Chapter 177 - Chapter 157 What the Records Contained
"Are you okay now?"
"Woof!"
Lupi indicated he was fine, so I deactivated [Spirit's Blessing]. My MP, which was at about 30%, began to recover rapidly, and I felt relieved.
"Now then, it's not good to leave it dark, so let's illuminate it brightly from a slightly higher place… Ow!"
Just as I thought of using the light spirit stone, Sweee tugged on my earlobe. It's surprisingly painful, I wonder what the pain sensation settings are like…
~ ~ ~!
"Eh, what is it?"
It feels like she's saying "This way, this way," but is there something there? She then flew low towards the lower part of the wall.
~ ~ ~!
"Eh? What is this…?"
There was something like a square indentation in the wall, a mystery.
Doesn't it… feel like something might open?
"Ah, that."
I crouched down and looked closely. Is it a slide-up mechanism? I hooked my finger into a subtle catch and pulled upwards.
"It opened. Is this… a Magic Crystal Stone?"
Is it like a hidden item?
"No, I think it's something different… Ah, does it mean to put mana in it?"
~ ~ ~ ♪
Sweee nodded repeatedly, with her arms crossed. I wonder how she knows, but she is the Fairy Queen, after all…
"My MP seems fine now, so I'll give it a try."
Yes.
Club President Bell taught me how to transfer MP to a Magic Crystal Stone, and I'd just practiced it with the medium-sized Magic Crystal Stone I'd been using. Just touch my finger and flow MP into it.
"Whoa!?"
When I'd transferred about 20% of my MP, the room suddenly brightened.
Amazing!
"This was for emergencies, huh… And wow, this place is huge!"
The illuminated room felt like two Mitsumori gymnasiums placed end-to-end. There seemed to be no other monsters, but I felt like there were patterns drawn on the floor further back.
What kind of place could this be?
"I wonder. It feels like a storage room, or a warehouse, but…"
Sweee, as if saying it was fine now, peeled my finger away from the Magic Crystal Stone. So I didn't have to force it to full capacity.
"Woof."
"Yeah, let's look around a bit."
I kept the light spirit's illumination on and headed to the back of the room. The patterns drawn on the floor, they must be magic circles, but they're unusually huge…
~ ~ ~ ♪
"Hm?"
Sweee pointed to a slightly smaller magic circle.
This one, about a meter square, it's like…
"I have a feeling it's a Transfer Magic Circle…"
Eh!?!
I used [Appraisal] just in case.
[Transfer Magic Circle]
Transfers people or objects on it to its corresponding Transfer Magic Circle by infusing MP. However, it will not activate if there are obstacles on the magic circle due to safety concerns.
"This is connected to the Transfer Magic Circle on the first floor of the Mountain Cabin?"
If so, then the person who wrote that 'Record' must have been here, right?
"Someone like that here…"
I don't think it was that Skeleton General, so then, just one of the normal skeletons or ghosts? No, no, that would be too cruel a fate…
"No, that's wrong. That person was said to have originally been in the Central Advanced Magic Research Institute."
Yes.
In that case, what's the purpose of this room? At first glance, a warehouse? But then there should be something stored here, and what exactly is this large magic circle…
"Is this big magic circle also a Transfer Magic Circle?"
Eh?
"Can I use [Appraisal] on it…?"
Technically, I should be able to appraise it if I get within a certain distance of the target, but this magic circle is the size of a gymnasium, after all. Do I have to go to the center? If I could appraise it from the edge…
"Woof!"
"Eh!"
The huge magic circle began to glow, and I frantically backed away with Lupi. Sweee?! She jumped into my hood.
Shou-kun, towards the elevator!
"Ah, yeah. For now, after checking…"
I edged backward towards the elevator, my eyes fixed on the glowing magic circle. Something was definitely going to emerge from this, right? Gradually, the light intensified, and my vision became almost completely white. I crouched, covering my eyes with my right hand, and placed my Round Shield in front of Lupi with my left…
"Oh, come on…"
As the light subsided, a silver dragon appeared. Its massive body filled this spacious room, making it feel cramped. Its face, large enough to swallow me whole, scanned around before seemingly noticing us at its feet, fixing us with a sharp gaze.
"Oh?"
Wait, did it just speak?
"Did you activate these Ancient Ruins?"
"Um, I turned on the lights in this room, but…"
"I see. So it wasn't a full activation."
Saying that, it tilted its head, and put a finger—a claw—to its chin, as if deep in thought? It's surprisingly easy to read its expressions…
Shou-kun?
"Ah, it's fine. It understands language."
If it had just breathed without warning, it would have been over. I don't even know what kind of breath it has, but…
"Ah! Hey, Sweee!?!"
Sweee, who was in my hood, flew out on her own and headed towards the dragon.
~ ~ ~!
"Please excuse my rudeness. I am Argenta, the Silver Dragon. I apologize once again for my sudden appearance."
Saying that, it lowered its head to meet my gaze. It's scary, but surprisingly friendly…
"Ah, um, I'm Shou. I'm probably the only human currently living on this island. This is my companion, Lupi."
"Woof."
Lupi sat properly and greeted it. Smart.
~ ~ ~ ♪
"Sweee, the fairy, is my friend."
Sweee returned and sat imperiously on my left shoulder. It's amazing she can act like that towards a dragon…
"I see, so you are the only human on this island. May I ask how you activated this room?"
"Yes. Um…"
First, I told her about descending and fighting skeletons and ghosts, then about what seemed to be an emergency power source, which Sweee had shown me. When I put mana into that Magic Crystal Stone, the lights came on, so I was investigating what this room was when…
"I see, I see. Could you tell me about these Ancient Ruins, as much as you know?"
"Yes. Oh, could you tell me why? If possible, that is…"
"Indeed. However, please keep this matter confidential."
In my case, it's impossible to tell anyone in-game, but what about telling someone in the real world? As I was thinking that…
Shou-kun, the stream to the club room has already been stopped.
I nodded, hearing Mion's words.
"We Dragonkin, by a covenant made with the Goddess long ago, manage the Ancient Ruins. These Ancient Ruins are one of the relics from which communication was lost due to the rampage of a magic facility. We, too, must know about it."
Magic facility rampage, communication lost… What was written in that 'Record', it was exactly as described.