episode_0086

Thud! Crash!

As I was hit in the face by Meruru’s butt, I ended up falling down the ladder with her.

I felt the impact of hitting the ground along with a dull thud.

If my body hadn’t been reinforced with magic, the height from which we fell could have caused serious injuries.

Fortunately, my body was quite sturdy, so while I felt the impact, I didn’t break or hurt anything.

I immediately pushed Meruru, who was sprawled on top of me, to the side and got up.

Luckily, Meruru seemed unharmed thanks to me becoming a human cushion for her.

“Meruru? Meruru!”

But Meruru didn’t wake up.

It didn’t seem like she had passed out from the fall, judging by how she weakly fell from the ladder.

She seemed to be breathing properly, though.

“…Snore….”

“Huh?”

“…Snore… snore….”

Meruru started snoring softly.

It sounded like a cat purring.

To fall asleep so suddenly.

Surely, there must have been something in that cursed grandma’s cookies.

Perhaps it was a cookie with a sleep-inducing effect.

It was fortunate that it didn’t seem to contain anything poisonous, but it was a bit troublesome.

First, I laid Meruru down and looked around.

The ceiling had a long, dark corridor stretching out, with water flowing in the center.

Trash was scattered in the corners, but there was no sign of any people.

“Meruru, hey! Wake up! Meruru!”

After confirming that there was no one around, I shook Meruru’s body.

I even tapped her cheeks and whispered in her ear, but she just peacefully continued sleeping.

“The cookie Meruru ate contained a potent sleeping potion.

Depending on the weight, it had an effect strong enough that even if a fireball exploded next to her, she wouldn’t wake up for about two to three hours.

Since she ate two of those cookies, it would be difficult for Meruru to wake up.”

The narration informed me of Meruru’s condition.

That cursed grandma… I knew something was fishy.

Unable to stay still here, I reluctantly lifted Meruru onto my back.

That grandma wouldn’t have given us cookies laced with sleeping pills for no reason.

There might be assailants waiting for the effects to kick in before attacking.

If I hadn’t refused the cookies and shared them with Meruru, just the thought of it was horrifying.

Carrying Meruru on my back, I proceeded into the dark underground waterway.

She wasn’t too heavy, but it was uncomfortable to hold her limp body to prevent her from slipping off.

With every step, the wind caused Meruru to slide down my back, so I had to lift her buttocks several times to pull her up.

“…Snore….”

Even though she had taken sleeping pills, she was sleeping soundly, even snoring.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but there was no issue with moving.

Once we reached the area managed by Algot, I could ensure Meruru’s safety until she woke up.

Perhaps it was Paprika Restaurant, that’s where we needed to go.

Carrying Meruru, as we turned a corner in the underground waterway, we came to a spot blocked by a solid stone wall with a heavy iron door closed.

Creak- The iron door opened with an unpleasant sound, and three men with a rough appearance emerged from inside.

Glancing at me with suspicion, they passed by me and headed towards the exit with the ladder.

It seemed like this iron door was the real entrance to the ‘Underground City’ in the waterway.

The men who had just come out seemed to be residents of the slums who roamed the waterway.

They eyed me as if they were about to start a fight, but thankfully, they just left.

While I wasn’t afraid of getting into a confrontation with the people here, it was better to avoid any annoying situations.

As I opened the iron gate and stepped inside, a completely different landscape unfolded before me.

“This is… the underground of the capital…”

A wide passage suddenly expanded around a central stream of water.

It was so massive that it could be considered as another city underground.

Columns were evenly spaced on either side of the passage, with makeshift buildings made of debris behind them.

There were as many people moving around the underground waterways as there were in the bustling streets above ground.

Unlike the overflowing poverty in the slums above, the people in the underground waterways were neatly dressed.

However, there was an indescribable tension flowing through the dimly lit underground streets.

If the surface was full of beggars, the underground felt more like a den of darkness.

Glancing around, I saw several shops lined up on either side of the passage, marked by columns at regular intervals.

Amidst the bustling noise, I turned my head to see a place where people were gathered, laying out mats and playing dice games.

In some places, women with revealing clothing were dancing on wooden crates, enticing passersby with their seductive gestures and engaging in suspicious acts.

I heard that there were places where slaves were traded, but I didn’t see any immediately.

Just like how the demon shelter was disguised as a restaurant and a gambling den, it seemed that businesses that were too shady even for the underworld were hidden and operated.

Feeling the occasional suspicious glances, I continued to walk through the underground streets with Meruru on my back.

A man carrying a sleeping, beautiful elf on his back, it was a perfect way to attract attention in a negative sense.

The destination, the restaurant ‘Paprika,’ was said to be behind the thirteenth column.

Let’s see where the columns are, one, two, three…

How vast is this underground, really?

Counting the columns as I walked forward.

Meruru was still sound asleep on my back.

When I reached the tenth column…

“…?”

I suddenly felt a sharp sensation and turned around with Meruru still on my back.

There was a man trying to strike me from behind with a club.

He must have followed me stealthily, but couldn’t hide his presence at the last moment.

Before the man’s club could strike, I plunged into his arms and punched his stomach hard with my fist.

Then, I immediately lifted Meruru on my back and distanced myself from the man.

“Ugh… damn it… did you put eyes on the back of your head…?”

The man groaned in pain and fell to his knees after receiving a blow to his stomach from me.

Was he one of the beggars who gave me cookies, or just a random guy targeting anyone passing by?

I didn’t know, but since he aimed for my back and swung his club, I had no choice but to retaliate.

I wanted to grab him and interrogate him, but I restrained myself as I had Meruru on my back.

For now, it was more important to go to the place where Algot’s connections reached, the restaurant Paprika behind the thirteenth column.

There, I could rest safely until Meruru woke up and meet her sister Aruru.

It would be a loss to waste time dealing with such guys here.

After neutralizing the attacker, I quickly sprinted towards the next column.

Ten… eleven… twelve…

Finally, I reached the thirteenth column, and I saw a sign that read ‘Paprika’ in the back.

With Meruru on my back, I entered the restaurant Paprika and showed the badge of Algot’s guild master delegation at the counter.

The man who appeared to be the manager of the restaurant guided us to the back corridor covered by curtains.

Following the manager through the corridor, we came across a fairly large secret gambling den, just as Algot had described.

We passed by several people who seemed to be guests of the den and continued to follow the manager further inside.

Finally, we arrived at a corner of a warehouse that seemed to have nothing at all.

When the manager pressed firmly on one of the bricks on the wall, a part of the ordinary stone wall rotated, revealing a door that could be opened to enter.

Indeed, without knowing the structure, one would never be able to discover it.

This was the demon sanctuary that Algot had mentioned…

Protected by several layers of disguised shops, it was the most secretive place accessible through a secret entrance that appeared to be an ordinary stone wall.

“Are you the one sent by Algot?”

As soon as we entered, a woman with rough skin approached us.

Wearing armor and carrying a fine sword, she seemed to be someone out of the ordinary.

Having entered the demon sanctuary, could it be that this person was also a ‘trusted individual’ as Algot had mentioned?

I immediately explained to her the situation of Meruru eating a suspicious cookie and falling asleep on the surface.

I also mentioned that we had come from Kube to meet our older sister, Aruru.

After listening to my story, the woman in armor led us to a room filled with beds.

Although all the beds were empty, there was a sign at the entrance that read “Infirmary”.

“For now, it seems like Meruru should lie down here. She seems to have been affected by a common method used in this area, so she should wake up soon after a few hours. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

“Will there be any side effects or anything like that?”

“No, it happens often here. She’s just sleeping deeply.”

Well, that’s a relief.

I laid Meruru on one of the empty beds and carefully covered her with a blanket.

Then, I asked the woman with rough skin.

“But what about over there…?”

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mirabel, the deputy commander of the Piphnel Royal Knights. I also serve as the supervisor of the demon sanctuary.”

“Deputy commander…?”

“I heard about you from Algot. Please take care of us.”

I was surprised to hear Mirabel’s introduction and widened my eyes.

She didn’t feel like an ordinary person, but a deputy commander…?

It was quite surprising that someone of that caliber was supervising the demon sanctuary in a place like this.

“It might take a while for Meruru to wake up. Would you like to wait here? Or would you like to explore a bit first?”

Mirabel asked me.

Meruru was lying on the bed, completely stretched out.

She was still making cat-like snoring sounds, as if she was eating something in her dreams and drooling.

Now that Meruru seemed safe, and there was nothing else to do but wait, I decided to explore a bit.

“I’d like to explore a bit. I’m curious about how the demons here are doing.”

“Then follow me.”

Upon hearing my response, Mirabel immediately began to guide me.