Chapter 450: Fakshon

「Fa… FAKSHON!」

Just as Deris was worried about Hund, Hund himself was sneezing loudly in the basement of Crocus Castle.

「Whoa!?」

Giorgia, who was close by, was surprised by the loudness of the sound. To be more specific, he jumped. He has good hearing despite his age, but it seemed to have backfired.

「S-Sorry. My nose suddenly became itchy.」

「Y-Yeah, it’s okay because we have knocked down the guards. Still, that sure was a big sneeze, huh?」

「Hund-sama? Did you catch a cold? Or maybe someone who knows you were talking about you?」

「I have never been sick since I was born. Perhaps it is the latter. I don’t know who it is, though.」

「I envy you your lung capacity… you seem to be able to sing powerfully…. How about… we have a duet sometime? I think… I can discover a new path…!」

「U-Umu? I’m sorry, but there is no singing in our culture.」

「That’s not good…. I heard from Deris-san when we were chatting… that the Great Eight Demons hold a singing contest regularly…. It seems that the last place will be punished badly….」

「Singing contest!?」

In short, it’s a karaoke contest. Of course, it was hosted by Maria. The winner was Maria and the runner-up was Lilyvia. Incidentally, the victim of the previous punishment was Rimudo.

While they were making small talk, Therese and the others continued to go down the passage. The basement of Crocus Castle, which they are exploring, is a prison where criminals are prisoned. According to Alezel’s information, Maria has locked up most of the Crocus people in the castle in this place.

As an important place for capturing hostages, this place is being guarded more strictly than the other places―― or not. There are no vampire sisters or the monsters created by Maria, and the vampire butlers and maids are rarely seen here. It’s unclear whether Maria doesn’t care about the hostages so much, but it’s a good thing for Therese and the others.

「Hey, you guys, give me some chocolate! If you don’t have it, anything sweet is fine!」

「I made all of the garden trees heart-shaped… but why did they arrest me….」

Naturally, there are prisoners who were originally prisoned here. They are all dressed in prison clothes, so it’s easy to distinguish them from innocent ones. But something seems a little strange about the words of those who are being prisoned.

「Hmm? Their words are like something from a fairy tale, don’t you think?」

「Well, that’s the national character of Crocus, or maybe I should say the temperament of the inhabitants? I suggest you don’t pay too much attention to it.」

「Even if you say that, I can’t stop once I start being curious about it desuwa! It is important to try to know everything rather than looking away! Wee, do you know something?」

「Yes…. Crocus has a very low crime rate… even in the Jiba continent…. Even if there is one, it’s about eating too many sweets because of chocolate addiction… or being too faithful to the fairy tale design….」

「Hou? It seems that there are many dwarfs in this country, but are they the same even though they are famous for their artisan temperament and love for alcohol?」

「Yes… although it’s hard to imagine that in other countries…」

「I-I see…」

The image of the dwarves was destroyed. For Giorgia, its strangeness is on par with a certain money-lover elf.

Setting that trivial matter aside, they went further into the prison. Then, Hund, who was walking in the front, sensed that the atmosphere was different from the previous prison area. He then tells the others that the goal seems to be just ahead.

「I-Is there someone there!? F-Fine, I will be your opponent!」

It seems that the other party noticed their presence as well. The voice of a slightly scared man was heard from the depths of the darkness of the prison. However, he may have misidentified them as the enemy that he was aggressive.

「Oda, are your legs shaking, you know?」

「Shut up! I’m making up my mind right now! It’s a critical moment!」

「O-Oda-kun, calm down…」

Such a conversation was heard after it. All of those voices are familiar to Therese.

「Hmm, these voices belong to Master Mani, and Oda-san, and Fuchi-san desuwa!」

「Oh, this is Therese-san’s voice. Too bad, Oda. You lost your show time. Why don’t you stop that trembling now?」

「I-Is that so? That’s too bad. But, this trembling won’t stop so easily! It won’t stop!」

「Oda-kun…」

There’s no mistaking it, it’s their group.

「Oh my! Oda-san, he must have had quite a frightening experience…. We must release them as soon as possible! Giorgia-san, the key please!」

「Oh, the one that Alezel left behind when she suddenly appeared, right? Here.」

「I don’t think there are any enemies around, but I’ll lead the way. Do not let your guard down.」

「Okay….」

Hund pushed forward into the darkness, paying close attention to the surroundings. Soon after, he discovered the prison in which Oda and the others are locked up. Then, he stepped forward to check the interior of the cell.

「Are you okay!?」

「Yeah, I’m okgyaaaaaah!? It’s the Demon King at that time!?」

「O-Oda-kun, calm down! He’s on our side now!」

「That’s right, Oda. How many unsightly figures do you want to show? It is true that we were enemies before, but I explained to you that we are not enemies now, right? When King Hund’s subordinates came to this country with Therese, you helped out at the outdoor party several times, didn’t you?」

「T-That’s right, but I would be surprised if he suddenly appeared out of the darkness! I’m a warrior, so I’m the vanguard!」

「…… Err, sorry. It was my fault. I will try to appear slowly next time.」

「No, Oda is just a timid person. Please don’t worry about it.」

Oda was flustered, Mani was trying to calm him down, and Hund and Fuchi were bowing to each other.

「It seems that everyone is fine desuwa!」

「Eh? Is that what you call fine…?」

Giorgia’s concern is understandable, but this is fine. They are acting normally.

(Let’s see….)

Weerel was looking around the whole prison. Other than Oda’s party, there are dozens, maybe hundreds or even more other people in the prison area. Judging from their clothes, all of them are workers at the castle. The prison cells are separated for men and women, and although there is barely enough space, at least the prisoners seem to be able to live inside. However, the person who is the most important person is nowhere to be seen. That person always stands out, so it’s hard to not notice her.

「Um, Fuchi-san…. Is Queen Clarius in another place…?」

「Oh, you read the situation well. As for the answer, yes, she’s not here. My guess is that she is locked up in the worst possible place. Now, where do you think that is?」

In contrast to Fuchi who was talking happily, Weerel was frowning.