Chapter 28

Karia and Hert Stanley's voices slowly faded from his ears, as if they were drifting away to some distant place. He stroked his neck and let out a light sigh, as if to clear his mind by replacing the air in his lungs.

"No, it's quite a trap to separate us, isn't it? I'm stumped, really."

"...For someone who seems so nonchalant, you almost give the impression that it doesn't concern you. Is that how all adventurers are?"

"Well, it's fine, but..." Feilart La Borgograd, who had been speaking in a lowered voice beside him, saw me with a mouthful of chewing tobacco and muttered. Despite the volume being so low that it was almost inaudible, the quality of her voice lingered in my ears.

I, on the other hand, was already exasperated by her calmness, even though we had just been separated by a trap as soon as we entered the entrance of the underground temple.

It's not that I'm being nonchalant, but when I need to calm down, chewing tobacco is good. The sensation of the smell, which is somewhat burnt yet refreshing, passing through my nose is pleasant. I used to do this when I was in danger during my previous travels. After all, I was often sent out as a scout alone or put at the front as the one to identify traps, so danger was always clinging to my back.

"So, what do we do? Wait for help here? Or do we move?"

At her words, I couldn't help but widen my eyes. I almost swallowed the saliva that had built up. What's wrong with the black-haired magician, she seemed to be looking at me with a somewhat anxious expression, as if to say, "What's wrong with you?"

I wanted to say, "Of course, I'm surprised." To be asked for an opinion by Feilart La Borgograd, who had never even acknowledged my existence, was indeed surprising. Of course, it's not that she did this on purpose, but there was still a sense of overlap. I was amazed, and my cheeks twitched uncomfortably.

I put the chewing tobacco away in my chest and lit a simple candle holder filled with the fat of a magical beast.

"Then, let's move. Don't trip, employer. I'm used to this, so I'll go first. Follow with the light."

"The front is pitch black. Can adventurers see in the dark?"

"I said I'm used to it," I shrugged and waved my hand behind me. "Yeah, I'm used to it. After all, this place and this trap are a second experience for me."

*

The underground temple, built of ancient stones and clay, was far from solemn.

There were no valuables, and even the traces of a religion that once existed here were faint. However, there was a reason and a purpose for the magician, Feilart, to come here. That's why she hired me. She had no choice but to hire me.

Ruins and places like this, where magical beasts have settled, are managed facilities recognized by the state's guild. Rather than leaving them to decay, adventurers are used to manage and sometimes excavate them, and the guild profits from the revenue, while the state receives taxes from the guild. Money, after all, never stays in the pockets of the weak.

Therefore, it is not allowed to enter guild-managed facilities freely. Whether you take something from there or conduct an excavation survey, you need to follow the proper procedures, such as obtaining permission from the guild or making a request to the guild. Otherwise, Feilart wouldn't have been so desperate to hire me.

Of course, there are some fools, like the former apprentice knight who thought he had rocks in his head, who enter guild-managed areas, especially restricted areas, on their own.

The sound of Feilart's footsteps behind me, just by listening to the sound of her stepping on the stone pavement, revealed that she was treading cautiously.

I stopped and glanced back just to be safe. She pouted and looked at me defiantly. If she could talk like that, she was still okay.

"Still, magical beasts... I thought they would come out of the darkness. But I'm more calm than I thought."

"Hey, they're not mold or disease. They're living creatures. Some of them have their fighting instincts driven mad, but they're afraid of dying too. Not many of them attack head-on."

Of course, there was a reason for deliberately setting off the trap again, one that was near the entrance. It wasn't that I had made the same mistake ungracefully.

One reason was to temporarily separate Feilart from Hert Stanley.

"But, you're quite a curious person, aren't you? An old temple of the old religion isn't a place to visit for sightseeing."

No matter what, if we proceeded with that party, Hert Stanley would always be between us. Because of his annoying sense of justice and his childish words about being a gentleman.

I don't want to talk to this woman any more than necessary.

But I can't let Feilart become the presence beside Hert Stanley as she did in the past. Just imagining it makes my heart stop like a stone. The bitterness of the journey to save the world, the hatred for what Hert Stanley gained, and the fear that if we let the world go the same way as before, it will end in the same result.

All these emotions are raging like a storm, turning my insides inside out.

Therefore, I must investigate him, I must find something to separate them.

"...Shut up. I have my reasons, my reasons."

"Of course, as a magician."

"Yeah, yeah," Feilart nodded. It was something I already knew, but I nodded as if I was interested.

Of course, it was natural. After all, she had come here for the same reason in the past. Although at that time, it was a detour during the journey, not this early.

However, to have targeted this place from the age when she was still a girl, still a young girl, I must admit, I was impressed.

She probably failed to make a request to come here in the past. Unable to reach this place, she was forced to give up and focus on research in the city. If that's the case, I want her to be grateful for bringing her here so quickly. Of course, she doesn't know that.

"What, you'll be fine. It's magic research, right? There's no way you can't do it."

The image of her during the journey to save the world came to mind. That confident Fielart La Borgograd, who believed that magic could change everything. It was hard to imagine that there was anything impossible for her when it came to magic.

"Don't say things so casually."

But the words that came back to my light-hearted remark were strangely stiff and distorted. I couldn't help but widen my eyes and look back.

"You don't know me, and you say I'll be fine? You say it so casually! That's why, that's why people who are thoughtless and ignorant of knowledge... well, it doesn't matter anyway."

Her words were stiff, yet they carried a heat. A faint sparkle could be seen in her black eyes. Her unusually agitated appearance, which was so different from her usual calm and composed self, was quite strange.

"I may not have much knowledge, but I know. I have a habit of investigating my clients to some extent beforehand. You're from further east, a student from the Bolvart dynasty. You're studying ancient and modern magic at the academy."

At Feilart's words, I walked on, chewing tobacco in my mouth, as if to say, "What are you talking about?"

Of course, I didn't specifically investigate her. But from what I heard during my travels, she had been diligently studying in this place, Galuamaria, and had quickly distinguished herself and gained respect. If that's the case, then, of course, a genius like her would have unique worries that ordinary people can't even imagine.

"...Yeah, I know. You knew and still accepted the request. So, go ahead and mock me. A girl from outside, doing something absurd."

Today is full of surprises. What is she saying? Self-deprecation? Or is it a new kind of joke from her? It's not funny at all.

"Hey, cut it out. Undermining a talented person is like spitting at the sky. It comes back to you."

"Talented? Hmph... Go ahead and mock me. Can you even believe in me? Do you think I can succeed, even a little?"

"Of course. That's why I accepted the request and came here."

I don't understand. I heard that she was a person overflowing with talent since childhood. Then, of course, everyone would bet on her future, her glory. Why would she ask a rat like me?

For a moment, the voice from behind paused. Well, that's convenient. We've just arrived.

The other reason for deliberately setting off the trap is this.

"Here we are, client. This is your destination, right?"

I could hear Feilart's breath catch. She seemed surprised, pleased, and unable to sort out her emotions. Well, I can afford to look a bit smug.

The place we emerged after traversing the narrow, dark passage was a spacious hall. Yes, this is the main hall of the underground temple, Feilart's destination, and the repository of knowledge that the emblematic believers had protected.