Chapter 1086 – Treasure Room

000

When I opened my eyes, what I saw around me was an unfamiliar room.

Old bed, old closet, old desk.

And, the dust piled up on the floor so much that it could be seen that it had not been used or maintained for a long time.

After Schrödinger felt them tickling his nostrils, he sneezed loudly.

“Ugh!!”

A refreshing sound that doesn’t bother people’s eyes.

However, the recoil must have caused her body to shake, and the reason her head was shaking back and forth a little was because her body was stuck on the floor from below her chest.

“W-what is this!?”

Schrödinger noticed his ridiculous appearance and struggled to move his legs and tail.

Then, Schrödinger, who felt as if his legs were swinging in the air, tried to somehow pull himself off the floor by moving his arms.

Geek…!!

What was heard from the aged floor was the scream of a tree that had withstood Schrödinger’s force.

In the end, Schrödinger, who was unable to get his body off the floor no matter how hard he tried, relaxed his arms and let his head and shoulders hang down.

“Damn, it’s not moving. Am I the only one like this again?”

For some reason, Schrödinger feels that it is because of him that he continues to see difficult situations after entering the Four Dragon Mountains.

About 80% of the cause was provided by Laila, but due to the hierarchical relationship of power within the party, he could not say anything from the front and could only gossip behind the scenes.

“… I can’t see the other guys… What should I do about this…”

Just like when I was fighting that strange machine guy earlier, I’m going to let my anger do the trick and try to draw out my magic power.

Perhaps because his current appearance was quite ridiculous and because he lacked motivation for various reasons, Schrödinger was unable to refine his emotions and bring them out with his magic.

Should I wait for rescue to come like this?

Where is this in the first place?

Should I say that the view of the returnee… Is hopeful or hopeless.

I don’t know which way it was, but what was certain was that if I encountered the enemy in this state, I would definitely be finished.

And did her anxiety have an impact on reality?

When he thought that the sound came from somewhere, Schrödinger’s ears perked up, and he tried to turn his head in that direction.

‘Kikigeek’

If the body was stuck and the angle of view could no longer be turned, it was impossible to find out what the source of the sound was.

However, fortunately or unfortunately, Schrödinger’s sense organs were not limited to sight and hearing.

‘What… Is this smell…?’

Should I say it was a sour smell? A not-so-good smell once again pierced Schrödinger’s nose.

It was a different kind of smell than the ‘liberation gas’ or something similar that I had smelled at Mt. Narong just before, but this one was also pressing hard on Schrödinger’s peripheral nerves.

‘My head hurts… I feel like I’m going to throw up…’

Schrödinger must have felt his eyesight blurring at the naturally nauseating smell.

At that time, at the strange gaze and sensation passing over his skin, Schrödinger slowly raised his head upward.

Then-

“──.”

There, something like a long tentacle of a piece of meat was crawling across the ceiling.

It resembled the legs of cephalopods such as squid or octopus, and sticky mucus was constantly secreted on its surface.

Seeing that sight, which evoked instinctive disgust, Schrödinger felt goosebumps rising all over his body, and it moved up the ceiling and then down the wall-

Soon, I was approaching the desk that was placed in the room.

From there, Schrödinger, who was worried that a tentacle might reach out to him and do something strange, was able to see what it was doing.

The tentacle extended its tip toward the small picture frame placed on the desk and stroked it over and over again.

Thanks to this, the surface of the picture frame soon became covered in the mucus it secreted, but the mucus evaporated along with the foul odor over time.

‘Didn’t you notice this…?’

There, Schrödinger realized that the guy didn’t care about his existence at all.

I don’t know where it appeared in the room and stretched out its legs, but its target was the picture frame on the desk from the beginning, and it seemed as if it was completely unaware of Schrödinger’s existence.

‘No, that’s true too. Because the legs don’t have eyes.’

If you don’t make any noise like this, he will quietly disappear.

The stench was unbearable, but Schrödinger calmly put his hand to his mouth and closed it, trying to hide his presence from the disgusting bridge.

Until the very next moment, he felt a tickling sensation passing through the soles of his feet.

“Huh!?”

He let out a strange scream without realizing it, and Schrödinger swung his foot once.

Of course, right after he made his voice, he said ‘Hot’ and looked towards the tentacle on the desk.

Then─

‘… Mr…’

Schrödinger suppresses the swear word that was about to come out of his mouth.

This is because it was slowly groping the air with the tip of the tentacle facing this way.

The sound from before and the feeling Schrödinger made while shaking his body were clearly conveyed to him.

The tip of the tentacle is slowly shaking.

And, the source of the stench slowly approaching.

‘Go, the moment you get close, I’ll punch you with all my heart…!’

Schrödinger calmed his trembling body and clenched his fists.

But the very next moment.

Paz!

With a sound like tearing the grain of wood, something popped out from the ground around Schrödinger’s torso.

At that sound, the tentacle flinched again, and Schrödinger must have turned his head to follow the sound.

Then there was a pointed arrow made of magical energy sticking out from the floor.

“Huh?”

Schrödinger forgot that he had tried not to make a sound, and ended up making a sound.

And the next moment.

Babababababababat!!

At high speed, magic arrows flew out quickly, drawing a circular orbit as if surrounding Schrödinger.

“What!? What’s going on!?!”

Schrödinger was so embarrassed that he raised his voice, and it seemed like the tentacle guy did the same.

It followed the direction of the sound with the tip of its tentacle, and perhaps sensed something dangerous, so it ran away through the ceiling.

And…

With a screeching sound, Schrödinger felt his body shaking and gradually tilting downward.

“─No way.”

And the next moment.

As soon as the strength supporting his body disappeared, Schrödinger fell to the ground screaming.

Thud! If you fall to the floor with a loud sound, the floor covering your body like a hula-hoop will shatter from the impact.

“Aaaaah!”

Schrödinger screams in pain once again.

“Good job Sasha!”

“It’s a good thing, I didn’t get hit by Schrödinger…”

Lila is praising, and Amelia is in a cold sweat.

And as Sasha returned the bow behind her back, she looked back and forth between the pierced ceiling and Schrödinger.

“Shoo, Mr. Schrödinger, are you okay?”

When Sasha asks as if she is scared, looking at Schrödinger who fell because of her.

“It’s not okay…”

Schrödinger, enduring the pain by stretching his tongue, was barely able to get up.

“Wow, that’s a good thing! The side effect of the transfer magic that didn’t work properly was that the coordinates were slightly off. If something like my face had gotten stuck on the floor, I might have suffocated!”

“Is this something to laugh about!? It’s all your fault!”

Lila talks to Schrödinger while scratching her head.

Naturally, the person involved was angry.

“And! Who was it that tickled my feet? I almost got into big trouble because of that!”

“Why are you so excited about having your feet tickled?”

When her artis responds to Schrödinger’s words as if she is dumbfounded, the victim turns her gaze towards her.

Then, Attis was holding a long pole in her hand.

“It was you!”

If Schrödinger gets angry and tries to attack Artis, the people around him will try to calm him down by blocking him somehow.

“Everyone, be quiet. … There’s a high probability that we were discovered here by the sabotage we just did.”

The person who tried to calm the group down was Quartz, one of the oldest members of the party.

“If you don’t hurry and find a way down to the basement, the path will be blocked, or you will have to deal with enemies coming from below.”

If Kshat gave that advice, Schrödinger would sigh and drop his shoulders.

“What happened up there?”

No matter what anyone says, it was Kuon who treated Schrödinger kindly.

Then Schrödinger looked at Kuon with a slightly tired face and spoke.

“Ah… Yes. Tentacles suddenly appeared in the room above…”

“Second, tentacle!?”

At Schrödinger’s answer, Kuon blushed in embarrassment.

“Are you okay?”

“What were you imagining!? Because I didn’t do anything! No, actually, I might have done something! It was because my feet were tickled, and I made a noise!”

When Schrödinger growls at her Artis, she and Lila avert their gaze from Schrödinger.

“… But, I’m concerned about the identity of the tentacle I saw on the second floor.”

“If it’s a tentacle, it’s probably one of Darwin’s test subjects. That thing is on the second floor…”

Lila nods her head as if she agrees with Amelia’s words.

“Then, let’s first explore the above-ground part of this mansion. The second floor part… Maybe there is a clue to the way down to the basement.”

Schrödinger will speak to Aine’s words.

“Can’t I just go down through the floor?”

“…”

After hearing her words, Laila and the other brains of the expedition looked at Schrödinger as if he were a little pitiful.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No. That’s a good thing. Someone needs to ask such a stupid question so that we can explore this mansion.”

At Leila’s words, Schrödinger thought, ‘Is it thanks to me?’ And then—

“You said I’m stupid now—”

“Well, if you think about common sense, it’s hard to know where you’ll end up if you go down through the floor. Moreover, the underground facility will have strict security and defenses. We might not be able to go down through it with our own strength.”

Artis explained, as if interrupting Schrödinger.

“Ugh.”

Even Schrödinger had no choice but to understand Artis’ story.

“Well, then say it like that.”

“If you understand, Schrodinger. Let’s first check the room you were in.”

Leila said that and grabbed the back of Schrödinger’s neck with her hand.

“Gyuuuuu.”

Then, Schrödinger suddenly felt his whole body relax.

This was the part where the cat couldn’t do anything if it was caught.

“That works.”

“Ahaha… Well, it’s a cat.”

If Sasha looks at you curiously, she will talk as if she can’t protect you.

Then, Lila caught Schrödinger.

Shuung, it floated up and went up to the open hole on the second floor.

“Ah! Flying magic!”

Let Sasha see it and raise her voice.

“I think I can use it inside here. The flow of magical power is different from outside.”

That’s what Laila said to Sasha.

“… Why did you make a hole for the stairs…?”

As if Amelia couldn’t understand, she spoke to Lila who was disappearing beyond the hole.

“There might be a trap on the stairs.”

Aine would nod her head as if she understood.

And finally, Lila came into the room and let go of the back of Schrödinger’s neck, and Schrödinger stumbled and stood on his own two feet in the room where he had been trapped before.

“So. Where did the tentacles go?”

“Ugh… I don’t know. I ran away when Sasha drilled the hole.”

Schrödinger answered and looked around while rubbing the back of his neck.

The tentacle walked closer to the picture frame on the desk that it had been carefully examining.

Then, inside it was a small portrait that looked quite old.

It was a picture of three people, a young man and a boy, standing with a woman in the middle.

Schrödinger feels that women have a somewhat familiar look.

Then, it was not difficult to recall that it was Darwin in his youth.

Although the kindness in his eyes was incomparably richer than now.

“Layla. This.”

“Huh?”

Schrödinger calls out to Lila, who was looking elsewhere.

Then Lila walked up to her and looked at her picture frame.

“Is this Darwin?”

“I think so. And the things on both sides are…”

The young man seemed a bit younger than Darwin.

Even if you say it for a while… You wouldn’t be able to see it as a husband and wife relationship with Darwin.

“… Probably Darwin’s sons.”

“Hmm…”

Lila said that and looked around again.

“Then, I know whose room this is.”

“Huh?”

At Lila’s words, Schrödinger made a dumbfounded noise, and then a moment later.

Opening his eyes wide, he nodded his head as if he understood.

“You’re not as clean as you think, Mrs. Darwin. You’ve left your room so dusty.”

Lila’s eyes sparkled as if she had found a treasure room in a dungeon.