14-4 Part 1
The Underground Empire of Rebellion Built with a Single Shovel
- 95% Match -
Translator : PolterGlast
The next destination
is the old capital A-Zir. Zirant is quite attached to this land,
and seems to believe her plan will bring about a dramatic effect.
「By the
way, what kind of place is this A-Zir or whatever?」
「You'll
understand when you go there. Long ago, that place was where our god was. But
not anymore.」
「Trying
to be mysterious, huh? Well, I guess I'll understand when I go.」
Leaving the palace,
we headed south through the Fimbul Duke's territory by carriage. This
territory is vast, and possesses a rich granary region in its southern part.
Passing through that rich land to the south, we eventually got off the carriage
in front of a forest.
「It's
deep inside here. It's beyond here.」
「Was
there really a capital beyond a forest like this?」
「I told
you you'd understand when you go, so just follow me quietly.」
By the way, to
conserve energy, Zirant undid her materialization when we left that
treasury. Right now, she's doing her usual peeping from inside me.
Advancing through
that mysterious forest and passing through a pathless path, a decayed structure
appeared deep inside. It looked like an abandoned fort.
「Is
this A-Zir?」
「Strictly
speaking, no. A-Zir is beyond this.」
Guided by Yumil,
I entered the fort that looked like it could collapse at any moment. Inside
that fort, there remained one well-maintained passage, and beyond that was a
strange hole. The elf young lady, as if it were only natural, lit a light magic
and proceeded down the hole leading underground.
「We're
going through there...?」
「Hurry
up and come.」
「Understood.
Now that it's come to this, I shall stay with you to the very end.」
I had my
bewilderment, but having come this far, I have no choice but to follow. Chasing
after her back, I descended into the underground cavern.
「The Imperial
Capital, you see, was originally here. This place is the true Imperial
Capital. Bergelmir is a fake.」
「It was
at the bottom of a cellar like this?」
「Yeah.
Humans have short lifespans. That's why they frequently alter history. This
place is one of them. It's the true starting land that was made as if it never
existed.」
「First
I've heard of it.」
「I suppose
so... That's why, actually, we've always doubted whether the current Emperor's
family is truly the bloodline of the first. But after being shown that
appearance, we have no choice but to believe it.」
「Is
that so. I still don't really get it.」
Seemingly having no
intention to explain in detail, Yumil said nothing more. As we proceeded
down the underground path drawing a spiral downwards and downwards, we
eventually arrived at a wide space.
Looking ahead, there
was some kind of giant gate in the back. When we got closer, it was even
bigger, so big that Zirant could probably pass through it.
「We
can't pass through there anymore. I heard we could in the past, but now it
remains firmly closed, and no matter what we do, it won't open. Think of it as
a part of the ruins.」
「But
this is amazing. To think something like this exists in the underground world;
it's a mysterious sight that expands one's dreams.」
「Hmm...
You're quite the curious one, aren't you. Want to
take a closer look for a bit?」
「I'd be
happy if you'd do that.」
I approached the
door together with Yumil. She strengthened her illumination magic, and a
bright radiance lit up the giant gate. The closer we got, the bigger it truly
was. When I touched the door, it seemed to be made of metal, and it was
freezing cold.
「Match
rate 95%... Identity confirmed...」
Zirant, did
you say something just now? Even when I asked in my mind, Zirant gave no
reply.
「Um, Ashley.
This is a strange question, but didn't a strange voice just come from the
door...?」
「You
heard it too. What is this... Tch—this is bad, this door! It's shaking
violently for some reason, we're running, Yumil!!」
「Eh...
ah...」
It's an old ruin.
For safety, I hurriedly pulled Yumil's hand and distanced ourselves from
the door.
「Welcome
back, Samael-sama. Did you find what you were looking for?」
Then, spouting
nonsense, the door began to open with an earth-rumbling sound. Samael?
Looking for something? I don't know what it's talking about, but anyway, this
is amazing.
「I-It
opened... No way, for this door to open, that's...」
「Yeah,
I'm surprised. But this is...」
If what lies beyond
the door is the true Imperial Capital, A-Zir, then what on earth
happened here. In that space named a capital, nothing existed. An
excessively desolate grand cavern, with only pale blue lights lit here and
there, spread out there.
「I
heard what's glowing are embers. Once, there was another sun here.」
「A sun,
underground? That's the ultimate contradiction.」
More importantly, Zirant,
it's about time you reply. The Samael from earlier, does it mean the
Absolute God Samael? Or don't tell me, did that door react to you? Even
when I concentrated in my mind, Zirant wouldn't give a proper reply.
『What
is the meaning of this... Why did this gate react...』
All I could hear was
someone muttering to
herself. It's useless. It seems Zirant won't be reliable for a while.
「Well,
shall we go. The path is terrifyingly steep, but well, we'll manage somehow. Yumil,
do you know the underground path connecting to the west?」
「Y-Yeah,
more or less... Understood, I'll guide you. Watch your step, okay.」
Together with Yumil,
I descended that grand cavern, and when the slope finally leveled out, we
proceeded west across the bedrock land.
「Nn,
something has fallen over there.」
「Eh,
ah, you're right. It's sparkling, but...」
I was curious, so I
approached and picked it up. It was a pebble about the size I could grasp in
one hand.
「This
stone is strange...」
「Strange,
kyaa, i-it started glowing?!」
However, when I
picked it up, it floated in midair on its own and began emitting a dazzling
orange light, which surprised me.
『A
fragment of the sun, I suppose... I never thought such a thing still
remained...』
Her tone sounds as
if she's about to say there really was a sun underground. Anyway, this is
convenient. I tied that fragment of the sun or whatever with a spare shoelace
and attached it to my clothes.
「I
don't really get it, but we won't need a lantern with this.」
「I
wonder if it's okay to use it like that... Isn't that something that
illuminated this A-Zir in the past...?」
「Yeah,
it might be a historical discovery. But usable things should be utilized
effectively. More importantly, guide me to the western tunnel or whatever.」
「Understood.
Ashley, you might be a more amazing person than I thought...」
Guided by Yumil
further west, a large side hole certainly spread out there. Proceeding inside,
it was a mysterious sight;
the hard bedrock was splendidly cut out, and a wide passage was completed
there. Did he really dig an underground tunnel like this alone...? There's no
mistake, the first Emperor is a massive idiot.
「Doesn't
the air run out here?」
「I
heard there are air vents connecting to the surface. Though there's a
possibility they are blocked...」
「This
is a suspicious place. Let's turn back if it gets suffocating. ...Nn, is that a
collapsed section?」
「Yes.
But what will you do?」
「Because
there's someone telling me to remove it, I'm just following the demand.」
「Eeeh...?」
It's faster to show
than to persuade, so I pierced the collapsed hard bedrock with the Shovel
and activated the 30x skill.
「N-No
way...」
In the blink of an
eye, the collapsed section was pierced, securing a passage for people to pass
and clearing the rubble.
「Wh-What
are you?! With this, we can really restore the underground tunnels of A-Zir...
Amazing!」
「It's
one of my few redeeming features. That said, underground bedrock is quite
troublesome...」
Looking at it, the Shovel
is getting chipped. What's in this place is not soil but bedrock. I can understand the mind of the
guy who created such a place even less.
「Sorry,
but keep me company a little longer. It's easier to work when it's bright.」
「Alright.
I've been curious about what lies ahead since I was little. I'll help too, so let's keep going!」
「Yeah,
you're a surprisingly tomboyish young lady, aren't you.」
「How
dare you call a Duke's daughter "tomboyish"!」
From there on, it seemed monotonous, a repetition of noisy work and bickering. Every time we found a collapsed section, we repaired the passage and proceeded deeper and deeper.
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