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A ball of light created by magic illuminated the dark basement, and the four of us were diligently searching the rooms.

Honestly, I thought I was searching hard too, but with the pace the other three were moving, I looked as if I was hardly doing anything at all.

While I was checking one room, the other three were already examining two or three rooms.

Even Frecia was enhancing her weak body with magic to search the rooms.

Given that Frecia probably had little connection with Yuli, her motivated roaming around must come from feeling a responsibility for involving a third party in her own issues.

Fortunately, we hadn’t come across any rooms previously messed up by Evil Spirits.

But the problem was that Yuli hadn’t been found either.

“This is the last one.”

We had already gone through one round and arrived next to the room where we initially started searching.

If she’s not in this room either, things are going to get serious.

So, I couldn’t help but feel tense until the very moment I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it.

Click, creak

The doorknob turned, and with an unsettling noise, the door slowly opened.

And through the crack of the door came a voice that hadn’t been heard before.

“Waaaah…”

But upon closer listening, it sounded more like sobbing than talking.

And there, in the brightly opened room, despite being relatively dim, it was sufficiently lit for us to see inside thanks to the magical light.

The wide room looked somewhat empty, with hardly any furniture to speak of.

If I were to nitpick, it was more like a small auditorium than just a room.

In the center stood a chair, and sitting atop it was a girl.

However, the presence felt in the room was not just Yuli.

A sense of presence that could easily exceed dozens or even into the hundreds. Yet their figures were hardly visible, just resembling shapes similar to people with translucent bodies.

“Be careful. They are Evil Spirits.”

Frecia, sensitive to external magic, warned us. But even without Frecia’s warning, the pressure emanating from the Evil Spirits was no joke.

Unlike the Mischievous Evil Spirits Anne had been playing with upstairs, these had real power.

Of course, even if they were strong, each individual spirit was insignificant compared to us.

But if the number of those spirits reached into the dozens, the situation would change dramatically.

If they decided to attack us, safety could not be guaranteed.

But that’s why we drew our swords and staffs.

Not for my safety, but to save Yuli, who was caught among those Evil Spirits.

Fortunately, it seemed they hadn’t done anything to Yuli just yet, but dozens of Evil Spirits were fluttering around her.

As I stood frozen, unsure of how to rescue the hostage Yuli, the Evil Spirits that were a little distance away started to move closer to Yuli.

“Ah! Don’t come near me!”

Suddenly

?

The approaching Evil Spirits halted in place for a moment.

I, Selian, Anne, and Frecia were all perplexed by the sudden actions of the Evil Spirits, and among the immobilized spirits, one approached Yuli stealthily and poked her shoulder.

“Ah! Get away from me!”

They scattered

?

At her words, the Evil Spirits began to retreat.

Even one of them that had poked Yuli’s shoulder was included in those retreating.

“I really hate this…”

Yuli, startled, burst into tears, and along with her sobbing,

Wahhh….

The Evil Spirits began to weep alongside Yuli.

As dozens of Evil Spirits empathized with her sobbing, a chill ran down my spine, and I felt the surrounding temperature drop significantly.

It wasn’t just a feeling; I could see my breath forming in the cold air.

Looking around at the others, they too were trembling and rubbing their arms.

Even the few pieces of furniture were rattling as if they had come to life.

“Waaah… Elysia, where are you?”

And the more Yuli cried, the louder the Evil Spirits wept, and the scene around us spun into chaos.

“Yuli!”

No matter how dangerous the Evil Spirits were, I could no longer just stand by and watch.

Even if the situation turned more dire for us, we had some strength to protect ourselves. However, Yuli’s state was entirely uncertain.

Her weakness aside, her mental state wasn’t calm enough to deal with this unexpected situation.

“Elysia…?”

Fortunately, it seemed my call reached the crying Yuli, as she called my name in a sniffling voice.

“Just wait a bit! I’ll rescue you soon!”

“Elysia, be careful…!”

I heard Selian’s shouting voice, but I was out the door before her words even registered.

With sword tightly gripped in one hand, as I rushed toward Yuli, I felt something coming at me.

Clang!

I raised my sword toward the direction of the unseen attack that felt ominous, and with a heavy jolt, my body was flung backward a few steps.

– Hoohoohoo…

From the direction that the attack came from, a girl appeared in the air.

Unlike the other Evil Spirits that merely took on human forms, this one looked genuinely human if not for the aura radiating from her.

– “Hero, you’ve come quite far.”

She knows I’m the Hero? Could this basement not just be the lair of Evil Spirits but a trap set by the Demon King?

“Damn it, let Yuli go!”

– “Hohoho. Want to save the princess? If so, prove it by defeating me.”

Swish bang!

A magic arrow shot from a distance, fired by Frecia, flew directly at the girl Evil Spirit, but the wandering Evil Spirits quickly formed a mass and captured the arrow in their hands, exploding it into pieces.

Of course, it’s a basement where not a single star, nor even starlight can enter; even if Frecia’s magic weakened, that they could block it so simply meant this opponent was no ordinary foe.

“I’ll help!”

“Get back!”

Selian and Anne rushed toward me immediately, but the mass of Evil Spirits that had merged split into two, blocking the two from advancing.

Clang!

Even Selian’s sword as a Sword Master and Anne’s aura meant to exterminate magic were easily brushed off by the split Evil Spirits.

– “Hohoho. They can’t help you. Now, fear even more. Our strength grows with your fear…”

The appearance of the girl Evil Spirit grew more sinister as her dominance increased.

While she retained her girl form, two horns sprouted from her head, her back sprouted demonic wings, and her claws elongated into sharp blades.

“Don’t make me laugh!”

“Elysia…”

Fearful? What I genuinely fear is not the creepy power felt from the Evil Spirits or their frightening appearance.

What I fear is the thought of possibly losing Yuli.

– “Hoohoo. This girl will become our vessel. She’s not worthy for you to have.”

There was no longer any need to listen to the Evil Spirit’s words.

The only good news was that they showed no intent to harm Yuli immediately.

If that’s the case, then I had no reservations about charging forward.

“Who the hell do you think you are to take Yuli away? Stop your nonsense! You think I’m gonna let you take Yuli?”

As the Holy Sword in my hand flared with a silvery white aura.

In an instant, my body reached the Evil Spirit.

The Evil Spirit appeared to overestimate her power, grinning at me without even assuming a basic defensive posture.

Slash!

– “Gahhh! How could this happen!”

“What?”

I had expected my attack to be blocked and had already readied my next move, but the Evil Spirit accepted my first strike without a fight.

Though intangible as an Evil Spirit, the split one vanished into thin air with a dramatic scream, as if it were acting.

“What’s happening…?”

This girl Evil Spirit couldn’t be seen as weaker than the dozens of Evil Spirits blocking Frecia, Selian, and Anne.

The power felt from this girl Evil Spirit was overwhelmingly strong.

Yet she had indeed fallen.

It was surprising to see her go down in one hit, but she must’ve underestimated me and succumbed to the Holy Sword’s power.

Glancing over, it seemed the mass of Evil Spirits blocking the others had vanished too.

In any case, the crucial fact remained that we had safely rescued Yuli.

Leaving behind the vanished girl Evil Spirit, I rushed over to Yuli, who was bound to a chair.

“Elysia…”

“Just hang on a second. I’ll free you right away.”

The knots were tightly tied, so I used my sword to slice through them carefully.

With a hug

Yuli, regaining her freedom, felt anxious and instantly threw herself into my arms.

“You were so scared. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”

“Uh-huh, it’s okay. I’m just glad you came.”

“Alright, shall we head back? Let’s get out of this creepy basement quickly.”

“Yeah.”

But it seemed Yuli was too exhausted from her tears; she couldn’t walk properly.

Fortunately, since I was supporting her from the side, she wouldn’t fall, but it looked like she couldn’t return on her own.

“Here, hop on.”

“What? But…”

“Don’t be stubborn and hurry up.”

“U-uhm, okay…”

I crouched down before her, as she struggled to even stand.

Yuli seemed initially embarrassed to be carried at her age or thought it was a burden to me, hesitating for a moment, but she ultimately climbed onto my back.

…While I felt the soft touch of her body against my back, I tried to ignore it as I began to walk when a voice stepped in to block our path.

– “Not so fast!”