Chapter 390 - Chapter 7: The Giant's Cave (3)
Once the monsters that came out from the Demon Realm were driven away, the diversionary unit began its withdrawal.
Since they left behind a large amount of alcohol and food packed in wooden boxes, they didn't seem to have much trouble retreating.
After taking a break, we went outside and completed the camouflage of the first base while keeping a lookout for approaching monsters with Fiona's scouting and Sense Living.
Going outside, I flew the bowl over the ruins.
The monsters were in high spirits, having won a battle and obtained spoils.
Wooden boxes were piled up in front of the ruins, and the Orcs had abandoned their camouflage and were relaxing.
In total, there were about a hundred. Most were Orcs. There were fewer than ten Cyclopes and Trolls combined.
The Gigant was no longer camouflaged as a thicket. It was probably a bear hide; it was wrapped around its waist, and its face was clearly visible. Its skin color was about the same as a tanned human. It had no horns. Its shaggy black hair hung down to its shoulders. It had a sturdy-looking jaw and a deep-set, square face. Being a monster, its eyes were red.
A metal club lay at its feet.
When it shouted something toward the forest, to my surprise, about twenty Goblins came out. All of them were holding buckets in their hands.
Are they captured? I thought, but that didn't seem to be the case. Firstly, they weren't thin, and there were no signs of them being beaten. Furthermore, other Goblins came rolling several washbasins out from the forest.
When the Gigant pointed at the ruins and shouted something, the monsters and Goblins began to move all at once.
The Goblins ran toward the ruins, and the Orcs dragged out ropes made of bundled vines from the forest.
The vine ropes were dragged into the ruins by the Orcs holding the ends.
After a while, when an Orc who came out from the ruins gave a signal, the Cyclopes and Trolls pulled the vine ropes remaining on the ground.
They were pulling with "Heave-ho, heave-ho," but the pulling stopped at the Orc's signal. In the meantime, the Orcs formed a line from the ruins to the lined-up washbasins.
Before long, buckets filled with water were relayed by the Orcs' hands and emptied into the washbasins.
The Gigant obtained a bucket full of water and was drinking it deliciously. The other monsters also took turns scooping water with wooden bowls and drinking. The pack had obtained fresh water from the well.
Having settled down after drinking water, the wooden boxes were opened this time. Food and alcohol were distributed, and a banquet began for everyone. The Goblins were with them too.
The Goblin mothers brought their children. The children gathered around the Gigant and began to climb up its body. The Gigant laughed, and seeing that, all the monsters laughed too.
The stone statue of the Goddess was also not particularly damaged.
"Goblins are spirits, so they are intelligent and dexterous. Those buckets, washbasins, and bowls were probably made by imitating things made by humans."
Price-sama said.
In the past, priests lived in the ruins. Even after the Gigant occupied it, human lifestyle remained. Perhaps the Goblins living in a corner of the forest witnessed humans using tools.
After seeing that the Gigant's unit had entered complete banquet mode, we decided to return to the fortress.
"Jeanne, did you see the Goblin children?"
"Yes. They were clearly attached to the Gigant."
"It seems the monsters of this forest have achieved a magnificent co-existence and co-prosperity."
Price-sama said.
"James-sama, Gwyn-sama. The Demon Realm aside, it might be better not to lay a hand on the monsters of this forest."
"Indeed. We haven't been requested by Morandine to subjugate them, after all."
"I don't mind leaving them as they are at all."
It was decided easily. I thought there would be no more fighting here, but...
"Then, what shall we do about the Demon Realm?"
"The number of monsters is said to have increased significantly. If Sir Edgar's unit fought a considerable number of monsters, I think we must report it. As a result, there might be some kind of request for us."
Hmm. So the monsters of the Demon Realm are a different matter.
When we returned to the fortress, the soldiers were having a banquet.
Even if only partially, they had won a crushing victory despite an overwhelming difference in military strength. The battle against the Revenants in the previous war still cast a dark shadow over the soldiers. It's no wonder they would get drunk on a victory that seemed to overturn that. Those were James-sama's words.
"James-sama, it is a great joy to see your safe return."
"Ah, Sir Edgar. Thank you. It seems things went well on your end too."
"Yes. As expected of the hero Roberts. And the people that hero personally chose. Before the battle, I thought we were at a considerable disadvantage, but the three of them overturned it easily."
"The commander-in-chief was you. It's your victory."
"You are too kind."
Roberts-sama and the others were surrounded by soldiers. They seemed to have toasted many times, and several were already asleep. Of course, there would be sentries, but isn't this a bit too relaxed?
"Oh, you're back. How did it go?"
Roberts-sama raised his hand.
"The first stage is about finished."
"How many will participate tomorrow?"
"I'd like to say everyone, but I have an idea. I'll tell you the details tomorrow morning."
"Understood. Then I must make sure not to drink too much. Edward, no drinking contests."
"A-Ah, yes. Let's prepare for tomorrow."
He replied as if relieved.
Seeing Eowyn-sama chuckling, it might have been Roberts-sama who invited him.
The next morning, we were seen off by Sir Edgar and the fortress soldiers as we departed. It was just one of James-sama's bowls. The participants were James-sama, Price-sama, Gwyn-sama, and me. Of course, Fiona was with us too. In short, it was the same combination for the second day in a row.
"I've asked Roberts and the others to perform a diversion again today, as there's a requirement. However, unlike yesterday, the ones they'll be attacking are the monsters of the Demon Realm."
Requirement... Are they going to reduce the monsters of the Demon Realm, which are said to have increased significantly? There's also what happened with Roberts-sama yesterday. The monsters of the Demon Realm will surely be timid and hesitant. For the Fenrir class, Roberts-sama and the others probably aren't much of a threat. As a monster hunter, I wanted to participate in that side.
After arriving at the second base, it was nothing but exploration.
Since a limestone cave is like a maze, we started by making a detailed map.
Price-sama seems to be good at this kind of work, and he was carefully drawing the shape of the cave I illuminated on parchment. I had been taught map-making by Paul-san, but the method was fundamentally different. Measuring distance by steps was the same, but it was more intuitive, or rather, rough.
"In the field, there should be things that serve as landmarks. Rocks, trees, cliffs—the basic is to remember all of them exactly as they look. In other words, you memorize the terrain. That way, you can determine your current position from the surrounding scenery."
I heard similar things from Paul-san.
"However, in a cave, you rely only on a small light. If there's even a slight difference in the map, those following it will get confused."
Normally, a lantern or a torch is the light. My Light is too special.
For example, this room. He pointed to the surroundings.
Drops were dripping from the slimy, ocher-colored stone walls. Several side holes were open.
"The hole we came through to get here is this one. From that hole, which number hole to the right is the correct passage to the next area? Or, how far away is the hole? If you make a mistake, you'll get lost."
Limestone cave exploration is apparently quite specialized.
Fortunately, the monsters were all bats and house centipedes. We grasped the general positions of the monsters with Sense Living and approached as close as possible. Then, scouting by Fiona. Since it would be bad if Fiona got lost, she went through the holes holding a rope. The lights during that time were, of course, lanterns and torches. Whether it was bats or house centipedes, we wiped them out with Price-sama's or my Overflow.
In that way, half a day passed.
"It's taking more time than I thought."
While we were all eating lunch, James-sama said with a sigh.
"This is intentionally made to take time. There's a possibility it's designed so that those who enter from the well will have trouble exploring."
"Price-sama. What on earth..."
Instead of answering James-sama, Price-sama showed us the map of the cave he had been making.
"As you can see, it's full of dead ends. Moreover, in the large rooms, there are multiple holes large enough for a human to enter, and most of them are dead ends. I'm not very familiar with limestone caves, but I wonder if such a cave exists naturally?"
He was saying that no matter how you think about it, it's unnatural.
In any case, the problem is the efficiency of exploration time. At this rate, we don't know how many days it will take. We have to do something.
"Um, if it's made to mislead intruders from the well, wouldn't the destination be as far from the well as possible?"
Normally, that would be the case. There's no point in making a complex maze if the goal is near the entrance.
"That is true, but since we don't know how far it continues, we have no choice but to investigate thoroughly."
Price-sama said, but...
"The place we entered was a man-made hole. In other words, it's not the original entrance."
"The original entrance..."
"Yes. First, why don't we look for the original entrance and exit of the cave?"
The original entrance and exit probably shouldn't be easy to enter. In other words, the place furthest from the entrance where explorers enter would be near the naturally occurring hole. If so, it would be faster to investigate carefully around that hole.
"But Jeanne. Is such a thing possible?"
Price-sama asked. He probably hasn't exterminated bats before.
"Well, it's the bats."
"The bats..."
Bats go outside at night. Bats are also in the depths of the cave, but there are more near the entrance. In other words, we just need to search for the bat colonies with Sense Living. And when the sun sets, the bats go outside. If we follow the movement of the colony, we should reach the exit.
"I see. Then let's proceed with the exploration centered on where the bats are."
Price-sama agreed, and we decided to make a map of bat habitats.
Perhaps because I've done it many times, I've become able to distinguish between bats and house centipedes with Sense Living. Bats are on the ceiling, and house centipedes are also on the walls and floor. In other words, whether they are in a clump or scattered is different. And some house centipedes are changing their positions. I haven't heard that house centipedes go outside regularly, so I decided to ignore directions where there were only house centipedes.
While making the bat habitat map, I realized something. The limestone cave doesn't have such a complex shape. Even for bats, it would be hard to live in a place that's too complex.
As per Price-sama's guess, the complex parts must be the ones intentionally dug.
The original holes have high ceilings, and the wall surfaces are covered with strange-shaped rocks. In contrast, the places we first crawled into and the dead ends have ceilings so low you have to crouch, and the wall surfaces aren't that strange. As I got used to it, I became able to recognize the original cave even without checking the bats' positions. Once that happened, we were able to follow the natural cave rapidly. I had Fiona return to the crystal and proceeded while illuminating with Light. As a result, a sight I had never seen before spread out before my eyes.
Giant stones shaped like several tiers of waterfalls turned into stone had water dripping down their surfaces. Because the amount of water itself was small, it was a waterfall where many droplets fell in succession; ponds that looked like several stone washbasins lined up—one after another, natural formations that could be called masterpieces appeared before our eyes.
"This is a sight that could never be seen with torches or lanterns. It's only possible because of Jeanne's Light."
While looking at an island that looked like several lumps piled up in the middle of a wide pond where not a single sound of water could be heard, spreading under a high ceiling like a great cathedral, Price-sama spoke to me.
"No, not at all. Even so, it's a mysterious formation."
"Yes. It is said that limestone caves were founded by gods represented by the Goddess before we humans appeared in this world, and were polished and finished by spirits. There are large and small ones on the continent, and they convey that the age when magic could be used... that is, the age of the gods, certainly existed."
Curve... a magic that could be called legendary, with very few who can use it. If I recall, the seal spirit... no, the coast spirit could use it. If they made the coastal formations, what kind of spirit made these underground formations? Since it's not a mine, it wouldn't be a Dwarf. Is it a spirit I haven't met yet? Could it be the Great Earth Spirit Gnome?
While continuing the exploration while looking at the various mysterious formations and letting my imagination run wild, we came to a cliff-like fissure. The ground beneath our feet disappeared as if it had been cut away, and a black space spread out. When I illuminated it with Light, I could see water flowing. It was like an underground canyon. The cave continued beyond the cliff. It felt like the cave was blocked by the cliff. The width of the cliff was not a distance that could be jumped across.
"This is, so to speak, the boundary."
Price-sama said while looking at the flow at our feet.
In other words, it seems certain that this is a place meant to block those coming from this side.
"Then, the Goddess statue is probably beyond here?"
"It's reasonable to think so."
Price-sama answered James-sama's question.
"It seems we must cross this."
Since James-sama was there, we could go across on the bowl. Despite that, Price-sama had a grim expression. Was there something?
After crossing to the opposite bank on the bowl, Price-sama walked ahead about five or six steps and then stopped.
"Jeanne. Any reaction from Sense Living?"
"None."
"Then, instead of Sense Living, please search with your own senses."
My own senses?
I didn't quite understand the meaning, but for now, I stopped the activation of Sense Living.
I closed my eyes and searched the surrounding presence.
Huh? This feeling...
Somehow, it feels unpleasant.
It's slightly different, but it's a feeling I've somehow felt before...
"Could it be a ghost?"
"Yes. Is it the same as the ghosts you've met so far?"
"It seems slightly different..."
I've met many ghosts starting with Fiona, but I didn't get an unpleasant feeling like this time.
"It's an evil spirit. And it's not a fake like the one we met once. It's the real thing. Moreover, it's quite powerful. If we're not careful, we'll all be killed here."
I gasped at Price-sama's words.