Eve’s flame had a significant impact on Iria as well.
Especially during the final explosion, she had to leap into the center of the blast, and taking it head-on without using magical energy caused considerable damage.
It seemed that even a top-ranking knight could influence Iria.
“······ pfft.”
As she moved forward, Iria spat out the blood pooling at her lips onto the ground.
Her expression didn’t change, but despite how it appeared, she was quite exhausted.
She had suffered burns all over her body and was hit by attack magic as well as pierced by a sword.
While her wounds could regenerate, doing so consumed her stamina.
If she kept regenerating, she’d become tired.
Iria paused briefly to catch her breath and then pushed forward again.
She opened the door to the Fourth Basement Floor with a key and descended.
The only sound echoing in the dark space was the noise of her metallic footsteps on the stairs.
There were no pursuing monsters. No presence could be felt from beyond.
‘Have they given up?’
Iria’s rampage had caused the Empire heavy losses. The Knights Order was already suffering from a shortage of personnel, and many had sustained severe or fatal injuries.
Some had even died.
It seemed they were taking action to avoid further losses.
However, there was something that bothered her about this.
Down below existed the Seed of the Demon King. It was hard to believe that they would leave a dangerous entity unguarded underground.
If Iria were to deliberately release that monster, a catastrophic disaster would occur.
The Empire wasn’t that foolish of a group.
So it was only natural to think that someone was guarding it down there.
Most likely, the strongest individual in this building was keeping watch. Having the authority to venture deep underground indicated a certain level of influence within the Empire.
Iria descended the stairs.
There was no one on the Fourth Basement Floor.
After finding the key, she went down the stairs.
The Fifth Basement Floor was equally devoid of anyone.
Only an unusually quiet scene continued.
*
“Report on the Back Alley Monster.
The Back Alley Monster appears behind the fountain of the Central Empire, in an abandoned passage.
There have been no sightings from other locations. It is reported to have white fur and red eyes as physical characteristics.
Many have witnessed it, but no human can remember its appearance in detail. Those who have seen it all exhibited hallucinations or mental disturbances.
Thus, the Back Alley Monster seems capable of exerting a psychological influence over approaching humans.
To investigate and exterminate the monster, the Knights Order assigned top-ranking knights for patrolling.
They were sent in pairs, as one individual might struggle to cope with unexpected situations.
However, the Back Alley Monster did not reveal itself.
Did it intentionally avoid the knights? If so, it likely possessed some level of intelligence.
······
An unexpected situation has arisen.
Leon, the top knight sent to patrol the Back Alley, has gone missing.
It is strange. Isn’t that why we sent two people as a precaution against such unforeseen occurrences?
For some reason, he entered the Back Alley alone instead of rejoining with another knight.
He was not foolish enough to disregard commands from above and act recklessly. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that some other factor intervened in this incident.
It is most likely that the Back Alley Monster lured him in using some means.
······
Questions arise.
How was the Back Alley Monster able to lure only one knight without revealing itself?
Whenever pairs were sent out for patrolling, the Back Alley Monster did not show itself. It could not be found no matter how thoroughly the surrounding areas were searched.
The Back Alley Monster only targets humans who wander alone. If a group enters, it won’t reveal itself.
So how did it know and successfully hide?
It would have been impossible unless it could predict the number of humans entering in advance.
The Back Alley Monster possesses keen senses. As such, there is currently no way to capture it.
Considering proclaiming that the tales of the Back Alley Monster are merely rumors could be a serious consideration.
If it’s ingrained that we cannot solve such an incident, it could be problematic. Perhaps that is also for the future of the Empire.”
“Hmm······.”
As Iria browsed through the documents in the Empire’s underground, she discovered something interesting.
It was a document concerning herself.
Having become accustomed to reading, she perused it from start to finish.
So they categorize documents like this? Their analysis wasn’t as off as she’d thought. Iria decided to erase all the documents written about her.
“What’s this?”
She wanted to burn it, but unfortunately, she couldn’t breathe fire.
Zzzzzt!
It was tedious, but she had to tear it by hand.
Iria took her time to hunt down and obliterate everything concerning herself.
She hated the idea of her being recorded in any form.
Such things needed to be erased from the world.
Here, underground, there were many things stored that were more varied than she had thought.
Characteristics of monsters she had slain, issues regarding the Empire, etc.
There were also documents on experiments targeting the Seed of the Demon King.
Most of the documents were locked, so she couldn’t read them all.
However, the ones that weren’t locked contained only information she was already aware of.
It seemed likely that she wouldn’t find the information she desired here.
But that didn’t matter much. She could just ask the monster she was about to meet directly.
“······.”
Closing the book she had opened, Iria decided it was time to move. She couldn’t forget her original purpose for coming here.
Having moved around a lot, she was now hungry. She regretted not having eaten the humans she had killed earlier.
Since she had hurried down to avoid being pursued, they were, unexpectedly, no longer concerning themselves with Iria.
‘If I had known this would happen, I would have eaten at least one person.’
Going back the way she came now felt a bit off. Time wasn’t something she had a lot of.
‘Something will work out.’
If necessary, eating a fragment of the Demon King underground would be better than eating humans, perhaps.
Iria broke down the door leading to the underground. She was too lazy to continue searching for keys at this point.
It was the path down to the Seventh Basement Floor. She could now distinctly feel the magical energy.
If she was right, the Seed of the Demon King should be around the Eighth Basement Floor. The presence of magical energy nearby reassured her.
Just one more floor to cross before she could meet it. It had not been an easy endeavor, though.
After descending a bit further, Iria let out a small sigh upon reaching the Seventh Basement Floor.
As expected, there was security there.
There was a man leaning against the wall, waiting for Iria.
She recognized him as someone she had seen before. In fact, he was someone she had partially expected to encounter.
When she had listened to Leonard about the information, he had mentioned that this was his domain.
“Have you found what you were looking for?”
“······.”
A voice with a familiar tone fell. Blue hair and half-dead eyes.
He must be the last guard of this place.
She had done a little research on him. He was quite a well-known figure in the Central Empire.
Among the top knights, a small number of talented individuals were gathered to bear the title of General.
It meant the ten stars symbolizing the Empire.
He was Albert, the second star known for single-handedly subduing the Seed of the Demon King and confining it underground.
He closed the book he had been holding and placed it on the floor.
Welcoming Iria without his usual glasses, perhaps that was why his unique half-dead gaze looked sharp.
Is it possible to even see with those eyes? The atmosphere was completely different from when she saw him at the Academy.
“No. I haven’t found anything.”
“Of course. The books in the underground’s restricted section cannot be accessed unless designated languages are inputted. If you try to read them forcefully, they are set to be disposed of as records. After all, it’s much better to erase them than risk exposing them to outsiders.”
“······.”
“That’s why there are not many who attempt to infiltrate the Empire’s underground. The risks outweigh the potential gains.”
Albert continued to speak slowly.
His calm tone and behavior were consistent with what she had seen at the Academy.
But he didn’t seem entirely the same as she remembered. He wasn’t being kind and explaining things to Iria now.
A massive amount of magical energy enveloped the area. At the same time, it began to press against Iria’s body.
“Then what is your purpose for being here? You don’t seem interested in confidential documents.”
Albert continued to talk slowly while not letting go of his hostility toward Iria.
Despite his leisurely voice, a sharp aura could be felt.
‘There’s no way he would let me go easily.’
He was the final obstacle here.
With the thick, heavy magical energy surrounding her making it hard to breathe, Iria gripped a dagger tightly in the space where the blue-hued magical energy flowed like stars.
