CH 56

「So, who?」

「…He’s a mercenary I worked with on a previous joint commission. I didn’t ask for it, but they were all over the place, the request didn’t produce good results, and I got tangled up in the net. His name—— I won’t bother saying it.」

「It’s Rhine. No last name. I’m equivalent to Class C, looking forward to work with you.」

Rhine lightly raised his hand in greeting, but Alfiris’ response remained the same.

「…So, what do you want with these ruins? If you’re going to explore, you’d better do it quickly or you’ll end up here.」

「Not really— When it comes to this, I don’t care about the ruins, or rather, I enjoy making fun of you.」

「…The worst.」

Alfiris looked heartily disgusted and turned on her heel toward the ruins. Miranda and the others were unable to take in the situation for a moment, but they came to their senses and hurriedly followed Alfiris.

Later, the man put his hands on his hips and sighed lightly.

「You seem to hate me, huh?」

「That’s Rhine-san’s fault. I don’t know the details of how it happened, but that woman seemed very sincere. I don’t think that kind of response would be expected from a serious woman like that, let alone a prostitute or a bar girl.」

「Thanks for your supremely honest opinion, Kazas-sensei. So, now that we’re good and out of the way, let’s get on with the request, shall we? This is the site of that legendary city, right? Let’s get on with it. We’ve got our own reasons.」

Rhine was unloading its luggage with its tongue hanging out, as if to say that the sermon is depressing. Normally, this attitude would be irritating, but Kazas has grown accustomed to dealing with this man over the past few days, so he lets out a small sigh and gets to work.

「It’s『Zea, The Abandoned City,』for goodness sake, learn it. This is the city where other races once lived in the same place and then its inhabitants abruptly disappeared. I had no idea it was becoming known as the Beginner’s Dungeon! I noticed it by accident, looking at the myriad reports of surveyors, but I wouldn’t have noticed it if my specialty wasn’t archaeology and geography. Unraveling this secret would be one of the highest honors in the world of archaeology, and one of the greatest achievements in the academic city of Mayer——」

「I’m not interested in your theories or【your vast knowledge.】Just give me your instructions quickly, young genius professor.」

「Good grief, you’re sarcastic, but also you’re practical…」

Kazas was a little disappointed to be left out of the conversation, but Rhine had a good point, so he decided to get to work right away. The two met only a few days ago. Kazas looks like a boy, but he is 18 years old, the same age as Alfiris. At his age, he is a well-known archaeologist and archaeologist in the urban centers of the East. He is also one of the most sought-after scholars of the moment, with multiple degrees in geology, geography, astronomy, physics, and other disciplines.

Kazas has a wanderlust and sometimes travels alone like this. He goes into dangerous areas, but he was not as familiar there as he appear, and he knows how to avoid danger. He has had various accomplishments up to now, including hiring mercenaries when necessary.

This time, Kazas chose Rhine. Kazas has confidence in his ability to judge people. Kazas thought that this seemingly frivolous man could indeed make rational decisions without being careless. Its ability not measured by grade or appearance. He has also been backed by the guild. And that was——

「Now, here we are『Mercenary with a 100% Request Fulfillment Rate』-san.」

「Isn’t that hard to call? Just call me『Rhine.』Also, I’ve got some stuff to do on my own.」

「I am aware of that. Formally, I hired you, but I believe we are equals. Erm, Rhine-san?」

「Well, that’s good, but you don’t even have to put “san” in front of it. Well, let’s go. I have a feeling we’re in trouble if Alfiris is there, though.」

「What do you mean, she was…」

「People gather around that person. Good and bad.」

The two men, Kazas and Rhein, went to the ruins together.

＊＊＊

Romeo and his cronies were left at the entrance. But what Miranda jokingly said did not even miss the point.

(Puh! That Romeo with that kind of face?)

Because he was not named Romeo or anything like that. That’s right, he is a vagrant whose name is not well known. More to the point, he was a vagabond, one should say.

Once they were sure everyone had entered the ruins, Romeo and his cronies collapsed in place with a thud. And two shadows appear.

「Was this the right thing to do?」

「…That’s good enough…」

「It’s a good idea to collect materials in the course of Doom’s work.」

「…But this time we did it with flair…Some people will notice, and they’ll be suspicious of the stones…I guess we can’t use the same trick for a while…」

「But isn’t that enough for a number of people to get them all at once? Anomaly would be pleased.」

「…You’re right…」

「I’ll leave then. What about you?」

「…I’ll keep an eye out for Doom…He can go off the rails as soon as you take your eyes off him…」

「He is just like a child. I can’t believe you’re concerned to bother him.」

「…Actually, I think I am also a child…」

「That was also true. You’re in a tough spot, too, if you’ll excuse me. Well, I’ll see you soon.」

「…Yes…」

Then the tall, beautiful shadow and the silent boy’s shadow disappeared. At the same time, there was no longer any trace of Romeo and his cronies, as if they had faded away.

＊＊＊

At that time, on the first basement floor of the ruins, Alfiris and the others were being briefed by Miranda. The basement level is quite large, with a large cavernous space. There are many torches lit on the walls, and it appears that people have added their hands to the natural cave. There is a slight elevation in the center, and the stairs leading to the second basement level can be seen at the end of the building.

「I guess it is a branch line, to be precise. I may have explained before that the Church of Arnellia doctrinally prohibits idolatry, but it is easier to pray when there is a clear object to pray to, so they have placed a statue of Saint Arnelia in each of their churches. However, it is prohibited for each household to place a statue of Arnelia, and the sale of accessories and other items is also prohibited. But some of them wanted to worship Saint Arnelia, equating her with a spirit or a messenger of the spirit. I was excommunicated a long time ago.」

「From my point of view, you don’t mind if I worship Arnelia?」

「To be honest, I don’t care either way, but too strong a faith can be called fanaticism. It is good if fanaticism is purely about prayer, but if it is focused on power or comparison with other faiths, it can lead to rebellion, schism and internal collapse. Perhaps because Arnelianism did not have such a strong foundation at the time, they wanted to keep out such disaffected elements as much as possible. It seems to me that you were right about the factional warfare in the magic association. Well, the essence of the Arnelian religion is more of a charitable organization than a religion.」

「Oh, and by the way, Miranda also said something about correcting injustice in the pilgrim’s mission.」

「That’s what I said. The name is a pilgrimage, but what we are doing is an inspection. Sadly, even for charities like ours, there is no end to the number of people doing dirty things.」

It was tempting to ask if it was okay for Miranda to go wild and gamble in the bar, but Alfiris held her ground. In fact, she is not a slouch at such things, but when she sees an injured or lost person, she can’t leave them alone. While Alfiris is lost in thought for a while, Fenna comes in to the conversation.

「So, Miranda, do you know what this place was used for?」

「Yeah— That I don’t know. But from what Nia and Lisa have told me, it is possible that other species lived here, right? In terms of numbers, this could just barely fit almost 1,000 people in here… Maybe it was a meeting place. I don’t know what it was, but it was a gathering place for outcasts, for starters.」

「I’d be interested in hearing about that.」

Entering the room were the boy and the mercenary from earlier. Before I knew it, they were walking behind Alfiris and the others.

「I have heard some of your conversations, and your ideas are certainly correct. The official name of this area is『The Abandoned City of Zea.』It is told only in books, and it is not known when it was created or when it was destroyed. Legend has it that it was an ideal land where humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves, beasts, giants, and other races lived together. Well, the legend is only about 300 years old, and probably only because there were so few records of it that it was treated like a legend.」

「…Who the hell are you?」

Miranda expresses her displeasure. She doesn’t like the scholarly-looking hicks, and she hates chatter even more. This boy, or perhaps not a boy, judging from the way he talks, is the type of person Miranda hates in the middle of the street. If one think about it, Miranda is also something of a scholar in nature, but perhaps it is a feeling akin to homophobia. Or does she hate the presence that reminds her of her old, helpless self?

But the boy, not paying attention to Miranda’s blatant expression of disgust, responds with a slightly exaggerated appreciation.

「My apologies for this. My name is Kazas Roh Tolentisk. I am a professor of archaeology and geography at the University of Triadde in Mayer, the academic capital to the east. Pleased to meet you. This is the mercenary Rhine. I am asking you to help us in our search for Zea.」

Kazas bowing politely and the line remaining bushy for some reason. No doubt Alfiris is trying to avoid looking at the line, but Miranda was also in an even worse mood as soon as she heard Kazas’ name.

「You said you’re Kazas from Triadde University!?」

「Oh, you look like an Arnelian Sister, do you know me?」

「I know you well!」

Miranda looks at Kazas with hateful eyes, despite her intention to be polite

「How much trouble you caused the Arnelia church a few years ago.」

「Oh, did I do something wrong?」

「It’s a big deal! You and the rest of Triadde University have caused us so much trouble by publishing your paper『The Merits and Demerits of Arnelianism』in various publications! Did you know some of our treatment centers have closed because of it? 」

「Do you know what happened to the orphans, the sick, and the elderly who were shut out there!?」

「What’s that?」

As Miranda is about to pounce, Alfiris leans her body halfway between Miranda and Kazas.

「First, let me say that there seems to be a misunderstanding… The papers were not presented separately as a university, but are separate from each other. All of them are critical of Arnelianism, though. I wrote『On the Release of Arnerianism’s Books.』The Arnelian Church is one of the largest and oldest on the continent, and its library is filled with wonderful books. For an aspiring academic like me, that is a treasure trove.

And yet, the Arnelian Church does not open its books to the public. The methods of healing and purification of the sacred and magic are also kept mostly secret and monopolized. Of course, I can learn if I cooperate or belong to the Church of Arnelia. This is a great loss to society and I was just criticizing that. Well, I know for a fact that some of them, including with other papers, have misused only a part of it.」

「That’s a mouth that spins a lot… Even if it wasn’t your fault, you guys initiated it, didn’t you? Are you willing to take some responsibility?」

「No, not at all.」

「What the hell?」

「If I had to think about the aftermath, let alone the direct impact on what I write, I wouldn’t be able to publish anything. Such things can be considered later, and the evaluation of what is presented should be done by future generations. Otherwise, academia will never progress.」

Kazas responds with a bravado. His expression shows that this is his true intention, and he does not seem at all offended. In contrast, Miranda had a blue streak twitching on her forehead and was clearly angry.

「…You bastard, let me hit you once.」

「I don’t deserve to be hit.」

「You!」

「Don’t do it, Miranda.」

「Don’t stop me, Alfie!」

「No, this kind of big-headedness will harden his attitude even more if you hit him.」

「Even you say such a thing, lady swordsman?」

「Listen to me, scholarly teacher.」

Alfiris turns to Kazas with a very calm expression on his face while holding Miranda.