“Hoh ho ho, it’s done!”
“Now we can connect all the way to the Imperial Capital.”
Sufma, the Illusionist who created the teleportation magic circle that reached the Adventurer Guild in the Imperial Capital, not just the fortress, and my Clarice.
They’ve probably made several teleportation magic circles, including one that spans the fortress city of Alice. At any rate, if something happens, everyone who’s alive should be able to escape now.
“Next, shall we make one for the fortress?”
“Sufma-sama, before that, let’s confirm it with the Imperial Capital.”
“Indeed. Then let’s go together.”
The two of them headed for the teleportation magic circle.
“Then Derus-sama, enjoy your time with your beloved stone statue.”
“Eh?” “How pitiful, you’ve been rejected.” “Eh?”
“I’ll be back soon, I love you, Derus-sama.”
With that, she disappeared with instantaneous movement…
(I’m going to be cuckolded???)
“Ugh, Clarice-san…”
“Husband, I understand Clarice-san’s feelings. She just wanted to tease you a little.”
“Helen-san… Then, as you said, shall we go confirm the stone statues?”
My beloved stone statues, I bet they’re referring to the two I said I’d take.
“Yes, and to retrieve the other jailers.”
“R-right, that’s right. And the Assassins, as security.”
“Yes.” “Understood.” “It’s fine~”
I decided to have Mogunami-san, Juni-san, and Natsu-nee-san come along as well, just in case.
“I want to search for my companions too!”
“Josena-san… I don’t think we’ve missed anything, but…”
“I haven’t checked behind the toilet yet!”
Well, I think we defeated all the enemies up to the dungeon, so it should be fine. The Assassins are ready for any emergency, and if they just want to follow…
“I-I’ll go too!”
“Jave-san, please don’t push yourself.”
“However, we need to confirm…” “We’ll bring them back safely. By the way, who is this?”
I took out what was likely a jailer, only its head, from the Item Box.
“Ah, Gardo!!”
“If you enter here, revival is impossible. I’m sorry.”
“I see… the sacrifices… I’ll leave behind just the bodies and the others.”
And so, we descended to the second basement floor and beyond again. Yes, I can see some are petrified in the toilets. I’ll leave checking the women’s restroom to Helen-san later…
(It would be awful to be peeked at from above while in the middle of a bowel movement and get petrified.)
In the men’s restroom, there were people in the middle of their business. I left them as they were, so as not to cause trouble if they were soiled, and had them unpetrified.
“Helen-san, Gotchan, from behind okay?” “Yes.”
Gotchan (Goddess Succubus) has leveled up her Healing Magic and Resurrection Magic, so she can easily undo petrification now. I wonder when she learned it, though it’s possible she knew from the start. This means Helen-san can do it too, so we can handle the curse removal even without Clarice-san.
(She can’t maintain defense constantly, so Clarice-san is still necessary.)
In fact, Gotchan was also petrified.
“Fuu… W-what are you guys?!”
“Apologies, a large number of Lamia rushed in from underground and petrified everyone.”
“W-what do you mean?!”
Those who were petrified by Medusa-Lamia without realizing it, like Josena-san, were caught in the middle of their daily lives, or rather, their daily work. Explaining that time had stopped would be troublesome, but the slightly decayed state of the toilets seemed to make them understand.
“Where is Jailer Jave?!”
“He’s safe. He’s upstairs, please go see him.”
“Ou… My body feels stiff!”
Even so, he staggered out.
“There was no one in this women’s restroom either~”
“Ah, Josena-san, thank you.”
It’s convenient to be able to peek from above! With that, we confirmed the finer details and descended. We found petrified jailers and had the Succubi carry them, while repairing the cells…
(Ugh, this jailer can’t be put into the Item Box even though its lower body is missing!)
Does the lower body grow back? I left the transport to and from upstairs solely to the Succubi and continued the work. Around the time Clarice-san should have returned, we reached the prison on the fifth basement floor.
“Ummm, even looking again, what a magnificent body.”
In the deepest part of the women’s prison, inside the cage where a dangerous criminal was held, was a Giant Woman.
(She’s about the size of Helen-san and Nina-san.)
She was a Former Hero, wasn’t she? Though “former” likely means she became a criminal. A Hero is still a Hero, right? It’s hard to imagine a rare occupation disappearing. Well, there are exceptions, but only when something like Nastasia’s unique skill, ‘Double Class’, fails.
“Husband, shall I unpetrify her?”
“Ummm, no. The fun, the reward, I’ll save it for later.”
“Is that so? Do you like her that much?” “No, don’t bite your nails!”
I was deliberately mimicking Nastasia… In a nearby cell was a woman with an even more wicked face than Helen-san. This one was a Former Saint, wasn’t she? I wonder what religion. I’m curious about many things.
(Female Hero and Female Sage… Isn’t that exactly the combination of Nina-san and Clarice-san!)
I want to know more about these two, but that’s for later. I’d like to know at least their names, but there are only numbers written. I’ll ask the head jailer when we go up. The end of the passage caught my eye.
“Huh? This is a small Magic Elevator, isn’t it?”
“…This is for transporting meals.”
As expected of Mogunami-san, she’s very knowledgeable. Well, if she told me to look and see, I’d apologize.
“I think I can fit in there!”
“…The switch doesn’t seem to work.”
“I wonder what’s broken. It’s unlikely anyone is inside, right?”
I lightly knocked on it…
*Bang bang!!*
I got a response!
“W-what’s inside!”
“It might be a Minimum Lamia~”
“Eh? Natsu-nee-san, do they exist?” “As a species.”
So it was moving until recently?
“What should we do? We don’t know what’s inside, and it’s too narrow to use teleportation, right?”
“In situations like this, this is the best approach.”
En-chan (Ent-Succubus) forcefully opened the door of the Magic Elevator!
“Whoa, it opened by force!”
“There’s no elevator here.”
As I craned my neck to look up, I could see the elevator, likely stopped on the fourth basement floor.
“Is anyone in there~”
Finally, it responded to my search!
“Eh, h-help… you came?!”
“That voice… is it Haume, Haume?!”
“Josena! Josena, help me!!”
(An Angel Race member was alive!!)
And not petrified, but alive?! We hurried back to the fourth basement floor and arrived in front of the meal transport Magic Elevator.
“I’ll open it!”
En-chan and El-chan forcefully pulled it open…!!
“Waaaah, Josena!!”
“Haume! Haume, thank goodness!!”
A small Angel Race member burst out from inside!!!
(Right, Angel Race members can survive for several years without drinking or eating.)
At least they’re safe… or are they?!
“Uuuu, I’m hungryyyy~~”
As expected.
