Chapter 37
'I wonder if he's watching right now.'
A magic tool hidden in a corner crevice.
He looked at the angle finished with transparent light and smiled briefly.
He hoped they would at least feel something out of place.
"Huhu."
He let out a quiet laugh.
That fellow might be mistaken that he was controlling the entire situation in the basement.
But from the moment he set foot in this place.
The game was already as good as over.
He had to make them regret it.
If they had lived like they were dead after escaping, they wouldn't have had to face him again at least.
Back then, it was an immature time, so he let them slip away.
'Now that you've appeared again... I have no intention of letting you go half-heartedly.'
He calmly walked forward.
What appeared in his vision was only a long-extending corridor, with torches faintly illuminating the darkness around.
Amidst that, the ceiling was so high it couldn't be seen.
Had they put expansion magic here too?
Perhaps because they were still being chased now as they were then, they were extracting extreme efficiency from limited space.
As he moved his feet for a while.
Soon the corridor ended and a huge door blocked the way.
"Excuse me for a moment."
He slyly placed his palm on it.
Behind the girls stopped at the dead end, he infused pure mana into the surface.
Then.
Creeeeak-!
The closed iron door opened.
Despite not exerting much force.
He smiled brightly and said.
"Shall we enter?"
"Ah... Y-Yes! Young Master!"
"...How do you know about things like this?"
"Huhu."
Emilia looked at him with suspicious eyes.
As he couldn't explain that it was a strategy learned from the game, he simply evaded.
"It's a secret."
"......"
Perhaps due to his characteristic suspiciousness.
It seemed to have amplified her doubts instead, but there was no leisure to offer explanations.
From now on was the full-fledged development of the episode.
Trudge trudge-.
Footsteps echoing gently.
What was located at the end of the long corridor was a scene of rusted iron bars lined up.
It reminded him of the underground prison where he had saved Irene before.
Of course, the scale was much smaller than that time.
But even this could easily accommodate thirty people.
They slowly looked around.
"To think there's such a wide space even at the end of the corridor... It's becoming an increasingly ominous place."
"Wh-What on earth was this space made for...?"
"Oh my."
Of course, the scenery here didn't stop simply at iron bars.
Beside the prison seething with gloom.
A bed with an unknown purpose was placed.
Sheets with brown stains all over, chains that seemed to be for restraining bodies, even blades rolling on the floor.
For someone who knew, it was too blatant.
'Abandoned laboratory.'
This place was used as a laboratory long ago.
An unspeakably cruel cult group.
They, who continued chimera research by artificially combining various living beings, finally succeeded in creating something.
A being far removed from common sense.
[EP5. Midterm Exam]
-Abandoned Laboratory, Monsters That Can't Laugh-
[They finally overstepped into the realm of gods.]
[They insulted the stars by molding life, and praised their wicked god by covering themselves in blood.]
[The cultists sang in one voice.]
["All for the origin of all things and our master... Him."]
The explanation in the game went up to here.
Afterwards, the laboratory was closed.
Leaving only minimal management personnel.
Exactly what happened... I think a little imagination is enough.
Anyway, that was the scene we were seeing.
"...What on earth is this?"
"......"
"Didn't I tell you? Don't be too surprised by whatever you see."
Though dust had accumulated from long neglect.
That didn't mean all the sins that had flowed hideously were covered.
The children fell into silence.
Bloodstains stuck to the floor.
Bones piled in a corner, and remnants left from surgeries.
The sharp smell characteristic of rotten meat pierced their noses.
"......"
The two stood frozen for a moment.
Anger, bewilderment, sadness... What froze the girls wasn't such emotions.
Just.
An intense shock dyeing the back of their heads.
For children not yet adults, it was a somewhat cruel scene to see.
'Though I knew this reaction would come...'
Green eyes and blue eyes filled with shock.
It was fortunate there were no remains that looked like humans.
If there had been anything that could be presumed as such, one of them would have fainted.
A sigh escaped for a moment.
'Even if it's for Regia's growth... is this right?'
Shouldn't I have entered the laboratory alone from the start?
Such regret brushed by briefly.
But soon he shook his head.
'...It's a necessary process.'
Regia's growth was a major issue.
A certain item obtained in the latter part of the story.
To use it perfectly, the protagonist had to be in a state of complete awakening.
Being weak like now was troublesome.
As it was an item that appeared as a key to the ending.
Depending on how well Regia utilized it, the outcome produced would be different.
With a bit of exaggeration, it could be said to be an issue with the world's existence at stake.
"Wh-What on earth happened here......"
Therefore, the girl's growth was essential.
To lead this world to a happy ending, a narrative of overcoming pain and standing up was needed.
Enough for her wish to reach 'that'.
Growth always accompanies pain.
Last time he had stopped Emilia's bullying.
But thinking long-term.
He needed to appropriately turn a blind eye to the trials befalling her.
Because she had to learn to endure on her own.
"...Ugh."
Regia took a step back.
Seeing the girl trying hard to swallow her dry heaves, his chest felt heavy for no reason.
He chewed over his regretful feelings inwardly.
My beloved protagonist.
As she met a tragic end in the original work.
This time I wanted to protect you so you wouldn't get hurt.
But fate seemed to insist that you become an adult.
"Miss Regia."
"...Young Master."
He lightly stroked the girl's head.
Body temperature dyeing his palm.
It was a warmth that felt especially affectionate.
As he was calming the protagonist with a gentle touch, suddenly the villainess beside him muttered.
In a somewhat serious voice.
"I had an ominous feeling from the start... As expected, this basement doesn't look like a normal facility."
"I agree."
"We should stop going forward any more."
"Lady."
"Let's go back the way we came. It would be better to return to where we first teleported."
"Um, Lady."
"I can't yield this time! Are you going to spout nonsense about continuing to search this place even after seeing such a meaningful scene?!"
"That's not it. I just......"
Emilia with her hackles raised.
He shook his head at her excited shout and slowly raised his finger to point to the opposite side.
It was the laboratory door we had just passed through.
There.
"I was just going to say it seems too late to go back."
Some things were blocking the way.
The children forgot their conversation for a moment and turned to look in the direction he pointed.
Growl-.
A grotesquely ringing breath.
It was clearly that of a beast, but it was a cry that felt terribly alien somewhere.
It cracked as if several vocal cords had been cut and stuck together.
Blue-glowing teeth glared this way.
The beast's tooth structure was clearly visible from horribly torn cheeks, and dirty saliva was dripping.
Tentacles writhed where eyes should have been.
Some had upper bodies in the form of wolves, but lower bodies transformed like spiders.
It was truly a nightmarish scene.
"Wh-What is that...?!"
"Where on earth did such terrible creatures...!"
Low-level mobs inhabiting the abandoned laboratory.
Low-grade chimeras, 'failed wolf mutants'.
They were glaring at us, making strange cries, looking like they would pounce at any moment.
The tentacles attached to their eyeballs were quite hideous.
They weren't particularly pleasant designs even in the game.
Seeing them in reality, they had an even more chilling appearance.
To mass-produce such creatures under the pretext of mere experiments... Baob, these bastards were truly insane.
Thanks to that, it looks like I'll have to clean up.
"Let's each prepare. It seems they have no intention of letting us go peacefully."
He calmly gave instructions.
As he was gathering lies at his fingertips, Emilia stood beside him holding an ice spear.
Regia seemed to be preparing an incantation behind.
"That's why I said we shouldn't move from our original place!"
"If we had done that, wouldn't we have encountered them sooner?"
"I don't know!"
"Don't worry. They're not as difficult as you think."
"They look the scariest of any creature I've seen in my life?!"
Emilia reacted sharply while wrapping mana around her whole body.
Perhaps because they were in an immediately dangerous situation.
She didn't seem to remember things like deals.
He smiled slightly.
"For now, the situation right in front of us comes first."
Growl, screech-!
The mutants lurking and watching for an opportunity.
They soon bared their teeth savagely and charged all at once, kicking off the ground.
"Well then."
He stepped forward.
A sword made of shadows was held in each hand.
Right after.
"Let's try to survive."
Whack-!
Pitch blackness pierced the brow of a mutant that had approached right in front of him.
Then as he was smoothly pulling out the blade.
There were two wolves ambushing from both sides.
Swish-!
He drew a dance line by turning around once just like that.
Pitch blackness drawn through the air.
The sword path cut short and concisely resembled elegantly written calligraphy.
And the next moment.
Slash-!
The upper bodies of the wolves, cut without knowing when, fell to the floor.
Rotten blood soaked the surroundings.
It was a scene of three mutants being butchered in an instant.
He stopped in place.
With a faint killing intent held.
"Huhu."
It was a kind of message.
Conveyed to the person who would be watching this entire situation through the screen right now.
"Please wait."
As soon as this miscellaneous business is over, I'll come to take your neck right away.
Behind moving lips.
He smiled meaningfully.