Volume 4 Chapter 6.2
Into the Depths of the Pit Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Nozomu was brought to
a facility in the administrative district called the Water Tower.
This is a facility
consisting of one huge tower and two adjoining square buildings, one large and
one small, at the base of the tower. This sucked up water from underground and
sent it to the above-ground canals that stretched throughout Arcazam.
There are eight of
these facilities, two in each of the four districts of the city, and they were
built using the most advanced technology available in the experimental ritual
magic city of Arcazam.
There are no water
sources in the vicinity of Arcazam to sustain a city of this size.
The nearest river is
the Vein River, but in order to draw water from it, one has to cut through the
forest, which is infested with demonic beasts, and this is impractical.
Without water, people
cannot continue their activities, and for this reason, these infrastructural
functions, including the [Water Tower], were one of the most important
facilities in Arcazam.
Among these
facilities, this huge tower stood out from the rest. Nozomu's eyes widened
involuntarily when he saw the people gathered in front of it.
"Everyone......."
"Nozomu! Thank
goodness, are you hurt?"
"Yo, seems like
you're all right."
There they were,
Irisdina and the rest of Nozomu's friends.
They rushed toward
him. Although he felt embarrassed when they touched his body as if to confirm
that he was okay, at the same time he was relieved to know that they were
concerned about his safety.
"Yeah, I'm
alright. So......"
"It's been a day
before yesterday. Nozomu Bountis."
Nozomu's gaze turned
to Jihad and the others who were waiting behind Irisdina and the others.
Next to him were his
assistant, Inda, and for some reason, Feo.
Jihad's gaze seemed to
have a certain certain conviction in it. Nozomu then turned to Anri, who had
guided him here, and she gave him an apologetic little nod.
That alone convinced
Nozomu that Jihad knew about his secret to some extent.
"Right. So how
much did Jihad-sensei know about me?"
"Roughly as much
as Anri-sensei knows. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time, and our
resources were limited. We've decided to keep it to ourselves because of its
importance."
In other words, he
knows that Nozomu is a Dragon Slayer.
At the same time, he
chose words that would not reveal the secret to the guards passing by, and he
made it clear that the secret would not be made public for now. Although Nozomu
found it difficult to trust his words right now, there was no doubt that
Arcazam would be forced to move with caution when it came to the Dragon Slayer.
Besides, Nozomu has
something to do now. He accepted Jihad's words for the time being and urged him
to proceed.
"I appreciate it.
First of all, my objective is to eliminate the parasites that have been nesting
in this city."
"Parasites.......
Do you have any idea who is behind Ken?"
Jihad nodded at
Nozomu's question and began to explain the current situation.
First of all, some
people have been illegally leaking information about Arcazam to the outside
world. This has been a problem since before Arcazam was built, and Ken seems to
be involved with one of these factions.
"Is it
Starlight?"
"No, it is just a
part of it. Starlight was originally an intelligence agency owned by Arcazam.
Helping the forces that would harm this city is against the reason for their
operations."
"But Camilla said
she was being surveilled by the Starlight......"
"Quite the
opposite. I found out through investigation that Starlight was taking her
situation into consideration and protecting her in secret. This was also
approved by her maternal family. But the truth is that Ken Notice and his
backers who found this information made her believe she was being monitored and
used it to incite her suspicions."
Jihad then showed
Nozomu the report that Inda had presented to him in his office. The report
certainly had Camilla's name on it as a target for protection.
"Why wasn't
Camilla informed of the situation?"
"We were
concerned about her strong distrust of others. She was originally so cautious
that she came to Arcazam disguised with magic. The person in charge at the time
thought that there was no need to provoke her and instill distrust in her, so
he planned to formally contact her after she graduated from the school or after
she had settled down after a few years."
This action was done
in consideration of Camilla's character and feelings. However, it backfired.
"Also,
Starlight's headquarters was unaware of Ken Notice's true identity. The
information was intentionally concealed along the way. It was Caskell Matthiart
who was responsible for it."
"Huh?"
"He was also one
of Starlight's Shadows. He is an agent who monitors the academy for any
suspicious students and at the same time carefully examines the information
that comes up and reports it to Starlight's headquarters. But I hear he was
dissatisfied with his life in this city."
Caskell was originally
an Empire aristocrat and a prideful person. For him, it seemed that his
dispatch to Arcazam was not an honor.
"As a result, he
reverted back to the Empire and kept leaking information about his students to
the outside world without their permission to gain status there. The fact that
the intelligence agency failed to notice this is a shortcoming on their part,
as they have very few horizontal connections."
Furthermore, with his
wrongdoings coming to light, Starlight reexamined past reports to investigate
him and those who were linked to him. In addition, they even searched around
with bloodshot eyes for any wrongdoing among their own members.
As for the two Shadows
who attacked you, I checked their appearance, and they are not members of the
Starlight. They were probably a group of outsiders who had infiltrated from
outside the city. The claim that they are members of the Starlight is a bluff
to put Camilla and you into a corner."
The hooded men were
manipulated by Mefi and attacked along with Lisa. Considering the risks
involved in manipulating people within the city, it was certainly reasonable to
think that these men had been brought in from outside the city.
"But capturing
Caskell is not the end. He alone cannot keep the existence of the spirits a
secret. There are others who are helping Ken Notice and harming the city."
"So you want to
catch Ken and find out who that is?"
"That's right.
Ken Notice is now believed to be hiding within the waterways that stretch
throughout the city."
The figure of Lisa
being manipulated by Mefi flashed through Nozomu's mind. He must find Ken and
that spirit as soon as possible. Jihad, perhaps seeing through his inner
thoughts, urged Nozomu to follow him and headed for the spire inside the Water
Tower.
In front of the
building were two large magic circles, each more than ten meters in diameter.
They were clearly
designed for large-scale ritual magic. The two magic circles were drawn with
different characters and shapes, as if they were for different purposes.
However, both of them had a flat platform on which a stone the size of a
clenched fist was placed.
Jihad opened his
mouth, pointing to the magic circle on the ground.
"This is a magic
circle to locate Ken Notice's spirit. Through beings of the same nature and its
contractors, we will determine where the source elements of water are
particularly concentrated within the city."
A spirit. At these
words, Nozomu turned his attention to Shina and Razward, who were standing by
his side.
When their eyes met
Nozomu's, they gave a small but firm nod. Apparently, they had already heard
the details from Jihad and agreed to cooperate.
"This is a magic
circle to communicate with the search team. This operation will be carried out
simultaneously in each district of the city. This is for deploying the
necessary communication magic. It's still a prototype, but it can be used to
send voices even within the underground canals, and if we limit the target, we
can also share vision through a magic tool."
"What about that
stone in the center?"
"It's a curbstone
made with a special processing. It's the key to communication magic. And this
magic will be controlled by you, Tima Lime."
A curbstone. A special
stone that allows one to share information with another. It was used in the
Special Comprehensive Exercise.
Jihad glanced at Tima
this time, and she nodded firmly, though nervously.
"Perhaps Ken
Notice is currently with his contracted spirit. Now that he has failed to kill
you, his objective should be to take Lisa Hounds with him and try to escape
from Arcazam."
According to Jihad,
Ken is already on a wanted list, albeit unofficially, as a suspect in a serious
crime. In other words, he no longer has a place in the city. If caught, he will
be banished from the city and face the appropriate punishment as a criminal.
"Now, here's the
main issue. Nozomu Bountis, I would like to make a request to you."
"A request?"
"That's right. A
request that I, the headmaster of the school, am making directly to you. It's
simple, I need your cooperation in this pursuit."
Jihad did not say it
clearly, but Nozomu knew the reason why. The other party is a person who has
made a contract with a spirit. Since Shina, who can also communicate with the
spirit, has to remain above ground, he needs another trump card.
Nozomu had no reason
to refuse. He met Jihad's gaze squarely and nodded quietly.
"I appreciate it.
Here, take this with you. It's the magic tool you'll need to communicate in the
underground."
Saying so, Jihad
handed Nozomu a small earring. A simple, unadorned earring made of brass and
silver. If one looked closely, one could see that there was a small curbstone
embedded in the earring as well.
Nozomu put on the
earrings without hesitation. Irisdina and the others also received the same
earrings from Inda.
However, only Mars
shook his head and refused to accept the earring.
"Sorry Nozomu, I
can't accompany you."
"What's
wrong?...... Wait, where's your usual greatsword?"
On closer inspection,
he did not carry his treasured greatsword.
"I left it with a
certain fellow. So, I'm staying here."
Nozomu pondered over
Mars's words, but then switched his mind.
"Speaking of
which, Jihad-sensei, I received this from Camilla......"
Nozomu showed Jihad a
piece of paper that he had been keeping hidden all this time. When Jihad saw
it, he frowned and groaned quietly.
†
After entering the
underground canal from the Water Tower in the administrative district, Nozomu,
Irisdina, Mimuru, Feo, and Anri were guided by Shina and Razward through the
network of canals.
[Turn right into that
canal and go straight ahead for thirty meters. After the next intersection,
take the third turn to the left.]
Normally, when
entering this waterway, one would bring a map and check the path one by one,
but now that they had guidance from above ground, Nozomu and the others rushed
to Ken's location at once.
By now, the guards
would also be rushing in through other entrances to block off the waterway in
the residential district.
It was all thanks to
the information Camilla had provided.
[There is a strong
reaction underground in the residential district. South, Fifth Avenue. It's
near the place written on the paper after all. And watch out, there's something
up ahead.]
Along with Shina's
warning, a large number of amorphous bodies wrapped in mucous membranes emerged
from the depths of the canal.
"Blobs,
huh!?"
"Oi, oi, this is
the water supply canal, you know!?"
Nozomu and the others
run through the canal, clearing off the Blobs that stood in their way.
They are in the water
supply canals, where demonic beasts should never be able to enter. No doubt
...... Ken must be the one who brought them here, or more precisely, Mefi. In
the Spasim forest, that spirit was manipulating the surrounding demonic beasts
in the same way.
At the same time,
Nozomu's mind recalled the recent incident where a large number of Blobs had
infiltrated the sewers.
"Don’t tell me,
the magic circle at the outlet of the sewers was damaged......?"
"Most likely they
have prepared themselves for this. Shina, how are the other raid teams
doing?"
[The other teams are
also fighting demonic beasts as soon as they enter! Just how many demonic
beasts did they bring into the city!?]
Apparently, there are
also demonic beasts stationed at the other canal entrances.
[The target is
currently moving southwest from the underground of South Fifth Avenue in the
residential district ...... ~, it seems they've noticed us. They're moving
faster!]
Nozomu and the others
speed up their pace upon hearing Shina's report.
However, a huge wall
of slime stood in their path.
It was a swarm of
large numbers of Blobula that had congregated together. The Blobs had grown so
large that they blocked the waterway, and their sheer mass threatened to crush
Nozomu and the others.
"You've got to be
kidding me......!"
"Nozomu, get
down!"
Irisdina stepped
forward, deploying her magic.
[Intermediate Magic・Javelin of the Abyss]. A dark spear with superb
penetrating power was shot out, piercing the swarm of Blobs, and exploded. A
hole drilled through their bodies.
"Now, slip
through!"
The five jumped into
the hole and passed through to the other side. However, the Blobs immediately
reversed their directions. As if trying to catch up with them, they began to
chase after Nozomu and the others.
"They're coming
after us. I'll hold them off here, so you guys go on ahead."
"But,
Mimuru-sa~n. You're not a good match for them......"
"Don't worry! Tom
gave me this. Tei~!"
Disregarding Anri's
complaint, Mimuru reached into her pocket and threw a bottle she had taken out.
The bottle was filled
with impure white crystals. When it collided with the Blobs, it cracked and
spit out its contents.
The crystals that came
into contact with the air were instantly swallowed by the Blobs' bodies and
disappeared. Then, the Blobs swarm trembled in agony, and the nuclei inside
their bodies began to corrode one after the other. Following this, the
epidermis of the swarm crumbled, and the contents, which emitted a foul odor,
flowed out.
"This
is......"
"This is a
chemical that Tom made. It's something made by boiling down acid and
crystallizing it......"
Some strong acids
crystallize when they lose their moisture. This was stored in a sealed bottle.
When it reacts with
water, it rapidly turns into sulfuric acid, which corrodes any organic matter
it comes in contact with. For Blobs, which contain a large amount of water, it
could be highly poisonous.
An extremely hazardous
substance. If it gets into someone's eyes or mouth, it reacts with the fluid in
their mucous membranes, turning it into concentrated sulfuric acid.
"Ugh~, there are
still so many of them. Well, let me take care of this, so you guys hurry on
ahead."
Hearing Mimuru's
confident words, Nozomu left the place to the two and rushed out again.
[Ken and Mefi have
moved from the water supply canals to the sewers. They must be trying to get
out of the city. They went down into the sewers through the connecting
passageway at the end and-......~!?]
"Shina-kun,
what's wrong?"
[A cluster of Blobs
has appeared over here too. There are three of them!]
It seems that Ken had
sent demonic beasts toward the base as well. While Nozomu gasped, Mars' voice,
which had remained calm, resounded in the depths of his ears.
[Jihad and I can take
care of it. You guys hurry on ahead.]
"......
Alright."
Nozomu and the others
hurried on anyway. The only way out of Arcazam was through the sewers.
Following Shina's words, they ran toward the sewers through the connecting
passageway, where a foul smell was wafting from the inside.
Just as they were
about to leave the water supply canals and enter the sewers, a jet of black
water shot out of the sewage at a high speed.
"~!?"
Nozomu reflexively
ducked and dodged it. The compressed water stream scraped the walls of the
sewer, sending droplets of water and dirt flying. Then, from the surface of the
flowing sewage, a dark-blue, horse-like creature emerged.
*Bururururu!*
"~, Kelpie. To
think they're even inviting in such a dangerous demonic beast......"
Kelpie. A strange
creature with a horse from its head to its waist and a fish for its hind legs.
It has two horns on
its head. It has fins instead of a mane and specializes in moving in water.
It has a fierce
nature. It also manipulates water-based magic and preys aggressively on humans,
giving it an A-rank danger rating. Undoubtedly, it is also a demonic beast
brought in by Ken and Mefi.
The odd-looking beast
neighed in irritation and glared at Nozomu and the others with its black eyes.
"I'll take care
of this one~~. Nozomu-kun, you go ahead~~"
"Sorry, but
please!"
*Buhihii――n!*
Seeing Nozomu and the
others trying to hurry ahead, the Kelpie's horns glowed with magic light, and a
water ball was formed at the end of them. It was a sign that magic was about to
be activated. The aim, of course, was at Nozomu and the others' backs, who were
trying to hurry onward.
"Oh no you
don't~~!"
However, before the
magic could be activated, a whip struck Kelpie on the shoulder.
With a jolt, Kelpie
glared begrudgingly at Anri, who had interrupted it, and then invoked the magic
that had been on standby. A powerful water blade loomed over her, threatening
to bisect her below the groin.
"Oopsie~~. That
was dangerous."
Anri gracefully dodged
the water blade by spinning herself around.
Despite her frail
appearance, Anri is a physically skilled woman who specializes in Qi-jutsu. Her
weapon of choice is also a whip, which is out of character for her innocent
appearance. And as a teacher at the Solminati Academy, her ability sets her
apart from her students.
"What a rough
fellow~~. Bad boys should be punished~!”
In an instant, she
strengthened her entire body and unleashed her whip like a gale. The whip,
accelerated by the reinforcement provided by the Qi-jutsu, struck the shoulder
again at a speed that exceeded the dynamic vision of the demonic beast.
"~!?"
With an impact
incomparable to the previous one, Kelpie's body was sent flying and slamming
into the side of the canal.
The beast was
momentarily stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
However, it
immediately got up in a fit of rage, and its magic power raged as it growled.
*B-Burururu!*
A powerful magic light
radiated from the corner of its forehead, spreading to the surface of the
water.
The next instant,
countless water spears were generated from the surface of the water and shot
out toward Anri. The number of spears was roughly more than 20. That's enough
to turn several soldiers into hedgehogs at once.
"Phew!"
Anri easily knocked
away the rain of water spears. The whip was unleashed at high speed, undulating
like a serpent, and the water spears scattered away.
[Qi-jutsu・Ten-Pronged Whip].
With a flip of the
wrist and a swing of the arm, the whip moves at high speed, a defensive technique
to ward off an approaching threat.
Kelpie was surprised
at how easily its magic was repelled, and Anri unleashed her whip once again.
*Gugyau!?*
Three rapid
consecutive strikes. The intense shock and pain that hit both shoulders and the
side of the head caused Kelpie to almost collapse into the water. The skin
where it had been hit was torn and blood oozed from the skin. Kelpie's
confusion increased as its own blood dripped onto the surface of the water.
What? What is
going on?
Originally, Kelpie was
a powerful demonic beast. Ever since it became a full-grown beast, it has
rarely been in danger.
Humans were just a
meal for it. Weak, fragile, and tender, they were high-quality prey. That was
all it was supposed to be.
But now, it was being
hunted down.
"What's wrong~?
Come on, get over here~. Sensei will give you plenty of guidance~~~.”
A blatant provocation,
clear even without understanding the words. Again, Kelpie, angered, further
intensified its magic power.
However, the other
party was a teacher from the Solminati Academy. And the weapon she wielded was
specialized to break the enemy's spirit.
Kelpie's spirit was
eventually shattered, and it sank into the sewage canal.
†
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