It was about an hour after I began to examine the study that I heard a beep.
　Apart from Ray's finding, we have found quite a few other evidence of wrongdoing, which shows how much the landlord of the estate has been involved in crime.
　If they had nothing to do with the underground space, they would definitely be punished.
　While I was feeling that way, I heard that sound like that.
　And the guards react quickly to the sound.

"Ray, it's an emergency. This whistle is an emergency signal to get together at once."
"Oh, come to think of it,"

　Ray nods to the guards, thinking it was the sound he heard in the house he searched yesterday.

"All right. So what on earth should I do?"
"I'm going to the guy who blew the whistle. Come with me, Ray."

　Normally, you have to bring the evidence you find in this study, so you can be slow down.
　But in Ray's case, as long as there is a mystery ring, the luggage is completely unobstructed, and the guards and Ray in the study immediately run out of the room.
　run straight toward the whistle
　On the way, we also see people who seem to be house servants confused by the sudden sound of whistles, but the guards still run in the direction of the regular sound of whistles.
　Naturally, those who had been raiding the estate would run to the whistle-sounding direction, just like the Reys... to join them.

"Do you know what happened?"
"No,"

　short‐talking guards
　As he was running, he would not waste any more words, but would run through the house... until he reached the guard with the whistle.

"What happened?"
"I found a hidden staircase leading to the underground space that I heard was in the next house yesterday."

　It was a short word, but I fully understood the meaning of the whistle.
　Some people haven't come here yet, but they'll be convinced as soon as they hear the explanation.

"Where is it?"
"In this room. There was a device in the bookshelf, and when I moved it, there was a hidden staircase."

　enter a room listening to the guards' explanations
　Inside the room a wall opens, with stairs leading to the basement.
　The stairs were familiar to Ray.
　It's not exactly the same stairs Ray saw yesterday, but it still seems similar because he thinks it leads to an underground space with pink tentacles.

"This room is not a study,"

　Looking away from the stairs, Ray muttered, looking around.
　There are many bookshelves in this room, as they say there was a device in the bookshelf.
　It's a little small to call the library... but it's definitely a reading room.

"And what are you going to do? If you insist that it's connected to the underground space, you've gone down the stairs, haven't you?"

　When one of the guards asks, the man who was playing the whistle nods.

"Oh, at the end of these stairs there is definitely a reported underground space, though there were no tentacles and no cracks in the space."
"Is there a corpse?"

　Listening to the guards, Ray suddenly asks.
　As Ray saw yesterday, there must have been a number of dead bodies in the basement that had only been skinned and bones by tentacles.
　The bodies of those in red cloth and those who brought them.
　But when asked, the guard shakes his head.

"No, I didn't have any bodies. ... I think I've probably recovered them."

　The body would have been recovered by Ray.
　But, given the power of the pink tentacles, it was undoubtedly the best option at that time.
　If you had been fighting like that, it is highly possible that if you were not good at it, the number of tentacles would increase one after another and you would have gotten out of control.

(It's not a possibility, I think it's almost certain.)

　Beyond the rift in the space, there were signs of a great deal of tentacles that Ray had fought against.
　With that in mind, Ray is convinced that he was not mistaken in his decision to evacuate the underground space, sparing time to store the body in a mistling.

"Well, if there had been a corpse left behind, we could have linked it to one of the evidence of this case." ... What do you think?"

　The last thing Ray asked was Vihela, who was walking into the room with no sign of surprise.
　Others were wary of any other clues in the room, and in some cases of tentacles coming out of the underground space.
　Nevertheless, he didn't notice a Vihela entering the room.
　It would be impossible not to be surprised at that.

"Well, but there was a similar corpse in the house next door that Ray went to yesterday, wasn't there? Then there's a good chance they'll say it's related to that? ... But if you bring the debris of Ray's tentacles, you'll be able to do anything about it."
"No, you just want to fight the tentacles. And I don't know if the phrase "the body of the tentacles" is correct, but it disappears into dust. How do you take the remains of the tentacles?"
"I believe Ray will do something about it."
"...it's up to me to do that, and how was it? Was there a strong enemy over there that Vichela would be pleased with?"
"No. There were no such people. There were some soldiers, but they weren't as good as I expected. ... Maybe they went to Ray, right?"

　Suspicion turns to Ray.
　It would be natural for her to catch the eye of such a viper, but Ray, acting with her, was naturally accustomed to her good looks and shook her head immediately.

"No, luckily for Vichela, she never came here. Only soldiers came to me, like those who went to Vichela. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .."

　Ray was attacked like that yesterday, wondering a little if it was because yesterday's mansion had served as a place to preserve the bodies, but he wouldn't speak it out in front of Vihela.
　For if she had said it, Vichela could have gone to yesterday's mansion... to the next one.

(Well, if you think you're here at your request, wouldn't you do that? ...I hope you don'

　Vihela alone was not sure what action to take.
　Usually you can make a rough estimate, but when it comes to fighting, it's likely that you'll miss it.
　The guards working with Vihela are trying to look in through the door to see if they arrived here a little late.
　I honestly don't think it's a good idea to leave a bodyguard behind, but... well, as Vichela said, there's a good chance that there's no assailant in this house like yesterday's.
　Thinking that way, thinking about what to do from now on...

"What's this? Who made those stairs?"

　Suddenly a voice like that echoes in the room.
　When all the people in the room, including myself, turned their eyes to the voice, the figure of a man shouting with a look of amazement right next to the door of the room.
　It goes without saying who the screamer is from the lines we're talking about.
　He is the master of this mansion.
　I thought he was acting in a fit of irritation outside, but I never expected him to enter the house in this way."Say! Did you investigate this place in order to build these stairs in secret?"

　What? Most of those who hear the word, the guards and the adventurers of the bodyguards, question it.
　It was the same with Ray.
　As far as I heard, the master of this house was concerned that there was a hidden staircase here.
　For a moment I wondered if he was trying to mislead me because he found a hidden staircase, but from Ray's point of view, the man still screaming impatiently doesn't seem to be doing that.
　It seemed genuinely confused.
　Of course, there is no denying the possibility that it is acting.
　But from what Ray saw, he did not think he could do such a thing, and above all, his behavior was very close.

(Didn't you really know about the hidden stairs? I didn't think about that possibility.)

　Even if you are the owner of a mansion, you don't necessarily know everything about it as big as this one.
　That being the case, it was probably not impossible to build hidden stairs so that the landlord wouldn't know.
　Naturally, it takes a lot of effort to do such a thing, and even if the landlord doesn't find it, it's likely that it'll be found by the maids and butlers.
　How much effort does it take to build a hidden staircase like this without being found?
　There was no doubt that it would take a tremendous amount of effort.
　But to Ray's eye, the owner of the estate is not surprised, but it doesn't look like an acting.

　In fact, it's possible that you're good at acting, but if you think that far, you'll have to doubt more.

"What am I surprised at? This is your house, and you must have known that there are hidden stairs here?"

　Ray tells me this as if he were a sickle hook, but the owner of the house is dumbfounded for a moment and shakes his head in a hurry after a few seconds.

"No! I had no idea that there was such a device in my house! Who is it? It was a secret to me, the owner of the house, and I made this hidden staircase!"

　Not only Ray but even the guards looked suspicious as he shouted.
　After all, I don't think I'm acting or telling a lie at all.

(Then...)

　Ray looked at the maids and butlers around the owner of the house, as well as the soldiers and servants of the bodyguard, but everyone looked puzzled.
　Ray says none of the people around the estate have been involved in a hidden staircase.
　Of course, it's not certain that no one is acting more than Ray can see.

"This time we have launched a raid on the underground stairs ... do you know what is at the end of them?"

　The guard asked the landlord, but he didn't know there was a hidden staircase, so of course he knew what was ahead.
　The guards continue to explain to the owner of the house, shaking his head.

"These stairs lead to a large underground space, and of course you may not have known that there is a huge space under the ground of this mansion?"
"Oh, oh, I don't know. I've never heard of that."

　the landlord of the house who readily answers the guard's words.
　They must be wondering if they will be investigated and charged with any crime for this kind of crime.
　But even if you don't know one of these hidden steps, there's a lot more to it than that... that's enough evidence of the crime to catch you.
　Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to know it yet, and he probably thinks that if he manages to mislead the situation, he'll be able to manage it.

"Well... I suspect that the underground space of this mansion is connected to other residences around here by these stairs."
"What!"

　The repulsive shock left the landlord with no choice but to look dumbfounded.
　It's only natural.
　"If this was only connected to the underground space, I would not have thought much about it, but I was convinced."
　But if the underground space is connected to other mansions, it's well beyond acceptable limits.
　That's why in some cases someone who doesn't know at all might break into this mansion.
　It was very, very unacceptable.

"Who... Who did that on his own! Who gave you permission?"
"Oops,"

　The owner of the mansion screams with rage, but suddenly Vihela moves.
　He had played the dagger with the back of his hand, which had been fired at the head of the landlord.