Chapter 413 - Chapter 2: Exploration of the Silver Mine (7)
“What? It’s not just one.”
“Hey, just in case, huddle in one spot and be ready to escape with Teleport.”
Everyone gathers around me. As told beforehand, the humans and elves grab the sturdy shoulders of the dwarves nearby with one hand. As long as they are firmly touching, they can jump together.
Counting the passages, there are five. I add two Fireflies, keep one at hand, and had the Elder fly the remaining four near the entrances of the passages. Just in case, I keep the light dimmed to the minimum.
The sliding, dragging sound gradually draws closer. I want to search with Sense Living, but I can't do that.
“Hey. Block the hole first. We’ll handle things on this side.”
“Understood.”
Two dwarves went out through the hole we entered from. There are sounds like digging up soil and dry clink-clink sounds. Furthermore, there were thud-thud sounds, but they gradually grew quieter and finally became inaudible.
The remaining dwarf crouches and places his hand on the ground, chanting something. A magic circle floats up on the ground, and white light rises. A barrier that protects everyone was completed. Just like with Teleport, it’s instantaneous. With this, we are protected from monsters of C-rank or lower. From monsters, that is.
“We’ve blocked it.”
A voice comes from right behind me, where the last person was.
I was startled. They’re back already.
“We blocked the hole and, while we were at it, set a barrier. At least C-rank monsters shouldn't be able to get close.”
Just as some sound came right there.
“Jeanne!”
Alex’s signal came.
I make the Fireflies shine with maximum power.
Giant things writhe in the narrow passage. They are bumping into the ceiling and walls alike. There are five of them. Because of that, the ground shakes.
“What? What are those?”
“Land Worms! And they’re not of ordinary size!”
A dwarf answers the Elf Prince.
The thickness of the one we saw earlier was lower than my waist from the ground. The ones approaching now exceed my height. There are five of them. Because they are worms, perhaps they can't make cries; they are just thrashing about with thump-thump sounds. Eventually, they changed direction and vanished into the back.
As I watch, taken aback, there is a spine-chilling sensation.
“It’s an evil spirit! Be careful!”
I hold the Firefly at hand with both hands above my head and chant the Chant of Exorcism. The four human warriors forming a formation to protect me immediately join in the chant. I must watch everyone’s condition closely. Depending on the situation, I may need to switch the Fireflies to a wall.
Under the pressure of the Fireflies, blackish-blue flames are trailing behind. If it’s an evil spirit, black tentacles like those of an anemone will attack. Since we have silver weapons, I think we’ll be fine, but it’s still better to have distance. We must prevent it from getting close.
Suddenly, the evil spirit unleashed a giant fireball.
Is it a technique used by ghosts? Or is it elf magic?
“My son!”
“Yes.”
At the Elder’s signal, the Elf Prince puts his right hand forward.
Instantly, the fireball vanished.
Next, there were attacks with various magics like lightning, ice, water, and earth, but he dispels them one after another.
“Isn't it about time the vanguard charged in?”
Matilda was getting impatient. With Eleanor’s armor, we can block magic. But it’s elf magic. It’s different from human magic. If we carelessly charge in, we might get beaten.
“Don't be hasty, Matilda. Our role is to protect Jeanne to the end. Without Jeanne’s Light, we absolutely cannot win.”
“A-ah, yes. I’m sorry.”
At Roberts-sama’s words, Matilda, who had taken a step forward, returned to her original position. As expected of Roberts-sama. This is a relief.
The evil spirit flings magic, and the Prince dispels it. If it becomes a war of attrition, wouldn't the evil spirit be more advantageous? I wonder if the dwarves can't interfere with elf magic, or if they intend to intervene when the Elf Prince runs out of breath; they are holding their hammers without breaking formation.
In the midst of that, the Elf Elder crouches and places his hand on the ground, and when he chants something, a magic circle floats up.
“Elf. Can you suppress that with that?”
“It is not so. If those flames are ancestors, they should notice this magic circle.”
“Then, is this magic circle just for show?”
“You will see if you watch.”
As the dwarves and elves were exchanging words, a whoosh-whoosh sound began. It’s the evil spirit. While enduring the pressure of the Light, it gradually approached. The dwarves gripped their hammers tighter, and Matilda’s chanting became particularly loud. Perhaps they were being controlled by the evil spirit; the worm monsters have stopped moving. If that’s the case, I change the direction of the light of the five Fireflies toward here and gather the light where everyone is huddled.
“Guaaaaaaaa!”
At a sensation as if my spine were being scratched by sharp claws, I unintentionally arch my back. Will’s and Matilda’s chanting stops. Roberts-sama and Lewis-san are continuing. It must be the difference of those who have experienced many actual battles.
“Jeanne-dono! Please weaken the light!”
Is it okay? When I look at Alex, after closing his eyes and pausing, he gave one firm nod as if making up his mind.
It can't be helped.
“Please don't let your guard down.”
Saying so, I weaken the light of the five Fireflies and again hold the one in my hand high.
When the Elf Elder raises both hands high, the magic circle on the ground began to move. It floats up near the ceiling as if passing through everyone’s bodies. The blackish-blue flames of the evil spirit, with nothing to block them, are now burning brightly.
“Father, this is...”
“Watch closely. The time will come for you to use this as well.”
Just as the Elder answered the Elf Prince, a voice echoed.
(You, you are elf royalty.)
A heavy voice echoes directly in my head. Is the magic circle the Elder raised the ghost version of Thought Communication? It might be that the opponent must be an elf, though.
“Indeed. I am acting as the current Elder.”
(Elder? What is that?)
“The direct line of high-level elves was cut off in the previous generation. I am an illegitimate child. Therefore, I do not call myself King, and am called Elder by everyone.”
(What? The direct line was cut off, you say. Is that true?)
“It is true. Both you and I are elves. Then, you should know whether what I have just said is a lie or not.”
Suddenly, an eerie laughter echoed in my head. The blackish-blue flames flicker as if laughing.
(Then, let us have you tell us of the end of the direct line.)
“I do not mind, but I want you to promise not to harm these people. These people have no guilt.”
(Dwarves and humans? Elves have changed, haven't they. Fine, I shall guarantee their safety.)
Saying so, it laughed pleasantly.
Hearing that, the dwarves sat down cross-legged with a sigh.
“You should sit too. Elves keep their promises. Jeanne, you can deactivate the Fireflies, too.”
When the Elf Prince said so, he produced several flames with magic to serve as lights.
Since the Elder also sat, I deactivated the Fireflies and the five humans also sat. The unpleasant feeling unique to evil spirits also vanished.
“Please accompany me for a bit of old talk.”
The Elder said so and began to talk about the end of the former elf society, based on the memories inherited from the previous generation... that is, the last King of the elves.
Recklessly, the elves, who dug deep underground seeking silver and large Magic Stones, struck the source of magic power and caused extremely dense magic power to overflow. As a result, magic power contaminated the entire Northeastern Forest, and millions upon millions of monsters, which were transformed insects and beasts, attacked the elves who were trying to build a kingdom in the forest. The elves suffered a devastating blow, and only a few managed to escape from the Northeastern Forest. Afterward, the elves became a wandering people and lived scattered in various parts of the island. In that process, the class system itself disappeared. The last King of the elves and the Elder’s father became romantically involved with a lady-in-waiting who had looked after him in various ways during their wanderings, and the Elder was born.
“My grandfather was one who held the ambition to become a King who united the races of the island by obtaining the power of silver. He challenged the monsters to battle as if to take responsibility for destroying elf society, and finally died. His son, my father, was sent away beforehand. He managed to survive somehow with the help of the lower-level elves who followed him. In that way, he created an elf village without class differences and managed to survive.”
Afterward, he met the first King and formed a joint front aiming for the recovery of the Northeastern Forest.
(Then, there is no King now, and no Prince either?)
Um, I feel like there was a Prince.
“Now, we choose the most excellent among the next generation and make him my son. That is the Prince who is here now.”
(Then, do you intend to restore the royalty again?)
With a whoosh, the blackish-blue flames grow larger. Please don't react to every little thing.
“No. It is different. My next generation will be chosen by the people of the village. The reason my father calls himself royalty and Elder, and I call myself Prince, is because some kind of title is necessary in external negotiations.”
The Prince answered. Once you know the inner workings, it makes one hesitate to call him Prince. But this person is the face of the elves, then? For that, he’s far too unfriendly. He seems to have become more expressive recently, though.
(Expressionlessness is proof of the elven boldness of not being surprised by anything. Though I was bad at it because of my position.)
The evil spirit of the elf, who was rich in emotional expression, was apparently a site supervisor of the mine.
I also understood why elves are expressionless. And the evil spirit’s mood improved. To be precise, it might be a pseudo-spirit and not an evil spirit.
“He... no, they are so-called evil spirits, but they are different from human evil spirits. In the case of humans, it would be a soul, but in the case of elves, it is a collection of memories.”
“A collection of memories?”
“Human evil spirits are probably souls that have lost their reason, right? In other words, they must be established by instinct and emotion. In the case of dwarves and elves, they are memories. They do not lose their reason. Usually, it is rare for emotions to be mixed in, but when they are, they become existences like human evil spirits. The magic circle my father used is one used during the transmission of memories, and it makes conversation with memories possible.”
The Elf Prince says something complicated again. Recently, he’s started showing a smile at least a little, but the difficulty of what he’s saying is the same as ever.
“How should I put it, they’re just a bit different from humans. Humans leave past memories as records on parchment and such, right? Dwarves and elves pass memories to the next generation. Apparently, that burning thing is the memory itself.”
Alex explains.
I didn't know memories had a form. However, that spine-chilling sensation, I thought it was an evil spirit.
(We are evil spirits. We are existences for the purpose of taking revenge on and killing those scum who called themselves high-level elves, were obsessed with that pathetic delusion of an elf kingdom that would never be realized, and sent us into this underground.)
It’s blowing out blackish-blue flames grandly while laughing loudly. I’ve never heard of an evil spirit that laughs so energetically.
Since it was laughing forever and was noisy, I brought out a Firefly and illuminated it. It’s making a fuss, telling me to stop, and moving away. It’s quite different from the Prince.
In the end, with the high-level elves almost annihilated and class differences gone, the evil spirit was satisfied and returned to its original mysterious collection of memories. The Elder apparently thought of the collection of memories immediately upon the report of elf evil spirits appearing in the silver mine of the Northeastern Forest. Among elves, things like this happen rarely. For example, when an accident or conflict occurs where a large number of elves die all at once. At such times, because there is no one to transmit to, the memories apparently wander. Well, it’s probably like human souls wandering and becoming ghosts.
“I don't really get it, but in the end, does it mean there’s no need to fight?”
Matilda was left with nothing to do. She was seriously trying to strike at an evil spirit.
As the talk between the evil spirit and the Elder proceeded, the past atrocious situation came to light.
As Alex said, when the elves struck the source of magic power, many lower-level elves were being worked in the tunnels. What separated high and low was power accompanied by bloodline; in other words, their character and aptitude were not inferior.
While desperately preventing the outflow of magic power, the elves, who did not have long-distance Teleport, dug a hole and made an emergency shelter. After gathering there, they blocked the hole and waited for the magic power outflow to subside. If it were the first layer, there would have been a way to escape upward, but it was the lower layer. There were multiple tunnels above, and reaching them would mean being contaminated by magic power. Unable to move, they remained here. However, the magic power that flowed out was of a scale that contaminated the entire Northeastern Forest. It was not something that would subside at all. The elves, whose food and water, which were only a tiny bit, were also exhausted, entrusted their memories to those who were relatively energetic and died one after another. In a situation where their spirit and physical strength were exhausted, they apparently couldn't even bury them. In that way, finally, the last person died and they were annihilated. The memories that should have been inherited wandered and became, so to speak, evil spirits.
(We were waiting for the rescue of those who would entrust the memories of our comrades. However, it never came.)
They have already told the evil spirit about the aftermath of the outflow. The voice echoing directly in my head is mournful, and the Elder, who inherited the memories of the King of that time, apologized while shedding tears. The Prince said nothing, just looking down.
(At that time, to think that such damage had occurred that even the elf village was destroyed.)
In a situation where there was hardly any water, they probably wouldn't have lasted even a week. For almost five thousand years, the memories had continued to wait for rescue here. Everyone becomes silent.
(However, it was worth the wait. We waited single-mindedly for rescue and dreamed of an elven world without classes, but finally, this day has come.)
“That is good. It must have been long, but you have been rewarded.”
(Umu. Human man. I thank you.)
At Roberts-sama’s words, the evil spirit honestly gives thanks. With that as a trigger, everyone voiced words of blessing.
It became a celebratory mood of “that’s good, that’s good,” and it was decided to leave future matters until after returning to the elf village, which is in the middle of restoration, and first move to a safe place and have a banquet. The timing is also just right.
When we returned to the station, Lyudmila was sulking. After scolding her for raising her hand against Alex and making her apologize, I soothed her by saying we’d go see the giant worm tomorrow.
By the way, just what was that worm?
(Ah, that? That is a good friend of ours.)
Friend? Did they try to escape by having the worm dig a hole?
(No. During the long time we were cooped up in here, there is something we found out. There are certain beasts and insects that, when exposed to dense magic power, have their flesh transformed and become monsters. And, if they continue to be exposed, they become stronger or giant.)
As I thought, that’s it. With this, the backing for the slug ranch and worm ranch was obtained. It’s the research result of five thousand years. There’s no mistake.
(That giant worm was originally a very, very common worm. By some chance, it wandered into that shelter. While it was exposed to dense magic power, it became that giant.)
In short, they were observing it. Surely, the worm didn't have the memories in its sight at all. However, I shouldn't say that.
(Listen and be surprised. You would think what a worm lays are worm eggs, wouldn't you? However, it is different. That thing lays eggs of Orcs, Ogres, and besides those, bears, wolves, and sometimes even Fenrirs.)
At the words transmitted from the flames that flickered as if laughing, I unintentionally locked eyes with Alex.