Chapter 53 - Bluebeard's Hospitality
"Danger!!!"
Mash immediately raised her shield to block the attack!
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed from the shield?!
Right after that, Mash gathered strength in both hands and swung the shield forcefully against the nearby wall!
BANG—!!!
With a loud impact that shook the entire passageway, something fell out from the gap between the shield and the wall.
"Squeak, squeak..."
The creature writhed on the ground, emitting unpleasant noises, then dissolved into a pool of blood that gradually seeped into the floor.
"...What is this?"
In the dim light, Mash stared in disbelief at the bizarre creature.
"That's that stalker's Familiar! He used it to attack us last time too! Kiyohime was also captured while fighting these things!"
Elizabeth's face turned pale.
Earlier, she and Kiyohime had fought against these Familiars—creatures that looked like sea anemones but were covered in fangs.
But no matter how many they killed, more just kept appearing, increasing endlessly…
"These are sea demons summoned by the enemy Caster."
Ethan immediately identified the creatures.
Needless to say, this was Simp Tentacle's doing.
As long as the Prelati's Spellbook in his hands remained intact, these sea demons would continue to be summoned indefinitely.
"Everyone, proceed carefully. The entire castle might be crawling with these sea demons."
Then, Ethan turned to Elizabeth.
"Let's find Kiyohime first. Do you remember which direction the prison cell was in?"
Even though half the castle had been destroyed by Mordred, the prison cells were undoubtedly built in the basement.
If Kiyohime hadn't returned to the Throne of Heroes yet, chances were she was still imprisoned, waiting to be rescued.
Finding Kiyohime would also add to their fighting strength—after all, Servants summoned by the Counter Force were natural allies.
Having one more fighter would increase their chances, allowing Ethan to adapt as needed.
For now, they could only hope that Mordred, Johanna, and Kiritsugu could buy as much time as possible.
"I think it's this way!"
Elizabeth confirmed before leading everyone down the right corridor.
Sure enough, at the end of the right corridor, there was a staircase leading downward. Elizabeth suddenly recalled something and started descending.
After proceeding further, they entered an even darker passage.
Rusty candleholders were still attached to the walls, with half-melted candles emitting a faint glow—dimmer than the light outside.
Every few steps, there was a chained iron door on either side.
The darkness inside was eerie, the silence unnerving.
"Yes, this is it! We escaped from here back then!"
Elizabeth's memory became clearer, and her pace quickened.
Soon, she stopped in front of a prison cell with a door that had been melted into a gaping hole.
"No doubt about it! I was locked up here! Kiyohime burned this door down to save me. That girl barely knew me, yet she insisted on using fire on me—seriously, it's hard to get along with her."
Then, Elizabeth looked toward the dark hallway ahead and, without a second thought, stepped forward.
"If she came here last time, then she must have been locked up at the very end! Maybe she's still imprisoned there!"
Before anyone could react, Elizabeth had already rushed straight in.
This idiot!!!
Ethan immediately signaled Mash and Martha to chase after her.
Running around recklessly inside the enemy's stronghold—getting captured wouldn't even be surprising.
At this point, they couldn't just abandon Dragon Girl; they had to follow and see what was happening.
"Kiyohime!!!"
Before long, Elizabeth, who had sprinted down the corridor, stopped in front of a prison cell.
She called out excitedly:
"Kiyohime, I'm here to save you!!!"
Ethan and the others quickly chased after her, only to see that in the cramped space of the prison cell, a girl wearing a kimono was sitting in the corner, hugging her knees.
Upon hearing Elizabeth's voice, she seemed to react slightly.
"It's me, Kiyohime! I'm Elizabeth! You saved me last time, remember?"
Elizabeth gripped the iron bars of the door, continuously shouting inside.
After confirming that it was indeed Elizabeth, the person inside slowly stood up and stepped toward the cell door.
Under the dim light, a delicate young girl's face appeared before everyone.
"It's you? Why did you come back?!"
She looked at Elizabeth with an expression of disbelief.
"You saved me, so of course, I had to come save you. That stalker didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Elizabeth proudly introduced:
"These are the people who came to help me rescue you. So, don't you think you should thank me?!"
But when Kiyohime looked over at Ethan and the others standing beside him, her expression turned full of regret.
"You shouldn't have come here…"
"What are you talking about? I'll get you out right now."
"… This is a trap."
"———What?!"
The moment the cell door swung open, along with Kiyohime's words, chilling screams of unease echoed from the surrounding prison cells.
"Chiiiii—————!!!"
Sea demons surged out from all directions, completely filling the narrow hallway.
Grotesque and disgusting creatures emerged everywhere.
"Senpai!"
"Master!!!"
Mash and Martha immediately took positions on either side, shielding Ethan.
Seeing the situation unfold, Ethan remained unfazed. If he hadn't considered the possibility of this happening, then it could only mean he hadn't understood Simp Tentacle deeply enough.
Bluebeard's so-called "hospitality" truly lived up to its reputation.
But in the end, these were just low-level familiars. With Mash and Martha here, handling them would be no issue at all.
"Chiiii————————!!!"
From the darkness, the sea demons all opened their jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth and lunged at them!
"Haa!!!"
Mash immediately raised her shield in front, smashing the creatures away. They were crushed together, violently slammed against the walls before dissolving into a foul-smelling pile of liquid.
"O' Lord, please forgive me, for Martha is about to unleash her fists!"
The holy gauntlets on Martha's arms emitted a divine glow.
"ORA!!!"
She threw a straight punch, instantly pulverizing the monster that leaped at her. In the blink of an eye, her second punch struck another sea demon, causing it to explode. Even the creatures caught in the residual Aura Punch dissolved into pools of blood.
Seeing Mash and Martha fighting, Elizabeth and Kiyohime also joined the battle.
Elizabeth's cursed spear shot forward, piercing straight through a sea demon's body. Kiyohime unfurled her dragon fan, instantly igniting a blue flame that incinerated all the enemies in front of her into ashes.
Before long, all the ambushing monsters had been wiped out.
The hallway was now littered with greenish remains and the nauseating stench of their blood.