Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Personally, I don’t like relationships with strict hierarchies, but for some reason, every person I get to know ends up trying to hoist me onto a palanquin and carry me around like one of the bearers.

…Ahh, how I miss normal friendships. Luke, Viola, Lieselotte… I wonder how you all are doing. Not that they’re even conceived already, though.

Longing to return soon, I looked into Regulus’ earnest eyes as he waited for my orders and spoke to him in a somewhat stern tone.

“Regulus. If you truly care for me, then from this moment on, refrain from making suggestions or taking actions that throw your life away. I have no need for safety bought at the cost of someone else’s sacrifice.”

“But…!”

“In short, we just need to figure out what they’re capable of.” Cutting off Regulus’ attempt at a rebuttal, Cestlavie offered a suggestion while turning his gaze toward me and Coppelia. “I’ve got an idea. —Coppelia, stand right there, spread your arms, and spin around once.”

“What are you plotting, you pleb…? —Like this?” Though clearly suspicious, Coppelia stood in place and performed a smooth, skater-like spin. Her French maid-style mini skirt floated up lightly.

In that instant, from all over the cave, knife-like stone tools, pebbles, javelins, stone axes, and even blow darts came flying toward Coppelia like a downpour, trying to turn her into swiss cheese.

“NYOAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Fortunately, most of them fell short or veered wildly off target, and only a few grazed her. But of course, Coppelia’s face twisted in panic as she dove behind the stone column she’d been using as a shield.

“Alright, I got it! Our enemy has no bows or magic among their projectiles. The number of simultaneous attacks was about fifty. And unfortunately, they’ve got no aim.”

“Don’t screw with me, you idiot! You utter pleb!! I got hit! I definitely got hit, you know!” An enraged Coppelia had a blow dart stuck in her forehead. The tip was coated with a suspiciously colored liquid that clearly looked dangerous to touch with bare skin.

“Thanks to that, we’ve got a decent grasp of their capabilities now, don’t we? So, let’s go ahead and launch our counterattack.”

Even as Coppelia grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shouted, Cestlavie kept his cool expression.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but think, ‘These two actually get along pretty well, don’t they?’

And with that thought, I once again scanned the enemy forces and the cave environment around us, recalling how we ended up here in the first place.

♢♦♢♦♢

Beneath the central stronghold of the Saintess’ Church, the Sant’Angelo Sanctuarium, lies a sprawling network of drainage canals and sewers, abandoned work shafts from past renovations, secret escape routes prepared for emergencies, and even mysterious underground chambers—likely remnants from the days before the Church established its base here, when the site belonged to a minor local religion. Altogether, they form a rather legitimate underground labyrinth—more than just a “little” one.

Details about these backstage facilities are deemed unnecessary for priests and shrine maidens like myself. At most, we hear unverifiable rumors like: “Monsters dwell in some of the tunnels,” “Ghosts have been spotted,” or “The Pope was once seen sprinting at full speed from the pipes connected to the shrine maiden’s bathhouse.”

Besides, the existence of a dungeon beneath the Church’s headquarters would be nothing but an embarrassment to the organization. So, naturally, its presence is kept tightly under wraps.

That said, if monsters were ever to crawl out and attack Church personnel or civilian pilgrims, it would be a serious issue. That’s why all entrances on the Sant’Angelo side are closely monitored and securely locked, and templar knights regularly patrol the area to exterminate any monsters they spot—or so Dan told me.

However, since these patrols are not conducted by professional adventurers, it seems there are quite a few blind spots, such as complex sections or hidden chambers within the labyrinth. In fact, according to the staff managing the facility, not a single person likely has a complete grasp of the dungeon’s full extent.

And now, here we are—myself, Cestlavie, Coppelia, Sechs, and the nameless demon boy newly dubbed Regulus—stepping into what might best be called the Sant’Angelo Underground Labyrinth.

Naturally, we haven’t received any official permission from the Church. This little expedition is entirely my own arbitrary decision.

To begin with, the entrance to this place is located where the South Gate—which officially shouldn’t even exist within Sant’Angelo—is supposed to be. That alone makes it certain that it’s completely off the patrol routes of the templar knights. More than that, it’s easy to imagine that even within the Church itself, the existence of this passage is an ultra-classified secret.

Because of that, I had originally wanted to ask for the help of Twinfang of the Snowy Peaks, the all-female adventuring party led by Kaisa, specialists when it comes to dungeon delving. But the risk was simply too great—I couldn’t possibly bring myself to confide in them.

If it were just me alone, perhaps I could find some excuse by invoking the authority of the Shrine maiden Princess—though I’d rather not, and would only resort to it if absolutely necessary. But if harm were to come to outsiders like them, I’m not confident I’d be able to shield them from the fallout. That’s why this time, it’s strictly limited to close allies and those already involved.

And so, after wrapping up a quick job at the Luminous Butterfly Opera House in downtown Thera Maryth, grabbing a bite and making hasty preparations, we made a beeline straight for the secluded edge of Sant’Angelo, where the elusive South Gate is located.

Still, the fact that the very person we were searching for had been right beneath our feet this entire time—like some fairytale where the bluebird of happiness was at home all along, or a comedy skit where the punchline is “It’s right behind you!”—well, whichever way you put it, it feels painfully ironic.

In any case, we worked hard to avoid detection by any patrolling templar knights, and finally reached the location.

The place Dan had described—the one with the secret door—looked like nothing more than a plain stone wall. But the moment I touched it, I couldn’t help but let out a breath of admiration.

“This is… truly remarkable! It must be a kind of sealing spell, but even the texture when touched feels exactly like real stone! And look—it’s even masking its mana vibrations! Without combining elemental techniques and getting help from earth and wind spirits, a normal practitioner would never even notice it.”

I can use Illusion, a light magic spell, to deceive the eye at a basic level. But to fool even touch, and to maintain it perpetually over such a long period—just how much mana and how intricate a spell structure must this require? I can’t even begin to imagine.

“There are still magicians in this world far beyond my level… I must redouble my training!”