17-5
Invitation to the Abyss
Translator : PolterGlast
The underground
passage was made of a heterogeneous material. A strange material that was
neither iron, nor earth, nor wood was scattered hither and thither. The floor
had a slight elasticity, a sensation like it was sticking to your shoes, making
it extremely slip-resistant. The walls were smooth, showing no signs of
deterioration over the years, and when I brought my face close, my own face was
faintly reflected. Also, the sound of wind could constantly be heard. Contrary to
the warm surface, it was cool enough to even feel a chill here, and if we
stayed too long, it felt like it would chill our bodies to the core.
「Say Sig-chan,
aren't you cold?」
「Nn,
why?」
Sigrun
prefers quite light clothing. No matter who looked at it, it was an outfit that
looked cold.
「No...
if you're fine, it's whatever...」
「Hmph,
I'm one who the literal living embodiment of 'idiots don't catch colds'... What
an utterly disrespectful fellow!」
We descended the
underground passage while making idle talk. This is an Ark to preserve species.
The facility was astoundingly vast, and occasionally branch paths appeared, at
the end of which sturdy barriers stood in the way.
「Somehow,
I feel like I understand, man... These guys are certainly outrageous. Coexistence?
Yeah, that's impossible...」
「For
the record, our ancestors had a weakness too. Their bodies were weaker than
other races.」
「That's
the exact opposite of you, Sigrun-sama...」
「Hahaha,
I agree with that! I have a strong body, but my head is disappointing—oi hey Kachua,
what does that mean?!」
「Man, you're way
too slow to notice...」
「S-Sorry,
I didn't mean it that way... Sigrun-sama is sturdy and cool! Right after
Shinza...」
In terms of sheer
robustness, it felt like there was absolutely no way I could compete with her.
Sigrun was entirely, through and through, a singular existence. She
was just like the female protagonists from the stories of other worlds that I
used to admire.
As we talked and
proceeded further and further down, a rustling, unpleasant sensation began to
run through us. It seems everyone felt the same. Only Sigrun joyfully
curled up the corners of her mouth.
「Man...
Maybe I should've just waited... Something's outrageous up ahead...」
「Hahahaha, since it's the gateway to
the Abyss, naturally! I've always wanted to cross swords with a big shot once!」
「No,
don't say ominous things!」
「Let's
stop, Sigrun-sama, if you say things like that, it'll come true!?」
「Whaaat?
Don't you guys want to cross swords with an Abyss Demon Noble?」
「You
massive idiot!」
「A
horde of Abyss Ogres is still better!」
That in itself is
what you call a flag, isn't it, Kachua. But the option of retreating is
non-existent. We advanced through the world drifting with stagnant air. The
further we advanced, the stronger the presence became.
・
We arrived just
before our destination. There was a distinctly thick metal gate there, with
strings of text arranged here and there.
「What
does this say?」
「Danger
ahead. Absolutely do not open. Those who open it without permission will be
subject to punishment. Death penalty. ...Kuhaha, in other words, it means open
it!」
「Those
words make it completely understandable why the village folks didn't tell you
about this place.」
We borrowed a thing
called a keycard from Village Chief Plea. She tried to explain, but I
replied that I was used to this kind of thing from books of the other world.
「Never
mind that, hurry up! The firefight with the Abyss is about to begin!」
「No,
don't start it!? Ore-chan can't keep you company for something like
that!?」
「Wahahaha,
what naive things are you saying! An Abyss Ant nest might be waiting on the
other side!?」
That's possible.
Since Sigrun hurried me to open it, I hung the Shovel on my other
arm and inputted the keycard and PIN into the device.
「Oi oi
oi oi... Just how vigilant were they against the things inside...」
「It's
thick...」
The gate had more
depth than vertical width. For the sake of something they absolutely didn't
want to let through, multiple layers of armor were sucked into the wall one by
one. And endlessly at that. At the same time, the terrifying presence that had
been pushed deep inside reached its climax.
Even I trembled.
Reflexively, Kachua nocked an arrow to her bow, and Zirant stuck
to my back, using me as a shield.
「So
that's the Great Gate of the Abyss! Mu, but someone is there.」
「What
did you say...」
「No,
there's no way there could be a person in a place like this—ugeh, don't tell me
that's a Demon, Noble...?」
Sigrun drew
her twin swords, rested one on her shoulder, and boldly walked inside. I can't
let her go alone. Leaving Zirant to the old man, I chased after her
back.
Beyond the bulkhead,
the Great Gate of the Abyss was indeed sealed. The Gate of Hell. An eerie gate
befitting that name. It was placed in the center of the room, half-open. Beyond
the door, there were countless eyeballs, staring fixedly this way.
And in front of that
gate, there was a giant man holding a sword. With skin as pitch-black as a rock
and red eyes, a monster that looked nothing like a human.
「How
many millennia has it been since we had guests here... Guests, I welcome you.」
「Hahaha,
don't speak as if this is your territory. But you are wrong, this is our sanctuary!
My name is the Black Horn Sigrun! In this land, the child of curse and
calamity!」
Curse aside,
calamity isn't exactly wrong... I stood in front of the man who seemed to be an
intelligent lifeform of the Abyss. In front of Sigrun, that is.
「And
you are?」
「Just
the adventurer Shinza. It helps that you are someone I can hold a
conversation with.」
「............I
am the gatekeeper of the Abyss. Sorry, but I do not have a name; you can call
me a Guardian.」
「Then
Guardian, step aside. We came to close that gate.」
He's not belligerent
and we can hold a conversation. Learning that, the rearguard also came over
here. They probably also want to hear what this strange man has to say.
「Then
let me offer a condition.」
「A
duel!? Very well, in that case, let's kill each other with me!!」
「That
is also deeply interesting... However, let me measure the vessel of the
Reincarnated-dono here.」
It seems that is
referring to me. The Guardian of the Abyss was staring at me with his red eyes.
Interrupting here will complicate things. Let him say what he wants to say
first.
「I had
grasped beforehand that you would come here. And fortunately, there is an
entrance here...」
「Somehow,
I've got a bad feeling...」
「The
leader of the Demon Nobles, the White Duke-sama, will meet you. Come to the
Abyss.」
At those words,
everyone fell silent.
「I
heard the Abyss is polluted land. Who would willingly fall into hell.」
「You
are the only one invited, Shinza. You are an exception. Only you cannot
be polluted even by the Abyss.」
Is that so, I turned
my eyes to Zirant, and after hesitating, she gave a small nod. It's said
the first Emperor went around dispelling the poison of gods. Did he possess
qualities to counter the poison?
「Wait,
wait, that's boring! Shinza, reject such a negotiation! And let's kill
each other!」
「Sigrun-sama's
way of saying it is extreme, but they really might be trying to deceive us!」
「I understand
how you feel, but only a naive greenhorn would bite. That being said, picking a
fight with this guy is gonna be a massive pain in the neck...」
I glared at the
Guardian for a while. I hear the people of the Abyss are distorted down to
their very hearts, but this man looks noble. That was also true for that white
knight. Their interests do not align with ours at all, but the single point
that they are noble was certain.
「The
other party is saying
they will discuss things in a gentlemanly manner. If we reject this, we are
worse than barbarians.」
「Worse than a barbarian is
fine by me! This one
has no desire to lose her favorite partner! If you're gone, who else is going
to make the villains foam at the mouth?!」
She has a point.
「Shinza,
no, Prince Ashley-sama, you're really an idiot, ain't ya...」
「You
can't go! What will you do if you can't come back!?」
「Stop
it, this is an order. Throwing away the future of the Empire just for the sake
of pride is exactly what an idiot would do.」
My judgment is
probably not rational. But I am curious. What is the world beyond the Abyss
Gate like? If this physical body can see it through without being polluted,
then I want to go.
Shaking off the
restraint of my comrades, I stood next to the Guardian of the Abyss, in front
of the Great Gate. It's a huge gate; I could probably fit through the gap.
「I told
you not to go! The folks on the other side might bear a grudge against you! To
the Abyss, it is only natural that you are the child of their sworn enemy, do
not go!」
「Sorry,
but I've decided to go. I'll probe their intentions while I'm at it. I'll say
this much: I will definitely return.」
Shaking off my comrades' restraint, I departed for the other side of the Abyss Gate. It's all an excuse. Simply, I wanted to see the unseen world.
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