Next was the witch's place.
The warehouse where Skir Coffin Ele was kept — a place I'd been visiting more frequently lately.
The first-floor living room. The witch and I sat facing each other.
She lounged on the sofa, three tails deftly arranged beneath her, legs crossed.
Watching her, I couldn't help but smile wryly — it really wasn't all that different from her own house.
"So, so — the red gemstone that spawned the Worms. We've figured something out about it, haven't we?"
"Really?"
"As it happens, I do remember something. First — that red gemstone. It wasn't a legendary that spawned Worms. It was a Gate Stone."
"A Gate… Stone? So it wasn't producing Worms — it was bringing them in from somewhere else?"
"Mhm, that's right. And the dungeon it connected to was insect-type."
The witch's words sent a chill down my spine.
An insect-type dungeon was somewhere I never wanted to go. Ever.
"…You think this was deliberate too?"
"Oh? What makes you think that?"
"A Gate Stone embedded inside a giant monster. And its connection point was an insect-type dungeon… Even as an EVENT, that doesn't add up."
"Well, well — you're right that someone was behind this."
"Biggs… It seems like the man in the red mask was responsible."
The witch shifted her crossed legs and pressed a hand to her lips.
"Oh my — I heard he was already dead."
"Yes, it's quite unfortunate."
"But, but, that does seem a bit odd, doesn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
The witch blinked and let out a breath.
"Mmm, mmm. Gate Stones. That type doesn't activate on its own, you know."
"Someone activated it...?"
My face darkened. Could someone have?
"Well, well, a malfunction is also possible."
"...Well, either way, I'm just glad we managed to stop it."
I let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn't exactly prevention, but at least it ended before any major damage.
"Mmm, mmm. For all we know, there might be more of those things planted somewhere else."
"――Please don't say such scary things."
"Hehe, hehe. It pays to be cautious."
But what the witch said wasn't impossible.
Still.
"What were they even trying to accomplish? Biggs. Every single thing they did was nothing but causing trouble for people."
It figured he didn't end up dying well, but that was exactly why I couldn't understand what he was after.
I had no idea. The witch shifted her crossed legs again, smiling blissfully.
Every time she moved her legs, her chest swayed, and I couldn't help but look.
"Hmm hmm. Yeah. Like how messing with people was their hobby or something."
"Like the witch, you mean?"
"Oh my, that's hurtful, young Wof. Kon doesn't mess with people as a hobby."
As she said that, she stood up and came over here.
She sat down right next to me and trapped me with three tails.
"Wh-what! Hey!? Witch!"
Soft and fluffy and warm, I was enveloped.
And the witch was close. Way too close.
Showing me a beaming smile, she leaned her face right up to my ear and whispered.
"Konn-konn, making Kon happy is what it's all about."
Ah, ah—this is what my past life memories would call ASMR.
No no no, this isn't "what it's all about."
"Witch. Please don't mess around."
"Oh my, oh my. Oh... my."
"Witch?"
Her face had gone red. What was that about?
Either way, the witch's face was way too close.
Our noses had just bumped a moment ago.
We could have accidentally touched lips and it wouldn't have been weird.
"Well then, shall we go check on how things are with Nekia?"
The witch briskly released three of my tails.
She stood up smoothly.
"How's her condition?"
"Mmm, I don't see anything out of the ordinary, so she should be free to go in a few more days."
"Sorry. My half-baked idea is making extra work for you."
I'd learn later that there had never been a case of a monster's soul fusing with a human body before.
So the witch had been carefully monitoring the situation.
"No, no, this is interesting in its own way. You don't come by an experience this rare very often. Besides, stuffing a monster's soul into a person — as expected of Kon's apprentice."
"Haha… I really hadn't thought it through."
At the time, all I had in my head was "I can do it, hooray."
I'd really done something absurd, huh.
"So anyway, so anyway — did you settle on the members for the Forbidden Land?"
"Yes. Me, Mineha, Narses, Megadia, and Ambrosius."
"Oh my, oh my. That's quite the interesting lineup."
"Interesting, huh?"
Well, now that she put it that way, maybe it was.
After that, I met up with Nekia and asked her about the Forbidden Land in more detail.
I didn't get much out of it, but still better than nothing.
One thing that caught my attention, though — the info that the Forbidden Land was divided into three areas from the center.
Three areas. I should remember that.
The next day.
Morning. Main residence of the Zenzera family. Courtyard.
A good number of acquaintances and friends had gathered to see us off.
Ms. Pakira. Ms. Lupinus. Ms. Riv. Ms. Bidd.
Ms. Hoss. Ms. Luma. Ms. Samarnya. Ms. Gyiza.
Ms. Ceilann. Ugh, that crab-head was there too.
Huh? Ms. Araya was nowhere to be seen.
The leader of the Gouro hunt squad, wielder of the Relic[Cut].
She'd gone after that disfigured monster during the Forest Wave, only to get beaten back.
She was the sole survivor.
After recovering, Ms. Araya had joined the Hyzen Great Forest survey team and was already deep in the woods, apparently.
If that was the case, we might run into her again in the forest.
Ms. Annakreuizen and Chardina were there too.
Hmm? Over there in the back, trying not to stand out.
The witch and Nekia. So they both came after all.
I greeted them one by one, then climbed into the prepared grand carriage.
It was a pale, beautiful grand carriage.
The Zenzera family's pride, the grand carriage[Blue Storm].
They'd used it last time and were lending it to us again this time. I was grateful.
And making a racket on the driver's seat — that was none other than Ms. Narcissus.
"All right, let's go! The Great Narcissus!"
"Lady Narcissus, that's dangerous."
Megadia said, sipping his drink.
Wasn't he looking a little roughed up?
"Ahahaha, the kids from Utopia are lively ones."
Ambrosius chuckled.
"Wof. Are you going to be okay with this crew? Especially Narcissus."
"...Well, I'm sure it'll work out somehow."
I answered Mineha with a practiced smile.
It had to work out somehow.
"Charge! The Super Narcissus!"
"Hasn't the name been changing every few seconds?"
"That's your imagination! Full speed ahead! The Dynamic Narcissus!"
I was worried. Endlessly worried.
And so, the makeshift party's third adventure began.