Chapter 71: Underground ruins
Chapter 71: Underground ruins
The iron caged magic elevator slowly goes down inside the shining circle toward the underground. What kind of place would be connected to this hidden room? The inheritance of this ancient civilization is concealed in this way, so it is likely not to be public.... Well, even if it was hidden, it was usually used in the past, but there is also the possibility that no one had seen it.
After a while, we get off at a small room somewhere. And because there is another magic circle on the floor, it might still go deeper down. When the door is opened and we set foot inside the room, lights lit up from every corner of this hidden room like above. Right in front of us is a steel blue door that resembles doors that popped out of an Science Fiction story. There is no knob and no dent to pull it to the side.
“"Even if it's pushed, it doesn't move at all...Shadow-san, is there a gap? Is it useless...?" (Tsuchio)
“Uuhh...it isn't even budging an inch. Shall we try to destroy it?” Ruu
“No, let's get off for the time being. Perhaps, there is a door which is open. If it can't be opened anywhere, then let's return and break the wall” Tsuchio
“Bururu?”
“We're underground, so we can't escape if the top collapses. I don't want to be buried alive. Let's stop destroying it with pure strength" Tsuchio
We return to the cage and close the door. Although I don't know how to choose top or bottom, let's assume it is good because we descended.
We reached the 2nd underground floor with a similar room like the 1st underground floor. A room lit by the four corners and a science fiction-like door. It can’t be pushed or pulled, which means it doesn’t open. I bet there are more underground floors.
This 3rd underground floor seems to be the end. Because there is no magic circle on the floor. Although this room was also like the floors above, there was one big difference. The door was broken from the outside. Every wall is crooked and rolled on the back.
“"This door was broken, by who.... The one who did this must be considerably strong" Ruu
“It’s an ancient ruins and even if there is a monster, it would be dead...so what do you do? If you don't want to go, I won’t force it." Tsuchio
“...!” Purupuru!
“Buruu”
“Thats right, the place where we′d like to go is the place Tsuchio is going. Please don't worry about us." Ruu
“Saying such a thing.... Are there any strange signs?” Tsuchio
“Nothing is felt in particular. However I smell something strange...I think it's not a monster” Ruu
“...Then, shall we take a look. Surely it may be a place with magic tools, where it isn't wasteful to search around. However, in order to run away anytime, we need to remember the way to this room” Tsuchio
For now, we'll walk while putting a mark on the wall. The mapping...I′m thankful for Shadow-san to remember it. Everything can be entrusted to her.
In the third underground floor, there is a wide passage with a lot of doors and it gives off the air of a laboratory. The passage is sometimes broken and there are bloodstains, which are a evidence of a battle. Uuhh...if this was a laboratory, was it attacked with the technology as aim? What should we do in this bloodshed research place? We should be cautious sufficiently.
Until now, all doors in the passage were open so far. It fits into the place which should be settled neatly, not by force like the elevator room a short while ago. They weren't opened by the correct means.
Some machines which weren't understood well and shapes which I don't know what it was written as were put in many underground rooms. Inside a room surrounded with strong metal and that seemed like a glazed laboratory were corpses of strange creatures contained in capsules in a row.... I understand nothing at all, but this is absolutely not a simple laboratory.
“Tsuchio, shall we bring this home too?” Ruu
“Ah, Shadow-san′s capacity has also increased, so it is possible to carry a considerable amount around. Moreover because it doesn’t seem bulky, a lot can also be brought home." Tsuchio
“...” Purupuru
“Bururu!”
“Was there also a room? Shadow-san and I check this room, you follow Lime and Rin and look around. If it is able to put away, you can take it away without permission” Tsuchio
Furthermore, Shadow-san who evolved has her range of actions extended too. There is no problem if they leave to look around here. Something dangerous wouldn't be put away by myself and it's okay if I leave it to Shadow-san.
Thus, when we walk along the passage and go around the rooms, we heard "Kashan Kashan" sound as if metal fell to the ground. Ruu and the others stop and search for the origin of the sound, until we realized that the sound is becoming louder gradually. Is something approach here...for now, let's hide in the nearby room.
We hide in the room next to us and see how things fall out on the hallway from the entrance. Before long, a spider-like machine appeared from the left side of the T-intersection....Ancient civilization means science fiction. Advanced science, magic and distinction is often said. With this, evolved magic and science isn't distinct.
6 legs extend from a flat body. The face is projected from ahead and a lens-like eye looks around the vicinity restlessly.... Its size is almost 80 percent of the passage. Firearms are held under the belly, and they might be weapons. Why do guns exist here, even if I say there are small arms, isn't it strange that there is such mechanics? On the other hand, I don't need to wonder if there are higher weapons.
The machine spider doesn't look under the T-intersection where we are and went to the right side. Huu...that's dangerous. I'm too afraid to care for this guy who you can't communicate with. Is that one of the monsters which the knight order had taken care of? It could be knocked down well....
“That, can a knight knock that monster down? It has a considerable amount of magic..." Tsuchio
“...” Purupuru
“Uh, I prefer not to fight it. But when I have to fight absolutely...the legs and eye must be crushed” Tsuchio
“The smell here is coming out from that guy′s body...however, it isn't a devil beast at all..." Ruu
“Perhaps, it won't be a monster. It was made to protect this place...well, it looks like a golem?” Tsuchio
A machine fueled with magic might be a golem. Then, does it have a nucleus anywhere? No, I don’t know it well. May the rock snakes and hornets also be considered as some kind of golem? They move with a talisman as nucleus, so shall we examine it this time in detail?
"I think that the knights knocked down the upper ones...however, were they the same type? Shit, I should have listened carefully..." Tsuchio
“Well, the search ability seems not to be so high and I understood that it approached because of the sound. If we hide immediately, it will be fine” Ruu
“It looks like so...whether what the sensor of that fellow catches, we would grasp it” Tsuchio
Is anything considered from the sight, magic, heat and sound? Well, I didn't notice such a quiet inside, so may it be only sight for me. Then, aren't all precisions bad?
“"Besides that, shall we search carefully?" Tsuchio
“Uh, it's akin to the smell here, but the strength is different. You should understand that it was approaching even before hearing the sound" Ruu
“...!” Puru!
“Buru”
“Good, it is alright if you understand the sound and magic from the smell. Let's go” Tsuchio
However, if there are fellows who say that it will encounter it, isn't a weapon repository somewhere?...Just a little, shall we look for it. It’s scheduled that we′d be here for two weeks, therefore let's stay some nights here. The 2nd and 1st underground floor should be safe. And though it would be troublesome if a student disappears, let’s return to the top at midnight.
It wasn't possible to find the weapon repository even after going around through the 3rd underground floor for several hours. On the way, we encountered many mechanical insects and we hid each time without fighting once. Perhaps, if we start a fight, all mechanical insects would gather immediately.
“Shadow-san, are there any places where we didn’t enter yet? All corners have been checked. And here is the true opposite of the elevator room and the most inner part of the 3rd underground floor. Here will be the center of the third underground floor. However there were many elevator-like rooms and there was also something which looked like stairs...which aren’t usable..."
An elevator was broken, the magic circle was destroyed and the stairs collapsed. Therefore, we can only take the elevator we used before to return now. The opposite way. If there is something in this room...it's quite difficult to run away.
“Shadow-san,do you know the shortest way from here to the elevator room? Good, then it’s alright” Tsuchio
From outside the door, I peep quietly into the room. Seeing from here...a big capsule filled with some kind of liquid and a unknown silhouette is inside. Both sides have many displays and some stands are under them. There is a door on the right side, which is open now. The inside isn't visible from here...and there is nothing on the left side. There is just a wall. However, this is a fairly big room. Even though it's underground, it also has an unreasonably high-ceiling. What might this room be....
“Are we surrounded by monsters?” Tsuchio
“"There is neither smell nor sound" Ruu 𝒇𝔯e𝚎𝘄𝑒𝑏𝙣𝑜𝚟𝗲𝑙.c𝘰𝚖
“Koku”
“Buru”
“Alright, if it's an area which cannot be sensed, there’s no problem. Let’s just enter first" Tsuchio
We enter this big room. I noticed that the capsule has a considerable size in the neighborhood from the entrance. What to say...it seems out of an anime or comic, as if a test subject is inside this capsule. In the surrounding displays, an unknown figure and characters are enumerated....
A woman who doesn't have limbs was in the capsule. A beautiful woman who is sleeping as if she died, but there are no ears and something like a horn is attached that seems to be a sensor. Her skin was lifeless and snow-white and for some reason there was a cut on her arms and legs. She really seems dead. Her silver hair matched her skin and is transparent and it hung down till her shoulders. A cloth were some patterns were drawn was wound around her body , I can't look at the state of her body. In places like her neck, or her abdomen, the cord stuck there seemed really painful. Her lost limb doesn't seem to be an injury. And a mechanical part is looking out from half of her upper arms. The same on the lower half of her body, from the vicinity of her thigh’s joint.
“"What is this person.... There are neither arms nor legs"
“"It is in the capsule. Umm, I think that I have never seen this before"
At the stand which was under the display, keyboards, other things and something like a monitor of a notebook is also lying there. The contents reflected on this screen are reflected in the upper display, too.
“Shadow-san, wait a moment, let's check that room. If it's dangerous, we'll return immediately” Tsuchio
We enter the room Shadow-san was opening. Now, what shall we do...is this monitor applied? Oh, we don't know whether we arrive if any button is pressed, right.... I'm also afraid to push it properly. If it's like on earth, then it is necessary to turn on the power supply of the computer.... Oh, isn't this like that? The mechanics of a computer doesn’t change in any world.
*Buun*, all monitors emit white light suddenly. In the capsule, bubbles arise hollowly and a large person is inside! It trembles. Eh, everything attaches suddenly!? There is no one!?
『Magic reaction in the integrated laboratory, 5 in total...wavelength confirmation. One human, one demon, 2 monster and another one. It's confirmed that they're familiars from the magic connection. Hostility intention is not verified』
A inorganic voice that sounds suddenly in room is scanning or something similar. Or in other words! It is convenient as even hostility intention can be confirmed!
『Last order, the disposal of 2966th test type mechanical human. Ownership is shifted from blank to the finder....Operate interception function, maximum rank. Purpose, removing the intruders. Operate interception function, maximum rank.』
A harsh warning begins to ring and the left wall where I thought there was nothing breaks and white smoke arises. If it's often seen, don't include a zigzag line. Or rather, why is the rank maximized suddenly! Various things are excessive and my head seems to burst!
“Tss! Tsuchio, a lot of monsters are coming here!”
“Shit, everyone watch the fellow who comes out from that! I will block up the entrance!”
I arrange talismans that surround the entrance and magic is poured at a dash. A mass of rock finished peddling from the ground and the entrance was closed airtight perfectly. This is the same as the time against that demon...because it is smaller this time, the amount of magic is compressed. It wouldn't be broken so easily.
While I'm doing that, huge magic begins to overflow while the wall is opening completely. Elaborately...it seems risky. The magic is more than the advanced dragon....
“GAAAAAAAAA!!!”
When the owner of that magic shows up, white smoke blows off and the appearance is exposed to us. The head and forefeet of a huge lion, the body of a huge goat and a big snake head as a tail. The combined body of three different monsters, is this room wide enough for this fellow to rage?
『Experiment body No.2107, Start battle』
The pronoun of "Something impossible" fits this perfectly and the old relic that slept in the underground was a chimera.