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Two Choices – Part 04

Hikaru and Lavia put on their shoes and entered the underground passage. The flashlight the old man held illuminated the path ahead, but beyond the gently-sloping underground passage, it was pitch black.

“But that one guy knew about the mountain’s restlessness even though they haven’t been in this house,” Hikaru said. “I think that’s why it felt like he was fixated on Mt. Midori even though their original goal was buying land.”

“Yes. Sometimes there are people like them who can sense abnormalities. As seen in the long history of the Doyama family.”

“Abnormalities?”

“You’ll understand when you see it. Before that, I should tell you about Mt. Midori.”

How far did this long, damp underground passage go? Hikaru’s Life Detection sensed the presence of people above, likely reporters who had infiltrated Mt. Midori, as mentioned by the old man earlier. This meant they had already left the premises of Doyama’s residence.

It’s quite long, Hikaru thought.

Building an underground passage meant there wasn’t just a sacred shrine dedicated to a deity or something.

“Do you believe in God? Or are there gods in the other world?” Doyama asked.

Hikaru hesitated for a moment, before answering, “It depends on how you define God.”

Doyama chuckled. “That’s a good point. What one perceives as a god can vary from person to person. I’m taking you to a place where there are things that humans can’t comprehend. Our ancestors called it the divine realm.”

“…”

Hikaru turned his head to Lavia. She was looking at Hikaru too.

“I don’t really like the term divine realm,” Doyama went on. “If you use the word god, people imagine something holy, right? But there’s no sense of holiness in the place we’re going.”

“So you’re saying it’s malevolent?”

“Hmm… I suppose you could say that. It’s a place with the power to change people… and not for the better.”

Hikaru’s breath caught. The innkeeper had said something peculiar.

“Like it’s haunted by ghosts.”

And then the driver.

“They sealed it to prevent curses.”

“It’s said that the evil god living there would curse the nearby residents.”

“Apparently, something like that actually happened. People going crazy or claiming to see ghosts. It’s quite a gloomy place, so I guess it messes with your state of mind.”

There was something in that mountain. It wasn’t just an eerie place; there was something there that the Doyama family had had to protect. Suddenly, the once mythical and supernatural presence of Mt. Midori actually felt real.

“That’s the exit right there.”

The handheld light revealed a rotting wooden door. As the old man pushed it open, a crisp breeze swept in from the outside. It was darker and colder than expected.

“Hmm… it seems best to wrap this up quickly. Snow is on the way.”

As Hikaru and Lavia followed, they found themselves truly in the heart of the mountain. Unattended thickets surrounded them, and, of course, the Doyama mansion was out of sight. A barely visible path, resembling an animal trail, stretched on.

“Is it far from here?” Hikaru asked, contemplating what to do if they got lost.

“We’re close,” the old man replied.

The path gradually ascended and occasionally descended. Through the bare trees, all that could be seen were dark clouds. The skies were clear just moments ago. A sinking feeling settled in Hikaru’s gut.

We should be careful. My hunch tends to be right at times like this.

Although the old man had said it was close, they walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a treacherous and chilly mountain stream. After circling around rocks taller than adults, they came upon a cave with cracks in the wall.

“Phew… Ahh, I’m exhausted.”

Doyama sat down on a nearby rock. The distance seemed challenging even for the old man. Lavia touched the large rock and quickly pulled her hand back, surprised that it was much colder than she expected.

“…”

Only Hikaru was staring straight at the cave in front of them.

“What’s wrong? Is it that interesting?” Doyama asked. “It didn’t look like you cared at first.”

“Can I go in alone and take a look?”

“Absolutely not.” The old man stood up. “I’ll take you inside, but I want you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“You will not go further than the spot I indicate,” Doyama said firmly.

“All right,” Hikaru agreed.

The old man took a deep breath, then led Hikaru and Lavia into the cave.

It seemed to be a cave formed by changes in the ground or collapses. The bare walls and fallen rocks remained as they were. The cave wasn’t very long, only about fifty meters deep. After turning a corner, they arrived at the designated area.

“This is as far as we go. Absolutely no farther.”

The old man gestured Hikaru and Lavia to stop. Even from a distance, it was clear that something was abnormal.

“It’s beautiful,” Lavia couldn’t help but murmur in amazement.

Even without the old man shining his flashlight, the area was clearly visible because of the fluorescent color emitted by the ground and walls, somewhere between yellow and green. It was a strange light, growing more dazzling the longer you stared at it.

Mt. Midori.

Hikaru recalled the name of this mountain. When he was explaining the meaning of Mt. Midori to Lavia, she mentioned the soil being a gem, and she was spot on. The vein in the depths of this cave was the treasure. And “midori” also translated to “green,” which precisely described this color.

“You can’t go any further,” the old man muttered. “It’s dangerous.” He sounded incredibly exhausted. “This here is the divine realm. You can see it, can’t you? Things as bright as this were quite a spectacle for ancient humans, and our family made it a mission to protect this mountain.”

“But it’s not just some mysterious phenomenon,” he went on. “We had ancestors who spent entire days here, captivated by this light, almost like it had a hold on them.”

Indeed, the light had an addictive quality to it.

“Ever wondered what happened to those folks?” Doyama asked.

“They transformed.”

The old man nodded. That was the secret of this divine realm.

“They became incoherent, lost their hair, and then met an untimely end. In a nutshell, this place…” The old man paused, uncertain about sharing more.

Hikaru guessed what was in the old man’s mind. “You think this is natural uranium, don’t you?”

Startled, Doyama turned to look at Hikaru. While uranium deposits weren’t common in Japan, they existed near the border between Okayama and Tottori Prefectures and in Gifu Prefecture. Uranium, commonly associated with nuclear power, also had uses like uranium glass, which glowed neon green under ultraviolet light.

“Exactly. You know what happens if you’re exposed to it for a long time, don’t you?”

“Serious health issues due to radiation exposure. So has this deposit been examined?”

The old man shook his head. “If it’s confirmed to be a uranium deposit, access would be naturally restricted, and Mt. Midori would attract attention for different reasons. We want to avoid that. Only my family is allowed in this place. It should be left untouched.”

“…”

The Doyama family had faithfully guarded this place for generations, and it was the old man who had concluded it was a uranium deposit. He wanted the legend to remain as a legend.

“I get it,” Hikaru nodded. “But this isn’t a uranium deposit.”

His words stunned not only Doyama but also Lavia. Although Lavia was not knowledgeable about the matter, she sensed that Hikaru was contradicting the old man’s beliefs.

“What do you mean?” the old man finally spoke after a moment.

“Exactly what I said. This isn’t a uranium deposit. Therefore, there’s no radiation.”

“How do you know that?”

“It hasn’t been examined, has it? Have you checked it using a Geiger counter?”

The old man shook his head. “Not necessary. It glows neon green, and our ancestors, who spent time here, died prematurely. There’s no need to examine it.”

“I understand your reluctance to involve others, but you should have pursued all possible means to examine it. Using a radiation detector would have quickly confirmed it.”

“What are you saying? This light is clearly—”

“Some types of uranium deposits emit neon green light, but only when exposed to ultraviolet light. In a place like this where light doesn’t reach, it’s impossible for it to shine so brightly. Also, uranium deposits don’t cause localized earthquakes. The one who said the mountain was restless was none other than you. It wasn’t uranium.”

“Then what is it?”

“This is an entirely different substance. In other words, approaching it is safe.”

“H-Hey!”

Hikaru walked past the old man toward the mysterious glowing spot. He already knew what it was.

Since their previous visit to this place, Hikaru had sensed it—the magical energy emanating from this location. When he checked with Mana Detection, it was painfully bright. An extremely high concentration of mana, unlike anything he had encountered even in the other world.

It exists.

There was a substance filled with an intense concentration of magical energy in Japan—no, on Earth.