Arc Lab ⑤
Bid-san frowned and muttered.
“Hey, that pedestal in front of the door… it’s got a buncha keyholes. Maybe this Key Ring can open ’em, ain’t it?”
There were indeed keyholes on the black plate of the pedestal before us.
Not just one. Eight in total. The Key Ring had ten keys. We’d already used two of them.
The keys were numbered. Two weren’t. I see.
However, there was nothing on the keyholes themselves. Hayyarn peered over my shoulder.
“Hmm. Looks like the type where you insert the keys in a specific order.”
“I can figure out the keys, though.”
Inserting the keys into the keyholes wasn’t the issue. If they didn’t match, they wouldn’t go in.
So, by checking, I could insert all of them.
For now, I inserted keys into the eight keyholes.
The problem started now. There was nothing on the plate.
“Don’t tell me it’s something dumb like just turning them in order from 1.”
“If that were the case, it’d be too stupid, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, thought so.”
Right. We didn’t know the order to turn the keys.
We didn’t know the predetermined sequence.
“Ngh… Difficult…”
“Makes ya nervous thinkin’ ’bout what happens if we mess up, huh?”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to just destroy the door?”
“Like we could do that!?”
“Ngh… Liv… might… struggle…”
“No way I could do it either.”
“Even I’d have trouble with this.”
“It would prove difficult for myself as well.”
“Then why did you suggest it?”
“Exploring possibilities.”
“You gotta be kidding me…”
“Ahaha, I couldn’t do it either.”
But maybe I could with [Punish]? No, probably not.
Naturally, I knew nothing about the structure of a vault door.
I might accidentally shave off something I shouldn’t.
Besides, destroying a vault door just defied common sense.
“Well then, it seems it is my turn.”
Saying so, Hayyarn hopped down from my shoulder onto the pedestal.
Cold stares, including mine, gathered on him, wondering what he was going to pull this time.
But Hayyarn paid them no mind, looking back and forth between the keys on the plate and the surroundings.
“…Hmph. Understood.”
“Eh? Did you figure something out?”
“Indeed, gentlemen. Of course. Everything.”
With that, Hayyarn began twisting the keys one by one, as if following some rule.
He twisted them without hesitation, without stopping. Did he really figure it out?
“A-Are you sure this is okay?”
“Ngh… Praying… to the gods…”
“H-Hey. Is this alright?”
“I am supposed to possess great fortune, however.”
Since Hayyarn had low trust and favorability ratings, we were all anxious.
But Hayyarn declared confidently.
“I told you, did I not? Behold, it opens.”
Once all the keys were turned, the black diamond-shaped section moved, becoming square.
Then, it opened outwards from the middle like double doors.
When it finished opening completely, there was a black room.
Art pieces displayed in glass cases. Paintings hung on the walls.
However, further inside, there was an incongruously plain Scroll Shelf and an office desk.
“What’s this?”
Reold ignored the art and paintings in the glass cases and headed straight for the Scroll Shelf.
He pulled out several scrolls, placed them on the office desk, opened them, and began reading.
Munieca-san was also looking at the scrolls.
The rest of us looked around the Vault, examining the art in the glass cases and the paintings on the walls.
“Is this stuff treasure?”
“Ngh… No idea…”
Inside the glass cases, there were some yellow items, but mostly green. However, some of the scrolls were blue.
But I wasn’t interested, and I was sure they were nothing but trouble anyway.
Reold and Munieca-san were engrossed in the scrolls.
These two. Who were they, really?
Somehow, I felt they weren’t just Seekers from Koon Hunt.
And it probably wasn’t just me; I think Liv-san and Bid-san felt the same way.
Reold-san and the others took several scrolls, and we left the Vault.
We moved away from the Dragon Fang Wax headquarters and were guided to Reold’s hideout.
There, we were briefed on what they had learned from the documents, the identity of the mastermind, and the truth of the matter.
Finally, we received our reward.
We accepted it gratefully and promptly departed.
And thus, Dragon Fang Wax was destroyed.
As we walked away from the Slums, our mood was decidedly overcast.
The story Reold had told us was just too awful.
The mastermind was the son of a certain high noble.
Moreover, he was a failure and known for his lecherous nature. In other words, an Ero-Baka.
This Ero-Baka wanted to get his hands on Torquetum, who were well-known even in the royal capital.
A party of exceptionally rare beauties. Their skills were also impeccable.
That’s why he wanted them. Their beauty, their power, their bodies—everything.
At that reason, Liv-san wore a blank expression, as if chewing on disgust.
Incidentally, he also wanted other female Seekers he fancied. The idea that he might have encountered the Witch by chance was laughable.
Also, because of his lechery, the female members gave Hayyarn suspicious looks, but that couldn’t be helped.
Getting back to the story. The Ero-Baka targeted the Tasan Family’s support for female Seekers.
The high noble family was on bad terms with the Tasan Family, like cats and dogs. You could even call them natural enemies.
So, on the condition that he would crush Tasan’s endeavors, the Ero-Baka received funds from his family.
Apparently, the high noble family also thought it would be beneficial if they could obtain Torquetum.
At this point, you could say the high noble family was also complicit.
The Ero-Baka used his family’s funds to create a Clan, gather Seekers, and put his plan into action.
But an unexpected obstacle appeared. Yes, me.
Apparently, I was quite the nuisance to their plans.
They thought eliminating me would be easy.
However, things didn’t go as planned, and on top of that, five of their affiliated Seekers went missing.
These guys. Didn’t they investigate that I was the Witch’s disciple?
Seriously, could you even call this a plan?
But actually, it had been a close call.
Due to repeated failures, the Ero-Baka judged that his forces were insufficient.
He was about to bring in a Tier I Seeker favored by the high noble family or someone of comparable strength.
Torquetum wasn’t that strong. They would likely have been defeated.
However, just because he brought in reinforcements didn’t mean he could obtain Torquetum.
Why? Because what they were planning was kidnapping.
It was a clear crime, a felony.
Furthermore, slavery is forbidden in this country, punishable by death even for nobles.
The son hadn’t realized it, but he was being watched, so it would have been exposed immediately.
Incidentally, that Ero-Baka was the dreadlocked man with the wolf tattoo.
The boss of Dragon Fang Wax. The owner of the Relic [Explosion].
To think someone like that was a high noble’s son.
Oh, right, and that Vault was the high noble family’s database. Their top secrets, no less.
Moreover, it was the dark heart of the noble family. It supposedly contained records of all their complicity and planned misdeeds.
Scary. It seems the Ero-Baka was using it without permission.
By the way, I gave the Key Ring to Reold, and Hayyarn told him the key order.
Was it okay to go that far for Reold? That’s what I thought, but honestly, I didn’t want to get involved.
They probably didn’t want us involved either. That’s why they gave us hush money.
“Ngh… Makes you feel… listless.”
“I’ve got this kinda indescribable feelin’ too.”
“…”
Even as a guy, I felt sick. But I didn’t know what to say to the two of them.
“Injustice exists in every age. Is that not precisely why one must gain strength?”
Suddenly, Hayyarn, perched on my shoulder, addressed the two.
Liv-san and Bid-san looked at Hayyarn, fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“…Don’t need… you to tell me… I know…”
“Gettin’ stronger is obvious.”
“…”
“What is it, Woff?”
“You can say sensible things too, huh?”
“What? I am always sensible. Wh-What is it, gentlemen? Those looks are quite rude.”
“…Saying that… while staring… at Liv’s… chest…”
“Uh, um, could you stop glancing at my butt every few seconds?”
“…You.”
Hayyarn looked away and whistled.
This darn rabbit.
And so, we parted ways.
On the way home after stopping by the butcher shop as usual to buy groceries.
I was curious, so I asked Hayyarn, who was grinning at a voluptuous, gentle-looking Elf beauty.
What are you doing on top of someone’s head?
“How did you figure out the key order?”
There were no numbers on the plate, and you had to turn the eight keys in the correct sequence.
There weren’t any hints nearby either. How did you know?
“There was a hint.”
“There was? Where?”
“Woff. Take this as a lesson for the future. People forget. Even if they always carry memos, they forget. In that case, it is best to have it somewhere easy to understand. Like a crest, for example.”
“There was a hint in that crest?”
“Indeed. The order to turn the keys was inscribed on that crest. If you looked closely, you would see dots and ancient numerals marked on the crest. They are there. Those nobles who act like rulers tend to hide important things in obvious places. Connect those points in order, and it forms that crest.”
“…I didn’t notice at all.”
This rabbit. Is he actually amazing?
Then Hayyarn turned his long ears towards me and raised his voice.
“Oh! Ooh! Look, Woff! Those breasts! Bikini armor truly is a fine thing in any era. Right, Woff!”
“…………”
Wordlessly, I placed Hayyarn on a nearby hero statue.
“Woff? Woff? Hey, Woff-kun!?”
Guess I’ll go home, make dinner, and eat.
“Woff-kuuuunnn!!”
Mineha-san should be back too, I think.
Night.
From far, far away, I heard someone calling.
(Woff… Awaken… You must awaken…)
“Eh?”
When I opened my eyes, I was in a pure white space. Hmm?