"Indeed, this mysterious monster incident has nothing to do with Kazuma and his companions. On this point, I can assure you... However, out of kindness and a sense of responsibility, they've decided to join the investigation, fulfilling their duties as adventurers."
This was Nero's statement to Inspector Sena.
Despite Sena fixing her with a look that clearly said, "I don't believe a word you just said," Nero maintained her flawless smile, free of any visible fault. Behind her, Kazuma looked slightly guilty, while Aqua was rubbing her teary eyes, her face flushed red.
For clarification: Aqua's flushed face wasn't from embarrassment—it was because Nero had pinched her.
"Uhh… well… if you say so... I'll tentatively take it as such," Sena said, adjusting her glasses with an exasperated sigh.
Soon after, the summoned adventurers began their journey to Keele's dungeon.
What should have been a dangerous mission fraught with peril instead felt like a lighthearted outing, with adventurers chatting and laughing along the way, as though they were headed for a picnic rather than dealing with monsters.
"With Lady Nero here, we're just here to make up the numbers."
Most of them carried this attitude.
"To be honest, do we really need this many people? Lady Nero and Yunyun could probably handle it themselves."
"Exactly! If Lady Nero couldn't solve the problem, what could the rest of us even do?"
"No way Nero can fail! She even took down a Demon King's general with such flair! Honestly, the Demon King must have been furious when he found out one of his generals was killed in the starter town!"
"Nero is so amazing! I want to be her loyal servant!"
Hearing this last line, Nero turned her head, wondering if her ears had deceived her.
The journey was smooth, and before long, the group arrived at the dungeon entrance.
For Nero, this was her first time visiting the location, and soon, she laid eyes on the so-called "mysterious monsters" Sena had described.
To sum it up: they were doll-like creatures wearing masks.
The dolls, each about knee-high to an adult, sported black-and-white masks and waddled around on short stubby legs.
"Fascinating. They're certainly mysterious creatures—I've never seen or heard of monsters like these before," Megumin observed, scrutinizing the masked dolls. "But that mask… it's so cool! Hey, Kazuma, can I keep one as a pet? Or maybe just take one of the masks as a collectible?"
Darkness, meanwhile, stroked her chin in thought. "Are they really monsters? They don't seem to have much combat potential. Still, they're rather cute."
Her tone carried a hint of disappointment—likely because she'd hoped for stronger monsters to pummel her senseless. These weak-looking creatures must have let her down.
As for Aqua…
"Well, how should I put it… I have this visceral, almost physical repulsion toward those dolls. Why is that? They look cute, but something about them just makes me irrationally angry."
She picked up a rock from the ground and began aiming at one of the masked dolls.
The fact that Aqua harbored such hostility suggested these dolls were indeed creations of the demon duke Vanir.
"Aqua, you're coming with me into the dungeon," Nero declared.
"I refuse!"
Aqua adamantly shook her head.
"Stop being so stubborn! You're coming, and that's final!"
"No! No way! Absolutely not! I'm not going back into a dungeon! I'll just get abandoned again, and then I'll have to run from a horde of undead monsters chasing me!"
Aqua crouched down, covering her ears and shaking her head furiously.
The last time she'd gone into a dungeon with Kazuma, he had left her behind to escape on his own. The incident seemed to have left her with significant emotional scars.
"It's fine, Nero. If it's just the magic circle Aqua drew, anyone can erase it, right? Letting her stay outside shouldn't be an issue. Besides, her presence in the dungeon would only attract more undead."
The undead are the least of my concerns, Nero thought. I'm more worried about the one who created these dolls.
Though she knew the demon duke Vanir wasn't here in person—these dolls were merely creations of his molded from clay—Nero still felt uneasy.
"Hey, I think we've been spotted," someone muttered.
Several masked dolls began waddling toward the group.
"Hmm?" Megumin blinked in surprise as one of the dolls suddenly clung to her leg.
"Uh, Kazuma, what's going on? Is it… cuddling me? What should I do? Could it be that my hidden maternal instincts are drawing it to me? Wow, the mask looks even cooler up close! Maybe we should take it home and keep it as a pet. We could name it 'Poof-Poof' and take care of it together..."
Ignoring Megumin's bizarre naming sense for now, the group noticed something alarming—the doll was beginning to heat up and glow red.
Megumin blinked, turning to Kazuma.
"...Kazuma, why do I have a growing sense of doom?"
The next moment—
Boom!
The masked doll clinging to Megumin exploded, leaving her sprawled on the ground in tattered clothes.
Yes, you read that right—the Explosion Mage was blown up.
"Megumin!"
Kazuma let out an exaggerated wail, dropping to his knees beside her and cradling her limp form in a scene straight out of a melodramatic soap opera.
"Megumin! Stay with me, Megumin!"
"Umu! Did none of you know? These masked dolls cling to their targets and self-detonate. Because of this behavior, no one has figured out an effective countermeasure," Nero remarked, genuinely surprised that Sena hadn't explained this to them.
Just then, Aqua's voice rang out, fraught with tension and embarrassment.
"Uh… guys, what am I supposed to do here?"
Everyone turned to look—and saw Aqua covered in six masked dolls clinging to her body. Her expression was a contorted mixture of despair and panic.
Moments later, an explosion far more devastating than the one before engulfed Aqua, sending her flying through the air.
Watching Aqua, now charred and smoking as she crashed back down to the ground, Kazuma, Nero, and the others fell silent for a long time.
"Megumin! You can't die on me, Megumin!"
"That's so unfair! Is this some kind of double standard? Can't you at least worry about me a little?"
Still trailing smoke, Aqua sprang to her feet with a dramatic kip-up and hurled herself at them, wailing in indignation.