Alex didn't doubt Ciel's words. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Of the rooms she inspected, all but one was a warehouse with old bedding, furniture, and loose household items, all of them were empty rooms with six walls exposed. The dust on the floor revealed the fact that these rooms had been abandoned for a long time, and it was natural for the same situation to occur on Hill's side.

It seems that there are no valuable clues in this area.

"So, let's go to the other side......"

In the middle of speaking, Alex suddenly stopped, sniffed the air with her face up like a puppy.

"What do you think...... It smells strange. ”

Looking at Alex, who was frowning slightly, looking back and forth for the source of the anomaly, Ciel blinked expressionlessly.

"It smells of blood."

"I see, is it blood?" Alex nodded in a knowing gesture, and then suddenly realized something's eyes widening.

"Huh!? Blood? Why does it smell like blood? It's hard, can you say ......?"

Looking at Alex with a panicked expression, Ciel nodded lightly as if to confirm her suspicions.

"Alex, just cut off 'it's' wrist."

“…… It? Alex repeated Ciel's words as if in acknowledgement, as she recalled the plaster sculpture she had just drawn her sword towards: "But, but, it's just an ordinary sculpture...... No, isn't it? ”

"I've heard before, the sculptures in the ancient mansion will gradually have their own consciousness."

"Stop, stop! I don't want to hear that kind of supernatural talk! Alex covered her ears with her eyes closed, like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand.

She still held a torch in her right hand, and this action almost lit her collar.

After Hill's interruption, Alex stopped exploring the taste, and she eagerly pulled Hill out of the passage and walked through the hall to the passage that connected to the stairs on the other side.

She noticeably quickened her pace past the sculpture she had bumped into before, and desperately tried to keep herself from looking at the ground that side.

Bleeding statues, like armor that moves by itself at night, or a piano that no one plays, are just the content of thriller novels that serve readers, how can such a bizarre thing happen in reality! Alex struggled to convince herself as she finally walked down the hall to the right area on the first floor.

"That, that, I think it's better to investigate together this time!"

Because of the suspected bloody incident of the sculpture, Alex held Ciel's right hand tightly this time and refused to let go. She said as she scanned the rooms on either side of the aisle left and right.

"Why?"

"Because ......," Alex thought for a moment, obviously, "-- because of the torches!" Hill was able to investigate on his own because he had night vision, but the light from the torches on my side was too dim! ”

As she spoke, she excitedly raised the hand she was holding with Hill to her chest, "In order not to miss an important clue, I'm going to apply for a concerted action!" This is the strategy that guarantees that all rooms can be thoroughly investigated! ”

Hum! That's a real reason to be unassailable, Alex thought to herself with smugness. I want to make such a perfect countermeasure in the blink of an eye, and I really deserve it, and this talent is terrifying even to me.

"Is that so?" Ciel looked at Alex with clear eyes, "Then, I'll go investigate the room alone, Alex and wait here." ”

"Huh!?"

Is there still such a response!? Alex was dumbfounded for a moment. She looked around, and the light of the torches shrank into a ball in the darkness, revealing that the distance was less than three meters. Probably a psychological delusion, Alex felt a shadow drift through the darkness in the distance.

It's impossible, it's absolutely impossible for a person to stay in this kind of place or something.

"So, I'll go."

"Wait, wait, don't make a decision lightly! Let's talk about it again! Alex clutched Ciel's right arm and shouted, her feet pulled out of the floor in two long marks.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous if Hill ran into an enemy alone? Shall we search together? Huh? ”

“……”

※

"Empty room...... Empty room ...... This room is still empty. ”

In the end, Alex, who was still following Ciel, kept muttering in her mouth, looking disappointed.

"It's been a really boring time, and so far I haven't gained anything at all. At least there's a treasure chest or something......"

There is actually a harvest, but Eric doesn't know it. Ciel, of course, didn't bother to correct her, he just slowly opened the door to the next room.

"It's—"

Seeing the scene in the room, Alex let out a low exclamation.

"It's a magic workshop."

In front of the two of them were several tables that were put together, on which various mechanical elements and tools were messily arranged. In the center was an irregular, long, metallic object, which they judged to be part of the demonic golem's body.

It is worth noting that there is a metal wall on one side of the room, which, unlike the other walls painted in gray and white, exudes a mirror-like smooth texture above and below. When Alex looked at it, she even saw the reflection of herself holding a torch inside.

"This is probably the prisoner's workshop, and the two puppets at the door were transformed here?"

Alex followed Ciel into the room, supporting her chin with her right hand like a detective, looking left and right.

A bookshelf sits next to a workbench made of desks, and Alex walks over to close the torch and glance at the standing spines.

"Research on the Basic Performance of Contact Machinery", "Coordinated Tracking Verification of Magic Energy Machinery Based on Binocular Vision", "Construction and Transmission of Logic Signals and Edge Detection Algorithms" - these names are listed on the thick hardcover spine.

"I know every word, but I can't read it at all." Alex skillfully paraphrases this phrase to show her inner feelings.

"That's the theoretical study of making a magic golem." Hill looked over and whispered in an unheaving voice.

"I can guess it......" Alex said as if something had come to mind, and she turned her head to look at Ciel, "Do you think ...... Can you read Ciel? ”

"It's too difficult to understand the theory. But those basics on the bookshelf, yes. Ciel caught her gaze and said with a wink.

“…… Did these turn out to be the basics? ”

Alex pulled out one of them to confirm it, and when she opened it and saw its contents, she was immediately traumatized.

This is far from what I know by "foundation"! Seeing the dense formulas and words on the white page, Alex complained loudly in her heart.

…… Am I actually a fool?

Ciel's eyes locked on a red button as he didn't have time to pay attention to the girl who was struggling with self-doubt.

"Alex."

"Huh? What's wrong? ”

Despite the heavy mental blow, Alex quickly shoved the book back into place when she heard Ciel's voice, and walked over.

"It's ...... What is it for? ”

Seeing the bright red button on the wall, she turned her puzzled gaze to Ciel.

"I don't know." Hill shook his head: "No hints, no instructions. ”

"Hmph~ It shouldn't be the button that makes the whole castle explode and self-destruct."

"Press on it and try it."

"Hey! Didn't you hear what I said!? Alex grabbed Ciel's outstretched hand: "What if it really exploded!?" ”

Looking at Alex's excited face, Ciel blinked expressionlessly.

"But maybe it's a button that will make everyone happy."

"What, that suspicious feature!?" Alex showed an unbearable expression: "Impossible! There is no such thing in the world! Besides, what kind of function can make everyone happy! ”

"If you die, you will feel at ease."

"Was it the button to destroy the world!?"

After complaining loudly, Alex sighed.

"I don't think it's possible, but I'm not allowed to press it! In any case, the unknown is already dangerous, and there is no need for us to make a fuss here. Got it? Absolutely not allowed to press it? ”

"Understood."

Hill replied softly as he reached out his hand.

Press.

"Aren't you completely uninformed!?" Alex excitedly grabbed the clothes on Hill's chest: "While speaking, I pressed it without hesitation, you three nothings!" ”

"Because, Alex kept repeating that she couldn't press it, and I thought it was that kind of baggage." Being tugged at his clothes, Hill still said calmly with an expressionless face.

"Who gave you the burden you sucked the burden you idiot! Don't apply the standards of a funny artist to me! ”

As they spoke, a buzzing sound rang out from the side. Alex and Ciel kept their positions and looked to the side, as the metal wall that had been standing on one side of the room was slowly rising, revealing the hidden space on the other side.

Discovering a hidden chamber would have been a good idea in general, if it weren't for the dozens of magical golems glowing red from within.

"Hey, Ciel, what now."

Seeing that scene, Alex couldn't help but be a little dumbfounded.

The magic golem that slowly walked out was not the humanoid puppet that was at the door, but a alien golem that looked like a combination of the characteristics of a praying mantis and a beetle. Not only does it have slender hind limbs and sharp bladed arms, but it also has a carapace behind it that protects its magic circuits. This is a kind of magic puppet specially created for fighting, and generally speaking, it should be strictly controlled by the relevant authorities, and there is absolutely no possibility of it flowing to the people.

But what happened was already happening, and Alex didn't have time to think about why this dangerous thing was here, and thinking about those reasons should be a matter of more time when the facts were already in front of her.

Now the question is, what's next?

Demonic puppets are the creations of intelligent life, and there is no hierarchy, but in order to illustrate the combat effectiveness of these things, the level should still be involved. For example, such an insect-shaped puppet can easily kill three level 12 monsters in seconds.

Swift and accurate. Their explosiveness and mobility are particularly impressive, and that's exactly the type Alex isn't good at dealing with. As a relatively clunky defensive class, although she appears to be quick and agile when fighting humanoid golems, she is still far from this insectoid golem that wins with speed, not to mention that she has no attack power, and the magic energy circuit of this type of golem is hidden deep under the carapace.

Looking at the dozens of battle golems in front of her, Alex began to think about the possibility and plan to cover Ciel's retreat, after all, she had been super strengthened in defense, although it would still hurt, but probably not hurt because of it.

However, Ciel's clothes, which she was tugging at in her hand, were suddenly broken off, and when she looked down, she saw Ciel's slowly walking in front of the golems.