Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi Chapter 453: Ruins Exploration: Part 1

Footsteps converge on us, possibly having heard our voices.

As Celia readies a throwing knife, I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Unlike where it's dark outside, the light here will make it difficult to hide bodies and blood stains if we have to fight.
With that said, this place is wide and flat, so there's almost nowhere to hide.

「Over here!」

Natia finds a half-cylindrical shape stuck out of the wall with a radius of about one meter, a tight fit for seven people……and realistically, the only place to hide.

「Everyone, squeeze in! Natia, get on my shoulders and Celia, get on Natia's shoulders! Attendant, crawl between my legs! Agor will get on top of Mack and Tristan will climb on top!」
「……you're absurd.」

Mack mutters something, but if he doesn't hurry up, we'll be discovered.
There's enough space for two people.

「Got it! Celia, you too…… nn!」

Fufufu, I can feel Natia's precious place rubbing against my neck.
With Celia's weight, Natia presses down on me harder.

「Huh? Did you hear something?」

「Maybe something weird happened?」

「Nah, no way. ……I mean, this place was weird to begin with.」

The enemy soldiers don't suspect a thing.
I think we'll make it.

「Right? I was only assigned here yesterday and I'm honestly still shivering…… it makes me feel like I can't escape.」

There appears to be three of them. However, as long as we don't know what's going on in our surroundings, it's not wise to eliminate them.

「But man, isn't this place emptied out? Do we really need guards here?」

「Who knows. Maybe the higher ups think they will find something incredible again.」

「Because of that, we don't have to fight against Aless. If we have the weapon from here, there's no chance we will lose, though that doesn't mean I want to eat a stray bullet and die.」

The trio talk amongst themselves in the middle of the passageway.
They aren't paying much attention, meaning it's that much easier to go undetected.

「Right, that completes our rounds. Let's hurry back to the waiting room and continue the game.」

「Damn, this guy's desperate just because he won two silver coins. Well, it's pointless to search an empty space anyways, so let's go back.」

Two of them sound like they're going back on the path they came from, but the last guy is inspecting deeper in the passage, directly opposite to where we are and further into the ruins.

「Hey, you guys. We were told to explore the ruins and retrieve any weapons or strange oils, right?」

「What are you on about now? It's precisely because of these weapons that we can beat Aless…… geez, I was really sweating when the tables were turned on South Yuguria……」

「It's because the floor of the castle happened to cave in during the repairs that we found these things in the first place. It's all thanks to God Ifis」

Tristan murmurs quietly with a serious face on top of Mack, who is starting to shake from having to support two guys.

「And recently, the weapons and oil have depleted, leaving only an extremely small number of them, including the ones we have.」

「Who'd have thought the contents would run out. You probably don't know, but it was amazingly full at one point. The whole army collected everything.」

Hearing that nothing was left, Natia slumps over in disappointment.

「It was there. We dug up the area from here to―― over here, right?」

The enemy soldier points to each of the paths branching off to the left and right of the wide passageway extending from the entrance, then turns his body toward the end of the corridor.

「Using a city as an example, what we searched was only an alley and the point beyond that continues to the main road. So why didn't we go deeper? Isn't it obviously because we'd get more than our usual haul?」

He tries to convince the other two soldiers, but doesn't get a response.

「……w-what? Did I say something wrong?」

「You…… you didn't hear the initial explanation when you got here?」

「I get the reason why you were assigned to this place with a decreased priority now…… listen carefully.」

The other man walks up to a certain point towards the depths of the ruin and stops.

「Here. This is the limit of our patrol. Under no circumstances are we to pass this point. It doesn't matter if you hear a gold coin drop or the moan of a sexy woman or the scream of a friend……」

「W-what the heck? There's nothing over there. It's not like a demon will appear……」

The third man puts a hand on the baffled man's shoulder.

「I was assigned to guard these ruins as soon as they were found. At first, we certainly searched every nook and cranny. Then, one day a group of a thousand soldiers was sent deep into the ruins to explore further…… and not a single one returned. Thinking something went wrong, a specialized expedition unit was sent later to find out what happened…… and again, nobody came back.」

Natia's eyes sparkle at the danger, while Tristan's face darkens.

「Next, they sent in twenty people with ropes tied around their waist so they can be pulled back if anything happened. Moments later, a scream was heard and when the rope was pulled back, only the torsos with the rope attached came back. That's that. Now, let's get out of here.」

「Y-yeah.」

The newcomer stepped backwards fearfully and then quickly caught up with the other two.

When they were gone, we peeked our heads out of the shadow.
Mack was at his limit and collapsed face down.

「Then, shall we head back too?」

As Tristan nonchalantly tries to escape, Natia and I grab him by the collar.

「You heard them. This place was emptied out. Even if there's a clue, it's deep inside.」

「Yep!」

Natia's ears flap about energetically.
When I reach a hand out towards them, they fold backward and avoid me. Dang, she learned a clever trick, huh?

I shrug my shoulders and turn to everyone with a serious look.

「We can't let our guards down. Stay alert.」

Besides Tristan, who holds his head in agony, the rest nod silently.

And so, we crossed the line which should not be crossed.

「Well, I was wondering what kind of horrors awaited us, but nothing happened.」

Our group, centered around me, with Natia in front, Mack and Agor to either side of me, Tristan and the attendant girl in the back, and Celia right next to me, held our breaths as the tension in the air was almost suffocating, but not even an arrow, let alone a monster came out.
Realizing they were not in any immediate danger, everyone gradually calmed down.

「Speaking of ruins, they should have them, right? Traps that shoot poison arrows if you pull a lever or that send boulders rolling at you if you go down the wrong corridor. And lastly, there has to be a giant golem protecting the treasure that we have to fight.」

「Ah, I know about that. It was in one of my favorite adventure action drama books.」

Celia joins the conversation.

「If I recall, a famous troupe acted it out in the capital and received rave reviews.」

Agor is also informed.

「Actually, that book is an homage. It is the compilation of the diary written by a Federation explorer. If you want, I can let you borrow my copy.」

Tristan also participates in the discussion about books.

It was when the mood became happy-go-lucky.

「……I smell blood.」

Natia mutters in a hushed voice.

We stop in place, while Natia and the light-footed Celia step forward, advancing with the highest level of caution.

「Uwah!?」

Natia and Celia both let out groans and run back to us.

「That's quite nasty.」

My face also scrunches up as I walk forward.

What we found were dozens of corpses of most likely Meldora soldiers……no, it's probably more accurate to describe it as the fragmented parts of dozens of human bodies.

「They're all dismembered badly.」

You couldn't clearly distinguish a head here or an arm there.
It's comparable to roughly chopped vegetables in a stew.

「This couldn't have been done by normal methods……」

Agor comments, wary of his surroundings, but he only sees the same ceiling, wall and floor continuing on endlessly.

「We should turn back before the same thing happens to――」

I grab Tristan's collar and pull him back.

「Natia, can you figure anything out?」

「……normally, I can learn more of a strange place like a cave by looking at the moss or grass…… I've never been to a place like this, so I don't know anything.」

Then it can't be helped.

「Let's go towards the center.」

「Eeh!? It's obvious there's some sort of trap!」

Celia shouts.

「I don't know if it's a good idea to stupidly go forward either……」

Agor also opposes.

But I'm not blindly charging in.

「Put yourself in the position of the guy who set the trap. This trap leaves behind a bunch of messed up corpses. The next guy who comes and sees this will naturally be cautious. The trap maker wants us to tiptoe gingerly on the edge of the path. Nobody will expect us to walk down the middle. It'll actually be safer.」

「I see……as expected of Aegir-sama!」

Celia praises me.

「There's a possibility.」

Natia nods.

I'm a man who is called a resourceful general. This is easy enough to see through.
I grab the mumbling Tristan by the collar and take one step in the middle of the path.

「If it were me, I would set traps on both areas to crush the ones who come first and the ones who come second……」

A heavy thunk sound was made when my foot pressed down on the floor.

「……my bad.」

As everyone screamed, a set of bars dropped down in front and behind us.

「We're trapped!」
「It was a cage trap!?」

Celia and Agor yell.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Along with a grating metallic sound, something protrudes from the wall.

「That's―― a saw!?」
「……it's coming closer!」

The steady grinding of the giant saw that fills the passageway gets louder as it encroaches on us.
It's almost as if someone invisible is pulling the jagged blade toward us rapidly.
If we touch it, we'll certainly be torn apart.

I guess this is what sliced the Meldora soldiers.

「Duck!」

The saw blade thrusts out at the height of my chest, which is also approximately where Celia's head is.
It's about as fast as a galloping horse, but can be avoided by crouching.

Everyone immediately complies, though Tristan had to be pushed down by Mack in order to evade.

This should be it…… or it would have been nice if that was the case.
A single saw wouldn't have wiped out all the Meldora soldiers even if they let their guards down.

「It's coming back!」
「I knew it.」

It came back at waist level this time.
Its speed was faster than before. About as fast as Schwartz.

「Hup.」

Agor, Mack and I preface a jump with a run-up, Natia jumps off the wall and over it, and Celia leaps vertically to clear the blade with both feet. The attendant girl and Tristan hold their heads and press their bodies tightly to the floor.
It seems I don't have to worry about anyone other than Tristan.

「It's coming again!!」

Next, it was three consecutive blades at knee, waist and chest level.
Their speeds were more similar to arrows than horses.

「Everyone, get ready! Tristan, just close your eyes.」

Agor covers for his attendant, leaving me no choice but to grab Tristan.

「Now!!」

At my signal, we all jump to dodge the saw aiming for our knees.
Then, we lower our bodies to store power before launching up to avoid the saw at waist level.
Lastly, we smoothly arch our bodies backwards as we land, narrowly letting the chest level saw to pass by.

Thankfully, nobody screws up.

「……mumumu.」

Celia stares enviously at Tristan.
I want to let him go and hug her, but if I do, this sluggish guy will become a stew ingredient.

「Piece of cake. Is it going to be five consecutively next? This is a good warm-up exercise.」

Everyone smiles. We're still relatively relaxed.

「Hey……the Meldora soldiers were cut into many pieces, right? We only encountered round saws so far.」
「There's more coming!!」

Additional saws emerge.
One aims for our ankles, slower than the first one we faced.

Just when I was about to be disappointed, dozens of saws appeared……no, hundreds of them, vertically and horizontally, forming a net pattern.

「Hey, that's not fair!!」

I cry out.

「W-what should we do, Aegir-sama!?」
「We don't have anywhere to run!」
「……ah, we're going to die.」
「I-If I knew this would happen, I would have offered you my――」
「……dark skin.」

I instinctively draw my Dual Crater and charge at the incoming saw.
If I can't run, then the only option is forward.

Ensuring the saw doesn't touch me and utilizing the new Dual Crater's reach, I swing at one of the saws.

（Guwa! What are you doing?）

Instead of breaking, my blade gets repelled and a hoarse voice resounds in my mind.

（Those things aren't made with ordinary materials. You can't cut through them even with my residing in your sword.）

「I can't cut through……huh?」

I look at my Dual Crater.
There isn't a single scratch on it. The Dual Crater can endure.

「Then what about this!?」

I point the tip of the sword at the floor, add my left hand behind the blade and push the Dual Crater at the saw.

The strong vibrations transmit from my weapon to my arms and to the rest of my body, making me want to naturally let go, however I know we'll all turn into stew if I do.

If I had to compare the feeling, I'd say it's like being pulled into a high speed millstone.
My arms are becoming numb and my skin is vibrating unpleasantly.

「Guuuh…… eei, this shaking is so annoying!」

The pushing contest lasted for a while until the blade of the Dual Crater suddenly slipped off the saw, allowing my body to fall onto the saw.
I feel my entire body get violated by the saw and then flung to the other side.

「Aegir-samaaa!!」

Celia screamed, and I was prepared to be turned into mince meat, but aside from the uncomfortable vibrations, it didn't hurt.

「Hm?」

I check my body and confirm I don't have a single cut.

「Ah! Your sword grinded off all the jagged edges of the saw! Everyone, run through the spot where Aegir was!」

Natia shouts and similarly emerges on the other side.

「Here I go!」

Celia jumps out head first.

「Go in the wrong place and it's over…… what am I thinking? Fuck it!」

Agor carries his attendant and jumps through.

「……will I be okay?」

Mack jumps as well.
A thin line of blood trickles from his bald head. It was really a narrow fit.

Tristan is the only one left, but he doesn't come out.

「Hey, what are you doing!? Hurry up!」

It was an empty scream as the saw reached the end.

That must have been the final obstacle as the saw retracted back into the wall and the cage also withdrew noisily.

「Kuh, I should have taken him with me……」

Agor slams his fist into the ground.

「If only I kicked his ass……」

Celia also seems sad.

「I'll at least retrieve his corpse.」

Despite searching though, I couldn't find a dismembered Tristan.

「Well, it's because I”m not dead.」

A door in the wall opens up and reveals a small gap which Tristan emerges from.

「Emergency, safety, shelter……I believe I got it right. It would have been dangerous had I not found this.」

I smile at Tristan and then lightly tap Celia on the head.

「W-why did you kick me!? It's scary to dive into a saw!」

「You should have told us first! I'm going to kick your ass even more!!」

「There was only room for one person! Besides, I said it and nobody bothered to listen!」

We continue to move forward.

Since we've overcome that many traps, there is nothing more to fear.
I lead the way with Agor and Mack following closely behind.

「Don't! Stop!」

Suddenly, Natia yells in a low-pitched voice.

Natia points her toe and traces it on the floor.

「This part here is strange. It doesn't feel quite right to me.」

The seams of the walls and floor of the ruins can't be seen, it's almost like one big piece.
The spot Natia identified was also similarly smooth and even…… or appeared to be.

「Aegir screwed up last time, so get back!!」

I can't deny that.

Natia takes out two palm-sized wooden spheres from a pocket, rolls them in her hand and releases them on the floor.
Momentum carries the balls on the floor and they naturally slow down.

After both of them seemingly slowed to a halt, one of them rolled back in our direction and the other rolled in the opposite direction.

「There's a bump in the middle! Like I thought, there's something under here!」
「Alright, let's go home.」

I grab Tristan by the collar.

「Form a single file line and walk along the edge of the passage, I'll lead the way.」

We do as Natia instructs and take one step every few seconds.

Natia's steps were as light as a feather, carefully inspecting the floor, tilting her head and countlessly changing her direction.
It would be fine if she was simply slow, but she was going sideways and even backwards, so we didn't make much progress.

「Hey, can't we go more in a straight line? The sun's going to set.」

「Shh! There are plenty of things my experience is telling me are dangerous! Just be quiet and follow me!」

Mmm, I guess I can't really argue.
I sigh reluctantly and rest a hand on the wall.

At that moment, there was a clunk and the part where I placed my hand sunk about 20 cm into the wall.

「……hey, Natia.」

「What!? I'm concentrating here!」

The angry Natia turns back at me and instantly turns pale.

「Sorry. I think I did something again.」

「Goshーー!!」「Again, Lord Hardlett!?」「……guoh.」「Hiiiiiih!」「I knew this was going to happen!」「Aegir-sama, you dummy!」

As everyone complained, the floor behind us――the part where Natia found unusual――lowered with loud rumbles and the place we were standing on transformed into a steep slope.

The ceiling in front of us opened up and down dropped multiple metal balls about 1 m in diameter.
Those balls bounced once when they hit the floor and naturally rolled down the incline towards us.

「Oh no! Get out of the way!」「……it's slanted, I can't stand straight!」「It's taking everything I have not to fall over!」

I glance behind me.
The end of the descended floor is dark, meaning we'll likely lose our lives if we drop down there.
But, even if we want to deal with the iron balls, our footing is too poor.

While mulling over what to do, the balls encroach upon us.

「Hold onto this! It's my seven adventurer's tools!」

I look up and see Natia hanging onto her tool which has a stick attached to the wall with birdlime.

I grab the stick and stand up, then shout at everyone else to get back.

「Natia, how strong is this?」

「Torimo-kun's special adhesive absolutely won't come loose!」

Good, then I'll do something.

「It's on line to hit us directly!」

Celia's right, the iron ball is rolling at us.

With my left hand still holding Torimo-kun, I throw a punch with my gauntlet-protected right hand at the ball.

「Woah!」

It made a dull sound on contact and the impact sent shocks from my arm through to my body. My bones creak and my right arm tingles.
Nevertheless, I successfully knocked the ball away.

I don't have time to be proud of what I did.

「The next one is coming!」

I grab Torimo-kun with both hands, lift my body up and kick the iron ball away.

「More…… lots of them are coming!!」

Around six of them are on course to hit us.
We'll be crushed if we try to repel them one at a time.

「Please don't break.」

I remove my gauntlet and toss it at Natia.

Then, I thrust my now bare right arm at the iron ball.

「If you punch it without protection, your arm will break!」

Agor warns me, but even I won't do something like that.

「This is what I'll do!」

I catch the iron ball with my hand.

Instead of punching it or kicking it, I accept the full brunt of the weight, and I feel myself slide back.
I can almost hear my left hand ripping as well.

But I can't collapse here.
I have Celia, Natia, and the little attendant girl behind me.

I grit my teeth and transfer all my strength to my right arm.

Finally, the iron ball comes to a halt.

「It stopped!」
「Amazing……」
「More importantly, someone help me! I'm falling! I'm falling over here!」

There's more though.
5 more balls are behind the one I stopped.

「Hnngrrah!!」

I hurl the iron ball using the force of my entire body.

The iron ball rolls up the slope and collides with the other 5 balls.

「No way.」

Along with Natia's voice of disbelief, the ceiling closed up like it ran out of stock of the balls and the floor also returned to normal.

「Whew, took care of that somehow.」

I turn around and check on everyone.

「Ah, Tristan isn't here.」

Tristan's arm can be seen in the closing hole.
Agor barely pulled him up in time and everything ended without incident.

「By the way……when I got caught in the trap, it wasn't Celia who shouted last, right?」

「I don't remember.」

Good. If it was Celia who called me dumb, I wouldn't be able to recover from the shock.

「Let's get going then.」

When I was about to walk off, Mack grabbed my arm.

「I'm leading the way.」

Natia goes ahead of us.

「I'm next.」

Celia follows.

「And then it's me.」

Agor steps forth.

「……then me.」

Mack trails behind.

「I-I guess I'm next.」

The attendant bows slightly before walking ahead.

「Why……?」
「Ah, why don't we talk about some interesting books?」

I stand side by side with Tristan at the very end and walk along, feeling disgruntled.

Chapter end