Shinichi remained on guard, wondering what they would do if the map turned out to be a fake. Following its symbols, the group went deep into the forest, eventually coming upon a blackened metal door half-swallowed by the mound on the ground. “G-good! The map’s real,” said Fey. “Even you doubted it?” asked Shinichi. “I bought it from a minstrel, but they didn’t have any proof it was legitimate…” Fey seemed so relieved, she looked like she was about to collapse on the spot. Shinichi stared at the map again. The drawing on the aged parchment was so detailed that he might mistake it for a satellite image. Did people of this world have advanced cartography skills all along? He had seen a few maps of the continent Uropeh during his research in the Holy City. He was currently carrying the highest-quality one he could get his hands on, but even that was vague and subpar compared to Fey’s map. I guess it’s not impossible there are cartographers like Ino Tadataka. I mean, he made incredibly detailed maps ahead of his time… Shinichi still had his doubts, but it did appear they’d arrived at their destination. At the very least, the map was real. He walked up to the entrance of the tomb and immediately noticed something out of place. “What’s this?” In addition to the metal door, there were thick steel rods sealing the entrance closed. Celes stared at the entry, narrowing her eyes unhappily. “Sealed with Hard Lock and Protection spells, huh.” “Seriously?” asked Shinichi. “Yes. This level of spells indicates they reinforced them every day.” That meant the elves must have taken shifts patrolling and recasting the spells on the entrance. “Can you open it?” asked Shinichi. “Maybe. If you would allow me to blast it open with a False Dragon Breath.” “No way.” Celes was almost entirely drained of magic as it was. There was no way she’d be able to cast her most powerful spell. She might be able to pull it off if Rino shared magic with her, but they’d be in trouble if the elves were drawn back by something so flashy. “We don’t have time to wait for the spells to wear off… Arian, do you think you can cut through the wall?” asked Shinichi. “I can try,” she replied, swinging her sword at the concrete wall half concealed by the heaped dirt. Her attack could easily cut through steel armor, but the tip of her sword got stuck in the wall, taking off only a small chunk. “No, that won’t work. Looks like it’s strengthened with magic here, too.” “It’s like the safe in the castle,” said Rino with wide eyes. Arian grimaced, her hand numb from the impact. Shinichi inspected the sealed door again, brow creased in thought. If it’s sealed, they wouldn’t be able to enter and exit. It must not actually be a tomb. The elves would need to gain access to entomb someone when they passed away or to visit the graves of their relatives. It was far too inconvenient to use like a normal underground tomb. It’s only called the “Elven Tomb.” This monument has to be made for some other purpose. Could this really be to keep invaders out? If these spells were to protect the tomb from being destroyed by humans, it would make more sense for the elves to build their village with the tomb at its center. That way, they could be certain there were always elves around to protect it. But the village was a fair distance away, almost as if they were cautious of it. Despite the distance, patrols came every day to reinforce the spells, sealing the tomb. This is bad… Shinichi felt a shiver run up his spine as he thought of a way to break in. As the ruins became dangerous, he felt like they were coming closer to the Goddess Elazonia who had been trying so hard to destroy them. “Rino, could you use a Tunnel spell to dig along the wall with the door?” he said finally. “Yes, but it can only dig through soft dirt.” “That’s fine. Can you do that for me?” “Of course! I’ll do my best!” said Rino, happy to help Shinichi. “Please move aside. Tunnel.” In response to Rino’s cute little request, the earth opened up into a deep hole. Shinichi stood on the edge and used a Light spell to investigate it. It went down more than thirty feet, but the concrete wall continued the whole way, stretching even beyond the bottom of the hole. “It goes pretty deep. Rino, could you do it two more times?” asked Shinichi. “Yep, Tunnel and one more Tunnel!” cried Rino excitedly. The hole stretched down one hundred thirty feet, but the wall still continued. “It’s almost like they buried an entire building,” observed Shinichi, somewhat annoyed. He had Celes use Fly, and the group gently fell to the bottom of the hole where he tapped on the dirty concrete. “All right. Shall we try again?” he said. “Oh, now I get it,” marveled Arian. She placed her hand on her sheathed magic sword, taking up the proper stance, and slashed into the concrete wall. This time, the blade slid up into the wall, letting Arian completely sever it. “It looks like Protection was only cast on the visible parts,” said Shinichi. “Even the elves must have lacked the magic necessary to make the spell reach this depth,” said Celes. That meant this section belowground was nothing more than a normal concrete wall, unable to defend against Arian’s attacks. Celes was irritated by Shinichi’s usual craftiness, but Fey was practically trembling in excitement. “I never would have thought of this!” “Every good grave robber knows if the real entrance won’t work, make your own,” said Shinichi. “B-but I was trying to be an explorer…,” said Fey, screwing her face up. This was just something she couldn’t let up. While the two chatted, Arian finished slicing a hole open in the wall. The group finally made their way into the Elven Tomb. “Ugh, it smells moldy,” said Arian. “Well, yeah. I mean, check out all the cracks. It’s been here for who knows how many millennia,” said Shinichi, warily taking in his surroundings. The walls looked like they’d cave in during an earthquake. They’d entered a narrow stairwell, wide enough for two people to stand side by side, which continued deeper into the ground. “Um. I’m a little scared…,” said Rino. “Don’t worry. Arian and Celes are here if anything happens,” consoled Shinichi. “Which means you have no intention of fighting, huh?” Celes snapped at him. Shinichi started walking slowly down the stairs. The dismal stairwell seemed to continue forever. They were stuck in an optical illusion of a perpetual loop of stairs. That wasn’t the case, however. After descending a few flights, there was a black metal door. “It’s not locked,” announced Shinichi as he pushed the door gently. It opened with a horrific squeak. Beyond the door was a large, open underground space that could have easily fit multiple houses. “This is even larger than the dvergr dens. I wonder what it was used for,” said Celes. “Hmm. Maybe they used it to play ball on rainy days?” suggested Rino, shocked at the size. Shinichi had noticed a pile of scrap metal in the corner and walked up to it. Most of it had rusted away, leaving its original shape a mystery. Only about a quarter remained, and Shinichi stood there, pondering its actual form. After a moment, he realized what it was, shaking with surprise. “It’s a forklift,” he said. “A fore-clift?” asked Arian, tilting her head as she stared at the pile of metal. The large iron box had what looked like four wheels attached to it. Two long prongs jutted from its front. If Arian had to describe it, she would manage to say it reminded her of a chariot, but in reality, all she saw was a pile of mystery metal. In Shinichi’s eyes, it resembled the vehicles from home. “Why is there a forklift here?!” Shinichi balked before looking around the ruins. On the inner wall, he saw a large, rusted metal door. Judging from its appearance, he guessed it was firmly stuck. “This is…,” he started. “A door. But how do we open it?” finished Arian. The single large sheet of metal didn’t seem to have a knob of any kind. It probably slid up to open, like a castle’s portcullis, but she also didn’t see a winch to activate it. “Maybe it’s opened with magic?” suggested Celes. “Well, it’s like magic…,” said Shinichi in vague terms as he reached his hand out to a small box set to the side of the door. It was rusted beyond recognition, but it looked to have buttons to open and close the door and displayed their current floor. “It’s a freight elevator. Possibly a scientific one that uses electricity.” “Science is magic from your world, right? Is it here?!” cried Rino, eyes as wide as saucers. The other girls realized why Shinichi was so shocked. “It’s not like we did a thorough sweep of the elves’ houses, but I don’t think there was anything that used this much technology in the village. So why is there a forklift and elevator in ruins from millennia ago?!” Though these were rusted beyond use, they had a level of technological advancement that went beyond the Middle Ages, even beyond early modernity. It was practically contemporary. This kind of thing didn’t exist in Obum. “…No, it doesn’t exist…now,” emphasized Shinichi, his brain cells finally offering up one possible theory. “This is an underground facility created by an ancient civilization long ago, a civilization before the calamity.” “Is this building from the time of legends?!” yelped Arian in surprise. They were talking about the ancient era of human prosperity that was destroyed by the Evil God’s army—or the calamity, depending on who you asked. It was a story told in the church’s holy book and in legends in the demon world. But with no real proof of its existence, it was hard to swallow the idea that this society had been real and had reached this level of technological advancement. “I can’t think of any other explanation. I mean, humans, demons, not even the elves have anything on this level. It would only be possible for the ancient civilization that was destroyed,” said Shinichi, even though he didn’t want to believe it. After all, once he eliminated all other possibilities, this could be the only correct answer. “I used to laugh off the idea about ancient civilizations on the lost continent of Mu or Atlantis. I never thought I’d actually see one…” He had on a half-smile. He didn’t find it on Earth but in a different universe. Shinichi looked around the ancient ruins again. As he did, his eyes fell on the dumbfounded face of Fey. Crap, I totally forgot she was here! He’d gone off using words like forklift and elevator, things that no human of this world should ever know. Rino had even said “your world,” meaning Fey had heard a whole conversation that would tell her he came from a different one. He panicked, trying to think of how he could wriggle his way out of this one, but Fey’s eyes lit up like gems as she took his hand. “Shinichi—I mean, Master Shinichi! Please be my mentor!” “…What?” “W-well, you’re obviously an explorer, too! A-and you have more experience than me!” Shinichi didn’t even have time to correct her as she chattered on, as unstoppable as a runaway train. “You even know the names of ancient civilizations beyond the adventure novels! You must be really accomplished!” “Well, actually…” “A-and I thought it was strange that you wanted to come and search the Elven Tomb, but it makes perfect sense for an explorer to be here!” “Yeah, um, sure.” Shinichi nodded to Fey, who’d had this fortunate misunderstanding on her own. Now that she mentions it, I never said I’d come because I was hoping to find a clue to uncover the Goddess’s true nature. It was her fault that she had assumed he was just like her, wanting to experience the thrill of finding ancient remains. This is another case of “judging someone by your own standards.” But I am concerned for her future… He could only imagine Fey getting deceived by some untrustworthy man, ending up in a terrible situation like one in an erotic novel—though not to the same extent as a certain lewd elf. “You know, it’s not too late. You should go back home and marry a nice boy, like your dad says,” said Shinichi. “H-how rude! There’s no way I could go home with these wonderful ruins right in front of me!” “Yeah, Shinichi! It’s mean to tell her to go home!” protested Rino. They were both angry at him for the suggestion he’d actually made out of the kindness of his own heart. “Well, you don’t have to get married or whatever, but I do think it’d be safer for you to go home…” His eyes met Arian’s. Her gaze told him she agreed before turning back to pointedly look at Fey’s smooth hands, which still gripped his. “I agree. If you wish, I can send her away with magic,” added Celes, eyeing Fey, who was something she had no experience with—a beautiful girl in glasses. Shinichi, suddenly noticing the ominous vibe from Celes, yanked his hands away and forced the conversation back on track. “Anyway, this appears to have been built by some ancient civilization. We don’t know what we’ll find down here, so we need to proceed with caution.” “Wh-whatever you say, master!” cried Fey. Shinichi wasn’t entirely unhappy at the thought of being worshipped by the cute, bespectacled girl, but he didn’t let that show on his face to avoid upsetting the other girls. They were ready to explore the ruins. On the wall opposite from the freight elevator was a door small enough that a person could open it, so they decided to start there. The door led to a long passage, which was wide enough that the forklifts could enter. They were around fifteen feet across with rusted doors placed at regular intervals along the corridor. They checked inside each one, but unfortunately, they didn’t see anything of interest. “I wonder if this was a desk and a chair?” guessed Arian. “B-but it’s all rotten and fallen apart,” said Fey. “There’s a toilet and bathtub over here,” Rino observed. “Though dirty and unusable, I imagine,” offered Celes. “I know we can’t expect much since it’s been thousands of years, but I find it hard to believe there isn’t a single book left.” Shinichi sighed as he looked about the room that had nothing but the broken remains of furniture. All we’ve found are the living quarters. This probably wasn’t some sort of military facility. Which means… Shinichi was starting to guess the true nature of this place called the Elven Tomb. He headed farther inside, hoping to find proof of his theory, and found another set of stairs. He descended to the second basement floor. “Th-the architecture is the same as the floor above,” noted Fey. “This might not be worth it, but…” Shinichi decided to investigate a nearby room. At the same time, Arian, who was leading the group, held up a hand, calling for the party to halt. “There’s something moving ahead.” “What if it’s a giant cockroach? Yow!” yelped Shinichi. “Don’t even joke about that,” warned Celes, her face pale after she had tightened her hands around Shinichi’s neck to strangle him. He was trying to listen for movement and heard a low scraping sound, like something heavy being intermittently dragged across the floor. “……” Arian didn’t say a word as she drew her magic sword. Celes readied herself to cast a spell. The glow from her Light spell illuminated part of the path, and they saw something coming toward them slowly, dragging one leg uselessly on the ground. “…A robot?” said Shinichi, the words falling unexpectedly from his lips. Appearing before them was a blackened metal humanoid figure as tall as a normal man. “No, wait. Is it a golem like the one in the elves’ village?” “Yes, one made from steel. I can feel magic coming from inside it,” confirmed Celes. “Of course,” said Shinichi, convinced but a little disappointed. After all, every boy loved a good robot. He stopped feeling that way, though, the moment he saw the golem point a barrel in their direction. “Celes!” he shouted. “Magic Shield.” Her spell created a shimmering shield of light large enough to span the path. That was when fire erupted from the barrel. “Wh-what?!” cried Arian. Explosions echoed through the corridor, like someone casting a chain of Fireballs. Each one was followed by a small object that collided into the shield of light, bouncing back with a shower of sparks. Arian had never seen a weapon like it, but Shinichi grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby room. The others followed closely. When they disappeared, the explosions stopped, and they heard the dragging sound of its leg as it started walking again. “Shit, this wasn’t supposed to be a horror movie with killer robots!” cursed Shinichi before calming himself down and setting aside his suspicions to give orders to get them out of this situation. “Rino, cast Missile Protection on Arian. Is that possible?” “I can try!” “Arian, that’s a weapon that shoots a succession of small metal balls. They fly in a straight line from the barrel. They shouldn’t hit if you keep going off that axis,” he continued. “Is it like a fast-firing crossbow?” “Yeah. Can you do it?” “Leave it to me.” Arian nodded. Rino cast the spell, encasing Arian in wind that would knock the bullets off track. Arian dashed out the room. As soon as she did, they heard the fire from the golem’s barrel, a type of automatic handgun. Even though the pathway was wide, Arian quickly ran out of places to run from the hail of bullets. Just when Shinichi thought she was going to jump forward to her right, she ran up the wall, somersaulted up, and planted her feet on the ceiling. The golem’s rusted arm couldn’t follow her irregular three-dimensional pattern, and all the bullets cut through nothing but air. “Hi-yah!” Arian kicked off from the ceiling, flying down like a shooting star as she slashed off the golem’s right arm along with its gun. She followed through with a horizontal slash that chopped off the golem’s head. The creature crumpled to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “Arian, you’re amazing!” cried Rino. “She’s practically a ninja…,” said Shinichi as they peered cautiously out from the doorway. They gave her a round of applause. They checked there wasn’t any real danger before running out to Arian. “You killed it?” asked Shinichi. “I think so…,” replied Arian. The golem had lost its arm and head, and it wasn’t moving at all. But since it wasn’t a living creature, that didn’t necessarily mean it was dead. Arian remained on guard with her sword drawn. Shinichi saw her and decided to be careful, but he turned his eyes to the gun in the golem’s right hand that now laid on the ground. There aren’t any bullet casings, and I don’t smell any gunpowder. Besides, any gunpowder would’ve gotten damp over thousands of years and become virtually unusable. But there were explosions, so it can’t be a type of rail gun… He picked up the blackened weapon to examine it. While the general shape was like a gun, the details were different from what he was familiar with. There’s no ejection port for spent casings. That’s the magazine, but it only has bullets—no casing and no gunpowder. But it uses the same explosive force to propel bullets as the guns on Earth… Does it use magic to fire? Inspecting the gun, there was a familiar crystal on the grip. It was a magic conductor. The user needed to pour their magic into the stone, which was used to cast miniature Explosions inside the gun to create the force necessary to fire the bullet. Since it doesn’t need full cartridges, they could simplify the design. And because they don’t use gunpowder, the barrel won’t get as dirty. They can use the extra space to fit in more bullets. It’s wonderfully made, but it has a fatal flaw: You can’t shoot it without magic. An average person wouldn’t be able to use it. A magic user would find it too heavy and inconvenient. It didn’t have enough firepower to be effective against someone who could use Missile Protection. That meant it was a weapon perfect for a golem but with little other value. If that’s the case, I don’t think a magic user would come up with the idea for the magic gun. I imagine this ancient civilization had conventional guns that used gunpowder, and— “Shinichi, get down!” shouted Arian. He ducked immediately. A moment later, he looked up and saw a translucent hand made of bluish-white light extending from the torso of the defeated golem. “Wh-what the hell is that?!” stammered Shinichi, scurrying backward until Celes stopped him and answered his question. “A ghost, most likely.” “What? A ghost?” As Shinichi watched, the translucent body of the ghost came out of the golem, placing its two smoky, blurred legs on the ground. Its face was hazy, too, having lost any definition. There was nothing that could be gathered from its indistinct features—whether it was a man or a woman, angry or sad. It slowly stretched out its hands toward the closest person, Arian, like it wanted nothing more than to feel her warmth. “Arian!” warned Shinichi, but it wasn’t necessary. There was no hesitation as she swung her sword at the oncoming hand of the advancing ghost. “Aaaahh—!” You wouldn’t have thought a ghost could feel pain, but it let out a shriek when Arian lopped off its arm, and then it lunged forward, trying to envelop her in its embrace. She stood her ground, let out a piercing battle cry, and her sword flashed. “Hi-yah—!” In all directions, Arian’s sword sliced through the ghost’s body. The slashes left scattered shards of the bluish-white light, which then faded away into the air. “Phew…” “Sh-she defeated a ghost with ease… That’s the Red Hero for you!” Fey exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. Shinichi gave Arian another round of applause, but he had a pained smile on his face. “I heard about it from the Demon King, but it’s sad to see a ghost losing to physical attacks…” In the land of magic and wonder, the spirits of the dead were nothing more than another monster to be defeated. He couldn’t help feeling down, since he had grown up in a world where ghosts inspired uncontrollable fear in the living. “Well, I guess I love that one movie where they bust ghosts. Anyway, you really seemed to know what you were doing,” he told Arian. “Yeah, I’ve had to beat ghosts who knows how many times. They hang around old battlefields.” Her lips spread into an embarrassed smile at the compliment. “So they’re normal things, huh…? But why was there a ghost inside the golem?” he asked. This was the Elven Tomb, and if it was what Shinichi was starting to think it was, there was no reason to be surprised by a ghost appearance. He wasn’t fazed by the golem that acted as a security guard, but he’d never heard of a ghost possessing a golem. Celes was the one to answer his question. “My guess is that it was trying to escape death.” “Huh. But isn’t it already dead?” asked Shinichi. “My apologies. It would be more accurate to call it lost, which is when they fade away,” she corrected. “When ghosts form, their magic does not disperse. Instead, the ghost attaches itself to the world and solidifies into what we just witnessed. That’s why a powerful magic user is more likely to become a ghost than someone with a little magic. And it’s the reason my magic teacher, Lady Regina, would always destroy any opponents until they didn’t possess the smallest shred of magic.” “Daddy did the same thing,” offered Rino matter-of-factly. “A merciless couple.” Shinichi shuddered. It was the correct course of action to ensure they wouldn’t be attacked any further, but something about killing someone to the point of eliminating their soul gave him chills. “So a ghost is a collection of magical energy, but it cannot create magic itself,” said Celes. Since magic was an energy generated by a living creature’s body, that checked out for the ghosts who had lost their physical form. “In other words, they’ll end up fading away if left alone?” asked Shinichi. “Exactly,” said Celes gravely. “We have a saying about them: Existence makes a ghost go hungry. Meaning they’ll continue to expend their magic by simply existing, until it is exhausted.” “That’s why they attack animals and humans in an effort to feed by stealing their magic,” explained Arian. “Which would be why people need to defeat ghosts: They’re dangerous because they’re trying to avoid their natural death.” Shinichi nodded at Arian’s addition, but he was still confused. “I get the nature of ghosts, but what’s that got to do with the one possessing the golem?” “Well… I apologize, but could you please slice here?” Celes had walked over to the immobile golem, indicating the spot to Arian. “Sure, no problem! Hi-yah!” Arian cried out, severing the metal body in two, revealing a familiar crystal inside. “Is that a magic conductor?” asked Shinichi. “Yes. The golem would be able to continue moving for a while even without a magic user nearby—as long as magic has been stored in here,” explained Celes. It was the same with the golem working in the fields in the elves’ village—and Hellsaur, the massive stone dragon that Shinichi had made with the others. “I think I see where this is going. Ghosts are amalgamations of magical energy. If they don’t do anything, they will eventually fade away. Magic conductors have a property that allows them to absorb and store magic, which means—,” started Shinichi. “The ghost went into the magic conductor in the golem’s body so it wouldn’t disappear!” finished Rino in excitement. “Exactly, Lady Rino. Clever as always,” praised Celes, giving her a round of applause and smiling broadly. “You treat me so differently!” Shinichi protested, clapping his hands, too. “Hee-hee. You’re making me blush,” said Rino. “B-but doesn’t that mean ghosts don’t want to die?” asked Fey innocently. The happy vibe immediately dissolved. “Oh…” Rino’s face clouded over with sadness when she realized that they’d killed the ghost who’d possessed the golem’s body to stay alive. Celes saw the girl’s sorrow and immediately explained, “Ghosts don’t possess any of their intelligence upon death. All they have is an obsession with life.” The person’s refusal to let go of life manifested as their final spell, changing reality to make a ghost. But that kind of magic didn’t possess a brain or a body to create magic. “Even though they’ve died, they are nothing more than a danger and nuisance to the living,” she concluded. “It’s kind to help them move on to the next world where they can rest,” added Shinichi, gently patting Rino’s head as he tried to tell her not to be sad. “Okay…” “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t really mean anything by my question…,” offered Fey, since Rino still looked a little dejected. That was when they heard the clunk of heavy metal feet coming from the stairwell. “Ugh! There’s more?” Shinichi groaned. “And it’s not just one or two.” Arian grimaced, urging the others to hide in a nearby room. “I’ll assist you,” Celes volunteered, pushing through her fatigue and stepping to the front, but Arian told her to get back. “No, we shouldn’t attack with magic here.” The passing millennia had made the concrete walls weak and brittle. The golem’s bullets had created cracks and fissures. Shards of concrete were flaking off. There was no guarantee that an explosion from a spell like Fireball wouldn’t bury them alive. Celes got it and compliantly dropped behind. “Understood. I leave it in your capable hands.” “Yep, I got this!” replied Arian with an energetic thump on her chest. Shinichi knew he’d only get in her way, so he went to hide, asking only one question out of concern. “Sure you’ll be okay?” he confirmed, and Arian turned to him with a huge smile on her face. “I’ll be fine. I’m a hero, remember?” She wasn’t talking about the cowards who tried to escape death by achieving undying bodies. She was speaking about the courageous figures standing against danger to protect those she loved. “You deserve to rest,” she called out to the ghosts. And then she faced the dead who had feared death so much, they had fled into shells of steel with something akin to pity as she rushed forward, magic sword in hand. It didn’t even take ten minutes for Arian to dispatch the ten golems and the ten ghosts that had been possessing them. But since she went without rest, her breathing became ragged. She managed to avoid any serious injury with Rino’s Missile Protection and her half-dragon resilience, but she had burns and scratches on her arms and legs where bullets had scraped her skin. “Pain, pain, fly away! Full Healing.” “…Phew! Thanks, Rino.” Arian was healed with Rino’s spell, though a shadow of fatigue colored her smile. “Yeah, it must’ve been hard against so many and with guns, too,” added Shinichi. “Actually, the golems didn’t give me much trouble. But the ghosts…” Arian savored the moment as Shinichi used a handkerchief to mop the sweat from her face. “You have to beat them up until they’re scattered into little bits, and if they touch you, they steal your magic, even if you’re wearing armor. Not a fun opponent to fight.” “And one you should technically fight with magic, not with weapons,” he added. The latter would basically be like trying to blow away smoke with a sword. While physical attacks were effective, they weren’t ideal. A sword could only reach them at a point or in a line, while a spell could cover a wide range. It would be more effective, but they couldn’t do that, fearing the ruins would cave in on them. “How annoying.” Shinichi kicked a severed piece of one of the golems, looking up to observe everyone’s condition. Arian seemed physically exhausted, Celes was almost out of magic, and Rino was beginning to get worn down from casting spells. Exploring the unfamiliar territory and fighting unexpected enemies had left the party physically and emotionally spent. “We’ve got no choice. Let’s pull back and rest up for the day,” Shinichi said. “Wait, what?!” cried Fey in protest, but she seemed to understand and nodded in agreement. “Y-you’re right. There must be more ghosts in here, and we can’t just keep pushing ourselves forward.” “A golden rule of dungeon exploration: Moving forward too fast will push you back. I’m worried the elves will realize our stunt was a lie and come back, but we won’t have anything to show if we get ourselves killed,” said Shinichi. Arian could be resurrected because she was a hero. But the rest of them might perish in a way where they couldn’t come back. And if Rino happened to die, the Blue Demon King would lose his voice of reason and turn into the Demon King of Hatred. That might just mean the end of this world and everything in it. Weighing the risks, Shinichi knew the only choice was to retreat. “You’re right. It’s unfortunate, but we should go back,” Arian agreed. “What if we call Daddy and ask him to help?” “No, I don’t think the ruins can handle His Highness’s power,” said Shinichi. The others agreed. They filed back the way they came and exited the Elven Tomb. The sun was starting to set. They left the forest, made their way back to the elves’ village where they found a two-story home, and entered it. “E-excuse us,” called Fey. “Are you sure it’s okay to enter?” asked Arian. “It’s fine. Even if the elves came back, we have leverage: We can offer to set up a mixer with the dark elves. They wouldn’t kill us,” replied Shinichi, convincing the others this was safer than the ruins, which had ghosts, or the forest, which could house monsters and beasts. “If you still feel guilty about it, you can leave some gold coins to pay for our time here,” he suggested. “I doubt the elves would use our currency,” said Celes. “Sure. But they could use the gold to make jewelry. It’s not entirely worthless to them.” Shinichi explained that was why gold had become a standard currency throughout the world. He stepped from the entryway into the living room, then on to the kitchen. “I’ll fix dinner. The rest of you can relax.” “Oh yay! We get to eat Shinichi’s homemade food!” exclaimed Rino. Fey raised her hand. “I—I can help, too, since I wasn’t much use in the tomb…” “I appreciate the offer, but how would a girl from a nice family know how to cook?” said Shinichi. “I—I can make fish pie!” “Sit down.” Shinichi unapologetically turned down her offer, even though she was determined to help. He knew just how bad food could be, based on his knowledge of a certain country in the United Kingdom. “B-but it’s so delicious…” “Fey, what’s fish pie?” asked Rino. “Um, well, you take vegetables and fish and wrap it in puff pastry…,” Fey started to explain, her frown dissipating as she talked with Rino. Shinichi looked around the kitchen in confusion. “Isn’t there an oven or stove?” He had managed to find a frying pan, pot, and other cooking utensils, but the essential items to actually heat the food were nowhere to be seen. It’s not like he’d expected a gas range or an electric stove, but he would’ve thought there’d be at least a wood-burning one. “How do they heat…? Oh right, magic,” he said, having a light-bulb moment. They wouldn’t need a stove if they could use magic to create fire or to directly heat the food. Looking closer around the room, he realized there were no lamps or candles, since they could just use Light. There was a chest holding ingredients that utilized Freeze. Every facet of the home was built around magic. “Instead of all electric, they’ve gone all magic,” he joked. “But this house would be horrible for a human.” If an elf and a human happened to form a family, they’d quickly find a number of problems with daily life that would make things quite difficult. “It seems elves are better off marrying elves, even if they didn’t look down on humans,” murmured Shinichi, rooting through the kitchen to find ingredients for dinner. “Wheat, potatoes, carrots, beans. But what’s with all these seasonings and spices?” In this world, even human restaurants only had salt and small amounts of vegetable oils, but this elf kitchen had all sorts of small vials filled with a variety of seasonings. “Sugar, vinegar, black pepper, herbs. This is… Ugh, it smells! Is it marmite?!” The jars and vials had mystery powders and liquids that even Shinichi couldn’t figure out. “But the fields didn’t seem large enough to produce this wide variety. Maybe it’s safer to assume they used a spell like Element Conversion to create these.” That spell manipulated atoms to create a desired substance. It was something like Shinichi’s signature move, but that didn’t mean he was the only one capable of using it. It was just that he had been the only one with the knowledge about chemical structure. “I guess it’s not impossible for the elves to know.” There were advanced scientific and technological capabilities deep within those ancient ruins, which the elves guarded. He was trying to pull out the answers from his brain when Celes’s voice came from behind. “You’re not cooking—just standing here talking to yourself. Have you gone senile already?” “If you have enough energy to insult me, would you mind handling this meat?” “Asking a girl to handle your meat? How dirty.” “And this is why people think you’re a smutty pervert!” Shinichi shooed Celes away as her stomach growled. He picked up a knife and started to cut potatoes, carrots, and venison into equal pieces, then poured some olive oil into a large pot. “Then I’ll use Fire—no, it’d be more efficient to use Heat directly on the pot,” he muttered. It was his first time using magic to cook. Truthfully, he was a little overwhelmed, but he plopped the cut vegetables and meat into the pot and heated it. Afterward, he poured water into the pot, using a spell to make the pot boil. He skimmed the oil on the top and then popped open the lids of some of the seasoning vials. “I can’t believe they have this one,” he said, half-happy that he had found a flavor that he’d given up on ever tasting again. The other half of him was confused how the elves made it. He poured the yellowish-brown powder into the pot, making the food give off a spicy aroma. “Wow! Something smells good!” said Rino. “B-but it seems a little spicy…,” added Fey, mixing excitement with concern. Shinichi brought the full pot out to them. “Okay, eat up. It might not look like much, but I guarantee it’s good.” “What is this? A brown soup with potatoes and carrots?” asked Arian. “It’s curry. Too bad we don’t have rice.” Instead of rice, he was serving the curry with some soft bread. “It looks so good,” said Rino, filled with curiosity. She was the first to try a bite. Her eyes lit up at the complex flavors. “Mmm! It’s spicy and sweet, and it’s so, so good!” “Y-you’re right. I-it doesn’t taste as spicy as it smells,” Fey said. “I thought it would be too spicy, since you’re not used to these flavors, so I mixed in a little honey. I’m glad you like it.” Shinichi was relieved that even Fey was smiling and enjoying the food despite her initial uncertainty. “I think the spiciness is perfect when you eat it with the bread,” observed Celes. “It’s so different from the bitter bread made from dark rye! White bread is so sweet,” added Arian. The two of them seemed to enjoy the curry, and the pot was empty in no time. “Phew! Thank you for the meal,” said Rino, patting her stomach in satisfaction. Celes drank some water and complained, “I cannot help but feel envious of the surface elves for eating well every day.” “I know how you feel.” Shinichi had gone so long without something as good as Japanese food. “Turns out, I do want to make good relations with the elves.” Obviously, he wanted to get in on their quality ingredients. Plus, he couldn’t pass up on the knowledge and magic that let the elves harvest them. “But don’t you think it’s impossible? I mean, we already treated them so horribly.” Arian’s assumption was only natural, but Shinichi shook his head. “Some countries trade with their biggest enemies. Even if we aren’t friendly enough to hold hands and skip, I think we can still work together.” Besides, they still had leverage—they could introduce them to the dark elves—so it wouldn’t be completely impossible. Shinichi tried to clean up the dishes, but Fey jumped in and stopped him. “I—I can at least wash the dishes.”
Chapter 55
34 min read