Following the information relayed by Kolin, Liyami arrived at a very secluded edge of the beach. Before her lay a cluster of reefs and waves that were growing restless as the night deepened.
Scanning her surroundings, Liyami finally spotted Kolin hiding behind a massive reef. Only his head and arm were visible as he waved her over.
Heading straight toward him, Liyami kept a watchful eye on her surroundings, alert for potential danger. She finally allowed herself a moment to relax only after reaching the safety of the reef.
Observing the group standing by in readiness, Liyami brought out the equipment she had carried from the villa, hidden in the shadows. As they equipped their gear, she asked, “Is the Half-Faced Maiden hiding somewhere nearby?”
Laine, who had no equipment to put on, answered Liyami’s question by pointing in a specific direction.
“There is a small cave behind that reef cluster. Both Commander Kolin’s deduction and Lady Eleanor’s guidance suggest she should be inside, which is why we have been standing guard here.”
Looking in the direction he indicated, Liyami indeed spotted a tiny, pitch-black opening through the gaps in the reefs. Since it was based on Kolin’s intuition and confirmed by Eleanor’s guidance, Liyami saw no reason to doubt it.
While donning his Temple Armor, Kolin took the chance to ask, “Did you see any of the soldiers on the island? I should have notified them already.”
At this, Liyami recalled the few young soldiers standing listlessly at the entrance of the villa. She was unsure if they were the island’s last remaining defense force or just a handful of soldiers who were willing to help. Regardless, Liyami did not believe those young soldiers would be of any help.
“Although I had them bolster the perimeter nearby, I don’t think we should count on the soldiers of the island. They likely won’t be of much use,” Liyami said helplessly.
Hearing this, Kolin frowned while fastening his armor.
“Is the island’s defense that poor? Can the Special Incident Handling Squad really solve everything on their own? I truly don’t know how they have managed to survive unscathed until now.”
Liyami felt the same regarding Kolin’s reproach. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to complain about the island’s defenses, it served no purpose now. Rather than engaging in meaningless complaints, it was better to prepare for the upcoming battle.
A short while later, everyone was fully equipped and prepared, waiting only for Kolin’s signal to depart.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Kolin stopped delaying and issued the order to move out. Before they fully departed, he handed some items to Laine, who was at the back of the line. Laine did not refuse and accepted them readily. He knew that following them inside would be dangerous, so having extra means of self-preservation was certainly the right call.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Lavinia first scanned the area and confirmed the surroundings of the cave mouth. During this time, Kolin used Divine Magic to check the vicinity. Seeing that they found no issues, the group felt at ease and ventured inside.
The entrance was as narrow as the exterior, forcing Kolin to walk straight ahead to avoid the discomfort of the group being huddled together.
Only after pressing forward for some time did the path grow wider. Kolin was finally able to stand upright and observe his surroundings.
Using a simple Illumination Magic spell to light the way, they discovered that, unexpectedly, the interior was much larger than the entrance suggested. However, the group had already anticipated this and did not show much surprise.
After confirming there were no traps, Kolin took the lead, heading down the path that, while winding, was the only one available.
Although most of the surrounding rock walls appeared natural, traces of manual labor began to appear. The floor also showed significant signs of long-term usage, proving that people had indeed been passing through here for a long time. The caution of Kolin and the group increased with every step they took.
Reaching up to touch a water droplet that had landed on her shoulder, Lavinia looked quite distressed.
“Why do these members of the Demon Race love caves so much? Are they cavern-dwellers? Every time they choose a hideout, they pick these dark and damp places. Can’t they pick somewhere bright and warm? Don’t they feel uncomfortable?”
Lavinia’s complaints eased the tension of the marching group. Eleanor couldn’t help but joke, “According to the Temple’s research, the ancestors of the Demon Race supposedly lived underground. It is likely they feel an affinity for these dark and damp places, so choosing similar spots for a hideout is quite normal. I heard that long ago, humans once mistook underground-dwelling demons for the gnomes from fairy tales! There are even ancient texts that say these demons, mistaken for gnomes, liked to tinker with strange metal objects!”
“Strange metal objects?” Liyami interrupted after hearing Eleanor’s words. “Are you sure you’re talking about the Demon Race? Wouldn’t that be the Dwarves? That sounds like something only a Dwarf would do.”
Faced with Liyami’s sudden question, Eleanor looked somewhat speechless.
“How would I know? Either way, these are just stories passed down from a long time ago. Perhaps they really did mistake Dwarves for demons?”
Compared to Liyami and Eleanor, who were caught up in debating whether the “gnomes” were demons or Dwarves, Lavinia continued her simple complaining.
“Demon or Dwarf, I don’t care for either. Can’t they just pick a clean and warm place to settle down? This cursed cave is getting colder by the second!”
Lavinia’s words effectively ended the topic. Liyami and Eleanor, who had each been clinging to their own perspective, nodded non-committally after hearing her.
The team continued in this atmosphere until they suddenly felt a chill wash over them. They realized they had passed through the winding rock passage and emerged into a vast, spacious area. This hall-like space had tunnels leading in many different directions, all seemingly heading to different places.
Kolin looked at the many tunnels appearing before him, feeling troubled. Only a moment ago, there had been only one path, even if it wasn’t straight, but now so many had appeared that he was briefly unsure which way to go.
However, after carefully analyzing the tracks on the ground, Kolin confirmed that only three of the tunnels showed signs of long-term travel. It seemed the Half-Faced Maiden was likely in one of these three paths.
Seeing this, Kolin turned to ask for everyone’s input.
Liyami rubbed her hands together, trying to warm her body, and said, “I don’t know which one to take either, but we absolutely cannot split up. Once we split up, we will just be—Achoo!—err, defeated one by one.”
Eleanor, breathing into her palms for warmth, agreed. “Liyami is right. We must not separate. As for which tunnel to choose, Kolin, you are the leader—you decide.”
Lavinia hugged her shoulders tightly, her voice trembling as she said, “No, no matter which one, we, we should decide quickly! I am, freezing to death! Why, why is it so cold! In this hell-hole!”
Hearing the others, Kolin had to admit they could not split up, nor could they afford to stand here freezing. Consequently, he prepared to randomly choose one of the three paths. But just as he was about to announce his choice, he suddenly felt a wave of cold and couldn’t help but shiver.
It was only then that he sensed something wrong. This grand, hall-like space seemed… a little too cold.