Chapter 86

"Anyway, we didn't find anything."

At my words, Silfa also shook her head.

A few days after the concert, I was receiving reports from everyone.

"We didn't find anything either. We tried investigating each person on the list we obtained."

"I sneaked into the mansions of the important people to investigate, but there was nothing unusual."

"There are believers among the adventurers, but I couldn't get any significant information from them."

Silfa and the others hung their heads.

Hmm, it looks like this will take some time.

"Lloyd!"

Suddenly, the door opened, and Saria came in.

"You guys are here too. That's good."

"What's wrong? You're out of breath, Saria-nee."

When I asked, Saria looked straight at me and continued speaking.

"Listen carefully. ...Iesha has disappeared."

At Saria's words, everyone was speechless.

"I had a tea date with her the other day, so I went to the church. But she wasn't there. When I asked the priest, he said she hadn't come since morning, and when I went to her house, no one was there... I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find her! ...Lloyd, you can use magic, right? Can you find her somehow?"

Although Saria's expression didn't change much, she was pacing and seemed restless.

She looked unusually anxious.

Could this be the work of the mastermind?

If they knew that the spirit possessing the priest had been exorcised, it wouldn't be surprising if they targeted Iesha, who works at the same church and is a user of sacred magic.

Chasing Iesha might lead us to the mastermind.

"...I understand, Saria-nee. Iesha has helped me too."

"I'm counting on you, Lloyd. She's one of my few friends."

"Then, let's go... Shiro."

"Oink!"

I picked up Shiro, who was rubbing against my feet.

"Can you find Iesha?"

"Oink..."

Shiro, who usually follows my scent, couldn't track Iesha's scent because they didn't interact much.

In that case, I'll use this.

The enhancement magic 'Sensory Enhancement'.

This is a magic for familiars that greatly enhances certain senses.

It can't be used on humans because it puts a heavy strain on the body, but if I use it on Shiro, he should be able to track Iesha.

"Can you do it, Shiro?"

"Oink!"

This time, Shiro answered enthusiastically and ran out of the room.

"Alright, let's go."

"Me too!"

I stopped Saria, who was trying to follow us.

"Stay here, Saria-nee. If something happens to us, I want you to tell Albert-nii."

"But..."

"Lloyd-sama, we will protect you with our lives. Saria-sama, it's dangerous, so please wait."

"...Right. I'd just be in the way. Be back by tomorrow, or I'll tell Albert."

"Got it. Thanks, Saria-nee."

"Okay, be careful, Lloyd."

With Saria's farewell, we followed Shiro.

Shiro led us to the sewers under Dane Bridge.

There must be something here, no doubt.

"Thanks to Lloyd-sama's sacred magic, the path is clean."

Previously, the floor was covered in mud, but now it's gone, making it easier to run.

Shiro ran ahead, occasionally looking back.

"This direction... it's the same as before. We're heading towards the church."

"Yeah, there must be something over there."

"Oink! Oink!"

Suddenly, Shiro started barking at the wall.

"What's wrong, Shiro?"

"Hmm, it seems there's a hollow space behind the wall."

When Tao knocked on the wall, it made a hollow sound.

A hidden passage, huh.

It looks like just a wall, but upon closer inspection, the color is different here.

Maybe it became visible because the dirt was removed.

"I'll break it—'Ki Palm'"

When Tao touched the wall with his palm, countless cracks appeared, and the wall crumbled with a rumble.

"Oops, a bit too strong."

"It's fine. I've set up a sound barrier, so no noise will leak out."

Just in case, I used wind magic to set up a barrier to prevent unnecessary noise from escaping.

Even if we make some noise, there's no need to worry about the enemy noticing.

"Truly, Lloyd-sama, you are thorough."

"While I'm at it, I'll cast the 'Dark Vision' magic on everyone so we don't emit any light. Be careful if we suddenly enter a bright area, as it might dazzle your eyes."

"Okay."

This magic allows us to see clearly in the dark.

In the darkness, we cautiously moved forward.

After walking for a while, we reached a large room.

"! This...!"

The large space was filled with glass bottles containing monsters.

They don't seem to be dead, but they are sealed tightly.

There were also operating tables, blood-stained knives, a large number of bones, syringes, and piles of notes and documents scattered around.

"How ominous..."

"Ugh... there's a terrible smell..."

"There are so many monsters... I've never seen so many in this area."

Everyone looked pale at the sight.

This is a laboratory. I can tell because I'm one of them.

They are probably conducting research on the synthesis or transformation of monsters.

The ghouls and vampires that have appeared are likely the results of this research.

...They are conducting quite advanced research. I wouldn't go this far. It's quite impressive.

"Oink! Oink!"

"There seems to be more ahead. Let's go."

Called by Shiro, we moved further in and found Iesha lying in a room that looked like a hospital.

"Iesha-san!"

Ren ran over and placed her hand on Iesha's forehead.

She concentrated magic in her palm and closed her eyes.

"...She seems to be asleep due to drugs. Probably a sleep-inducing component from chloro grass. I think so."

Ren, who can produce poison in her body, is currently practicing controlling various poison components.

She is focusing on gaining knowledge about all the poisons that exist in nature.

Poisons come in many forms.

First, she needs to understand the components of the poison she produces.

"If you inhale a large amount of this, you lose consciousness quickly. It's commonly used in anesthetics, so I think it's not very toxic. She should wake up in a few hours."

She glanced at me, and I nodded in response.

Yeah, you've remembered well.

It seems your studies are paying off.

"Wow, Ren, you're like a doctor."

"I learned a lot from Lloyd... hehe."

Ren smiled shyly.

Well, I just lent her books and read them with her.

It's because she has the motivation to learn.

"In that case, I'll carry her. Let's go back now—!"

Silfa narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"I sense something approaching."

"Yes, it seems they've noticed the intruders. Lloyd-sama, be careful."

With a slithering sound, a monster appeared. It was a Lamia, with a woman's upper body and a snake's lower body.

"...No, this is a disguise, isn't it?"

The ghouls, vampires, and this Lamia are all humanoid monsters.

This is likely a product of their research. They are using the monsters to disguise the facility.

"Shhhhhhh..."

The Lamia extended its long tongue and glared at us.

"Here it comes!"

With Silfa's warning, the Lamia pounced.