners would occasionally vanish without a trace," Nakt replied.
"I see. For the Head of House Marstchel, sneaking prisoners out would be a simple task," Rei muttered, his brow furrowed.
While Rei didn't hesitate to torture an enemy if the situation demanded it, looking at this scene was far from pleasant.
"At any rate, there’s no point staying here if there are no clues. On to the next room."
No one objected. They nodded, closed the door, and reached for the handle of the next one.
When they opened the next door, Nakt saw various distorted tools whose purposes weren't immediately apparent. However, almost all of them were equipped with blades. The intense scent of iron rust that had soaked into the room was far worse than the previous prison, making the room's function obvious.
"A torture room, huh... They certainly have lovely hobbies," Nakt muttered, suppressing his emotions.
Thinking that Tibia might have been subjected to these devices made him want to scream, but he couldn't afford a outburst while infiltrating the estate. He cast a quick glance back at Vihera and Rei, and seeing nothing else of note, he closed the door.
They continued to open the doors one after another. Most revealed jail cells, torture rooms, warehouses, or rooms for growing plants. They found nothing regarding Tibia or the other captives, nor any evidence concerning the Anomaly Species or links to the Holy Light Religion.
If they had searched each room in more detail, some evidence might have surfaced, but given the sheer number of doors, they had no choice but to move quickly.
And then...
"This is the last door, excluding the one at the very end," Nakt muttered as he reached for the handle.
They were in a single long corridor. They had already checked over ten rooms on both sides; this was the final door on the walls. Aside from the door at the dead end of the hallway, the one before them was the last.
Their tension had thinned somewhat. Nakt suspected Tibia was likely behind the door at the dead end, but given the number of cells they had passed, he couldn't ignore the possibility she was here.
"Opening it..."
Please let this be where Tibia is, he thought as he swung the door open. He found another jail cell, much like the ones before it.
However, one thing was different.
A thick scent of blood drifted from the room. It wasn't the old, stale smell he had encountered until now. This was the scent of blood that had just been shed.
"Tibia!?"
Fresh blood meant someone had been here until very recently. Naturally, that meant there was a high possibility it was Tibia. Nakt hurried to the innermost cell, but only a pool of blood remained; there was no sign of the woman he sought.
"The blood hasn’t completely dried yet. That means someone was here until just a moment ago. I don't know if it was Tibia, though," Nakt ground his teeth and muttered, restraining his impulse to run.
This was where he differed from the more hot-headed Ecethesus.
Rei placed a hand lightly on Nakt’s shoulder. "I can’t tell you to rest easy... but if she was here and they moved her, there’s only one destination left."
Since they had checked every other door, she was undoubtedly beyond that final door at the end of the hall—unless she had been taken to the other side of the U-shaped facility. And Rei doubted they would take a prisoner they’d gone to the trouble of kidnapping back up to the surface.
"You’re right. If I just mope around, Tibia will get mad at me for taking so long to rescue her," Nakt said, nodding to encourage himself. He stood up, a sharp light returning to his eyes along with a sense of calm.
"Now that Nakt has composed himself, let’s go to the final place of interest. I’m sure things are about to get fun, don't you think?" Vihera stood at the entrance of the cell, smiling radiantly as she turned her gaze toward the last door.
The group left the cell block and reached for the final door.
The first thing they saw was a magic circle drawn on the floor. In the center lay a single woman, unconscious. The sight of the woman missing an arm confirmed her identity immediately.
"Tibia!"
Nakt shouted, but Rei instinctively caught his shoulder to stop him. The moment Nakt had taken a step forward, Rei had heard the whistle of something cutting the air.
Rei, who had exchanged blows with such things before, knew the opponent—a presence with no sign and no murderous intent. A longsword with a blade about a meter long passed right in front of Nakt’s chest. If Rei hadn't stopped him, Nakt would have been sliced in half.
"OH? I MISSED?"
The doll landed lightly on the ground, spun around, and swung its longsword. Despite the doll being only about thirty centimeters tall, the longsword it wielded was a full meter long. The fact that it could swing the weapon so effortlessly proved how bizarre it was.
Clap, clap, clap.
As they focused on the puppet with a longsword, the sound of applause echoed through the room. Rei and the others turned their gaze toward the sound. A man, leading about 20 robed people, emerged from a door on the opposite side of the magic circle.
The man appeared to be in his twenties, with shoulder-length green hair and well-defined features that gave him an almost feminine beauty. He wore leather armor made from monster hide and a sword sheath at his left hip, all enveloped in a black cloak. He radiated a charisma that overwhelmed his surroundings.
"My, my, I truly didn't think you would make it this far. ...Hm? It seems the Princess General is not among you?" he asked with a cheerful expression before nodding as if convinced. "Ah, I see. Indeed, against House Marstchel, you wouldn't have a legitimate reason with just yourselves. You likely tried to draw out House Silwa to obtain that... but that might have been a bit of a strategic failure."
"What?" Rei asked, narrowing his eyes. He reached into his Misty Ring and pulled out the Death Scythe.
"Ho? Is that an Item Box? It certainly seems like a very convenient magic item. Tell me, if you were to surrender quietly and hand that Item Box over to me, I might consider letting you go."
"Don't spout nonsense. More importantly, what did you mean just now?"
"Just now? Ah, about House Silwa. Well, do you really think I would go out of my way to give you information that would benefit you? Rather... you should be worrying about yourselves." The man drew a rapier from his hip, a small smile playing on his lips.
Rei returned a mocking smile. "Worry? About the likes of you?"
"I see. Indeed, if you and I were to fight, I would have no chance of winning. Honestly, it’s worth marveling that you possess such skill at such a young age. ...Could it be that you are actually an undead, like a vampire?"
"Unfortunately for you, I walk under the sun quite normally."
"There are races among the undead that are fine with sunlight, though. Are you not one of them?" The man spoke as he lightly flexed the blade of his rapier.
"Heh, you're quite knowledgeable. ...By the way, for someone who admits he can't beat me, you seem quite eager to fight."
"Nothing of the sort. I cannot defeat you. I will admit that much."
"Are you planning to use a hostage?" Rei asked, glancing toward Tibia in the magic circle.
The man shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, that isn't permitted. Once someone has entered the center of that magic circle, there’s no telling what might happen if one interferes carelessly. ...Besides, even if it were possible, a hostage wouldn't be effective against you, would it?"
"Who knows," Rei replied.
"Furthermore, even without a hostage, if I devote myself to defense, I may not win, but I won't lose either."
As the man spoke, the twenty figures behind him stepped forward. They were all clad in robes, though the lines of their bodies and the faces peeking from beneath their hoods revealed that several were women. They held swords, spears, daggers, and axes. They began to close the distance toward Vihera and Nakt, taking care not to interfere with the duel between the man and Rei.
"Personally, I wanted to try fighting that handsome man over there... but he seems obsessed with Rei, so I guess I’ll have to settle for this side," Vihera muttered with a look of mock disappointment. In the next moment, her smile widened as she felt the thrill of combat approaching. She channeled magic power into her gauntlets and greaves; claws formed over her hands, and blades extended from her heels.
"Nn." Byune held several needles between her fingers and gripped a short sword in her left hand.
"To be honest, I'm a thief, not a front-line fighter... but I can't exactly abandon Tibia here," Nakt muttered, gripping his daggers as he watched the robed subordinates approach.
"HEY, HEY. I’LL BE TROUBLED IF YOU GO FORGETTING ABOUT US."
The doll that had nearly killed Nakt spoke again. The puppet with a longsword stood before them, joined by over 30 puppets. Among them was a bear puppet that stood over two meters tall.
"Now then, the actors are all assembled. Shall we begin?" The man gave his rapier a light horizontal swing.
Rei gripped the Death Scythe. "Before that... you seem to know my name, but I don't know yours. Why don't you introduce yourself?"
The man looked caught off guard for a moment, then smiled. "I suppose so. I can't go into fine detail, but I can give you my name. Oricule. That is my name."
"No affiliation or anything like that?"
They exchanged words, each watching for an opening. Despite the casual conversation, the tension in the room was reaching a breaking point.
"I’m not quite so good-natured as to tell you... that!"
With those words, Oricule closed the distance in a single stride and lunged with his rapier.