Volume 4 Chapter 12 It Didn't Seem Particularly Dangerous, But...
The cave we're talking about was located a little ways away from the village.
Inside, there wasn't anything special, no valuable minerals or anything like that. Besides being somewhat spacious, it wasn't a place anyone would eagerly go into.
"Well, it's probably because of its location that it's good for doing shady stuff."
I murmured as I lit the way with a torch through the cave passage. The other three each had their own light sources and followed behind.
Since leaving the village until now, Mikage had confirmed encountering and defeating the goblins, but she hadn't come across any living goblins, let alone monsters.
"At least, it doesn't seem like the magic circles are fully functioning, right?"
That's what Aina said.
"But, we can't deny the possibility of someone hiding in the shadows of the passageway. Be careful."
"Yeah, of course."
Aina nodded at Mikage, who was walking at the rear.
"...I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb here."
Kyunei said, sounding unsure. Certainly, even though she's wearing a white coat, she's emitting a different kind of allure. Well, everyone here is impressive in their own way, not that I'm saying who or what specifically.
Putting aside the specifics, Kyunei is the only one here who isn't a mercenary. It's understandable since her main job is being a doctor.
"It's surprising how Aina-chan is so used to this kind of exploration."
The Arcus royal family is practical. Even though we have guards, we still learn things like marching and setting up camps alongside the military. We even do cave exploration as part of our training.
"I thought royalty lived a more elegant life..."
"To keep the country's economy going, we just allow some luxury. Some traditional industries rely on the royal family's consumption."
"Oh, I think I understand something."
Kyunei nodded in admiration. Aina smiled a little proudly, knowing that she understood.
I gave them a slightly disapproving look as they chatted away.
"Save the girl talk for after work."
""Sorry...""
Aina and Kyunei looked sheepish after I scolded them. Their slightly downcast expressions were kind of cute, which might be one of my weaknesses because, well, I might be a little smitten.
'No matter what, it's the leader's duty to scold relaxed teammates. It's impressive when you don't just brush things off with the cuteness of girls, which is often seen at a harem party, partner.'
Don't mention harem. It makes me feel weirdly guilty. Girls being cute isn't a bad thing, but it could lead to terrible situations if cuteness is the cause.
"Yukina-sama, according to the villagers, it's about time we move to a wider space."
"Got it. Everyone, just make sure you're ready to fight anytime."
Following Mikage's advice, I urged everyone to prepare for battle. While hoping for nothing to happen, it's important to be mentally prepared for anything.
And so, we stepped into the wide space inside the cave.
"It's a bit dark with just torches."
'For now, let's just say there's no sign of danger.'
The space was so wide that I couldn't see all of it with just the light in my hand. It didn't seem like monsters would jump out, but I couldn't tell exactly how big this place was.
"Leave it to me. (Light)"
When Aina waved her staff and chanted, a ball of light appeared at its tip. It rose up to the ceiling and exploded, illuminating the whole area with light.
"Wow, that's awesome!"
"Once used, this magic can keep the surroundings illuminated for a while. It's perfect for securing light in a limited space, although moving the light source is impossible."
Thanks to that, the space was thoroughly secured, and bringing Aina along seemed to be the right choice.
The illuminated space was quite spacious, and everywhere there were bones of beasts, rusty swords, and shields scattered around. Probably the remnants of goblins that were here before.
During the incident, this place was filled with goblins, but now they're all gone. The mercenaries who came after us took care of all the goblins, and there are no bodies left�they were burned.
"So, this is the magic circle everyone talked about?"
Walking through the hall, I saw a familiar summoning magic circle on the floor. It looked damaged and didn't seem to be working.
Aina kneeled and touched the remnants of the magic circle.
"It looks completely inactive. There are no signs it recently activated or any attempts at repairs."
I glanced briefly at the black spear on my back.
'It's as the princess said. It's definitely broken.'
With their approval, it seemed we had avoided the worst. If this magic circle had been active, we would have faced many goblins before entering the cave.
"So, it means that the goblin Mikage encountered wasn't summoned by these magic circles, but was actually a wild goblin, right?"
"Or maybe, the leftovers from when it was summoned were wandering around here."
I looked at Mikage.
"At least, within the area I've been patrolling lately, I haven't seen any signs of goblins forming a pack. I can't say I haven't missed anything, but..."
"After we finish the reconstruction work, should we deploy other mercenaries to investigate?"
"I guess that's okay."
It would be unbearable if the village we just rebuilt was destroyed by goblins again.
".........."
Suddenly, I noticed Aina was still kneeling, staring intently at the magic circles. Her expression was deadly serious.
"......"
"Aina?"
"--Oh, um... Sorry."
"Is there something bothering you?"
"No... It's just..."
"Well, just say it for now."
Aina was confused, but I urged her to go ahead.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)