A bundle of light created by magic illuminated the murky basement, and the four of us were busily checking the rooms.
Frankly, I thought I was searching diligently, but compared to the speed at which the other three were searching, it seemed like I was hardly doing anything at all.
While I was inspecting one room, the other three had already checked two or three.
Even Presia was reinforcing her frail body with magic in order to thoroughly search the rooms.
Presia and Yuli didn’t have much of a connection, yet she was moving around so enthusiastically; it seems she felt responsible for involving a third party in this situation.
Fortunately, we didn’t discover any rooms that the Evil Spirits had tampered with as they had done previously.
However, the problem was that we hadn’t found Yuli either.
“This is the last one.”
We had already circled back to the room next to where we had began searching.
If Yuli wasn’t in this room, the situation would become much more serious.
Thus, there was no way to avoid the tension until the moment I turned the doorknob.
Click, creak
The doorknob turned, and with an unpleasant sound, the door slowly opened.
And through the crack of the opening door, a voice previously unheard was now distinguishable.
“Hmeeeng…”
But upon listening closely, the sound was more of a muffled sob than actual words.
And as the door opened fully,
The room was relatively dark, but thanks to the magical light, it was bright enough to inspect.
The space was quite wide, virtually devoid of furniture, and looked almost vacant.
If you were to nitpick, the room resembled a small auditorium more than a conventional chamber in size and shape.
And at the center, there was a chair with a young girl seated upon it.
However, the presence felt in the room wasn’t just Yuli’s.
A presence numbering in the hundreds was apparent, though their forms were hardly visible. They were translucent, merely resembling human-like shapes.
“Be careful. They’re Evil Spirits.”
Presia, the most sensitive to external magical energies, issued a warning. But even without her alert, the pressure exuded from the Evil Spirits was far from ordinary.
They were much stronger than the spirits that Anne had played with upstairs in a carefree manner.
Of course, no matter how strong they were individually, their power was still negligible compared to ours.
But if there were dozens of them, things changed significantly.
If they were to attack us, we couldn’t guarantee our safety.
Thus, we raised our swords and staves,
Not for our own safety, but to rescue Yuli trapped amidst the Evil Spirits.
Fortunately, it seemed like nothing had been done to Yuli yet, but dozens of Evil Spirits were hovering around her.
As we stood at a loss on how to save Yuli being held hostage,
Some spirits began to approach her.
“Kyeeek! Don’t come near me!”
They stopped abruptly.
?
Presia, Anne, and I all looked at each other, confused by the sudden halt in their movements. Then, one of the Evil Spirits who had stopped sneaked up behind Yuli and tapped her shoulder.
“KYAAH! Stay away!”
Wurrurrr
?
At her words, the Evil Spirits moved off, including the one that had tapped her.
“Hmeeeng, I really hate this…”
As Yuli burst into tears from the fright, strangely enough,
Ehhhh… Soon the Evil Spirits began sobbing along with her.
As dozens of them started to cry in unison, it sent shivers down my spine, and the surrounding air seemed to drop in temperature.
It wasn’t just a feeling; I could actually see my breath.
Looking around, the others were shivering too, rubbing their arms.
Even the few pieces of furniture present began to rattle violently as if they had come to life.
“Hmeeeng… El, where are you?”
The more Yuli cried, the louder the Evil Spirits sobbed, making the situation even more chaotic.
“Yuli!”
No matter how dangerous the Evil Spirits were, I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.
While we could endure an increasingly severe situation, Yuli was clearly in a fragile state, both physically and mentally.
Aside from her physical weakness, Yuli’s psychological state wasn’t calm enough to handle the unexpected situation.
“El…?”
Thankfully, my yell reached Yuli, as she timidly called my name with a congested voice.
“Just hang on! I’ll save you!”
“El, be careful…”
As Selian’s voice of warning rang out, I had already charged forward.
With my sword tightly in one hand, as I ran towards Yuli, I felt something attack me.
Clang!
Though it was invisible, I could sense formidable energy coming from that direction. I lifted my sword, and with a heavy impact, I was pushed back several steps.
-Uhahuha…
From the direction of the attack, a girl materialized in mid-air.
Unlike the other Evil Spirits who merely had humanoid forms, this one appeared almost human if not for the ominous energy radiating from her.
-Well done, Hero, to have made it this far.
So, she knows I’m the Hero? Is this basement not just tampered with by Evil Spirits but actually a Demon King’s trap?
“Damn it, let Yuli go!”
-Hahaha. You wish to save the princess, do you? Then prove it by defeating me.
Shhhiiik Clang!
A magical arrow fired by Presia from afar flew directly at the girl Evil Spirit, but the surrounding wandering Evil Spirits quickly gathered together forming a larger entity that grabbed the arrow and literally made it explode.
Of course, considering this is the basement where not even a speck of starlight can enter, Presia’s magic must’ve been weakened, yet for them to casually deflect it, they are no ordinary foes.
“I’ll help you!”
“Get out of the way!”
Selian and Anne also rushed towards my aid, but the Evil Spirit that had split into two blocked them.
Clang!
Even the sword of the Sword Master Selian and the aura of Anne, who destroys Evil Spirits, were easily repelled by the two masses of Evil Spirits.
-Hahaha. They can’t help you. The more you fear, the stronger we become…
The appearance of the Girl Evil Spirit began to transform into something more sinister as her power surged.
Maintaining the form of a girl, horns began to sprout from her head, devilish wings unfolded behind her, and her nails grew long and sharp like blades.
“Don’t push it!”
“El…”
The truly frightening thing isn’t the chilling power emanating from the Evil Spirit or her terrifying appearance.
What I fear now is the possibility of losing Yuli.
-Uhahaha. This girl is the vessel we choose. You’re unworthy to have her.
There was no need to listen to the Evil Spirit’s words anymore.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they planned to harm Yuli immediately.
In that case, I have no qualms about unleashing my full force.
“Not in a million years! Enough with the nonsense about taking Yuli! Do you think I’d hand her over to you?”
The silver-white aura bloomed on the Holy Sword in my hand.
In an instant, my body launched towards the Evil Spirit.
Despite her overconfident smirk while watching me as if she were certain she could handle me, the Evil Spirit didn’t even attempt a basic defensive stance.
Graaah!
-Creeeaaaagh! I’m being defeated?
“Huh?”
I was prepared for my attack to be blocked, so I was ready to execute my next move, yet the Evil Spirit willingly absorbed my first strike.
Though an Evil Spirit has no real form, it split apart as though it was merely putting on a show with flashy screams, and gradually dissolved into the air.
“What is this…?”
This Girl Evil Spirit, who had blocked Presia and outmatched the dozens of Evil Spirits surrounding Selian and Anne, shouldn’t be so weak.
The power emanating from her was overwhelming.
Yet, she had fallen.
Though surprising, she likely underestimated me and was overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Sword.
Glancing over, it seemed the mass of Evil Spirits blocking the others had also disappeared.
Nevertheless, the most important fact remains that Yuli was successfully saved.
Without giving the vanished Girl Evil Spirit a second thought, I immediately approached Yuli tied to the chair.
“El…”
“Just hold on a moment. I’ll free you right away.”
Using my sword, I easily cut the intricate knots that bound her.
Rip
Having obtained her physical freedom, Yuli, seemingly very shaken, immediately clung to me.
“You must’ve been very scared. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”
“Mm, no. I’m glad that El came.”
“Well, let’s go back then. Let’s leave this creepy basement as soon as possible.”
“Mm.”
However, Yuli’s strength seemed to have drained from continuous crying, making it difficult for her to walk.
Fortunately, I managed to prevent her from falling by supporting her, but it was evident she couldn’t walk back on her own.
“Come on, let me carry you.”
“Eh? But…”
“Stop being stubborn and hurry up.”
“Mm…”
In front of Yuli, who could barely stand, I squatted down.
Despite her age, Yuli seemed embarrassed about being carried or perhaps worried about being a burden, but she hesitantly climbed onto my back after my urging.
…I could feel her softness through my back, but I ignored it and started to move.
Then, a voice stopped us.
-No!
