Listening to the deathly footsteps slowly approaching, the remaining adventurers huddled trembling in the corner.
The windows, whatever they were, wouldn’t open or break.
The only thing protecting their lives was this door—yet even before a group of Knights capable of slaying Magical Beasts, it was utterly helpless.
“Boss, w-what do we do!?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know!?”
“Should we? Just charge and fight them together!?”
“Fight your grandmother’s leg! What do we have to fight them with? Do we even have the means!?”
Nelson was completely stunned.
They had just thrown a poison smoke bomb, but their remaining weapons couldn’t even break through the enemy’s defenses.
There was still some smoke left, but with the windows unopenable, as long as the enemy blocked the door, no matter what they said, they couldn’t escape.
They were dead.
They were about to be wiped out.
Despairingly, he even closed his eyes.
The footsteps soon stopped outside the door, then a brief silence followed.
Then, from the other side of the door, a little farther away, shouting voices came:
“Found them, they’re hiding here!”
“Good, attack immediately! Anyone who opposes the Goddess Lady shall be killed without mercy!”
“Die!”
“No, no—please don’t—let me go—”
Chaotic footsteps, the clash of weapons, then all kinds of incomprehensible noises—like something rustling about—mixed with the shouts and screams of men and women.
It was bone-chilling and made the adventurers inside, who had no idea what was happening outside, even more terrified.
Soon, in less than a minute, the outside sounds fell silent.
Even the locked door creaked open just a crack.
At this point, Nelson had to admit, there was definitely something sinister about this house.
He patted the shoulder of a subordinate.
“Hey, you, go check it out.”
The subordinate’s already pale face turned even whiter instantly.
He hurriedly shook his head:
“N-no no… Boss, I’m timid, I’m… prone to pissing myself. You’re so capable, why don’t you go?”
“If I tell you to go, you go! Stop wasting time with nonsense! If you don’t, I’ll kill you myself!”
Nelson grabbed the collar of the man’s jacket in frustration and kicked him forward.
The subordinate’s face twisted painfully, his features almost contorting into a ball, but with no choice, he shakily reached for the slightly ajar door.
A faint creak—the door opened.
The corridor outside was pitch black, but empty.
The Knights who were just here, and any trace of their existence, had vanished without a trace.
Even the decorations in the corridor were tidy as before; the noises they had just heard felt like a lie.
The subordinate looked back at Nelson helplessly, but Nelson had no idea what was going on either.
“Boss… w-what do we do now?”
Nelson swallowed hard.
Something was definitely wrong.
But was there any choice now? Not run and wait here to die?
Run! Hurry!
“Move, now!!!”
The group shook off their nerves, stood up, and tried to flee.
But just as they stepped out the door, a faint sound came from behind them.
Nelson nervously turned his head.
“…A cat?”
A black cat sat motionless on the study’s desk like a statue, staring at them.
Was the cat in the room just now?
Nelson didn’t have time to think, turning back to run.
They hurried down the corridor and into the living room, surprisingly unhindered, and soon reached the door of a room.
Nelson impatiently reached for the doorknob.
“Achoo—”
A very soft sneeze came from very close by.
Nelson stopped in his tracks and looked in that direction.
It was a large cabinet, big enough to hide someone.
Nelson immediately became alert, signaled to the remaining men, and they lunged forward, yanking the cabinet door open.
“W-what are you trying to do!?”
Inside the cabinet was a purple-haired woman in an evening gown, looking extremely flustered and bewildered as she stared at them.
She was beautiful—so beautiful that Nelson was momentarily stunned.
Isn’t this the owner of the house they targeted last night and tonight!?
Never expected she’d be delivered straight into their hands!
Feeling greatly triumphant, Nelson waved his hand, and the men pounced like wolves and tigers, grabbing the woman and dragging her out.
“Don’t touch me—don’t touch me—please, take whatever you want but don’t hurt me—don’t—”
The woman struggled desperately, begging pitifully, but Nelson, who’d had a terrible night, was in no mood for mercy.
He slapped her hard across the face.
“Shut up!! Behave and come with us quietly, and you’ll be fine. If not, heehee, then my brothers here will have some fun with you~”
The adventurers all wore lecherous grins, quickly tying her up, gagging her, and injecting a sedative.
The woman struggled a few times, then her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness.
Nelson exhaled deeply in relief.
Even if they had escaped, without completing the mission, they were basically doomed.
Never expected such a twist of fate.
Maybe it was because he’d done good deeds before that he got lucky.
It had to be.
Watching his men hoist the woman, he nodded with satisfaction:
“Got her, retreat—”
“Heh heh, I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”
A woman’s voice came from above.
They looked up and saw another purple-haired girl leaning on the railing upstairs, mocking them with a smirk.
The black cat was now obediently curled at her feet.
The men looked up and then back down, realizing the woman upstairs was the spitting image of the one they were holding bound in their hands!
Could they be twins!?
But… after so many days of observation, they had never seen her?
Nelson had no time to think further because the woman upstairs laughed and raised her hand.
“By my nature, I should tear you all to pieces and curse your souls until they’re completely wiped out. But my dear has some questions for you, so please stay a while longer~”
With a snap of her fingers, the “woman” they were holding suddenly lost her human form and transformed into a Mud Doll with no facial features.
Before they could even react in shock, the Mud Doll exploded, scattering fragments that struck the men.
The pieces immediately expanded like living things, then solidified.
In an instant, everything below their heads was sealed inside stone-hard earth, unable to move, their mouths gagged so they couldn’t even shout.
“All done~”
Verlian sighed, looking out the window:
“My own wife was nearly kidnapped and killed. What is Eze doing? Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
A brutal kidnapping case had occurred in the busiest district of Tafia, infuriating the lord, Sheen, who personally came to investigate the scene.
Taking over the investigation, he promised that Eze would be informed of the results.
But no matter what, Anna’s companions in the city had all disappeared; there was no way to leave her alone in a shop where so many had died, so Eze had to bring her back.
Having cried for a long time, she was now utterly exhausted and had fallen asleep on Eze’s back.
But her sleep was restless; her face twisted in pain, her limbs flailed, and she kept mumbling in her sleep.
“Sis… Sis… Everyone… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Eze sighed.
Lately, it felt like there were a lot of people apologizing madly in their sleep on his back.
Soon, the house appeared ahead, unexpectedly dark and with its front door wide open.
Having just gone through a fierce battle, Eze frowned.
Carrying Anna, he cautiously pushed open the door and immediately widened his eyes.
“Wh-what—”
The dark foyer was in complete disarray.
Verlian lay quietly on the floor, a longsword piercing her chest, surrounded by a pool of blood, motionless without the slightest breath of life.