Chapter 11 - The Small Underground Room
Since we couldn't just break down the wall on our own, we asked Hans-san the next day. Accompanied, of course, by a speech from Beatrix.
"The Town Guard cannot make that judgment."
I thought he'd flatly refuse, but surprisingly, he didn't.
"Who makes the judgment then?"
"The Mayor. Are you going to ask him?"
"That's the plan."
Hearing Beatrix's answer, Hans-san sighed, "Mages, honestly..." but said the three of us could go right now. What surprised me were the words Hans-san said next.
"However, I'm coming too."
When asked why, he said it was the responsibility of those involved.
Forget just Hans-san; when we went to the office and talked to Adolf-san, he said, "I shall go as well." Since he was absent when the incident occurred, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
In the end, it turned out to be a large group of eleven people: the three of us, Adolf-san, Hans-san, members of Hans-san's squad from the Town Guard in case of a rat outbreak, and for some reason, the two from the workshop.
Is this really, truly okay? Beatrix, if something happens, you take responsibility.
We gathered in front of the Town Guard station. Everyone was carrying barrels on their backs for some reason.
"Hello."
"Hello. How have you been?"
"Long time no see!"
The people in Hans-san's squad were acquaintances from the trial enlistment course. They greeted us actively.
"So this is the rumored Black-Purple. I can't believe it was originally hemp sacks. The embroidery on the back is cool too."
It was relatively well-received. When I looked at Hans-san with a smirk, he averted his eyes. But when did it become a rumor? It's a mystery.
"Can't you just wear this straight to the Royal Capital? Maybe I'll have one made too. With a medal or something on the neck."
What was popular with the older woman was the neck guard made at the workshop.
"Lucky, lucky, I want one too. Maybe I'll tell everyone that only Beowulf got one. It would be even better if all the female soldiers had them. We could use the Town Guard emblem as a medal... it doesn't have to be expensive material..."
She was pestering the two from the workshop relentlessly. Actually, Beowulf had been given the same thing. The master had said that since we were in the same Class of 175, we should match. Both of them were sighing as they looked up at the sky, so they'll probably be forced to make them for everyone.
You two, I'm kind of sorry.
Hans-san was looking at me with a smirk, so I just averted my eyes for now.
Once we entered the sewers, I had everyone confirm the difference in the color of the wall I had rubbed, using torches to illuminate it. When Adolf-san checked it against a detailed map, it seemed correct.
The two from the workshop took out some kind of awls and started boring holes into the joints of the bricks. Once the holes were made, they inserted paper tubes with long strings attached to the ends. The ends of the strings hung down long onto the floor.
"Please evacuate for a moment."
At the apprentice's word, we all moved far away and hid behind the lined-up barrels.
"Beatrix. Can you aim for the end of that string with a Fire Ball? Try to make it fly as slowly as possible and hit it accurately."
"Sure thing."
Beatrix, having received a difficult request from Adolf-san, began her incantation.
"Fire Ball!"
The mass of fire left Beatrix's hand... and somehow took its time, drifting along hazily... stopped above the end of the string, and fell with a 'plop.' The end of the string caught fire, and something like sparks crackled as they moved along the string toward the paper tube... and then, it went out...
Eh? Did it fail? Just as I was thinking that, it happened.
From around where the paper tube was inserted, a roar like a thunderclap echoed... and I... lost the strength in my legs.
"What was that?! What on earth happened? Magic? My Fire Ball doesn't make such a loud noise!"
Adolf-san calmed the shouting Beatrix, telling her to settle down. I heard later that it was something called 'gunpowder' brought back by a priest who had traveled to the far east. It was the stuff I saw at the Town Guard workshop.
When I went to the spot while being carried on Beowulf's back, there was a hole about the size of a fist. Cracks were running from the hole along the joints of the bricks.
Two Town Guard members swung hammers to break the remaining part and enlarge the hole. Beyond the hole was darkness.
Beatrix, who knows no fear, crouched down at the entrance of the hole.
"Hey, be careful!"
Hans-san said, but in no time, she thrust in the torch she was holding, popped her head in, looked left and right, and then presumably looked up at the ceiling.
"Ah, there they are. Rats!"
"It's dangerous, come out of there."
Hans-san tried to pull her back by the scruff of her neck, but she shook him off and went inside.
"It's fine. There are only normal small rats."
Hans-san, seemingly having no choice, prepared to follow.
"There are quite a few. Ah, they ran! Hey, wait!"
The sound of her chasing them further in could be heard.
"Wait, KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
"What happened!"
Amidst the commotion, Hans-san rushed in first, followed by the other soldiers and Adolf-san. Then, for some reason, Beatrix came out being held by the scruff of her neck by Hans-san.
"Are you okay!"
"Are you alright?"
When I approached while still on Beowulf's back, there was an unpleasant smell.
"Ugh! Honestly! A rat peed on me!"
She was washing her face with water from a canteen.
Honestly, don't scare us like that.
"It's fine now. Come in."
Adolf-san poked his head out of the hole. I was able to stand now, so I walked in on my own.
It was a cramped room about the size of a storage closet, and with eleven people inside, it felt suffocating. The torches hanging on the wall were close and a bit hot. Looking up, there was a brick placed on a beam that circled the room, and right next to it was a hole. A small rat poked its face out but immediately ducked back in. It might have been the one that peed on Beatrix.
"May we begin?"
At the apprentice's voice, I turned around to see them trying to bring the remaining barrels into the room. Adolf-san nodded, and they began pulling the plugs from the barrels to let water flow onto the floor, while the Town Guard started scrubbing the floor with brushes.
"What are you doing?"
"Searching for gaps in the floor."
That was the answer I got.
The apprentice and the master pulled the plugs from one barrel after another, letting water flow onto the floor. By the time it seemed like stepping would make a splashing sound, Adolf-san told us all to watch the floor and chanted a spell.
"Clump Air!"
It's a mid-tier wind attribute spell. It creates a mass of air to blast targets, and a powerful caster can blow away dozens of people at once. However, right now he was pointing both hands at the floor. I didn't quite understand the meaning, so I asked Beatrix.
"What is he doing?"
"He's probably creating a layer of air at his feet to push the water. If there's a gap, the pushed water will be sucked into it, right?"
I see, I don't understand at all. I had no choice but to wait for the result.
As we all took turns watching the floor, one of the Town Guard members seemed to have found something.
"How about here?"
"I'll check it later, so keep a close eye on it. Everyone else, keep a close eye on other parts too."
At Adolf-san's words, everyone began looking at their own feet again.
In the end, the only suspicious spot was the one corner found first, and we all gathered there to observe. The joint between the stones seemed to be recessed. Apparently, because of the scrubbing with the brushes, whatever was packed into the joint had become visible. When the master poked it with the tool he used when setting the gunpowder, a hole about the size of a finger opened easily, and water began to flow through rapidly. After confirming this, Adolf-san stopped holding out his hands and chanted a different spell.
"Clump Water!"
A mid-tier water attribute spell. The water version of Clump Air.
When Adolf-san slightly raised both hands which were pointed at the floor, the water on the floor floated into the air and left the room like a living creature. A loud splashing sound could be heard, presumably as it fell into the sewer.
To chant mid-tier spells one after another without an incantation... just how incredible a mage is he?
As a result of the investigation, one floor stone was lifted. A long box was hidden under the floor stone, and from inside the box came quite a few rolled-up pieces of parchment.
"I didn't notice. I'm sorry. It was my mistake for overlooking it."
Hans-san bowed his head. Seeing that, the other guards also began to apologize all at once. Apparently, they had participated last time as well.
"Beowulf. In times like this, what is it that a Town Guard commander says?"
"'Next time, next time!' sir."
"So he says," Adolf-san said, and everyone bowed their heads once more in apology. I'll pretend I didn't see Hans-san trying to fix his expression by wrinkling his brow, or the older woman's shoulders shaking slightly.
It goes without saying that the results of this investigation were forbidden to be disclosed. It was officially recorded that we went to raid a rat's nest but came up empty-handed. Regarding the Mayor's presence, they're going to force an excuse that he made a special inspection because a wall was being broken. They'll also explain that a loud noise occurred because gunpowder was used to break the wall, but it was just a noise and didn't serve any purpose.
Adolf-san will investigate the contents of the parchment and tell everyone who participated about it.