“I am A-rank Adventurer Gray. What happened here?”
Just as the onlookers thought the platinum-colored, four-legged machine was about to clash with the guards, Gray stepped into the tense standoff, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
Catching the silver glint of the Fleur-de-lis Medal in his hand, the two guards both looked relieved.
After all, with only their two meager poking sticks, they couldn’t hope to stop the monster in front of them — a machine rumored to be capable of leveling a house when operating at full power.
“Master Adventurer! You’ve arrived just in time!”
One of the guards spoke as if grabbing onto a lifeline.
“This tin-can lunatic won’t listen to reason! This is a Temporary Quarantine Zone designated by the Military Department, but he insists on forcing his way in!”
“That’s right! He’s being completely unreasonable!”
The two guards spoke one after another, seemingly provoking the silent Dragon Knight.
The mechanical arm, mounted with a massive Fist Blade, suddenly jerked upward.
Hydraulic pistons let out a piercing hiss as the runes engraved on the metal flashed with a dangerous red light, causing the guards to scramble backward several steps.
“You heard them, Dragon Knight.”
Gray ignored the rock-crushing Fist Blade, his right hand resting casually on his hilt as he took one step forward.
“Breaking into a private residence is not a virtue a follower of the Church should possess. Do you have an explanation?”
Katy poked her small head out from behind Gray, looking surprised.
She hadn’t expected the usually kind-hearted Gray to possess such an overbearing presence when he turned serious.
Furthermore, she hadn’t realized how much weight the title of an A-rank Adventurer carried, allowing him to stand firm even before the Church’s private soldiers.
‘Is this the privilege of an A-rank Adventurer? Damn, I’m so jealous.’
“I have no obligation to report to you, Adventurer.”
The voice echoing from within the Dragon Knight’s heavy armor was muffled.
“Dragon Knights only follow the orders of the High Priest and the College of Cardinals.”
“We are friends of Cardinal Lobelia, and we are here to investigate a missing persons case on her behalf.”
Before Gray could answer, Katy chimed in, decisively using Lobelia’s name to back up her bluff.
‘If things go south, that bad woman who tried to burn me will get the blame anyway.’
“Lobelia… the ‘Crimson Rose’?”
The Dragon Knight murmured the name, seemingly weighing whether the situation was worth a conflict with an A-rank Hero and a rising star of the Church who was highly likely to become a Bishop.
Finally, he lowered the raised Fist Blade, and a long, raspy sound of breathing emanated from the massive armor.
“…Since it is Lady Lobelia’s will, I can withdraw for now. However, the Church will not cease its pursuit of any dangerous individuals.”
As the heavy sound of clanking metal faded into the distance, the crisis was averted.
The two guards breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed and scraped before Gray.
“Thank you so much, Master! Since you are here to investigate, please, go right in!”
“Are we the only ones going in? Did that big guy not enter?”
Gray asked.
“No, but…”
The guard lowered his voice.
“Actually, a group from the Military Department already came by yesterday. They took a lot of things in a hurry. There probably isn’t much left inside now.”
Gray nodded, thanked them thoughtfully, and led Katy through the door of Lily’s home.
“Whoa, so this is what Lily’s home looks like. I thought it would be a more lively style.”
As soon as they stepped into the bedroom, Katy couldn’t help but sigh.
She had expected the room of a receptionist who was cheerful, loved gossip, and was almost overwhelmingly enthusiastic to be full of energy and cute trinkets.
However, the room was unexpectedly plain.
Aside from a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk, there was almost no decoration.
It was so cold and empty that it felt like the owner only used it for sleeping rather than living.
‘It feels a bit lonely living here…’
Katy muttered under her breath as she began searching for clues alongside Gray.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t been to your room yet, Mr. Gray. Is it full of swords and armor?”
Gray, who was checking the desk drawers, stiffened for a moment.
His lips twitched as an image of his own bedroom — with clothes piled on chairs and weapons scattered on the floor — flashed through his mind.
He let out a dry laugh.
“Ha, haha… It’s just normal, nothing special. Miss Katy’s room must be very tidy, right?”
Now it was Katy’s turn to laugh nervously.
After all, she was still a shut-in at heart.
She possessed the superpower of being able to completely rearrange any room, no matter how tidy, within a single week of moving in.
If Gray entered her room expecting to see the room of a sweet, soft girl, and instead saw snack bags and socks strewn everywhere, wouldn’t his illusions be shattered?
Wait, what if he snatched her worn-out socks?
After all, this body was so alluring that she could practically swoon over her own discarded white silk stockings.
While both of them were lost in their own suspicious thoughts, Gray walked over to the bed, leaned down, and reached out to feel around the pillow Lily had used.
Katy’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands.
‘No, Gray! That’s your female friend’s pillow! A girl’s pillow!!’
‘Could… could he be a secret pervert? If I bring him back to my room, will he lose control and pin me to the bed…?’
As Katy’s imagination ran wild, Gray pulled a scrap of paper with charred edges from the pillowcase.
“Miss Katy, look at this.”
“Huh? Oh…”
The girl snapped back to reality, her face still a bit flushed.
She leaned in to take a look.
It was a partially burned ticket stub; the name of the destination was blurred.
Driven by her instincts as a member of the Demon Race, she subconsciously leaned toward Gray’s fingers, her small nose twitching as she sniffed.
The young man looked at her with some surprise.
Realizing only then how much she looked like a little dog, the tips of her ears turned bright red with embarrassment.
“Ah! N-no! I wasn’t sniffing your hand! I… I smelled a strange scent! It’s lingering on the paper!”
“A scent?”
Thoughtfully, he picked up the stub and sniffed it again.
Sure enough, beneath a faint smell of char, there was a pungent mixture of sulfur and damp earth — a scent found only in deep underground mineral veins.
Gray’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the remaining characters on the stub.
“Abandoned Nox… Abandoned Nox Mine?”
A look of realization dawned on the young man’s face, and he turned to her with an admiring look.
“Thanks to you, Miss Katy, you’ve been a huge help!”
“Mm…”
Katy rubbed her nose and mumbled softly.
“Don’t use me like a bloodhound…”
***
One hour later.
The entrance to the Abandoned Nox Mine, on the western outskirts of Knox City.
The massive mine entrance resembled a giant beast with its mouth wide open, waiting for prey.
The pitch-black tunnel seemed bottomless, and a cold wind occasionally blew out, making a sound like a low wail.
Standing at the entrance, Katy swallowed hard.
As a Calamity Pillar, she had an embarrassing weakness — she was afraid of the dark.
Now, facing the abandoned mine, fear triggered her overactive imagination.
As a veteran shut-in, Katy immediately thought of the pixel-art RPGs she used to play.
In a dark, damp cave like this, what usually happened to the female protagonist?
Stepping into a Slime trap that dissolved her clothes?
Being dragged into a dark room by Goblins lying in ambush?
And then having her experience points and corruption levels skyrocket after she left the cave…
‘No! I absolutely do not want a plot like that!!’
“— Miss Katy?”
“Eek! I-I’m here!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Katy nearly jumped out of her skin.
Gray had already unsheathed his long sword.
Deep blue lightning danced along the blade, acting as a bright lantern in the darkness and dispelling the surrounding gloom.
“It might be dangerous inside, and the environment isn’t great.”
Gray looked at the pale-faced girl with a concerned expression.
“You can wait at the entrance. I’ll be back soon.”
Looking at the strangely warm lightning and Gray’s unexpectedly reliable profile, Katy took a deep breath.
“No… I’m going.”
The girl gripped her staff tightly, trying to make her voice sound less nervous.
“There are likely all sorts of traps in a cave like this. If you go alone, Mr. Gray, you might get hurt.”
Gray blinked, then gave her a gentle smile.
“Alright. Then I’ll leave the rear guard to Miss Katy.”