[Sub Quest <What Could Be Inside the Underground Vault?>
Objective: Go underground and defeat the vengeful spirit ‘Founding Emperor Philips Albrecht.’
※You must kill him entirely with your own power.
Clear Reward: Underground Vault Key.
Failure: Death.]
The Emperor?
The founding Emperor?
Didn’t he die?
When he was dragged underground—
maybe it wasn’t death.
Maybe he was being punished by becoming a vengeful spirit.
[The ‘Basement’ has been unlocked!]
I don’t need an explanation.
If you tell me to kill him—
I’ll kill him.
I need the underground vault key to find and secure the written pact.
After that—
Pandora’s Box.
Finish the remaining stories.
Find the escape gate.
And to accomplish all that—
first, upgrade the map!
“Sellir, could I borrow one drop of blood?”
Before Sellir could answer—
the door slowly opened.
A face poked through.
Moran.
“Moran?”
“L-Lady Evelyn!”
She lit up and ran toward me.
“I suddenly lost consciousness, and the instant I woke up, a monster attacked……”
Apparently she had fled desperately and happened to find me.
“B-By the way, these people……”
Ah.
Right.
Holloway!
He had been in his true form.
I looked toward him.
He was already a child.
Fast……
“These are the victims I mentioned.”
“Ah……”
Moran quietly pressed herself against my side.
She knew what Suriel had done to Cynthia.
So she was afraid of him.
Moran hadn’t done anything wrong, though……
They had no grudge against her.
There was no reason to kill her.
After Moran went quiet, Sellir asked,
“If I lend you blood, are you going to return it?”
“What’s your blood type?”
“Do you think demons have those?”
What am I supposed to do when the answer to my question is another question?
Sellir laughed at my expression.
“Joking. One drop?”
“Yes. I’m not trying anything strange.”
Thank goodness Myers had given me a shortcut.
She even made jokes now.
Is this really the Sellir I knew?
After that, getting Moran’s blood as the party-member sample was easy.
Monster blood too.
“Got everything?”
Sellir stuck close, curious about what I was doing.
“Blood……. Maybe I should replace my collection with blood too.”
Suriel stared at the gleaming liquid and casually said something terrifying.
I pushed his face away.
Then moved into a corner.
Absolutely no one could see this.
I was still under instructions not to reveal the system.
I squeezed myself into the corner and selected map enhancement.
I inserted each collected blood sample into the empty material slots.
If they asked where everything disappeared, I’d say the hotel took it.
Same as when I randomly got transported.
They already knew I couldn’t explain why I needed these things.
After discovering I was a Lodriz, the demons seemed to respect that boundary somewhat.
[Enhancement Success Rate: 5.5%]
What?
Why is the probability so awful?
I rubbed my eyes repeatedly.
It didn’t change.
[If you wish to increase the success rate, include ‘one drop of Holloway’s blood.’]
He won’t give me blood.
If I fail, I’ll have to gather every material again……
And I can’t repeatedly ask demons to donate blood when I don’t know how many attempts it’ll take.
Nothing to lose.
At least ask once.
I tried taking Holloway aside since Moran was there.
But Moran grabbed his hand.
“Say it here, Lady Evelyn.”
Holloway……
If you were actually a child, I wouldn’t even consider this.
I’d simply accept the failed enhancement.
But you’re actually an adult.
Moran tried hugging Holloway from behind.
He violently struggled and rejected her.
“What is it, big sis?”
The words wouldn’t leave my mouth.
I fidgeted with both hands.
Then barely managed,
“……One drop of blood.”
“She has an even worse collecting obsession than I do.”
That isn’t it, idiot.
“Was Sellir big sis’s not enough?”
“It says the probability goes up if I have Holloway’s too……”
I know it sounds like complete nonsense.
But it’s true.
I looked desperately at him.
Moran stepped between us.
“Lady Evelyn, I don’t know what this is about, but asking for a child’s blood……. Even one drop seems wrong.”
“I agree……”
But if I fail with this horrible percentage—
I have to collect everything again.
If Holloway were in adult form, I’d probably throw myself onto the floor and roll around begging just to demonstrate my determination.
But I couldn’t do that while he looked like a child.
Especially with Moran watching.
Holloway pushed away Moran, who kept trying to touch him.
Then handed me a bottle containing blood.
“Here. Because big sis asked!”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
I hugged Holloway tightly.
Then shoved myself back into the corner and placed his blood into the enhancement slot.
The success rate jumped dramatically.
[Enhancement Success Rate: 80%]
[Begin enhancing ‘Map’?]
Yes!
Eighty percent!
That’s enough!
Holloway refused only once before giving me his blood.
Obviously it should succeed!
[!BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ`)◟▬▬█]
[!BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ`)◟▬▬█]
[!BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ)◟▬▬█ !BANG´ ◟ )ہ`)◟▬▬█]
[(꒦ㅿ꒦)(꒦ㅿ꒦)(꒦ㅿ꒦)(꒦ㅿ꒦)]
Why are you crying?
Stop immediately.
[Enhancement failed miserably! Too depressed to dance. (꒦ㅿ꒦)(꒦ㅿ꒦)]
I said it was basically guaranteed to work.
I jinxed it.
And a failure is a failure.
Why ‘miserably’?
[Because the enhancement failed miserably, the map will be destroyed!]
You’re going to make me miserable too?!
No!
Do you know how hard I worked for that?!
[Crumbllllllle ໒( •́∧ •̀)७…….]
The map turned to dust and disappeared.
……Fuck.
Holloway turned me around while I was becoming mold in the corner.
Then crouched in front of me.
Everything is over.
I hadn’t even started.
How am I supposed to find that fucking Emperor underground without a map……?
Give my map back, you bastard.
If you want me to free the demons—
help me!
Why are you treating me like an enemy?!
“Big sis, what’s wrong?”
“Sorry……. I wasted your blood on something useless.”
Not my fault, though.
They’re tormenting me.
“It’s okay. Want more?”
“Keep it.”
I don’t need it anymore.
I don’t have a map.
There’s nothing left to enhance.
I couldn’t stay here growing mold forever.
I needed to get up.
I’m scared.
Maybe I should take Holloway underground with me.
‘……No.’
I’m going to kill the founding Emperor.
I can’t take him with me.
Sellir fears the basement.
Leave her here too.
The most important thing is a weapon.
I only have the shuriken.
I have defensive equipment……
Maybe I can throw a tantrum and demand another weapon quest.
Surely it’ll give me one?
You destroyed my map.
You owe me at least that.
“Let’s get up.”
I took Holloway’s hand and stood.
While dusting off my backside, I saw Sellir sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
“What now?”
“I’m thinking of going underground.”
“Why again?”
“There were a lot of traces down there. Maybe I can find a clue somewhere I haven’t investigated.”
“It’s dangerous……”
“If you possess enough determination to survive, you can go anywhere.”
You can go anywhere.
What happens to your life afterward is your own problem.
“Sellir, don’t follow.”
“Obviously. Do I look insane enough to go down there voluntarily?”
Sellir shuddered.
Moran grabbed my sleeve.
“Lady Evelyn. Underground?”
“There’s a basement below the hotel.”
“They said it’s dangerous……. If I can help, I’ll go too.”
Instead of answering, I stared at Moran.
The only member of the group whose family had no sin.
And divine power was required to find Pandora’s Box.
If divine power appeared—
Moran was probably the most likely candidate.
I couldn’t see divine power.
It would be great if Moran secretly turned out to be a saint.
Finding Pandora’s Box would become much easier.
But nothing was confirmed.
I couldn’t take Moran somewhere that dangerous based on speculation.
“It’s okay. Instead, let’s find the others first. I can’t leave you alone.”
“Big sis is too kind for your own good.”
“My intestines are perfectly healthy.”
I’ve basically never even had an upset stomach.
Holloway stared at me with an expression that clearly said—
‘That is not what I meant.’
“Lady Evelyn, are you sure you don’t need help?”
“Of course.”
“I’m leaving.”
Sellir stood from the sofa without even a hint of reluctance and walked out.
She had basically done everything she could for me already.
Suriel left without even saying goodbye.
Extenron and Dilaf tried refusing to leave.
Sellir returned irritably, grabbed both demons by the ears, and dragged them away.
“Aagh! It hurts! My ear!”
“……!”
“Stop butting in when no one wants you here.”
Sellir clicked her tongue and left with her hangers-on.
The room became quiet.
Now only Moran, Holloway, and I remained.
Moran usually managed to irritate me at times like this.
Better keep my mouth shut.
Moran looked at Holloway’s hand in mine.
Then tried holding his other hand.
Rejected.
Her expression crumpled sadly.
“It’s really hard becoming close to Holloway.”
“You tried abandoning me back then.”
“……Ah.”
Apparently Moran hadn’t expected Holloway to mention that.
She bit her nail and looked nervously toward me.
I didn’t care particularly much.
It had been Moran’s first time facing terror like that.
She had panicked.
Her will to survive probably took priority.
And because the monster didn’t attack Holloway, she assumed leaving him was safe.
That didn’t mean I had the right to tell her it was fine.
The person who experienced it wasn’t saying that.
What could I say?
I pretended not to hear and yawned widely.
Naturally, Moran tried changing the topic.
“L-Lady Evelyn! Are you tired?”
Hooked immediately.
“ немного.” [Translator’s Note: The Korean source means “A little.”]
“Should we rest before going?”
“No. Moran, did you find anything? You seem a little more accustomed to the hotel now.”
Moran had been the most terrified of this abandoned hotel.
She herself looked surprised.
“……You’re right. Somehow I think I gained a little courage!”
She was far too bright for a dark place like this.
But how did Moran even end up here?
Did someone mistake her for another family?
Considering how this system behaves—
I wouldn’t put it past them.
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