"What's going on?"
"Wolf?"
As darkness fell again, two startled cries finally rang out.
The two assistants could no longer keep their composure amid the sudden turn of events. They shouted in unison, revealing how closely they had been following the situation.
Unfortunately, even then, they got no response.
The basement remained silent. Mr. Wolf, who had come to deal with the problem, didn't make a sound.
And the only source of light was in his hands. Staying here like this was tantamount to being completely blind.
"Did that thing... run out of battery?"
The silence lasted about five seconds. Then, at last, hesitant footsteps sounded, accompanied by a question from the boy with the prominent nose.
Sure enough, he spoke before Batters could, and even as he continued downstairs, he thoughtfully came up with an excuse for Mr. Wolf.
Though his tone wasn't particularly polite, and he clearly didn't believe it himself.
There was still no answer. The smell of dust and even blood made the air feel stifling.
In the end, after taking a few more steps, the boy with the prominent nose suddenly turned around and called up the stairs.
"You guys, come in... and turn that thing off."
"Huh? Someone needs to stay outside and keep watch—"
Batters immediately sounded reluctant.
"It's fine."
Unfortunately, he was cut off at once.
The staircase wasn't long, and soon the three of them were bunched together near the bottom.
But the space was so cramped that none of them seemed willing to take that final step.
"Mr. Wolf?"
In the darkness, the boy with the prominent nose cautiously called out again.
"I'm glad to see young people still know how to use polite forms of address."
A few seconds after he called out, the lights blazed on in