Why the Hell Is This Here?
Hyeji and Elsia had been busy washing up the moment they arrived at the villa. It was understandable, given how hot the weather had been lately. As a result, only three people had seen this secret passage so far: me, Jung Ayeon, and the Lizard Beastman who had been watching us.
Jung Ayeon's reaction wasn't much different from mine. Her face was filled with curiosity, wondering what on earth this was. The Lizard Beastman's reaction, however, was quite different. Her hands and feet trembled violently, her pupils darting around erratically. On top of that, her teeth were chattering loudly as they clicked together.
'Jung Ayeon didn't know about this, but... it seems the Argonian Maid did. What should we do?'
[Let us first hear their circumstances. It is not too late to pass judgment afterward.]
I quickly approached the Lizard Beastman. At that moment, she opened her tightly shut eyes and seemed to have composed herself somewhat.
"What's inside there?"
"It would be best if you did not enter."
"You know something but won't tell me? Choose your next words carefully."
"......Please, do not go inside."
She clearly knew what was in there. Yet she was begging me not to enter.
"That place is the very embodiment of all that is vile."
"Look, I'm not some genius, so my brain doesn't work that fast. Just say it straight."
"......It is beyond anything you can imagine, so please, do not go."
"Give me a concrete explanation."
I stared straight into the Lizard Beastman's eyes. A storm of emotions swirled within them. Only negative feelings like despair, resignation, and fear were visible. I turned around and began walking briskly into the secret passage. It wasn't just that she wouldn't tell me more—I simply didn't want to interrogate someone like her by force.
Meanwhile, Jung Ayeon started trying to stop me from entering the passage.
"Young Master! Dost thou intend to go in there?"
"Don't worry. I'll uncover the truth in Grandfather's name."
"It feels like a serial murder is about to happen, so cut the nonsense!"
[Why not say the line "There is only one truth!"?]
'If I say that, everyone really will die.'
A villa deep in the remote mountains. The words alone already sounded ominous.
'This isn't a mystery novel. It's a light novel.'
[Let us descend quickly.]
I asked Jung Ayeon to take Hyeji and Elsia and hide somewhere else for a while. I just had a bad feeling. It seemed like the villa's owner could return at any moment.
After entering the secret passage, I closed the entrance. What followed was perfect darkness. Not the kind of pitch-black darkness you usually imagine—this was true, absolute darkness where you couldn't see an inch ahead.
[It resembles thy future.]
'It also resembles the future of this novel.'
I turned on my phone's flashlight and looked around. It wasn't a natural cave—the interior was fairly clean. Someone must have artificially constructed it. Right in front of me was a staircase. I began descending slowly.
How far had I gone? After what felt like an endless descent, the stairs finally came to an end. Before me stood a solidly closed iron door. I grabbed the handle and pulled with all my strength.
......It didn't budge.
'Seriously? It's blocked here?'
[Shouldst thou not push instead?]
The words PULL and PUSH that Koreans most often confuse. This was definitely confusing enough. Thinking it was PUSH instead of PULL, I pushed with all my might, but the iron door remained immovable. Suddenly irritated, I pivoted on my left foot and kicked the handle hard with my right.
At that moment, the door opened slightly.
'......What kind of lunatic installs a handle but makes it a sliding door?'
[Is there truly anyone in the Academy with normal thought processes?]
Grabbing the handle, I slid the door sideways. It opened incredibly smoothly, as if the previous situation had been a lie. I closed the door and continued walking through the darkness. According to my phone, five minutes had passed. But it felt like I'd been walking for nearly thirty. The space was that draining. The only saving grace was that the path was a single straight line. And far ahead, a faint light had begun to appear.
Seeing the light as my goal, I sprinted toward it like a moth to a flame.
'Let there be light!'
[Just don't drag in anything dangerous, damn it!!]
The path gradually widened into a massive cavern. At first, it had only been wide enough for two people to pass. Then it grew large enough for four. By the time I reached the place with the light, it had become spacious enough for crowds to pass through without issue.
Upon arriving at my destination, I looked around. It was...
'...This looks exactly like a prison, doesn't it?'
[It does appear that way.]
Rows of iron bars lined both sides. This was probably some kind of prison. However, it didn't seem designed to hold people. The bars were far too thick, and the gaps between them were wide. Moreover, the moment I arrived, a foul night-blooming flower scent wafted through the air.
[My dear? Even so, doing that here feels rather inappropriate, does it not?]
'I didn't pee, you bastard.'
The only light source was a single bulb hanging precariously in the center, flickering like a candle in the wind. Yet it still managed to fulfill its role. If this was a prison, it had to be for containing something. To check what was imprisoned, I turned on my phone's flashlight and peered into the cells.
Deep inside one cell, I could see a silhouette. But the light was too weak compared to the massive size of the prison, making it impossible to identify clearly. Then something seemed to stir, and as I approached the bars—
- BANG!!!!!!!!
A sudden impact struck the iron bars. Caught completely off guard, I stumbled backward.
"You scared me!!! Turn on your blinkers before coming in!!!"
[My dear! Shine the flashlight over there!]
The source of the impact was some mass inside the cell. At that moment, my eyes met a pair of yellow eyes attached to that mass.
- Grrrrrrrrr!!!
A threatening growl echoed eerily through the cell. The massive lump illuminated by my phone's flashlight was none other than a monster.
'...Why the hell is there a monster here?'
[It seems this prison was built to contain monsters... Perhaps they are conducting some secret experiment.]
A massive black wolf-type monster with a number floating above its head. It was now growling at me. Following its growl, different cries began echoing from each cell.
- Krrrrrrrrk!!
- Kraaaaaak!!
- Kieeek!!
- Kueeeeeek!!
Two cries merged into one, then four more joined and merged again. All the sounds combined into harmony, forming a single symphony. Normally, one would be intimidated by such threatening noises and tremble in fear. However—
"If you want to fight over territory, come out, you bastards!!!!"
Mountain Lord. The apex of the Kemono Friends. Their cries had no effect on me whatsoever. The prison fell silent in an instant. Just in case any monsters charged, I circulated my mana to strengthen my entire body. The moment I finished preparing for battle, Piece suddenly shouted.
[My dear!! Look more carefully!! Something is strange!!]
'What???? No, they're all just monsters, damn it.'
[Quickly!!!!]
Unable to ignore Piece's urging, I brought the flashlight closer to the wolf-type monster. Its massive body was trembling. Its eyes glared fiercely at me. Sharp fangs visible between its tightly clenched jaws. Claws sharp enough to cut through anything. And it was desperately struggling to break free from the chains binding it.
'...Chains?'
[These monsters... They all seem to be bound.]
I increased the flashlight's brightness and shone it on the monster. The brighter light made it squint and glare at me menacingly, but I paid it no mind. Thick chains wrapped around the monster's body in multiple layers. Almost excessively so. The one that had charged at me earlier had managed it because some of its chains were broken. But that dash seemed to have been its final struggle—the monster now only breathed heavily.
Just to be sure, I checked the other cells one by one. No two monsters were the same type. If you removed the bars, the variety was so great it could be mistaken for Noah's Ark. Yet they all shared one common trait. Every monster was bound by thick chains, unable to move an inch.
[My dear, what dost thou think?]
'Are you asking how I'm going to take a verification photo?'
[......Do as thou wilt. This body is tired now.]
I placed my foot on the snout of a monster near the bars and tried to take a selfie. At that moment, a monster whose number above its head had increased bared its fangs sharply through the bars, aiming for me. Naturally, I brought my head right up to those fangs. Without a hint of panic, as naturally as breathing—
- Crack!
As expected, one of the monster's fangs broke. With the red number still floating above its head, the monster wore only a dumbfounded expression.
[.....Thou wouldst be unable to undergo craniotomy even if thou developed a cerebrovascular disease.]
'Yeah~!! Suicide would solve everything~!!'
I stepped on the monster's snout again and tried to take another selfie. Unfortunately, it was too dark for the monster to show up properly in the photo. As I turned on the flashlight to try again, slow footsteps echoed from far away.