Chapter 44

As Hikaru quietly peeked outside, Ravia also came and peeked from under him.

About ten meters away, the group was split into two, four people and two people, arguing.

"Didn't I tell you? I want to go and replenish the 'Holy Oil' once."

"You're planning to disappear somewhere, aren't you? That's a breach of contract! Didn't you boast, 'We're Rank C,' 'We're the most capable in this area'? And now, you're just wandering around the already explored streets!"

"Mr. Gaf... You're a noble, aren't you—"

"I'm not a noble!"

"Got it, got it. You probably don't know, so I'll tell you. The undead at night are too powerful. You saw it, right? All their abilities are heightened."

"Not just at night, you were lazy during the day too!"

"Beyond the 'Wall'... the enemies are several ranks stronger."

(The 'Wall'? Is there really such a thing? Still, the group of four, being Rank C, are quite calm. They know when to back down.)

Hikaru observed calmly.

They looked like men in their mid-20s.

One of them was doing the talking while the other three were chatting behind him. They must trust each other a lot, or their roles are well-defined.

The man called Mr. Gaf, on the other hand, looked to be in his 50s, no, 60s. His hair, almost entirely white, was messy. But the clothes he wore—what nobles wear for deer hunting—were flashy. They didn't fit in the dungeon at all.

It made sense why the adventurers called him a noble.

For some reason, Gaf denied it.

"Didn't you know I wanted to go beyond that 'Wall'?"

"That's true... but, let's sit down. You must be tired from walking, Mr. Gaf."

"I'm not tired!"

"Your legs are shaking. You should drink some water."

"Damn..."

The six of them sat in a circle, with the magic lamp's light at the center.

Hikaru focused on the person next to Mr. Gaf.

He thought it was a young man, but it seemed to be a woman. She was tall and had no excess fat. Her blue-gray hair was short. Under her coat, she wore a plate armor that only covered important parts. She probably had chainmail underneath.

Hikaru noticed she had short swords hanging on both sides.

(Two swords? That's rare. And—her outfit looks like a knight's, but there are no female knights, right?)

"Understand? I'm here now. The explored area is here. It's clearly a half-hearted effort, isn't it?"

Gaf pointed to the top of a stack of papers.

It seemed to be a map.

"A map... I want to see it. Ravia, wait here. Don't move. Stay within the range of the 'Holy Oil.'"

"What about Hikaru?"

"Scouting."

Slipping out of the door, Hikaru used his 'Stealth.'

He walked silently. It would be troublesome if there was someone with 'Intuition' among the men.

While there were few people with 'Detection' skills, 'Intuition' was quite common.

"Just one more day, at least to go beyond that 'Wall'—"

A collapsed wall, used as a seat.

Gaf placed the stack of papers next to him.

Hikaru approached.

When he was within five meters of the target, he called up the Soul Board.

The C-rank adventurers had decent stats, but nothing extraordinary. 'Bow' 4 and 'Spirit Magic' 'Water' 4 were the most notable. They seemed to fight with a focus on teamwork.

(And this old man—)

[Soul Board] Gafalst = Nui = Balbus

Age 62, Rank 10

50

[Mana]

[Mana Amount] 1

[Spirit Affinity]

[Earth] 1

[Mental Power]

[Strength of Mind] 5

[Religion]

[Sacred] 5

[Intuition]

[Intelligence]

[Calculation] 1

[Language Output] 1

[Memory] 2

(Hmm... 'Gafalst'? I think... this name was in the dungeon's documents. A historian who knows about the ancient Poelnsian Dynasty.)

The 'Nui' in his name means he's from a viscount family. Gafalst himself could be the head. A genuine noble.

(He denied being a noble earlier... but he's here incognito, right? It's obvious.)

He looked down on the adventurers. His clothes were flashy. He looked like a noble.

(Fine, then this woman is the noble's guard.)

[Soul Board] Agreia = Van = Hortens

Age 21, Rank 26

12

[Vitality]

[Stamina] 2

[Immunity]

[Disease Immunity] 1

[Toxin Immunity] 1

[Mana]

[Mana Amount] 3

[Strength]

[Strength Amount] 4

[Weapon Proficiency]

[Sword] 2

[Long Spear] 2

[Armor] 2

[Mental Power]

[Strength of Mind] 2

[Religion]

[Evil] 3

[Cursed Soul Magic] 1

[Intuition]

[Intuition] 6

('Cursed Soul Magic'? And the middle name 'Van'? Roland's knowledge doesn't cover this—)

"!"

Agreia turned around and looked at Hikaru.

Hikaru froze.

The magic lamp's light was blocked by Gafalst, so Hikaru's area should have been in darkness.

Yet, Agreia was glaring at him.

(I see—'Intuition' 6! At the level of a knight captain!)

"What is it, Agreia?"

"...Sir Balbus, I'm not sure, but there might be a rat."

"!"

Gafalst stood up and turned around.

"Someone from the royal family!?"

"No, not that—"

"Kill him!"

"Yes, sir."

The adventurers were confused by their conversation.

"Hey, Gaf, what are you saying... that lady didn't fight at all. Is she a mage? She has two swords—"

Agreia ignored the adventurers and began chanting a spell.

"O great deity dwelling in the abyss, grant me the power to use your might. My name is Agreia = Van = Hortens. I will put those who oppose me to sleep."

A faint purple mana rose from her body and spread around like a gentle breeze.

"What... what is this...? Wait, there's nothing, right?"

"Wrong, leader! Orhante!"

One of the adventurers slumped, his head hanging, and his body fell sideways.

"Hey!? What did you do, you—!!"

"Quiet, it's embarrassing. They just fell asleep—this magic only affects those who are hostile to us."

"Hostile!?"

"Hmph, did that archer have a grudge against us, glaring at us with such intensity?—Well, how about it, Agreia?"

Agreia was looking into the darkness.

But she shook her head slightly.

"No... there's nothing. It must have been my imagination. I apologize."

"Don't worry. I assigned you as my guard to be extra cautious. It's something to be proud of..."

Gafalst, who was about to speak, froze.

"...Sir Balbus?"

"No, nothing!"

Gafalst pointed to where he had been sitting—next to it.

"My files are gone!!"

When Agreia suspected him, Hikaru acted quickly.

He closed the distance while 'Stealth' was still effective, grabbed Gafalst's files, and fled. The files had fallen behind a rock when Gafalst stood up, so it took a while for them to notice they were missing.

He had a moment of hesitation about stealing from someone who hadn't done anything wrong, but it was too late.

(They tried to kill me suddenly, so it's fine to just check the contents and return it. ...Is it okay? Since I died once and stole, my senses might be a bit numb...)

Also, Hikaru was curious.

(That old man was wary of the 'royal family'? And he's here incognito—something seems suspicious.)

Hikaru returned to the house where Ravia was hiding, closed the door firmly, and made sure no light leaked out.

Shortly after, he sensed magic being used, but it was out of range.

He lit the magic lamp and started checking the files.

"Hikaru, what's going on?"

The top of the file was indeed a map. There were many detailed notes, but overall—

"...Ravia, what does this map look like to you?"

"Huh? Uh... this is..."

Ravia seemed to realize.

"The capital... Gii = Poernsonia."

"Just the central part of the capital. You think so too, Ravia?"

Hikaru had been to the center of the capital, so he remembered the layout.

"I'll skim through it. Ravia, take a look too—we'll discuss it later."

"Got it."

Using 'Mana Detection,' Gafalst and the others hadn't moved. Gafalst was arguing. Words like "chase" could be heard.

The file was thick, but with many diagrams and tables, a quick read took about 15 minutes.

The map.

Discovery status so far.

And an analysis of the ancient Poelnsian Dynasty.

'The ancient Poelnsian Dynasty existed just 600 years ago, yet there are unnaturally few documents from that time. Despite having the military power to unify the continent, there are more documents from other countries. The only thing left about its collapse is a single poem.'

The next page was the last.

'The king of Poelnsia, excelling in magic,

Invented magic surpassing spirit manipulation, making it the foundation of the dynasty.

Gii = Poelnsia flourished, calling itself the divine people, aiming to conquer the continent.

At dawn, Gii = Poelnsia vanished.'

'Vanished.'

It means it collapsed.

There were many intriguing points. 'Magic surpassing spirit manipulation.' It's not 'magic' but 'magic.'

'Spirit magic' involves interfering with spirits using one's own mana to cause supernatural phenomena.

'Healing magic' involves interfering with the target using one's own mana to enhance their natural healing ability.

On the other hand, 'magic' refers to things like the 'art of transcending worlds' that brought Hikaru to this world, which are not spirit magic or divine magic.

However, it is extremely inefficient and requires many mana catalysts—like 'spirit stones.'

The phrase 'at dawn' is also intriguing.

There is a calendar in this world, but there is no 'dawn' day. What does it mean?

Hikaru also noticed.

"—'The Underground City of the Ancient Divine People.'"

The origin of the dungeon's name.

The word 'divine people' also appears in the poem.

"Hikaru, does this dungeon date back to the ancient Poelnsian Dynasty?"

"Yeah... but rather—"

"?"

Hikaru sensed movement in 'Mana Detection.'

Agreia stood up cautiously and walked over.

After a while, the door opened.

Agreia found Gafalst's files there—but the person who took them was nowhere to be found.

Healing and support magic are derived from 'Sacred' 3.

Cursed soul magic is derived from 'Evil' 3.