Volume 4 Chapter 14 It Looks Good, But...
When we confirmed that the magic circles were completely broken, we achieved our immediate goal. In the meantime, various discussions came up, and stories that we hadn't heard before also came out. However, at the moment, this is probably as far as it goes.
"...Talking about this and that here doesn't really make much sense."
We just confirmed existing facts. If I had a clear head at this point, I might be able to figure out the whereabouts of the other noble that Aina mentioned who was involved, but that's not the case.
In the first place, things that I could come up with would be easily deduced by Aina or that nasty king.
So, let's leave the complicated matters to the important people of the country, and let's work diligently on our own.
And from what I can see, there is nothing particularly noteworthy in the illuminated space. Besides, mercenaries should have already investigated this place before. If there was anything, it would have been communicated to Aina through the guild.
First, we should inform the village head that there is no longer any fear of goblin attacks. It's a relief that it was just needless worry.
As we were about to return to everyone, I noticed Mikage's ears twitching suddenly. Mikage herself seemed to be deep in thought, wearing a puzzled expression.
"...Mikage?"
"Yukina-sama, something seems strange."
Mikage closed her eyes as if sharpening her senses. The tense atmosphere emanating from her caused both me and the other two to instinctively hold our breaths.
"...Indeed, that seems to be the case."
"What's wrong?"
When Kyunei asked with concern, Mikage looked around the interior of the space again.
"From the place where we entered to here, there seems to be a slight airflow."
"Huh? But this cave shouldn't have any other exits..."
Aina exclaimed in surprise, while Kyunei and I exchanged puzzled looks, not quite understanding.
Mikage, noticing our situation, is shocked.
"I'm sorry, both of you. Usually, in a space with only one exit, there is less air circulation and no wind."
What does that mean?
'Think of a cave as a thin tube. If one end is blocked, you can't send air through it, right? It's the same idea. If there's wind flowing, both ends of the tube are not blocked. This means there are other holes leading outside other than where you entered, partner.'
Oh, I see now. Gram's explanation was really clear.
Even without such an explanation, Kyunei immediately understood Mikage's words.
"We may not understand well, but Mikage felt the wind, right?"
"Yes. Although I am a beastman, I can sense the slightest airflow, without a doubt. I can constantly feel the flow of the wind."
If that's the case, it's a little strange.
Basically, I had heard about this cave from the villagers, but the entrance should be the one we came in through. There shouldn't be any other exits that seem like exits.
"At first, I thought there might be a hole in the ceiling, but from what I saw, there doesn't seem to be one."
What about that, Gram-san?
'If there were traces of magic or creatures, it would be a different story. But since I don't have human senses, I can't say for sure... However, it doesn't seem like there's a big hole in the ceiling.'
Even though the space is relatively wide, the ceiling isn't very high. Even when I strained my eyes within the range of light, I couldn't see any openings.
"Yukina-san, what should we do?"
"...It's a bit of a hassle, but let's investigate a bit."
"Yes, I agree as well."
Aina nodded at my words.
'However, we don't know if the hole is big enough for humans to pass through.'
As Gram said, it might be a small hole that only small animals can pass through. If that's the case, that's perfectly fine.
But if there's a possibility of it becoming troublesome, I want to deal with it early. I'm the type who doesn't mind putting in the effort if it means avoiding unnecessary complications.
After that, we decided to split up and investigate this place.
--Soon.
"Yukina-kun, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Kyunei was the first to notice 'it'.
When I went over to her, she was gazing at a certain part of the rock wall with her hand on her chin.
"What's wrong? Did you find something?"
"Well, I don't know if I found something... but this wall seems strange. At first glance, it looks like a normal wall, but it feels like the pattern is a bit different from other places."
Once she mentioned it, I carefully observed the rock wall. It did indeed look slightly different from the surrounding walls.
Thanks to Aina's magic, there was a small sense of discomfort that was only noticeable because of the light.
"...Without a doubt, the air flow is concentrated here."
Mikage, who had come to my side, nodded with confidence.
I pulled out Gram from its sheath on my back and tapped the rock wall and its surroundings with the butt end. Although I couldn't quite discern it with my senses...
'Bingo, partner. Kyunei's mentioned spot has a different thickness compared to the others.'
Aina then touched the wall.
"...It's cleverly hidden, but this is a wall made of earth magic. It's made from natural materials in the vicinity, so even a magician might not notice it without touching it."
With two confirmations, there was no doubt.
"Step back a bit."
I said, and then readied the black spear.
"Ready, set—hup!"
I drove the piercing thrust with "Enchantment - Weight Increase" into the wall. From the tip, cracks spread outwards across the wall. After punching a hole through, I kicked it, causing the cracks to widen until the wall finally collapsed.
My eyes widened.
"No way. It really happened."
Beyond the collapsed wall, a passage stretched into the depths. It was quite deep, extending beyond the reach of the light from where we stood.
"The airflow has become stronger. This passage should lead outside."
Mikage stared into the darkness ahead.
Aina touched the wall of the passage and her expression turned serious.
"...As expected, this isn't a naturally formed passage. Like the wall Yukina-san broke, it's a hole dug with magic."
"Someone intentionally blocked the wall, and artificially created a path... I've got a bad feeling about this."
Just when I thought I was getting rid of trouble, a new problem arose, and I felt frustrated.
"Um, what should we do?"
"We have no choice but to investigate, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so. We can't just leave it alone like this."
Seeing me feeling down, Kyunei smiled sympathetically at me. Her smile kind of cheered me up. I also kind of want to dive into her ample breast.
"We can do that next time, okay♪?"
Kyunei made a bewitching face. My motivation, which had been low, improved slightly. Breasts are truly great. Just because they're big.
'You're only saying that because you're a pervert.'
But still, "Hey, are you ignoring me?" is a bit off track from the original purpose.
"Mikage, what do you think we should do?"
Mikage has the most experience as a mercenary among us. It was only natural to ask for her opinion.
"Let's just do a little investigation inside. But right now, we don't know how deep this passage is. We should consider a thorough search after retreating to the village."
"Got it. I'll leave the decision to retreat to you, so please."
"Understood. Are both of you okay with it?"
Kyunei and Aina nodded in agreement.
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