Chapter 690 - The Beast in the Basement
"Are we ready?"
"Yes."
"Woof!"
"Leave it to me."
Night time. It was raining on the island as well. After eating a beef curry dinner designed for buffs, we came to the castle. Tonight, we were exploring the basement connected to the west side of the castle. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it, but we had to check the site of the monster-based Magic Stone farming... which Seth had dubbed 'aquaculture'...
"Then, I shall go and see."
"Please do."
Since the basement of the west wing was still within the home's boundaries, I had Sera-san, the Silky, go on a scouting mission. In the meantime, I cast Spirit's Blessing and produced a light from the spirits of light. The other members had Mion cast Holy Magic blessings on them to ensure they were in top condition.
"I have returned. It was a terrible sight, but there were no magical beasts. However, the cage-like structures leading outside were destroyed, so please be cautious."
"I see. Thank you."
I had expected enemies to be inside, but now there was a possibility they had escaped outside...
"Alright, I'm opening it."
After confirming everyone's nod, I opened the magic door with the usual process. What we saw at the end of the narrow corridor was...
"Whoa, what is this..."
Things that had likely been Magic Safety Fences were now completely bent and broken, scattered everywhere. Fragments of thick, mysterious glass were strewn about, showing traces of where monsters had been kept. There were probably two rooms on each side of the straight corridor. The broken fences were blocking the way, no longer serving any purpose.
"Does the corridor I see in the back lead outside?"
"Yes. If you go straight and then turn left, it leads outside. There were fences there as well, but..."
Those were also destroyed. It seemed the farmed monsters, survivors of the calamity, had indeed made it outside.
"Will they return?"
"I wonder. On a rainy day like today, it might be dangerous."
When I answered, Mion seemed to get scared and clung to my back. I hadn't meant to frighten her...
"You two stay here. I will go look with Sera."
"Ah... sorry. Please do."
El-san could fly, and Sera-san could teleport, so they could get over there. I asked them to check the end of the corridor, with the agreement that they would contact me via guild chat and retreat immediately if anything happened.
"Ah, do you need a light?"
"I will provide that."
As Sera-san said this, a Magic Nightlight-like object appeared in her hand. She was apparently replicating it using her special Silky abilities.
"Please be careful."
Nodding at Mion's words, the two of them floated up and moved ahead. I didn't want to just wait, so I thought about clearing away these fences, but...
"This is incredible. To bend Magic Steel of this thickness..."
"Shou-kun. If you touch it too much, the ceiling..."
"Ugh, true."
Because the fences connecting the floor and ceiling had been torn down, the floor and ceiling were gouged in several places. Looking at the structural integrity, the ceiling area was glowing orange, which looked bad. It would probably be safer to just fill this place in...
"Ah."
I felt relieved seeing El-san and Sera-san return.
"The exit leads into the forest. It is likely near the area we bypassed before."
"I see."
We had bypassed it back then because of the hyenas, but if there was something else there, it would be a problem. Ah, I see. If there was an Area Boss, it was very likely the monster that escaped from here...
"What shall we do?"
"Let's head back for now and approach the forest from the outside."
If we couldn't go through here, we had to go around. Considering our future plans, I wanted to settle this today, but...
"In that case, we should increase our fighting force. We should call Lady Emeraldia."
"Hmm..."
It felt like overkill, but considering the opponent might be dangerous, it was a reasonable choice. It was just past 9:00 PM.
"There might be many monsters. Let's call Shal-kun and Ato-chan as well."
"Got it. Let's do that."
Since there were hyenas too, it would be better to call everyone. Oh, but...
"What about the White Dragon Princess?"
"Leave that to me. I cannot go outside anyway,"
Sera-san said. El-san agreed. Once decided, we had to hurry.
"Alright, let's head back and get ready in fifteen minutes!"
"Yes!"
"Woof!"
"Understood."
...
..
.
One good sign was that the rain had stopped. It was still cloudy, but it was much better than getting wet.
"Nya!"
"Nya! Nya! Nya!"
Shal and the others lined up in front of me and Lupi in the castle courtyard. And in front of Mion, El-san, and Emeraldia-san...
"Grrr."
"Grrr! Grrr! Grrr!"
Ato and her group were lined up. We formed an alliance with a total of twenty-seven members.
[Tir na nOg]
* Shou's Party: Shou, Lupi, Roy, Raz, Rigel
* Former Silver Cat Knights: Shal, Cait Siths (8 members)
* Mion's Party: Mion, Leda, El, Emeraldia
* Daughters of the Forest: Ato, Ghillie Dhus (8 members)
I explained the situation to Sweee when we returned. Since the White Dragon Princess was staying behind, I asked her to house-sit. She looked a bit dissatisfied, but I managed to win her over with some snacks.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes."
"Alright, let's aim for about an hour. Don't push yourselves."
If there was an Area Boss out there, I had a feeling it was the final boss of this island. I just hoped Emeraldia-san wouldn't have to turn back into a dragon...