Chapter 411 - Chapter 2: Exploration of the Silver Mine (5)
On the second day, since we’ve gotten the hang of it, it was decided that we would be taken not to the third layer of the first floor, but to the second and third floors.
“How many floors are there in total?”
When Eleanor-sama asked, the answer was four.
“Is that fourth floor the bottom?”
“No, there’s a lowest floor.”
“The lowest floor... that means, in other words...”
“That’s right, it’s the place where the elves struck the source of magic power.”
Apparently, relatively large Magic Stones can still be mined on the fourth floor, and there are quite large Magic Stones on the lowest floor. And, in the bottom layer of the lowest floor, there is a vertical shaft as deep as a well, and magic power gushed out from there. It is the cause of the creation of the Northeastern Forest.
When Alex and his brothers entered for exploration, the magic power had apparently already been exhausted, and only a tiny bit was welling up. It’s just like the source of a hot spring. As a result of the walls of the vertical shaft being exposed to extremely dense magic power, everything had turned into Magic Stones and silver, and they were shining in the darkness. It’s like the inside of a volcano’s crater where a Fire Dragon lives.
“It was a beautiful and terrifying sight.”
“Did you see it?”
“Yeah, we can create a wall... a ball that can significantly block magic power temporarily and go inside... something like that. It’s like the Black Dragon Child’s cocoon. Though, it’s not a technique as advanced as the Black Dragon Child’s cocoon, which naturally dismantles when the magic power concentration becomes low.”
Presumably, because it was a cocoon made of magic power, it broke when it lost magic power. Alex’s words were surely out of consideration for the Black Dragon Child.
“Would it be impossible with Wind Barrier or a ball made with Jeanne’s Light?”
“It’d probably be impossible. It’s impossible with human magic control ability. It has to be us or the elves.”
“Can elves do it too?”
“Of course they can. Their magic control ability is equal to us dwarves.”
“Then, why, when it flowed out... that...”
“Why the elves who were in the tunnel were annihilated, right?”
Alex put into words what Eleanor-sama was hesitating to say. Being royalty, she probably showed consideration for the elves. She is a former Queen, after all.
“They can't use long-distance Teleport. So, they endured but couldn't escape. It’s the same as how dwarves can't use long-duration Illusion or Camouflage.”
“Then, when the magic power flowed out, the elves who were in this mine...”
“They should have been annihilated. However, no corpses were found. Weren't they eaten by monsters?”
“For example, could they have become evil spirits?”
“I don't know. It’s not that I know they did, but there’s no guarantee they didn't.”
Well, that’s true. There’s probably no way to prove they absolutely didn't.
“Normally, what happens when their lifespan comes?”
“Memory.”
“Memory?”
I don't know what he’s talking about.
“In short. There is no soul or anything; it just becomes a memory and is passed on to the next generation. You’ve heard that Dryads inherit the memories of successive Dryads from the tree, right?”
Come to think of it, I heard something like that once.
“It’s the same as that. Dryads temporarily entrust their memories to a single tree. We entrust our memories to the next generation.”
Entrusting memories...
“Then, if Alex dies, the next generation will know about me?”
“That’s right. The next generation of Alex, also known as Alexander the Great, is still Alexander the Great.”
Somehow, I’ve become even more confused.
Putting aside Alex’s death, which I don't need to think about for the time being, I have to search for worms and solve the mystery of the Demon Realm. With the addition of Matilda, clad in Eleanor’s armor and helmet and swinging a silver mace, the vanguard has increased by one.
Beyond the point where we descended to the second floor, there were slugs near the monster-repelling barrier as usual.
With the advice of Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama, Sense Living, Subordination and Light, reconnaissance by Goblins, preemptive attacks with silver arrows and magic, and then attacks by the vanguard with silver weapons. With all this gathered, a single monster, let alone anything D-rank or lower, is no threat at all. We easily conquered the second and third floors, plus the third-and-a-half floor, and caught several D-rank worms and obtained several eggs.
“Finally, tomorrow is the fourth floor. Since we’ve made it so you can't enter the lowest floor, the fourth floor is the last.”
“I bet there’ll be nothing but C-ranks. Let’s work hard to defeat them and earn extermination rewards and profits.”
Beatrix is on a roll. She’s been chanting nothing but Ice Cube, but day by day, its power has increased.
“It’s because the magic power is becoming denser and easier to manipulate.”
Alex is analyzing calmly, but for Beatrix, she seems to like that part.
“Well, it’s just right for practice.”
“Right? And you see, I thought of something.”
“What?”
“Slugs.”
“What about slugs?”
“If, as Jeanne said, slugs are absorbing the magic power emitted by the barrier, what would happen if a human on the surface went inside a barrier and unleashed magic?”
“For a high-level mage, I don't think it would change much.”
“What about kids who only use one beginner magic, or haven't learned any, practicing?”
I see! It’s for the practice of the kids who are acting as landowners!
“Ho ho, you’ve thought of something. A viewpoint unique to a human with weak magic control ability.”
“Right? Don't you think they’ll get a bit more used to magic power?”
Since the barrier is holy magic, it’s not harmful to humans. Even for kids who can't use magic, if the image of unleashing magic is correct, they might be able to feel the concentration of magic power even if they can't unleash it.
“Alex. Is such a thing possible?”
Eleanor-sama bit onto the idea. In a sense, the Northeastern Forest and this mine might become good practice grounds for mages. As long as there is falling into darkness, opportunities for high-level mages to train are limited. It doesn't change no matter how many E-rank Orcs they defeat.
“Inside the barrier, the magic power is just a tiny bit, but denser than in a place with nothing. It’s definitely a possibility. Even for us dwarves, magic power is easier to handle inside this mine.”
“If that is the case, this place might be effective as a training ground for mages, then?”
“It’s a bit too dense here. It’s one thing to spend half a day for three or four days like this time, but if you think of it as a training ground, humans might fall into darkness. Besides, sorry, but I won't let you do it here. It’s too dangerous. This time, I’m letting humans in like this specifically because the mystery of the Demon Realm might be solved. As Beatrix said, it’s better to practice inside a barrier.”
“Hmm,” she looked disappointed.
“Alex. The Northeastern Forest is still denser in magic power than other forests, right? Is it no good there?”
This time, Roberts-sama is asking.
“Come to think of it, that might be true. Roberts-san’s unit is hunting all the time, right? Is there any difference?”
“If you say there is, there is.”
According to Roberts-sama’s story, since they started monster extermination in the Black Forest, the growth of mages has been faster than in other units. Of course, since the number of monsters is high, the number of battles increases, so that could be considered the reason. Actually, it seems he had thought so until now.
“Come to think of it, Mary and I each learned one high-level magic by participating in the Eastern Plains Corps’ monster extermination.”
That’s right. Unfortunately, because the Black Dragon Child appeared and such, I wasn't able to learn one.
“Then, I will speak to the Magic Corps Commander and have the young ones go on business trips to the Eastern Plains Corps and the Eastern Plains Paratroop Jaeger Unit in rotation.”
“Mother, that would be appreciated on our end, but the desired results might not come out.”
“It does not matter. We just need to raise the salary of those who produce results.”
“I see. Then, I leave it to you.”
It was decided quite easily.
“Regarding the barrier, we will try it in the Royal Capital. Please also try it in the village where Beatrix is acting as landowner. Let’s exchange information, and if good results come out, let’s add it to the textbook.”
“Okay!”
Harrison-san is in the village. Barriers would be his specialty.
“Hey, can I use mid-level wind magic?”
Suddenly, Lyudmila got motivated. Her goal was the worm, but it’s because this might be a chance to learn Tornado Wind, the harvesting and threshing magic she’s been longing for.
“Of course, I don't mind. If you want to learn Tornado Wind, you should use Favorable Wind. Practice making a vortex as if to involve the monsters, not just sending wind.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
Before I knew it, the objectives had become three.
On the fourth day, we finally reached the fourth floor. First, the first layer.
While not exactly rolling around, if we dug at a mining site, we could see one Magic Stone about the size of a chicken egg.
“So this is the raw stone. It’s kind of just as it is.”
According to Alex, Magic Stones found anywhere are mostly the same, having an oblong shape. What’s different is the size. Surely, the elves dug up all the large ones.
“This time is special. I’ll give one to each member of the Class of 175 and Robinson. Provided they’re found, of course. Large ones are no good.”
Since they’re small, they’re apparently worth about two and a half gold coins each, but there’s no way we wouldn't be motivated. Since it was decided to dig only one per mining site, we decided to detect with Sense Living and target the ones that weren't moving, presumably resting at the mining sites, to exterminate them.
Being the fourth floor, they were indeed stronger than the third floor.
The ones there were the same as the third floor, but their defense had increased. This is certain because it’s the result of Roberts-sama confirming the feel. To be honest, I don't know about the attack power. Because there were none that used magic, I didn't know about magic either. Once we cornered them with Light and Lyudmila’s Favorable Wind, and Beatrix stopped their movement with Ice Cube, the rest wasn't so difficult.
“We haven't touched this place much yet. About once a month, when we check the magic power outflow, we dig one or two Magic Stones as souvenirs. We haven't grasped all the tunnels, either.”
According to Alex, they probably haven't seen even half. Actually, compared to the tunnels on the first to third floors, the construction is somewhat crude. Dwarf hands probably haven't entered much. However, the second layer of the first floor, which Alex and his brothers are currently digging, is the widest, and the tunnels are also the longest. In the era of the elves, who only dug high-purity silver, they seem to have dug deeper and deeper.
“In other words, there might be monsters we’ve never seen before.”
“To be precise, it’s ‘they might have achieved developments we’ve never seen before.’”
He’s correcting Beatrix’s words. Apparently, there aren't that many new species. And one of the developments never seen before would be the giant worm.
“Fortunately, that guy doesn't dig vertically much. It’s mostly horizontal. However, because it puts anything in its mouth, the holes are expanding on their own.”
“Are cave-ins and such okay?”
It was as Eleanor-sama said. If it’s digging on its own, it might collapse eventually.
“It’s fine. Worms don't dig in dangerous places. Besides, mucus from its body... not that glowing one. It’s mucus that hardens the surrounding walls. Since it’s emitting that from its body, it won't collapse so easily.”
Then, it’s a relief. Come to think of it, the holes I saw during the Demon Lord subjugation war also had hardened perimeters.
“Then, if we find a place hardened with that mucus, we’ll know the worm’s location.”
“That’s how it is. But I mostly know the location. I’ll guide you.”
Alex answered Beatrix’s question. Confirming how the holes are expanding because of the worm seems to be one of the jobs.
Along the way, we exterminated several monsters and finally detected the giant worm. It’s remarkably long. Longer than a snake.
Judging from the situations we’ve encountered so far, this big one might also have come to scavenge the corpses of the monsters we defeated. After all, there are Orcs, rats, scorpions, and spiders. Since only the snake becomes a profit, there are few that Alex transported. There are no Ghouls, but freshly dead corpses become food for monsters. The worm must have come to scavenge without fail. In the case of the worm, it was eating the soil and dung around the corpses, so it would be after some time had passed.
The giant worm, like the other worms, crawled forward through the tunnel from beyond the darkness. Since it was spread almost across the entire tunnel, we hurriedly dug a side hole and evacuated. It slid past right before our eyes.
“This thing is alive, isn't it?”
I can see why Beatrix said that. It’s like a log being towed. It’s dark brown, with stripe-like patterns running horizontally across its body, and somehow hair is growing sparsely. Just like the worms we’ve seen so far, it’s sliding forward as if expanding and contracting. Its thickness is also quite something, reaching from the ground to around my waist.
“How do we exterminate this?”
“You’ll have to think of that yourselves. You can get the extermination reward, can't you?”
Since the giant worm is C-rank, it will be two gold coins. The profit will also be quite an amount if it’s this big.
As a result of a noisy discussion, it was decided after all to confirm where it was going and freeze its head once it settled down. This was because Flora and Lyudmila, who do worm breeding at the farm, said it would hibernate. If we carelessly attacked and it went on a rampage, a cave-in might occur.
Taking a break, we slowly watch it pass by. Since it rests occasionally, it doesn't proceed very quickly.
“Hey, there might be eggs or children, so let’s go see where it came from first.”
Lyudmila was getting impatient.
There is space above the worm. While the bowl is impossible, it should be fine if we crouch and ride on the plates.
This proposal passed, and we decided to jump over the worm by dividing onto Eleanor-sama’s and Beatrix’s plates.
In the direction the worm came from, there is a hole that doesn't look like a tunnel.
“It’s made a new hole. Look at the walls, they’re hardened, right?”
As Alex says, it resembles the walls of the holes the Demon Race worm-user was digging. It’s as if something has been smeared on them.
“I wonder where it came from? Because if it’s not inside a tunnel, there’s no food, right?”
It’s Beatrix. No matter how many holes it digs, food is... Wait? Hold on a second.
“Hey, Alex. Do worms eat Magic Stones or something?”
“I don't know. Honestly, I thought they didn't, but after hearing the stories about slugs and Ogres, it seems like a possibility, doesn't it?”
“Let’s just go as far as we can. Even if it ate Magic Stones, the dung becomes fertilizer, right? It’s perfect. I want to see how giant a thing that big one does.”
Alex is laughing loudly.
Beatrix, I thought I wanted to see it too, but I think a lady of marriageable age shouldn't say it out loud.