Iris walked closer to the dusty table and used her index finger to take some of the dust on it.
She seemed to be doing that to check just how dusty the table was.
After that, she wiped the dust off her finger by rubbing it against her thumb.
"Iris, what kind of place is this? And why does it feel like a room that was abandoned by its owner?" I asked Iris.
Iris stopped what she was doing for a moment before turning around and looking at me.
"Your guess is right. This place really was once inhabited by someone," Iris said.
"I actually know who that person was, but for some reason, right now I can't picture who they were."
"You mean… you lost your memory? So you don't remember who lived here?" I replied.
I truly couldn't guess at all what was going on inside her mind.
"That's how it is… but from the memories I think are still a bit strong, I believe the owner of this place was once an elf from a generation before mine," Iris answered.
"It's possible that person was also related to me by blood, but I can't remember them at all."
If she didn't remember that person, then why did she bring me here?
Was it only so that I would know about this secret room buried underground, a place not everyone living in Riruyo knew about?
"…That's not it, is it? That's not what you wanted to tell me."
"For some reason, I feel this place is more important than that short story of yours. Hey Iris, what kind of place is this, really?" I asked.
Iris fell silent when she heard my question. She lowered her head for a few moments before walking behind the table.
I didn't follow her, because I felt like I shouldn't move from where I was standing.
So all I could do was watch Iris, without knowing what she was about to do.
Creak.
I heard a sound like a drawer being opened from where Iris was standing. Was she taking something out from inside it?
Maybe it was some kind of book or notes left behind by the person who used to live here?
Iris must have come here often, because she didn't look scared at all. And yet, when I looked again, the place was slightly damp around the walls.
There were also several insects besides spiders, such as ants or a few cockroaches.
Uwah, could this place have already turned into a nest for insects?
Fush.
Ughh!!
Suddenly, I felt something like cold air brushing against my skin, and it startled me slightly.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up a little because of it, but the problem was—where was that air coming from?
The entrance we used earlier had already been closed, and I was sure there were no holes in that door, so there shouldn't have been any air coming in.
As for oxygen, this place didn't seem to have any problems with it. My breathing felt the same as usual.
I turned my gaze toward Iris, and I could see her holding something she had taken out of the drawer in the table.
"Yuusha, what do you think about this object? I've always wondered what this is. Have you ever seen anything that looks familiar?" Iris asked while showing me the item in her hand.
She was holding a small watch with a case that could be opened and closed, but it looked more antique, with a design that seemed difficult to replicate.
The item was also a little dirty, but I felt that it was something important.
I walked closer to her and looked at the object more carefully, and in the end, I realized something.
"No, I don't know anything about it. Iris, how about we go outside now? I think I want to try your new cooking again," I said.
I didn't have any other excuse, so I was forced to return to the original plan Iris had for me today.
There was still one to two hours left before dinner, so Iris could make a new dish using her recipe, and maybe it would turn out delicious.
That way, her dish could be served alongside Forn-san's cooking.
Iris's eyes immediately lit up with excitement when I gave her that suggestion, and she quickly placed the item she was holding back onto the table.
She walked closer to me and clasped both of my hands in hers.
"I didn't expect you to like it that much~! If that's what you want, then it really is better for us to head back home!" she said in a voice full of enthusiasm.
She walked ahead of me, and I could feel just how impatient she was to cook a new dish that I would later taste.
Before climbing the stairs to return to the surface, I turned my gaze back to look at the strange room once more.
I couldn't shake off my uneasiness and concern about this place, because it felt like something was being hidden here.
Even though I hadn't felt anything at first, for some reason, I could sense it a short while ago.
And the large room with a door that looked like the entrance to a cave—according to Iris, she had never entered that room.
But in my opinion, that large room seemed to be storing something very dangerous if left as it was.
Well, I shouldn't dwell too much on this place. I needed to focus on the time loop that was happening to me.
There had already been quite a lot of progress compared to before my time started looping and I returned to several days in the past.
Of course, I was still preparing myself in case I was sent back to the past again. This cycle remained dangerous no matter what happened.
"Yuusha? What's wrong?" Iris asked as she looked at me. She was already close to the upper door that connected to the surface.
She gave me a puzzled look, clearly wondering why I wasn't moving and was still staring at the room we had just visited.
I turned to her after realizing she was looking at me.
"O-oh, it's nothing," I said as I walked up the stairs behind her.
——
After we left the secret room beneath the ground, I could see the sun beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange.
It was already evening. I thought it was natural that I hadn't noticed, since I'd spent the whole day busy with Iris, so it wasn't strange for me to lose track of time.
The two of us immediately entered the house, where we were greeted by several servants and guards assigned to the residence of Riruyo's leader.
They lightly scolded Iris, because she had told them she would return before evening, but in reality, it was already evening when she finally came back home.
As was to be expected, once Iris was allowed inside, they took turns directing their words at me.
They scolded me for not immediately bringing their princess (Iris) back to the house.
I gave them several convincing explanations, and in the end, I was allowed inside after arguing with them for almost five minutes.
Even though it was only for a short while, they spoke very quickly, which made it a bit difficult for me to respond to all of them.