Chapter 55

"How far does it go?"

Kirill asked in an anxious voice. They had already descended more than a hundred steps, and it was understandable to feel uneasy.

"Who knows? We must have come down quite deep, though."

Originally, they didn't even know the purpose of this basement. If it were a food storage or just a warehouse, there would be no need to make it this deep.

As Aldis lightly touched the wall with his finger while descending the stairs, his fingertips immediately turned black. The stairs leading underground were stained black, as were the walls and ceiling.

The ground floor was indeed covered in dust, but it was purely dirt. In contrast, the dirt in the underground part was clearly soot. However, it was unclear whether it was caused by a fire or some kind of magic.

Eventually, the end of the long staircase finally came into view.

At the bottom of the stairs was a small hall. A space about three meters high had been carved out, and its width and depth were even greater than the building above.

Unlike the ground floor, there were no scattered debris, but instead, charred objects could be seen here and there. From their shapes, they were probably originally tables and chairs.

There were six entrances leading further back, three on each side. Except for one, the areas where doors probably once existed were left with charred remains.

"Is the sword in one of these places?"

"If the person who gave you the instructions was right, it should be here."

Aldis had already pinpointed the general location using magic detection, but he decided to check each room carefully just in case.

The first room appeared to be a storage area. After breaking through the charred door, black, decayed objects were piled up along the walls.

The second room seemed to be some kind of workshop. Unrecognizable stands and tools were scattered around.

The third room, like the first, had blackened objects along the walls. Given the thin layers of ash piled up, it might have been a library originally.

As Aldis was about to step into the fourth room, he stopped.

"Um... Aldis? What's wrong?"

Kirill asked, suddenly stopping. Following Aldis's instructions, he had been trailing behind and couldn't see inside the room.

This room was much larger than the two they had just seen. When this ruin was still inhabited, it must have been a place where many people came and went.

Inside the room, numerous blackened objects were scattered around. However, their size was disturbingly familiar to Aldis.

"...There's nothing. It's empty."

After a brief silence, Aldis answered briefly and turned to block Kirill's view.

"We'll check the next room."

"Huh? Oh, right."

Then, as if urging Kirill to follow, he moved to the next room.

The fifth room, like the others, was filled with charred remains, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

The last, sixth room.

Unlike the others, the door here was still intact. Though blackened and melted, the heavy iron door still blocked their path.

Aldis had already detected a magical reaction from this room when he first explored the area. If the sword was here, it was likely to be in this room.

"Stay back."

After warning Kirill, Aldis took a few steps back from the door.

"I don't expect anything to come out, but..."

To prepare for any unexpected events, he floated 'Spring Mist' in the air and aimed it at the door. The thin, yellow-green blade easily sliced through the iron door.

Three cuts ran across the door, and Aldis's magical shockwave added to them. The iron door collapsed with a loud, grating sound.

Aldis cautiously stepped into the room, which was the smallest space they had seen so far. Though the floor and walls were blackened, they were in better condition than the other areas, and the original white color could still be imagined.

Inside the room was only one thing.

A pedestal about waist-high in the center, and a sword lying in its sheath on top of it. The blade, estimated to be about eighty centimeters long, was plain but had a dignified feel due to the careful engravings on the hilt and sheath.

The sword had definitely reacted to the magic detection. As he approached, it became clear that it was indeed the source of the reaction. Even someone who wasn't Aldis but was familiar with magic would have noticed the strong magical aura surrounding the sword.

"There it is! The sword, Aldis! This will help my sister...!"

Excited by the sight of the sword they had been searching for, Kirill's voice rose. He was about to run forward in his excitement but stopped and looked at Aldis.

"Um... I heard that when you try to pick something up in ruins, traps might activate, or the item might be cursed...?"

Kirill had a point. Ruins often had traps or guardians to deter intruders, and it was not uncommon for treasures to be cursed.

However, as a mere mercenary, Aldis lacked the knowledge to distinguish such things.

"Maybe. I'm not a treasure hunter, so I don't know much about it."

"...What should we do?"

Even so, they couldn't leave the sword behind. They had risked so much to come this far, and they had to take the sword, regardless of any potential problems.

"...Let's try."

Aldis muttered and attempted to lift the sword from the pedestal using magic. With a slight 'click,' the sword, sheath and all, floated up. Aldis had anticipated resistance, but he easily moved the sword.

"Wow!"

Beside Aldis, Kirill exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Aldis! The sword! It's moving!"

Aldis, who had not informed Kirill that he was using magic to move the sword, realized that Kirill must have thought it was a trap or some mechanism.

"I'm moving it with magic."

"Eh...? You're moving it, Aldis?"

"Yes."

"..."

Kirill, who had been staring at Aldis with his mouth open, finally understood the situation and began to complain about his lack of consideration.

"If you were going to move it, you should have said so! I was scared to death thinking the sword was moving on its own!"

Perhaps trying to hide his embarrassment, Kirill's words came out as a complaint.

"I've shown you before that I can control the sword, haven't I?"

Aldis said coolly, and Kirill, whose shock turned to embarrassment, protested half-crying.

"I know, I know! But I need some mental preparation! I didn't realize you were moving it because it started so suddenly!"

Reflecting on it, Kirill had a point. Aldis, who usually acted alone, often lacked consideration for his party members.

He remembered that Ted had also yelled at him for a similar reason. Thinking of his meddlesome mercenary friend, Aldis said:

"Sorry. I should have warned you."

"...Thank you."

Kirill's voice was weak, as if his heart had just jumped.

"Well, we've decided to take it back... It's probably night by now. Let's rest tonight and leave in the morning."

Aldis could have made the journey back through the night, but Kirill's stamina wouldn't allow it.

"Then, should we use this room? It's small, but cleaner than the others."

"No, let's go back up and rest above ground."

Kirill, who didn't understand why they couldn't rest underground, was urged to hurry, and Aldis began to climb the stairs.

Underground would have been a better place to rest, but there was a room Aldis didn't want Kirill to see. The sight was not something a child should see.

It took them twice as long to return to the ground floor as it did to descend. The building was in ruins, but it seemed to offer some protection from the elements, which was better than camping in the forest.

Aldis washed a corner of the building with water magic, dried it with wind magic, and gathered dry wood from the surrounding area to start a fire.

"Um... Who will take the first watch?"

"It's not necessary. I'll wake up if anything happens."

"But... we're in the middle of the forest, right?"

"There are no monsters or beasts around here, so don't worry."

Though something else might appear, Aldis muttered to himself.

"Hmm..."

Kirill's response was hesitant. However, with Aldis, who clearly knew the area, making such a statement, he had no choice but to comply. Wrapped in his coat, Kirill lay down and soon began to snore softly.

Aldis, to be safe, used magic to scan the area for any signs of monsters or beasts, found none, and then lay down to rest.

The wind blew.

On a gentle hill. The trees gave way to a small, open meadow.

Aldis lay on his back, his limbs spread out, half-buried in the grass, gazing at the sky.

He followed the clouds with his eyes as they drifted and disappeared at the edge of his vision, then shifted his gaze to another cloud. Occasionally, a small bird would cross the sun, casting a shadow on Aldis's face before flying away.

He could hear his comrades' voices in the distance.

Someone must have done something foolish again.

Mocking voices, laughter, and angry shouts.

All of it was annoying yet endearing.

Aldis's happy memories.

A precious daily life that could never be returned to.

Even if it was a blood-soaked world, that place was his home, his homeland, and he now understood that.

And he realized that he could never return.

All because he was foolish.

All because he was weak.

All because he couldn't protect what he should have.

As he stared blankly at the sky, Aldis heard approaching footsteps. Light, dancing steps. He knew who it was just by the sound.

Aldis's eyes stung.

"Aldis, how long are you going to sulk? The captain said, 'Don't worry about it.' Just because your timing was a bit off, you're moping. No one was seriously hurt, so snap out of it."

A girl's face appeared in Aldis's field of vision, upside down, with an exasperated expression. She had the same black eyes and hair as Aldis, and her long hair was tied back with a violet ribbon.

"Come on, if you don't hurry, you'll miss lunch. The others aren't kind enough to save food for absent comrades."

The girl smiled and held out her hand.

Tears welled up in Aldis's eyes, blurring his vision. He wanted to see more, but his eyes betrayed his will.

Frustrated by Aldis's lack of response, the girl placed her hands on her hips and warned him with a hint of anger.

"Come on, get up. If you don't, it'll be dangerous soon."

Aldis, who had woken up, immediately sat up and drew 'Spring Mist.'

The fire had gone out, and the only light came from the magic Aldis had cast. In the silence, Aldis silently used magic to scan the area.

There was a reaction.

"How long have they been there..."

Aldis and his companions were surrounded by multiple magical presences.

2017/11/02 Typo correction: 伺って言う → 窺って言う

2019/05/02 Typo correction: まだ誰かが → また誰かが

* Thank you for the typo report.

2019/07/30 Typo correction: 例え → たとえ

* Thank you for the typo report.