Volume 6 Chapter 39 Bastili Hundred Pits
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Elna hummed a carefree tune, her voice weaving through the soft pink veils draping the bed in the pristine white plaster room. She perched lightly on the edge, dressed in a delicate camisole lingerie that complemented her refined air. Her white cat ears twitched, and her fluffy tail, wrapped in a blue ribbon, swayed lazily behind her, signaling her high spirits.
”…What is that?”
The attendant, a woman of elegant demeanor standing nearby, spoke, her curiosity piqued. Elna held a small brush, carefully grooming her nails. With each stroke, her nails transformed into a gentle pink.
”It’s a manicure. If you’re a woman, you ought to know these things,” Elna said lightly.
”Sigh… I’m not very familiar with such matters…”
”Of course. You always talk about the most boring things. Mother uses a deep red, but Elna forbids you from doing so. Remember that,” Elna teased.
As the girl sighed, Sebasnyan bowed her head. Her ears drooped, her once-proud tail tucked away, revealing the woman’s unease. Her animal instincts betrayed her embarrassment, subtle but clear.
”Mother always said to leave personal care to the elders. But Elna wanted someone to talk fashion and trends with, so I appointed you. And yet, you run from baths and avoid dressing well. That’s simply unacceptable. You have such beautiful fur—learn some proper grooming. Elna’s mentor would laugh otherwise.”
”Yes… understood.”
Elna set the brush down, held her hand to the light streaming through the window, and admired her nails. A pleased grin spread across her face. Then, with a sudden motion, she leapt from the bed, full of energy.
”By the way, I heard. We finally caught that man.”
”Yes. The Nyan Law Corps reported that he’s been secured and sent, unharmed as ordered, to the Bastili Hundred Pits,” Sebasnyan replied.
Elna’s eyes sparkled. “As expected of my aunt—so efficient.” Her joy radiated so strongly that anyone nearby could sense it.
Heh. Finally, at last, I can take revenge with my own hands.
Elna’s smile shone like sunlight. Her cheeks flushed like a girl in love, and she gazed toward the window with bright anticipation.
”…Klock Livorno. I’ve been waiting for this day. I’ll get my revenge so thoroughly, even if you have to kiss Elna’s feet a hundred times, you better be ready,” she said, licking her lips with a mischievous glint. Her profile was breathtaking, her hair tossed back like a single, radiant sunflower.
A gust from the window lifted her hair, revealing a princess untouched by the world’s grime. The white cat-girl flicked her slender tail and declared her burning resolve. Every gesture radiated grace, yet she punched the air with youthful determination.
”And, Sebasnyan. You’ve kept him safe, right? Only Elna is allowed to scratch him. No other prisoners hurt him?”
”Yes. He’s confined in the deepest oceanic floor, away from the communal rooms. No eyes can reach him, so there’s no risk of filthy prisoners attacking,” Sebasnyan said confidently. Her words reflected her pride in her work.
”…Wait, the deepest floor? That’s… the Abyss Room, isn’t it?”
”…Well. The full structure of the Bastili Hundred Pits is…”
Recognition of the woman’s efficiency didn’t matter. Elna’s expression hardened in an instant. The room seemed to freeze. Her pristine tail sagged as if drained of power.
”—Wait. When did this happen?”
”Two days ago,” came the calm reply.
”—You idiot!!! What were you thinking?!!!”
”Huh?!?”
Elna’s slender arm shot out, striking the woman with the force of a true cat-girl’s punch. Anyone witnessing it would have known the princess’s true nature—feral, merciless, and terrifying.
”You fool! You fool! You could have killed him in that place!” Elna hissed, her cat-like wrath echoing sharply in the room.
”I’m… sorry! It hurts! I’m sorry!!”
”For Elna’s revenge! I searched for him! You can’t let him die there! Do you even understand?!”
Sebasnyan crumpled to the ground, helpless against the flurry of blows. Elna’s cat kicks—thwack! thump!—resonated in the chamber. No one came to intervene, as if the room itself respected the princess’s fury.
”Idiot! Enough, enough, enough! We’re going to Bastili now! Get ready!”
Half-shouting, Elna commanded. Sebasnyan scurried away. Soon, other cat-girl attendants—relatives and maid-servants—arrived, bustling to help Elna change and prepare.
”Hurry! Grab the staff and robes! And you there, fetch Lona! Sebasnyan will be disciplined when we return!”
* * *
”Ugh… gross,” Klock muttered as they stepped from the stairwell into a corridor. A foul stench filled the air, the same as the streets and alleys of slums or the stinking rivers of town. Clearly, hygiene here was nonexistent. Even Klock frowned; his companions would hate it more.
”This floor is mostly communal rooms. The concentration of cells makes the air unbearable,” one said, though they seemed relatively unaffected. Despite their heightened senses, they appeared calmer than Klock.
Perhaps they were resistant to the stench. Dogs’ noses are many times more sensitive than humans’, after all.
They continued down the dim corridor. Compared to the lower floors, multiple magical stones were set along the passage, their faint light easing travel. Darkness always makes footing uncertain.
As the corridor’s end neared, Klock glanced back.
”First, let’s decide our plan. Are we helping the other prisoners?”
”No. The risk of dead weight is too high.”
Adding companions increases risk. Prisoners might help, but their numbers also bring complications. Unruly types like these two could make things worse rather than better.
”…Okay. Then, we treat them as enemies if we don’t help.”
”Why’s that?”
”They’re prisoners. Some will betray us to save themselves. Easier to classify as friend or foe.”
Even the former thief Klock had only partial knowledge of prison politics, though he’d overheard stories in Royal Capital taverns: prisoners conspiring, bribing guards, plotting escapes. The narratives were always either boasting of exploits or cursing traitors.
Klock considered the situation. “Hm. Best to ignore most of them. Useful people might exist, but we don’t have time. Here, the abyss has minimal influence, and the guards are active. More numbers mean more risk,” he said to himself.
He recalled the fallen, clawed woman guard.
On the lower floors, they had encountered no guards at all; in fact, there was no guard room to begin with. Even those assigned to oversee prisoners were not immune to the abyss’s influence, so they only descended when absolutely necessary.
”Hey… speaking of which, what exactly is the miasma of the abyss? Can we just call it poison gas?” he asked.
On the lower floors, the guards couldn’t even stay put. Yet on the upper floors, they were constant and active. Simply put, the poison must be so heavy that it doesn’t reach the lower floors. But from the information he currently had, it wasn’t even clear if it was really a gas.
”There’s no smell to the miasma. The farther you are from the abyssal pit, the weaker its effects. Even physical barriers don’t help, which is why exploring the abyss usually requires protective wards. Whether it’s actually a gas, though, is unknown. Poison can enter anywhere—mouth, nose, even the skin,” the Wolf Princess said, her face calm as if stating the obvious.
The Fox Princess looked at her suspiciously, as though she knew more than she admitted, but the Wolf Princess ignored her. Klock realized he had been correct to ask. He had misunderstood. If it were truly gas, sealing oneself off wouldn’t suddenly make it safe.
”…Light poison, huh,” he murmured.
”Hm? What?”
”…Never mind,” he dismissed.
Light is necessary for all living beings. Yet everyone knows it can be deadly in excess. It burns the eyes. Just as one cannot stare directly at the sun, light is inherently harmful to the body.
He had seen darkness that emitted light. Nothing on the surface could compare. Klock was unaffected, but the guard had entered that small room and screamed before collapsing.
So that’s it. Light can seep in even through cracks in a door. And even if invisible to the eye, it travels surprisingly far.
No doubt about it—that was the cause. That abnormal light source was driving them insane.
Klock moved barefoot along the corridor and reached another small floor. The room had paths in three directions. Originally an ant’s nest, it had clearly been remodeled by human hands. The chamber, illuminated by magic stones, was squarely hollowed out. It was obvious to Klock that this was the work of humans, not insects.
They must have been expanding the prison—or perhaps building a guard room. Judging the purpose of the work, Klock pressed forward. That the guards could even dig this space suggested, as the Wolf Princess had said, that they had enough freedom to work here.
”Be careful. If you stick your head out carelessly, you might be seen by anyone,” the Wolf Princess warned.
Klock passed through the room and along a short corridor. There was a window-like opening. Light streamed in, and when he cautiously peered through, he froze.
”No way,” he whispered.
It was a massive hall.
It felt like peering into the hollowed-out gut of a giant insect. A vast vertical shaft stretched toward the distant ceiling. Unlike the scattered small rooms of the lower floors, this was a sudden, immense fortress.
”…What is this?”
Even the cool-headed Fox Princess gaped. Understandably so—the mountain concealed a gargantuan pit. How many years could it have taken to create such a structure? This fortress-like nest rivaled even a royal castle; the far wall was too distant to see. Countless smaller holes branched off the main wall, each holding cages without exception.
Bastili Hundred Pits. Now he understood the name. During its prime, every hole had insect eggs, and the walls swarmed with giant ants. Later, giant centipedes crowded the nest. Any lost adventurer—even a strong-willed woman—would have fainted in terror.
”The guard room is quite high up. First, we should secure water from the branching chambers,” the Wolf Princess advised.
”…Ah… understood,” Klock replied.
The Wolf Princess, already familiar with the scene, frowned and looked away. One glimpse was not enough to acclimate; the scale was too overwhelming. Anyone facing it alone would feel dwarfed, as though confronting another dimension.
Incredible as it seemed, someone had subdued this place. The Emperor of the Hundred Beasts—truly a hero worthy of the name.
Klock thought bitterly, Seriously… how do we even get out? If I get caught next, I’m dead for sure.
The enormity of their opponent was terrifying. The lower floors were even more dangerous, and perhaps the severity of crimes was indicated by the depth. By that logic, Klock at the bottom floor was doomed—his death would be a maddening, disgraceful spectacle. That white cat-girl had wanted precisely that.
Damn that brat. He refused to let her have her way.
He recalled her triumphant face from memory, fueling his defiance. He had to get out and meet Cianie, no matter what. Even a princess of Beast Country could not strike from behind the hero.
Their enemy was the world’s largest nation, Beast Country. Klock alone couldn’t hope to fight it. But the situation was different now; the strongest woman among humans was on his side.
He drew a deep breath, steadying his mind. Resistance was the only choice.
When he returned, he had to boast to Suzette about how easy it had been. He wanted to see her exasperated face again. If he perished here, he’d never see it—and the situation with Cianie would end unresolved.
Come on, Cianie. I’m counting on you now. It’s common sense for a wife to pick up her husband if he’s late coming home. If you come to pick me up, I’ll be open to marrying you right away. I’m really asking you. He imagined bowing in apology to his childhood friend and stepped forward.
A sneeze escaped, bouncing off the wall. First things first: he needed clothes. Food, water, and prayers for Cianie were necessary, but surviving the cold and exposure was the immediate priority.
Notes:
• Elna – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with white hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked.
• Lona – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with black hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked. Elna’s sister; a black cat Beastkin who’s relatively normally developed physically compared to Elna.
• Clea – younger dog beastkin sister who also serviced Klock previously.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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