"Well, I think that was the tastiest cabbage I've ever eaten. They really caught high-quality stuff this year."

"You said it, Rex. Almost makes me wish we had stayed back instead of leaving right away. Could've really cashed in."

"Are you really complaining when you found that magic amulet, Sophie?"

"Well I can't stir fry this amulet, can I, Derry?"

I had to agree with Rex on this one. This fried cabbage is without a doubt the best I've ever eaten.

After returning from the dungeon dive, as promised I treated Rex to a cabbage meal, and the other two party members joined in as well. We actually managed to pull in quite the haul, so we were all in a good mood, and after we finished our meal Rex even bought drinks for everyone in the guild.

I also helped myself to a number of mugs of Crimson Beer. Putting aside worries and responsibilities and just having fun with everyone… I'd say it's the greatest feeling in the world.

"Oh, Chris! You're back!"

"Eh? Ahh, Darkness! Howzit goin, buddy?"

"Uh, how many drinks have you had?"

"Fuhgeddaboudit. Wha about tha party with Scumzuma? Didja get in?"

Her face lit up.

"Yes, they were so impressed with my performance during the cabbage hunt that they agreed to take me on!"

"Wooooow, tha's fanTAStic! *Sniff* Mah lil' Lalatina is allll grown up now… time jus flies by, doesn' it?"

"Stop talking like you're my mother. And I think you've had enough, let's get you to bed now."

"Ugh, fiiiiiine."

I did not enjoy waking up the next morning. You'd think that I would've learned to restrain myself by now, but… well, what can I say? When letting loose and healing your spirit, it's best to go all out, right?

… actually, that sounds like something Aqua-senpai would say. I think I'll start trying harder to limit myself from now on.

I headed back to the guild for some neroid to help my hangover. The payout from that dungeon dive more than made up for what I lost to Kazuma, so I should be good on money for a while.

… and I suppose I won't be going on quests with Darkness again anytime soon. I just realized that it might be a little lonely now.

No, this is what I wanted. She found friends that she can depend on, and doesn't need to rely on me anymore. And now I don't have to deal with her fetish all the time. This is a good thing.

… who am I kidding, I'm going to miss her.

Well, no use in moping about it. In times like these, it's best to find other things to occupy yourself with.

After finishing my drink, I started wandering about the guild, keeping an ear out for any interesting rumors. It's been some time since I've caught wind of any divine relics, but you never know when a lead will pop up.

"Have you heard? Rumor says that a General of the Demon King's army has taken over the old castle on that hill a short distance away from town."

I froze. Did I hear that correctly? Without turning my head, I focused on the conversation taking place behind me.

"A Demon King's General. That sounds bad, but it has nothing to do with us."

"That's right."

That voice… isn't that Kazuma?

What he said sounded irresponsible, but in all honesty he's not wrong. This is a town of beginners, so taking on a general would be out of their reach. And I don't know what cheat Aqua-senpai gave Kazuma, but it's still too early for him as well.

This town doesn't have any strategic value for the Demon King, so I can't imagine what that general is planning.

… I shouldn't interfere directly with the demon army, but if they're planning something like attacking this helpless town of novices, I can't let that slide. I'd better go investigate just to be safe.

That castle, though… seems like people these days don't even remember its name.

… hm, if I'm going there… I wonder if that thing is still there?

The old structure loomed before me, its age apparent in its stained and worn walls. Despite its neglected appearance, though, it wasn't exactly quiet as one would expect.

The reason for that being that it was currently occupied. From where I was hiding behind a giant tree, I could see several undead skeletons and zombies patrolling the premises.

Every fiber of my being wants to strike them down, but I forced myself to remain hidden. I'm here only to be a passive investigator.

If it turns out the town is in grave danger, then and only then will I act.

"Lurk."

Erasing my presence, I made my way to the entrance, and waited patiently. Eventually, the door opened as shifts changed, and I slipped inside.

My Detect Traps skill didn't trigger. Seems like whoever's here isn't expecting intruders.

I made my way through the halls. To my surprise, the interior wasn't dusty at all, but seemed to have been recently cleaned. This general must be a tidy individual.

I just need to find whoever it is, and figure out their plans.

More zombies passed by me in the corridor, with cleaning rags in hand. With so many minions here, it'll be hard to find their leader using Enemy Detection. I'll have to explore the area manually.

Hm, since the general is most likely undead like their minions, I can skip the dining hall. Let's check the other floors.

After some time searching, I found myself in the parlor. Like the rest of the castle that I've seen, it was immaculately clean.

This person may be an enemy of humanity working for the Demon King, but I can't help but feel a small bit of gratitude for caring for this old place.

While I'm in this room, I may as well check out that place. I looked around to double check that no one else was in the room, then I moved towards a pillar next to the wall. I ran my hand over the surface until I found a small protrusion, then pressed it.

There was a small click, and then the floor in front of the pillar shifted away, revealing a spiral staircase heading downwards. Checking again that no one else noticed, I made my way down the stairs.

Eventually, I found myself in a small, circular room, with nothing but a single door leading off of it. There was a heavy padlock on the floor near it, and its key was lying next to it. Seems like the last visitor was too lazy to lock up again.

I tried Detect Traps just in case, but there was nothing. Opening the door, I entered the castle's hidden room.

Currently, it was bare, or at least appeared to be. Moving over to the back wall, I pulled out a loose brick and reached into the hole.

Ah, so it is still here. I breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, I should've come to get it way earlier, but I guess I've been avoiding this place due to the memories lingering about it.

I pocketed the item and replaced the brick, then returned to the stairwell.

"Eh? Was this staircase always here?"

I stopped in my tracks. Someone's here. I quickly used Lurk and mad myself as hidden as secluded as possible in the corner of the room.

"Ho, it's really a hidden room! This is why I love castles!"

I heard heavy, clanging footsteps, as if someone in full plate armor was descending the stairs.

They drew closer, and closer, until eventually the source stepped down into view.

A suit of jet black armor… but the head is missing.

No, there it is. It's being held under the body's arm.

A dullahan. A powerful undead knight that possesses powerful curses, while also retaining the martial prowess it had in life.

If such a being were to attack Axel… it would be a massacre.

"Ah, here's where it leads… huh? Just an empty room? That's a bit of a disappointment. Oh well, it might make a good storage room."

As he stepped into the room, I slipped out behind him and rushed up the stairs.

"Guess I'd better get back to cleaning– hm? Ah, looks like someone forgot to put the lock back on. I'll go ahead and fix that then."

From far below I heard a small clank as the padlock was replaced onto the door. Once in the parlor, I hid behind the sofa and waited for the dullahan. If I follow him now, I can probably get an idea of his plans.

"Ah, that was a nice little thing to find. Let's see now, how do I open and close it? It was near this pillar, so maybe… yep, here it is!"

He found the button and pressed it, and the secret passageway closed back up.

"Now then, let's see if my minions are done cleaning yet."

He walked down a sparkling clean corridor, and ran his armored finger along a windowsill. Not a speck of dust was on it. I followed a few meters behind, making sure not to make a sound.

… hm? What's this prickling feeling in the air… mana?

"Well, this has turned into quite a nice place, hasn't it? Now that I've secured a base of operations, I suppose I should focus on building up my forces–"

BOOOOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the entire structure. I was knocked off my feet, but luckily the thud of me hitting the floor was obscured by the sound of rubble falling. The dullahan almost lost his grip on his head.

"What the!? What's going on!?"

There were new holes in the wall. Still prone, I crawled over and looked out through one of them. There were scorch marks along the wall. The dullahan thrust his head out a window and likely saw the same sight.

"Just what was that…"

That kind of power… it had to be that, right? Explosion magic. Come to think of it, recently there have been daily explosions near Axel. If I recall, according to the rumors it was the work of an eccentric young Crimson Demon girl. She'd have to be shot in the head to use it like this though… wait a sec.

I've only seen two Crimson Demons in town recently. And one of them is in the party that Darkness joined.

Will Darkness be alright?

After regaining his wits, the dullahan started repairing the damage alongside some undead knights.

"Could that have been the work of the adventurers of Axel? Hmm, no matter, that town of newbies probably did this as a test of their courage. It would be unseemly to get angry over such a small matter. As the general of the Demon King's army, I shall be the bigger man and let them off this time."

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that. So he isn't here to attack Axel after all. In fact, he seems rather gentlemanly for an enemy.

Of course, that doesn't change the fact that he's an enemy.

But, then why is he here?

"Maybe if I'm lucky, they'll come back and attack head on. Then while repelling them I can casually ask them if they know anything about that source of holy mana that was seen around here recently. Oh, and if they ask why I want to know, I can just laugh cryptically! Yeah, yeah, that'd be great! Haha."

Holy mana? I think I did hear some priests in town mention something similar. Unfortunately, my current form is completely unable to interact with holy mana, so I didn't notice myself.

It used to be different, but after a certain incident I had no choice but to make it this way.

"Now then, once repairs are done, we'll get back to organizing the forces…"

I think I've learned all I needed to. Standing up slowly so as to not make noise, I returned to the entrance, and once again bid farewell to that old castle.

"Damn, I wish that Demon King's General would hurry up and leave already so the weaker monsters will return! I need to go on quests before I run out of cash!"

"Why don't you just get a part-time job, you bum?"

"Screw you. I didn't study the sword so I could lay bricks!"

The guild is getting rowdy recently. Some of them are even getting into fights. Just earlier, in fact, a magic swordsman who apparently had a spat with Kazuma asked me about him. I just told him honestly– that Kazuma was a devilish man who strips women of their panties and likes to cover girls in slime.

I suppose all the adventurers are tired of being cooped up and not able to go about their daily lives. Well, hopefully this lockdown doesn't last too much longer. I guess it all depends on how soon the dullahan can finish his investigation.

I didn't end up reporting my findings to the guild. Since he isn't going to attack this place, I have to keep my policy of non-interference.

Not that it really makes a difference. Regardless of him attacking or not, the local monster ecosystem won't be restored until he leaves.

I took out the item that I retrieved from the secret room.

It was a small orb, cracked down the middle. It had a large red button on it, but the writing had long since faded away.

It was once a magical tool, but as it was now, it was nothing more than a powerless trinket.

But I still didn't want anyone else to have it. I smiled as I remembered–

"W-Why–!?"

My reminiscing was suddenly cut off by a loud shout in the guild.

"Didn't I tell you, the cage I borrowed from you wasn't damaged by me! It was that Mitsurugi guy who bent the bars! Why do I have to pay for it!?"

Ah, it's the Aqua-senpai roleplayer that's in Darkness's party. Oh, the explosion girl is there too. I think her name was Megumin? For a moment, I felt like getting back at her with a prank, but decided against it since she didn't know I was in the castle.

"Barkeep! Another mug of neroid please!"

As I sipped the refreshing drink, the magic swordsman from before entered the guild, and made a beeline for Kazuma's group.

Heh, seems like that bunch tends to make things interesting wherever they go. I slipped the trinket back into my pocket as I leaned back with my mug and watched as the Archpriest decked the swordsman in the face. The past is nice and all, but the present is plenty fun too, isn't it?