Chapter 72: Hello, Ruins ~ Welcome to the Ancient Site

“Thank you for your hard work.”

In the reception room where the Klaufeldt Viscount family had left, the scent of tea wafted once again.

“Oh, I didn’t really pay much attention to them being trash magic stone producers, but why am I suddenly so interested…It seems they simply lack money, but it appears they have some talent. From now on, make sure to gather at least the basic information.”

Sitting comfortably on the sofa and sipping on tea brewed by the housekeeper is the master of the mansion, Count Bruno Kalenberg.

“Understood. However, was the contract to your satisfaction?”

While glancing at the contract document on the desk, the housekeeper inquired.

“Oh, there is a benefit for us as well. If that new model comes out, not only will the current products stop selling, but the replacement demand should also increase. Refrigerators are not something that breaks in about ten years, but after twenty years, the magic circle will wear down, and more importantly, the board and casing won’t hold up.”

Magic circles don’t deteriorate much if not used. Thanks to the originally rust-resistant properties of pseudo-silver and the stabilizing effect of magic stone powder, artifacts excavated from ruins over a millennium ago can move.

However, if a magic circle is continuously used, it undergoes stress and gradually becomes thinner, so artifacts that have been used a lot often don’t move.

Moreover, despite being resistant to deterioration, it is like a thin plating, so wear due to rubbing or scraping cannot be avoided. This was the reason why Isamu struggled with where to describe the functional circles of the Felis series.

Furthermore, refrigerators, as they directly emit cold air from the magic circle, must be installed with the magic circle exposed. Despite being high-end products, they inevitably wear down due to collisions.

Additionally, modern boards are often made of wood. While the boards of artifacts are made of a mysterious substance that is resistant to corrosion, high-end products for royalty and nobility use materials that are resistant to corrosion for both the board and casing, but mass-market products are at best processed with a sturdy wooden surface using monster materials.

In that case, even if the magic circle itself is intact, the board will deteriorate. As for the casing, since refrigerators are mostly made of wood, wear and tear are unavoidable.

If only the magic circle has worn down, it can be repaired by sending it for repairs. However, it is impossible to prevent the deterioration of the board and casing, and the average lifespan is about twenty years.

“Fifty years have passed since refrigerators were introduced to the world. Including replacement, it will probably sell about twice the current situation for the time being. We and the Klaufeldt family can monopolize that. The profit will be at least more than the current situation. That raccoon. He probably intentionally avoided touching on this point and observed the situation… If I didn’t accept the contract, insisting on the immediate decrease in profits, I would have suffered more losses.”

He laughed in the back of his throat, took another sip of tea, and said,

“As for the limited area, well, as long as it’s within the current generation, it doesn’t matter. Even Marquis Felker couldn’t conquer the labyrinth in twenty years. Even Wanderers can’t do anything. Right, Joachim?”

Count Bruno called out to the sword-wielding man who had been standing silently behind the sofa.

“Yeah. I felt only a slightly higher amount of magic power than average from the Wanderer. The forest witch had an impressive amount of magic power, but the daughter had a slightly higher amount. The potential threat seems to be low.”

Joachim, who served as the captain of the Kalenberg family’s guard, spoke without changing his posture. He had the ability skill Magic Eye Magi Search, which allowed him to measure the opponent’s magical power. While guarding during the meeting, he measured it.

Isamu’s magic power was judged to be slightly higher than average in the measurement among Wanderers, but there was a possibility that it had increased in the last three months. Due to rumors that he defeated the Mage Ogre, precautions were necessary.

If the magic power was significant, there was a plan to send a signal, but it was judged that there was no problem.

“Even though it’s a limited area, all the artifacts that caught our eye have already been collected. Even if new ones are discovered, it means that we couldn’t originally discover them. Wanting them afterward is nothing but greed. Moreover, if the discovery of new artifacts becomes a topic and the number of visitors to the ruins increases, money will also flow into the town. Either way, there is no significant disadvantage for us. Well, since individual magic circles are rolling around, it might be a good playground for that collector.”

Saying that, he stood up and left the reception room with the two others.

—————————

On the other hand, Isamu and the others were conducting a reflection session on the carriage back.

“He agreed to the contract quite easily.”

Although he made a somewhat surprised face, Isamu tilted his head, reflecting on the fact that the contract was smoothly concluded without any turbulence.

“Hehe, half of that might have been an act. I was surprised when he brought up the right to enter the limited area, but regarding the refrigerator, I think he made a very calm judgment, considering the monopoly on replacement demand. As expected of a noble family boasting prosperity for many years, they are not easily dealt with.”

Selfers responded with a wry smile.

“Well, even so, he probably won’t realize our intention is the ‘contents’ of individual magic circles.”

While smirking, Nicolette continued.

“Well, thanks to Willem-san, we can collect magic circles as a collection and mislead them. Thanks to that, even if we bring back magic circles, we can avoid suspicion for a while, which is nice.”

Saying that, Selfers shrugged his shoulders.

“By the way, when do you plan to enter the ruins?”

Not knowing how to use the acquired rights specifically, Isamu inquired.

“I’m planning to enter from tomorrow. I’m expecting to stay for a certain period, but I can’t leave the territory vacant for too long.”

“Oh, I see! By the way, ruins… Will there be monsters?”

When it comes to ruins or labyrinths, Isamu’s image is that monsters come with the territory.

“Oh, monsters will definitely appear. In the upper levels, many monsters come in from outside and settle, but the deeper you go, the more monsters emerge from within.  Where they emerge and how they come up is still unexplained. It’s known that the air’s magic power becomes denser as you go down in the ruins, and it’s speculated that this is why monsters appear in the deeper layers.  Even on the surface, powerful monsters can’t live long without a place with dense magic power, so in ruins, monsters become more powerful as you go deeper. Willem-san might be knowledgeable about these things.”

Listening to Selfers’ rough explanation, Isamu nodded solemnly. It seems to be a situation where dungeons infested with monsters can be aptly described.

On the other hand, with the appearance of a long-awaited new fantasy element, Isamu was starting to feel a bit excited.

“What preparations are you going to make when entering the ruins? If monsters appear, you’ll need weapons, right?”

Having almost never set foot in areas inhabited by monsters, Isamu doesn’t have his own weapons or armor. While he can quickly make Felis Series weapons, he has no idea what else might be necessary.

“The ruins are vast, and you’ll be walking a lot. It’s more about prioritizing light and easy-to-move equipment. You won’t see full-body metal armor like the knights usually wear.”

“I see…”

Now that he mentions it, Isamu realizes that many adventurers he saw from the carriage window were lightly equipped with leather or metal for partial reinforcement.

“We often dive for an overnight stay, so we want to minimize baggage as much as possible. For that reason, parties exploring ruins and labyrinths are said to require a magician. Just being able to produce water makes a huge difference in the amount of baggage, and they can deal damage even without weapons. Marquis Felker holding the exploration rights for the limited area individually is understandable. The kingdom’s strongest magician is also the kingdom’s top ruins explorer.”

“I see…”

“Well, this time, we plan to explore for a day or two, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem. Also, including Isamu-dono, the members chosen this time are relatively proficient in magic. The necessary equipment has also been arranged by the knights staying at the inn, so it’s good to check the size when we get back.”

It seems that the preparations were in perfect order, as if they had planned to dive into the ruins from the beginning.

“Thank you! I’m getting a bit excited!”

Isamu’s excitement is rising with this classic fantasy development.

“Nyafu.”

On Anne-Marie’s lap, Orihime curls up, swaying her tail. It seems she’s not completely indifferent to the situation.

“Hehe, Orihime-chan is sure to be very active!”

Gently stroking Orihime while saying that, Anne-Marie narrowed her eyes.

The next morning, the members challenging the ruins gathered in the backyard of the Zambrotta Company.

The members are Selfers, Anne-Marie, Isamu (and Orihime), Willem, Vice Captain Felix, and three members chosen from the knights’ rotation: Liddell, Mizeroi, and the head maid Karina, making a total of eight people and one animal.

This is an extremely luxurious lineup for adventurers, as everyone is able to use magic to some extent.

Moreover, everyone has received guidance on ancient magic, so they can use magic more efficiently than usual.

Nicolette also wanted to go, but it would be a serious matter if the lord and lady were to have an accident, so she stayed behind this time. Eto also declined the first round, as it would be hard to understand what to do. The knights seemed to have had disputes over the matter, but for the next rotation, three members who were close to Isamu were chosen.

Karina is a super-convenient unit as she can both take care and contribute to combat.

Together with such members, Isamu was doing a final check of the equipment.

However, it’s just that he put on something that fits from what the knights prepared for him yesterday.

Wearing a thick tunic with lightly durable monster shell protection on vital areas, leather pants, gloves, and a backpack on his back containing food and sundries.

As for weapons, he attached a short spear that can also be used as a staff and a large knife with a suddenly enhanced sharpness.

The knights were wrapped in light armor of leather rather than their usual metal armor, carrying Felis Type 1 and its reinforced version. Anne-Marie and Karina wore thick dresses with leather vests.

Willem wore his own surcoat over the tunic.

“Well then, shall we go?

Today, we’re just going to check things out for a day, so there’s no need to be too tense.”

Selfers, who boarded the carriage, spoke to the slightly excited Isamu.

“Well, I’m a bit excited… In my original world, exploring ruins was like a dream in a way.”

Isamu chuckled while taking a light deep breath.

“Hahaha, I’m glad your dream came true.”

The large carriage, escorted by knights, advanced along the road in a friendly atmosphere and turned onto a side road after about 30 minutes. If they continued straight, they would go to the ruins open to the public, but the restricted area had a different route and a different entrance from a certain point.

After proceeding for about 30 minutes along the side road, they encountered something like a makeshift checkpoint.

They were questioned, showed the entry permit issued by the count yesterday, and then proceeded further.

Soon, a faint gray structure, assumed to be part of the ruins, peeked out from a collapsed rocky mountain. They got off the carriage near what seemed to be the entrance to the gaping ruins, showed the permit again to the knight guarding the entrance, and finally set foot inside the ruins.

Thirty minutes into the ruins, Isamu and the others, led by Liddell, were advancing through the first floor.

The structure was a strangely built building.

Cracks in the outer walls and damage from rocks allowed light to enter from various places, making it faintly bright. The passageways and walls were primarily made of a light gray material with a subtle gloss, but suddenly, completely different areas were mixed in.

If it changed to a different area at a certain place, it might have been an extension or reconstruction, but it was mixed without much such regularity. There were patterns that continued for a long time, and patterns that ended after just a few meters or a single room.

A considerable part was collapsed, making it difficult to grasp the whole picture, but to Isamu, it seemed like they had expanded an originally large structure even more in a disorderly manner.

“Willem-san, are other ruins similar? Like the material of the walls and floors, and the size?”

During a break, Isamu asked Willem, a senior in ruins exploration, who was sitting next to him.

“Well, the material feels similar. But I feel like this one is newer, with less damage. The passageways are wider, and the ceilings are higher. Also, there are a bit more monsters here.”

He tilted his head slightly and chuckled at the last part.

Although they’ve been walking for about 60 minutes, they’ve only encountered monsters twice so far.

In a publicly open ruins with many people, they expected to encounter a bit more, so it’s not unreasonable for Willem to be puzzled.

The first time was in a small room that turned into a dead end, where about ten goblins had settled. The second time, they encountered spider-like monsters called Ruged Spiders, three of them, that appeared inside the ruins.

Both encounters were easily won with the swords of the three knights and Selfers, and the magic of Isamu, Annemarie, and Karina. Orihime, appearing only her face from Isamu’s backpack, seemed to be just observing without having a chance to participate.

By the way, the reason they know it’s a monster that appeared inside the ruins is that if they leave it alone after defeating it, it disappears with smoke. According to one theory, the ruins absorb it as nutrients and use it as raw material to create other monsters. It’s a fantastic phenomenon.

The truth is uncertain, but for a moment, Isamu felt like he saw it shine black (a strange expression), so there’s a possibility that it’s being decomposed and reduced by some magic means.

By the way, there doesn’t seem to be the convenient design seen in RPGs where they leave magic stones or materials behind.

With the group taking a break, they continued to advance into the slightly peculiar ruins.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter