kscans

Chapter 607 - From the Depths of the Earth

Ten seconds, twenty, thirty—with both eyes open, the ability that its user described as “nothing special” was unleashed. The pair of aquamarine eyes pierced through the shell walls, searching for the jewels within.

“How’s it lookin’, Nya-chan…?”

Lux, who had been getting antsy just five seconds into the search, must have run out of patience. For her, it was a restrained question, to which Nia quietly replied, “Just a second.”

“I can see through them, but… there’s still a little bit of mana left in the shed shells… It’s making things cloudy, so it’s taking some time to see deep inside.”

“No need to rush. The boss isn’t reacting. It’s sleeping soundly.”

The eyes of the [Milmarinus] could only see through substances that contained little to no magical power. In this virtual world, every person and monster possessed mana to some degree, so it made sense that the shells, once a part of the creature’s body, would retain some residue.

That was why Nia described her vision as cloudy. However, she never said it was impossible, nor that she couldn’t do it.

“...Found something. Something insane. There are three of them, and they’re sparkling like crazy.”

As she exercised her ability, her eyes… well, they sparkled just as she described. The report she delivered, brimming with positive anticipation, made all three of us let out a synchronized “Ooh.”

And then, Nya-chan wore the most triumphant, smug look I’d ever seen.

Well, fine. For now, you can puff out your chest with pride. This was, after all, a special feat that had nothing to do with being an artisan—a trick that truly only Nia could perform.

“Alright, got it. Just give me a general idea of the location.”

“Roger that. C’mere.”

As I approached at her beckoning, she suddenly gripped both of my shoulders and pulled me in front of her, my back pressed against her chest as we faced the same direction. A little close.

But I could guess what she wanted to do, and I understood why it was necessary, so I kept my complaints to myself.

“First one’s over there. See that slightly larger crack on the lower part? It’s near that… Hmm, a little to the right, behind that blue gem on the surface.”

“...I think I see it. Next to the blue one, there’s a slightly bigger yellow one, right?”

“Yep, that’s perfect. Okay, next, the second one is… —”

And so, I learned the locations of the treasures as Nia pointed them out over my shoulder.

It’s at times like these that my ‘Memory’ gift truly shines. Remembering every necessary detail, including her verbal annotations, was a piece of cake.

“—And that’s all three. Got it?”

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll ask you to confirm once I get there, just in case.”

“Okay, you got it. Oh, and by the way, the first one is the most insane… It’s the big one. You should probably secure it first, maybe?”

“Okay, roger that. …Alright, in that case—hey, let go of me.”

Peeling Nia off my back, I turned to face the other two.

The gaze of the [Traveler], who was smiling benevolently, was rather unsettling, but Sora-san, standing beside her with a gentle smile of her own, was just as terrifying.

But, I’d avert my eyes from what was to come later.

“I don’t think our escape route will be blocked, but if I screw up and it notices me… I’ll keep it busy for a while. Use that time to get Nia out of here.”

“Mmm… Sorry to be a bother.”

“You just helped us out. We’re even.”

Better safe than sorry. Since this was the parent of the [Feidran Armoire] which fired those unnatural heat rays, there was a high chance it could unleash something even more outrageous.

If I thoughtlessly retreated back to this passage and it immediately fired a massive beam after me, there’d be nothing we could do. I needed to think about the timing and method of our withdrawal.

And then,

“Understood!”

“Okay-dokie! Leave Nya-chan’s protection to me!”

Their lack of objection could surely be taken as a sign of their trust. I nodded back to the two of them, then put on my cloaking garment and pulled up the hood.

“Here, you forgot this.”

“Oh, whoops.”

She smoothly handed me the hairpin I had entrusted to her. With its power returned to Nia, the ability of the Agaphanthus Amulet was unusable, but the other two functions were still active.

This accessory was, without exaggeration, the cornerstone of my build—a truly broken piece of equipment. Forgetting to wear it would mean a ridiculous drop in my combat effectiveness. That was a close call.

“Want me to put it in for you?”

“Could you please stop this relentless assault?”

I snatched the [Aquamarine Rabbit Heart] from the grinning creator’s hand and quickly set it on the side of my head. My hair automatically arranged itself into its preset style.

Super ticklish… but I was used to it by now.

“Well then, let the operation begin.”

Perhaps because she’d succeeded in teasing me repeatedly, Nia was in a good mood.

Sora was maintaining a placid smile, likely already planning her demands for compensation later.

And Lux was practically urging me on with a gaze that was one hundred percent pure curiosity, wanting to see the treasure as soon as possible.

Taking a step that could be called a strategic retreat from the trio of ladies, I exposed myself from the shadows of the passage into the vast chamber—and in that instant, I felt the air change.

It wasn't that the still-slumbering [Feidran Tyrantinus] had noticed me. It was simply that this place, saturated with the extraordinary presence of that creature, had transformed into an abnormal domain, cut off from the ordinary world.

“…”

I held my breath, erased my presence, and took one step at a time along the wall. Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’d ever done a real stealth mission against an enemy since starting Arcadia.

It reminded me of an analog game Alicia mentioned—though in that one, the opponents were human, not monsters. I remember not sticking with it for long because it didn't suit me.

I just couldn't get into it or enjoy the tension. I felt more annoyed than thrilled… And now, compared to that…

Hey, what is this?

The tension, the atmosphere, the pressure—it was all too much, way too much. This was just plain scary.

◇◆◇◆◇

“...J-Just watching is making me nervous.”

“Ahaha. I do similar things by myself all the time. It’s actually pretty fun, you know?”

“It’s not so easy when you say it like it’s some kind of amusement park ride…”

Watching him from afar while whispering, I couldn’t detect any tension from the back of the figure who was making his way forward—silently, steadily, and with a dancer’s grace.

I couldn’t imagine what he was actually thinking right now… but it was his decisiveness, or his courage, or maybe just how much of a boy he was.

Just as it was during the two events, it seemed I was a simple person.

Every time I saw him take the lead and push forward like this, my chest would tighten, and I wouldn’t be able to look away.

“Ah, and…! …!”

While I was staring blankly, Haru reached the first point and looked back at me from a distance, seeking ‘confirmation’. With my clairvoyant eyes still active, I frantically nodded back at him… and for some reason, he returned an amused smile.

There was the embarrassment of being seen acting strangely, the happiness of him smiling at me, and the pride that came from being useful.

Another source of that pride was watching him skillfully use the power I had bestowed upon him—a skill related to my own Magic Craft. Seeing him carve open the shell wall with blue light made me a little happy, too.

He often grumbled about how he “probably has no talent,” but being able to craft simple accessories in just two months was more than enough progress.

I couldn't praise him as a genius on the same level as he was in combat… but from a teacher’s perspective, someone a little clumsy was more endearing.

I couldn’t wait to see his future growth—and more than anything, I was infinitely excited for the ‘lessons’ we would surely have together, just the two of us.

While I was busy getting lost in thought watching his back, grinning at the future, and frantically shaking my head when he looked back, he proceeded smoothly to the second and third points.

He safely dug out the gems from within the carved-out shell, immediately securing them in his inventory each of the three times—mission complete, the fruits of our labor now secure.

“...Phew…”

His partner let out a premature sigh of relief for the mission that was nearing its successful conclusion.

“It’s things like this that make your Anima so broken, Nya-chan. If it weren’t a body-integrated type, I’d have loved to make full use of it myself…”

My friend and valued customer said with regret, something I’d heard her say many times before.

“Ehehe, you flatter me…”

My heart warmed at the former’s reaction, and my cheeks relaxed at the latter’s praise.

Just as he had on the way in, he quietly and quickly retraced his steps. I happened to glance away from him for a moment—and my gaze shifted to the monster, the boss, coiled up and sleeping in the center of the area.

It was just a whim.

Even though I was sure I wouldn’t be able to see through it since it was connected to a living body, I was curious about what kind of treasure was hidden in the giant ‘Wealthy Shell’ on its back.

Unable to suppress my curiosity, I turned my aquamarine twin stars towards the strange and terrifying giant that I had intentionally been avoiding—

“—…Eh?”

I felt a gaze touch my consciousness, and I wondered at it.

Below the still-sleeping mole.

My gaze, drawn by some feeling, pierced through the rocky ground and reached its destination.

In the deep, deep bottom of the earth.

“—HIIH…!?”

My eyes met its, and the moment a scream escaped my lips and my knees buckled,

a tremor—and not a metaphorical one—ran through the great cavern.

---

That accident was impossible to predict or avoid.