My Daughters Are Regressors

Cecily and Hina stealthily followed the researchers who had captured the butterflies into the facility.Since the facility was also where they had often visited to create Molumolu, sneaking in wasn't difficult.However, the underground laboratory now felt significantly different from when they were creating the artificial demon Molumolu.

━Grrrrrr, Kongkong!━Gaaaargh-!

Ferocious wolves with sharp teeth, massive crocodiles, and horrific bird-like creatures snarled behind their cages, their eyes bloodshot with fury.They appeared ready to tear through the bars and viciously bite into the necks of people.

Not only such creatures, but the laboratory was also filled with poisonous substances marked with skull symbols everywhere.How could the lab that made the plush Molumolu change so drastically in just a few days?

"Look, Hina. There are tons of butterflies captured!"

Cecily pointed to a large container hidden behind a massive desk.

Just as Cecily had said, butterflies were trapped inside the transparent glass, easily numbering over a thousand.

What could they possibly want to do with all these butterflies?Filled with curiosity, Cecily surveyed her surroundings more closely.Soon, researchers wearing beak-shaped gas masks appeared from somewhere and began murmuring to each other as they looked at the butterflies in the container.

"We've caught quite a lot. How many?""1,227, sir.""That's impressive. A large number indeed.""We've captured most of the ones flying around Freesia by now. I wonder where all these butterflies came from?""That's not what's important right now. It's what we can do with these butterflies. They're each a bundle of energy. With this amount... we could power all of Freesia's facilities for a year."

Freesia was a city of magical engineering.From ordinary street lights, to water and sewage systems, and protective barriers for the walls, many places used magical power.The amount of magic power consumed was immense, and in truth, the magic generators operated by Freesia had their limits.It could be said that the operating expenses of the Duchy of Freesia were always in the red.

That's right.It had to be in the red.

"Senior, is that rumor really true?"

A female researcher, who suddenly felt perplexed, asked.Senior researcher Gauss, who had been looking at the butterflies, frowned behind his gas mask in response.

"What rumor?"

"The annual magic power consumption of the Principality of Freesia is, in fact, ridiculously high compared to what the generators produce. But the facilities never stopped or caused a blackout, right?"

"Yeah, there's been a lot of talk about that. People like Headmaster Elle probably know, but did you know that this deep laboratory is actually a type of dungeon?"

The researchers, who experimented away from sunlight, were in a place originally called the dungeon, an underground facility. And beneath Freesia, there were many such ancient dungeons.

"A predecessor of mine told me this. In the deepest depths of Freesia, there's a magic circle that absorbs the magical power of the city's residents. It sucks in their life force to make up for the shortage of magic power."

"What!? Is that true!? Why does such a magic circle exist? If that's the case, we've been having our life force taken without consent! That's why I've been tired even after sleeping 7 hours every day─."

"It's just a rumor. But if it's true, it explains why Freesia could prosper as a city of magical engineering, second only to the ancient Pandemonium after Uruk."

Gauss's senior, who was also his predecessor, had researched the ancient city of Uruk to halt the advance of Pandemonium when Demon King Sabraknak was stirring.

He was the one who discovered that the architectural styles of buildings in the ancient city of Uruk and the modern Principality of Freesia, as well as the styles of dividing areas from number 1 to 60, were exactly the same.

'But he disappeared. It must have been a secret not meant for research. Uruk, a city of a million people that perished in a day. And Freesia, a city of two million....'

The two cities resembled each other.

'It was Headmaster Elle who led the urban planning of Freesia. Perhaps there's a chance she modeled Freesia after the ancient city of Uruk.'

To think that Freesia resembled a city that was destroyed overnight.Researcher Gauss found this fact chilling, but he decided to focus on the butterflies gathered before him for now.

"If we can use these creatures well and succeed in mass production, Freesia's magical power supply will be stabilized. Then we won't have to worry about life force being sucked away by any suspicious magic circles that might be underground."

"That's good to hear."

"Then I'll go get the grinder. I'll grind up all these butterflies, so just wait."

Gauss moved to leave.And Cecily, who had been listening to this conversation, was so shocked that her hair stood on end.

"Hina, did you hear? They're going to grind the butterflies!"

She had to save the butterflies somehow.With that thought, Cecily took the steel marbles she had kept in her pocket and loaded them into her slingshot.Swoosh, thwack-!

The steel ball flew at a considerable speed.And it struck the glass of the jar holding the butterflies, but it didn't even scratch, as the glass was sturdier than expected.The problem was that a female researcher noticed the commotion.

"What? What's that? What was that noise just now?"

Researcher Mileva had good instincts.

"And my instincts are telling me there's an intruder."

Researcher Mileva looked around.It seemed like she could sense someone's presence from somewhere in the vast facility.

Swish—Fizzzzzz—Mileva raised the beam saber strapped to her waist, a device with a current strong enough to knock out even a silver-grade monster with one blow.

"Come out, you rat!"

Though she shouted bravely, Mileva was slightly scared.After all, she was a researcher, not a warrior.

She was tensely wondering what to do if something truly terrifying popped out when—.

"Meow─."

A cat's sound came from somewhere.What could it be?

"A cat?"

"Meow.""Meow. Meow, meow-."

"Two cats got in? Did they follow when moving the butterflies?"

Cats, of all things.Mileva put down the beam saber she was holding.Then she called out to the surroundings.

"Kitty, where are you? Come here. Don't be scared."

Researcher Mileva knelt on all fours and looked around.She thought that the cat would be hiding somewhere on the floor, but it was not to be seen.And when she straightened up again—.

"Where did my beam saber go─, uhhhhhhh-."

"Hina's Style, Arirang Strike-."

Fizzzzzz—!Bang—

Finally, Hina managed to knock down the researcher with the stolen beam saber!Of course, Hina didn't have time to indulge in the joy of victory but instead approached the jar with the tied-up butterflies and struck the surface hard with the beam saber.

Fizzzzzz—!!Crash—The high-voltage current damaged the glass jar enough to break it, allowing the butterflies trapped inside to escape through the cracks.

Researcher Gauss hurried back, but it was already too late.The freed butterflies began to scatter variables into the world.

"Wait-. The lab is going haywire...! Everyone evacuate! Evacuate!"

Gauss pressed the emergency button.Weeooo— Weeoooo—The loud blaring of the siren.

━Kong, grrrrrr-!━Gaaaaaah-!

The caged beasts and magical creatures somehow got loose and started roaming the lab. The researchers had already fled to safety, but Cecily and Hina could not.

"...Get away...!"

Fizzzzzz—!Hina waved the beam saber around, threatening the wild animals, but it seemed that they would soon be surrounded. Cecily closed her eyes and screamed.

"...Fuck!"

Did that shout work? The wild animals didn't charge at Cecily or Hina.They quickly hid their fangs and tucked their tails between their legs, choosing to escape through the distant open passage.What on earth had happened?

"...Were they scared because I cursed?"

As Cecily pondered seriously—.Something like a black shadow grasped Cecily and Hina by the nape of the neck.

* * *

"How ghastly."

I scowled, looking over the laboratory. Perhaps due to the explosion and combustion of various chemicals, the underground lab was akin to a chamber of gas torture.What on earth happened here?

"Hina! Cecily!"

Salome shouted earnestly by my side, but no response came.According to the trail of footsteps I had followed, Cecily and Hina's steps had definitely stopped here.Cariote had said something about that.

"It seems something indeed happened here. I found this. It's the compass I gave to Cecily."

Cariote was holding the sparrow compass I had given to Cecily, its needle beginning to spin wildly while she watched with a remarkably calm gaze.

"This compass can only track objects, right? It'd be best to set it to follow the location of the fan that Cecily always carries. Then we can find Cecily and Hina."

Truly a wise decision.It made me think that Cecily might have intentionally left the compass here.At the same time, I felt slightly tired.

"I thought we had at least a week. Human affairs never go as planned. Salome, summon the Shadow Lords."

"How many of them do you think have betrayed us?"

"It doesn't matter. And Cariote, go to the address I'll give you and call for the Queen. I can trust that one. It'd be good to call Enkidus and the Saintess as well. They might be on a date, but war might break out soon."

I calmly issued orders, noticing footprints imprinted on the laboratory floor. Footprints deep enough to reach 15cm into the metal floor.

It felt like someone unable to control their own power.Or, perhaps it's something else.

Walls torn like paper.Bodies of demonic beasts scattered with crushed skulls.

This was... closer to the feeling of testing one's strength.

Like when you buy a new knife and test its sharpness on paper.

"Cariote, Salome. Evacuate everyone from Freesia. Anything could happen in this city from now on."

"Understood. Then take this."

Pop—Cariote tossed the compass to me.I caught it and ran in the direction the needle led.

Full speed ahead.

Before I knew it, I had arrived in Freesia, passing through addresses 30, 25, 15, 10, and 5, until I reached the heart of the city, 1st Street.

"Where is this?"

The place the compass led me to was a building quite familiar to me.The mansion of the Duke of Freesia.A place that could be considered the very center of the city.The compass was pointing right here.

Pat- I opened the door and a rather tragic sight met my eyes. Servants were sprawled on the floor, bleeding from their mouths, none breathing.They had been struck down in one blow, severing their nerves.

"Is anyone alive?"

I asked around.Of course, there was no response.

The duke's mansion, once host to many famous figures, had turned into a ghastly castle of death. It was truly a scene of one-sided slaughter.

"I won't be needing the compass."

All I had to do was follow the trail of bodies.

I worried that I might find Cecily or Hina sprawled out along the way, but fortunately or unfortunately, neither of them appeared till the end.Instead, I saw a familiar man sprawled out in the parlor.

"You are..."

"That, that voice! Who's there?! Someone help me!"

"Duke... you look like a mess."

He was the man known as the Golden Duke.A dwarf with impressive golden curls and a beard, his once fine appearance was nowhere to be seen, his face smeared with blood.On closer inspection, he had no eyes.

"What happened?"

"E-Elle... the headmaster... she took my eyes. She must be heading underground. To the basement deep within this mansion...! You must stop her! She must be stopped! Help me! They must be stopped!"

"Stop? What must be stopped?"

"Beneath this mansion lies a magic circle! The same summoning circle as the ancient city of Uruk! Elle intends to activate it, surely to drain the life force from all citizens!"

***

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