Vol. 1 - Ch. 237 - Ruins (2)

The railtrack inside the tunnel had forked into an intricate web midway, with switchbacks that made the tunnel rise and fall.

I freely deployed my wind magic, and made my progress cautiously, reading the flow of air. I encountered monsters as well, all of them being frog-type, and that made me slightly nervous. 

This quantity of life in the underground place, which was bound to have its limitation in resources to sustain their growth, means the ruins ought to be connected to the outside world in some way. 

My source of worry was the few varieties of life forms. If the only routes were water channels for aquatic creatures and air vents, then I’ll be stuck in this pitch-black ruin, eating frogs for the rest of my life.

Meanwhile, the entrance to the tunnel had already been submerged once the water level of underground lake reverted to its original state, and along with that giant frog rampaging around, I couldn't backtrack to Area 81. 

"...I won't even last a year."

It would've been my place to quip "Oh no, abandoned in the dungeon (tentative)?! Is it finally the moment for me, the very reincarnator, to finally tread on the path of unrivalledness!?" or so, but alas, I knew I would barely be able to sustain before my plot armor could cover me. 

I mean, it was a desolate ruin, with no one around. I would die of boredom!

With an array of thoughts entangled in my mind, I pressed forward to find the exit. Eventually, the rail tracks ended, and I entered a large space where neatly cut Raid stones, likely mined from Area 81, were used to pave the floor and walls in a cobbled pattern.

There were three tunnels branching into this room, including the one I had come from.

On the far wall, I saw a set of three stone steps, leading up to a door. But the door had no handle.

I surveyed the scene around me, and my eyes caught the shape of a pedestal with an orb placed on it. It shared the very mechanism I had seen at the entrance of Rabeldin Tower, more precisely the tool to open its door. Albeit, this one displayed a simple craftsmanship in contrast. 

"...Oh, yeah. They did say the tower was designed by none other than a genius of Origina Five family, the oddball of Iblis family, at the beckon of Aeolus."

However what happened to that oddball after the completion of the tower was a tale that no one had been privy to. Apparently, not even the Dosperior family had been informed, as explained by Granny Freya.

It's all jumbled up so I really couldn't tell apart if that oddball's hand had tinkered with this ruins creation as well. 

Anyway, I placed my hand atop the orb, and infused my mana. 

The last time I had tried on the Rabeldin Tower's tool, I could tell some kind of magic technology mechanism was playing, basically it was picking on my mana, however the door had remained unbudged. 

However, in this mechanism, I didn't feel any sort of sensation where the orb was absorbing my mana. Perhaps, it had lost its functioning after being left alone for eternity. 

Well, I could try to blast the door out and advance, but I shelved it away as a last resort. 

It was an ancient ruin, and equipped with a mechanism not in use or available in the modern era. God knows if they'd have some bizarre traps stored in as well. 

For the time being, I let the wind my shepherd and took my steps toward another tunnel, different from the one I had come through.

◆◆◆

"Pardon me, Your Excellency. Satowa Fjord, the Vice President of the Explorer Association, had knocked on the doorstep, seeking an immediate audience with you. Accompanying him is Aragan Ignis-dono as well."

With the final document being turned over, signifying the end of today's duties, Meria was chit-chatting with Fey, her granddaughter and her successor, leisurely sipping on coffee, when Steward informed her of new visitors. 

His face wore a distressed expression. How long had it been since the steward had accompanied the 'Empress' of Dragoon in her endeavour? There was barely a situation he hadn’t seen, and yet, the color of his face was pale, voice shaky. An anomaly to expect from him. 

"............Satowa and Ignis together, huh? Have they explained their business?"

The veteran-in-politics Meria caught up to the reason to be anything but fortunate, and inquired. 

Steward's gaze lingered on Fey for a moment, his hesitation visible, but he made his resolve nonetheless and broke the news to them.

"Yes, they've. It happened that, pertaining to Satowa-dono's nomination request that's to begin tomorrow, Satowa-dono, Ignis-dono, the “Red Demon” Dio—he had been revealed to hail from Ringheart family recently—and Allen Rovenne-dono had gathered at Area 81. Ah, it's the common name for the recently discovered underground area which has become a mining site for the variety of Reid Stone. They reported that legendary «The Stone Monstrosity» Steinberg had appeared from under the subterranean lake inside."

A deep grimace promptly appeared on the face of Meria and Fey when they heard of the name of calamity. The monstrosity had appeared 500 years ago, raging countless villages to the ground, delivering heavy casualties to the punitive force, and marring the Dragoon with an unforgettable scar. 

Meria prompted him to continue with her gaze. 

But Steward's expression instead twisted, his gaze once again taking a glance at Fey for a moment, failing in responding.

".........Who—Is there any causality?"

Fey felt a disturbing omen when she felt Steward's gaze, but pressed on with the question, keeping the mask of her signature grin sticking to her face, inwardly hoping the premonition to be mere construct of mind. 

"Y-yes... As of now, no fatalities or serious injuries have been confirmed. —However, during the evacuation, Allen Rovenne-dono volunteered as lure when Steinsberg tapped into a berserk state, and is now trapped inside the collapsed Area 81 with it. His whereabouts are currently unknown.”

*Clink*

The sound of Fey’s coffee cup shattering sharply echoed through the room. The smile that never seemed to leave her face vanished without a trace.

Meria let out a small sigh as she glanced at Fey’s side profile.

“…Send a messenger to the Knight Order and the commander Ronfo at Dragreid garrison.”

“It is imperative of me, but I’ve already dispatched an urgent messenger under your excellency's name.”

The steward immediately bowed his head and responded.

“…Fey, you stay here. This is not a problem for the Dragoon family alone, but one that should be handled by the Marquis who oversees the Dragoon region. I will take care of it. Do you have any objections?”

“…Please, let me come with you… I won’t say anything.”

Fey tried to plaster her usual smile on her face, but her expression stiffened, and she couldn’t manage to smile properly.

“Please, Grandmother.”

Meria sighed once again, this time with more weight in her voice.

“…You can’t show weakness, you know? If you can keep your mask on, then come along.”

◆

“This is everything that happened at the scene. If...Ren hadn’t volunteered as bait that time, neither Dio, nor myself, nor Ren would have been alive. He… he acted in the best interest of everyone except himself. And we, we couldn’t even protect that kid, instead, we were the ones protected and made it out alive. It’s pathetic.”

Igris ended his report with a harsh tone, his anger towards himself evident, leaving a heavy silence hanging in the conference room.

“He’s alive. He’s not the kind of person who dies easily. He will fling his limbs as much as he could to make sure of his, and everyone else, survival."

Pärli’s strong declaration broke the silence, his words filled with unwavering confidence.

“…I’ve already requested support from the Explorers’ Association for the reopening of the collapsed disaster site. Igris-san has made the same request to the Dragreid Mining Association. We will also be seeking support from the Kingdom’s Knights and the Dragoon Marquis’s army to rescue Allen-kun.”

Parry chimed with his assertive take, tearing through the veil of silence.

"In order to re-open the destroyed entrance of mine, Ignis-san and I have already contacted Dragreid Mining Association and Explorer Association respectively to provide support. I would also like to implore both the Knight Order and Dragoon's army assistance in rescuing Allen-kun."

Satowa brought up the core reason for which he made this urgent visit. 

A meeting was underway on the conference room of Marquis Dragoon's Estate, and the attendees were Marquis Meria Dragoon, Dragoon family's head Fey, the survivor Satowa, Ignis, Dio, Parry, or Rofan of Knight Order, his adjutant and the branch association's chief et cetera.

Those who were unaware had already been informed that, and at the behest of the very person, Ren the Mad Hound and Allen were of the same persona, acting behind the scenes. 

Ronfo, stationed at the strategic Dragreid garrison, was the base commander and ranked fourth in the Kingdom's military hierarchy, just below the commander and two deputy commanders of the Seventh Legion, which oversees the southeastern region of the Kingdom.

"…This is quite a dire situation. And as the incident involves that nefarious Stone Monstrosity, Dragoon family shouldn't be skipping over the assistance... I would like to hear the opinion of the Knight Order."

"Spurring the state level emergency, the Dragoon Army shall join under the flag of 7th Legion as of now and until the end of operation. The task would be to affirm the safety of missing subject Allen Rovenne, and the subjugation of Steinberg. I will be shouldering the command of this operation."

Ronfo, who had been sitting at the table with his elbows resting on it, hands clasped, and listening without moving a muscle, announced resolutely as Meria sought his opinion. 

She mustn't have been expecting an immediate, clear-cut decision so Meria's brow shot up hearing him.

"...I didn't expect your rational self to crank up all the gears for the situation, Rofan. After all, who can say Allen Rovenne is still alive? But indeed, the forces of both ends need to come together to eradicate Steinsberg. However, I fear the location might be unstable, inducing a second cave-in if we push in without a heed for safety. I was expecting you to say—I fear the strategy wouldn't do. It would be unacceptable to risk the lives of many commoners in order to chase the possibility that may as well be the trick from our optimism. So, what kind of wind actually blew that you, of all people, is pressing urgently, eh?"

Meria inquired probingly, her gaze fixated on Rofan to ascertain what was propelling him. Rofan didn't shy away, and resolutely replied.

"…I had misunderstood Allen Rovenne. Regardless of his potential for the future, he is still, at the moment, just a student and a temporary member of the force. From the words I've heard, I expected that his resolve as a Kingdom Knight, one who thinks of the country and protects the people, would gradually form as time went on…"

Meria snorted dismissively.

"Sure, that brat’s actions in the heat of the moment were commendable. But… are you seriously considering risking lives just because of some sentimental 'tears'? I mean, your effort might as well end at finding his corpse. For someone who's labelled as «Logic Machine», I sure find it hard to swallow myself..."

Seemingly to point out her mistake, Ronfo gave his shoulders a dramatic shrug.

"You seem to have some misunderstanding, Dragoon Marquis-dono. ...You would find many blabbermouths speaking of chivalry until their spit is all over, but there's just that many knights who would dare to make the same choice as that kid under that situation. Unlike them, he would never sing about bravery, and yet, he made the biggest sacrifice of all. This is all there's to it. It's worth the effort to take a risk if we have even a minute chance of rescuing him alive. To both the people, and for the sake of the kingdom, this is my logic. —You do believe he is still alive, don't you?"

Rofan then sought Parry's words again. 

Parry momentarily glanced at Fey, her face sporting the good ol' noh mask like smile he had seen, and firmly stared into Rofan's eyes, nodding assertively.

"He… he smiled at that moment. It wasn’t a façade, nor was it false bravado. It was the same villainous smile he makes up!"

The room went silent in confusion, failing to comprehend Parry's meaning, but Fey wiped the smile from her face.

“…Then he’s alive. At the very least, I’m confident that Allen can hold on until we get there to rescue him…”

Only she knew if those words were meant to the audience present, or an attempt to inspire herself, however Fey, having been completely silent up to this juncture, she stood up and declared.

"...The tunnels are too narrow to deploy an army effectively, and with Steinberg having tasted human flesh, there's a chance he might go outside and attack people. Aside from the elite unit, the army will focus on evacuating the nearby residents, setting up a defensive perimeter, procuring supplies, and other such tasks. And since you said you will be taking the command in search, I'll take care of organizing the army’s structure and operations here. You can bring all the knights, including the vice commanders. The more elites we have, the better, right?"

Fey's words were breaching well beyond her bounds, a contrast to the statement of non-involvement she had promised to her. Meria's gaze loomed at Fey, and shook her head in resignation.

After all, her proposed strategy had no holes, and neither it was something she was speaking in the possession of her emotions.

"Understood."

Noticing Meria's silence, Ronfo gazed into the eyes of Fey, and after a while of reading her, he gave his approval.

"Then I would like to leave the task of reopening the collapsed section and providing support to the Mining Guild and the Explorers Guild. We’ll cover the costs. It's a difficult task, so please make sure personnel understand the risks involved, especially with Steinberg being out there, and try to clear up the mine's entrance as quickly as possible."

Emphasizing that they should prioritize speed, while any expense would be shouldered by them, Fey asserted to Satowa and Ignis.

Ignis snorted, stood up, and walked toward the soundproofed window. "Volunteers are the last of our worries" he muttered, and pushed open the window.

Suddenly, the noise of commotion burst into the room.

"How long are we going to waste time in meetings, Chief?!"

"Yeah, let's ignore the good-for-nothing bums. We can save him ourselves!"

"It's a shame on our pride as men to save our wool at the expense of a kid!"

"Satowa-san, the branch is crowded with the volunteers hoping to join in the mission after they heard of the situation. Would you like to enroll everyone into the rescue operation!?"

"No one gives a rat shit about conditions! We're not cowards, and we do not want our branch's great reputation to turn into laughing stock!"

A crowd of miners and explorers had gathered at the Marquis Dragoon's Estate when the news of the incident circulated around. 

Fey fell into silence as she captured that scenery. Shall she open her mouth, it was clear the mask she had been barely carrying would crumble away like a flickering flame against a storm. 

Meria sighed, catching up with her granddaughter's state, and chimed in to assist her.

"Goodness, that rascal is really a hell of a demagogue... Anyway, Dragoon House has enough legends over the dead. I want nothing more than a trailblazer of the future, and alive. So, make sure you save him at all costs!"

" "Absolutely!" "

◆◆

"Whoa, it lit up!"

Allen, who had been fiddling with a mana device mounted on the wall, successfully made the glowing stone at his feet shine, casting a blue light through the dim tunnel, like a fluorescent bulb.

He continued down the dimly lit path deeper into the tunnel.

"Full is the wonder, wonderful♪"

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