Chapter 31

I can't see anything.

I can't hear anything.

In the pitch-black world, I slowly breathed and clasped my hands together.

I could feel the warmth of my own body through my hands.

I am conscious. I have a sense of my body.

It seems I am not dead.

"Seika-sama"

At that moment, I heard Yuki's whisper near my ear.

"It seems we have been transported. There are no enemies in sight within a radius of ten rods (about thirty meters)."

It seems Yuki was also transported with me. I'm relieved.

I asked Yuki in a voice so low it would be lost in the air.

"…Do you know where we are?"

"Unfortunately…"

"Alright. Where is Amu?"

"She is nearby."

"Amu, can you hear me?"

When I called out louder, a light appeared in the dark world.

"…I'm glad. You're safe too."

Amu, who had lit the tip of her staff-sword, said with a relieved expression.

I looked around and said,

"Where are we? It seems like we're underground."

We were in a wide passage-like area covered by rock walls.

A dark path stretched out in front and behind us.

It doesn't seem like an ordinary cave.

"Well, but… I don't have a good feeling about this."

Amu said,

"Probably… because of that magic circle, right?"

"Probably. The small magic circle on the stump was just a part of the larger magic circle covering the entire open area. It was set to transport anyone who stepped on it."

The magic circle on the stump was written with a different paint to draw attention and lure people closer.

We fell for it.

My instincts are really dull.

"I don't think we are too far from that place…"

"…? How do you know that?"

"Well, just a feeling."

Actually, there is a reason.

The link with the golem I left at the academy hasn't been severed.

While distance doesn't matter in the first layer, if the address is too far, the connection weakens and the spell can't be maintained.

So, I think we are probably underground in the forest, or rather, under the temple.

Though I'm not certain.

Well, what should we do?

During the transportation, all the golems around us were left behind, so we are currently without any pawns. However, I have a stock of human-shaped golems that can be replenished.

If we want to be sure, we should send a golem to explore the structure here, but… I don't think we can find the exit so easily. If this is a trap, it's even less likely.

Hmm, if we knew our exact location, we could swap positions with the forest's golem and escape… but that's not possible right now.

"Ah! Seika-sama"

At that moment, I heard Yuki's tense whisper.

"Something is coming from the right passage."

I could also hear the sound.

The sound of footsteps. And a faint metallic noise.

"Amu. From the right."

"I know."

Soon, the light from the sword revealed the silhouette of an enemy.

It was a creature that could be described as a lizard person.

It walked on two legs, but its entire body was covered in green scales, and it had claws on its hands and feet. It held a scimitar and a shield, and wore simple armor, which seemed almost comical.

That must be a lizardman.

There are three of them.

Six eyes, devoid of emotion, fixed on us.

The one on the right opened its mouth in a threatening manner.

Amu had already rushed forward.

The sword, slicing through the air, pierced the mouth of the threatening lizardman.

The one on the left, raising its scimitar, was kicked in the chest and slammed into the wall.

Then, a fireball was cast without incantation at the one in the center.

The last lizardman, enveloped in flames, let out a muffled death rattle before collapsing and lying still.

Well, fireballs are pretty strong.

Amu finished off the lizardman lying against the wall, without even breaking a sweat.

"…That's amazing. Are you used to this?"

"A little."

"But, using fire magic in a confined space might not be a good idea. The air will get bad."

"A little is fine. What are you going to use?"

"Something like this."

《Wood Aspect—Stake Driving Spell》

Nine stakes appeared from the void and were driven into my back.

They pierced the giant orc approaching from behind one after another.

The pig-faced monster staggered slightly and then fell backward, dead.

Amu looked at the orc's corpse and frowned.

"What? This spell. Wooden stakes…?"

"Exactly."

The Stake Driving Spell was created during my travels in the West as a countermeasure against vampires. I heard that wooden stakes work well.

Although I never saw any vampires in Transylvania or Hungary, the ash I used as a base has some demonic-repelling power, so I occasionally used it after returning to Japan.

It's not one of the four elements, so it might seem a bit suspicious, but there are limited spells that can be used safely in a confined space.

Given the situation, it's unavoidable.

"I've never heard of such a spell."

"Really? Well, I am from the Lamproug family. We have the opportunity to learn spells that are not generally known."

I hope this will do the trick.

"…Well, it doesn't matter. At least one thing is clear."

Amu looked at the monster she had defeated and muttered,

"We are in a dungeon."

※Stake Driving Spell

A spell that drives wooden stakes. The types of wood used for vampire hunting include ash, white pine, hawthorn, and poplar. Seika chose ash because it is native to Japan and familiar, and is also used as a building material, making it sturdy. Although Seika visited Eastern Europe in a time before the birth of Count Dracula, there were already many vampire legends in Europe, including strigoi and vrykolakas.