Can't

14

I had originally thought that this underground area would have a complicated inner structure and was worried that I wouldn’t know where to start, but there was only a straight passage stretching into the distance.
We were attacked many times by the same kind of monster from earlier but I defeated them all.
Because of the range the ghost’s magic had, protecting Roel and Tolppo became troublesome.
But since I have been fighting a long time by myself, I wasn’t afraid of the magic’s range.

“Ryua…..way too strong……”

Tolppo has been carefully watching me the whole time.
I wonder if I should talk to her about what happened to me at the <Caves of Hell>?
It’ll have to be later though, right now we don’t have the luxury of spare time.
On our way down the passage, we eventually came upon an old-looking door.

“I wonder if this is the end?”

“Someone open it? I guess I’ll open it? Then, I’m opening it.”

There was a hand clinging around my waist, so it was quite hard to move.
I gently grasped Roel’s hand and moved it away.
I wonder where the <Little Ghost Girl> who Roel hugged earlier went? I haven’t even see a shadow of her since it happened.

“Here….there’s something…..”

Tolppo murmured, and her tone made Roel’s fear go up a notch. In one go I quickly open the door.

Behind the door there was Francois-san, slovenly hanging from above.
A rope was around her neck, and her mouth was wide open dripping vomit.
Starting from her skirt and running down her leg, excretion dripped onto the floor.

“IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Finally Roel’s fear reached its breaking point. It doesn’t seem like she’s going to separate from me now.
Honestly, I wasn’t able to hide my shock either.
I unconsciously moved back and collided with Tolppo.
I wonder what was going through his, no her mind when she saw the corpse.

There was also the corpse of a mummified little girl and the skeletal corpse of what I assume is a man in the room as well.
It appears that the girl who clung on me and the man who led us to this place are both here.
I wonder, just what the heck happened?
Why did Francois commit suicide here, of all places?
I wonder if this quest will end filled with mystery…

“W-what are we supposed to do…..?”

“…….not yet.”

Tolppo’s expression completely changed and pointed at Francois.
Francois’ exhausted head faintly moved.
Suddenly her head started moving.

“Wa-waa!”

It leaked out a terrible, hoarse voice.

The head of the corpse faced this way.
The loose tongue from her mouth was dangling out. Her eyes on that deathly pale face opened and looked directly at us.
Her neck, like a snail, squeezed itself out from the rope.
Her head bent 90 degrees to the side as she landed on the ground, pigeon-toed. Her gaze was on us.
In the next instant, I can only describe it as expanding and contracting at will, its arm stretched forward aiming towards me.

【Francois appeared! Francois suddenly attacked!】

“Ah!”

I protected Tolppo who was behind me by deflecting the arm with my right hand.
After I blocked the attack the arm fell to the floor, and then as if nothing happened the arm of <Francois> contracted back to its original form.

“W-w-what……..?”

Barely holding on to her staff, there were tears coming out of Roel’s eyes.
I won’t let that thing touch Roel or Tolppo, no matter what.
(TL:何としてでもロエル達には手を出させない。)
Even so I feel uneasy about this, especially since when she hit me earlier it had the same sensation as when I had hit the <Little Ghost Girl>. It’s as if it was rubber, but when I hit it I felt no resistance.
I wonder if this is the same as the from earlier?
Even though I defeated that bone monster…