Back to the Dungeon, Adam looks around and finds the girls still resting at the stairs leading to Floor 12.
"Oh Dad, you are back." Sakura saw him teleported back and greeted him immediately. Ray hummed and then immediately did a head count and counted one head less than when he left.
"Oh! Where is Jack?" Ray looked around and did a head count. Surely enough, the resident stabby happy loli was missing.
"Dark Sa…" Sakura was about to say Dark Sakura was put in charge but then she and Ray saw the aforementioned girl was soundly asleep near the wall, taking a nap while the one she was supposed to look after was missing.
"Fu—" Ray cursed out loud but stopped when he saw Sakura looking straight at him. He cannot be a bad role model.
"What's the matter?" Sirin came to check the commotion along with Tanya but they easily noticed that a certain white haired girl was missing while the one on duty to look after the missing girl was sleeping soundly with a smile too.
Sirin immediately snapped before Ray could even step in to dish out the punishment. "KYAA!" Dark Sakura yelped after she was rudely woken up. Just as she want to scold the one that disturbed her pleasant sleep, she saw two not so friendly eyes glaring straight at her.
"Uhm… I swear! I didn't do it on purpose! I felt very sleepy and I accidentally dozed off…" She tried to plead but Sirin wasn't having it.
"Your phone is confiscated until you write 500 copies of apology letters for reading those shitty doujins at night instead of sleeping." Sirin patted her down and confiscated Dark Sakura's phone as she promised before she summoned a Shadow tentacle to hang her upside down.
"Let's go find Jack quickly before she does anything dangerous." Sirin said and everyone agreed except Dark Sakura who is begging to be let down and protesting until Tanya silenced her as per Sirin's request.
At the sidelines, Ray watched Sirin take the leadership role as the eldest sibling. So far, he is satisfied and also, he already found Jack with his Shadow acting as his eyes. It's safe to say that it isn't Jack they should be worried about. But the Dungeon's spirit he needed to worry about as Jack casually and happily made dozens of murder scenes with monsters flayed open, chopped up and generally brutalized beyond recognition.
A few Adventures already stumble upon some of her crime scenes and flee the dungeon in terror to alert the Guild about a potential abnormal monster on the loose.
———
At the Pantheon's main hall, a few panicked adventurers crashed into the hall and went to the counter where the Guild Staff were. One of the staff is Eina, the Half- Elf.
"I swear! We found an entire hallway drenched in blood with monsters flayed open and their limbs chopped off and still alive!" The traumatized adventurer retelled the gruesome scene before he vomited along with his party members that felt their stomach twist when they recall the scene while a mage looking elf girl already fainted on the floor with her face as pale as paper.
They insisted a monster is on the loose and demanded the Guild to do something or investigate.
"I… I can still hear the tortured scream of the monsters and… an—"
"Alright sir! Please take a seat on the side and calm down first. Alright?" Eina felt her face turning green as her desk was covered with vomit. But she kept a professional expression although her forehead was twitching.
Eina hurried to the room behind the counter and found her manager, Rehmer. To inform about the abnormality reported by the group of Adventures.
"Hmn. If this is the case, contact the Loki Familia immediately and put a temporary restriction on the Dungeon's entry until we can get a detailed investigation report from the Loki Familia." Rehmer decided after hearing the situation from Eina.
Upon hearing her manager's order, Eina rushed out to inform the runner to deliver the order to temporarily restrict the entry into the Dungeon and also seek out the Loki Familia.
Thankfully the latter task was made simple when Goddess Loki and the Sword Princess, Ais, strolled into the Guild building. From the look of their outfit, they two were probably on their off day and arrived due to the news that spread like wildfire right now, spread by other adventurers that no doubt hit the bar first thing first to drink away their trouble.
"Hmn, alright. My Familia will accept this task." Loki said with a frown while rubbing her chin after hearing the explanation from Eina. Then she turned around. "Let's return to the manor and organize an investigation party, Ais." Loki ordered, which Ais gave a small nod before following after her goddess.
———
Kuroka with Ravel was in the market today, to buy groceries and supplies since tonight Ray and the girls will return from their brief expedition to floor 18.
"Nya… I can't find any merchant selling fish." Kuroka sighed tiredly after exploring through the entirety of the market.
"Well, there's nothing that can be done. Orario is far away from the sea and the fishes were supplied by Njord Familia from Melen. Their caravan only comes and trades twice each month and their next arrival is next week." The well informed Ravel explained after she asked around while shopping around the market.
"It's a bummer. This is my only chance to show off my cooking skill to darling because that pesky Head Maid isn't here. But I can't find any fish for my recipes." Kuroka sighed again while looking quite annoyed when Sakuya was mentioned.
Even Ravel laughed a little because Sakuya is quite dedicated and very serious with her responsibilities to taking care of Ray that when Kuroka once tried to cook for Ray to show off her housewife skill set, not only was Kuroka criticized and nitpicked by Sakuya to the verge of tears, Kuroka's dignity as housewife was nonexistent because of Sakuya as there's literally no housework Kuroka can do since Sakuya already did them all before she could. Even using her time stop power if necessary to stop Kuroka from stealing her job. Hence, the beef between Kuroka and Sakuya formed.
"Hey, have you heard that the dungeon has been sealed by the Guild?" Some customers were talking about news to a merchant and were overheard by the two.
Kuroka and Ravel were curious and got closer to listen because Ray and the girls are still in the dungeon and they are concerned.
"I heard there are weird monster on the loose. The Loki Familia already dispatched their top adventurers and their Executives to investigate the matter."
"Yeah! I heard from John in the pub. He said he saw monsters chopped, flayed and left bleeding all over while still alive. Poor John was traumatized and said he can still hear the tortured screams of the monsters."
Suddenly, Kuroka's face darkens. Chopped? Flayed? Left bleeding all over? Sounds verrry familiar.
Dark aura leaking out from Kuroka which immediately sends Ravel into high alert.
"Let's not get hasty to judge. Maybe it's a real coincidence. You know, I doubt Master wouldn't be able to properly keep an eye on Jack when his Shadow is omnipresent." Ravel quickly calms Kuroka down to give her Master the benefit of doubt.
"Then he better pray that is the case." Kuroka calmed down and agreed to give Ray the benefit of the doubt.
Meanwhile back in the Dungeon, Ray felt an indescribable chill down his feline spine which made his body and tail jolt straight in fright.
"Why do I feel like I'm in danger…?" Ray whispers before he resumes giving Jack a lecture about running away and creating those terrifying crime scenes that she calls 'fun'.
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