'Then let's open the door...all right!

We opened the door of the cabin with Satsuki in the lead.

But inside...

'...... It's all gone, isn't it?

As Mee murmured, there was no one there.
On the contrary, there was not even a sense of life, only a desk and a chair as furniture inside the hut.

However, there was one major anomaly inside the small hut.

'...... Is that the entrance to the basement?

'Looks like it. So it's an invitation.

As Cyril and Satsuki looked at this, they saw a lift-up door in the corner of the hut on the floor, and it was open.
There is a ladder to go down into the gaping pit.

I look at it, and my thoughts wander.

Perhaps my plan had worked and they were underestimating me.

If there is a cul-de-sac ahead, it would be risky for them to ambush us there.
For example, depending on the internal structure, if I were to fire a fireball spell from there downward, they might be exposed to the flames without a single place to escape.

There is also the possibility that the end of the fireball is connected to an escape route, and they escaped. .......

It's also possible that Alice is still in the vicinity of this hut, and that she's faking her way down there.

'Mee, I'll check, but you didn't see any signs of people around this hut, did you?

'Yes, sir. Unless you're using some strange magic, Mee would have noticed if an amateur was hiding there.

Mee replied clearly.
She must be confident about that.

It is possible that he is using magic to hide, but in that case, there is a high possibility that he will be caught by sense magic when he enters my field of vision.
Or if he's using seal magic, that's not the case, but...

No, we should narrow our focus here.
This is not a situation where you should consider all possibilities. This is a situation where you should not consider all possibilities.
Dismiss the lesser possibilities.

Seal magic is unlikely.
That's a high-level spell that only a few mage level magicians can use.
If she is at that level, it is likely that she is not in the service of Count Goldart, but in the service of King's Landing or a nobleman of greater power as a court magician.

If that's the case, then he probably doesn't have a spell of the same level, See Through, in his hand.
It is unlikely that our current situation is being 'seen'.

...... Is that all the information you can get now?
Think, think more.

No, wait.
What is the purpose of this hut in the first place?

This place we think Alice frequents on a daily basis.
What's she going here for?
What is she doing in such a secluded place every day?

It's obvious.
She must be working on the undead research she's so passionate about here.

But why in a place like this?
If she's doing research on books, she could just as easily be doing it at Count Goldart's estate.

The answer to that question is also obvious.
It's because this is the testing ground for her.

Which means what's down that pit...

I cast a see-through spell to confirm my hypothesis.
The consumption of magical elements is heavy, but if I'm right, this move will be worth it.

And when the spell was complete, I 'saw through the floor at my feet' and looked beyond.

Meanwhile, Satsuki and the three others were pondering in front of the pit.

'Anyway, how do we get down this hole? If they attack us while we're down the ladder, we'll be in trouble.

'It's too dark to see the bottom. I'm not even sure if it's safe to jump down.

'Oh dear, ....... Why don't you try lighting a torch and dropping it?

'That's like telling Alice that you're coming down if she's waiting for you down there.

'''Hmmm ......'''

The three of them were stuck in front of the hole.
I call out to them.

''Mee, I'm sorry, but you need to get the torches ready. We're about to run out of magical elements.

'Oh, yes, sir. ...... William, did you find out anything?'

'Yeah. You can go down that hole as normal for now. About ten meters down is a narrow space like the bottom of a dry well, and there is a door beside it. There is no danger until you go through the door.

'...... As usual, Will's almost foul, isn't it ......'.

In the event you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to find out more on the web.