Chapter 112.1

Chapter 112.1

[Part 1/4]

The pitch-black night was engulfed by the freezing winter wind. The scene of powdery snow dancing in the air might have seemed magical to those living in the southern region.

However, for her, it held no sway on her emotions. For those dwelling in the northern regions, snow could even be a cause of disgust, so it was not surprising. Moreover, from her perspective...

"Is this where you've been?"

In the darkness, she had been absentmindedly gazing at the bonfire when she turned her gaze towards the familiar voice. Her eyes met a young man in black outfit with a Noh mask.

"...What do you want?"

"Hahaha, don't be so unfriendly. We are comrades of the same important group, aren't we? It's just a night shift celebration. Look, I've prepared food."

Ignoring her somewhat prickly tone, the young man smiled warmly and presented a wrapped cloth. Without asking for permission, he sat down beside her. She concealed the excitement that slightly quickened her heartbeats, suppressed her excitement, and disdainfully sniffed the air.

"Don't compare me with you. You're a servant, and I am a household member. Our positions are completely different."

As he spread the Furoshiki (wrapping cloth), revealing dried fish, dried rice, and steamed buns, he addressed her with a heartwarming offer. But all she saw was the contrast between their current situation and the times when they survived on the streets together. Their positions were indeed different now, but she couldn't help but remember that scene she had witnessed a while ago.

"Besides, why don't you go back to that girl? It's a perfect opportunity. If you miss this chance, you might not get another one. Isn't it more meaningful than doing a night shift with these foul-smelling monster?"

Taking the food he handed over, she retorted sarcastically to her childhood friend. After all, she had seen him with a girl from the same group, alone and looking affectionate. Although she didn't want to disturb them too much, she couldn't resist making a little jab.

...Ever since witnessing that scene, an inexplicable irritation had been festering in her heart.

"Hey, hey, peeping is not a good idea, you know? At least, give me a shout or something?"

"What am I, your babysitter? Should I give you a round of applause?"

"If you're offering something, I'd be happy to take it."

Scratching his head, the young man responded in a troubled tone, and she proceeded to tease him even more. He merely shrugged his shoulders and responded with a casual smile. His nonchalant attitude only exacerbated her annoyance.

"Get lost. You're annoying. ...I swear, do you want to be punched to death?"

In fact, with her strength, it would be effortless to do so. That's why their fates had been torn apart like this. She was too powerful to become a servant.

"......"

"...What's wrong? You suddenly got quiet."

"!? You're annoying! Your face is too close!"

"Huh!?"

Lost in thought, she returned to her senses at his words. At the same moment, the mask-wearing servant was right in front of her. Without hesitation, she unleashed a backhand strike, hitting him squarely in the face. Damn, she thought, it was too late to realize it. The young man fell backward, tumbling over.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... couldn't you go a little easier? I thought my nose was broken!"

* * *

'( ́・ω・`)?'

"...No, let's run to the gate!"

"Y-Yeah...?"

Tamaki must have noticed my change in demeanor, as she called out to me, and I quickly remembered what I should prioritize. I pulled her towards the gate, and she— hey, stupid spider, you didn't need to react.

'Vuooohhhh!!'

"Eeek!?"

A roar echoed in the room. As I shifted my gaze, I saw the mummy, who should have been crushed by the squid-like alien, emerge from the pile of rubble. Although the ornaments adorning its body were slightly dented or broken, the mummy itself didn't seem too damaged. Tamaki looked a bit scared; it seemed like she was mentally worn out. I could understand her feelings.

"If it had fallen back there, that would've been nice...!"

"What should we do? Those sticky creatures are playing with your brought-in squid, but it's a problem even on its own."

With a wry smile on my face, Botan, who had been embraced by the injured onikuma and approached us, pointed out the situation. I was well aware of that fact.

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to do this."

Saying that, I received Teguruma from the hummingbird that perched on my shoulder. I held it in my mouth. Then, I rapidly pulled the Teguruma's threads.

'Gwoh!?'

The ambush from the spider wire imbued with divine energy cut the mummy in half from its waist. It was slammed down on the floor, face-down.

The hummingbird, having carried Teguruma in its beak during the squid-like alien's invasion of the walls, left. The extended threads wrapped around the mummy's back. And with the received threads, this was possible.

"...You're quite skilled, huh?"

"I read the situation in this room beforehand."

'( ́∀`) I still have more than that (the thread)!'

Ignoring the puzzled hummingbird and Botan, who looked at me questioningly, I replied without paying attention to the spider's triumphant face. When I said I "read" the situation, it wasn't a metaphor; it was the truth.

"Heya Sagashi no Ma (The Room for Searching Rooms)" was a room where you could literally search for rooms. Countless bookshelves contained descriptions of all the rooms prepared by "Mayoiga" could be find in this room. What was happening in each room was being updated in real-time. If you wanted to go to a room you liked, you could open the first page of that book, stick your head in, and teleport there.

The countless books were the entrance to the rooms and the rooms themselves. If the hummingbird used Tamaki's hair as a catalyst to cast a search curse, it would continue along the corridor of bookshelves until it finally found the target. It found it, and then I viewed the ongoing scene where the protagonist was getting tangled up by tentacles.

"I see... And what about that squid-like creature playing with the mucus?"

"I kidnapped it while it was hibernating."

"Huh?"

"What's this guy saying?" That was the kind of reaction I received, but there was no other way to put it, as it was true. Six rooms ago, while lost in the mentally intrusive frigid mountain range, I stumbled upon a scene of a sleeping herd. The old man Matsushige was eagerly interested and demanded to dissect them on the spot, but I adamantly refused and, instead, decided to seal them using the old man's offered talisman and bring them back...