Once we had defeated the chimera that housed the demon and the piece of white disaster, we had returned to the camp in the cave with the undead who were related to the ruins.

''So this undead is a survivor of an ancient civilization...?

Or should I say, technically, a remnant of the dead, since they're undead?

　Roddy mocked Wanda's questioning of the Adventurer's Guild's executive officer, as if she were a tease.

''Now we're talking about something serious. Roddy of the Clear Storm.''

Oh, my God, I'm sorry.

　Incidentally, Wanda, who is supposed to be waiting outside the cave, is here because Lissou-san, who was the acting supervisor inside the cave, insisted that this is no longer just a matter of defeating a demon, and that we should hear from the guild's supervisor, so we asked her to come.

'....Indeed, I am Gunray Torsochpin, the director of the Chimera Institute.

　The undead shrugged his shoulders and said his name, as if he thought the conversation wouldn't go on at this point.
　Hehe, that's what his name was.

''Excuse me, I'm Wanda, the overseer sent by the Adventurer's Guild.

After the greeting, Wanda-san explains the genesis of this incident and that we were sent to investigate the ruins.

''In other words, our purpose is to investigate the ruins and the demons that continue to flood from this cave.

Well, if you want to talk about it, that's what that boy told me.

I'd like to speak to the person who lived at the site. Do you know anything about that?


Well, I'll explain.

　Saying this, Mr. Gan-ei began to talk about what the ruins were for.

When I was still human, man and demonkind fought fiercely. When I was still human, men and demons fought fiercely, to protect the world and country from invaders, and the demons wanted to conquer the new world.

　Mr. Ganey takes a small metal rod from his pocket.

'The battle raged on, and furthermore, both sides spent a lot of time researching magic and magic items in order to defeat their opponents.

Then he pointed the stick at the ceiling and several small fireballs flew out of the end of the stick and knocked down the bats on the ceiling.

''Like this...''

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　The adventurers' eyes were focused on the magic item, a metal rod in Gan-ei's hand.

As the battle raged, they not only researched technology and tools, but also demons, and as a result, chimera research was born. As a result, the study of chimera was born.

　Next, Gan-ei points to the chimera that the adventurers are sorting through with a magic item stick.
　That's the material for the chimera we brought back as a souvenir.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Celestial Continent collapsed, leaving behind only small islands, and huge holes and cracks in the continent, where seawater flowed in and created new bays.

What kind of fight is this?

It's like a war of the gods...

　The adventurers who were listening to Gan-ei-san's story on the side of the work muttered in a half-believing manner.

　Well, even in the time of the previous generation, the research of magic and magic items for fighting demons was very popular.

That was the time. At that time, a white monster appeared on the battlefield where people and mages were fighting each other.

　The moment the word 'demonic beast' was uttered, Gan Wei tightly gripped the magic item in his hand.

That hexenbiest who burst into the battlefield attacked both humans and witches. The two camps were baffled by the suddenness of the attack, but they quickly counterattacked. "Let's give them back the beast that doesn't know its place... but we were the ones who didn't know our place.

　With a look of anguish on his face, Gan-ei snapped the magic item in his hand in half.

We've been wiped out. The human army and the army of demons were all slaughtered by a single magical beast.

""....?

　The sound died away from the noisy camp as they were told that the armies of the ancient civilization and the armies of the Fiendish people had been annihilated by a single demonic beast.

''The demonic beasts that had laid waste to the battlefield traveled all over the world. Not only on the battlefields, but also in towns, bases, and even in small villages, they attacked us. Many people were killed, and even the demons fled to their own world. The rest of us were running around desperately, and we fled into the underground. It was there that we built our first safe haven, and we began to research how to defeat the white disaster. That's the Chimera Research Institute where I belonged, and that's the true nature of the ruins that you guys came to investigate.

"..........

　The confession was so shocking that everyone looked confused, wondering what to say.

''........So what happened to that white disaster monster beast?　Did you ancient people defeat them?

　Mr. Gan-ei shook his head in response to Wanda's question.

I don't know, I've been hiding in the basement until today. I don't know what happened to that d*mned monster. In fact, I'd rather ask the question myself. What do you know about the white disaster?

''No, I've never heard of such a demon, and at least according to the guild records I've read, there hasn't been any damage caused by demons or magical beasts on a global scale in the last few hundred years.

Then where did the demon go?

　Roddy paused to ask a question, but there was no one there to answer it.

It's a good thing that there are no white disasters in the world today," he said. That's a relief...

　As Gan-ei said that, his body began to emit a soft smile and his body began to emit a hint of light.

''Now I can pass away in peace........''

''This, this...?''

　Everyone shouts in surprise at the suddenness of this.

''There are no more unresolved issues, so my soul is about to ascend.

　Mr. Foka, a monk, explains the phenomenon that is happening to Mr. Ganey.

'Ascension?　Does that mean this undead is going to disappear?

'Yes, I'm about to leave for God. A soul that has been undead to the point of becoming undead can be saved without being cleansed. This, this is a miracle!　Now, let's all see them off together!

　Following Foca's words, everyone who had been surprised by the scene looked at Gan-ei with a divine expression.
　I know we're all going through a lot. Still, it sounds like you have a repose in your heart when you hear that wandering souls can be saved.

　But wait a minute. We've all forgotten the most important thing.

"So wait up!

　I grabbed Gan-ei's soul, which was on the verge of escaping from his body, and slammed it into his body again.

''Bugger!

''Haha!''

　Seeing the sight of Gan-ei's soul returning to his body, everyone screamed in surprise.

''Wait, what are you doing, Mr. Lex?　A wandering soul was about to ascend to heaven!

　Foca-san shouts in protest, but it can't be helped because the case isn't solved yet.

''No, because she hasn't explained the cause of the demon outbreak or anything like that yet,''

"...ah...

　The flow of the conversation so far and the fact that the soul was about to ascend, everyone seems to have forgotten to ask about the situation completely.



　Wanda apologetically asked Gan-ei to continue her explanation.

''Ugh, I failed to go down to my friends again. You could have taken the hand of your friends in a few more minutes.

　Watch out.

No, I'm really sorry.

Well, that's okay. It's a massive demon outbreak, isn't it? Originally, the laboratory had a facility for breeding demons to be used as materials for the Chimera. The demons raised there were not only used as materials for the Chimera, but also as food for the Chimera. Perhaps those demons escaped from there.

　Yes, we've been talking about this before and after the fight with the witch.

Perhaps the witch who replaced me with a researcher has done something wrong?　Could they have accidentally broken down the walls of the breeding facility and gotten away with it?　Well, I'm not interested in researching anymore. You can destroy it, or do what you like with it.

　Gan-ei replied tossingly, as if he wanted to quickly ascend.

'Were the only demons kept in the facility?　What about the chimera you've been studying?

Chimera?

　In response to Wanda's question, Gunray put his hand to his chin and thought about it.

'I threw the failures and the chimeras that finished their research into the discard pit, so they're probably not alive.

A disposal hole?

Hmm, a dumping pit into the lowest vein of the ground. The impact of the fall and the turbulence of the vein will kill most of them.

　Huh?　What is the point of this whole mess?

What are the chances of survival?

Well, chimeras with feathered or aquatic characteristics may survive. And those chimeras that manage to make it on land may still be able to survive in the lowest levels.

I'm sure there are survivors!

　Everyone in the camp is tweaked as one.
　Yeah, I can't help but think that there are survivors.

By the way, we call this waste hole a dobon toilet because it is disposed of by dropping it into an underground water vein.

　I'm not listening to that.
　I mean, I found a hell of a lot of unfinished business at the last minute!

So, do you want to be allowed to ascend?

""No!"

　Of course!

　You're not going to be able to do that.

　A night has passed since Ganei's shocking statement.

　We S-ranked adventurers were ordered to take a rest to recover from the battle inside the ruins, while the A-ranked adventurers resurveyed the ruins where the threat of demons and giant chimera had disappeared.
Furthermore, it seems that the demons that inhabited the ruins were also cleaned out.

''The demon breeding facility that was mentioned in the testimony, as expected, there was a hole in the wall that was opened by a large claw mark. The hole led around the ruins to this side, so it seems that the demons that came out in this commotion are all the demons that were defeated in the earlier battle and the demons that would remain in the cave.

Oh, well, thank you.

　Wanda let out a big sigh as she received reports from the adventurers who investigated the ruins.

''For now, it looks like there won't be any further increase in the number of demons. Now we just need to investigate the entire cave and the deepest part of the cave that seems to lead to the underground water vein.

But then again, the chimeras sometimes found on the ground may have been descendants of chimeras discarded from the disposal pit of a similar research facility.

　Roddy, who was escorting the camp, muttered as if to follow Wanda's statement.

''Maybe. According to that undead story, most of the chimeras that fell underground were attacked and killed by the present-day demons living near the underground water vein when they were weakened by the impact of the fall, but I'm sure there are survivors.

Hey, isn't it possible that the antraptor who attacked you earlier was...

It's a breeding ground for some kind of demon that was brought in from the outside to deal with the chimera.

"Isn't that a nuisance to you, old man?

　Ah, I know. There was a time in my day, too, when I tried to use demons to solve environmental problems, but another set of problems would arise.
　So it's a set up until the Knights of the Order are dispatched in an emergency.

But those Antraptors got slaughtered in the battle. If there were any survivors of the Chimera still around...

No doubt the surviving chimeras will be activated.

　The two of them let out a big sigh as they slumped their shoulders.

''I don't know how much time and money it will take to investigate an unexplored cave with A-rank only and chimeras, too. We can't be involved for long either.

"Hmm, I'd like to at least investigate the situation at the lowest level...

'No, no, that's the last place you'll ever reach. It's the lowest level of the dungeon, so to speak.

　Ah, come to think of it, a cave could be considered a kind of dungeon.
　Well, speaking of investigating the lowest level, yes.

''Um, in that case, why don't we just use flight magic to descend from the disposal hole?

...What?

　Wanda-san looks at me with a scowling face.

''No, if the discard hole leads to the lowest level, I think we can investigate the lowest level as fast as possible if we use our flight magic to slowly descend.

That's it!

　Wanda shouted vigorously at my suggestion.

''I see, you can use flying magic!　By all means!

Yeah, I'll take care of it.

　Wanda is very pleased with my suggestion.
　'Yes, yes, I'm glad I suggested it.

'No, you're a boy!　But still, this whole flying magic thing is really convenient!

Okay, now at least we have something to report upstairs!

"By the way, boy, about that flying magic, can you carry us along?

　And Roddy came to visit me about that.

'Yes, there's a limit to how many people we can carry at once, but if we go back and forth we can carry them without any problems.

'Then you can carry us too. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with the S-rank if there are any survivors of the chimera encountered in the ruins underground.

　I see, as expected of you, Roddy.
Even if the objective is just to investigate, we don't know how many chimeras are in the lowest level of the city, so I guess that means we need to keep our forces at a minimum.

In that case, we'll go with you. The more forces the better.

Yeah, well, you'll need a healer.

　And then Riso-san and Foka-san come in.

''Okay, then we'll organize the personnel to investigate the lowest level. Wait a minute.

　With that said, Wanda gathered the people under her command and immediately began organizing the personnel who would be heading to the lowest level.

　◆

Then let's open it up.

　In front of us, Gan-ei makes a disposal hole to discard the chimera.
　The hole is so large that even a large chimera could be dropped.

　When the hole opens with a heavy sound, a huge black hole appears that seems to lead into the abyss.

　However, there was also the appearance of something I hadn't expected to see there.

''Geez!''

　A deep, vertical hole leading to the back of the disposal pit because a large number of demons were attached to the sides of the wall.
　And we knew the demons.
It's an anthraptor!

　Yes, the anthraptor.
　That swarm of demons that attacked us when we were building the second camp in the cave.
　The same thing was writhing in the other side of the discard pit.

It seems they haven't crashed for a while, and have come up to feed.

''Carefree baaaaaaaah!''

Someone tsk-tsked at Gan-ei who calmly explained.

""Gishaaaah!"

　At the same time, the anthropomorphs started to move.

'No!　All hands.....

Lightning Burst!

　Before Lissou-san's words are finished, the magic I unleashed explodes.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has the ability to do this.
　The anthropomorphic anthropomorphs that were coming up the wall had nowhere to run or hide, and they were swallowed up by the magic without a way out and disappeared.

We have defeated the anthraptor!

　Yeah, this is what it would be like if I didn't have to worry about getting my allies involved in a melee.

''Uh ... uh ... oh, gosh, thank you.''

　Lisou-san, who was about to hold his weapon, lowered his sword and gave me a subtle look of praise.

''After all the trouble we went through........''

Well, you know what? They're S-rated.

Yeah, that's an S-rating.

　A smattering of voices from the surrounding adventurers convinced me that it's because I'm S-ranked.
　Alright, maybe I'm becoming a little more worthy of an S-rank!

'No, wait a minute. Don't put that thing together with us...