"¡Ugh!"

Arisella blurted out in disgust as she looked at the scene that showed that there was a complete genocide in the area. The smell of her blood was so thick that it made them a little dizzy, and Tasha in particular was the one who suffered the most from it with her especially sensitive nose, holding her nose in an attempt to better endure the dirty air of the cave.

"...You have to endure it, okay?" Lucelle whispered worriedly as she placed her head on her chest. Tasha nodded, albeit reluctantly. It's not like she can ask him to take her away with who knows what monster walking around, right?

As an Alchemist, it was not difficult for Lucelle to endure those bloody smells, and while Arisella was frowning in annoyance and disgust, she was also not so weak-minded that she could not endure it; Although she did promise herself that she would absolutely pamper her nose later with pleasant smells….

As for the others, some frowned at the smell of blood, but as expected, as awakened [Soldiers], they would not make a fuss about the matter. Even without much experience, their skills still helped them maintain their composure.

On Amelia's part...

"My Lady! Look at all these aether cores!" The normally expressionless battle maiden exclaimed excitedly as she looked with eyes that glittered with greed at the clusters of aether cores on the ground, leaving everyone bewildered. "With so many of these cores, we won't have any problems reaching the capital even if Sir Ershas and the young ladies fail in their mission!"

We could also earn a lot of pocket money! Amelia continued with a smile from ear to ear.

"H-humm..."

...You are an unexpectedly greedy damsel, Amelia... but hey, that's nice... I think...

Arisella was seriously doubting whether her maid's nose was working properly...

Anyway, looking at the piles of abandoned cores on the ground and the little biological material (meat) left behind as garbage, Arisella couldn't help but wonder, What happened here?

They couldn't be completely sure, but it seemed that the only ones who had died here were just monsters. There was no trace indicating that demihumans had died in this place, and certainly magicians (both Professional and normal magicians) were not so common in Madarhem that there were so many aether cores.

Also, now that he thought about it, from the way they were crawling quickly instead of trying to attack them with their acid balls, the group of giant caterpillars they killed earlier looked like they were running away from something, which didn't make any sense. 

All of the dungeon monsters, although living organisms, were programmed at a fundamental level to attack and kill recruits of the Old Fallen Empire of the Otherworld as part of their Spartan training.

There was little sense of self-preservation other than avoiding serious injuries that would affect his combat capabilities. It was like the Great Cave Rat, which although it feared Armán's electric bomb, still wanted to kill and devour them, with no intention of fleeing.

Unless the Dungeons work differently than the original plot, which doesn't seem to be the case...

"Something killed many monsters, and only a few managed to escape...The giant caterpillars we found must have been remains of surviving monsters that managed to escape..." Lucelle whispered "But who or what could have done something like that?"

"They certainly weren't Monte Cartus soldiers...I'm sure none of them possess a weapon that dissolves the bodies of living beings and leaves blood and pieces of flesh behind...Maybe it was some professional?"

Armán said as he looked confused.

"He didn't create it...What professional would have such ability? I mean, if he could do something like this, shouldn't he have been able to escape from the monster that trapped us? And it can't be said that he stayed to hunt monsters, given the lack of interest in aether cores..." commented Priscilla, who approached them with her husband behind her.

Everyone nodded in agreement at his words.

No matter what level they were, all Aether Cores were worth many Goldene Terras throughout the empire, to the point that they could feed a family for a few months by selling just three of the low-level ones.

That there was someone so powerful that he would go to the trouble of killing so many monsters but ignore their cores as trash would make no sense, even for someone from a particularly rich family.

Because this is the North, the Duchy of Aswort, where those cores are very important to survive the hellish winter.

Who will miss the opportunity to contribute a little to their family or city by collecting such valuable goods?

But here, all the Aether Cores were lying around like insignificant stones.

"This... was definitely done by a monster," Arisella stated, frowning.

"It makes sense," Armán agreed. "It seems that these encountered a powerful monster or group of monsters and faced annihilation"

"However...Leaving so many aether cores intact? Even if they weren't all compatible with the magical beast that killed them, how could he have left so many?" Lucelle said bewildered.

"It can happen...if your 'Magic Concept' is particularly unique," Arisella commented, not as a guess, but with a tone that seemed to say that was the case for sure.

Silence fell among those present.

If what Arisella says is true, then they were potentially facing a monster so dangerous that it could kill a small army of magical beasts with ease, thanks to a unique form of magic.

“.....It is also possible that whatever killed them there used its spiritual pressure to immobilize them in one place, which would explain why there is so much blood that almost completely covers this cave; "They couldn't have run away even if they wanted to."

Anyone with a high level of spiritual power could exert spiritual pressure, not just professionals. The supernatural Beasts were the same. Although it was a waste of spiritual power, it was a good way to intimidate or hold back weaker opponents.

"Makes sense. Still, why would those caterpillars be the only ones that managed to escape? Could it be that they were treated like insignificant little snacks and left alone?”

“Mr. Armán….it is common sense that spiritual pressure does not work with beasts that possess wisdom inferior to even a Goblin.” Lucelle reminded him with a smile.

“....”

“But if there really is a creature capable of retaining the movements of numerous magical beasts… Where is it, and why did it ignore the Emerald Caterpillars? (Priscilla)

“Maybe I couldn't eat them because they were covered in an acid capable of melting rocks?” (Maximilian)

“It's not impossible…We should at least be grateful that by ignoring them, he didn't find us”

"That's true. “A monster with such unique magic that it cannot devour all of these Aether Cores is definitely an opponent I would rather not fight,” Lucelle said, as she fixed her glasses.

Although most of them were worried about the Unique Magic of the Beast that carried out this massacre, Arisella was more worried about something else. 

Normally the monsters in the dungeon weren't supposed to attack each other. Everyone from different species ignored each other or, those with a certain level of intelligence joined together to hunt down the recruits.

That was the purpose of his existence. They didn't waste it fighting each other.

Unless....the dungeon over there created a swarm-type monster that needs a lot of biological material to asexually produce its offspring....If so, then this gets complicated.

After all, it was a damn swarm-type monster that gave the dungeon the luxury in the novel to attack Jayden and his girls with entire hordes!

As far as Arisella remembered, all the dungeons only had three examples of those monsters within their database.

Those monsters were Belphegor, the Tyrant of the Night; Aracten, the Queen of the Arachnes; and Anarakha, the Empress of the Wicked Horde.

All of them were famous creatures from the Age of Myths of the other world....legendary beings that the fearsome scientists of the ancient fallen empire managed to recreate from their genetic remains long before the invention of dungeons.

They were also possessors of Unique Magic, making them unable to assimilate the aether core of other creatures.

While the first, 'Belphegor the Tyrant of the Night' was found in this world by Jayden and company, the other two would be enemies with whom they would fight in the other world due to an incident that would lead them there, facing the dungeons that haunted them. to the native savages of that land.

Any of them would be a problem for us, but Anarakha or Aracten are the most likely to appear, since they and their spawns have a natural resistance to poisons and resistant bodies....the natural enemy of Lucelle and the magical weapons of the soldiers.

This had her worried. She did not believe that they would emerge unscathed if they encountered such an enemy.

By the way, the reason why 'Belphegor the Night Tyrant' was not a monster with poison resistance even though the first dungeon to appear in the novel wanted to kill Jayden's summoner...it can only be said that Amael He didn't think about it at the time.

Anyway, all of them were indeed a calamity to their survival, especially the last two.

What a bad situation we would be in if some of those monstrosities appeared!

Just hope that's not the case...because not only the magical beasts, but also the survivors inside the dungeon will be used as material to spawn your own 'soldiers'...

Arisella bit her lips anxiously.

While the five adults and one bear cub had a heavy atmosphere around them at the terrifying possibilities before them, Amelia instead was happily collecting the aether cores in the surrounding area with a charming smile, her skirt moving in such a way that it would allow her to The men take a look at her wonderful thighs covered with black stockings.

If you looked at the fluttering hem of the puffy skirt of her blue maid outfit from the front, moving her feet excitedly, she looked like a blooming flower.

But still, to be so happy in this scene....I sure was an unexpectedly greedy maid.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

After finishing gathering several hundred aether cores, Amelia returned to the rest as she hummed happily, almost jumping for joy at her harvest amidst this sea of ​​death.

Although she looked very adorable and charming with those actions, the time and place were so inappropriate that it could very well be a perfect scene for a horror movie.

However, for the sake of their sanity, the others decided to ignore that image in favor of certain discoveries. 

Some of the [Soldiers] found various items around the ground, near some small bundles of meat. This, unfortunately, confirmed that there were people who died in the massacre, or became prey to the monsters before they themselves suffered a similar fate at the hands of other enemies.

The [Soldiers] felt more tense as they became even more aware that many here should be dying while they searched the place. They already knew it from Grans' corpse, but this...was on another level.

Priscilla, with a pale expression, clenched her fists when she saw the broken leg of a stuffed toy splattered with blood, telling a story obvious to everyone, and her husband hugged her from behind, comforting her.

"Let's move on"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers responded firmly and in synchrony to Armán's order, and Arisella and the rest nodded in agreement. There was nothing they could get here anymore, so it was time to leave.

At that moment...

"Help...Please..."

Everyone immediately opened their eyes in surprise when they heard out of nowhere the faint voice of a man being able to help. Immediately, two [Soldiers] cautiously headed towards where the voice came from.

In their search, the two found a relatively blood-free area where there was a small, narrow opening in the cave wall covered by a rock protruding from the ground.

An old man and a child of about 3 years old were hiding there.

They were a Terario and, surprisingly, a human child. The man was very badly injured from what everyone could see, with his left arm fractured; revealing a painfully protruding bone.

The child....on the other hand was relatively intact. 

Apart from some scratches on his face, the little boy did not appear to be seriously injured. However, not only was he unconscious, but he seemed to be suffering from a severe fever, his face wrinkled and pale, sweating profusely.

This is not something that holy magic can cure.....

Arisella frowned. Unless she gained the power of a minor goddess like the goddess of medicine or healing, Priscilla cannot cure diseases.....she could only alleviate it a little.

Still, it was something.

The [soldiers] pulled the boy out of the man's arm, careful not to hurt him, and while Priscilla rushed to his side to try to heal him with her newly learned Holy Magic, Lucelle also approached, with a potion in one hand and holding it Tasha's little hand in the other.

"Do not waste sacred power in vain, Lady Navi. You know that you will not cure her illness with the power of the gods who bless her. Let me take care of him, and go heal that man"

"But...., Lucelle, you said your potions were too powerful...." Priscilla said with a hesitant voice.

He obviously wanted to help more the child who was suffering from a terrible fever in his unconsciousness, although he knew that his new access to Sacred Magic would be almost useless. However, she Priscillia couldn't ignore the seriously injured Terario just because of that either.

He felt conflicted.

"Please do it. I'm not going to use a healing potion on him, and I also can't afford to waste a valuable high-level potion on that man if there's a cleric who can heal him on his own... It's a matter of priority." Lucelle said with a serious expression as she persuaded her. "Don't worry, although I don't have anything to cure a disease with, this potion can still significantly alleviate the negative effects of his fever. So leave it to me."

“Come on, Priscilla! That man is suffering…” Tasha, whose nose and mouth were covered with a cloth, snapped at him, while looking at the wounds of the old man who was moaning in agony. 

The sight brought back bad memories of Cherry's past.

"...Okay, I'll do it." Sighing, Priscilla stood up and walked to the older man, who was carefully taken out by the [Soldiers], and knelt in front of him in a prayer position.

It wasn't that there was a need for that…but she would feel uncomfortable using divine spells casually, even if she wasn't the most Faithful woman on earth. 

Reciting the Prayers that Arisella taught her, a purple light emanated from Priscilla's body and spread towards the Terario. Aphrodite's sacred power condensed, enveloping him in its entirety.

Arisella looked at the scene in wonder. 

If she were a normal Cleric, even a God would have had difficulty controlling her holy power properly due to the fragile soul path between the two, but a Divine Medium like Priscilla doesn't have that problem at all.

In the middle of that, however, Arisella noticed that inside the opening, there was a leather bag, with a document sticking out stained with its owner's blood.

She looked at the Terario, who was dressed like some kind of scientist, and some interest in what was written on the document invaded her mind.

And once that happens, Arisella does things that others wouldn't do to satisfy her curiosity.

She carefully inched closer with a curious cat look as she knelt a little close to the opening. Mirando around her, everyone was focused on Priscilla, the Future Saint (In her mind) as she healed the poor old man, and then she looked back at her bag.

Casually, she pulled out her Aether and wrapped it over the bag, moving it out of the opening, and grabbed the document with her Aether-coated gloves. Since she wasn't real Magic, she could do so much.

Frowning, Arisella opened it and read the damaged, bloodstained document. Written there, was information that made her eyes widen in disbelief.

Director To----------The machine is becoming too demanding with its demands -----. He continues to ask that we give him more subjects to experiment on, even though we explain that it would be too risky to continue kidnapping --------- from the sewers and even the body of a C ------ of the -----.

At this rate, we will have to ----------- if we do not want to be involved in a situation where the Church of Aphrodite finds out about our actions, or we will face the wrath of the Great Temple and the believers! !

I know that the knowledge of Human Era technologies we gained from this treaty is wonderful and allowed Madarhem to advance quite a bit in magical engineering. I myself am happy with what we won, but more than this is too much risk!

General Armán himself, with whom I am a good friend, even told me that rumors of the disappearance were growing --------------making the population nervous to the point that there is no longer many people in the streets.....And we know well that it is not because winter is approaching! Not only that, somehow the diversion of demonic beast materials to the old underground laboratory was leaked.... Some are paranoid that the Witches-----.

The following writings on the documents were too damaged to extract any important information, but there was something on one sheet that caught his attention.

Lately I've noticed suspicious movements among members of the investigation team....and some have even disappeared. I also noticed that the strange ring-shaped machinery in the ------- began to emanate some light. I asked the so-called "AI Prometheus" what was going on, but the damn thing doesn't want to answer our questions about that machine.

Director, something is really wrong, I'm sure of it. I think-------...We should convince Elder Kaiter to--------I gave Armán several weapons and other newly developed equipment to Let him distribute them among his brigade to prepare in case the Warlocks begin to----------He is a trusted Orkus, so nothing bad will happen. I am prepared for any punishment-----.

It all ended there, and Arisella narrowed her eyes.

“The Artificial Intelligence 'Prometheus' in Madarhem and the Warlocks….” He whispered, his face becoming a little flustered.

...Things regarding the dungeon's sudden appearance were worse than I thought.