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“…Let’s hurry. Looks like we don’t have much time. First, we need to find a way out.”

A dull rumble continued to echo from above. There was no telling how long this building would hold.

It was quite old, and probably not as earthquake-resistant as buildings in Japan. Just as Master said, we wouldn’t feel safe until we found an exit.

“Daigorou, can you pick up the scent of any wind? If there’s air flowing somewhere, it should lead outside.”
**“Whine… sniff sniff.”**
“Hmm. He does have a wind-sensing function built in, so he should notice something if it’s there.”
“Which means he’s not picking up anything right now. Just how big is this building?”
“…Teach, what if we split up to search?”

Master let out a thoughtful groan at Stell’s suggestion, a sour look on her face.

It was true. If we walked this far without even seeing an edge, splitting up would probably make it easier to find the exit.

“But splitting up also spreads out our fighting strength. If another golem like the one before shows up, it could be dangerous.”
“Do not fear, O White One! Should such a time come, I shall protect our guests!”
“…And that’s exactly why I’m worried. Still, Stell’s suggestion makes sense. The real issue is how we split the teams.”
“Master, allow me to propose a traditional and fair method passed down in our homeland!”
“Momo… you’re really going to do that, aren’t you?”
“Oho! A custom from another world? Intriguing! Teach it to me as well!”
“Fufufu… Ready? This is a method where everyone reveals either rock or paper at the same time—”
“This is going to be something dumb, isn’t it…”

✦✧✦✧✦

“…All right, Team A, roll call.”
“Yes! Number one, Momose Kaguya!!”
“Number two… H-Hoshikawa here…”
**“Woof!!”**
“Good, everyone’s here. Let’s move out.”

Thanks to a rock–paper team split, we’d been divided up fairly into two groups. Following our leader—master—we resumed the search.

The team balance wasn’t bad, actually. Daigorou and I were sticking with Master to support her, since her stamina was a bit of a concern.

It was also reassuring to have Ms. Hoshikawa with us. If it were just us, well… we probably wouldn’t even notice a magical item if it hit us in the face.

“Momo, I want you to take the lead while carrying me. The pervert goes behind you, and Daigorou takes the rear and keeps watch for surprise attacks.”
**“Woof!”**
“Then let’s get moving. Hold on tight, Master!”
“Just make sure to keep pace. No point in sprinting ahead if the other two can’t keep up.”
“Got it, I’ll hurry slowly!”
“…Just don’t overdo it.”
“Laika’s given up already.”

We walked down the hallway at the slowest pace we could manage without leaving Ms. Hoshikawa behind.

Anytime we came to a split or side path, we just trusted our gut. No way to tell which way was right, so rather than wasting time worrying, we just kept moving forward.

A lot of the paths were blocked anyway—buried in sand or collapsed under broken pillars. It looked spacious, but in practice, there weren’t that many places we could actually explore.

“It’s really big, though. How far have we walked?”
“Eyeballing it… it’s already bigger than the Rigel Academy. No idea what this place was built for.”
“It doesn’t really feel like some kind of secret research facility either… Oh—Momo, wait, stop for a sec.”
“Whoa—what is it, Ms. Hoshikawa?”

She stopped me, then stepped past and tossed a handkerchief into the air ahead of us.

As it fluttered down toward the floor, there was a sharp crack, like something snapping, and the handkerchief instantly charred black.

“H-Hogyaa!?”
“W-Was that an infrared sensor, maybe…? So there are still some active systems after all…”
“…How did you notice it?”
“My glasses were modified using the power of my Gift. While I was reinforcing them, I kinda added a few other visibility features… eheh… I didn’t think they’d actually come in handy though.”
“So you were able to see the trap with those… You saved us.”
“N-no no no, really, it’s nothing! I mean, even if someone had triggered it, it’d probably just leave some burns or something, not like… you know… eheh…”

When Master praised her, Ms. Hoshikawa turned bright red and started waving her hands around in delight.

She was being really modest, but honestly, if I’d taken a blast strong enough to incinerate a handkerchief in an instant, there’s no way it would’ve ended with just a burn.

We really were saved at the last second thanks to her.

“But this kind of trap is pretty rare, right? I’d think you’d normally catch something like this right away, Master.”
“…Frustrating as it is, this one’s on me. I couldn’t sense any magic reaction from it until it actually activated. Looks like the firing mechanism doesn’t use magic power.”
“Uh, which means…?”
“Momo, that sensor works through scientific means. Probably something even someone like Laika, who’s a powerful wizard, wouldn’t detect until it goes off.”
“So basically it’s super dangerous?!”
“Exactly. Momo, this might just be a placebo, but wear this.”
“Wah—! Oh, thank you…”

Master took off the cat-eared cloak she’d been wearing and placed it over my head.

It was the same cloak Ms. Hoshikawa had made with built-in insulation. Definitely better than nothing.

“…*Hoshikawa*, can those glasses be used by anyone besides you?”
“Wha… Aah… You used my name for the first time…! But being acknowledged by my favorite is a huge trigger for me…!”
“Yeah, I was just about to reevaluate you, but never mind. Guess calling you a pervert still fits. Anyway—can the glasses be used by someone else?”
“Ah, yes! It takes a bit of practice to switch between the different views, but anyone can use them! B-but if I lend them out, then I won’t be able to see anything myself…”
“Then we can’t push that option. In an emergency, we’ll still need you to move around. Momo, I’ll cover you—advance carefully.”
“Y-yes! I’m counting on you, Master!”

After that, we kept moving forward, destroying a few more sensors like the one from before as we went.

It felt like the further we got, the more functional machines we were seeing. I couldn’t help but worry about the king’s team—were they all right?

I was curious, but we couldn’t afford to turn back. Times like this really made me wish we could just shoot a text or something.

“…Hmm? Momo, I’m sensing a strong magical reaction just ahead, in that room. Be careful, just in case.”
“Got it! Daigorou, keep Ms. Hoshikawa safe, okay?”
**“Woof!”**

Following Master’s warning, I moved slowly and cautiously, hugging the wall as I peeked down the hallway.

The room ahead was nothing like the narrow corridors we’d been passing through—it was a wide, high-ceilinged space.

“…Wh… What is this…?”

Ms. Hoshikawa had peeked in right beside me—and the moment she saw it, she gasped.

Spread across the entire floor, filling a space easily the size of a school gymnasium—

—was an uncountable number of human bones.