Chapter 126: The Forgotten Rossian III & IV (1/2)

<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.