Chapter 126: The Forgotten Rossian III & IV
<The Forgotten Rossian III>
In the past, this dungeon was known as the Rosheiric Underground Labyrinth.
Now, it is simply called the catacombs.
After the fall of Rossian, many of its residents were laid to rest there. Or maybe they went there on their own accord to be interred. The spirits of the dead, like the one we just encountered, may have come up from there, or they may be those who have not yet been laid to rest.
Either way, this is an abandoned city.
Be it above or below ground, there’s nothing but ruin and death.
「We're here」
With Barfuru-sama leading the way, we arrived at the entrance to the catacombs.
The catacombs didn’t stretch high into the sky, but its entrance looked somewhat similar to that of the Odoriji spire.
Once inside, I saw more similarities.
Hmm, rather than the Odoriji spire, it’s probably more fitting to say that it resembles the reception area of the Adventurers' Guild. Perhaps this place was once a Guild as well.
If that’s the case, could the skeletons wandering around be the former employees of the Guild?
「I'll clean things up. Give me a minute」
Before I could do anything, Barfuru-sama attacked the dead.
With one or two swings of his oversized sword, dozens of skeletons were instantly blown to pieces. The remains of people left inside the ruins weren't spared either.
He mowed down everything in sight, making sure to crush even the skulls that weren't attached to bodies underfoot.
The wandering dead resent the living. It's very natural for them to attack people. When exploring the dungeon, one becomes painfully aware of this unshakable law of nature.
They are only shadows of people. They are nothing more than monsters with human-shaped bodies.
Thinking of them as humans is not only unnecessary but also dangerous. What I did for the baby earlier was nothing more than a whim on my part.
That's why I don't feel bad for the dead who got trampled on.
My heart undisturbed, like the quiet, looming darkness, I followed after the rampaging beast.
In less than five minutes, the enemies on the 1st floor of the catacombs had all been dispatched.
As Otou-san said, Barfuru-sama is strong. His strength is far beyond the realm of human strength.
In many ways, he lacks something as a human.
The skill that I have inherited tells me this.
There is no pride in his sword.
There is no refinement in his techniques.
There is no humanity in his skill.
In other words, this is just a beast swinging around the nearest stick that suits his needs.
There's no way it can be seen as swordsmanship. This is the way primitive savages killed in ancient times. Which is ironic, considering that it is being used to kill those who were once part of civilization.
「We're pushing on」
Barfuru-sama glanced at me, then proceeded onward, scattering the remains of the skeletons as he went.
Soon after, we came upon a set of stairs leading down.
As I expected, they were very similar.
The stairs were built in the same way as those in the Odoriji spire.
I found what looked like a platform for a portal next to the stairs, but it was no longer functioning. Looking towards the bottom of the stairs, all I saw was darkness so dark that not even the moonlight could pierce it.
I had Yukikaze turn on her light.
What the light revealed gave me the chills. It was the same as the great skeleton floors. Like a spider's nest, the stairs were jam-packed with the dead.
「Barfuru-sama, are we going down there?」
「That’s right. It'll be a little back-breaking(bone-breaking[1]), but it's not a problem」
What a funny joke.
「I'd like to try something」
「Huh?」
「Yukikaze, I’m counting on you」
『Understood, indeed』
I took out the bell from earlier. I had my doubts, but it was worth a try.
「If you sense any danger, come right back」
『Understood, please don't worry』
Yukikaze stowed the bell inside her, then rolled down the stairs.
So far, the dead have never attacked the mini-pod, but making assumptions like that can prove fatal when adventuring. It's better to be paranoid about everything.
「Alright, sound the bell」
Yukikaze, who was barely visible in the distance, started ringing the bell at my signal.
「Oh-ho」
I couldn't see anything, but it appeared that Barfuru-sama had noticed something.
『Enemy activity has started to slow down. Maximizing speaker output to amplify the sound of the bell』
Through my glasses, I heard Yukikaze's transmission.
Then, I heard the bell’s ringing suddenly become louder.
『Enemy activity has stopped. They've been neutralized』
「It worked」
「Hmm, what a peculiar item you have there」
I had been watching Barfuru-sama's beast ears. There had been no reaction.
This person can't hear the bell.
The bad feeling in my heart is getting stronger.
I hope this disparity won't come back to haunt me later.
Just like before, Barfuru-sama led the way as we descended the stairs.
The stairs were as long as those in the Odoriji spire.
I retrieved Yukikaze and used her to light the way ahead, but I still couldn't see the bottom. The darkness was so thick that it almost felt like I was descending into the netherworld. The beast-faced man smashed the stopped skeletons as he proceeded.
If the ringing of the bell is interrupted, these guys will attack. What he's doing is very unnecessary.
Nevertheless, it left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
We finally reached the end of the lengthy stairs and set foot on the 2nd floor of the catacombs.
On this dark floor, the dead laid in rows.
There were no Shogaku stones here. I checked the regeneration point, but the liquid was clear.
In other words, if I sustain a fatal wound, that's it for me. Barfuru-sama is purely a physical fighter and cannot use magic. He won't be able to save me.
I'm going to have to be more careful than usual.
If I die, it's certainly convenient that I'm in a tomb, but I'd rather not.
The open space we were in was flanked by countless pillars. They were lined up majestically as far as the eye could see.
Barfuru-sama abruptly slammed his fist into one of the pillars. I was startled by the suddenness of it. I thought for a moment that he was going to wake the dead.
「Souya, take this」
Barfuru-sama threw me a glowing piece of ore.
It seemed that he had gotten it from the inside of the pillar.
「What’s this?」
It shone with a faint light and was emitting a small amount of heat.
It was about the size of a fist, round, and smooth to the touch.
「It's a matured Yoko(sunlight) stone. It has the same effect as the Shogaku stones. If you carry it with you, the regeneration point should work. I can't have you dying in here after all」
I checked the regeneration point again and there was red liquid and a small amount of blue liquid floating in the containers.
I felt my fatigue subside and the aching in my legs fade away. It was definitely working.
「It's a life from a long time ago. Rather than letting it rot here in obscurity, you should use it」
「………………」
I looked at the pillar that Barfuru-sama had smashed and felt sick to my stomach.
It was a human sacrifice.
This was probably not the only one. In all likelihood, they were in the other pillars as well.
From the shape of the pelvis, it was female. Considering the size of her bones, she was likely in her early teens.
I held Yukikaze up, trying to cast the light as far as possible. The pillars numbered in the hundreds or thousands.
Are every single one of them………………
「Why, such a thing……」
With the stone in one hand, I used my other hand to make a gesture of prayer. I didn't have any words to offer. I had no idea what to say.
After making a token act of mourning, I put the Yoko stone into my backpack.
「No matter how deep into darkness they descend, people will always desire light. No matter if that light is a falsehood, the life of another, or an immoral act that leads them even deeper into the darkness. It's tragic, but that's human nature」
「Barfuru-sama, do you know the cause of Rossian's demise?」
The moment that question slipped out of my mouth, I regretted it.
「………It's a boring story. Do you want to hear it?」
The air had become very tense. The killing intent in his eyes was not something that should be directed at someone on his side.
That was a really bad idea. There are some things about this man that should be left alone. My adventurer's intuition is telling me that this is a dangerous secret. It's a treasure chest of death that will attack anyone the moment they open it.
If I so much as scratched its surface, I'd never be able to leave this place.
「………………」
The tense moment passed in silence.
With the air still heavy between us, we resumed our halted steps.
While relying on the faint light, we went deeper into the catacombs. The dead were being put to sleep by the ringing of the bell, but there was no guarantee that they were the only monsters here.
Even though the regeneration point was now working, I still had to be careful.
Lighting the way forward with a beam of light as thin as a needle, we walked through the gloomy depths of darkness.
「Yukikaze, turn your motion detectors up to full power」
『Don't worry. Yukikaze is also searching for enemies while ringing the bell. At present, Yukikaze is tracking everything within a 30-meter radius』
Thank goodness for this one.
「How much longer will your batteries last?」
『Eighteen hours and thirty-eight minutes. Do note that in extremely low temperatures, battery consumption will be much higher than it is now because priority will be given to protecting the aqueous brain. Please be mindful of that』
It wasn't exactly warm inside the catacombs, but it was no colder than the winter air outside.
It was about 8 degrees Celsius at the moment.
「Barfuru-sama, on which floor is the great bell tower that we are heading for?」
「It's on the 3rd floor. It's not that far. If the enemies stay dormant like this, we'll be there by dawn.」
The great bell tower.
I still have no idea what it is, but it seems to be some sort of portal that can take us all the way to Neomia.
At any rate, we don't have to fight the enemies, so it should be an easy―――――――
『Team member Souya, Yukikaze has some very unfortunate news to report. Would you like to hear the bad news or the very bad news?』
「Both」
I mean, I'm going to need to hear both anyway.
『The very structure of the bell has begun to deteriorate rapidly. At this rate, Yukikaze won't be able to broadcast its actual sound in an hour』
「Is that the very bad news?」
『No, that's just the bad news. The very bad news is that the enemies behind us have merged together upon their awakening and are coming after us. It appears that the saying about how the dead always wake up in a bad mood is true』
「Well, that's interesting」
I turned my eyes and Yukikaze's light backward.
With the telephoto function on my glasses set at maximum magnification, I stared into the darkness.
「Barfuru-sama, we've got trouble coming up behind us」
「Ahh?」
Barfuru-sama also looked back.
Behind us was a wall.
A wall of bones made up of many moving skeletons. They were so tightly packed together that there wasn't room for even a mouse to slip through. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack us, but they definitely didn't intend to let us go.
「Well, it's a good thing they aren't in front of us」
「I suppose that’s true」
That's what I thought he'd say.
Does he even plan on returning home?
「Also, the bell is about to break」
「I see………let's go faster then. The path gets more complicated from here on out, so make sure to stay close」
As he said, we had reached the end of the large open space and the passageways ahead were narrow and maze-like.
With a flourish of his cloak, Barfuru-sama broke into a run.
He was fast. He had the speed of a beast. So that I wouldn't lose him, I ran too.
I ran like the wind.
While making sure not to trip over something in the pitch-black darkness, I shaved away at my regeneration point and ran as fast as I possibly could, feeling like a fish swimming in the depths of the ocean.
Even so, I could barely keep up. It was taking me everything I had to not lose sight of him.
Barfuru-sama showed no hesitation as he raced down the passageways. He probably knew the way from memory.
If it weren't for his cloak, I would have lost him. The little bit of embroidery that was left reflected the light as it fluttered in the darkness.
I couldn't quite make out the design, but it looked like an emblem of some sort.
No, let's not do this right now.
For now, I need to concentrate on keeping up with him.
I'll have Yukikaze track him just in case. But as much as possible, I'll continue to try keeping up with my own power. This is just me being stubborn and competitive. For some reason, the feeling of not wanting to lose to this person is welling up inside me.
I chased after Barfuru-sama like I was chasing down an enemy.
Though I couldn't close the gap between us, I was able to pick up on his habits. His shoulders would turn first, then the rest of his body would follow. By monitoring his breathing and anticipating when he would turn, I could reduce the need for me to brake suddenly, thus reducing the strain on my body.
However, in terms of pure speed, I was no match for him at all.
In addition, Barfuru-sama would glance back at me from time to time, which meant that he was reducing his speed accordingly so that I could keep pace.
On top of that, he was also felling the enemies in our path with a single blow each.
I was starting to get out of breath and pissed off.
I mean, I'm someone who fought a dragon head-on, for crying out loud.
Nevertheless, I'm still not quite there yet.
「Tch, huff, huff………………huff」
I must have been running flat out for a good twenty minutes before we finally stopped.
My chest hurt, and I could feel the sweat pouring down my neck. Through my veins, I could hear the hammering of my heart.
My regeneration point had been reduced to half, probably because I had pushed myself too hard.
The edges of my vision had grown dark, probably because I wasn't getting enough oxygen.
「Hmm, you're able to keep up, I see」
Barfuru-sama sounded impressed.
I would have loved to curse at him or something, but at that point, I just wanted to get my breath back as quickly as possible.
I took out a water bottle filled with sports drink from my backpack and gulped it down, fighting off the slight urge to throw up.
「We're going down. It's fine to take it slow」
Before us was a set of stairs that led downwards to the next floor.
I followed Barfuru-sama down the stairs. I wasn't feeling too good. Nevertheless, I forced myself to eat something. I managed to get three cookies, ten raisins, and two pieces of chocolate into my stomach.
At that moment, I couldn't care less about how they tasted.
「Barfuru-sama, would you like something to eat?」
Casually, I posed that question to his back.
「It's fine. This body doesn't require such things」
Without turning back, he replied with that.
How convenient. It's almost as if he's really not human.
We continued down the lengthy flight of stairs.
I took my time, feeling for the next step with my feet as I descended.
Even though my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I still couldn't make out anything. Yukikaze's light was woefully inadequate.
Every which way I turn, there is only darkness and more darkness. It hardly seems like there’s any way out of this place. It almost feels like I'm descending into hell with every step. This is really bringing me down. I miss the usual dungeon.
My usual party members too.
After teaming up with others, I realize now how fortunate I am. I've been blessed with wonderful party members.
I want to go back. To my home.
What the heck am I doing here in the depths of this darkness?
Wrapped in melancholy, I reached the bottom of the stairs.
I found myself in the place that I had heard about from Otou-san. It was an open space with a high ceiling, and there were bells as tall as a person lined up in some sort of pattern.
Up on top were the pillars, and the bells hung below them.
I want to tell whoever it is who made this dungeon that it's important to know moderation
The ringing of the bell that Yukikaze had been playing suddenly stopped.
『Team member Souya, the bell has turned to dust』
「Seriously?」
「Don't worry. There are no enemies on this floor」
That’s all well and good, but how are we supposed to make our way back later?
「Let's go a little further. The great bell tower is up ahead」
Again, we proceeded onward.
Without any hesitation, into the darkness.
「Let me confirm one thing with you」
With his back to me, Barfuru-sama spoke.
「That strange talking lantern that you have there. Is it able to fight?」
「Not at all. It can't even beat a single Chocho」
『Yukikaze will say that if Yukikaze uses the self-destruct mechanism, Yukikaze can at least defeat a Chocho』
「That's no good, isn't it? That's worse by far」
「Alright, got it. I won't count it as part of our fighting strength」
Obviously.
The only combat A.I. around is Tortch. The dangers of autonomous unmanned weapons have been extensively debated then banned by law in the fifties. The mere suggestion that such a thing might exist is enough for the UN to send in troops.
For some reason, this makes me think of the helmet-wearing little beings.
No, but……no way, right?
That would be such a bad joke that it's not even funny.
「Hey, we’re taking a break here」
Barfuru-sama dropped his things on the ground and sat down.
Right in front of the damnedest thing imaginable.
「You're kidding me」
Amid the lines of bells, there was a particularly large one.
This bell was eight meters wide and twenty meters tall. But what really struck me was the single-winged dragon sleeping with it in its arms.
It was huge. According to Yukikaze's measurements, the dragon was nearly 40 meters long, making it twice as long as Lord White-Scale.
Is it sleeping? Or is it a corpse?
When I shone the light on it, I noticed that it didn't have the texture of a living being.
「No need to be alarmed. It's just a stone statue」
「Stone statue?」
「This floor is the grave marker of Ultrop・Oru・Rossian, Lord Blue-Scale. The reason why the dead don't come near this place is probably because of the reverence they feel for it. If it were the remains of a real dragon, there's no way greedy adventurers would leave it untouched」
Certainly, everything would be stripped away and nothing would be left.
Scales, bones, claws, eyes, heart, and down to the last drop of blood. There’s no part of a dragon that can be thrown away. Every last bit can be useful to people in one way or another. A mere doorplate splattered with Lord White-Scale's blood was going for a hundred gold coins back in Lemuria.
That’s why the people of Lemuria don't get angry even when their homes got destroyed.
The country would build them new houses, and the things that the dragon left behind would give them enough money to pass the winter in luxury.
After Lord White-Scale left, the people had gone on a city-wide treasure hunt.
「We'll stay here and wait for someone for a while」
「Someone?」
Barfuru-sama said something strange.
Weren’t the two of us the last of the Endguard? Are we getting secret reinforcements or something?
「You'll see later, rest for now」
Ignoring my question, Barfuru-sama took some firewood and flint out from his bags.
He picked up a bone that was lying around, wrapped a rag around it, then struck the flint violently to produce sparks.
It sounded like he was hammering metal.
After a few tries, the rag caught fire. He tore it into pieces and used them to light the firewood that he had laid out.
A light was born in the darkness.
We were surrounded by countless bells.
And in front of us was a stone statue of a dragon hugging a large bell.
To be honest, I find this whole situation rather chilling. It's hard to rest in a place like this.
「You’re not going to sleep? After this, we'll be fighting for our lives, you know?」
「I just can't bring myself to rest in a place like this」
「Is that so? You're surprisingly faint-hearted, huh? I wouldn't have thought that of a man who fought a dragon head-on」
「Well, I just got carried away by the mood of the moment, I suppose」
I still regret it to this day.
I may have been carried away by the moment, but it was still too reckless.
「Well then, to pass the time, shall I tell you an old tale or two?」
With the flames illuminating his face, the beast-headed man pulled out a bottle of alcohol and took a swig.
As he drank the cheap alcohol, he recounted the legend of the blue dragon.
<The Forgotten Rossian IV>
A wounded dragon descended upon this land long ago.
There were countless swords, spears, and huge axes stuck into its body.
Most of its blue scales had fallen off, blood flowed incessantly from its wounds, and to make matters worse, it had lost its right wing. It had suffered a wound that made it impossible for it to fly again.
There are many theories as to how it came to lose its wing.
Some say it was because it had fought a dragon with rotted scales.
Some say it was because it had fought a dragon-slayer hero.
Some say it was a result of losing a battle against a demon of the abyss.
The dragon did not speak of the true reason. That's why none of the people asked.
All that has been passed down to future generations is nothing more than wild speculation.
The country that the dragon had descended upon was just as wounded as the dragon.
It had been losing continuously in a long war with a neighboring country, and everything that could be plundered from it had already been taken. At that time, they didn't even have enough food left to feed their children until they grew up. No, they likely wouldn't even make it through that winter.
The country was on its deathbed.
The people of that dying country identified with the dragon, who was also dying.
How ironic that a dragon, a symbol of strength, would be pitied by dying people.
The young king devoted himself to healing the dragon.
The people followed suit without hesitation.
It’s a beautiful tale of people sacrificing everything they had to help something, even if it was futile and in vain. However, things are never as easy as they are portrayed in the made-up stories.
Day after day, people died.
The elderly and children were dying of hunger and from the cold.
This would have been a quiet demise, but that was not how they would met their end.
The fact that a dragon had descended upon their ravaged land embroiled them in war yet again.
It's quite simple.
The country to the north, the country to the south, and the tribes to the east all wanted the dragon. They wanted its carcass.
The wounded country sent out its soldiers. Needless to say, it was to protect the dragon.
They were all very weak.
None of them were proper soldiers. They were all people who had volunteered so that there would be fewer mouths to feed.
There was a severe lack of armor and shields. Some carried swords while wearing nothing but their everyday clothes. Others joined the ranks with farming implements in their hands. There were even women and children who had no means of fighting.
It was a foolish act of suicide.
War is all about killing. There are no rules. There are treaties and agreements between countries, but those are only established when the countries are equal in strength.
A country's weakness is its own death.
And the people of this country were all weak and had nowhere to run.
The king was also a weak man. He was weak, but still a king.
When the army set out, the young king was at its head.
Before leaving, the king said this to the dragon.
But I implore you to not blame them for that.
People are weak, and not everyone can face death with pride. Farewell, O dragon. If it were at all possible, I would have liked to watch you soar through the azure sky」
The young king was said to have died a gruesome death.
He even did unspeakable acts for the sake of his people.
Until the very end, he begged for his people's lives.
The army of Neomia, the country to the north, tormented the young king before eventually slaughtering him.
Not surprisingly, the young king's army was wiped out.
Their deaths had all been for nothing.
The dragon had deceived the king.
Dragons are immortal creatures.
Wounds are like fleeting dreams to them. The dragon had not healed them merely on a whim. It amused it to have people fussing over it. It had watched them with a child-like curiosity.
And lastly, the dragon had wanted to make a spectacle of human foolishness.
Of the puny humans who would betray it in the end.
Of the people who had intended to take it in only to sell it out.
He had wanted to see the young king, who always spoke idealistically, in all his ugliness.
It had lost to the spirit of humanity.
It chose then to live its life on the ground together with people.
It did not use fire.
It killed using barbaric methods, like humans would. It beat, crushed, cut, tore, and mowed them down. To make an example out of her, it slowly chewed the general of the army alive.
It made sure that her soldiers could hear her screams loud and clear.
It’s said that the dragon cried out loudly that it would destroy the army using methods more gruesome than those the army had employed.
The dragon proclaimed the founding of a country.
A country ruled by a blue-scaled, one-winged dragon.
That was the birth of Rossian.
When the story ended, I threw in a question.
「What caused its demise?」
「That would be the thing you'd be most curious about, I suppose」
The tale of how a dragon created a country. I've seen enough on our way here to know how that story ends.
Now, everything lies in ruins, and there is only a giant grave marker surrounded by wandering spirits of the dead.
「There are many theories. If you asked a hundred scholars, you'd get a hundred different answers, all of them mere speculation. A country, one that’s ruled by a dragon, fell into ruin. There must have been a big reason for that. Perhaps there was a great disaster, or maybe it was the work of some enemy」
Barfuru-sama tossed the empty alcohol bottle into the darkness.
The sound of pottery shattering echoed throughout the catacombs.
「But no one knows the real answer. Though many tales of Rossian's glories remain, the cause of its demise alone remains unknown to all. People are creatures who perish because of their own foolishness. The reason for the dragon's demise, it’s all………lost to oblivion[2]」
It's a tale of what happened almost 500 years ago after all.
Muttered Barfuru-sama with a snort.
I added firewood to the dying fire.
One thing popped into my head.
When Yukikaze explored the labyrinth in our home's basement with Misuranika-sama, she had returned with all sorts of information.
The same words were found in many other places.
On the land Lemuria sat on, there was once a country called Beliale. Legend has it that it was destroyed by the folly of people 500 years ago.
But according to the beast-headed man, it's different from Rossian, which met its demise at about the same time.
It's different, he had said.
In that case………………what?
「Jeez, the most fascinating part is a secret, huh?」
I heard that impression from behind me.
I turned around to see a dark-skinned elf emerge from the darkness.
She had on a warm-looking sweater and a shorter jacket that looked easy to move in. She was wearing hot pants over a pair of thermal tights. If I recalled correctly, the red scarf wrapped around her neck was made by Rana out of her robe. The gloves she had on were also knitted by Rana, and looked warm.
She had put her hair up in a braid so that it wouldn't get in the way.
[1] As you all know, “back-breaking” means “physically demanding”. The phrase with the same meaning in the Japanese language is “bone-breaking”. Hence, you can see the silly joke Barfuru-sama made there.
[2] I worded it this way because that’s what is natural in English, but do note that the “oblivion” here specifically means “the state of being forgotten”. Being forgotten is a theme in this novel, isn’t it? Now, I’ll just mention that this isn’t the only time the word “oblivion” has come up before, and just like now, the meaning is also specifically as mentioned...
You may have noticed that Barfuru-sama has been referred to as “beast-headed man”, “beast head”, “beast-faced man”, and so on. This isn’t me being inconsistent, the author is using different terms each time. Why? Beats me. (^_<)
Also, this has happened several times by now, so I’m sure many of you have noticed this, but every time Souya goes, I’m too busy to think about a certain something, it’s usually important. Of course, the author always masterfully distracts us with whatever urgent matter is pressing Souya at the time, so it’s easy to forget about that moment after it has passed, but if you go back and find every moment something like this happens, it’s usually an important detail that Souya really should have looked into more.
Did you expect Maria to pop in there at the end? Considering how she hadn’t been anything more than a mascot so far, I don’t blame you for being surprised. Because I was too haha. But man, what did you think about the story of Rossian? And that labyrinth in Souya’s basement that’s supposedly Beliale is looking real interesting, isn’t it?
That brings arc 2 of 5 to an end! What will happen next? Stay tuned!
In the past, this dungeon was known as the Rosheiric Underground Labyrinth.
Now, it is simply called the catacombs.
After the fall of Rossian, many of its residents were laid to rest there. Or maybe they went there on their own accord to be interred. The spirits of the dead, like the one we just encountered, may have come up from there, or they may be those who have not yet been laid to rest.
Either way, this is an abandoned city.
Be it above or below ground, there’s nothing but ruin and death.
「We're here」
With Barfuru-sama leading the way, we arrived at the entrance to the catacombs.
The catacombs didn’t stretch high into the sky, but its entrance looked somewhat similar to that of the Odoriji spire.
Once inside, I saw more similarities.
Hmm, rather than the Odoriji spire, it’s probably more fitting to say that it resembles the reception area of the Adventurers' Guild. Perhaps this place was once a Guild as well.
If that’s the case, could the skeletons wandering around be the former employees of the Guild?
「I'll clean things up. Give me a minute」
Before I could do anything, Barfuru-sama attacked the dead.
With one or two swings of his oversized sword, dozens of skeletons were instantly blown to pieces. The remains of people left inside the ruins weren't spared either.
He mowed down everything in sight, making sure to crush even the skulls that weren't attached to bodies underfoot.
The wandering dead resent the living. It's very natural for them to attack people. When exploring the dungeon, one becomes painfully aware of this unshakable law of nature.
They are only shadows of people. They are nothing more than monsters with human-shaped bodies.
Thinking of them as humans is not only unnecessary but also dangerous. What I did for the baby earlier was nothing more than a whim on my part.
That's why I don't feel bad for the dead who got trampled on.
My heart undisturbed, like the quiet, looming darkness, I followed after the rampaging beast.
In less than five minutes, the enemies on the 1st floor of the catacombs had all been dispatched.
As Otou-san said, Barfuru-sama is strong. His strength is far beyond the realm of human strength.
In many ways, he lacks something as a human.
The skill that I have inherited tells me this.
There is no pride in his sword.
There is no refinement in his techniques.
There is no humanity in his skill.
In other words, this is just a beast swinging around the nearest stick that suits his needs.
There's no way it can be seen as swordsmanship. This is the way primitive savages killed in ancient times. Which is ironic, considering that it is being used to kill those who were once part of civilization.
「We're pushing on」
Barfuru-sama glanced at me, then proceeded onward, scattering the remains of the skeletons as he went.
Soon after, we came upon a set of stairs leading down.
As I expected, they were very similar.
The stairs were built in the same way as those in the Odoriji spire.
I found what looked like a platform for a portal next to the stairs, but it was no longer functioning. Looking towards the bottom of the stairs, all I saw was darkness so dark that not even the moonlight could pierce it.
I had Yukikaze turn on her light.
What the light revealed gave me the chills. It was the same as the great skeleton floors. Like a spider's nest, the stairs were jam-packed with the dead.
「Barfuru-sama, are we going down there?」
「That’s right. It'll be a little back-breaking(bone-breaking[1]), but it's not a problem」
What a funny joke.
「I'd like to try something」
「Huh?」
「Yukikaze, I’m counting on you」
『Understood, indeed』
I took out the bell from earlier. I had my doubts, but it was worth a try.
「If you sense any danger, come right back」
『Understood, please don't worry』
Yukikaze stowed the bell inside her, then rolled down the stairs.
So far, the dead have never attacked the mini-pod, but making assumptions like that can prove fatal when adventuring. It's better to be paranoid about everything.
「Alright, sound the bell」
Yukikaze, who was barely visible in the distance, started ringing the bell at my signal.
「Oh-ho」
I couldn't see anything, but it appeared that Barfuru-sama had noticed something.
『Enemy activity has started to slow down. Maximizing speaker output to amplify the sound of the bell』
Through my glasses, I heard Yukikaze's transmission.
Then, I heard the bell’s ringing suddenly become louder.
『Enemy activity has stopped. They've been neutralized』
「It worked」
「Hmm, what a peculiar item you have there」
I had been watching Barfuru-sama's beast ears. There had been no reaction.
This person can't hear the bell.
The bad feeling in my heart is getting stronger.
I hope this disparity won't come back to haunt me later.
Just like before, Barfuru-sama led the way as we descended the stairs.
The stairs were as long as those in the Odoriji spire.
I retrieved Yukikaze and used her to light the way ahead, but I still couldn't see the bottom. The darkness was so thick that it almost felt like I was descending into the netherworld. The beast-faced man smashed the stopped skeletons as he proceeded.
If the ringing of the bell is interrupted, these guys will attack. What he's doing is very unnecessary.
Nevertheless, it left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
We finally reached the end of the lengthy stairs and set foot on the 2nd floor of the catacombs.
On this dark floor, the dead laid in rows.
There were no Shogaku stones here. I checked the regeneration point, but the liquid was clear.
In other words, if I sustain a fatal wound, that's it for me. Barfuru-sama is purely a physical fighter and cannot use magic. He won't be able to save me.
I'm going to have to be more careful than usual.
If I die, it's certainly convenient that I'm in a tomb, but I'd rather not.
The open space we were in was flanked by countless pillars. They were lined up majestically as far as the eye could see.
Barfuru-sama abruptly slammed his fist into one of the pillars. I was startled by the suddenness of it. I thought for a moment that he was going to wake the dead.
「Souya, take this」
Barfuru-sama threw me a glowing piece of ore.
It seemed that he had gotten it from the inside of the pillar.
「What’s this?」
It shone with a faint light and was emitting a small amount of heat.
It was about the size of a fist, round, and smooth to the touch.
「It's a matured Yoko(sunlight) stone. It has the same effect as the Shogaku stones. If you carry it with you, the regeneration point should work. I can't have you dying in here after all」
I checked the regeneration point again and there was red liquid and a small amount of blue liquid floating in the containers.
I felt my fatigue subside and the aching in my legs fade away. It was definitely working.
「It's a life from a long time ago. Rather than letting it rot here in obscurity, you should use it」
「………………」
I looked at the pillar that Barfuru-sama had smashed and felt sick to my stomach.
It was a human sacrifice.
This was probably not the only one. In all likelihood, they were in the other pillars as well.
From the shape of the pelvis, it was female. Considering the size of her bones, she was likely in her early teens.
I held Yukikaze up, trying to cast the light as far as possible. The pillars numbered in the hundreds or thousands.
Are every single one of them………………
「Why, such a thing……」
With the stone in one hand, I used my other hand to make a gesture of prayer. I didn't have any words to offer. I had no idea what to say.
After making a token act of mourning, I put the Yoko stone into my backpack.
「No matter how deep into darkness they descend, people will always desire light. No matter if that light is a falsehood, the life of another, or an immoral act that leads them even deeper into the darkness. It's tragic, but that's human nature」
「Barfuru-sama, do you know the cause of Rossian's demise?」
The moment that question slipped out of my mouth, I regretted it.
「………It's a boring story. Do you want to hear it?」
The air had become very tense. The killing intent in his eyes was not something that should be directed at someone on his side.
That was a really bad idea. There are some things about this man that should be left alone. My adventurer's intuition is telling me that this is a dangerous secret. It's a treasure chest of death that will attack anyone the moment they open it.
If I so much as scratched its surface, I'd never be able to leave this place.
「………………」
The tense moment passed in silence.
With the air still heavy between us, we resumed our halted steps.
While relying on the faint light, we went deeper into the catacombs. The dead were being put to sleep by the ringing of the bell, but there was no guarantee that they were the only monsters here.
Even though the regeneration point was now working, I still had to be careful.
Lighting the way forward with a beam of light as thin as a needle, we walked through the gloomy depths of darkness.
「Yukikaze, turn your motion detectors up to full power」
『Don't worry. Yukikaze is also searching for enemies while ringing the bell. At present, Yukikaze is tracking everything within a 30-meter radius』
Thank goodness for this one.
「How much longer will your batteries last?」
『Eighteen hours and thirty-eight minutes. Do note that in extremely low temperatures, battery consumption will be much higher than it is now because priority will be given to protecting the aqueous brain. Please be mindful of that』
It wasn't exactly warm inside the catacombs, but it was no colder than the winter air outside.
It was about 8 degrees Celsius at the moment.
「Barfuru-sama, on which floor is the great bell tower that we are heading for?」
「It's on the 3rd floor. It's not that far. If the enemies stay dormant like this, we'll be there by dawn.」
The great bell tower.
I still have no idea what it is, but it seems to be some sort of portal that can take us all the way to Neomia.
At any rate, we don't have to fight the enemies, so it should be an easy―――――――
『Team member Souya, Yukikaze has some very unfortunate news to report. Would you like to hear the bad news or the very bad news?』
「Both」
I mean, I'm going to need to hear both anyway.
『The very structure of the bell has begun to deteriorate rapidly. At this rate, Yukikaze won't be able to broadcast its actual sound in an hour』
「Is that the very bad news?」
『No, that's just the bad news. The very bad news is that the enemies behind us have merged together upon their awakening and are coming after us. It appears that the saying about how the dead always wake up in a bad mood is true』
「Well, that's interesting」
I turned my eyes and Yukikaze's light backward.
With the telephoto function on my glasses set at maximum magnification, I stared into the darkness.
「Barfuru-sama, we've got trouble coming up behind us」
「Ahh?」
Barfuru-sama also looked back.
Behind us was a wall.
A wall of bones made up of many moving skeletons. They were so tightly packed together that there wasn't room for even a mouse to slip through. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack us, but they definitely didn't intend to let us go.
「Well, it's a good thing they aren't in front of us」
「I suppose that’s true」
That's what I thought he'd say.
Does he even plan on returning home?
「Also, the bell is about to break」
「I see………let's go faster then. The path gets more complicated from here on out, so make sure to stay close」
As he said, we had reached the end of the large open space and the passageways ahead were narrow and maze-like.
With a flourish of his cloak, Barfuru-sama broke into a run.
He was fast. He had the speed of a beast. So that I wouldn't lose him, I ran too.
I ran like the wind.
While making sure not to trip over something in the pitch-black darkness, I shaved away at my regeneration point and ran as fast as I possibly could, feeling like a fish swimming in the depths of the ocean.
Even so, I could barely keep up. It was taking me everything I had to not lose sight of him.
Barfuru-sama showed no hesitation as he raced down the passageways. He probably knew the way from memory.
If it weren't for his cloak, I would have lost him. The little bit of embroidery that was left reflected the light as it fluttered in the darkness.
I couldn't quite make out the design, but it looked like an emblem of some sort.
No, let's not do this right now.
For now, I need to concentrate on keeping up with him.
I'll have Yukikaze track him just in case. But as much as possible, I'll continue to try keeping up with my own power. This is just me being stubborn and competitive. For some reason, the feeling of not wanting to lose to this person is welling up inside me.
I chased after Barfuru-sama like I was chasing down an enemy.
Though I couldn't close the gap between us, I was able to pick up on his habits. His shoulders would turn first, then the rest of his body would follow. By monitoring his breathing and anticipating when he would turn, I could reduce the need for me to brake suddenly, thus reducing the strain on my body.
However, in terms of pure speed, I was no match for him at all.
In addition, Barfuru-sama would glance back at me from time to time, which meant that he was reducing his speed accordingly so that I could keep pace.
On top of that, he was also felling the enemies in our path with a single blow each.
I was starting to get out of breath and pissed off.
I mean, I'm someone who fought a dragon head-on, for crying out loud.
Nevertheless, I'm still not quite there yet.
「Tch, huff, huff………………huff」
I must have been running flat out for a good twenty minutes before we finally stopped.
My chest hurt, and I could feel the sweat pouring down my neck. Through my veins, I could hear the hammering of my heart.
My regeneration point had been reduced to half, probably because I had pushed myself too hard.
The edges of my vision had grown dark, probably because I wasn't getting enough oxygen.
「Hmm, you're able to keep up, I see」
Barfuru-sama sounded impressed.
I would have loved to curse at him or something, but at that point, I just wanted to get my breath back as quickly as possible.
I took out a water bottle filled with sports drink from my backpack and gulped it down, fighting off the slight urge to throw up.
「We're going down. It's fine to take it slow」
Before us was a set of stairs that led downwards to the next floor.
I followed Barfuru-sama down the stairs. I wasn't feeling too good. Nevertheless, I forced myself to eat something. I managed to get three cookies, ten raisins, and two pieces of chocolate into my stomach.
At that moment, I couldn't care less about how they tasted.
「Barfuru-sama, would you like something to eat?」
Casually, I posed that question to his back.
「It's fine. This body doesn't require such things」
Without turning back, he replied with that.
How convenient. It's almost as if he's really not human.
We continued down the lengthy flight of stairs.
I took my time, feeling for the next step with my feet as I descended.
Even though my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I still couldn't make out anything. Yukikaze's light was woefully inadequate.
Every which way I turn, there is only darkness and more darkness. It hardly seems like there’s any way out of this place. It almost feels like I'm descending into hell with every step. This is really bringing me down. I miss the usual dungeon.
My usual party members too.
After teaming up with others, I realize now how fortunate I am. I've been blessed with wonderful party members.
I want to go back. To my home.
What the heck am I doing here in the depths of this darkness?
Wrapped in melancholy, I reached the bottom of the stairs.
I found myself in the place that I had heard about from Otou-san. It was an open space with a high ceiling, and there were bells as tall as a person lined up in some sort of pattern.
Up on top were the pillars, and the bells hung below them.
I want to tell whoever it is who made this dungeon that it's important to know moderation
The ringing of the bell that Yukikaze had been playing suddenly stopped.
『Team member Souya, the bell has turned to dust』
「Seriously?」
「Don't worry. There are no enemies on this floor」
That’s all well and good, but how are we supposed to make our way back later?
「Let's go a little further. The great bell tower is up ahead」
Again, we proceeded onward.
Without any hesitation, into the darkness.
「Let me confirm one thing with you」
With his back to me, Barfuru-sama spoke.
「That strange talking lantern that you have there. Is it able to fight?」
「Not at all. It can't even beat a single Chocho」
『Yukikaze will say that if Yukikaze uses the self-destruct mechanism, Yukikaze can at least defeat a Chocho』
「That's no good, isn't it? That's worse by far」
「Alright, got it. I won't count it as part of our fighting strength」
Obviously.
The only combat A.I. around is Tortch. The dangers of autonomous unmanned weapons have been extensively debated then banned by law in the fifties. The mere suggestion that such a thing might exist is enough for the UN to send in troops.
For some reason, this makes me think of the helmet-wearing little beings.
No, but……no way, right?
That would be such a bad joke that it's not even funny.
「Hey, we’re taking a break here」
Barfuru-sama dropped his things on the ground and sat down.
Right in front of the damnedest thing imaginable.
「You're kidding me」
Amid the lines of bells, there was a particularly large one.
This bell was eight meters wide and twenty meters tall. But what really struck me was the single-winged dragon sleeping with it in its arms.
It was huge. According to Yukikaze's measurements, the dragon was nearly 40 meters long, making it twice as long as Lord White-Scale.
Is it sleeping? Or is it a corpse?
When I shone the light on it, I noticed that it didn't have the texture of a living being.
「No need to be alarmed. It's just a stone statue」
「Stone statue?」
「This floor is the grave marker of Ultrop・Oru・Rossian, Lord Blue-Scale. The reason why the dead don't come near this place is probably because of the reverence they feel for it. If it were the remains of a real dragon, there's no way greedy adventurers would leave it untouched」
Certainly, everything would be stripped away and nothing would be left.
Scales, bones, claws, eyes, heart, and down to the last drop of blood. There’s no part of a dragon that can be thrown away. Every last bit can be useful to people in one way or another. A mere doorplate splattered with Lord White-Scale's blood was going for a hundred gold coins back in Lemuria.
That’s why the people of Lemuria don't get angry even when their homes got destroyed.
The country would build them new houses, and the things that the dragon left behind would give them enough money to pass the winter in luxury.
After Lord White-Scale left, the people had gone on a city-wide treasure hunt.
「We'll stay here and wait for someone for a while」
「Someone?」
Barfuru-sama said something strange.
Weren’t the two of us the last of the Endguard? Are we getting secret reinforcements or something?
「You'll see later, rest for now」
Ignoring my question, Barfuru-sama took some firewood and flint out from his bags.
He picked up a bone that was lying around, wrapped a rag around it, then struck the flint violently to produce sparks.
It sounded like he was hammering metal.
After a few tries, the rag caught fire. He tore it into pieces and used them to light the firewood that he had laid out.
A light was born in the darkness.
We were surrounded by countless bells.
And in front of us was a stone statue of a dragon hugging a large bell.
To be honest, I find this whole situation rather chilling. It's hard to rest in a place like this.
「You’re not going to sleep? After this, we'll be fighting for our lives, you know?」
「I just can't bring myself to rest in a place like this」
「Is that so? You're surprisingly faint-hearted, huh? I wouldn't have thought that of a man who fought a dragon head-on」
「Well, I just got carried away by the mood of the moment, I suppose」
I still regret it to this day.
I may have been carried away by the moment, but it was still too reckless.
「Well then, to pass the time, shall I tell you an old tale or two?」
With the flames illuminating his face, the beast-headed man pulled out a bottle of alcohol and took a swig.
As he drank the cheap alcohol, he recounted the legend of the blue dragon.
<The Forgotten Rossian IV>
A wounded dragon descended upon this land long ago.
There were countless swords, spears, and huge axes stuck into its body.
Most of its blue scales had fallen off, blood flowed incessantly from its wounds, and to make matters worse, it had lost its right wing. It had suffered a wound that made it impossible for it to fly again.
There are many theories as to how it came to lose its wing.
Some say it was because it had fought a dragon with rotted scales.
Some say it was because it had fought a dragon-slayer hero.
Some say it was a result of losing a battle against a demon of the abyss.
The dragon did not speak of the true reason. That's why none of the people asked.
All that has been passed down to future generations is nothing more than wild speculation.
The country that the dragon had descended upon was just as wounded as the dragon.
It had been losing continuously in a long war with a neighboring country, and everything that could be plundered from it had already been taken. At that time, they didn't even have enough food left to feed their children until they grew up. No, they likely wouldn't even make it through that winter.
The country was on its deathbed.
The people of that dying country identified with the dragon, who was also dying.
How ironic that a dragon, a symbol of strength, would be pitied by dying people.
The young king devoted himself to healing the dragon.
The people followed suit without hesitation.
It’s a beautiful tale of people sacrificing everything they had to help something, even if it was futile and in vain. However, things are never as easy as they are portrayed in the made-up stories.
Day after day, people died.
The elderly and children were dying of hunger and from the cold.
This would have been a quiet demise, but that was not how they would met their end.
The fact that a dragon had descended upon their ravaged land embroiled them in war yet again.
It's quite simple.
The country to the north, the country to the south, and the tribes to the east all wanted the dragon. They wanted its carcass.
The wounded country sent out its soldiers. Needless to say, it was to protect the dragon.
They were all very weak.
None of them were proper soldiers. They were all people who had volunteered so that there would be fewer mouths to feed.
There was a severe lack of armor and shields. Some carried swords while wearing nothing but their everyday clothes. Others joined the ranks with farming implements in their hands. There were even women and children who had no means of fighting.
It was a foolish act of suicide.
War is all about killing. There are no rules. There are treaties and agreements between countries, but those are only established when the countries are equal in strength.
A country's weakness is its own death.
And the people of this country were all weak and had nowhere to run.
The king was also a weak man. He was weak, but still a king.
When the army set out, the young king was at its head.
Before leaving, the king said this to the dragon.
But I implore you to not blame them for that.
People are weak, and not everyone can face death with pride. Farewell, O dragon. If it were at all possible, I would have liked to watch you soar through the azure sky」
The young king was said to have died a gruesome death.
He even did unspeakable acts for the sake of his people.
Until the very end, he begged for his people's lives.
The army of Neomia, the country to the north, tormented the young king before eventually slaughtering him.
Not surprisingly, the young king's army was wiped out.
Their deaths had all been for nothing.
The dragon had deceived the king.
Dragons are immortal creatures.
Wounds are like fleeting dreams to them. The dragon had not healed them merely on a whim. It amused it to have people fussing over it. It had watched them with a child-like curiosity.
And lastly, the dragon had wanted to make a spectacle of human foolishness.
Of the puny humans who would betray it in the end.
Of the people who had intended to take it in only to sell it out.
He had wanted to see the young king, who always spoke idealistically, in all his ugliness.
It had lost to the spirit of humanity.
It chose then to live its life on the ground together with people.
It did not use fire.
It killed using barbaric methods, like humans would. It beat, crushed, cut, tore, and mowed them down. To make an example out of her, it slowly chewed the general of the army alive.
It made sure that her soldiers could hear her screams loud and clear.
It’s said that the dragon cried out loudly that it would destroy the army using methods more gruesome than those the army had employed.
The dragon proclaimed the founding of a country.
A country ruled by a blue-scaled, one-winged dragon.
That was the birth of Rossian.
When the story ended, I threw in a question.
「What caused its demise?」
「That would be the thing you'd be most curious about, I suppose」
The tale of how a dragon created a country. I've seen enough on our way here to know how that story ends.
Now, everything lies in ruins, and there is only a giant grave marker surrounded by wandering spirits of the dead.
「There are many theories. If you asked a hundred scholars, you'd get a hundred different answers, all of them mere speculation. A country, one that’s ruled by a dragon, fell into ruin. There must have been a big reason for that. Perhaps there was a great disaster, or maybe it was the work of some enemy」
Barfuru-sama tossed the empty alcohol bottle into the darkness.
The sound of pottery shattering echoed throughout the catacombs.
「But no one knows the real answer. Though many tales of Rossian's glories remain, the cause of its demise alone remains unknown to all. People are creatures who perish because of their own foolishness. The reason for the dragon's demise, it’s all………lost to oblivion[2]」
It's a tale of what happened almost 500 years ago after all.
Muttered Barfuru-sama with a snort.
I added firewood to the dying fire.
One thing popped into my head.
When Yukikaze explored the labyrinth in our home's basement with Misuranika-sama, she had returned with all sorts of information.
The same words were found in many other places.
On the land Lemuria sat on, there was once a country called Beliale. Legend has it that it was destroyed by the folly of people 500 years ago.
But according to the beast-headed man, it's different from Rossian, which met its demise at about the same time.
It's different, he had said.
In that case………………what?
「Jeez, the most fascinating part is a secret, huh?」
I heard that impression from behind me.
I turned around to see a dark-skinned elf emerge from the darkness.
She had on a warm-looking sweater and a shorter jacket that looked easy to move in. She was wearing hot pants over a pair of thermal tights. If I recalled correctly, the red scarf wrapped around her neck was made by Rana out of her robe. The gloves she had on were also knitted by Rana, and looked warm.
She had put her hair up in a braid so that it wouldn't get in the way.
[1] As you all know, “back-breaking” means “physically demanding”. The phrase with the same meaning in the Japanese language is “bone-breaking”. Hence, you can see the silly joke Barfuru-sama made there.
[2] I worded it this way because that’s what is natural in English, but do note that the “oblivion” here specifically means “the state of being forgotten”. Being forgotten is a theme in this novel, isn’t it? Now, I’ll just mention that this isn’t the only time the word “oblivion” has come up before, and just like now, the meaning is also specifically as mentioned...
You may have noticed that Barfuru-sama has been referred to as “beast-headed man”, “beast head”, “beast-faced man”, and so on. This isn’t me being inconsistent, the author is using different terms each time. Why? Beats me. (^_<)
Also, this has happened several times by now, so I’m sure many of you have noticed this, but every time Souya goes, I’m too busy to think about a certain something, it’s usually important. Of course, the author always masterfully distracts us with whatever urgent matter is pressing Souya at the time, so it’s easy to forget about that moment after it has passed, but if you go back and find every moment something like this happens, it’s usually an important detail that Souya really should have looked into more.
Did you expect Maria to pop in there at the end? Considering how she hadn’t been anything more than a mascot so far, I don’t blame you for being surprised. Because I was too haha. But man, what did you think about the story of Rossian? And that labyrinth in Souya’s basement that’s supposedly Beliale is looking real interesting, isn’t it?
That brings arc 2 of 5 to an end! What will happen next? Stay tuned!
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