Chapter 11: Our Journey: Travelogue④ – The Explorer Knights and an Unexpected Connection

Naturally, unlike last time, she was properly dressed.

She wore a white scarf, a green tunic, and a black skirt.

Around her slim white belt hung a cute red pouch that felt very girlish.
Threaded through the belt at her lower back, slung diagonally, was a white cross-shaped sword.

“She kinda looks like that black cat, doesn’t she?”

“She does.”

Not looks like—she is the black cat.

“Well, well. Long time no see, Black Cat.”
“Witch… do you not wish to know the situation?”
“Hals. Would you explain?”

Hals—so that was her name.

At Piany’s words, Hals nodded once.

“When I scouted the area, I discovered a cave that appeared to be the enemy’s hideout. Thereafter, while continuing my reconnaissance, I encountered the witches, and thus ended up accompanying them?”

Not just the witch—this is an even stranger way of speaking.
And isn’t that kind of phrasing hard to keep consistent?

“Oh, so you finally found their base.”
“However, it is somewhat distant from here?”
“That’s fine. Let’s organize immediately.”
“Hmm, hmm. Peony, I’d like to hear about the enemy.”
“As usual, they’re a band of rogue explorers turned thieves. But the scale is different. They call themselves ‘Dragon Fang Ro.’”
“That’s—!?”
“They were supposed to be wiped out already!”

Both Bid and I were shocked at the name Dragon Fang Ro.

Piany looked at Bid.

“And you are?”
“Bid, sir. At Dragon Fang Ro’s headquarters, Wof-kun, Munieka, and… one more person I’m forgetting wiped them out.”
“Yes. They should have been eliminated.”

Piany nodded thoughtfully.

The one you’re forgetting was Haiyaan, wasn’t it? Well, he’s a rabbit—so just one animal, technically.

“I see. So it was you. I’m aware the main organization was destroyed. However, they had many remnants. They’re likely scattered all across the country.”

“Were they really that big an organization? Dragon Fang Law?”

I’d thought they were just some half-baked delinquents.

“They committed crimes extensively?”

“And they had nobles backing them. What we’re doing now is hunting the remnants.”

Oh right, there was a noble involved.
After everything was exposed, they got shut down, didn’t they?
What was the name again… something Steel? My memory’s fuzzy.

“I’ll help too.”

“Yes, yes. Kon is involved to some extent as well. I’ll lend a hand, however small.”

“We’ll join too. There’s history there.”

That settles it. Even if they’re remnants, we’re not uninvolved.

“I appreciate it. Truly. There are two particularly troublesome individuals we must be careful of.”

“Hmm, hmm. Who might those be?”

“They’re troublesome?”

“Yes. First, a necromancer.”

Piany said it solemnly.

A necromancer…?

“Oh my, yes, that is troublesome. They turn corpses into combat power.”

“I’ve fought undead before.”

“Unfortunately, this one is human. An elf wielding a job-line relic.”

“That actually exists?”

“And the other problem is a man named Grease. He’s the leader of the remnants. The necromancer was his right-hand man.”

“Grease. What kind of guy is he?”

“A big man with a very noticeable burn scar on his face. He himself uses a fire relic. On top of that, he was once a Rank II explorer. They called him ‘Conflagration.’”

“…Burn scars… on his face.”

“But recently, neither of them has been seen. They’re likely holed up in the hideout.”

A necromancer and a big man with burn scars.
Recently unseen.

Somewhere… recently… wait—no way.

“…Piany-san. Have you investigated Grease thoroughly?”

“Of course. I gathered all available background information.”

“Is Grease bald?”

“Yes. He’s bald.”

“Does he have any connection to Agaro-san?”

“…He does. ‘Annihilation Sword’ Agaro once failed to kill him. The facial burn was inflicted by Agaro at that time. Why do you ask?”

Then that confirms it.

I never expected everything to connect like this.

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

“Those two… are already dead.”

“What?”

Piany frowned deeply.

“Oh my, oh my. That’s an unexpected development.”

The Witch looked amused, while Hals’ half-lidded stare grew sharper.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Why’s that?”

Bid blinked in disbelief.

Choosing my words carefully, I answered.

“I can’t go into detail due to a guild request, but Grease had become a zombie.”

“A zombie… did you defeat him?”

“Yes. Grease was defeated by Narcissus-san, and the necromancer by Agaro-san.”

That necromancer had become a lich.

When people die, they sometimes become undead— zombies, skeletons, ghouls.

Rarely, draugr or dullahans.

But a lich—the king of undead—is exceedingly rare.

The necromancer became one due to the influence of Death Abstract.

So I kept that part to myself.

“Narcissus… the ‘Rebirth of Generous,’ from the Utopia family of the Six Houses of Edda?”

“Yes. She participated in the request.”

“Oh my. That is quite rare.”

“Does that mean two Rank I explorers took part?”

“That’s correct.”

Hals realized it, and I nodded. Bid let out a low whistle at how extravagant that was.

Peony wore a slightly bitter expression—clearly something she hadn’t anticipated.

“No wonder they never showed themselves.”

She muttered and exhaled.

“Then this removes our greatest concern?”

“Yes. All that remains is to eliminate the remnants. Thank you for the valuable information, Wulf.”

Piany bowed slightly in gratitude.

“No problem. I never imagined things would connect like this.”

“Yes, yes. That’s what makes life interesting.”

“…Is it really?”

Bid looked unconvinced, his rabbit ears flicking.

Maybe he was thinking about the party that disbanded.

He’s still solo—so it probably still weighs on him.

After that, we checked the hideout’s location on the map.
It was a mountain deep beyond the forest where we’d been attacked.

That’s when I noticed something.

“Beyond these mountains… is it all mountains too?”

The ranges stretched endlessly like a wall, with nothing but more mountains beyond.

“You don’t know? That region beyond is still unknown. On maps, it’s often filled with mountains rather than left blank.”

“An unexplored region, then. I hear that’s rare depending on the area.”

“Indeed, indeed. We once tried to fill in this region. Long ago, there was an explorer party famous for mapping unknown lands. Nostalgic.”

“‘The Blank Flag.’ They uncovered countless unknown regions and added them to the map. Their leader was the Rank I explorer known as the ‘Blank Bearer’… his name was, if I recall, Tabula Geo Grapia.”

But he’s no longer among the Rank I explorers.

“And yet this area is still uncharted.”

“No one who went there ever returned. Not even Tabula.”

“So even Rank I couldn’t manage it?”

“That would appear to be the case.”

“…………”

Most likely, the ruined city we were teleported to on the 44th dungeon floor lay within that unexplored region.

Perhaps there was a passage from the hideout cave leading there.

But that raised another question—if Rank I couldn’t survive, how did Grease and his group manage?

Well… turning into zombies afterward kind of ruins the definition of “safe.”

After the briefing, Peony left the tent to reorganize the forces.
The Witch and Bid headed into town.

I decided to return to Skia Coffin Ele. I needed to inform everyone.

“Hals-san.”

“You need not concern yourself with me?”

“Ah… understood.”

For some reason, Hals followed me.

Her long tail swayed as she trailed diagonally behind me.

Suddenly—

“You wish to ask something, do you not?”

My heart jumped.

“I do… but I don’t know if it’s okay to ask.”

Especially when it comes to relics.

Hals spoke.

“As for the black cat, that would be myself. It is a transformation relic?”
“I knew it… um, about the bath incident—”
“An accident?”
“…That’s acceptable?”
“An accident?”
“Y-yes. It was.”

There was some strange pressure, so I nodded.

“Then would it not be best to treat it as a non-issue?”
“I suppose so.”
“Then let us do so and leave it at that?”

Looks like I’m forgiven.

By the way—

“Hals-san, do you know Pakira-san?”

I remembered seeing them talk during the eve festival.
Same catfolk race—I thought they were friends.

“…………”

She ignored me.

The air got heavy.

“Um—”
“I have suddenly recalled an urgent matter?”
“Eh?”
“Well then?”

She left.

Looks like I stepped on a landmine.

I returned to Skia Coffin Ele and immediately informed everyone.

After hearing it all, Mineha seemed strangely fired up.

Shaldina drew her cutlass and muttered,

“Tonight, Katrana thirsts for blood.”

Katrana… she named her weapon?

Still, who would’ve thought it’d be a villain hunt— and not just any villains, but remnants of Dragon Fang Ro.

And on top of that, connected to the ruined city on dungeon floor 44.

This’ll end as a normal cleanup job… right?

At the Foot of the Mountain – A Cave

Deep within.

A vast space lined with countless temple-like pillars.

At the center, a robed man wearing a grotesque red mask screamed.

“Fwahahahahahaha! Fwahahahahahaha!! At last… finally!”

Behind him sat a massive, red-black, one-eyed monstrosity.

Its crimson eye gleamed with ominous allure, gripping the hearts of all who beheld it.

At first glance, it resembled a wolf.

But it had six legs, chains extending from its back at will.

Its tail split into four—becoming a sword, spear, axe, and hammer.

The sword burned.
The spear froze.
The axe crackled with lightning.
The hammer hardened like stone.

Its mouth was torn wide open, all its fangs trembling slightly.

Anything thrown inside would leave not even fragments.

The red-masked man spread his arms wide, rejoicing as if to embrace it.

“Now awaken—Hellsgun Unit! Annwnnnn!!!”

The summoned red-black monster stood—and devoured the red-masked man.

He was chewed before he could scream, his soul shattered, leaving nothing behind.

“VVVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOO—!”

After feeding, it unleashed an eerie, unworldly roar.

Then, from around Annwn, dozens of small black dogs bubbled up from the ground.

They were monsters transformed from the many two-legged insects that had infested the cave and its surroundings.

Their negative energy was twisted, turning them into subordinates.

Their tail tips were weapons, and each had a single red eye.

If anyone had witnessed it, they would have said:

A legion from hell.