It had been about an hour since Inari became aware of the one distorting the dungeon. Scanning her surroundings, she estimated the general direction and distance based on when her vision had been hijacked. Judging by that, she should be close—but…
"Hmm, well, it would be foolish to stay put after being seen, I suppose. I thought they might be planning to ambush me here, but…"
Indeed, in a large chamber on the first floor of the dungeon, the "man" from before was nowhere to be seen. Instead, lying bound on the floor was a single girl—unconscious, but unmistakably the one Inari had seen in the materials, Yaeka Echigo, Clan Master of the Echigo Trading Company.
No other members of the large-scale expedition team were present. Given her importance, it wasn’t surprising that only she would be left.
What was strange, however, was that she was here at all—left behind like this.
“Almost certainly a trap... But still, I can't very well ignore her.”
Inari's priority was to rescue Yaeka. Searching for the others could come afterward.
Thus, she began to walk toward Yaeka—and immediately leapt aside as countless spears shot up from the floor.
"Ooh!?"
Blocking the arrows that fired from the walls with a barrier conjured from her hand, she then caught herself on the edge of a newly opened pit trap. But even that pit exploded violently with a booming blast that sent Inari tumbling across the ground.
"Nuuh, that chilled my liver good, it did. So they set this up assuming I could deal with the traps, eh."
Using Yaeka as bait was a smart move—if that "Apostle" had been waiting here, Inari would have pierced him on sight with her bow-form Kogetsu.
"Well, either way, this ends here. Now then, I have come to rescue thee. Art there any pains or hurts about thee?”
Opening her eyes, Yaeka let out a weak moan.
"You... came to save me..."
"Indeed. The rope is... bothersome, so I shall cut it."
Drawing her sword Kogetsu, Inari sliced through the ropes—which immediately crumbled away like sand, clearly enchanted.
"I must carry thee to the surface... but dost thou know aught about the other expedition members?"
"No... I don't."
"I see. Well, 'tis unavoidable, perchance."
"I'm sorry... But there is something I do know."
"Hm?"
At Inari’s prompting, Yaeka pointed toward a strange decoration high up near the ceiling: a sinister relief carved with grinning skull motifs. Inari couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but like the enchanted ropes, she sensed a distinct power emanating from it.
"The man who was here said it was something important. I think… he’d be in real trouble if it were destroyed."
"Something he would not want destroyed, eh. A plausible tale, indeed."
Any dark ritual would require a central focus. That bizarre thing was likely it.
"I’m sure you can destroy it! Please!"
"Well, mayhap so."
Inari turned her gaze toward the relief. Indeed, she could destroy it—either with her foxfire or her bow-form Kogetsu.
Thus, she—
"Please! Destroy it, and then—!"
"Before that."
Inari flicked the guard of Kogetsu with a click. Before anything else, she had to address a certain suspicion.
Raising the blade to Yaeka’s neck, she asked.
"Thou... why art thou so sure I could reach such a height?”
"Eh? Eh?"
Inari's eyes narrowed.
Moments ago, Yaeka had said something far too suspicious to overlook: she had assumed Inari—wielding only a sword—could strike something near the ceiling.
Inari was clearly a melee combatant. Nothing about her hinted at ranged capabilities.
"Only this blade at my side, and yet thou spake with certainty I could reach it. Strange, is it not?"
"Th-that's..."
"So, the man from before was but an illusion, eh?"
"N-no! I—I can prove it! Please, just pull the blade away!"
"Hoh?"
As Inari eased Kogetsu away, Yaeka pulled out a small orb from within her clothing.
"This! This will—"
"Hmm? Nuoh!?"
The orb burst into an intense flash of light, blinding Inari for an instant.
At that same moment, Yaeka lunged forward with the Fang of Delight.
“Idiot... In this instant, I’ll kill you—!”
With her enhanced stats, Yaeka now moved like a proper melee dealer. She drove the dagger straight toward Inari’s heart—
And then…
"...Huh?"
It didn’t pierce.
Even with the Fang of Delight, which should have ignored all armor, it was deflected with a sharp metallic clang. The cursed dagger spun through the air and clattered to the ground.
"A-aaah!?"
“Truly unfortunate. That suspicious blade... reeks of 'curse'. Thus, I see the whole picture now. Cease thy resistance and submit.”
Inari said coldly.
Facing Inari’s frosty gaze, Yaeka gave a twitchy, broken smile.
What the hell was this girl? Far beyond anything she had been told. Far beyond anything she had imagined.
There was no way FoxPhone—a mere second-rate clan—could have equipped her with gear that could deflect the Fang of Delight.
Then who was she really—
"It’s not over. I still have the Universal Trade skill—!"
【No. This is the end. Your pitiful desperation is amusing, but the curtains must fall.】
"Wha—?"
The Fang of Delight, which had fallen to the floor— flew back and plunged itself into Yaeka's back.
It ravaged her body from within, reducing her to nothing in a blink.
"Ngh—!"
【The Bearer of Endless Agony and Delight is offering you an Apostle’s Pact.】
A window filled with noise flickered into view before Inari. It was clearly something other than the system interface. And it could only have come from one entity: the Bearer of Endless Agony and Delight.
Thus, Inari’s answer was obvious.
Drawing Kogetsu once more, she traced her fingers along the blade. The weapon shone with a solemn blue light.
"Begone, foul fiend—Secret Sword: Demon Slayer."
With one clean slash, she bisected the intrusive window. Though intangible, it was utterly destroyed under Inari’s divine power.
【The Bearer of Endless Agony and Delight’s interference has been temporarily expelled!】
【You have achieved the world’s first accomplishment: First Interference Expelled!】
【You have earned an unexpected achievement!】
【You have obtained a Golden Reward Box!】
Tossing the golden box into her Divine Concealment pocket, Inari turned her gaze to where Yaeka had once lain.
There, she offered a prayer.
For even though she had been a villain—Yaeka was also a victim. And if the truth ever came out, likely no one else would mourn her.
Thus, at least Inari would.
"Well, no matter what circumstances thou had, thy deeds cannot be forgiven. Now then... what to do with this matter, hmm."
And so, she decided… She would dump the aftermath on the higher-ups who had asked for her help in the first place.
Thus it came to pass—that the incident later known far and wide as the “Large-Scale Expedition Team Annihilation ‘Accident’" had its true origins hidden away forever.