Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

--No way!?

Then, my premonition came true.

"【Light of the Wind】!!"

Following the deafening explosion, the passageway in front of them shattered into pieces.

"~ ...

A large, luminous storm, swirling with strong winds, swept across the wall, traversing the front.

I shielded my face with my arms as the shelling flowed from right to left in my field of vision like a meteor shower.

As the cannon fire from the raging "magic" erupted, the labyrinth screamed in agony.

"...Breaked through the walls of the dungeon?"

I was initially stunned by the illogical power, but then I snapped back to my senses and moved forward along the "horizontal tunnel" carved out by "magic." Unexpectedly, the trajectory of the cannonballs led me right to her side.

I passed through four crystal walls that were constantly crumbling into powder and peeling away, and arrived at a huge cavern.

Although the land area is vast, several streams of water flow here. Perhaps due to the residual heat of the large sphere of light (magic), some of the water evaporated, forming a thin layer of mist.

I ran out of the broken wall and rushed to the scene. Right next to me, I could see the cat-man lying on the ground, curling up like a little worm.

"You are...?"

"White, [White Rabbit's Paw]...? Help, help me! That guy is coming, help me!?"

It's obvious who "that guy" he's referring to is, no need to ask.

Ahead, in the center of the cave.

A figure swaying in the depths of the mist stepped forward in one breath, revealing its form.

She is an elf wielding a wooden sword and possessing a menacing gaze.

"Miss Ryu...!"

I squinted one eye and called out that person's name.

"...You've come along, Mr. Crannie."

Miss Liu seemed to only just notice me, and looked at me sharply.

Just that alone left me speechless; I was almost intimidated.

"...Why do you always...?"

Therefore, I missed the soft murmur she uttered under her veil.

"Get out of my way, you're blocking my way. You're preventing me from getting rid of that man."

Her gaze passed over me and landed on the man right behind me.

He brandished his blood-stained wooden sword, his boots clattering under his feet, and slowly approached.

Seeing this scene, the cat-man male, who was still unable to stand up and huddled on the ground, groaned, "Eek...!?"

"My only mistake, Jala, was not to finish you off. I didn't check carefully and arrogantly thought I had taken your life, which I now deeply regret."

Miss Liu sounded as if she were cursing herself for what she had done, her voice filled with lamentation.

As she spoke in a monologue-like manner, her eyes remained fixed on the cat-man.

"...Back then, I should have killed you."

The word "kill" that fell from her lips distorted my vision.

With her cold, cloudy eyes, Miss Ryu's expression now seemed like that of a completely different person.

He was neither a diligent tavern employee nor the dashing adventurer who had rescued us several times.

Instead, it was the expression of an "Avenger".

Is this person really Miss Ryu?

No, this is...

(...This is...the Gale?)

That was Miss Ryu herself, who told me about her past on the 18th floor.

It's as if the characters in the story have appeared right before my eyes.

That was another elf I didn't know.

"However, this mistake can now be rectified. Your intentions, along with everything else, will be settled."

Miss Liu removed her veil and made a resolute declaration.

Seeing that she hadn't stopped walking all the way, the male cat-man seemed to have reached his limit and started howling and shouting.

"【White Rabbit's Paw】!? Defeat that guy, please! I've had enough, my whole body aches, and I'm bleeding nonstop...! My arm that guy cut off...!"

The cat-man hugged his bleeding body with his remaining arm, groaning in agony.

I shrugged and stared intently at the small katana that Miss Ryu was carrying.

"Is...is it true? You really cut off this person's arm..."

"...Yes, I cut off that man's arm. I also sliced ​​off his ear. So what? What are you going to do about it!"

Anger and hatred were intertwined, coupled with her candid words.

I almost lost my balance and nearly collapsed to my knees.

"Get out of the way, hurry up!"

"Lyu, Lyu-chan──"

"I told you to get out of the way!"

The wooden sword's blade finally pointed at me.

That anger was enough to scare me so much that I, who had just reached level 4, dared not move.

The pounding heartbeat and the sweating profusely are about to reach their peak.

"If you get in my way, even if it's you, I'll still chop you down... I don't have time."

These words made my throat freeze.

"Please! [White Rabbit's Paw]... Save me...!"

The scream intensified my anxiety.

Before and after, ultimatum and desperate pleas.

It's just like a scene from a play. A bloodthirsty "murderer" confronting him, and then a "victim" crying for help.

The one who was driven to a dead end was me, the detective.

The actors were simply not up to the task. To borrow a phrase from the gods, this casting was a complete failure.

This kind of stage is unbearable to watch.

"...Please tell me."

I mustered all my strength, which was almost crushed by the situation, and began to speak.

I need to confirm. I need to see it clearly.

Confirm and see the full picture of this incident.

Her true intention.

Otherwise, I will never be able to come up with an "answer".

Under immense pressure, I asked her:

"Did you kill the residents of the town (Riverra)?"

"I don't have time to answer your question!"

"Someone died in the suburbs! And someone said they saw you run away!"

How many times do I have to tell you before you understand!

Faced with the impatient and agitated Miss Ryu, I refused to back down and said loudly:

"Miss Ryu, please! Answer me!!"

I poured my feelings into my voice and pleaded with her: Please tell me.

"—Did you kill that person!?"

"—It wasn't me!!"

It was like an argument; we were yelling at each other.

My eyes met those of the sky-blue eyes that had lost their composure.

It sounded exactly like the angry shouts of a murderer.

There was neither rebuttal nor explanation, only the raging words screamed, driven by emotion.

But—that's enough.

"……I see."

At least, I can understand.

"【White Rabbit's Paws】, what are you doing? Hurry up and save me! Quickly get that woman out of there...?"

The cat-man shouted at me as I relaxed my entire body.

Although I maintained my confrontational stance with Miss Ryu, my heart was no longer with her.

An adventurer named Jallu also noticed "this".

The relationship at the scene is no longer that of the murderer, the detective, and the victim.

"Two detectives and the real culprit".

He realized that this was the current relationship diagram.

"Can I see your wound?"

I said this in a calm tone.

“W-What are you talking about…”

"You said your arm was cut off, please let me see your wound."

unfortunately.

Yes, it was really just bad luck that I recently had the opportunity to see someone who had lost an arm.

Mr. Luvis, the elf who was attacked by the "Enhanced Species (Moss Giants)".

Although I didn't want to see it, the fact that he had his arm torn off by a monster was truly horrific.

Blood flowed incessantly, staining the equipment bright red, with an overwhelmingly strong smell of fresh blood.

The sight of the severed upper arm in a fleeting moment even made me turn pale with fright.

However, this person does not possess these characteristics.

Even if clothes or equipment are soaked with blood, the amount of bleeding is not irreversible enough to cause necrosis of the upper arm, nor does it have that pungent, bloody smell.

My "memory" keeps telling this story. It keeps flashing back and forth in the form of "dissonance".

I was too flustered to notice until just now.

But now I understand.

The arm he lost—

"That wound of yours...it must be an old one, right?"

The man's eyes widened.

Miss Ryu did indeed say that.

He claimed that he cut off the man's arm and also cut off his ear.

But what if she had attacked this person before—as Miss Ryu painfully confessed to me on the 18th floor—when she had once become an avenger?