Chapter 340 - Episode 6: The Wall That Repels All ②
It's the fifth day since coming to Primordia.
In front of the mossy shrine, a ten-woman exploration team is all gathered.
Led by Eleanor-sama in her Black-Purple gear, there's Magdalena-sama, who has solidified herself in a leather armor version of Eleanor's armor, which she apparently named Black Dragon Armor when she wore it to the banquet once; Beowulf and Will, who are wearing Eleanor's armor and helmets and holding Lindwurm shields; Aira, Saxburg, and Miana, who are dressed in Black-Purple gear they brought for trade. These three are wearing the third shop's uniforms inside the Black-Purple gear. And Priest Sianya in her priestly robes. Eleanor-sama, Bonnie, Mary, and I are in Black-Purple gear with Lindwurm feathers worked in. Of course, inside my crystal, Fiona, wearing the same Black-Purple gear as me, is waiting.
As if for a send-off ceremony, we receive prayers from Cadogan-sama in the presence of the King and Queen and Crown Prince Edward. The five managers are also together.
"I am sorry to trouble you. It is shameful that it has come to this."
"Eleanor-sama, Magdalena-sama. We are sorry for the trouble."
The King and Queen apologized, but in this case, the royals are not to blame.
"No, our country should also have followed your country's example and trained women who can fight."
"Each country has its own circumstances. Since we aim for coexistence and mutual prosperity, is it not enough for each to do what they can?"
"Eleanor-dono. I am grateful for your consideration."
In Eleanor-sama's case, she's happy because she can go. The proof is that Henry-sama hasn't come. He must be frustrated.
"Sianya. You do not have to go if it is too much."
On the other hand, Crown Prince Edward was seeing off Priest Sianya.
She's his cousin. They must have spent time together as children. He's worried.
"Thank you. Eleanor-sama, who fought with Grandfather, is here, and everyone is a veteran warrior, so it's fine. Please help when men are participating."
There are two beginners, but I shouldn't say that.
"Everyone. Our country has also decided to participate in the investigation team that is active in various countries on the island toward preventing the Demon Lord's resurrection. The representatives are Crown Prince Edward and Priest Sianya. Priest Sianya, who is participating this time, will be our country's first battle. Please look after her."
"The Northern Gram representative is me and my brother Eowyn, but our country is also participating for the first time this time. Our country's royal family are not descendants of the ancients, but our feeling of wishing for the peace of the island is the same as everyone's. I look forward to working with you."
Saxburg added to Cadogan-sama's words, and everyone applauded.
"Then, let me guide you part of the way."
Cadogan-sama stood at the head. The five nobles followed, and then the King and the others and us.
The shrine is, so to speak, a small church. On the east side is a stone statue of the Goddess.
Those participating in the exploration knelt and made the Vow of Silence.
"Beyond the stone door you see there is a passage, and it connects to the mountain behind. And there is a place where men cannot enter. Beyond that is the wall in question, but it is safe until there. We do not know what lies beyond that."
The place the Archbishop pointed to was blocked by a heavy stone door with a large lock. There was a hole under the door, and from there, once a day, offerings of bread and meat or dried meat, and a cup of wine, are apparently offered. They say it disappears within half an hour of being offered. Of course, no one should be inside.
Cadogan-sama removed the lock.
It seems to be a single-leaf door that opens by pushing. The five nobles try to push open the stone door. It doesn't move easily, perhaps because it's heavy.
"H-heavy..."
"Let's call for reinforcement soldiers. It won't move at all."
They were completely out of breath. Is that why there were ten of them until now?
"Leave it to me."
Unable to watch, Crown Prince Edward stepped in and began to push.
His arm muscles are amazing. I wonder if they're about the size of my waist.
"Guuuu!"
The chest and arms of the clothes he was wearing ripped 'biri-biri'. His blood vessels stood out.
Even so, the door showed no sign of moving.
"I will assist."
Beowulf put her right shoulder to the door and began to push. Because the Crown Prince was too rugged, Beowulf looked small.
"That helps!"
When the two pushed, a 'gakon' sound was made, and it began to move gradually.
"Good luck, you two!"
Starting with Mary raising her voice, everyone was cheering, and with a 'goro-goro' sound, it finally opened.
When it was pushed fully open, both of them were drenched in sweat. They were breathing through their shoulders.
"You. What is your name?"
Crown Prince Edward spoke to Beowulf.
"I am Beowulf, a soldier of the Sertorian Kingdom Central Army."
"A brave name. Shall we have a drink when you return?"
"Gladly!"
They seemed to have hit it off, as they were hitting each other's shoulders and praising each other's efforts.
Now, the door is open.
I handed a canteen with wine to Beowulf and had the two take turns drinking. At the same time, I cast Recovery. Once their breathing was steady, it was time to set out. The signal was Beowulf putting the load the barrel sake old man brought on her back. I cast Defend, Shield, and Increase Defense twice each on the members not wearing Eleanor's armor. With this, they should be fine even if a stone thrown by a catapult hits them.
"Well then, shall we go? Bonnie, take the Firefly and stand at the head. Magdalena, second."
Eleanor-sama gave instructions. To my surprise, she made the Queen second.
When I lit the Firefly and handed it to Bonnie, a stir arose from the five nobles.
Magdalena-sama followed, and Will entered. Up to here is the vanguard. The center is Eleanor-sama, Saxburg, Miana, and me. The rear guard is Sianya, Beowulf, and Mary. I put out four Fireflies, and Bonnie at the head, Eleanor-sama, me, and Mary are holding them.
"Beowulf. I leave Sianya to you."
"Leave it to me."
We were seen off by Crown Prince Edward, who was standing at the entrance, and went inside.
The passage has a width where two people can walk side by side. The two at the head are observing while dividing the left and right. The height is also sufficient, enough for Will to walk even while holding her white silver spear upright.
It's mossy and smells of mold, and there's an atmosphere where rats could come out at any time. There might be centipedes and slugs too. Bug-types are numerous and look bad. Since I don't want them to come out if possible, I asked everyone and lit Bonnie's Firefly to the maximum. If I do that, they'll likely run away on their own.
After walking about thirty steps, there is another stone door.
Men shall not enter
is carved on it. It's not ancient characters. It's likely not that old.
When Beowulf and Will pushed, it opened without much trouble.
Inside is a circular room. It must be the women-only room. There is an exit on the opposite side of the entrance.
After entering, on the right, a large rectangular stone is placed slightly away from the wall. The height reaches nearly to the ceiling. When illuminated, it was a statue of the Goddess carved into the stone.
"Turn off the light!"
The stone statue spoke!
Magdalena-sama drew the two-handed sword at her waist and held it in front of her body. Fast!
Utilizing the effect of the Cat Stone, I cast Light with one hand.
Next, Will held her spear while putting the shield attached to her left arm forward, and Bonnie rolled her Firefly on the ground and changed her position by two or three steps while holding her bow, almost simultaneously.
"Who are you?"
Eleanor-sama asked. She's pointing the Firefly in her hand at the stone statue.
"That's why I'm telling you to turn off the light! I'll ban everyone here from entering!"
Apparently she's hiding behind the stone statue. A monster, a ghost, or a Revenant...
"Please reveal your true identity. We must also ensure our safety."
Eleanor-sama is gradually circling around to the back of the stone statue.
"Jeanne. You must not let your guard down until she reveals her true identity. She might be trying to deceive us. Please illuminate from the opposite side of the stone statue too. Let's corner her."
"I-I get it! I get it, so!"
"'I get it' does not tell us your identity."
"I'll say it, I'll say it, I'll say it! Just stop for a second!"
Um, Eleanor-sama? Aren't you being a bit mean?
The owner of the voice was a demon.
Her figure, illuminated by Miana's Fire Ball which served as a substitute for the Firefly, had black hair growing all over her body except for her bluish-purple face, so I couldn't tell well, but from the swell of her chest and her way of speaking, she seemed to be a girl. In terms of appearance, she's around her early teens. There are black kumadori-like patterns around her eyes.
"I'm monitoring this place. From this room onward, it's off-limits to men."
Apparently she's a gatekeeper. She usually lives in the forest. Like Alex, does she fly here with Teleport?
"Why is it off-limits to men?"
"I don't know. Maybe the Priestess who made this place hated men?"
The characters carved on the door weren't there from the beginning either. It seems humans who found out that men couldn't enter carved them.
The interpretation is different, but it's possible.
Even on the continent where the religion is fundamentally different, generally those who enter the priesthood are forbidden from marrying. As for me, I can't marry unless I return to secular life. When you have a family, you inevitably prioritize the family. Those in the priesthood must be equal and must serve the object of faith daily. In short, they are in the middle of training. As a result, I heard there are priests who view the opposite sex specially and avoid them.
The reason why the management of orphanages is carried out by the church is also that. Children wouldn't want to see the biological children of the person raising them being treated specially, and that child would want to be treated specially if they have parents.
"Why are you monitoring this?"
Eleanor-sama's question is natural. I thought demons were sloppy and apostate regarding matters of men and women. I had the impression they were inviting humans and interacting without any restraint...
"There's no way! Don't blame demons for humans being in heat all year round! Demons, whose breeding season is fixed, are much more restrained!"
I was scolded. I made a mistake again.
Then, why?
"A contract, a contract. I'm bound by a contract with the Priestess who made this place. There's a certain condition, and unless that condition is met, I have to monitor so that men don't enter the back."
If there's a man, the exit apparently won't open.
"What is that condition?"
"I don't know. The fact that I'm here means it hasn't been met yet. If you want to know, why don't you investigate yourself?"
Besides that, Eleanor-sama asked various things, but only worthless answers came back.
The attitude changed when Eleanor-sama ran out of material and everyone else said they had nothing to ask, and I asked, "Then, just one last thing."
"Then, just one last thing. What happens if a man enters this room?"
"I'll seduce him with Charm and kill him."
I see. It might be faster to just defeat her here.
"W-wait, wait, wait! That's the contract! Besides, it's the same even if you kill me! Surely you'll be killed even if you go inside!"
"Who will kill us?"
"Th-that is..."
She faltered. Is there some reason she can't say?
"Well, let's calm down. Besides, we've finally met. How about some wine as a token of our acquaintance?"
Eleanor-sama began negotiations.
We all sat in a circle and drank wine. Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama were holding the bowls.
Eleanor-sama sat on the demon's left, and Magdalena-sama sat on her right. As expected of Sertorian royals. They have guts.
By the instructions of the two, we sat in a circle starting from the demon with the royals, vanguard, and light infantry on the left and right, and Priest Sianya and I sat in front of the demon, and the princesses sat behind us.
"Delicious! I've never had such high-quality stuff!"
She apparently eats half of the offerings presented once a day and uses the other half as bait to catch the field mice that come in and eats them. It's pitiful beyond measure.
When I gave her Highway Cookies, she ate one bite and praised them highly. She was about to put half away as if it were precious, so when I gave her another one, she ate the rest with great joy.
I'd like to let her eat a hot pot, but there's no time. We can stop by on the way back.
"Why is a demon here?"
From what I hear, she was caught by humans and was about to be killed when her life was saved by the Ancient Priestess. And she made a contract to protect the ruins.
Well, until now, the Water Dragon protected them or humans protected them. It must be acceptable for a demon to protect them too.
"I'm a low-level demon. I can't be resurrected like the Demon Lord or high-level demons."
Apparently high-level ones are in order from the first to about the twentieth. The sixth in the Northeastern Forest is a fairly high rank, then.
"Are you not part of the Demon Lord's army?"
"Low-level demons are finished if they fight and are killed. I don't want to participate."
"It is not mandatory, then?"
"The Demon Lord is kind. He doesn't force us."
"Is that why he uses Orcs and Ogres?"
"I don't know much about that. I don't want to know. If I talk to humans about the Demon Lord's army, I'll die."
The earthworm user was saying something similar. It's likely not good to force her.
When I changed the direction of the questions and asked if I could ask about low-level demons, she said she didn't mind.
It seems there's no problem as long as it's not related to the Demon Lord's army. Since we were at it, we all asked various things.
What we found out is that demons normally live in the forest. For that, they don't show themselves.
"We usually possess animals. Because demons lose their power under the sunlight if they stay as they are."
"Possession? Does your appearance change?"
"No, we can't become like Orcs. Our appearance stays as the animal we possessed."
"Have the Orcs' appearances changed?"
"Originally. Now they stay changed, don't they?"
"'Originally' means?"
"Evil spirits of creatures from ancient times. Even before humans increased this much. For them, any vessel is fine as long as it's a living creature."
Those evil spirits gather in specific places and possess living creatures that are nearby. As a result, a great spiritual power flows into the body and the flesh transforms. The creatures that transform like that fight as instinct dictates, and those in forms that are stronger and better at survival survive. She says the result of such elimination are human-shaped monsters like Orcs, Ogres, and Cyclops. If they were originally evil spirits, it's understandable that Dune and Mel say they are not beings that should exist in this world.
"What about things like Fenrir?"
Previously, Violet had said that Fenrir is not normal, or something like that.
"I don't know. There are wolves, right? I wonder if they're powerful versions of such magic beasts."
Well, even among dragons, things like the Black Dragon are born. It wouldn't be strange if there were strengthened versions of monsters. Maybe it's all the Elves' fault.
"By the way, will you continue to be the gatekeeper from now on?"
I know the answer, but I try asking. She shouldn't be very keen. For over five thousand years, it must have been hard with nothing but field mice in a place like this. Can't something be done?
"That's right. I'm bound by the contract."
"You just have to meet the condition, right?"
"Well, yeah. But I wonder if you all can figure it out? Until now, many groups have entered, but no one figured it out."
That's not reliable. After all, there is a wall that repels all people. It's no use if we can't enter because we're blocked by the wall. If it's as the name indicates, surely no one has ever broken through.
"If we solve it, what will you do?"
"I hadn't thought about it. If I go outside, I guess I'll just possess a rabbit or a squirrel and live day by day."
"Wouldn't a bear or a wolf be better?"
Rabbits are easily hunted by hunters.
"My magic is weak. Although I'm good at transformation and Charm. That's why I can't possess very large animals."
I see, so that's why she was caught by humans.
When I looked at Eleanor-sama, she told me there's the Vow of Silence.
Beowulf and the others also nodded. It's as promised that they are giving a slight wry smile.
"We'll go inside and investigate various things. If we find out the condition, is it okay if we come and talk to you again?"
"I don't mind, but why?"
"Why don't you come to our farm once? If you like, please look after the rabbits and squirrels with us. We'll guarantee a place to live and three meals. Although the amount per meal is the same as a normal human. If mead is okay, you can drink about one cup every night."
She was blank for a moment, but for an instant, the corners of her mouth rose.
"Do as you like."
Her mouth has returned to its original state.
"Yes. I'll do as I like."
If she can possess rabbits and squirrels, she'll be able to catch them alive. It's not Saxburg, but if we succeed in breeding them, we might be able to get a lot of meat and fur. It might become new livestock for the farm, and because the danger is low, it might become a measure for people in poverty. Of course, that's if she wishes for it.