247 - - a torture chamber trap

"If it's suspicious, it's this room."

"Yes, let's start with that one on the wall.

After failing to find the stairs to the eleventh floor, Thor and the others went to the northern part of the building, which was lined with iron bars.

There remained one prison that they had not bothered to go inside to examine in detail because they had not found any monsters when they first saw it.

The rather large room was a prison, but it seemed to have been used for other purposes.

On the stone wall at the back of the room, several short chains with iron rings at the end are hanging.

The iron chains are so high that Thor's shoulders can barely reach them.

To the left, a large stone stand is placed along the wall, with only hooks on which to hang something.

In the corner of the room, there was a large fireplace that did not seem to fit the place.

It does not look like a place for warming up, relaxing, or stewing.

And to top it all off, there are reddish-black stains not only on the floor but also on the walls.

Looking at the room again, one can sense an atmosphere here and there that explains why the spirits of the prisoners do not exist.

It seems that Sola misunderstood the purpose of the stone table and the fireplace, which are marked on the map as the kitchen.

The chains are not moving. Is this not it?"

"The fireplace is too small. I'm sure Moo-chan can get in there if she tries hard enough.

I pulled on the shackles and peeked in various ways, but found no such device.

Yuril, who had been carefully tapping on the wall to check the sound, shook his head in disappointment.

"I'm sure it sounds a little strange, but I can't figure out where. ......"

The three of them face each other and ponder.

Then a child holding up a cage of insects comes bumping into Thor's leg with great force.

"If you're in trouble, let Moo take care of you!

The child, with a proud look on his face, grabs the rhinoceros beetle again.

The insects were immediately set free and flew around the room.

But there seems to be no particular destination in mind.

It seems to perch on a restraint on the wall, fly to the fireplace, and make whimsical circles around the center of the room.

Thanks to this, Moo, who was holding the cord, was taken from place to place around the room.

Finally, when the beetle rested its wings on the top of his head, the child put his hand on his chin and said to him

"Hmmm...it seems that this riddle is a mystery..."

"Where do you learn words like that?"

"Oh, Thor, look!"

Sora suddenly bursts out and points to the floor.

Thor, who had looked in that direction, immediately noticed the change.

The dusty floor was covered with the marks left here and there by Moe.

Only one of the cobblestones near the center of the room was still covered with dust for some reason.

The child's footprints continued to the front of the cobblestone pavement, where they were interrupted, but then resumed on the other side.

The mystery of the unnatural dust was soon revealed when we got closer.

"This is not dust."

"Yes, it's a stone pattern. You've thought of it very well!"

It seems that only this cobblestone pavement had a dusty pattern.

It is easy to see if you get close to it, but from a distance it blends in beautifully due to the dimly lit environment of the dungeon.

"Hmm, that looks suspicious."

"That looks suspicious."

"It's too suspicious."

So I asked the three of them to move away from me and Thor put his foot on the different colored cobblestones.

When he stepped on one foot, the cobblestone sank slightly and the floor disappeared at the same time.

However, the place was not at Thor's feet, but at the back of the room by the wall.

Sola, who happened to be standing there, was caught in the floor's collapse.

"Thora!

"It's okay, it's okay!"

Thor breathed a deep sigh of relief when he saw the girl dangling in midair, holding onto the manacles on the wall.

He rushed to her and caught her in his arms.　

"You survived that. You did great."

Thor was surprised at the girl's decision to let go of the cane and cling to the chain at that moment, but gently put his arm around her back.

Thora buried her face in Thor's shoulder and hugged him back with all her strength.

"I'm sorry. This is when I should have used my precognition. It was my fault.

"No, it can't be helped. Ah, the smell of Thor is calming.

The two men who had been standing by the stone table also came up to me and patted Thora's back, as did Thor.

I was so surprised! Are you all right, Sola?

"Well, that was a wonderful response, Mr. Sola. I'm glad you are safe."

The girl who had smiled at Yuril and Mu seemed to have been struck by the sight of the place where she might have fallen.

Immediately, her smile falters.

"Oh, yeah. What a great ......."

What I saw through the hole in the floor was a horrifying view.

The edge of the vast space was lost in the darkness, and we could not see the end of it.

It seemed to be a fairly large room.

And floating in the pale glow of the magic stone lamps were the countless figures of monsters roaming the floor.

Bones walking around with their four feet on the ground with a deafening sound.

The long tails and extended jaws suggest that they are the skeletons of large lizards.

The familiar giant evil spirit of a dark wizard also wanders about with his feet wandering aimlessly.

Thor, who had put his head in the hole and observed the room directly below, muttered in a disgusted voice.

"I can see at least thirty of them. If we had fallen in unprepared, we would have been finished for sure!

"Ha, that was a close call..."

"What a vicious trap. And if it was a known associate of yours who indirectly had a hand in it, ......."

Moe asks in an innocent voice as the three of us look at each other again and ponder.

"Hey, To-chan, are you going to fall down here?"

Thor was silent for a while, then scratched under his chin and came to a conclusion.

"Yes, I guess so. There is no other way, so I guess we have to go this way.