The air grew significantly cooler as they passed the entrance.
Being deep inside a cave, the internal temperature was noticeably low.
Those deployed first moved forward, their nerves taut. Varen and Ciel led the way, while Ruite, Dane, Cedric, and the Combat Department members followed closely in line.
“Ruite, you don’t seem nervous at all.”
Dane, who was walking beside him, struck up a conversation in a whisper.
“Ah, I am nervous. It just doesn’t show on my face.”
Dane and Cedric exchanged glances and let out small chuckles.
It was because Ruite’s expression as he said that was utterly nonchalant.
“I didn’t get to say it properly before, but I’m Dane. I’ve been at headquarters for about a year and was recently promoted to a regular knight.”
Dane was on the younger side, much like Ruite.
Ruite had thought they looked to be about the same age when they were introduced earlier, and it seemed he was right.
“I’m Cedric. I serve as an assistant knight in the Research Department. Just call me ‘Senior’ (Sunbae) comfortably. You can rely on me anytime if there’s something you can’t ask the Captain.”
“…The Research Department is a wonderful place,” Ruite murmured with a look of genuine touched emotion.
“Haha. I’m glad you think so.”
“You three over there—it’s heartwarming to see you getting along, but why don’t we stop there and take a look at this?”
Varen, who was walking ahead, pointed toward a spot.
A thick, green liquid was smeared across the outer wall of the cave.
Ciel was already examining it with a grim expression.
Ruite flinched when Ciel reached out and touched the liquid with his bare hand without hesitation.
“Ruite, if you coat your hand in mana, it’s not a problem. It’s basic procedure to protect parts of your body with mana during an investigation.”
Cedric, noticing Ruite’s reaction, provided a timely explanation.
“You guys take a look too.”
Ciel called the three of them over.
He prepared to teach Ruite how to focus mana into his fingertips to create a protective barrier.
“Concentrate on the tips of the fingers you’re going to use to touch it and… oh, right. Just like that.”
To Ciel’s surprise, Ruite accomplished it with ease.
According to Dane, some who joined the Research Department took months just to master this basic skill.
“As expected of a Whitmore graduate,” Varen whispered, stepping up beside Ruite.
“Please don’t tease me.”
“I’m not teasing, though.”
Ruite gave Varen a brief look before fiddling with the liquid on his fingers.
When he pulled his thumb and index finger apart, the liquid stretched into a long string.
“It looks like monster body fluid.”
What Ruite felt from the liquid was monster energy.
There was only one case where it felt this concentrated: when it had leaked directly from within a monster’s body.
“Ruite is right. It seems certain that monsters are living in this cave.”
With that confirmed, the group began to move in earnest.
Fortunately, the path inside the cave was a single straight line.
There were no side paths, so there was no risk of getting lost.
Furthermore, the cave was deeper than expected.
“By the way, what was this cave originally dug for?”
Cedric asked at the perfect moment.
“Caves like this usually have various uses, but this one looks quite old. I suspect it was used as a shelter back in the distant past when wars were rampant.”
“Ciel is right. The villagers said the same. It’s a cave that’s been here since forever, so they just left it alone because it was too much trouble to demolish. Eventually, people stopped paying attention to it altogether.”
After walking for a while, the amount of viscous liquid on the cave walls gradually increased.
Now that it was identified as monster fluid, it pointed to only one thing: they were getting closer to the monsters.
Dane swallowed hard, appearing a bit tense.
Then, what appeared before the group wasn’t more endless tunnel, but another rounded entrance.
Even from a distance, the space beyond that entrance looked quite vast.
Ciel and Varen exchanged looks.
They quietly whispered to the knights following them to split up and stick to the walls on both sides.
Ruite followed the order, instinctively suppressing his mana as much as possible.
If the monsters sensed human power, they might realize intruders were present.
Ciel, noticing this, nodded at Ruite as if to say he was doing a good job.
The group split into two teams and slowly approached the inner entrance.
Pressing against the walls and silencing their footsteps, everyone cautiously peered inside.
Gathered in the inner space were monsters with thick, elongated bodies.
Dozens of monsters, shaped like giant larvae, were crawling across the ground.
If it were just one, it might be fine, but the sight of so many of them tangled together was grotesque—enough to make one’s skin crawl.
Having identified the target, Varen gestured for them to retreat back into the tunnel for a moment.
Normally, the standard procedure would be to exit the cave to form a plan, but this cave was exceptionally long.
Considering the stamina and time required to go back out and return, it was highly inefficient.
Thus, the group retreated just far enough to avoid detection and stopped at a suitable spot mid-tunnel.
“Do monsters usually huddle together like that?”
Varen asked Ciel, looking incredulous.
“Those are Rank 3 monsters. Usually, insect-type monsters live in small groups. The reason there are so many is likely because they took a liking to that specific spot and gathered there one by one. It’s secluded and hidden from human sight.”
“Then the high concentration of monster energy the situation room detected was because of their sheer numbers,” Ruite added.
Ciel nodded at Ruite’s words.
“Then, were the people who disappeared from the village also killed by those monsters?”
However, Ciel expressed some doubt at Dane’s question.
“I’m not sure. Those things shouldn’t naturally have traits that make them a threat to humans.”
“Why not?”
As Varen tilted his head, Ruite, who had been deep in thought, spoke up.
“Seeing as they’re living quietly inside like that, they probably don’t have a disposition for harming humans. If they had the urge to hunt or eat humans, they would have come out rather than staying holed up inside.”
It was a clean explanation.
Varen looked at Ruite with a bit of surprise.
Even though it was his first day in the field, Ruite had quite a bit of insight.
The sight of the huddled monsters earlier could have been quite shocking or repulsive, but Ruite hadn’t shown any sign of fear or hesitation.
Even Varen, a Knight Captain, had felt his skin crawl at the sight.
“Hmm, Vice-Commander Vilter’s eyes are quite accurate.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. For now, let’s think of a plan. The missing people are a problem for after. It’s hard to investigate while the monsters are alive like that.”
As Varen said, the top priority was the subjugation of the monsters.
The foul mana emitted by such a large gathering could pollute the forest and eventually impact human life.
“Since they’re Rank 3 and have a docile nature, they should be easy enough to kill. I’ll call the knights waiting outside and have the Combat Department start the subjugation.”
Varen reached into his coat for his communication crystal.
“Varen, I’d like to offer a slight disagreement on them being ‘easy to kill’.”
“Why?”
“It’s true they’re Rank 3 and not violent, but the problem is this fluid they coat their bodies with.”
“What about it?”
Ciel thought for a moment, then gathered some of the liquid dripping from the wall into a small hollow on the ground.
Once he had enough to fill the puddle, he struck it with his fist.
The gathered liquid condensed tightly together, letting out a sharp cracking sound upon impact.
“Just as I thought. This fluid they wear seems to act as a very strong shield when it’s condensed.”
“Hmm, even so, it’s not like we can’t kill them.”
“I’m not doubting the Combat Department’s ability. My concern is that this cave is very old. Shouldn’t we consider the possibility of it collapsing if strong, repetitive shocks are applied?”
Varen rubbed his forehead, finally understanding Ciel’s point.
“In short, they aren’t strong or scary, but the conditions are tricky?”
Ciel nodded.
“Ugh, I shouldn’t have said I’d come. I should have dumped this on Chester. I should have worked my junior to the bone.”
Now, Ruite flinched at the mere mention of Chester’s name.
Varen lamented as if he had been caught up in a tedious chore.
“You sure have a lot to say in front of your subordinates. Regardless, this is just one possibility I’ve thought of. Even if the cave is old, it might be sturdier than we expect. If we can’t think of a clever trick, we’ll have to proceed with the subjugation anyway.”
A clever trick. Everyone fell into thought.
Ruite also began to rack his brain, staring at the puddle of fluid Ciel had collected.
Just then, a ripple formed in the puddle. Ruite’s eyes flashed with an unusual light.
“I think there might be one.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Ruite.
“A clever trick.”
