第１４１５堀：領主館調査 (Part1)
Chapter 1415: Investigation of the Lord’s Manor
Side: Ria
*Creak.*
The sound echoed through the surroundings.
According to the monitor from the "Dig Here, Doggy" spell, there were no enemies present, but we couldn't afford to be careless. Agil and Mauve’s group were the ones who had pushed ahead to infiltrate first. We had offered to go, but they insisted that the envoys shouldn't be the ones leading the charge, so they had taken the vanguard.
Naturally, Deryu and I were chosen for the advance team as well, given our pure combat capabilities, but we were positioned in the middle, with Ovik’s group covering the rear. Since there was a risk of the building collapsing, only half of our members were entering, while the rest remained to secure our retreat.
Given our strength, we could have simply blown the entire building away, but we were warned against it—doing so would risk destroying important documents. For now, we were told that our presence alone would serve as a structural support of sorts. Besides, Samantha and Cleena were there to reinforce the integrity with magic.
As I was thinking this, Mauve turned back and gave us a signal.
"Alright. Shall we head in, then?"
"Yeah."
I entered the lord’s manor alongside Deryu. We advanced while keeping a sharp eye on our surroundings, but there was nothing to be found. The only sounds were the floorboards groaning under our weight and the sight of dried bloodstains.
"The blood is dried up, isn't it?"
My gaze fell upon a splatter on the wall, but it had long since lost its crimson hue, turning a dark, blackened color.
"Aye. It’s been nearly a month since it happened, after all. That’s to be expected."
"I guess so. That’s just how it is."
"...Come to think of it, is this your first time in a situation like this, Ria?"
"Hmm, well, I’ve experienced the haunted houses Yuki-san and the others build, and I’ve been through gruesome training scenarios with zombies and the like."
That’s right—it wasn't exactly my first time. More than anything, my own beginning was forged in the place where my family and villagers were slaughtered.
"I suppose that’s true. Did something bother you, then?"
"No. Just remembered the past a little."
"I see. You aren't pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
"I'm fine. Let's keep moving."
"Understood."
Deryu was like an older sister to me; if I said I was doing my best, she wouldn't force me to stop. It still felt strange that a Demon Lord was acting like a big sister to a Hero, but it brought me a sense of peace.
Wait, I need to focus on the job.
"No signs of enemies. Should we send the signal?"
"Indeed. I don't sense anything either. It should be safe to contact the rear guard."
Deryu turned back and signaled to Samantha, Ovik, and the others. We then proceeded to search the manor thoroughly, albeit slowly. The only parts that seemed in danger of collapse were the walls the monsters had likely smashed through to enter. Other than that, the damage—sword marks, claw marks, and traces of magical discharge—didn't seem to have compromised the building’s structural integrity.
"...The back seems surprisingly stable."
"Indeed. I reinforced the entrance with earth magic."
"Ah, with that, there’s no need to worry about a collapse."
"Yeah. It's perfect. Though, we should probably have it properly rebuilt later."
Cleena and the others joined us as we spoke.
"Still, there really isn't a trace of any enemies."
"Yeah. It was the same in the town, and I don't feel anything in the manor either."
Sadia and Kuko didn't seem to sense any enemies either. The two of them were part of Ovik’s party, and we had interacted with them quite a bit. Well, since they were still actively adventuring, they spent more time with Ovik and Lari than with us.
As we were talking, Mauve and the others who had gone deeper into the manor returned.
"How was it?"
"No, as expected, there’s no sign of monsters."
"Right. Now, let’s begin the investigation of the manor. Enaiu-dono, are there any hidden rooms? There’s a possibility they might have evacuated there. Searching for survivors takes priority over investigating the documents."
Agil steered the conversation naturally.
"...Yes, that’s true. I don't know if you’d call it a 'hidden room,' but there is a sub-basement beneath the underground warehouse that we used for storage. Kian, do you know it?"
"Yes. I am aware of it. This way."
"Alright, then. I’ll go with Mauve and the inspection team, so everyone else, please handle the search of this floor, the second floor, and the third floor."
As planned, the conversation moved forward, and Agil’s group headed off to search for survivors. In the meantime, we were tasked with checking for any documents.
"Right. We aren't going to assist with the rescue. We’ll proceed with the investigation."
As Deryu said, we wouldn't be helping even if we found survivors. That was the priority for the others, and healers like Rurua and Lilishe-sama were waiting outside, ready to assist at a moment's notice. This gave us the time to openly search for documents and the like.
Our team assignments were: myself, Cleena, Ovik, and Lari on the first floor. Deryu, Samantha, Kuko, and Sadia on the second. We decided to regroup and discuss the third floor later.
"So, where should we start?"
"...We’re going to look at everything anyway, so it doesn't really matter."
"If there are no enemies, should we split up?"
"Hmm, I wonder? Even if I found something important, I might not realize it's important, you know?"
Yeah, I might be the same as Lari. I’ve studied quite a bit, but my judgment isn't exactly perfect yet. Just as I was thinking that:
"It’s not like we’re expected to find everything by ourselves. The point is to confirm safety and see if there’s anything that looks suspicious to us."
"Well, that’s true. No matter how hard we try, we don't have the insight of people like Yuki-san, Zargis-san, or Taizo-san."
Lari and Ovik had already come to terms with that. When they put it that way, they were right. No matter how hard we tried, it was impossible to replace people like Yuki-san.
"Yeah. Like the two of you said. For now, we just have to confirm the area is safe and do the best investigation we can."
"That's right."
And so, we decided to stick together and examine the rooms one by one.