After passing through the door, a massive cavity appeared. Inside the cavity so wide that the end was faintly visible, buildings that seemed entirely carved from stone except for the roofs were lined up in abundance. Because the rock here had a reddish tint, the buildings were also reddish.
When he looked up because it wasn’t dark and gloomy despite being underground, sunset was seeping in through holes pierced in the ceiling.
“Wow…”
“It seems this is your first time here, attendant.”
“Yes, this is my first time. How big is it all together?”
“We don’t know either.”
The guard member who shrugged his shoulders continued explaining. His long, thin tail swayed gently. He seemed to like explaining about the city.
“This underground city was originally made by dwarves who lived here in ancient times, they say. Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors discovered the empty city and established this village.”
Kaniel was about to ask what dwarves were, but swallowed his words when Taeyon grabbed his shoulder. Looking at Taeyon’s expression, it seemed dwarves were a common-sense level term.
And that was soon proven by the guard member’s continued words.
“The ‘short and stocky dwarf’ who swings a hammer at children who won’t sleep was actually a real person who existed in ancient times. Surprising, right?”
“Y-yes. How surprising.”
Kaniel answered as if genuinely shocked. Perhaps because the reaction was a bit different from what he’d expected, the guard member’s tail drooped, but he didn’t pry further.
“Anyway, this cavity is said to be just a tiny part of the ancient dwarf city. Even in the areas we’ve successfully confirmed, there are about two more cavities like this, and if we restore the paths that collapsed in earthquakes, who knows how much wider it could be.”
Just as he finished that story, they arrived at guard headquarters.
“Captain, Sir Knight has arrived!”
“What? Already? It’s only been four days since we sent the courier.”
The guard captain who came out with a bewildered air was a cat beastkin.
“You really are Sir Knight. I apologize. I was rude because I didn’t expect you to come this quickly.”
He saluted with a disciplined posture the moment he saw Taeyon. His triangular ears stood up sharply, and even the few strands of fur that grew like antennae at their tips looked tense.
He recognized that Taeyon was a knight the moment he saw him because the sword he wore was one that Oblyad Castle only bestowed upon knights. The scabbard of this sword had diamond-shaped metal decorations attached, and the more there were, the higher level of knight it signified.
Taeyon was a knight with three diamonds.
“My name is Oderic. I was born and raised here in Centanid.”
“I’m Knight Taeyon.”
Kaniel, who had been thinking that since he was set up as an attendant he didn’t need to give his name, reflexively introduced himself when Oderic’s gaze turned to him.
“Uh, I’m Kaniel.”
Considering that the guard member hadn’t even spoken to him when entering the village last time, it seemed the treatment of attendants wasn’t usually very good. Oderic seemed to be a kind beastkin.
Oderic guided the two inside the captain’s office and instructed a subordinate to bring tea.
But when the beastkin carrying the tray actually entered the captain’s office, he was startled and approached with quick steps, blocking entry with his whole body. The captain’s tail had its fur standing on end, becoming fluffy. What did that mean?
“Hey, what are you thinking bringing this during work hours?”
“What? But you always drink…”
“Out, out. Quickly!”
Taeyon sighed lowly and pretended not to notice. Kaniel had a bewildered expression beside him. They say humans’ noses aren’t very good, so he probably didn’t notice that the tea water smelled of catnip. And he probably also didn’t know that catnip consumption during work hours was prohibited for cat beastkin.
It was a clear violation of regulations, but if he pointed out every little thing like that, he wouldn’t be able to go on subjugation patrols.
Oderic, who had sent his subordinate out, returned to his seat with an awkward smile.
“Haha. My subordinate seems to have been confused about something. So, it’s not like I always do that…”
“Get to the point.”
“Yes! As reported by courier, disappearance cases continue. I wrote 15 people in the report, but 2 more have disappeared since then, so now a total of 17 have vanished without a trace.”
Seventeen missing people? Kaniel’s face hardened at the thought that this case was by no means a small matter.
“Are there no clues at all?”
“No. Our city, Centanid, has such a complicated tangle of paths. We only have witness accounts to the extent that they clearly saw someone enter an alley but they didn’t come out…”
“But you sent a courier because you suspected monsters.”
“Because not a single corpse has been found.”
Oderic continued in a serious tone.
“There is nowhere in Centanid to hide bodies.”
Because it was hard rock walls on all sides. Burying them in the ground was naturally impossible, burning them without smoke was impossible, and since there were no lakes or rivers, floating them down water was impossible. Then what remained was that the 17 missing people were being hidden inside homes, but if they were alive, they would have been noticed obtaining food to feed them, and if they were dead, there was no way there wouldn’t be a stench because of the hot weather characteristic of this region.
“Moving the victims outside Centanid is also impossible. The guard monitors all the doors. If anyone showed such suspicious movements, there’s no way our guys wouldn’t have seen it.”
Kaniel recalled the guard member’s words that this ancient dwarf-built city was originally much wider.
“Couldn’t the culprit have found a path leading to unexcavated areas?”
“Yes. We also considered the possibility that the victims were moved to undiscovered areas. However, that’s not something a beastkin who isn’t a knight can do. Because the dwarves planted traps on all the paths when they left this city.”
There was a part he could guess. When he came down the spiral staircase entering this city earlier, he’d thought it strange that there were broken marks here and there on the walls and stairs…
“Yes. You must have seen those traces on the spiral staircase you came down.”
“So they weren’t simple excavation marks.”
“They were all created in the process of dismantling traps.”
Then the claim that it was the work of monsters because there was nowhere to hide things also made sense.
Taeyon pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll start investigating tomorrow. Today… first, please show me the investigation report.”
“What? It should have been sent together with the courier…”
“Because there are additional victims.”
Then Oderic groaned as if he’d forgotten that and immediately brought the investigation report.
“Then, I’ll guide you to your lodging.”
* * *
The lodging the two were guided to was a spacious guest room on the second floor of the dormitory behind guard headquarters. Though somewhat barren, it was spacious and clean.
The moment Taeyon entered the room, he put down his backpack and laid out the investigation reports on the large table.
The data investigating where and how the 17 victims had disappeared, and whether there had been any strange signs before that, was more detailed than expected. The format and detail of such materials tends to follow the tendencies of the group’s leader. The cat captain who drank catnip tea during work hours seemed to do his work better than expected.
“Wash up first.”
“Yes.”
Kaniel, who hadn’t been able to wash properly while staying in the forest for several days, brightened and ran to the bathroom.
He knew it couldn’t be helped while traveling, but still, for Kaniel who had showered every day, the vagabond lifestyle was a painful ordeal.
If nothing else, if his companion were in the same state as himself, he’d endure it thinking that’s just how it was, but strangely, Taeyon was neat and tidy every day. It was an environment where Kaniel, who became grungier day by day, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
So Kaniel, able to shower after several days, heated a water bucket with magic and took his time thoroughly cleaning his whole body with hot water. Steam was practically rising from his languid body.
That’s why he came out wearing only light cotton pants with just a shirt draped on without buttoning it. Because if he buttoned it, the clothes seemed like they’d get damp.
But the moment he left the bathroom, Taeyon looked at him and sighed deeply.
‘Did I miss washing somewhere?’
Even though he knew that couldn’t be since he’d washed for so long, Kaniel checked his forearms, the backs of his knees, and his heels.
“Kaniel, come sit here.”
This feels like I’m going to get scolded.
Kaniel walked over hesitantly and sat in the chair.
“I’ve been meaning to talk about this, but you’re too improper.”
“…What?”
At words he was hearing for the first time in his life, Kaniel was dumbfounded.
“Look at how you’re dressed right now.”
He knew his current attire wasn’t neat. But wasn’t this unavoidable since he’d just finished washing?
As if he could see Kaniel thinking that, Taeyon frowned.
“Once you pass 16, you must be careful of your conduct at all times.”
Taeyon, who said that, glanced at Kaniel’s open chest and began to firmly button his shirt. One by one, from the first button that tightened the neck.
Only after he’d thoroughly wrapped Kaniel up did he nod as if satisfied.
“Be careful from now on.”
Taeyon, who said that, disappeared into the bathroom.
