「Woof! Woof woof!」
Shiro returned the very next day.
I unfastened the letter tied to its neck and spread it open. The paper was covered in delicate handwriting that stood in stark contrast to Galilea’s rugged appearance.
「Let’s see... "Scouted the target area and found a likely location. Shiro will lead you there." ...I see.」
As expected, he was a fast worker.
「Whine...」
「Yes, yes. Good boy, Shiro.」
As I patted its head, Shiro suddenly caught me by the collar with its teeth and tossed me onto its back.
「Alright, let's go, Shiro!」
「Woof!」
Once it felt me grip on, Shiro kicked off the ground with a powerful leap.
It cleared the castle walls in a single bound and began racing across the grasslands. It had grown even faster than before—its speed was nearly on par with my Flight magic. The scenery blurred into a streak of colors until we finally came to a halt in the middle of a wasteland.
「Ah, you’re here, Master Lloyd. That was certainly quick.」
「Actually, it’s quite close to the castle, isn't it?」
We were in the middle of the wilderness exactly halfway between Saloom and Bertram. There was usually no foot traffic here, making it the perfect place for anyone looking to stir up trouble.
「Yeah, you could do something pretty reckless out in this wasteland without anyone noticing. Ido certainly found himself a good spot.」
「In the underworld, this whole area is a relatively famous hiding spot,」 Galilea explained. 「There are plenty of abandoned Dungeons around here, and some folks remodel them into hideouts... Oh, look there.」
Galilea pointed toward a spot that looked as if it were capped by a massive slab of bedrock.
As we approached, I saw Ido’s footprints, revealed by Ren of the Poison Moth’s chemicals, leading down a set of stairs. It was an ideal place to stay hidden.
「Good work finding this. Shiro and Ren of the Poison Moth, come with me. Everyone else, wait outside.」
If a fight broke out, I wouldn't be able to keep a large group safe. I needed Shiro for its mobility and sense of smell, and Ren of the Poison Moth for her specialized tracking skills.
「Watch yourselves in there.」
「Yeah. You guys make sure to run if things get dangerous too, Galilea.」
「Hah! I’ve got plenty of confidence in our ability to high-tail it out of here!」
Ren of the Poison Moth and I shared a wry smile before descending into the depths.
「Wow... it’s huge.」
Ren of the Poison Moth let out a breath of admiration.
Before us, a massive hole, roughly a hundred meters in diameter, plummeted straight down. He had likely hollowed out the Dungeon and turned it into a giant shaft, capping the top with bedrock. It must have taken an immense amount of effort, which made me wonder why he needed such a massive opening in the first place.
We began our descent down the spiral staircase built into the walls of the shaft.
「I’ve got a bad feeling about this...」
「He’s deployed detection Barriers.」
A wide-range Barrier was active; if an intruder touched it, the caster would be alerted immediately. I was maintaining a Neutralization Barrier to let us slip through, and Ren of the Poison Moth was likely sensing the slight magical distortion that caused.
The Barrier ensured we wouldn't be detected, but it also meant I couldn't sense what was happening at the bottom. As we continued down, a faint light began to grow.
「I can see the bottom, Lloyd.」
「Yeah. But Ido doesn't seem to be here.」
At this range, I could normally detect mana, but I didn't feel anything resembling Ido’s presence. When we finally reached the floor, we found ourselves in a vast, open space.
Ren of the Poison Moth crouched down and sprinkled her chemicals. Faint footprints appeared, wandering aimlessly around the floor.
「That's strange. The footprints lead in, but there’s no sign of anyone leaving...」
「Grrr...」
Shiro sniffed the ground, but it seemed unable to lock onto a scent, simply pacing in circles.
...Hmm. He was definitely here, yet there was no sign he had left. It was a mystery. There were no obvious places to hide, so where could he have gone?
In the back, I found a small room filled with flasks, testing equipment for Alchemy, and various liquids and metals. This had clearly been a research facility... wait.
I felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. The equipment was remarkably similar to the devices used in the Synthesis Lifeform experiments performed on Lamia and the others.
Research into Artificial Lifeforms...? But there was far more equipment here than there had been in that lab. What could he possibly have been doing?
「Lloyd, come here!」
「What is it, Ren of the Poison Moth?」
I returned to the main area. The ground was glowing faintly where Ren of the Poison Moth had sprinkled her drugs.
「Look at this.」
「I see. There’s no reaction in the center.」
In the middle of the open space, there was a circular area about ten meters wide where the chemicals hadn't reacted at all. It was as if something massive had been sitting there, shielding the floor.
「Ido probably rode a Golem out of here,」 Ren of the Poison Moth suggested. 「That would explain why Shiro can't track the scent.」
「Whine...」
That made sense. You’d need a massive shaft like this to move a Golem, and if it had flight capabilities, it could have flown away without leaving a single footprint.
But something was still bothering me. What was it...?
「Heyyy! Lloyd! Master Lloyd!」
As I stood there thinking, a voice drifted down from above. Galilea was shouting something, his voice tight with urgency, though the distance made it hard to hear.
There was nothing left for us here. It was time to go.
「Ren of the Poison Moth, Shiro, hold on to me.」
「O-Okay!」
Once they were secure, I activated the Wind System Magic, 『Flight』. The wind wrapped around us, and we ascended the shaft in the blink of an eye.
「What’s happened?」
「Master Lloyd, it’s bad! My subordinates in Bertram just sent word—a giant Golem is on a rampage in the city!」
「Could it be...!」
Ren of the Poison Moth looked at me, her eyes wide.
I see. So it was the Golem that had been kept here. Given the size of the gap in the chemical traces, it was massive. That certainly fit the description.
Something was still nagging at me... but regardless, I had to see for myself.
「Thanks, Galilea. I’m heading out.」
「...Be careful, Lloyd.」
「We’d only be in the way if we followed. Hey now, Ren of the Poison Moth, don't look so lonely.」
「I-I’m not!」
「Woof!」
I set the blushing Ren of the Poison Moth and the tail-wagging Shiro down on the ground and took a long stretch.
「Alright—let’s go.」
With a quiet murmur, I took off, soaring away from the wasteland at full speed.