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Chapter 27 – Remains of the Grave Keeper
Clare, Selena, and the adventurers each introduce themselves.
“Oh, so Selena-san is an adventurer.”
“Yes, I registered in the capital and became an adventurer. If you see me at the guild, please say hello.”
“Thank you. If you’re a witch’s apprentice, you can rely on me.”
“Unlike my elder apprentice, Clare-sama, I’m not that good at magic. I’m more focused on swords.”
When Selena touches the pommel of the rapier at her waist, the adventurers look at her with interest. It’s easier for them to understand than magic.
“Aren’t you an adventurer, Clare-san?”
“I’m thinking about doing something else for a living. But I like adventurers. I’ve covered most of the famous adventure stories.”
The adventurers laugh at the girl doll standing on Clare’s shoulder and giving a thumbs up with one hand on her hip. Clare, who doesn’t talk much about her own situation, explained it like this. It’s also true about Clare’s impression of adventurers.
“Haha. Well, I’ll have to try not to ruin Clare’s image.”
“Well, I think it’s best to get used to it and not push yourself too hard until you get better. At first, eat something easy to eat like porridge, and when you feel better, eat lean meat, lean fish, liver… and maybe eggs, milk, and cheese too. Eating those things will help with your blood.”
“Oh…”
This is the nutritional knowledge she gained during her stay in the hospital. The adventurers listened in admiration, as this was information they didn’t know from the witch’s apprentice.
After finishing their conversation with the adventurers in the tent, Clare and the others headed to another tent. There, a guild staff member and Rona were talking.
“You’re here. Clare, you’ve been mentioned as a reward.”
“For helping the survey team. And for defeating the dangerous monster. I’m thinking of adding the rescue fee and the market rate for emergency extermination requests, but I think we need to discuss the calculation of the monster’s threat level.”
“I see.”
“I told you my impression of the magical power.”
“Considering that a party of experienced adventurers was on the defensive and probably wiped out… it seems like they were a pretty strong enemy.”
“Well… I think it was a good match for the place we fought.”
It was a battle in the forest, moving at high speed. It was easier for Clare to move around in than inside the ruins, since she could make the most of her mobility.
However, the situation and compatibility are not considered when it comes to the threat level of the monster or the extermination request fee.
Anyway, Clare would not object if she could receive a reward.
“Then, when we defeated the grave guard, this was left behind. We’re still observing whether it’s dangerous, so we haven’t decided what to do with it yet.”
She shows the guild staff a container of soil soaked in liquid that was collected wrapped in cloth, the remains of a metal heart, and an octahedral gem inside it.
“I see… Clare-sama defeated it, so we’ll leave it to you. If you can sell it to the guild, we’ll take it for a high price, but honestly, we can’t make good use of it at this time.”
“I understand. I’m interested in this, so I’ll take it.”
Clare replied, but the girl doll sitting on her shoulder clenched her fist happily.
(They want to use this for doll making.)
(It looks like it could be used for doll making research.)
Seeing Clare like that, Rona and Selena both thought the same thing.
A magical creature from an ancient civilization. If there is any part of the technology used there that can be used in Clare’s doll making, it would be a very useful technology. It was understandable that Clare, who is passionate about doll making, would be happy.
The fee for the investigation cooperation was also decided after a little discussion. The actual cost of the items used in the investigation would be borne by the guild, and it was settled that the amount would be enough to hire a famous magician. The period would be until the threat level inside the ruins was determined.
If it were safe, it would be short, and even if they found something inside the ruins and continued investigating it, if Rona and the others were with them, it would be easier to guess what it was.
Rona’s stance was that it was fine as long as it didn’t cause any trouble for her. The guild knew that, so they were grateful to have her cooperate here.
“Also, there’s one more thing I want to ask you—Did the guild also expect something about the ruins?”
When Rona asked, the guild investigator quietly nodded in affirmation.
“That’s something we’ve anticipated. The Empire has been obsessed with that area in the past, and has delved deep into the Great Sea of Trees, causing great damage each time. The Kingdom has also conducted a similar large-scale investigation once, not wanting to fall behind, but they’ve been cautious since they suffered a painful experience.”
The investigator said that there was information that the Empire’s intelligence was gathering information on the south of the Great Sea of Trees – the Kingdom’s side.
“So, you were also anticipating the Empire discovering undiscovered ruins on the south side.”
“That’s right. It’s possible that they’ll discover the investigators themselves, or traces of their activities.”
When adventurers go deep into the Great Sea of Trees, where they normally don’t go, they basically notify them. It’s because they need to avoid provoking the Lord of the domain, and if the purpose, period and scope of their activities are narrowed down, rescue is possible. So even just discovering traces of camping that the guild doesn’t know about can lead to investigating the Empire’s movements.
However, the kingdom’s side unexpectedly discovered an undiscovered ruin. If the Empire’s investigators heard about this, they would try to get involved with the ruins.
They needed to at least understand what was inside and, if necessary, put it under their control. Neither the guild nor the kingdom could just leave it there.
The research team’s camp was in a location that allowed them to quickly reach the collapsed area where the ruins were located. While waiting for their physical and magical powers to recover, they could respond quickly if they noticed anything unusual, so Clare and the others decided to spend the night at the camp before heading to investigate the ruins.
The other members of the research team who had been away returned to the camp, excited by the discovery of the ruins and the cooperation of the Black Witch and her disciples.
“–So, you’re humanoid but amorphous.”
While waiting for dinner to be prepared, they talked about the grave guardians around the fire.
“It extends its tentacles and sharpens the tips to use them like a whip or spear. It also uses this for high-speed movement. It extends its tentacles thinly and sends its contents – water to the end, and then moves by sending its body in, just like inflating it.”
It is a tacit understanding among adventurers that they do not ask for details about how they defeated it, as this will include their secret weapon, but they do share information about what kind of abilities the grave guardian had. Since they are heading to investigate ruins, it is necessary to know what kind of grave guardian he was.
“That method of movement seems like it would be possible to get into a narrow gap that would normally be impossible to fit your body into.”
“That sounds like a story about a surprise attack from a narrow gap.”
“…That’s probably it. We were attacked in a passage where there should have been nothing. But I confirmed that there was a gap of this size in the wall.”
The heavy warrior said, pointing to the width of the crack with his hand. The grave guard who came out from there was most likely launching a surprise attack. In essence, it means that it can go through anything that is large enough for the metal heart to pass through. However, there might be individuals with metal hearts of different sizes, so it’s dangerous to make a judgment based on that alone.
“I didn’t feel any magical reaction, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something else there. We need to be careful when investigating.”
When Rona said that, the adventurers gathered there looked nervous.
“Just in case, we’ll assign some skilled adventurers as guards.”
“Well, our job is to help with the investigation and ensure safety. I guess we’ll leave that to you.”
“That’s right. Everyone, please act with the premise that you are protecting the witches.”
“We will also use detection magic as much as possible to make sure you don’t get ambushes. We can’t promise that it will be impossible.”
“Thank you. Let’s be careful.”
Clare and Selena said, and the adventurers nodded, and with the plan in place, it was time for dinner.
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