kscans

Chapter 73 - The Ruins

By evening, I had finished preparing the campfire.

The knights went off to hunt for dinner, while Glad and his party went to scout the surrounding area.

There was still a chance some Undead were lurking about.

I filled the pot with water, lit the fire, and started cooking.

After a while, the knights returned, having caught a wild boar. With practiced hands, they began to butcher it, roasting the meat over a larger-than-usual fire. I decided to stick with my pot-cooked meal.

…Which is to say, I was making the same thing as yesterday: Houtou. I still had some udon dough left, so I decided to make a large batch this time.

As I was cooking, Altorine approached me.

"…What is this dish called?"

To her question, I replied, "…This is a dish from my hometown called Houtou. It has a light flavor, but it’s easy to eat."

I gave her a simple explanation. Altorine seemed satisfied and continued to watch. Just as it was about to be ready, Glad and the others returned.

Judging by their expressions, they hadn’t encountered any battles, but they did look puzzled.

Seeing this, Tina asked, "…Did something happen?"

Glad responded, "…Actually, while we were exploring the forest, we ran into some other adventurers. They told us that the Undead they were fighting suddenly turned to dust and vanished."

The others overheard the conversation.

Turned to dust? …It was just like what happened to the large man. As I thought about it, I remembered something.

When I’d looked at the large man’s information, I’d seen the word ‘Domination’ written there.

…So, does that mean the Undead were being controlled by the large man? With their master gone, the subordinates disappeared along with him. …It really is like a video game. …Well, I’m grateful for it either way.

Finding all the Undead scattered throughout this vast forest would have been an incredibly difficult task.

With our biggest concern gone, we could finally relax. Just then, the pot came to a boil. The Houtou was ready. …I dished it out into small bowls for everyone and passed them around. They all ate with forks, their faces wearing expressions I couldn't quite place. I couldn't blame them. They were used to heavily seasoned food, so this was probably their first time eating something with such a delicate flavor.

The woman with the shortsword spoke to the female spear wielder, who had paused her eating.

"…Sakura? What’s wrong?"

To this, Sakura replied, "…Oh, no, it’s just… the flavor is similar to what we have in my village. I was just a little surprised."

I overheard her answer.

When she said "village," the only one that came to mind was Owari Village. …A spear wielder named Sakura from a village… following that logic, she must be from there.

…Well, it’s probably best not to pry. Forcing the issue wouldn’t be right.

That’s just common decency.

I paid it no mind and went for a second helping, only to find the pot was empty.

Even the soup was gone.

I was inwardly surprised.

I had thought it was unpopular, but the knights had drunk every last drop of the soup.

It seemed they’d taken a liking to it after all. Afterward, the boar meat was cooked to perfection. The savory aroma was enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

Just then, my eyes fell upon the ruins.

I remembered the stories about monsters lurking there. Worried that the smell of our food might draw them out, I decided to ask Altorine.

"You needn’t worry about that. …For some reason, the monsters in these ruins don’t prey on anything. Several years ago, a plan was made to subjugate the monsters in the ruins, and multiple parties participated."

"…The plan was for a fast scout to lure the monster to the entrance of the ruins. We would then use the scent of the monster’s favorite food to draw it into a wide-open space where we could defeat it. …However, even after luring it to the entrance, the moment the scout stepped outside, the monster turned back. It wasn’t tempted by the scent, either. Because of that, the plan was changed to subjugating it inside. But I heard most of them were killed by an invisible attack."

"…The plan failed, and that brings us to the present. …Therefore, camping here poses no problem."

She explained the situation.

…Not lured by scent, kills those who enter, doesn’t pursue those who leave.

…It’s like a doll following orders, or some kind of machine. …But mechanical technology in this world… the Empire might have something similar, but information is scarce.

…And something else bothers me. The invisible attack.

As I pondered this, I asked, "Altorine. Do you know how the people who died from the invisible attack were killed?"

To my question, Altorine replied, "…I believe they were impaled by something. Their bodies were riddled with holes, but no thrown weapons were ever found, which is why it came to be called an invisible attack."

…A long-range attack. Invisible. No weapon found. …With that information, I was almost certain.

But could it really be possible?

…That that thing could exist in this world…

After we had our fill of boar meat, we decided on a watch rotation and retired to our respective tents.

Incidentally, we split them by gender.

The next morning, we awoke without incident.

For a light breakfast, I made a simple miso soup with miso balls and chopped potatoes. Everyone ate it all, leaving the pot completely empty. …After that, Altorine and her group decided to return to the Church.

They needed to report the success of the Undead subjugation and continue with the town’s restoration. We exchanged brief farewells and saw them off. That left me, Tina… Glad, Sakura, and the woman with the shortsword.

Standing before the ruins, I said, "…Hey, Tina? …How about we go inside?"

To this, Tina replied, "…We’re on a job. …Or I’d like to say that, but now that the Undead are gone, all that’s left is to go home. We still have four days left. …A little detour should be fine."

She agreed.

I turned my gaze to Glad and his party. "…Well then, I suppose this is where we part ways, Glad-san."

I offered my farewell.

Just then, the woman with the shortsword whispered something in Glad’s ear.

Glad, looking perplexed, said, "…Shinsuke-kun. …If it’s all right, would you mind if we came with you?"

It was a proposal.

Tina and I looked at each other. …The offer was appreciated. You never know what you’ll find in an unknown place; the more combat power, the better.

However, I didn’t understand why he’d proposed it, so I asked.

Glad said, "…W-well, you know. We’re also interested in unexplored places. …I just thought it would be better if we went together."

He said it with a strained smile.

…He was acting far too suspiciously. …Seriously, who is that woman with the shortsword? I asked Tina about her last night, but all she would say was, `It’s better if you don’t know.`

…She’s probably a nobleman’s daughter. He’s likely being forced to indulge her whims. I sympathize.

And so, we decided to enter the ruins.

The inside was dim, but not so dark that we needed torches.

We proceeded with caution. I placed a hand on the wall and used `Analysis`, but all I could learn was the wall’s material. I tried to expand the range, but I could only get information up to three meters away.

It seems my `Analysis` skill isn’t suited for wide areas. We had no choice but to advance without any information about how many traps there might be. …Well, this is normal.

There are no strategy guides like in a video game.

After walking cautiously for about an hour, we heard a sound from ahead. Gakon gakon… the heavy footsteps of iron. We readied our weapons as a shadow emerged from the back of the passage. Two hundred centimeters tall, a square head, a square body—it looked exactly like an old-fashioned robot.

…It was beyond my expectations.

The moment the robot saw us, it raised its right arm. The arm was a machine gun.

I shouted, "Glad-san! Shield in front, concentrate your magic! Everyone else, get behind Glad-san!"

I gave the order instantly.

Glad-san was momentarily stunned but acted at once. He put his shield forward, and everyone hid behind him.

…The robot fired its machine gun in a long burst. Dadadadadada!

It made a sound you’d often hear in video games. Glad-san’s shield blocked the attack. …Even for a machine gun, it seemed it couldn’t break through the super-hard Adamantite.

While he was blocking, I said, "Keep retreating like this. Once we’re out of its line of sight, the attack should stop."

Everyone followed my instructions and began to move back. Glad-san retreated while fending off the attack. …Once we were a good distance away, the gunfire ceased.

There was no pursuit.

Just as I thought. It does nothing outside of its orders.

Still, a robot… The technology of this world, or rather, this ancient technology, is incredible. In that case, I might be able to deal with that weapon. I said, "…I have an idea. All of you, stay here. …Whatever happens, don’t come until I give the signal."

To my proposal, Tina said, "…It’s dangerous. …But I can’t do anything about that attack. …Please don’t die."

She was worried about me.

Glad-san and the others had expressions that said, ‘Good luck.’

…I activated my lightning magic. I pictured a thin film forming in front of me.

Not electricity, but electromagnetic waves. An invisible current ran before my body.

I focused it into my sword.

I wouldn’t test it rashly, so I just imbued the sword with it for now. Then I returned to where we’d encountered the robot, but no one was there. …However, since it’s a robot, it should move according to its programming. If I wait here… Just as I thought that, I heard footsteps.

I used `Matter Conversion`, touching the ground to create an iron wall about waist-high.

I crouched down behind it and threw the sword imbued with electromagnetic waves. The robot reacted to the sound and fired its machine gun wildly.

I stayed put until the fierce noise died down.

…The sound stopped. When I looked at my sword, it was unscathed.

The area around it was riddled with holes, but the sword itself was fine, as if nothing had happened.

The experiment was a success.

I activated the electromagnetic waves in front of my body.

I cautiously approached the robot. It opened fire. The sound was intense, but the bullets never reached me.

To be precise, the bullets were simply veering away, missing me.

I walked slowly forward. The robot brought its other machine gun forward and fired with both hands. But not a single shot hit.

I sheathed my sword and placed my hand on my katana. While activating my lightning, I also activated my fire magic. …I drew the blade with all my might, creating a shower of sparks.

With my katana now wreathed in flames, I took an overhead stance.

"CHEEESTOOO!!!"

With a yell, I cut it in two.

The robot was split down the middle. …It made a bachi bachi sound as it sparked and stopped moving.

After confirming it was safe, I shouted, "…It’s okay! It’s stopped moving!"

Tina and the others emerged from the back.

Looking at the robot, Tina asked, "…How did you defeat it?"

She demanded an explanation.

I said, "It’s nothing. I just knew a way to block its attack. …The fact that this thing exists at all is the real surprise, though."

I gave a simple explanation.

Tina and the others looked dissatisfied, but they didn’t ask any more questions. …They probably figured they wouldn’t understand even if I told them. …I was grateful for that.

…It would be difficult to explain.

We continued deeper into the ruins.

It wasn’t quite a labyrinth, but it was fairly large with several branching paths. To avoid getting lost, we marked the path we had taken as we went. We descended to a lower level and came out into a wide, open space.

It was about the size of an arena.

There was nothing in the center.

We cautiously headed toward the open area. …It had an atmosphere that screamed, ‘Something is definitely going to appear.’

I said, "I guess I’ll go in alone again… not that you’ll let me."

I had intended to go by myself, but this time, they all gave me looks that said they wouldn’t allow it. …Deciding that persuasion was pointless, I said, "…Stay close to me, no matter what."

I gave them a warning. Tina and the others nodded. We stepped into the arena, and after taking a few steps, the entrance slammed shut. Then, the door on the opposite side opened. I thought, ‘I knew it.’

With a stage like this, it was only natural for the ruin’s boss to appear. We readied our weapons. A sound came from the back. The sound of wheels. It grew closer and closer. What emerged had four wheels for its lower body, a humanoid upper body, and Gatling guns for both arms.

Seeing it, I muttered, "…A tank robot?"