Chapter 7

"Wal is nearby! Let's quickly go and meet him, bringing Maro along!"

"......Right."

As I straightened my posture, Laice stood up after a moment. It was hard to tell, but his expression seemed slightly dissatisfied.

...Probably because I suddenly slipped out of his arm.

But there's nothing I can do about it.

Right now, Wal takes priority!

Laice, despite his grumbling, seemed to be worried about Wal as well, quickly switching to, "Did you hear the kit's voice?"

They are in the middle of getting closer to each other, after all.

I nodded and began searching for Maro's figure.

Avoiding the floating bubbles, I followed the aura and found Maro, who was slumped against the wall.

"Maro! Are you okay!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, you two. I used a bit too much power all at once, but I'll recover with time. I was just at a loss because I couldn't track Wal's aura anymore."

"Thank you for your help. I know about Wal!"

I picked up Maro and stroked his aqua-blue shell as if to comfort him. Even for a high-level spirit, dispelling this mist was quite a task.

You must be tired, so please let me handle Wal.

But when I said that, Maro blinked his round eyes in surprise.

"Amazing. I lost track of Wal's aura and can't feel it at all anymore. You can still sense him?"

I felt flattered and happy to be praised as a good partner.

Since entering the cave, I had been relying on Laice and Maro and hadn't been of much help. Now, I could finally fulfill my role.

I let Maro rest on my shoulder and, with my guidance, Laice and I proceeded deeper into the cave again.

We had lost the lamp during the rockfall, but it was only the handle that had come off. I picked it up, fixed it, and it worked normally. I had also become quite accustomed to walking on the uneven ground.

The surroundings were gradually changing, and the demonic aura was thinning, making it much easier to breathe than before.

However, the problem was that the path, which had been relatively simple until now, was becoming more complex with twists and turns.

While chasing Wal's aura, I began to worry if we could find our way back.

"Sorry to trouble you, Maro. Once we secure Wal, can we return home from the cave using the power of teleportation...?"

"Ah... It's difficult to use power here, and considering our fatigue, we need to get out first."

"Wh-What!? I barely remember the way..."

"...Don't worry, Sue. I have a grasp of all the paths we've taken."

"Are you serious!?"

That's pretty impressive, isn't it!?

"I memorized them just in case."

"Such a nonchalant... As expected of you."

It seems I will have to rely on Laice until the end.

I felt inadequate, but Laice, looking ahead, said casually, "So focus on finding the kit."

...My knight is just too capable.

I decided to take his words to heart and concentrate all my efforts on finding Wal, holding the lamp again.

The path gradually widened, and in addition to the lamp's dim light, I saw a blue light flickering ahead.

What is that...?

"I'll go ahead and check... Wait here for me."

Laice stopped my movement with one hand, placed his hand on the sword at his waist, and disappeared into the darkness ahead.

I followed his instructions and waited for Laice to call me. Of course, I was prepared to jump in if anything happened, and I watched the faintly glowing blue light with a restless heart.

Eventually, Laice called for me to come over.

"Wow..."

--- Stepping into the open area, I was amazed.

This place, undoubtedly inside the cave, was a different world, surrounded by a vivid blue, like the depths of the sea.

The walls and ceiling glowed faintly, emitting a transparent blue light reminiscent of crystal. The light softly enveloped the spacious area.

Moreover, it seemed that a small hole in the ceiling allowed a thin beam of yellow light to penetrate from outside, like a thread of hope in the deep sea.

It was a quiet and mysterious landscape that brought a sense of peace, different from the clear beauty of the Spirit Bell Forest.

I never imagined such a place existed deep in the nightmare cave.

"This... Is it a natural stone? It feels somewhat similar to spirit crystal."

I touched the blue stone embedded in the nearby wall.

It felt cold to the touch, but not unpleasant. I sensed a faint spiritual power, really faint, but it was there.

I remember... In the last part of the book, the brothers found a world of blue and held stones together.

What the book described, and what Wal was looking for, must be this.

The 'Radiant Stone,' perhaps.

"Probably a small trick or prank by the spirit user who wrote the book."

"A prank?"

"Yes. The rocks here seem to have properties similar to spirit crystals, capable of containing spiritual power. The spirit user who entered this place for research likely sealed their spiritual power in various rocks to add flair to the story, so those who read the book and came here would be surprised to find it the same as in the book."

Listening to Maro's explanation, I felt amused by the author's playful nature, "The author must have been quite a joker..."

After all, it goes up to the ceiling. They might have used the power of spirits back then.

It's amazing that this setup has remained for so long.

"Although it can't contain as much spiritual power as spirit crystals, it seems to last quite a long time. This is why the demonic aura hasn't reached here. I must say, humans come up with some delightful ideas."

"...It's similar to the color of Sue's eyes."

Following Maro's sigh of admiration, Laice smiled and said, "Beautiful."

I felt my face heat up.

Y-You mean the stone, right?

"Anyway, Wal should be here..."

I had been overwhelmed by the blue world, but Wal's aura had ended here. He must be somewhere in this space, so I carefully looked around.

Finally, I spotted a blue lump crouching in a corner.

"--- Wal!"