Chapter 173 – 39. The Underground Labyrinth. (One)
The carriage, which ran in the middle of the desolate sandy plain, stopped only when the sun had set and it was dark at night. The reason why he moved to the middle of the wasteland rather than the river was to avoid possible pursuit. The ruts of the wagon’s wheels will soon be erased by the fierce sand wind. … Of course, I’ll have to stay vigil just in case.
Luis Danjou got off the carriage and entrusted his body to the believer Luca to heal his injured body. Sitting idly on the sand, he looked quite shocked by the completely transformed countess.
“Are you okay?”
“…… Yes. It’s okay.”
“If you get rid of the culprit, it will return to normal, so don’t worry too much.”
Allen said that while glancing at the sealed wooden barrel in the wagon compartment. Then, something like a firm resolution was slowly engraved on the face of the western youth.
“I will definitely, definitely get rid of it… !”
He murmured as he firmly gripped the sand that touched his hand. …… Excessive ambition can sometimes be a problem, but it’s still better than nothing at all.
After preparing for camp and having a simple meal, the Allen-Mercenary Corps and Lewis-Mercenary Corps sat around in one place, relying only on the moonlight.
After Allen confirmed that everyone was gathered, she cleared her throat slightly and started talking in earnest about her upcoming schedule.
“Now that we’ve secured the doll, we’re going to get rid of the culprit.”
“… What the heck did the Mage Tower bastards do to the doll, such a terrible thing happening?”
Lewis – Allen answered the question of a mercenary belonging to the mercenary corps.
“It is the soul transfer method. It connects the soul of a living being with the body of a doll like this. …… It’s a very terrible magic. The method or purpose itself was so wicked that it was forbidden… , As you can see, the Magic Tower did.”
Looking at the many things that were secretly done underground, it was certainly cheap even if the Mage Tower collapsed. In a way, it was their karma to be hit by the wrath of a necromancer who forcibly swallowed black mana and became a black mage.
“Then… , What is the culprit tied to the doll?”
Of course, Allen didn’t know exactly what the culprit was. Of course, like a [Guild Master] Who has a random perversion, even the beings dwelling in the doll are random.
It could be a demon, a monster, or a monster.
“I do not know. No matter how much I am, how can I know what is stuck in the basement of the Mage Tower? …… However, he won’t be a shy guy. There’s no way he used a trivial guy as a test subject while using forbidden magic. Is not it?”
A groan was heard from several places. Just listening to it makes me feel like it hurts so badly.
Of course, they couldn’t possibly reach the idea that there would be an underground labyrinth in the Mage Tower. …… If you knew that, it would be very upside down.
“Anyway, now that we have the doll, it’s best to get things done as quickly as possible. … I know it’s been a lot of hard work and hard to come this far, but I can’t help it because the circumstances are like this. So I hope you understand and follow me.”
After all, they are beings that move according to their own interests.
Allen-Mercenaries for money, Lewis-Mercenaries for the city.
“Then break up.”
The mercenaries were scattered on their own rugs, using the wagon as a windbreak, covering them with blankets and pulling them up to their necks.
A whirring, cold sandy wind howled eerily and drearily through the night.
· · ·
Allen’s group moved in an almost straight line towards the magic tower, passing only a few small desert villages. There was no need to go to the city near the river and give clues to any possible pursuit. … In fact, it was best not to go through the village, but it was an unavoidable choice to secure drinking water and food.
Anyway, after several days of crossing the tedious sand wasteland, they finally reached the vicinity of the magic tower. …… It had been about 10 days since I left the middle city of Aldesa as if I was running away.
Seeing the tall tower collapsed and lying on its side in pieces was, in a way, spectacular. Those who saw the once prosperous mage tower collapsed in vain could indirectly feel how tremendous the war in the west was at that time. In fact, the Lewis-Mercenary Corps had only heard rumors about the war, but no one had personally experienced it.
“… Sir, how big is this? Could this collapse… ?”
Even though he was witnessing with his own eyes the huge magic tower lying on its side, the furry Geese couldn’t understand how this huge thing could collapse. Of course, most mercenaries all have similar thoughts. It was the first time that Allen had witnessed it with his own eyes, so to be honest, I was a bit surprised.
Traces of grave robbery were already dug around the ruined mage tower. Proof that dogs and cows came and dug up randomly. Even a group of grave robbers had come and gone not long ago, and there were still ashes that hadn’t cooled down.
After an arduous forced march up to this point, Allen decided to rest sufficiently before entering the basement.
They camped for the night in a place that seemed to be frequented by grave robbers. …… Of course, because of getting closer to the main body, the doll’s outbursts intensified throughout the night.
– Chiaaaaa.
The box in which the doll was sealed rattled and let out a terrifying scream. So there’s no way even mercenaries can get a good night’s sleep.
After tossing and turning here and there without sleep, Allen finally told me to climb up as soon as the heat rose and bury the box deep in the sand. So, he kind of calmed down.
Occasionally, a person possessed by a doll would wake up with half-turned eyes, frantically digging sand with his hands, and was stopped several times by the watchman. Allen, too, had constant nightmares of being torn apart by a ghastly entity.
As I repeat sleeping and waking up like that, the sky dawns before I know it.
Judging by the crumbly faces of everyone, it seemed that they hadn’t slept well because of the nightmares. Fatigue has been relieved to some extent, but it is difficult to say that the physical condition is the best.
However, I couldn’t delay any longer here. As long as you reach the magic tower, speed is your life.
After a hearty breakfast, Allen’s group checked out his gear one last time. She then pulled out a box buried deep in the sand. In the morning, even dolls are empty, so there was no such thing as last night.
The muscular Pergamond decided to carry the doll’s wooden barrel on his back. As befits a person who calls for the honor of the North herself, she readily followed Allen’s instructions without any hesitation.
“Odd Noon, can you see it?”
“… It’s faint, but I can see it.”
With the blind saint taking off her blindfold, the group of mercenaries began to move in earnest.
Odd Noon chose the hole closest to the mana line connected to the doll. It is one of many holes dug by grave robbers.
Before entering the hole, Allen made eye contact with her crew one last time, reassuring her resolve. Just staring at her in silence was enough.
“Enter.”
The blind saint entered the hole first, followed by Pergamond with the box, Kalisman the old dog, Natasha the gum inspector, Elena the suckling wizard, and then Allen.
The hole was so narrow that only one person could fit in with the waist half bent. This is a space where people with claustrophobia would find themselves hyperventilating at once.
The sound of the sand breaking under the feet and the rough breathing sound echoed in the narrow passage, further heightening the tension.
Allen, too, continued walking down this inexorable aisle, looking only at her counterpart’s buttocks. …… No matter how experienced I was, the tension I felt whenever I took on her job did not go away. Rather, the more you know, the deeper the tension. As the saying goes, “Because you don’t know, you’re brave.”
After walking for a long time in such a winding aisle, there was a space where I could stretch my back a bit. Of course, it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate the entire group of mercenaries, just five or six.
There was a hole in the center of the space, and it seemed like I had to go through it.
…… It’s a hole I don’t want to go into…….
What can I do though? This is a mercenary’s job.
“Go in.”
They tied two layers of strong rope to the iron pole they had prepared in advance, fixed it horizontally so that it would not fall into the hole, and finished preparing to descend.
Again, in the same order as before. After the blind saint Odd Noon, the muscled Pergamond, the old dog Kalisman, the gum inspector Natasha, and the sucking wizard Elena, Allen also rode her rope down the hole.
The floor was not the same dirt floor as before. It’s obviously a machined stone floor. The walls were also built with bricks, and it was an artificially created underground room. At first glance, it is an underground space belonging to the Magic Tower.
The room, littered with clutter, was far from a magic experiment. Maybe it was used as a warehouse or something. The grave robber who discovered this place first must have caught it.
Fortunately, this place was much wider than the space dug for robbery. It was enough to accommodate a group of over twenty mercenaries and still be spacious.
“Are you all fine? If there’s anything odd about it, report it right away. Everything, even the smallest things. Because we need to act as soon as possible. … And don’t touch anything from now on. Don’t even touch the wall. Don’t step on anything. From here, it is the domain of the Magic Tower. It’s not strange no matter what. Got it?”
“Yes, Danju.”
“… Alright, let’s start.”
Since Louis Danzoo completely entrusted this exploration to Allen Danzoo, he carefully followed his instructions. Although he was also the leader of the mercenary corps, he was far from such a request as he belonged to the count’s mercenary corps. In terms of years of establishment, Lewis-Mercenary Corps is much longer, but Allen-Mercenary Corps has overwhelmingly more careers. Of course, it means that you are good at this kind of mission.
The room had a huge iron door, and it looked impervious to anything. To the point where it seemed much easier to break through the wall next to it.
They attacked the seams of the large arched iron gate. After wrestling with it for a long time, they succeeded in tearing down the iron door.
A large and wide hallway greeted them beyond the space where the iron door was pierced. It was cold and dark, like the jaws of hell.
“…… Let’s go.”
Allen lined up the mercenaries in two lines and gave the signal to start.
… The group finally began exploring the underground in earnest.
