We had come with Lloyd, the frontier count, to the site where a large amount of human remains had been found.

　The place where the bones were found was the compartment that Maribel said was fallen and could not be advanced.

　That compartment is also where the adventurers who had come to Abyss Falls to remove the debris even before the arrival of the Knights.


　We were helping, too, but we didn't expect to be found after we pulled up to rest: .......


　There was no light at the end of the collapse, but there was an invisible passageway at the far end, lit by lanterns.


　Maribel said that this facility looks like it's circling Abyss Falls. ......

　By the looks of it, we might really be circling it.


　As the leading knight held the light in his hand and proceeded through the collapsed area to the opposite compartment, he saw the door to the room.


'The human bones were found in this room. The smell inside was terrible, and we have closed the door after we found it.''

Mm, let's open it up.

Haha!


　The knights urged by Lloyd the frontier earl pull the closed door open.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find some skilled guards to accompany you.


　The lights aren't on, and I'm guessing the electricity isn't working either.


　Everyone looks at the knight who opens the heavy metal door with a nervous look on his face.

　As the door gradually opened, making a rusty sound, a rotten smell leaked out from inside and an unpleasant odor irritated the back of my nostrils.


　This is ...... harsh.

　A terrible smell .......


　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with the help of a few of your friends.

　You're going to be able to get a good deal more than just a few minutes of your time.


''This is ...... a tremendous sight. ...... A cursory look at the bodies and there are over a hundred of them.

"Mr. Lloyd, please wait while the guards check the security first.


　Lloyd, the frontier count, was about to go inside when Myth stopped him and let his subordinate knights inside first.


'I'm used to seeing white bone bodies and mummies too, but maybe not the rotten ones: ......


　Even Meira, who had been watching the room, seemed to be offended by the scene inside and quietly looked away.


'You were right not to bring Maribel with you. With that girl, she's going to figure out a lot of things when she sees this.

'Yes. Maybe your sister is right: ......


　Some of the decomposing bodies were found with tails and ears that reminded me of being a beastman in life.


　Maribel's father may be among them: .......

　But it might be hard to identify the individual when he's this rotten.


　More than a hundred bodies, including a few with white bones, were stacked in a small room, and moreover, they weren't wearing anything that could be used to identify them.


''These guys seem to be the beastmen who worked here that that little girl called Maribel mentioned,''


　As the guards had finished checking the safety of the body, Lloyd, the frontier count, had also entered the room and had begun to examine the body in detail.


''It looks like it. From the appearance of the decomposing bodies, it appears that they were brought here and slashed to death from behind.''

Do you think it's silencing?

I was thinking it was more likely.


　Lloyd and Mais were examining the bodies and assessing the situation.

　Since everything Maribel had told them was reported to the Adventurer's Guild, it seemed that the information that Maribel's fathers had disappeared about three weeks ago, along with a creature that looked like an Abyss Walker and some suspicious people, had gone up to Lloyd, the frontier count.


From the reports, I'm guessing that they were involved in the search for the Abyss Walkers and wanted to be prepared in case someone discovered the place. They didn't want the public to know what they were doing here, so they 'got rid' of the people who were working here.

That seems to be the most likely scenario when you take all the reports together.

So the other party may have a variety of organizations that are well-informed. Until three weeks ago, he was doing his job as usual, and he took action as soon as he saw that he had been discovered.

...... Do you think there's anything on the Kingdom's side to help?

'I'd hate to think so, though, since Abyss Walker is involved. With the existence of the new model and this facility, I can see a number of areas that would not be possible without help from the Kingdom's side.


　The surrounding knights who were listening to the conversation between the two of them also had their faces clouded when they heard that there was a collaborator on the kingdom's side.


　The Abyss Walkers who caused the great attack were supposed to be the beings that the people of the kingdom avoided the most.

　Is there really someone to help an organization with such a creature in tow?


　That's the question that has been floating around in my mind.


'What do you think about this story, Meira?　Do you think there are people in this kingdom who will help the organization with Abyss Walker?

'Well, yeah, ....... If it's an organization that ostensibly has a different face and is sneaking around in the shadows, there might be people who will cooperate with it without knowing it.'


　Mayra's answer was a total blind spot.


　Either they are cooperating without knowing it or .......

　Then it's possible that the people involved in Gile are cooperating without knowing it?


　I said I reported everything to the Adventurer's Guild, but there was just one thing I didn't tell them.

　The only thing I didn't tell them was that I fought an Abyss-walker-like creature in full-body armor at the home of Gile, the leader of the Kingsguard in King's Landing.

　Of course, I didn't tell this to Meira, who knows that I'm the Swordsman Alfine.


　The reason I haven't told her is because I'm not sure that the creepy knight I fought is an Abyss Walker.

　It was because everything from his body to his face was covered in creepy armor, and when he happened to destroy the armor, he only caught a glimpse of black scales and green blood.


　It wasn't exactly self-defense, but if I was going to tell this story, I couldn't say it because it would force me to tell my identity.