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Chapter 30 – What Opened the Door?
“I heard that Griff… as a warrior, he believes in speed. He has the versatility of an adventurer.”
Lucia, standing next to Clare and the others, shared the information.
Griff was carrying two weapons crossed behind his back. They were smaller than a typical short sword, but too large to be called a knife. Looking at them, it made sense that he was a light warrior who prioritized speed.
As for Lucia, she was carrying a short spear that seemed easy to handle even in a confined space.
“In that case… you have a plan to dodge projectiles, right?”
“Maybe. If you move to rescue, it’s better to know that you’re light on your feet, so keep that in mind.”
“I understand.”
Clare answered Lucia, and the girl doll nodded.
Griff held the blade in his right hand and held it in front of him, carefully moving forward. While the entire research team watched with tension, Griff stepped into the small room.
“…There’s no movement in the magic at this point.”
Griff nodded without turning around at Rona’s words. He slowly walked to the center of the room. He picked up the book on the pedestal and looked around.
Silence. Nothing happened. After waiting for a few more seconds, Griff turned around.
“The magic on the pedestal…”
“It got smaller and disappeared.”
“It’s fulfilled its role… I guess. Was this structure made intending to entrust the book to the person who opened the door? The book itself seems to be an ordinary one with no magic…”
Hearing Clare and the others’ words, Griff decided that safety was assured and returned.
After walking a few steps out of the small room, Griff let out a sigh of relief when he saw the book in his hands, and the adventurers responded with cheers. Clare clapped along with the girl doll, and Selena clapped along with Clare.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Thank you, Griff-san.”
“Then I’ll give this to you.”
After the researchers thanked him on behalf of the group, Griff handed over the book.
“…It’s in good condition. The current problem is deciphering the ancient characters. We’ll discuss that after we deliver it to the capital.”
“I’ll also give you the potion back.”
“That’s fine. As a token of my gratitude for your dangerous work.”
When the girl doll gave a thumbs up, Griff laughed a little and said, “I see. I’ll take it then.”
“By the way, what’s on the other side of the passage?”
“I didn’t go very far when I came across a door, but it was cracked. When I opened it, it was filled with dirt. Structurally, it must be an entrance.”
It seems that Kairem and the others had already finished exploring that side.
“Well, let’s check there just to be sure.”
“Yes. The ruins themselves have value, and if the grooves in the walls are magical, then that would be included. We should check carefully to make sure there are no dangers.”
With that, the researcher said, and the group moved on to check the remaining sections.
Soon, the research team finished checking the remaining parts and came out of the ruins.
“Outside…!”
“It was my first time investigating dangerous ruins, so I was nervous.”
“It’s chilly and dark, so it’s even more so…”
The adventurers’ tension was relieved by being outside, and everyone let out a cry of joy.
“In the end, we were able to get a lot out of the ruins without being attacked. However, it was thanks to everyone’s efforts that we could finish safely. Thank you.”
The researcher bowed. However, the work of the research team is not over yet. The original purpose was not to investigate undiscovered ruins, but to investigate as much area as possible and check for traces of the Empire’s activities.
Clare and the others turned back to Griff and Lucia.
“Griff-san, Lucia-san, thank you for your protection.”
“Thanks to you, I was able to concentrate on investigating the magic.”
Clare, the girl doll, Selena, and the doll all bowed together, and Rona nodded.
“I’m glad we’re all safe. I can say this because it ended without any incident, but it was quite stimulating.”
“Fufu. I also had fun working with Grandma Rona and her apprentices.”
“Okay. Well then, I guess I’ll be heading back.”
“I think I’ll have something to say to Rona-sama again. I’d be happy if you could come to the guild when you come to the capital.”
“Okay. Sometime soon.”
“I look forward to seeing you again in the capital.”
“Well then.”
After saying goodbye to the investigators and adventurers, Clare and the others headed home. However, the direction Rona headed was different from the direction where the hermitage was. This is a disguise to prevent the location of the hermitage from being guessed.
Rona was walking straight through the forest, but suddenly stopped and spread a concealment barrier around her, then said.
“Now, Selena… it’s not like you were using advanced detection magic, and you might not have seen it due to your compatibility, so let’s ask Clare first. Do you understand the current situation… or rather, what you should do next?”
When Rona asked, Selena blinked quizzically, but Clare, who was asked, seemed to have some idea about what Rona was saying, as the girl doll put her hand to her chin and made a thoughtful gesture.
“Hmm. That’s right. I was a bit… curious about that person. That’s why I set it up so I could track their location.”
“Good. How do you do it?”
“You can use detection magic to identify individuals, but… even if they have a means that makes it impossible to detect them, they have tiny spider-like threads attached to them, so you can still follow them.”
“I see. That’s why it’s pointless to use any kind of concealment. I’ll keep an eye on them, so I’ll camp near the camp today. Oh, make sure you don’t leave any traces. It would be troublesome if they thought it was a trace of Imperial espionage.”
Selena tilted her head to the two of them as they were having this conversation.
“Did you two sense something?”
“Yes. Everyone seemed shaken when that door opened… some people’s concealment was messed up. One of the survey team was caught by the detection magic at that time.”
“If you have clear ill will or malice towards others, you may unconsciously turn on them if you don’t control your magical powers properly… that’s what I taught Selena.”
It was the same logic as what Clare sensed when she went to the capital, but because they were using advanced detection magic, some people were caught even though they were using concealment magic.
“Yes. It’s a minute movement of magic that naturally surrounds me, so in my case, I may not be able to see it, or I may not be aware of it unless I have a strong emotion. So, there was someone with malicious intent… Could it be from the Empire?”
“That’s right. Normally, it doesn’t matter if you don’t take action, but if there’s someone among the survey team who reacts like that, it won’t hurt to be a little cautious. So, about that person who might be an Imperial spy–”
Rona shares information with Selena about a person who might be an Imperial spy.
“That person…”
“So… Selena. You also sensed something at that door, right? Based on your reaction to what I just said, it’s something other than a spy.”
“Yes.”
This time, Selena nods seriously. Selena said that the remains of the grave keeper probably reacted when the door was opened, but she winked one eye at Clare and Rona to signal them so that others couldn’t see. She wanted them to join in on the conversation, and Rona and Clare understood her intention.
“…It’s most likely not the remains of the grave keeper that opened the door. It seemed like the wave-like thing that was released from the door reacted the moment it came into contact with Clare-sama’s magic. And it might have reacted because it was Clare-sama who defeated the grave keeper…”
“If I’d said that then and there, it would have been Clare who opened the door, regardless of the conditions or premise for opening the door. It was a good response to get them to look at the remains and convince them.”
“Thank you. You helped me, Selena-san.”
Clare raised the brim of her hat as Rona spoke, and thanked Selena. Selena smiles a little shyly and says, “It’s an honor.”
Even if we ignore the fact that she’s an Imperial spy, it’s not a good idea to attract attention in this way. In the end, she’s left a little vague about how they defeated the Grave Guardian. Although she does tell the guild that Clare was the main contributor to the defeat.
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