Chapter 21: Armand Duchy 06
Now that I had the Duke’s permission, I met up with Freynil, Lani, Maricier, and Geshura, and we decided to investigate the Duke Estate at once.
Of course, the Duke himself accompanied us, and we were set up to go anywhere.
“There was talk of having Freynil use ‘Purification’ to investigate, but if that completely eliminated the smell, we’d lose our lead. So, I think we should have Lani track the scent first.”
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Lani agreed.
“Okay, then let’s just walk around for now.”
And so, we ended up going around the mansion with Lani in the lead.
The Duke Estate was, as expected, vast, and there were many servants, but Lani walked through it without hesitation, her nose twitching.
The first place we headed to was the office. Lani stopped in front of its door.
“Hmm, the smell is a bit strong here, I think. May I go in?”
“Yes, please.”
The Duke opened the door, a slightly anxious look on his face.
Lani went inside and sniffed around thoroughly, but then said, “The smell lingers, but I don’t think this is it. I believe they came into this room, but this isn’t the source,” she said, leaving the office.
The Duke, looking somewhat relieved, whispered to me.
“What is she investigating?”
“Ah, my apologies, I hadn’t explained. Lani is currently tracking the scent of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’.”
“Is the scent of a ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ human lingering in the house?”
“Not a human. A former human controlled by the ‘Netherworld Candlestick,’ I should say.”
“Just hearing that is terrifying. But if such a person was in this house, that’s an even more dreadful story…”
As we were talking about that, Lani entered a hallway lined with servants’ rooms.
She stopped in front of a door around the middle of the hallway, staring intently at its handle.
“I feel like the smell is strongest in this room. May I go in?”
“Yes, please.”
When Lani opened the door, it revealed a room that was quite spacious for a servant’s quarters.
There was a bed, a desk and chair, and a closet, and still, there was ample space in the room.
However, it seemed to be an unused room at present; the curtains were drawn, and it smelled dusty.
Lani sniffed the bed and other things, then nodded deeply.
“Yeah, it seems certain they were in this room. The smell has soaked into this bed and stuff.”
“I see. Duke, who was using this room?”
When I asked, the Duke replied, his face a little pale.
“This room was used by Saltram, who served as the steward of the ducal household for a long time. Could it be that Saltram was a member of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’…?”
“The steward? Is that the person you mentioned retired due to illness the other day?”
“Yes, that’s him. He was someone I trusted greatly… Could it be that the reason my message didn’t reach the ‘Guidance of Sol’ was also…?”
“That’s a possibility. Frey, you know of this Saltram-shi, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know him. He often took care of me. However, at that time, I didn’t feel anything particular…”
“That’s natural, since you hadn’t ‘Awakened’ yet. Besides, we don’t know when Saltram-shi fell into the hands of the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’.”
“Ah, you’re right. But if the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ is truly involved, I will never forgive them,” Frey said, her voice firm.
“Indeed. Lani, is there anything else?”
I looked and saw Lani had started to investigate various parts of the room anew. It seemed something had caught her attention.
“Yeah, I still feel like the smell is flowing from somewhere in this room. Hey Frey, can you use ‘Purification’?”
“Yes, I’ll try. ‘Purification’.”
Freynil raised her staff and activated the Holy Magic ‘Purification’.
In an instant, the air in the room changed, and the dusty smell vanished. It’s a magic with a consistently powerful effect.
“Yep, the smell is gone. Now, where is it coming from…?”
Lani twitched her nose and approached the built-in closet.
She opened the doors to the left and right. There was nothing inside, but Lani then started tapping on its bottom panel.
Since it was a type without drawers underneath, the floor should have been below the bottom panel. But the tapping sound seemed to echo strangely.
“Ah, this panel seems to come off.”
Lani said that and lifted the edge of the bottom panel.
Normally, the floor should have been there, but…
“This is… a hole to a basement, right?”
Where Lani was looking, beneath the closet, a pitch-black hole had opened up.
It was large enough for one person to descend, and it looked like there was a ladder.
“Your Grace the Duke, this hole wasn’t here originally, was it?”
I asked Duke Armand just to be sure, but seeing his eyes widened as far as they could go, I didn’t even need to hear the answer.
“This… What shall we do?” Maricier asked.
When Maricier asked the natural question, Freynil, Lani, Geshura, and even Duke Armand turned their faces towards me.
“We have no choice but to go in, I suppose. Of course, I’ll be the one to go, so it’s fine.”
“I don’t sense a particularly ominous presence from deep within, but I still think it’s dangerous. Please be careful,” Freynil said.
“If there’s no presence, it might just be a passage. But let’s investigate carefully.”
“Marquis, please be extremely careful. I had no idea something like this existed either…” Duke Armand urged.
“Yes, I understand. It’s certainly not something ordinary, and if anything happens, I’ll return immediately.”
Replying to Duke Armand, I took out a flashlight-like magical tool from my ‘Item Box’, and holding it in one hand, I stepped into the vertical shaft in the closet.
The hole was surprisingly wide, enough for one person to enter comfortably, and there was a ladder on the far side.
I descended the ladder, step by step.
Looking up, I saw Freynil’s worried face. I waved and then continued down the ladder.
I must have descended about five meters when, looking down, I saw the bottom was right there.
Apparently, there was a horizontal tunnel. I went down to the bottom at once, and slowly lowered my feet from the ladder to the ground.
The horizontal tunnel was, as expected, large enough that I wouldn’t have much trouble moving forward if I crouched.
Even when I shone my light, I couldn’t see the end, so it seemed to be a considerably long tunnel. However, there was no sign of monsters or the like.
Either way, I had to go. To Freynil, who was peering down from above, I said, “There’s a horizontal tunnel, so I’m going in.”
I told her and slipped my body into the horizontal tunnel.
Although it was an earthen tunnel, its surface was hard and smooth, as if solidified by something. Was it a unique technology of this world, or a technique possessed by the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’?
In any case, it wasn’t difficult to walk, and I could proceed smoothly deeper in.
There was no particular presence ahead. Could it be purely a passage for movement?
After advancing for about 20 minutes, I saw a dead end. There was a ladder, so it seemed there was a hole leading upwards from there.
I emerged from the horizontal tunnel into a vertical shaft. Looking up, it seemed to be covered by a wooden plank. It was likely an exit to the surface, but where on earth would it lead? Judging by the distance I’d walked, I should have completely exited the Duke Estate grounds.
I climbed the ladder and searched for presences just below the cover. It seemed no one was around the exit.
I tried to lift the wooden plank, but it was quite heavy. Something must have been placed on top of it.
As I gradually put more force into it, the weight suddenly disappeared, and there was a loud thud. Had whatever was on top toppled over?
I removed the cover and slowly climbed out of the hole.
It was inside a building.
The ceiling was high, and looking around, I saw various boxes lined up on shelves, indicating I was in a warehouse.
Moreover, the walls were solidly built of stone, and it was quite spacious. It wasn’t on the level of a commoner’s barn or anything like that; the atmosphere was closer to that of a nobleman’s mansion warehouse.
Looking around further, I found a double door. As I walked towards it, I sensed a human presence approaching from outside.
Moreover, they were faintly clad in something like killing intent, making me think they were probably an Adventurer or a former Adventurer. Had they heard the noise from earlier and come to check things out?
However, since I was investigating with the Duke’s permission, there was no need to run or hide. In fact, considering the matter of that hole, it was more likely that they weren’t decent people.
The warehouse door opened.
Standing beyond the entrance, warily holding a sword, was a young man dressed in the plain clothes of a noble. Beneath his short silver hair, his features were well-ordered, but the somewhat rugged look was likely because he was an Adventurer.
To my surprise, I recognized the young man. Though, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I am Soushi Okuno, a Rank A Adventurer, as well as an Earl of the Kingdom and a Marquis of the Empire. I’ve met you before in Barbadossa. You’re Nielsen-kun, if I recall correctly?”
That’s right. The young man before me was the B-Rank Adventurer who, after trying to harass Sphenia in the town of Barbadossa, had a one-on-one ‘mock battle’ with me and was repelled, and who was also considered a troublemaker.