Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 607

"Lord Rid, please wait."

As we reached the top of the stairs leading underground, Capella swiftly extended her hand to stop us.

"What's wrong?"

"If it's a secret passage, there might be traps set up. I'll take the lead, so please follow behind me, Lord Lid and the others."

Indeed, she was right.

If it was a secret room hidden underground, there might be important information like evidence of Gareth's wrongdoings. The possibility of traps set for intruders was very real.

As Capella declared he would take the lead, there was a hint of resolve in   his expression.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. But don't push yourself too hard. Ellen is waiting for you to come back."

"Of course."

With a smile,  he took the lit candlestick from me and shifted his  gaze.

"Lord Dynias. I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you take the rear and be prepared for any emergencies?"

"Understood, leave it to me. Then, Lord Rid, Lord Ammon, and lady Rapha, please stay in the middle."

As we nodded at Dynias's words, Capella took a deep breath and put on a serious expression.

Then, holding the candlestick in front of  him to light the way, she slowly began descending the stairs.

The stairs and passage leading underground were all made of stone, and the air was filled with a dusty, slightly damp smell.

With only the candlelight, the dim surroundings still gave the impression of solid construction when looking at the walls and floor.

As Ammon, walking beside me, suddenly reached out to touch the wall, I quickly grabbed his hand.

"You should stop. There might be traps on the walls too."

"Y-yeah, you're right. My bad."

"No, no, I'm curious too. If we confirm there are no traps, I'd like to  get  more lights."

Our  conversation echoed off the walls, sounding slightly amplified.

This situation felt like exploring a cave, tickling my childish curiosity... well, childish indeed.

As we cautiously made our way down the stairs and through a passage wide enough for two adults to walk side by side, Capella suddenly stopped.

"I see a door."

"Eh, really?"

Peeking over  his shoulder from behind, I saw a gaudy red door adorned with paintings and gems that seemed out of place with the underground structure and atmosphere.

It looked extremely suspicious.

"Beating a dead horse here, but Gareth really didn't have good taste, huh?"

"Haha, sister, you're as harsh as ever."

As Rapha shrugged with a look of exasperation, Ammon scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

Their voices echoed, but Capella's expression remained serious.

He exchanged a glance with Dynias at the rear and gave a small nod, then began examining the door by the light of the candle.

"There were no traps up to this point, and it's been a straight way . It's unlikely there are traps beyond this door, but I'll still be cautious."

"Thanks, Capella."

It probably took only a few minutes.

After finishing her examination, Capella placed his hand on the door.

"Alright, I'm opening it."

As everyone nodded at  his words, we held our breath and watched as the door slowly opened.

However, beyond the door was complete darkness, and nothing could be seen.

Once again, Capella took the lead, lighting up the room as she entered.

"There's a bed here."

"A bed...?"

Peeking over Capella's shoulder again, I saw a large, deep red bed placed alone in the room.

But it seemed to be positioned in the center of the room.

What could it be for?

And besides the dusty smell from the underground passage, there was a slightly pungent odor that caught my attention.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Capella said, "There's a candlestick here," and lit it with her candle.

"Capella. There's another candlestick over here."

"Understood."

Responding to Dynias's call, Capella proceeded to light the various candles in the room.

Soon, the entire room was illuminated by candlelight, revealing its full appearance.

Sure enough, the bed was placed in the center of the room.

But what caught my eye were the various torture instruments, strange tools hanging on the walls, and numerous restraint tables, causing my face to twitch.

"T-this is..."

"Ah, ah..."

Ammon seemed to have realized it too, wearing an awkward expression.

Glancing around, Capella and Dynus also looked exasperated.

Only Rapha was covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Soon, she burst out laughing.

"Ahaha, Gareth is so ridiculous. He went through all the trouble to bring all this here and have fun. Really, what terrible taste."

After laughing for a while, she wiped the corner of her eye with her finger and looked meaningfully at me and Ammon.

"Rid, Ammon. If you'd like, I can teach you all about how to use 'all this.' You might discover a whole new world."

"Even as a joke, stop that."

"That's right, sister."

Sighing, Ammon and I immediately shook our heads in refusal, but Rapha narrowed her eyes with a smug look.

"My, my, you two already know what this room is for. You're more precocious than I thought."

"W-what...?! T-that's not the point!"

Feeling my face flush, I suddenly realized something.

And then I glared at her.

"Rapha. You... you knew about this secret room all along, didn't you?"

"No. As I said earlier, all I knew was the existence of the basement. I had no idea Gareth was using it like this. Not that I wanted to know, though."

Liar. She was almost certainly guilty.

Rapha was in charge of overseeing the dark side of the Grandork family.

There was no way she didn't know what was going on here.

Even if she didn't know the details, she must have had some idea.

Most likely, she was just teasing me and Ammon to see our reactions.

In fact, she looked thoroughly amused as she stood there.

"Lord rid, may I have a moment?"

"Eh, y-yeah. What is it?"

Flustered by Capella's serious question, I quickly responded, and he looked around the room.

"Regardless of the room's purpose, it's clear Gareth used it as a secret room. There might still be some hidden documents, so I'll take a look around. Lord Rid and Lord Ammon, please return with Dynias."

"But if that's the case, we can also..."

As I was about to say we could help, Capella softened his expression and said, "No."

"This room is too stimulating for LordRLid and Lord Ammon. Please leave this to me, as someone who used to be   on  the dark side."

"That's right. Let's leave it to Capella and head back."

Dynias nodded at his words, then said, "Excuse me," and grabbed me and Ammon by the arms, lifting us up.

"Wha...?!"

"Dynias?!"

"Please forgive my rudeness, just for now. Let's go. Lady Rapha, you're coming too."

"My, my, it's a shame we're leaving already."

Blinking in confusion, Ammon and I were quickly carried off by Dynus, who walked briskly.

Rapha shrugged but followed Dynus.

Since we had already checked for traps on the way in, our return was faster.

As we climbed the stairs and returned to the room, Dynus finally set us down.

"My apologies for the rudeness. I'm truly sorry."

"W-well, under the circumstances, it couldn't be helped. Right, Ammon?"

"Y-yeah. Especially with sister here..."

As we reassured Dynus, who bowed in apology, I glanced at Ammon, who was looking at Rapha.

"My, my, what does me being here have to do with it? Are you still curious about that new world?"

"That's not it. Stop teasing us like that."

Ammon's face turned red as he retorted, and Rapha playfully walked toward the office door.

"Well, fine. I had my fun. Anyway, I'll rest in my room since tomorrow's another day."

She smiled at us and then left the room.

Feeling utterly exhausted, I let out a sigh, and Dynus spoke up.

"Lord Lid, may I have a moment?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It'll be tough for Lord Capella to search the room alone, so I'll go back and help. You two should return to your rooms and prepare for tomorrow."

"Got it. There probably aren't any traps, but be careful. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Understood. Please leave the entrance to the basement as it is."

Dynias nodded with a smile and then headed back down the stairs to the basement.

With only Ammon and me left in the room, a heavy silence fell.

I cleared my throat, stood in front of Ammon, placed my hands on his shoulders, and glared at him with a serious expression.

"...What we saw in that basement. Keep it a secret from Tis, Citri, and Fara. No, from all the women, including Mother and Tink."

"U-understood."

Ammon and I made a mutual promise to seal away what we saw in the basement deep in our hearts.

And then, we prepared to rest our minds and bodies for the next day's tribal chief meeting.