It seemed all four of Rache’s companions had been possessed by the Voice of Gurnalava. When I cast Malice-Purifying Clean on them, each one of them was momentarily enveloped in a dazzling, brilliant light. I’d managed to hear the details directly from them as well, though they were so exhausted that I only asked for a brief overview of the situation. For now, I planned to let them rest; I could hear the rest of their story once they’d recovered.
However, there was one detail in their account that I couldn't simply ignore.
“Have you ever heard of special individuals swarming in such large numbers?” I asked.
“No. At the very least, no such report has reached the guild, nya,” Rache replied.
“I have been gathering information myself, but I have heard nothing of the sort,” Masso added.
This was clearly a departure from the monster behavior we’d seen until now. There seemed to be a deliberate intent to brainwash entire parties. I wondered if the Great Busters had been specifically targeted, or if the "Voice" simply didn't care who it took, so long as they were skilled enough to reach the thirtieth floor. Since the Voice apparently only told them to hunt monsters, I suspected it was the latter.
“What do you think the goal was? Why make them hunt monsters?”
“Nya~? Maybe they were planning to create another one of those giant birds, nya.”
“Umu. It is a possibility,” Masso said. “It seems they were also diligently gathering materials.”
Apparently, while Zahha and his party were under the control of the Evil God's voice, they weren't just slaying monsters; they were busily collecting materials. In other words, the Evil God's side required resources. I would have thought an Evil God could just manifest monsters using the dungeon's power, but perhaps not. This suggested that it wasn't the Evil God acting directly, but rather the work of its cultists. Godfee—who hadn't been seen since that witness report a while back—was definitely at the top of my list of suspects. I wondered where he was and what he was plotting.
“Has there been no movement from the Council?”
Lowell, who had been listening silently beside us, finally interjected.
It was true; the Gurna Council, the city's governing body, was being far too quiet. While large organizations are often slow to act, their response was sluggish even by those standards, especially considering a catastrophe like the giant bird incident. I had considered the possibility that they were suppressing information to keep the cultists from realizing they were being watched before an operation... but even so, the total lack of action was eerie.
“The Council, nya~? Those guys are shady, too, nya,” Rache muttered.
“Umu...”
Rache let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. Masso nodded in agreement, his expression bitter.
“...Is there a chance they’re on the side of the cultists?” I asked.
“The possibility exists, nya.”
“Perhaps not all of them,” Masso admitted, “but a portion may be under their influence.”
Since the people of Aingurna seemed to place deep trust in the Council, I didn't say it aloud, but I had vaguely considered that possibility myself. Still, it was a surprise to hear it coming from Rache and Masso. I’d thought Masso, in particular, was a staunch supporter of the Council.
The two began to explain why they had grown so suspicious.
“During the giant bird incident, the Council warned us not to make an unnecessary fuss, nya. They gave some plausible-sounding reason, but it felt wrong, nya. Also, there was actually a summoning request sent out for Tort and the others, nya. I felt it was suspicious, so I rejected it on your behalf, nya.”
“I have been working with the Council to capture the cultists, but... there have been issues,” Masso explained. “While the rank-and-file are cooperative, there are individuals who keep interfering with the investigation. I do not know if they are connected to the cultists themselves, or if the corruption goes even higher. Either way, the situation is not good.”
If the upper echelons of the Council were in league with the cultists, that was going to be a massive headache. And to think they had even tried to summon us directly.
I wanted to help the people in Aingurna who were suffering under the Evil God's influence, but it would be difficult to move if the Council was watching us. At the very least, if we tried to deliver songs from the sky using the airship again, they might just arrest us without a second thought.
A heavy atmosphere settled over the group. It was finally dispelled by Halfa and Spira, who poked their heads out from the kitchen area.
“Okay, food's ready!”
“No more heavy talk for now!”
The two of them had been busy preparing a meal. It looked like they’d made takoyaki. Fearless as ever, they’d already grown completely accustomed to handling octopus.
“Oh—what is this, nya? A round food, nya.”
“Umu. The scent is quite appetizing. Is that the aroma of sauce?”
『You have to stab them with those toothpicks to eat them! But don’t let your guard down. This isn’t just any takoyaki. This is Shadow Game takoyaki!』
Shiroru began instructing the two takoyaki novices on the proper way to eat. There wasn't really a need to use toothpicks, strictly speaking—it wasn't like we were at a festival stall—but the bigger issue was this "Shadow Game" business. Ever since she’d heard about the concept from Ren-kun, Shiroru had been obsessed with the idea of "Russian takoyaki." I’d figured she would try it eventually, but I hadn't expected her to pick this moment.
『Has everyone picked one? We all eat at the same time, okay?』
Under Shiroru’s direction, we all popped a takoyaki into our mouths at once.
Mmm, delicious.
The one I picked was perfectly normal.
I glanced around, but no one seemed to be having an odd reaction. In Rache and Masso’s case, they probably didn't even know what a normal takoyaki was supposed to taste like anyway. Since the "duds" were supposedly filled with something extremely spicy, it seemed we’d all lucked out and gotten normal ones.
『What? Did no one pull a dud? Fine, then. Next—』
Just as Shiroru started to speak, there was a dull thud as someone collapsed. I turned to see Pino flailing her legs on the floor. A half-eaten takoyaki lay beside her... It looked like she had tried to sneak an extra bite and managed to find the landmine.
『Ahaha! Pino got the dud! That’s what you get for being greedy! Munch munch... GYAH?!』
Shiroru had barely finished laughing at the struggling Pino before the takoyaki she was eating turned out to be a dud as well. Honestly, when it came to being greedy, she was the last person who should be talking.
“Ah, Pino! This isn't a toothpick, it’s a staff! You can't use that!”
I went to clean up Pino's discarded takoyaki, only to realize that the "toothpick" stuck in it was actually the enchanted magic tool staff I’d given her. I know they’re the same size and they both have pointy ends, but treating a magic tool like this was a bit much, wasn't it?
Wait... toothpicks?
An enchanted magic tool toothpick... Now there's an idea.