I was heading to the hotel together with Nemusia and Inoue san.

As expected, this amusement park had also grown to a massive scale like the school building, and there were places where multiple identical rides were lined up as if copy-pasted.

Looking around, large Ferris wheels were also dotted here and there, and I couldn't even tell which one I had ridden with Yumemi chan before.

Probably, just like the classrooms, if you carelessly ride one, you'll be sent flying to some other world.

Fortunately, however, it was easy to hide thanks to the scattered rides.

"So as long as we remain unnoticed by those monsters called Casts, we won't be attacked by Hole-Men either."

Nemusia said while hiding behind a teacup ride and observing Rabi Rabi chan.

Humans who has hole in their face—the Hole-Men—don't act hostile towards us.

Their role seems to be strictly enjoying themselves as amusement park guests.

"In exchange, the Casts can't be defeated no matter what. Right, Inoue-san."

"Yes, I tried defeating them dozens of times. They are invincible."

"Have you not found a place that looks like an exit?"

"I went to the very edge, but outside the premises was pitch black. It was like a bottomless pit."

I wonder if it's the same feeling as the collapsed school building.

I don't know what it connects to, but seeing how the fallen rubble was smashed to pieces, any human who falls in wouldn't survive.

"I also checked near the main gate—and a road definitely continued outside. But... how should I say it, it was like a wall was blocking the way..."

"Erika, that is—"

"Yeah, it might be the same as the 1st floor."

Waiting for Rabi Rabi chan to pass by, we move forward.

"In other words, Erika chan and your group broke through it, right. How do you get past it?"

"The wall disappeared when we defeated the boss monster named 'Homesick'."

"So there's a boss somewhere in this facility too."

"On the 1st floor, a student from Hikarinomiya Academy named Shimakawa Yuya had been turned into a monster while still alive."

"While still alive?"

"Yeah, and furthermore, his trauma took form and created the space."

"So this amusement park getting dragged in, and the mascot costumes attacking us... it's related to the memories of someone who was turned into a monster."

I can understand the school, since it was the center of the ritual.

But Hikarinomiya Fantasy Land is far from the school; there must be a clear reason why this specific place was dragged into it.

I thought so too, just like Inoue san.

Without stopping our feet even while talking like that, we steadily approach the hotel.

Has it been about an hour since we left the restaurant?

Finally, its figure came into view in the distance.

"It truly is a castle. This world exhausts every luxury."

Nemusia said, sulking a little.

Even though I say castle, it's just a castle-style hotel.

Though with Ooki and the others holed up inside right now, it's probably become a literal fortress.

"First, I want to grasp the surrounding terrain and check the entrances and exits."

"If you walk around, the map will complete itself automatically, will it not?"

"Even if you say map, it doesn't mean I can grasp the terrain three-dimensionally, so I want to see it with my own eyes."

"Let's also be wary of surveillance from their side. If they use binoculars, they could see us even from this distance."

Currently, there's no sign of surveillance personnel positioned on the balconies.

Since they should be protected by the barrier from Sanctuary Deployment, there's no need for that if they are only wary of monsters.

But they must at least know there's a possibility of Inoue san attacking.

Are they underestimating her because she's just one person, thinking lookouts are unnecessary?

"What is that...?"

Nemusia, who had been observing the hotel, notices something.

"Which one?"

"That black object attached to the wall on the second floor. It looks like it is moving left and right."

Because there's still quite a distance, I can't see it clearly, but—there was definitely something attached to the wall.

"It might be a security camera."

"If it's moving, that means it's operational."

So that's why lookouts are unnecessary.

Searching to see if there were other cameras placed, we found things that looked like them here and there.

Moreover, they are even placed in locations where they wouldn't normally be installed.

"To think there's someone in the hotel capable of doing that kind of construction work..."

"They might have learned it as a skill."

"You mean Shiromachi, Suguro, and the others who kidnapped your companions?"

"I don't think those guys would learn such a plain skill. They formed a party too, and I think they have some fighting power hiding that wasn't there at that time."

Assuming all four of them are party leaders, in the worst-case scenario, there are nearly 20 enemies.

Simply comparing fighting power alone, they overwhelmingly surpassed us.

"For now, let's go around the perimeter and observe the situation. While also recording the locations of the security cameras."

Nemusia and Inoue san nod at my words.

And we began our covert operation.

◇◇◇

As a result of our investigation, we found out—that hotel has no "back".

Originally, Hotel Forest Castle is located at the very edge of Fantasy Land.

And you can also check in from outside the park, allowing you to use just the hotel without playing in the amusement park.

In fact, I have memories of my family going to the hotel buffet leaving only me behind.

But currently, this amusement park has no "outside".

Just as Inoue san said, there is only a pitch-black void.

"Security cameras are installed in all directions. Since the back is blocked off, sneaking in secretly is also difficult."

"I suppose there are no secret underground passages either? It has a convenient terrain for a fortress."

"Hmm, at this distance, it's not impossible to snipe just the security cameras. But doing that would only tell the enemy where we are."

A frontal assault is difficult after all.

Do we have no choice but to break it from the inside?

I really want to get in touch with Gii somehow, but—just as I thought that, my smartphone vibrated slightly.

Looking at the screen, a message notification is displayed.

"A message from Myourenji kun? Why from a guy like him."

"Who is that?"

"A classmate of mine. Unsalvageable trash, as usual."

"Did that person know your contact info from the start, Erika-chan?"

"No... this isn't Myourenji kun. It's from Gii!"

Inside it said, 『Gii. If you get this, I want you to reply.』

I reply immediately.

『I got it. I'm glad you're safe.』

『I'm pretending to be Inuzuka. Was this the right move?』

『Perfect. Good job, Gii.』

Then a sticker of a blushing character was sent back.

It seems Gii is doing fine.

"She's the girl you said was infiltrating, right."

"She's impersonating a friend of Shiromachi kun and Suguro kun's."

"And those fools believe I am Gii, huh."

"What do you mean?"

"That part is complicated, so I'll explain later. For now, just remember that it's important to make them believe Nemusia is Gii while in front of them."

"Hmm... I understand. You don't want them to think a girl named Gii has infiltrated the inside."

There is no such thing as a spy.

If we make them think that, they should let their guard down.

It will become much easier for Gii to move around as well.

To grasp her current situation, I continued exchanging messages further.

『That smartphone seems to belong to Myourenji kun, but how did you get it?』

『It was dropped in the room.』

『Is Myourenji kun alive? Dead?』

『He's alive and a companion of Shiromachi and the others. He uses skills to repair buildings and make traps inside them.』

『Then is it a smartphone Myourenji kun dropped?』

『It was in a weird place for something dropped. I think it's suspicious too, but for now I'm gratefully using it. It's fine, I absolutely won't be found out.』

Honestly, I'm not worried about her being noticed.

Because Gii seems like she can maneuver well around that.

However, the problem is the smartphone that was placed unnaturally.

Even if it's a trap, the intention is unclear, and it's too convenient to be a coincidence.

『When you entered the room, did you sense anyone's presence?』

『Not particularly. Was someone there? Should I be cautious?』

『I have no proof, but there might be. But even if someone is there, they're an ally, so don't worry.』

『Understood.』

Could it be that Hiyami san...?

I thought so, but I have no proof.

But she must undoubtedly be making her move too, and if making her figure invisible is one of Gyges's abilities, it wouldn't be strange if she had already snuck into the hotel a long time ago.

『Erika, what should Gii do now? Kill them one by one? If they're just human, I can evaporate them and make them disappear. No evidence will be left behind either.』

"Evaporate. Erika chan, is that girl okay?"

"She's an ally. She's a bit of a bad girl, though."

"O-Okay..."

By the way, the evaporation Gii is talking about doesn't mean disappearing and hiding.

It literally means heating a human with high-temperature light to evaporate and erase them.

Well, the result is the same either way.

『There's a high possibility you can't handle the opponents alone. Continue pretending to be Inuzuka san for a while and focus on gathering information. I'll give the order to kill eventually.』

『If Erika says so, I'll hold back.』

However, since she went through the trouble of obtaining Myourenji kun's smartphone, I want to use this too.

『Also, make sure to delete your exchanges with me without fail after we're done.』

『The history that an exchange occurred will remain. Besides, this smartphone will absolutely not be found. Is there a point in deleting them?』

We have to hide the fact that we have a smartphone until the very end anyway, and there's definitely a point in deleting them—no, wait. If used well, couldn't I frame Myourenji kun?

Gii said he repairs buildings and makes traps, and I'm pretty sure he liked tinkering with machines too.

If those security cameras were installed by Myourenji kun, his existence is quite troublesome.

『It's fine if the history remains. Rather, it'll make it even more suspicious.』

『To trap Myourenji kun?』

As expected, you catch on quick, Gii.

『Exactly. Since we went through the trouble of getting Myourenji kun's smartphone, I thought I'd use it to kill him through a falling out among companions. It deals a bigger blow to the enemy than killing him normally, right?』

『Understood. I like Erika's way of doing things like that. Thanks to that, I am alive like this too.』

『Thanks for complimenting me. I also love you for playing along, Gii.』

A blushing face sticker is sent again.

She's completely mastered it... I wonder if it's because she has Inuzuka san's memories.

"Hey, Erika."

"What is it, Nemusia."

"Looking at your exchange, Inoue's face is twitching."

Being told that and shifting my gaze from the screen to Inoue san, she was completely put off.

"A-Ah, n-no. I understand, that you are allies."

"I understand too. A person with a strong sense of justice who becomes a police officer like you, would hate this kind of exchange, right? But don't worry, I'm only doing this because the opponents are Ooki and the others. I don't intend to kill indiscriminately."

"...I believe I understand that too. Because those guys kidnapped innocent people."

While saying that, she still had a face showing she wasn't completely convinced.

A sense of justice or awareness of morals differs greatly from person to person.

Inoue san and I are complete strangers.

I know perfectly well that not everyone understands this hatred like Nemusia does.

As long as we don't interfere with each other, I don't really mind that.

◇◇◇

After that, Gii and I worked out a detailed plan to trap Myourenji kun.

Around the time that exchange finished, a message arrived from her, cutting off the topic.

"She says, 'Suguro is going outside now'."

"Suguro is, if I recall correctly, a fairly large man, wasn't he."

"Yeah, exactly. Anyway, he loves fighting, and after causing trouble and quitting the judo club, he was a guy who spent all his time street fighting."

"Ah... there are people like that, aren't there."

Inoue san said earnestly.

Being a police officer, she must have experience cracking down on street fights.

"Oh, it appears he has come out."

Nemusia pointed at the front entrance of the hotel.

What came out from there was Suguro, with both hands taped up.

Without showing any particular vigilance towards his surroundings, he boldly steps outside the barrier.

Perhaps it's because there are only Hole-Men around, but a squirrel mascot holding a balloon approached him from a distance.

"He'll be spotted by a Cast."

Suguro kun entered Risu Risu kun's field of vision.

However, after looking at Suguro-kun, Risu Risu kun immediately returned his gaze to a child-likr Hole-Man and gave them the balloon he was holding.

"He ignored Suguro kun?"

"That's strange. When it was us, they attacked us so desperately."

"How are we different from him?"

Observing the situation further, of all things, Suguro kun approached Risu Risu kun himself.

In an abnormal situation where he is ignored even when the distance becomes less than a meter, he places a hand on the mascot costume's shoulder and smirks.

And then, he punched it in the cheek with all his might.

"Wha—"

I am left speechless at the unexpected sight.

The punched Risu Risu kun was blown away and rolled on the ground.

When things come to this, it seems they can no longer stay quiet, and the Hole-Men also clearly recognized Suguro kun as an enemy.

"Why would he do something so foolish. If he hadn't laid a hand on it, he wouldn't have been attacked!"

"That man is smiling. Don't tell me..."

"He might have done it because he wanted to fight."

The Hole-Men surrounding Suguro kun spat liquid from their mouths.

Furthermore, Risu Risu kun lowered his hips, about to charge like a wild boar.

Then, dull colored armor enveloped Suguro kun's body.

"That's Suguro kun's weapon."

That armor shrugged off the dissolving liquid and caught the Cast's charge unguarded.

Then he lifted the opponent's body upside down with both hands and slammed it hard against the ground.

Risu Risu kun fell headfirst onto the hard stone pavement and burst with a resounding Baaang!.

Yes, not just the head, but the entire body burst, completely turning into a stain on the ground.

"Uwooooooooooooooh!"

Trembling his body with the joy of combat, Suguro kun roared.

He further grabbed the body of the closest Hole-Man, swung it like a club, and smashed the bodies of the other Hole-Men.

While fighting like that, Casts gathered one after another.

The charge of Buta Buta kun riding a horse,

"Shatter!"

He smashed both the horse and the mascot costume with a single punch.

The approaching group of go-kart mascot costumes,

"Come at me with your own bodies, small fry!"

He gouged out the ground, lifted it, and smashed a giant chunk into them, destroying them all at once.

Of course, the Casts continue to regenerate infinitely.

Suguro kun smiled happily every time, and continued fighting on and on and on.

"Hahahaha! This is the best! The murderous intent that never fades no matter how much I kill, the inexhaustible lives! That's right, keep entertaining me like that!"

In a different sense from me—he looked like he was enjoying this world from the bottom of his heart.

In reality, a fight where you take each other's lives is impossible in modern-day Japan, so Suguro kun might be feeling fulfilled right now.

"Is that man fighting merely for the sake of enjoyment?"

"He might be the type of person who was born in the wrong world. He should have just caused an injury incident and stayed in prison for the rest of his life."

"We have to defeat that man too, right... I wonder if we can win. If he's been fighting continuously like that, his level must have gone up quite a bit."

"We can manage if we outnumber him. If he's a troublesome opponent, we can just leave him for later."

Suguro kun didn't even notice us, and even showed the leeway to pointlessly waste stamina.

Could it be said that this is a manifestation of his carelessness?

But it's a strange story. If he knew I was alive, you'd think he'd be a little more vigilant—hm? Ah, I see. Could it be they think I'm dead?

Ooki should know about the ladder leading to the staff room.

But perhaps she never imagined that the basement was intact.

If so—not only Gii and Hiyami san, but my existence itself is an irregularity for them.

"Another message from Gii."

"What are the contents this time?"

"It says, 'Makuchi and Rikitomi have gone out to scout'."

"Are they people you know?"

"Both are classmates. It seems quite a large number of people survived on this floor."

This is truly delightful.

To think so many students are staying alive just to suffer.

"They are not the leader type, so I think they are probably just a low ranking member... Oh, here come another message, 'There are survivors hiding together somewhere, and this is a reconnaissance mission to find them. They're mainly searching the west area.'"

I tell her that we are also using the place where the survivors are as our base, and that we are acting together with a woman named Inoue.

"They're planning to kidnap people again just like before."

"Should we go back for now?"

"That restaurant isn't exactly in the west, so maybe they won't find it this time?"

"Then shall we overlook them?"

"No—if they're coming back from the west, we can predict their return route. Let's ambush and kill them."

Because our faces were close, I could hear Inoue san gulp down her saliva.

"I'll try to do it by myself as much as possible."

"Do not underestimate Me. As a Queen, I have experienced war, I have no hesitation in killing people."

"I see, then I'll ask for your help."

"I'll..."

"Inoue-san, you never thought about killing humans, right? So it's fine, don't force yourself. In exchange, please help when we fight monsters."

"...I'm sorry."

She hung her head.

She surely understands in her head that she'll have to fight humans eventually.

However, normal humans hesitate to kill, no matter how much of an emergency it is.

Since we finally became comrades, I guess I don't want to force her.

◇◇◇

Moving away from the front of the hotel, we ambush the path Makuchi san and Rikitomi kun are likely to take.

Inoue san offered to scout, saying "I want to do whatever I can."

She's supposed to come back right when the two targets approach us.

In the meantime, Nemusia and I finish our preparations.

Summoning her weapon, a staff, she activated a skill.

"Reaction Cast."

When a soft light was emitted from the tip of the staff, it touched the ground and melted away, disappearing.

"If someone touches that spot, the magic activates, right?"

"If it's a skill exactly as described, yes."

Many of the skills Nemusia possessed were things that "assist in the activation of magic."

For example, Dual Cast can activate two spells at once.

Overcast consumes extra MP to unleash magic with enhanced power.

And this Reaction Cast is a skill that "sets" magic in advance, and the magic automatically activates targeting anyone who touches it.

"This is exactly what one calls a trap! It seemed you intended to finish the opponents with just a surprise attack, Erika, but dealing with two at the same time would have been tough."

"My true feelings are that I'm glad Nemusia helped me. If I can get behind an off-guard opponent, I could definitely kill one, but if the other one escapes and informs Ooki and the others of my existence, we would be at a disadvantage instead."

"Umu, umu, information is extremely important in war. They might find out eventually, but for now, we want to prioritize covert actions."

"Come to think of it, you mentioned a few times that you experienced war. What was it like?"

"Because My father passed away and My brother went missing, the domestic situation suddenly became unstable. Taking advantage of that opportunity, insolent fools tried to invade and seize the royal capital. Well, there's no way My Kingdom's army would lose to such riffraff."

"Does that mean your older brother was supposed to become King?"

"Yes, that was supposed to be the case, but..."

Nemusia looked down sadly.

She clearly stated her father was dead, but she said her older brother was missing.

What exactly is this difference?

"He suddenly disappeared, and I haven't been able to meet him since... That was what I remembered, but now it is slightly different."

"You remembered?"

"I met my older brother. It was after I became Queen. However, I do not remember well what exactly we talked about. I feel like we had a very important conversation, though."

"I see. Well, there's no need to rush, just take your time remembering. If you return to the Adrasia Kingdom, all your memories might come back."

"Umu, that must certainly be it. If I see the beautiful scenery of my homeland, everything will be resolved. There is no doubt about it!"

Nemusia seems to have a strong emotional attachment to her homeland.

Her depression from just a moment ago was gone, and she had completely regained her energy.

I'm a little jealous.

Since my hometown looks like this.

"Erika chan, Nemusia chan, sorry to keep you waiting."

Inoue-san came running back.

"What about those two?"

"I think they'll arrive in about a minute."

"How did they look?"

"They were walking side-by-side chatting, looking quite relaxed. Also, as expected, it seems they aren't attacked even if seen by Casts."

"Why is it that only We are attacked?"

"I don't know the cause, but if they aren't being targeted, they must have their guards completely down. Let's give them a quick death."

They surely don't think they're being targeted.

Such humans can be killed easily.

It's not like I don't have conflicts about whether it's okay to kill them so easily, but—in addition to simply wanting revenge, I had a strong feeling of disgust, not wanting to exist in the same world as them right now.

I want to make them suffer if possible.

But, if I can kill them quickly, that's fine too.

I want them to disappear from this world.

Every single one of those guys who did that to Yumemi chan.

"Inoue san, stay a bit further away. It's going to be a pretty gory sight."

"...No, I'll watch. Don't worry, I'm used to dead bodies."

"I see, you're a police officer, after all. Then I'll go without holding back."

Finally, I could hear Makuchi san and Rikitomi kun's footsteps.

Exchanging casual chatter, without any sign of vigilance, the two approach exactly as the trap was set.

When Rikitomi kun spoke, Makuchi san laughed.

Two people who look like they're getting along well.

Then Makuchi san, laughing with her hand covering her mouth—stepped on the Reaction Cast.

"Turn into minced meat."

Nemusia muttered something terrifying next to me.

While involuntarily forcing a bitter smile, matching the timing of the magic's activation, I leapt out from the shadows.

While circling behind Rikitomi kun, I saw Makuchi san's body enveloped in a sphere of wind, leaving only the upper half of her face and everything below her ankles.

Just as Nemusia declared, Makuchi san's body was torn to shreds by that wind, instantly turning into minced meat.

"Hah?" Rikitomi kun's mouth dropped open.

Dreamer pierced the back of his head, and his head flew into the air with that exact same expression.

When the severed head fell to the ground with a thud after flying while spinning, his body swayed and collapsed.

And on top of his remains, the upper half of Makuchi san's face landed with a splat.

"That was a good movement with no wasted effort."

"Your magic was great too, Nemusia."

We firmly gave each other a thumbs up.

"Now then, let's just cut off a part of their bodies appropriately and burn the rest."

"Is there some meaning to that?"

"If the corpses remain, they can be revived with magic from there."

"Then it would be fine if we erased them completely."

"If we do that, it seems they can conversely revive them from a place with nothing. It takes time, though."

"Is that so... Then does that mean it is better to hide them in a place hard for the opponent to find while leaving a part of the corpse behind?"

"Even if we hide them, the opponent should be able to grasp the locations of their party members, so there is a limit."

That's why if we take a part back to our base, the restaurant, it'll conversely result in revealing our base.

Well, burying them in a place as far away from the hotel as possible might be better as a form of harassment.

"It started moving just as we were talking. Is this revival by magic?"

Nemusia suddenly started saying weird things.

I, who was thinking about where to hide them, shifted my gaze to the corpses.

Then, not only Rikitomi kun's fallen corpse, but even Makuchi san's remains, of which only a tiny fraction was left, started trembling violently.

"Resurrection magic can only be used when you're nearby. This is a different phenomenon!"

A bony arm emerged, either piercing through the corpse or crawling out from their sides.

Using the strength of those arms, they dragged their entire bodies out all at once.

What appeared were bone monsters about 3 meters tall.

They closely resemble the Skeletons I saw on the 1st floor, but they are different entities with different sizes and details.

"Guooooooooh!"

The bone monsters let out beast-like birth cries.

"Humans turned into monsters!?"

"Rather than that—"

It's certain that they possess a power similar to ours.

However, they aren't attacked by Casts.

Zombies don't attack zombies either.

If, by the same logic, they aren't attacked either.

"Maybe their appearance is just human, and this is their true form."

The thing that used to be Rikitomi kun creates a bone sword from its own ribs.

The thing that used to be Makuchi san snapped its leg to create a bone staff, and its body floated softly into the air.

A warrior and a mage.

My suspicions only grew stronger because of the "division of roles" that reminded me of Rikitomi kun and Makuchi san when they were alive.