I left the guild, hurrying to the forest. The shadow Rila sent as a messenger clung to my hip.
“The lizard-like monster I witnessed was only the size of a dog, unlike the Armored Turtle you discovered. It may well have come to the area to find out what happened to the other monster.”
That seemed plausible. There was a chance the two monsters shared a master. If so, then why were they leaving such bizarre monsters to roam the woods?
“Scree, scree.” The shadow pointed as it gave me directions. While running, I spotted another shadow in the hollow of a tree, the one Rila had left behind to survey the forest.
“Scree, scree.” The one in the hollow pointed me in a different direction.
I heard a thud, and the lizard monster Rila described emerged from its hiding spot. Its entire body was covered in quills reminiscent of a hedgehog’s. However, it conducted itself like a lizard and had the tail of one. I decided to call it a Spiny Lizard.
It walked over the old leaves, crunching them underfoot. Occasionally, the Spiny Lizard lowered its snout to the ground as though searching for something. It stood right where I’d defeated the Armored Turtle.
Rila was right. This monster was here to investigate.
The Spiny Lizard climbed up a tree to survey the area. It only had quills along its back, so it could move along its belly without issue. It leaped off a branch and landed, then set out in another direction, tail waving back and forth.
I saw something on its abdomen.
“Rila, did you see that?” I asked the shadow in a hushed voice.
“Indeed. It was only visible for a moment, but yes, there was a formula in a language similar to the collar’s on the beast’s belly.”
“It’s likely the same the Armored Turtle had.”
“Suggesting they are pets owned by the same individual.”
The Spiny Lizard wandered around for a while.
I melted into my surroundings and followed after. The messenger shadow kept close to me, observing on Rila’s behalf.
From what I gathered, the Spiny Lizard had completed its search and was leaving the forest.
“Perhaps it is returning to its master.”
“Very likely.”
A monster that Rila and I couldn’t identify was concerning enough, but the idea that the same individual controlled this one and the Armored Turtle was more worrisome.
The Spiny Lizard moved downstream to a small lake linked to the forest by a river. It wasn’t too far from Lahti.
After scanning its surroundings, the Spiny Lizard entered the lake.
“It has gone under the water. I suppose this ends our pursuit…”
“That monster wasn’t made to live in water. It’s likely traveling to another location.”
“Following would require us to make adequate preparations.”
“That’s unnecessary.” I took a deep breath and quietly entered the lake.
“Are you sure? You do realize you will be underwater, yes?”
I didn’t answer, opting to search for the Spiny Lizard instead.
I’d never seen Rila swim before. Perhaps demons didn’t have many opportunities to do so under normal circumstances.
The Spiny Lizard was kicking all four of its limbs to push itself into a dark cavern.
The shadow tugged at my clothes. “Y-you cannot breathe here, can you?”
Even I couldn’t stay submerged indefinitely. I didn’t have gills, after all.
“Y-you’ll die. You must return to shore! Quickly now!”
Rila spoke to me as though I could answer her. Maybe she didn’t know I couldn’t.
I activated Unobtrusive.
No matter how I attempted to conceal myself, I couldn’t stop the sounds of my air and movements entirely, which made me easier to notice. I hoped my skill would compensate for that.
The Spiny Lizard, which seemed wholly ignorant of my presence, continued into the cavern. I swam after it for a while until the creature surfaced. Apparently, this grotto was the entrance to another place.
I let my head breach the water, but that was all. Once I confirmed that I felt no other presences around, I pulled myself up at the edge of the cave.
“A-are you truly immortal…?!”
I ignored Rila’s astonishment and went after the Spiny Lizard again.
I had to steady my breath as I pushed farther into the cave.
If the master was here, they’d chosen quite an interesting habitat. I wondered how they’d gotten the Armored Turtle in and out of this place. It wouldn’t have fit through the passage I went through.
The presence of monsters became evident while I walked.
Finally, the cave opened up to a gigantic underground space. Although blanketed in the dark, I knew this place wasn’t empty. Monstrous cries and intermittent roars of magical beasts bounced off the high ceiling. All of the creatures were penned in cages.
“What is this place…?” Rila muttered.
“A hideout for someone using these monsters and beasts,” I said.
The collar’s formula had the ability to suppress mana. Controlling various animals and amplifying their mana would be a piece of cake to someone who could accomplish that.
I noticed a human presence amid the many monsters and beasts.
My skill made it nigh impossible for anyone to notice me, especially while the cavern was in darkness. In other words, I had no difficulty blending in.
I wondered who the other person was and whether they were directly involved with this place. Their arrival was perfectly timed. I had questions for them.
“Guh?!”
I caught them by surprise from behind and placed my thumb in such a way that I would be able to crush their throat immediately.
“Wh-what…?! A-an enemy?”
Hmm? That voice…
“I—I simply lost my way…”
“Oh my, oh my. What a terrible lie. Did you think that would really work?”
That was Dey’s voice. That’s when I realized I had Roje’s throat in my hand.
Disappointed, I released Roje and sighed. She collapsed to the ground.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned.
“Y-you bastard…! H-how could you grab my neck with no warning?! Don’t you dare do that again!”
“Hush, you foolish elf,” Dey scolded. “While gathering information on Wawok’s whereabouts, we heard about an underground cave. We came for a teeeeny tiny quick little peek.”
Evidently, this place was related to Wawok in some way.
“Right, Commander Roje?” Dey said.
Roje was still on the ground, trembling. “I—I—I thought I was d-d-dead… That tiny bit of animosity I felt… It was terrifying…”
“It’s your fault for suddenly popping up behind me.”
“Oh, come onnn, Master Roland! You’re being sooo unreasonable!” Dey traced a finger down my torso.
“You should both be grateful you survived.” When Rila spoke through the shadow, Roje immediately jumped to attention.
“Lord Rileyla, everything is going swimmingly. It has been so long since I’ve seen your shadow…”
“Save the sentimentality for later.”
“Yes, Your Greatness.” Roje hugged the shadow as though she believed it were actually part of Rila.
“Dey, have you uncovered anything new?” I asked.
“Yes. We don’t have confirmation that Wawok is here, but rumors suggest someone is conducting research down here beyond the reach of the sun.”
The language of the formulas, development of something new, a cavern safe from daylight… It didn’t seem a stretch to assume it all related to Wawok.
“Ahem.” Roje cleared her throat. “We heard all that at a tavern frequented by adventurers. Supposedly, there is someone experimenting with, and modifying, monsters.”
I nodded. “People with skills that allow them to control monsters would probably love that.”
“If existing species are being modified or new ones developed, it would explain why we failed to identify them.”
From my perspective, stronger monsters were more useful to tamers, which was a positive. If the studies conducted here bore fruit, I wouldn’t mind turning a blind eye. On the other hand, as a guild employee, I had to think of the potential negative ramifications if the monsters proved uncontrollable. In that sense, I couldn’t ignore what was happening here. And the reality was that several people were already worried because of these modified monsters loitering in the woods.