---

Marta said that she needed to move quickly before the other succubi realized she had stolen the map.

Fortunately, she had a guess as to where the Red Dragon King was located and claimed to be certain about it.

“However, it’s just a guess, right?”

“Take a look at this map.”

Marta pulled out a parchment booklet from her robe. As she opened it fully, the map covered one entire side of the safety zone, filled with thin lines and tiny text.

“Wow, you’ve recorded the depths of the catacombs?”

“Not everything, but almost all of it.”

“Something the guild wouldn’t even dare try?”

“Heh heh. Rooted in this land for thousands of years, my ancestors and I gathered secrets and wealth in silence.”

Marta puffed out her chest with pride. Her robe slipped off, revealing a bust comparable to Flora’s.

“However, it’s still just a guess, right?”

“Just take a look at the map.”

At her words, Karem examined the map more closely. It marked numerous alleys, crossroads, dangerous areas, and safe zones, with remarkably low empty space.

“Don’t you feel something strange?”

Wait, Karem thought, as he tore his eyes from the map to gauge the width of the safety zone they were currently in.

“Miss Catherine, how big is a dragon?”

“…According to legends and records, dragons continue to grow until their dying moments. The width of this safety zone will easily be surpassed.”

“Then…”

Karem looked again at the map and spotted the current safety zone while estimating the size of the empty spaces on the map.

Some of the empty spaces were larger than the safety zone, but assuming there were passages nearby, they didn’t seem too big.

“It seems the seal doesn’t exist at this depth, right?”

“Correct! Even if the Grand Wizard thinks so. The house fairy and the cook are sharper than expected!”

Marta blinked widely, alternating her gaze between the two species. It seemed she didn’t expect them to catch on to that.

“While there could be the possibility of space-expanding magic, considering the known dragon’s preferences and magical resistance, a physical space would indeed be necessary.”

“Yes, the seal won’t be here in the depths.”

Marta tapped the map, holding her index finger out.

“If it was in the mid-level or lower levels, it would have been discovered by now—”

“…It means there’s a seal beneath the depths.”

“Exactly!”

“But the elevator goes down to the depths…”

Karem tilted his head, as if something was about to click.

“This city and the catacombs, both built by the Palatino Empire, if the Red Dragon King’s seal is there—”

“It means the ancient Palatinos sealed the dragon and built the city and the catacombs on top of it.”

However, there was no location on the depth map where a seal would logically be found. It was obvious that they wouldn’t find it in the mid or lower levels either.

“Is it just me who thinks we can get to the depths below using the elevator?”

Mary muttered while tapping the map. The folded section of the map hovering in the air touched the floor.

Half a day had passed since they entered the depths.

The sightseeing schedule was a total of three nights and four days.

Just two days until the Crystal Jubilee.

First things first, they needed to investigate the elevator.

“Before that, we should borrow a little of Shangir’s attention.”

“Shouldn’t we borrow some equipment for our unarmed junior, Karem?”

And so they did.

They finished eating the remaining food quickly.

Taking advantage of the moment of negligence, they borrowed one magic tool and a shield from the adventurers frozen in place by Marta’s magic, tearing off some of the Fool’s Golden Bread as they left the safety zone.

As they stepped back into the catacombs, they were once again reminded of the ruthless maze structure, glittering and colorful remnants all around.

“Wow, it’s really a good thing we have a map.”

“Here… this way.”

Thanks to the reduced numbers and Marta’s map, it didn’t take long to reach the elevator.

The elevator was exactly where they had left it after arriving.

“It seems no one else has used it.”

“Ah, it’s probably because of us.”

The elevator had been waiting in the depths in case any tourists encountered emergencies and needed to escape.

“By the way… it’s fascinating…”

While Catherine, Mary, and Marta inspected the elevator, Karem slowly examined the surroundings, taking in the sights.

Unlike the convoluted maze-like paths and districts they had passed through, the area with the elevator felt wide like a gym, with the tall tower for the elevator extending up to the high ceiling.

The ceiling and walls were intricately adorned with statues and gravestones of people, decorated with various plants and creatures.

In contrast, the elevator tower at the center looked like a massive column inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture.

He had thought it before, but the ancient Palatino Empire certainly had a strong Greek and Roman vibe. The same applied to Winchester.

Suddenly, a sound that was both rapid and quiet echoed—a door closing?

“What the—?”

“Karem! Quickly, over here!!!”

At the urgent voice, Karem dashed around the pillar towards the elevator’s entrance. And he was horrified.

“What the hell!”

The elevator doors were closing.

No, they had already been halfway shut for some time.

Karem snatched up the weapon he had briefly set down and sprinted toward the elevator, where the door was closing in real-time.

No, this is bad.

The doors were closing faster than he anticipated.

“By the power of Skadi!!!”

With a crack! He unleashed divine power beneath his feet, summoning an ice pillar. It shot up instantly, propelling Karem forward with surprising speed.

He thought it felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Yet, Karem didn’t want to experience a scene from that movie.

The sensation of air cutting across his skin.

The doors closing before him.

“Just a bit—ah!”

Crash! Thud—

Karem collided headfirst into the door and fell to the ground.

As the elevator’s operational sounds buzzed, he cradled his aching head and curled up.

It hurt as much as when Gordon had beaten him with a training spoon.

Letting out a scream of pain from deep within was tempting, but if he did, all the monsters would come swarming.

While Karem put in all his effort to soothe his throbbing head, the elevator doors pinged and opened again. Marta blinked as she watched Karem roll on the floor.

“…Do priests nowadays use divine power like that?”

“…I’ve heard it… from someone else too.”

As soon as Karem stepped back inside, the doors closed again, and the elevator began to move downward.

Though his head still hurt, Karem decided to think positively.

What if the speed had been just a tad faster?

He might have gotten squished between the doors.

Of course, there was the possibility that the doors would detect an obstacle and reopen, but that would be even worse if he got stuck, so he decided to rule that out.

Thus, Karem posed the most important question.

“What the hell is going on?”

“The contractor touched the elevator’s descent rune stone.”

She called it a rune stone, but honestly, it was just a button.

The descent button that moved the elevator up and down.

The red rune stone glowed brightly.

Karem quickly turned his head to Catherine after Mary’s confession.

“Miss Catherine?”

“…Alright. I’ll admit it. It was my oversight.”

“Oh no.”

“Lean this way.”

Catherine pulled him closer. With no other option, Karem instinctively hunched over. The ensuing cold sensation felt prickly yet refreshing.

‘Fortunately, it hasn’t cracked.’

Catherine’s hand, wrapped in ice-property magic, carefully brushed Karem’s head. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried.

‘Hope it’s not too big.’

As Catherine caressed Karem’s head, she caught sight of his reddened ears. Since he remained quiet, it was clear that Karem was subtly enjoying this situation.

Now that she thought about it, Catherine had been extremely busy since they arrived at the capital.

The current situation had originally intended to be a sightseeing date, but it had turned to this.

She could tell Catherine felt a bit dissatisfied. If that was the case, perhaps it was time to offer a bit of service for her larger-bodied young lover. While considering this, Catherine continued to pet Karem’s head.

Of course, from the standpoint of previous lives, Karem could hardly be considered young, but such trivialities didn’t bother Catherine. Even if he was an age requiring consideration, he was still younger than Catherine.

Her musings were conveyed through her increasingly delicate and soft touch.

…Fine. I might forgive him.

Thus, she decided to inquire about something more pertinent.

With him in that position, Karem asked.

“So, how did this happen?”

It had been thousands of years since the city was built, yet no one had discovered the path leading to the seal during all that time just by pressing a button?

Sensing his thoughts, Karem could feel Catherine’s hand lose a touch of its rhythm as she continued to pet him.

“Well, the house fairy mentioned it. The Grand Wizard merely touched the elevator’s rune stone, and that’s that.”

The circular rune stone the adventurer had touched when descending into the depths.

The rune stone beneath slowly flickered.

“Surely it can’t be that touching it was all it took to go lower into the depths—”

“That can’t be.”

Catherine shook her head firmly, denying it.

“How many people do you think have touched that stone?”

“So then… it must have been the Grand Wizard who touched it?”

“That thought has crossed my mind, but even if not many, several Grand Wizards have visited and pressed that button over the years. There must be some other condition.”

“An other condition…”

“There are magic tools that only activate or can be used under certain conditions.”

A sword that requires blood to be drawn when drawn.

A magic book that opens only to those with a certain amount of magical power.

A box that opens only when a specific song is sung, and so forth.

“For instance, just like your chef’s knife, Karem.”

“Pellwinter’s Lie?”

“If you turn the handle, its property changes, doesn’t it?”

Ah, only then did Karem agree. If turning the handle was a condition, then Pellwinter’s Lie was indeed that kind of magic tool.

But then what in the world was the condition for the elevator to descend further?

The elevator’s interior was enveloped in silence.

The only sounds audible were the hum of the descending elevator and their breathing.

‘A bit lacking.’

Karem suddenly rubbed his stomach. Maybe it was because of the impact on his head, but he was feeling hungry.

Come to think of it, they had halted lunch midway.

However, with the doors unsure of when they’d open again, it would be inappropriate to eat large quantities now. They could always just have suitable food.

Karem stuck his hand into his space-expanding pouch and envisioned fried fish as he pulled something out.

“Karem. That’s—”

“Fried fish.”

As he pulled the basket from his pouch, the enclosed elevator soon filled with the delicious, greasy aroma of frying, mixing with a refreshing scent.

“…Come to think of it, I remember you mentioned wanting to eat mutant dragon eel, Karem.”

“Mary, your thoughts on that—”

“Could it really be dragon eel?”

“No. Just joking. With Miss Catherine giving me that look, there’s no way I’d do that. It’s just orc fried.”

The fatty flesh was rich and resembling catfish or eel, while the tenderloin had a firm texture akin to flounder.

However, Karem didn’t particularly enjoy sashimi.

The only fish he had tasted might have been like squid or salmon.

So he had deep-fried a whole basket full, just like when he made fish and chips in his past life, storing it along with tartar sauce in his pouch.

“If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”

“Don’t worry. Have I ever gone against what you said, Miss Catherine?”

“What about the time your eyes glazed over when you saw ingredient so fascinating and tempting?”

“Hey now, don’t say that.”

Karem handed the basket to Mary, dipping the orc tenderloin in tartar sauce and offering it to Catherine.

She stared at Karem with narrowed eyes for a moment, then shook her head, as if yielding, and took a bite.

Karem dipped a piece of fried orc in the sauce and took a bite himself.

Crispy— as he chewed, the thick batter broke, and rich, greasy juices flowed out.

The greasy flavor in his mouth began to swirl, promptly overshadowed by the refreshing, tangy tartar sauce that quickly reined it in.

From time to time, the diced onions mixed in the sauce crunched between his teeth, providing a new twist for his senses.

Karem carefully fed the leftover bits to Catherine.

“…”

“Hmm?”

Then, he suddenly noticed someone outside the space.

He caught the sour expression of Marta, who was fiddling with her tail.

“What? Want one too?”

“You said it’s… orc, right?”

“Never had one before?”

“No, well…”

Of course, she hadn’t had one before.

Given the trend in Kingsland, where monster and beast meat was popular, it was natural that a demon like her wouldn’t eat something as lowly as orc meat.

Yet even so, her reasons for avoiding it were different.

‘No matter what, we were collaborators…’

Having spent years working alongside the followers of Orcus, Marta had indeed seen lizardmen and orcs.

Even if they had become monsters, eating beings that may have once been collaborators was something she greatly avoided.

“…No, I won’t eat it. I’m full!”

“It seems your tail has differing opinions.”

“What? No, wait!?”

Her long, slender tail snaked out from the basket, slyly wrapping around a piece of the orc fry.

“No, wait, that’s not—”

“I think we’ve arrived.”

Just as Mary said, the elevator’s movement ceased, and the feeling of floating vanished. The doors of the elevator slid open to reveal a dark, gloomy corridor devoid of any light at the end.

Something glimmered softly ahead.

 

---