Chapter 64

Eberheid led the way as we moved through the ruins.

We were attacked by a large group of Suufies, which are large rat-like magical beasts, but the members of the investigation team cut them down one by one.

Using magic recklessly might have hit the investigation team members, and since they didn’t seem to be struggling much, I basically didn’t intervene.

...However, when Maisen, who was supporting the investigation team, was about to be carried off by the Suufies, I did use magic to assist him.

Overall, there were no serious injuries, and the situation was resolved peacefully.

"Ha ha ha! Did you see that? I finished off three of them. Three! I’m probably the one who did the most!"

"...Weren’t you just targeting the weakened Suufies to get the final blows, which is why you almost got carried off?"

"...N-no, but I was helped earlier, yeah. B-but, you see, it’s important in group battles to ensure that weakened enemies are rendered combat ineffective. Suufies have a high regenerative ability, you know."

...That’s true, but it seemed like Maisen was targeting injured enemies to boost his own achievements.

I also remember a moment when his sword clashed with one of the investigation team members.

"What’s with that look? It’s true! I mean, look, I was praised by the investigation team members..."

...But he was scolded by the same number of other team members...

Well, he did contribute to some extent.

"Anyway, good job. Are you really not injured? I heard Suufies carry a lot of bacteria, so if you have even a scratch, I can use magic to sterilize it."

"Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. For some reason, I wasn’t attacked much. But... why was I almost carried off alive?"

Maisen tilted his head in confusion.

I looked at the Suufie corpse on the floor.

The thin brown fur, the forked tail like a trident.

It was definitely a Salope Suufie.

I remembered reading about them in a book about the peculiar behaviors of magical beasts.

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Occasionally, magical beasts exhibit evolution that seems completely irrational.

For example, the Salope Suufie.

Female Salope Suufies are larger than males.

Females search for food, repel enemies, guard the nest, and give birth.

What do males do? Nothing. When the female is pregnant, other females in the group protect her.

While the female is hunting, the male gnaws on the roots of trees with little nutritional value, waiting for her return.

This behavior is considered to have no particular meaning.

Males do nothing throughout their lives.

In some regions, "Suufie husband" is used as a term for a lazy person.

Now, here’s the main point.

Male Salope Suufies are far fewer in number.

As a result, female Salope Suufies have the habit of carrying males they encounter back to the nest.

On rare occasions, adventurers who have been splattered with the blood of a Salope Suufie are carried to the nest.

This is thought to be because the general build of a human is similar to that of a male Salope Suufie, and the adventurer, stained with the scent of the same species, is mistaken for a male.

No one who has been carried to the nest has ever returned alive.

However, in the past, there have been reports of traces of long-term human habitation and human bones found when a group of adventurers exterminated a Salope Suufie nest, suggesting that the treatment might not have been as bad as one might think.

The author, Edna Elbarta, even mentions that he would like to be carried to the nest if given the opportunity.

(Quoted from Edna Elbarta’s "Magical Beasts Have Strange Habits")

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"Strange things do happen. I’ve never heard of Suufies carrying prey alive before..."

"...A-ah, yeah, strange things do happen."

...Probably, it’s better not to know.

After the investigation of the other areas was completed, we returned to the Griffin statue, which is the core of the outermost layer of the barrier, as planned.

I touched the statue and channeled magic, using the resonance of the magic to explore the inside of the statue.

With my other hand, I flipped through Eberheid’s notes and checked the relevant items.

"How’s it going, Abel?"

Eberheid called out to me.

"Hmm... Indeed, it seems impossible to break it with human magic using a straightforward method. This is another troublesome mechanism... It will take some time to prepare. Should we just use magic to break it? But in that case, the ruins will be significantly damaged."

"Hah, what a silly joke. Magic powerful enough to directly destroy this statue would require preparation itself."

Eberheid said this while tapping the wall.

The statue seems to be made of a similar mineral to the walls.

"No, but I think brute force might be less troublesome..."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I have no intention of damaging these ruins."

...Yeah, that makes sense.

To Eberheid, these ruins are his roots.

"But even to seal the function, why make the barrier so strong..."

It’s no wonder it hasn’t been broken for 2000 years.

Without Eberheid, I might not have been able to do anything about it.

It’s true that sealing magic is often used to prevent others from using weapons that are no longer in use, but this seems excessive.

Maybe they never intended to open it again.

Perhaps it also serves as a tomb for a high-ranking person in Zesum.

There were rumors of treasures deeper inside.

The pyramids of my previous life were also designed to prevent people from entering the inner chambers, and I can see a connection.

If that’s the case, it makes sense that they didn’t intend to unseal it.

If my hypothesis is correct, the reward could be quite promising.

"Shouldn’t we return to the carriage and get some sleep? The time perception is off in here, but it’s a decent time now."

Mia rubbed her eyes and spoke.

She was holding a lantern that could illuminate a wide area, which she had borrowed from one of the investigation team members.

"No, I think I’ll investigate a bit more. Actually, I might just sleep here."

"Um... It won’t take that long, and we should really head back."

"The investigation team members are probably planning to sleep here too. It’s fine, really. Oh, if you’re going to sleep, can you lend me that lantern?"

As I reached out, Mia hugged the lantern protectively.

"...If Abel is awake, Mia will stay awake too!"

"O-okay. Just don’t overdo it."