"Tibia!"
The moment Bosk emerged from the magic circle room carrying the still-unconscious Tibia—with Byune walking pitter-patter alongside him—the two men waiting anxiously outside, Ecethesus and Nakt, cried out in unison.
Fortunately, Nakt had already recovered from the paralysis caused by the lightning magic Pri had unleashed. Though his movements still seemed stiff, he was able to stand and walk toward Bosk.
"Lord Bosk, is... is Tibia safe?" Ecethesus asked, his usual spear left rolling on the floor as he searched Tibia’s form with his own eyes.
Bosk gave a firm nod. "Yeah."
"But, well... we heard some incredible sounds coming from inside that room..."
For Ecethesus and Nakt, who had been waiting in the hallway, the sounds of the battle against Oricule—who had essentially become a rampaging man-demon—must have been terrifying. They had likely been at their wits' end.
Bosk spoke as he handed the cradled Tibia over to Ecethesus. "Call it a blessing in disguise. A sort of magic barrier had been deployed at the center of the magic circle. It was incredibly sturdy, so she shouldn't have a single scratch on her."
Ecethesus let out a long sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on Tibia to confirm she was truly unharmed. He likely would not have been so relieved if he had known the magic barrier was actually a cage designed to ensure the human sacrifice could not escape.
"The fact that she hasn't woken up through all that noise means they used some kind of medicine or magic on her," Bosk continued. "I’ll have a House Silwa doctor examine her later. For now, take her back to the mansion and let her rest in a quiet room. I’ve already given Sanctions instructions for this."
"Thank you... thank you for everything."
"Thank you very much!"
Nakt bowed deeply, and even Ecethesus managed a grateful word while holding Tibia.
"Hmph. I don’t abandon my own... I don't leave people I care about behind. Ever."
Bosk replied with a sidelong glance at Byune, who stood quietly watching the exchange.
Byune’s parents had saved his life, and he had admired them deeply. Furthermore—though he would never breathe a word of it—Byune’s mother had been his first love. The fact that he hadn't been able to save either of them was a scar that ran deep in Bosk’s soul. It was what drove his fierce resolve to never abandon those close to him again.
"Lord Bosk?" Nakt asked, sensing a change in the man's demeanor.
Bosk shook his head slightly, clearing the unnecessary thoughts from his mind. "Anyway, don't worry about things here. Get back to House Silwa. Oh, and take a few of the adventurers we brought as guards, just to be sure."
"Thank you! ...Whoops."
"Hey, watch it. ...That would be a huge help, but what do you and the others intend to do, Lord Bosk?" Nakt asked, steadying Ecethesus, who had nearly dropped Tibia while trying to bow.
Bosk offered a small, grim smile. "First, we investigate this mansion. We might find evidence of anomaly species or other crimes. More importantly, we have to deal with the Holy Light Religion lot who are still unconscious."
The cultists who had infiltrated House Silwa's residence had somehow committed suicide despite being bound and gagged.
However, back then, their goal was to cause chaos, so they likely prepared specifically for that, Bosk thought. If that's the case, the ones who are out cold right now might not have the same means... No, it’s too early to assume. Especially considering they were sent out specifically to stall Rei and the others.
He weighed the possibility for a moment before dismissing it. Despite the sheer number of cultists who had been knocked out or killed in the magic circle room, not a single one had self-detonated.
Noticing the dark look on Bosk's face, Ecethesus and Nakt judged that staying any longer would only hinder him. They gave small bows and departed, carrying Tibia between them.
"When you reach the surface, tell them to send more men down here! We need to search every room along this corridor and secure the unconscious prisoners!"
"Understood!"
After watching the two men go, Bosk turned his gaze back toward the magic circle room. The look of profound annoyance that crossed his face was unmistakable. Until a moment ago, he had been amused by the petty squabbling inside, but now, a wave of intense anger—if not quite murderous intent—was radiating from the room. Even with his resolve renewed by his talk with Byune, he wasn't exactly eager to jump back into the middle of it.
"..."
Byune watched him for a moment, then reached out and grasped Bosk's massive hand with her small one.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Mm."
Byune gave a small nod and, still holding his hand, pulled him toward the magic circle room. Her silent attitude seemed to say that it would be okay because she was with him.
Towed along by the girl, Bosk stepped inside. He walked toward Elena and Vihera, who were both venting enough fighting spirit to make the term "lovers' spat" seem like an understatement.
"Hey, listen... the fight's over. What's the point of starting another one here?"
"Don't look at me," Rei sighed. "Stopping these two is an impossible task."
"Guruuu," Seto warbled from right beside him, sounding as if it were in full agreement.
"Kyu?"
On Seto's back, Iero let out a small cry, still clearly confused by the situation.
"No."
Byune let go of Bosk's hand and stepped directly between Elena and Vihera, her voice soft but firm.
Elena’s eyes widened. She had heard Byune speak a few times during the chaos of battle, but hearing her speak now, in a moment of relative calm, made the reality of it truly sink in.
"Byune... you can speak?"
"Mm."
Byune nodded. Her expression remained mostly neutral, but there was a hint of bashfulness in her eyes.
Taking advantage of the sudden lull in the argument, Bosk scratched his head and stepped forward. "Alright, let's capture the ones who are still down. Help me out. The big boss, Oricule, is dead, but fortunately, quite a few of the other cultists are still alive."
He gestured toward the robed figures strewn across the floor. Many had been killed by Vihera’s initial onslaught, but a significant number had survived. Since there was no telling what they would do upon waking, they needed to be bound and gagged immediately.
"Here." Rei tossed a coil of rope from the Misty Ring to Bosk.
Bosk caught it and went straight to work. He stripped the prisoners of their robes to ensure no hidden weapons remained, then bound their limbs tight.
As Rei and the others joined in the work, a boisterous clamor echoed down the corridor. Rei instinctively reached for his weapon, thinking it might be a counter-attack, but Bosk held up a hand.
"Easy. Those are the ones who stormed the Masterche mansion with us. I told Ecethesus and Nakt to send them down once they reached the top."
Rei lowered the Death Scythe just as a group of House Silwa adventurers and hired mercenaries burst into the room.
"Whoa! Look at this place... it's huge!"
"Forget that, look at the floor! There's a magic circle!"
"It's House Marstchel's residence. A magic circle isn't that surprising."
"Yeah, but those dolls that attacked us? No presence, no nothing. They were the worst."
"True. But other than the dolls, there were only a few private soldiers, and they weren't exactly elite. It didn't take much effort. If there had been more dolls... more..."
The adventurers, who had been chatting about the size of the room and the guards they had faced, suddenly froze as they looked deeper into the chamber.
Ahead lay a literal sea of wreckage—countless puppet remains. They had struggled against even a handful of the dolls because of their lack of presence or murderous intent, but now they saw an almost inconceivable amount of wreckage scattered across the floor. Heads, torsos, and limbs were torn apart, making an exact count impossible, but there were clearly over a hundred of them.
Originally, Oricule had only destroyed a small number for sport, but the jewel explosion combined with Rei’s magic had created a blast wave that had scattered the remains to every corner of the room.
"Wait, wait... look at all these dolls. Just how fierce was the fighting in here?"
"Incredible..."
"Yeah."
The scene far exceeded their expectations, and the adventurers found themselves at a loss for words. Eventually, their collective gaze shifted away from Bosk and settled on Seto—and specifically on Rei, who was calmly stroking the griffon's head.
"So that's Crimson. I'd heard rumors about how fast he clears dungeons, but it looks like the stories are true."
"The Mad Beast is here too. ...Wait, she isn't going to try to fight us, is she?"
"It'll be fine. No matter how much of a battle maniac she is, she wouldn't bother with opponents as weak as... I'm sorry."
The adventurer man who had tried to crack a joke to break the tension immediately apologized when he was met with a cold, piercing stare from Vihera. Still, the exchange served its purpose; the heavy atmosphere in the room lightened considerably.
"Alright, listen up!" Bosk called out. "First, tie up these Holy Light bastards. Don't forget the gags. The ones who hit my mansion were rigged to blow themselves up, but these ones don't seem to have that trick."
The adventurers let out collective sighs of relief.
"I said they likely don't have it," Bosk warned, his tone sharp. "But 'likely' isn't 'certainly.' The possibility of a self-detonation mechanism isn't zero, so keep your guard up. Half of you start searching the rooms we passed on the way down. I expect you'll find plenty of disturbing things, but we need everything secured."
"This isn't just about covering your tracks, is it?" Elena asked, finally setting aside her dispute with Vihera.
Bosk gave a small shrug. "Obviously not. This has become a massive incident, and the Holy Light Religion is involved. We have to report this to the state, and that means we need evidence. Do I really look like the type to pull a petty cover-up?"
"I am well aware that one should not judge by appearances," Elena replied coolly. "After all, if we went by looks, you being the Head of House Silwa would seem quite unnatural, wouldn't it?"
A House Silwa adventurer opened his mouth to snap at her, but Bosk cut him off with a roar of laughter.
"Hahaha! Well, you've got a point there!"
Since their employer had laughed it off, the adventurers had no choice but to bite their tongues.
"I will take your word for it, Bosk," Elena said. "However, if evidence were to conveniently disappear later, we would have to take action."
"I wouldn't dream of it. ...Actually, why don't you come with us? You can oversee the seizure of the documents and research. Having a third party present would actually help us avoid suspicions later."
Elena considered the offer for a few seconds before nodding firmly. "Very well. I have come this far; I shall see it through to the end. Rei? What about you? If you are exhausted, you may rest..."
Rei shook his head. "No. I’ve made it this far, I might as well see the finish line."
"Suit yourself," Bosk shrugged, and with that, the matter was settled.