86 – Demon Shelter
Thud! Crash!
I hit the ground along with Meruru, with her butt hitting my face.
I felt the impact as we landed with a dull sound.
If my body hadn’t been enhanced with magic, it could have been a height where I could have been seriously injured.
Fortunately, my body had become quite sturdy, so while I felt the impact, nothing seemed to be broken or injured.
I immediately pushed Meruru, who was lying on top of me, slightly to the side and stood up.
Fortunately, it seemed that Meruru hadn’t been hurt either, thanks to me becoming a human cushion for her.
“Meruru? Meruru!”
But Meruru doesn’t wake up.
Judging by the way she fell weakly from the ladder, it wasn’t due to the shock of a fall or anything like that.
It seems like she’s breathing properly.
“…Gororong….”
“Hmm?”
“Gororong… Gororong….”
Meruru started making small snoring sounds.
It sounds like the sound a cat makes when it’s sniffing.
To suddenly fall asleep like this.
It was clear that there was something in the cookies that the troublemaker gave her.
Some kind of sedative effect in the cookies.
It’s fortunate that it doesn’t seem to be anything poisonous, but it’s a bit troublesome.
First, I laid Meruru down and looked around.
The ceiling had a long, dark corridor extending, and in the middle of the corridor, water was flowing.
There were trash scattered in the corners, but I couldn’t see any people.
“Meruru, hey! Wake up! Meruru!”
After confirming that there was no one around, I shook Meruru’s body.
I even slapped her cheeks and shouted in her ear, but she just continued to sleep peacefully.
“The cookies Meruru ate had a powerful sleeping potion mixed in.
Depending on the weight, it could last for about two to three hours, to the point where she wouldn’t wake up even if a fireball exploded next to her.”
“Since I ate two of those cookies, it was difficult for Meruru to wake up.”
The narration explained Meruru’s condition.
As expected, that damn Halmon-gu… It was suspicious.
I couldn’t just stay here like this, so I had no choice but to forcibly carry Meruru on my back.
There was no way Halmon-gu would have given me cookies mixed with sleeping pills for no reason.
There might be people planning to attack or something when the effects kick in.
If I hadn’t refused the cookies and had eaten them one by one with Meruru… It was terrifying just to imagine.
I carried Meruru on my back and headed into the dark underground tunnel.
The weight wasn’t too heavy since I had enough strength, but it was uncomfortable to hold onto Meruru who was limp, so she wouldn’t slip off.
Even with just a little walking, the wind blowing from Meruru slipping off my back made me lift her up by her hips several times.
“Gororong…”
Even if she took sleeping pills, she’s sleeping so well that she even snores.
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Although it was a bit uncomfortable, there was no problem with moving.
Anyway, as long as I reach the area managed by Algot, I can safely take care of Meruru until she wakes up.
I just need to go to the restaurant Paprika.
With Meruru still on my back, when I turned a corner in the underground tunnel, there was a sturdy stone wall with a heavy iron door blocking the way.
Kiiik- Kaga-gak-
Making an unpleasant sound, the iron door opened, and three men who looked sickly came out from inside.
They glanced at me with suspicious expressions and then passed by me, heading towards the exit with a ladder.
It seemed that this iron door was the real entrance to the “Eumji” in the underground tunnel.
The men who just came out, were they guys from the slums who pass through the underground waterway?
They glared as if they would start a fight any moment, but thankfully they just left.
It wasn’t particularly scary when people here started trouble, but it would be better if there were no annoying incidents.
As I opened the iron gate and entered inside, a completely different scenery unfolded before me.
“This is… the underground of the capital….”
A passage suddenly widened around the central stream of water.
It was so enormous that it could be considered as another city underground.
There were pillars placed at regular intervals on both sides of the passage, and makeshift buildings made of debris were abundant behind the pillars.
There were as many people moving around the underground waterway as there were in the bustling downtown above ground.
Unlike the overflowing slums above ground, the people going back and forth in the underground waterway were neatly dressed.
However, an indescribable tension flowed through the dimly lit underground streets.
If the above ground was literally filled with beggars, the underground waterway felt more like a den of darkness.
After taking a quick look around, I noticed that there were several shops on both sides, based on the pillars placed at regular intervals.
I turned my head as I heard a bustling noise, and saw a place where people gathered to play dice gambling on a mat.
In some places, women with excessive exposure were dancing on top of wooden boxes, performing suspicious acts against passersby.
I’ve heard that there are places where slaves are traded, but I don’t see anything noticeable at the moment.
Just like how the demon shelter was disguised as a restaurant and a gambling den, it seems that businesses that are burdensome even in the den of darkness are hidden and operated.
Feeling the occasional hostile gaze, I continued walking through the underground streets with Meruru on my back.
A man carrying a beautiful sleeping mermaid on his back, it’s perfect for attracting attention, but not in a good way.
The destination, the restaurant ‘Paprika’, was said to be behind the twelfth pillar.
Where is the pillar? One, two, three…
Just how wide is this basement?
As I walk, I count the pillars and move forward.
Meruru is still fast asleep on my back.
When I reached the tenth pillar.
“…?”
I had a strange feeling and turned my body around while still carrying Meruru.
And there, a man was trying to strike me from behind with a club.
It seemed like he had been following me quietly, but couldn’t hide his presence at the last moment.
Thunk!
Before the man’s club could swing down, I plunged into his embrace and struck his stomach with a powerful punch.
Then I immediately lifted Meruru, who was slipping down my back, and distanced myself from him.
“Ugh… damn… did you put eyes on the back of your head…?”
The man fell to his knees in pain, groaning.
Could he be a henchman of Halme who gave me the cookie?
Or just some unlucky guy who happened to target anyone passing by?
I didn’t know what he was, but since he aimed for the back of my head and swung the club, retaliation was inevitable.
I wanted to grab him and interrogate him thoroughly, but I restrained myself because I was carrying Meruru on my back.
For now, it was a priority to go to the restaurant Paprika, a place where Algot, who is behind the thirteenth pillar, has connections.
There, I can rest safely until Meruru wakes up and it would be a good idea to meet Aruru, Meruru’s sister.
Taking time away from those guys here is a loss in itself.
After incapacitating the attackers, I immediately picked up speed and ran to the next pillar.
Ten… Eleven… Twelve…
Finally, I reached the fourteenth pillar, and I saw a sign that read ‘Paprika’ in the back.
With Meruru in my arms, I entered the restaurant Paprika and showed the guild master delegation badge of Alcott at the counter.
Then, a man who seemed to be the manager of the restaurant guided us to a passage behind a curtain.
Following the manager through the passage, a fairly large secret gambling den appeared, just as Alcott had described.
We passed by several people who seemed to be customers of the gambling den and continued to follow the manager inside.
Finally, we arrived at a corner of a warehouse that was completely empty.
When the manager pressed a brick attached to the wall, a part of the ordinary stone wall rotated, revealing a door that could be opened inward.
Certainly, you would never be able to discover it without knowing the structure.
This is the demon sanctuary Alcott mentioned…
It is the most secretive place that can be accessed through a secret entrance that looks like an ordinary stone wall protected by several layers of disguised shops.
“Are you the person sent by Alcott?”
As soon as we entered, a woman with messy skin approached and spoke.
Judging by her wearing armor and carrying a pretty good sword, she doesn’t seem like an ordinary person.
Since we entered the demon sanctuary, I wonder if this person is also a “trusted person” as Alcott said.
I immediately explained to her the situation of Meruru eating a suspicious cookie and falling asleep on the surface.
And I also told her that I came here with Meruru to meet her older sister, Aruru.
Listening to my story, the woman in armor guided us to a room full of beds.
The beds were all empty, but there was a sign at the entrance that said “Office”.
“For now, it seems like Meruru can lie down here. It looks like she’s fallen victim to a common technique in this neighborhood, so she’ll wake up soon after a few hours. Thank you for coming all the way here.”
“Will there be any side effects or anything like that?”
“No, it happens often here. She’s just in a deep sleep.”
Well, that’s a relief.
I gently laid Meruru on the empty bed and carefully covered her with a blanket.
Then, I asked the woman with messy skin.
“But what about over there…”
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mirabel, the Deputy Commander of the Pipnel Royal Knights. I also serve as the supervisor of the Demon Protection Shelter.”
“Deputy Commander…?”
“I heard about you from Mr. Algot in writing. Nice to meet you.”
I was so surprised to hear Mirabel’s introduction that my eyes widened.
She didn’t seem like an ordinary person, but to be the Deputy Commander…
It was quite surprising that someone of that level was the supervisor of a demon protection shelter in a place like this.
“It might take some time for Meruru to wake up. Will you wait here or would you like to look around first?”
Mirabel asked me.
Meruru was lying on the bed, completely stretched out.
She was still making a cat-like snoring sound, as if she was eating something in her dreams, with her mouth frothing.
Now that Meruru seemed safe, there was no point in just waiting, so maybe I should look around.
“I’d like to look around. I’m curious about how the demons here are doing.”
“Then this way.”
As soon as Mirabel heard my response, she immediately began to guide me.
* * *