Later, Kojou, Nagisa, and Liana's group rushed out from the underground tomb's ruins, only to be stunned by the nearly burned-out campsite.
Upon learning the details of the entire incident from Gajou, everyone fell into silence.
No way.
Even though the main culprit, the "Prince of Death," had been defeated by Rozen and apprehended, the investigation team suffered heavy losses in this incident.
Rozen, Kojou, and Nagisa were merely observers and helpers, not members of the investigation team.
The actual individuals conducting the excavation around the ruins were Gajou and Liana.
In other words, apart from Gajou and Liana, the entire investigation team met a tragic end in this incident, with no survivors.
In this situation, how could everyone not be silent?
Especially Kojou, who seemed to finally comprehend the importance and severity of this incident, had a considerably unpleasant expression.
On one hand, Kojou had lingering fears about the dangers that occurred during this period.
On the other hand, Kojou was also blaming his father for bringing Nagisa into such a dangerous mission.
Fortunately, Nagisa was unharmed.
However, since the encounter with the "Fairy's Coffin" in the deepest room of the ruins' third floor, Nagisa had been in a deep sleep and had not awakened for a long time.
This made Kojou unable to let go of his concerns, almost to the point of directly writing "anxious" on his face.
On the contrary, Gajou and Liana, while not indifferent to Nagisa's condition, had to make a decision about the current problem.
That is, what to do next.
Actually, this matter had a conclusion from the beginning.
"No. 12 will be received by our Caruana family."
Liana, as if determined and uncompromising about this matter, spoke to Gajou with a tone she hadn't used before.
"Do you have any objections, Doctor?"
It seemed that Liana only needed Gajou's agreement.
Regarding this...
"Even if I disagree, what can I do? The No. 12 is not something I can swallow, right?"
Gajou, with an indifferent look, spread his hands, still acting casually.
Here, it must be mentioned that although Gajou is an archaeologist, he is not the type of person responsible for serious research. He is more like someone who takes away valuable things when digging graves, operating on the edge of criminality.
This time, the reason he participated in the excavation of the "Fairy's Coffin" was partly due to the Japanese government's commission, and partly with the idea of making a big profit.
Liana was probably worried that Gajou, who always acts arbitrarily and unexpectedly, would suddenly run away and take everything with him.
But, as Gajou said, he alone cannot swallow this item. He is very aware of the situation.
"That's good."
Liana finally breathed a sigh of relief, showing a smile as if she had finally relaxed.
"In this way, No. 12 can be taken by me..."
Before Liana could finish this sentence, an unexpected voice opposed it.
"No, such a dangerous thing cannot be taken away by the Warlord Dominion so easily."
It was a voice with unclear pronunciation, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of majesty and undeniable commanding tone.
"————!"
Gajou and Liana suddenly turned their heads, looking toward the direction of the voice.
"What is this...!?"
Even Kojou, holding Nagisa, looked over in surprise.
Then, everyone present saw it.
In the mostly destroyed campsite, at the entrance of the ruins' cave, a petite, doll-like girl appeared out of nowhere. She held a parasol in one hand and a lace fan in the other, not bothering to look at the people present. She simply gazed into the depths of the cave.
"Unexpectedly, the 12th 'Kaleid Blood,' has appeared here, already excavated and targeted by remnants of the 'Black Death Emperor Front.' It's just a simple task, but it turned into quite a remarkable situation."
The girl calmly spoke with a steady voice, prompting everyone to react.
"It's you...?"
Gajou widened his eyes.
"Who is she...?"
Kojou looked bewildered.
Only Liana, after seeing the girl's appearance, turned pale and exclaimed, "Witch of the Void!"
The newcomer was indeed Minamiya Natsuki.
"Is the barrier around us your doing? I remember you're the descendant of the fallen noble in the Warlord Dominion?" Natsuki glanced at Liana and snorted. "Because of your Beast Vassal, it took quite an effort to find this place. Otherwise, that stinky brat wouldn't have escaped for so long."
Saying this, Natsuki raised the lace fan on her hand and casually waved it.
"Hum!"
With Natsuki's wave, the surrounding space became chaotic, losing its order.
In this situation, a figure stumbled out from it.
"Alright, explain everything to me, my dear little brother."
Natsuki stared at Rozen, and for the first time, her calm voice carried a hint of irritation.
"Disappearing suddenly from the hotel, coming alone to the Demon Sanctuary, and it seems you're involved in what happened here. It looks like your wings have hardened, ready to enter the rebellious phase huh? Even if I tell you not to leave a step away from me, you won't listen anymore, right?"
Natsuki's voice was filled with anger that wasn't present before.
"Na-Natsuki-nee...!?"
Rozen immediately took a step back, hastily explaining, "No... It's not like that, Natsuki-nee. I just, I just... Right, I just suddenly discovered the traces of the 'Prince of Death,' so to prevent you from worrying, I wanted to help you capture him. That's why I followed him and came here!"
Rozen made this lame attempt at deception.
To this Rozen...
"You're just making people worry more with that attitude!"
Natsuki suddenly appeared in front of Rozen and forcefully knocked the lace fan on his forehead.
Rozen shouted in pain but fell silent.
Because on Natsuki's face, the usually calm and majestic cute face now not only carried anger but also indescribable concern and urgency, making Natsuki's eyes slightly moist.
At this moment, Natsuki, who always carried an air of superiority, almost shed tears.
And this was all because of Rozen's untraceable actions.
"Natsuki-nee..."
Rozen couldn't say anything more and could only lower his head.
As for Natsuki, she snorted again, and both her expression and gaze returned to normal.
"Listen to me, there won't be a next time."
Natsuki spoke decisively.
"Understood, Natsuki-nee."
Rozen could only smile wryly and nodded helplessly.
Seeing Rozen like this, Natsuki finally turned her head as if relieved.
"Anyway, since the remnants of the 'Black Death Emperor Front' have been captured, let me handle your affairs."
Natsuki looked towards Gajou and Liana.
The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became heavy.