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Dungeon Site and the Final Clue – Part 03

“There are footprints inside.”

There were two sets of footprints from the mausoleum to the barrier, one heading inside and the other back out.

“Someone came and went.”

“Yeah. It was Soaarunay Saak.”

“How do you know?”

“The footprints are distinctive.”

These footprints clearly weren’t from footwear native to this world, and resembled those Hikaru saw at the great pit.

“From magical shoes?” Jillarte asked in surprise, but they were just ordinary shoes.

Hikaru surveyed the surroundings. The ground here was soft, likely because the Great Labyrinth’s magic forcibly created an exit at this location. In the process, the trees either disappeared or were absorbed into the dungeon.

“I guess we have to get inside that mausoleum,” Hikaru said.

“Do you know how to deactivate this spell?”

“Hmm… it’ll take me a bit longer to figure that out, but for now, there’s a couple of methods I want to try.”

“A couple?”

“Yeah, first.” Hikaru pointed at the ground. “Check if this barrier extends underground. If not, we can dig and make a tunnel.”

Good thing the ground was soft. However, after about thirty minutes of trying—picking up branches and digging holes—they found that the barrier extended underground.

Hikaru sighed. “No luck.”

“Just ended up covered in dirt,” Jillarte said.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Oh, just that even you make a mistake.”

“I make a ton of mistakes. All right, onto the second method. Could everyone step back a bit?”

“I-Is it a dangerous method?”

“Can’t say what might happen. But if it’s just me, I can handle it.”

“All right.”

Knowing Hikaru’s agility from their earlier spar, Jillarte reluctantly agreed.

After confirming that Jillarte, Paula, and the Beastman had moved back into the trees, Hikaru took out his ultra-sharp knife, the one that could cut through anything.

“I wonder if this’ll work.” He pressed the tip of the knife to the barrier. “Whoa.”

It worked. The knife was cutting through the wall.

“I can’t believe it.”

Hikaru had been monitoring the barrier with his Mana Detection. There was no magical energy circulating around; once the barrier was set, it remained static. When he tried cutting a circle in it, that section came off, and air streamed into the hole.

“This knife was an amazing find.”

Hikaru cut a hole just big enough for a person to pass through.

“Hey!” he called out to Jillarte and the others.

“How did it go?”

“I opened it.”

“You opened it?”

“Yeah, look at this.”

The cut piece of the barrier lay on the ground, faintly glowing before dissolving into the air.

“You opened the barrier? How?”

“I cut it.”

“Cut it? A sword couldn’t even slice it.”

“Don’t sweat it. Let’s head inside.”

“O-Okay.” Confused, Jillarte turned to the Beastman. “Please head back and report this to the boss.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine with just the three of you?”

“Einbiest warriors fight bravely, even alone.”

“Exactly. That’s the spirit! Take care, then.”

The Beastman soldier left.

“Come on, Jillarte. Hurry.”

“G-Got it.”

Still looking skeptical, Jillarte followed as Hikaru and Paula entered the barrier. Once they reached the mausoleum, Hikaru placed his hand on the mana-infused door.

“Silver Face, is it safe?”

“Yeah.”

Hikaru’s Mana Detection didn’t pick up any traps. When he pressed his palm against the door, it opened inward silently.

“A hole?”

The interior was unlit, but light from outside illuminated a perfectly square, three-meter-wide hole in the floor. There was nothing else inside.

“It’s pretty deep.” Jillarte peered into the hole. “Did Soaarunay Saak jump down here?”

“Step back, Jillarte.”

After ensuring Jillarte had kept her distance, Hikaru reached for the right-hand wall. There was a button. When he pressed it, he felt mana begin to circulate.

“What did you do, Lord Silver Face?”

“I guess you haven’t seen one before. Just wait a bit.”

Lavia, who had visited Japan, would recognize it, but Paula hadn’t been there yet.

I hope Paula can come with us someday.

A faint rumble and a rush of air came from the hole.

“What? An enemy?”

“Eek!”

Jillarte grabbed her sword’s hilt, and Paula hid behind Hikaru,ome as a box, perfectly sized to the hole, rose from it.

Made of some kind of metal, the surface was etched with magic circuits pulsing with mana like blood through veins. The dark purple metal and bluish-white magic light made it look like something out of a sci-fi set.

When it stopped near the ceiling, folding doors slowly opened to reveal a well-lit, beige interior with a magic lamp. The wall had a panel, with a section filled with text and another lined with buttons.

“Wh-What is this?” Jillarte wondered.

Hikaru stepped inside.

“S-Silver Face?!”

Jillarte and Paula were shocked.

“Hurry up. We use this to move.”

“Move?”

“Yup, up and down.”

It was an elevator.

This world, in fact, had elevators too. They were used to transport heavy furniture to the upper floors of mansions, but they were considered luxury items due to the high consumption of magic gems or elemental magic stones used as power sources.

That said, Hikaru had never seen elevators that moved without pulleys or cables. This one suggested a complex design.

Exchanging looks, Jillarte and Paula hesitantly stepped in. Hikaru checked the panel on the wall.

There’s a button for descending and a handrail. Hmm, this is just an ordinary handrail. Is it for accessibility? As for the text on the panel… What’s this? Insults?

The panel’s text was engraved into a metal plate, making it somewhat readable. It contained trivial insults, messages to family members, complaints about the lower level of sorcery in the outside world, and notes about some noble demanding for the Saak family’s magic.

“So, just to confirm, we’re going down in this? Is it safe?” Jillarte asked.

“If it came up when I pressed the button, it’ll go down when I press it again. The box is working fine, and Soaarunay used it too, so it’s probably safe.”

“Probably?”

“In this case, probably means a high likelihood. If it looks dangerous, we’ll come back up immediately.”

Since there was only one button, there was only one destination.

Most likely the lowest level. Soaarunay’s living quarters.

Whether the area itself remained was unknown, but with the secret passage still functional after the dungeon surfaced, there was a good chance something remained at the bottom.

When Hikaru pressed the button, the doors closed smoothly, and the elevator began to move.

The button felt warm to the touch. The walls, too, were warm. The elevator descended with a gentle vibration.

“Ugh, it’s making me sick,” Jillarte said.

“It feels weird!” Paula added.

The feeling of being afloat.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Y-You don’t seem fazed by this.”

“Well, yeah. This is nothing. It’ll take a while to reach the bottom of the cavern left by the dungeon—wait, what?!”

Just then, their speed of descent suddenly increased, causing Hikaru to stumble.

Immediately after, the elevator tilted. Not just a little, but about 30 degrees, causing it to descend diagonally.

Hikaru grabbed the handrail. It seemed to be there for this very reason, but he didn’t have time to ponder it as he had to brace for what came next.

Due to the tilt, Jillarte and Paula lost their balance and fell against Hikaru. He was pushed into the corner of the elevator, squeezed by Paula on one side and Jillarte on the other. Soft Paula and the lean, armorless Jillarte pressed against him.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Silver Face!”

“Kyah?! Lord Hikaru, please don’t touch—well, I don’t mind if it’s you!”

“What are you saying?!”

In her confusion, Paula accidentally used Hikaru’s real name instead of Silver Face.

Jillarte’s long hair had a feminine scent to it. Despite the long campaign, she managed to stay remarkably hygienic, though Hikaru had no idea that Jillarte, excited about joining Silver Face on this mission, had thoroughly cleaned herself right up until their departure.

Meanwhile, Paula, in her usual nun’s habit, felt soft and warm. Hikaru tried to push her away but felt something soft, and decided not to think about it.

Once the elevator stabilized, the three separated to the corners of the elevator, gripping the handrails tightly, feeling quite exhausted.

“Note to self: be more cautious when dealing with unfamiliar magic items,” Hikaru said.

The girls, faces flushed, nodded. Soon after, the descent slowed. When the elevator stopped, the doors opened sideways.

Light from the elevator shone on the pitch-black space, revealing a spacious area.

“Ugh. It’s hot in here.”

The air flowing in was humid and sweltering. The temperature likely exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.

A rise in temperature with respect to increasing depth underground was known as geothermal gradient. But while the temperature here was high, there was no noticeable increase in atmospheric pressure.

“Let’s switch on the magic lamps.”

Hikaru ignited the lamps and stepped onto the floor, with Jillarte and Paula following suit, lighting their own lamps.

The space was expansive, with a high ceiling. They could see an exit directly ahead. And they also noticed the figure standing before it.