Chapter 121
Beyond the door, just as expected, were stairs leading down.
It wasn’t particularly dark because there were light-emitting magic tools here and there, but it gave off a distinctly eerie atmosphere.
Not only that, but from the damp air to the echoing sounds, it was exactly the kind of place you’d see in a tale of dread.
'Well, it doesn’t really matter.'
Franz thought so as he calmly stepped forward.
It wasn’t as if this was his first time coming to a place like this. He had been to plenty of worse places when subjugating the Demon Lord, so any sense of fear had long since vanished.
Besides, they had a saintess on their side. Even if a ghost appeared, the only thing it could do was pass on and go meet the Goddess.
Step-, step-.
Step-, step-.
The echoing footsteps gave off a terrifying atmosphere.
After descending the stairs for a short time, Franz and his party soon arrived at the basement.
The basement wasn’t much different from how it looked that day. Iron bars lined a long corridor structure, much like a prison. The only difference from that day was that the floor was messy with debris from various broken spots.
Along with the memories of that day, Franz frowned as he recalled what Yuna’s family had suffered.
Even though Duke Ishtar was already dead, his anger still hadn’t subsided.
If even he, an outsider, felt this level of anger, Yuna was surely feeling much more.
Just then, Yuna, who had been looking around the basement, spoke.
“So this is where Mom and Yuri-ah were…”
Yuna’s small hands gripped the freezing iron bars.
He didn’t even need to ask to know what she was feeling. Her voice was so thick with emotion that it sounded like she would burst into tears at any moment.
Franz silently placed his hand on her head. It seemed better to do this than to offer some clumsy words of comfort.
After a moment, Yuna took her hands off the iron bars and said.
“Sorry for making you worry. I’m okay now, so let’s go.”
At those words, Franz tried to take his hand off her head. It would be weird to keep his hand resting there forever, after all.
But right before his hand pulled away, something grabbed Franz’s wrist.
It was none other than Yuna’s hand.
What in the world did this mean?
The moment Franz harbored that question, Yuna spoke.
“I want to stay like this just a little longer.”
How long exactly was “a little longer”?
And what was the point of keeping his hand on her head in the first place?
Several questions popped into Franz’s mind at once, but he didn’t bother voicing them.
'Well, it’s not like it’s difficult…'
Thanks to that, there was the rather ridiculous sight of him walking around with his hand resting on her head, but since there was no one around to judge them, it probably didn’t matter.
Of course, that was just Franz’s own thought; the other three, excluding the parties involved, were watching with subtle gazes.
First of all, they were jealous of her receiving Franz’s affectionate touch.
And they were dissatisfied that she was monopolizing it.
But more than that, they felt pity for her situation.
So, they decided to let it slide, thinking, “It can’t be helped this time.'
Even so, voicing their complaints in a situation like this was something they shouldn’t do as humans.
Amidst that complicated situation, everyone resumed their paused steps. And not long after, they arrived at the end of the long corridor.
There was a tightly shut door there.
Since it was the first time for everyone, including Franz, to come this far, they couldn’t move forward easily.
It was because they didn’t know what kind of traps Duke Ishtar might have left behind.
Of course, with this group of members, they wouldn’t even flinch at an ordinary trap, but there was no harm in being certain.
Franz sent his mana beyond the door. Soon, the advancing mana wave returned, carrying information.
“Is it a research lab…?”
Inside, there were only items that looked like experimental tools and various books. Unlike what they had worried about, it didn’t seem very dangerous.
Creaaak-.
Franz opened the door and stepped inside.
At the same time, his hand naturally fell away from Yuna’s head.
Yuna showed a look of disappointment, but Franz failed to notice it.
'There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly dangerous…'
The space beyond the door was exactly as he had confirmed with mana detection. For a cultist’s research lab, it was incredibly ordinary.
'What’s this…?'
While slowly looking around the room, Franz discovered some papers placed on the desk.
Various things were written on the papers, and at a glance, they seemed to be records of experiments.
As he was examining the papers, Yusti-ah tilted her head and asked.
“What is that?”
“It looks like notes on the experiments conducted here.”
“I see. That’s not very pleasant.”
Franz was thinking the exact same thing.
It was unpleasant and made him feel sick.
Even if these papers held immense academic value, that thought wouldn’t change.
Any human who had seen that horrific situation that day would think the same.
“Come to think of it, what do you plan to do with all the items here? Aren’t they quite helpful to you as a mage?”
She was certainly right.
The materials here right now were things he hadn’t seen anywhere else, not even in the Magic Tower’s library.
If he took them back and investigated them, they would definitely be prove useful.
Perhaps he might discover something truly groundbreaking that would leave a massive mark on the world.
However…
“I’m just going to destroy it all. That’s the right thing to do from the Goddess Church’s perspective too, isn’t it?”
There was no need to know the knowledge gained through such horrific experiments, nor was there any need to pass it down to future generations.
And even without using such methods, there were countless ways to advance magic.
If a mage couldn’t advance without it, then they were a mage of only that caliber.
Snap-.
Franz snapped his fingers. Then, all the books and materials in the room floated into the air.
Following that, the books and materials began to turn white, and soon turned into light and scattered into the air.
With this, it was safe to say that everything that bastard had left in the world was gone.
Feeling a little relieved, Franz said.
“Alright, let’s head back now.”
Franz and his party immediately left the basement. And just as planned, they sealed the place right away.
Using magic, he turned the spot where the door used to be into a blank wall. He also placed appropriate seals to prevent any magical intrusion.
With the inspection of the mansion roughly finished, all that was left was to bring Yuna’s family over.
“Come to think of it, there was something I had to do before that.”
Franz snapped his fingers and used magic. It was none other than cleaning magic. After all, it was only proper to do some cleaning before guests arrived.
Franz’s mana spread out like a wave, and the mansion, which had gathered quite a bit of dust, instantly transformed to look brand new. It was a sight that would be worthy of being called a miracle.
Seeing that, Yusti-ah spoke as if she were dumbfounded.
“It really is so unfair…”
“Then why don’t you learn it too? I’ll kindly teach you.”
“No thanks. If it weren’t for my divine power, I wouldn’t have been able to save your life. I’ll be satisfied with this.”
To think she would bring that up…
For Franz, who owed his life to Yusti-ah, it was truly an unblockable attack.
Then again, he had contributed greatly to the subjugation of the Demon Lord, so maybe it wasn’t exactly a debt.
Just then, Yuna, who was looking around, said.
“I wouldn’t have minded doing the cleaning myself…”
“It’s fine. It’s my house anyway.”
It didn’t really matter who did the cleaning. Whether Yuna did it or he did it, as long as the house got clean, that was all that mattered.
But considering efficiency, this was the right way. A huge mansion could be cleaned in an instant with just a snap of his fingers, so there was no need to physically exert himself.
Unless, of course, someone really loved cleaning.
Anyway, with this, all preparations to welcome the guests were complete. Now, the only thing left was to bring the guests over.
Franz said.
“Yuna, let’s go pick up your family.”
“Yeah-!”
Yuna smiled brightly and nodded.
She had said that living happily in a big, spacious house with her family was her dream, so he could understand her joyful feelings.
“But what should we do later…?”
Right now, they are in this kind of relationship since neither of them was married, but wouldn’t it become a truly awkward relationship if even one of them got married?
'Well, I’ll think about that later.'
He didn’t want to worry in advance about something that hadn’t even happened yet. It wouldn’t be too late to think about it when it actually happened.
“Guys, wait here for a moment. We’ll be right back.”
With those final words, Franz snapped his fingers, and through teleport, they arrived in front of Yuna’s house.
Knock, knock…
When Yuna knocked on the door, a presence could be felt from inside, and a voice immediately rang out.
“Who is it? Sis, no, Magic Tower master?!”
The door opened, revealing Yuna’s younger sister, Yuri-ah.
Yuna spoke to her, who had a startled expression.
“Yuri-ah, let’s move!”