Chapter 61 – 62

Chapter 61 – We found a grave!

"Alright, let's have a competition over who can dig the most today."

I said to Taran and Fule after we had reached the deepest part of the cave.

"Yes. I won't lose!'

Fule shouted. Taran replied by raising a pickaxe with a sturdy grip.

This was the day after the visit from the Earth Dragon merchant, Roydon.

The part of the cave that was connected to Roydon's tunnel was now decorated with stone materials, so it would be easy to find.

In other words, it was a sort of gate to the outside world. And so Baris said that we would have to station some guards there.

As for the dragon eggs that we had bought from Roydon, they were placed in a stone house that was under the World Tree.

Inside, there were mattresses stuffed with the feathers of Killer Birds. And there was also a stove to keep the place warm.

This was a facility to incubate the dragons.

There was one Fire Dragon egg and thirty Wyvern eggs.

It would be incredibly heartening to have that many dragons as friends on this island. And so we were quite desperate for this to succeed.

Once it looked like they would hatch, I would stay near the eggs. If not, then Rienna would stay close so that she could be the parent.

Well, if it went according to what Roydon said, then I suppose it didn't really matter who it was, as long as it was someone who lived here.

As for me… I was spending the day mining.

Had I not been mining yesterday, I would not have met Roydon. It seemed that every time I dug on this island, something would happen…

But even then, I had not expected to meet a dragon merchant.

However, I wasn't just mining today.

I was competing against Fule and Taran.

We stood in a line and dug in the same direction.

This would continue until midday, and we would see who had dug the farthest.

As for Ril and Mel, they were spending the day playing on top of the World Tree.

And so I wouldn't have to hold back while digging.

Once Fule, Taran, I, and the slimes who gathered the materials, were in position, I shouted loudly.

"Alright. On your mark, get set…go!"

In that instant, I swung down with the pickaxe.

The sounds of breaking stone and the ring of metal echoed on both sides.

I would lose if I underestimated them… And so I swung my pickaxe with undivided attention.

Still, I was able to dig quite a lot now…

Of course, I had always been able to dig a lot.

After all, I was a complete amateur, and yet on my very first swing, the rocks had shattered like they were made of glass.

And yet what I was doing now was several times more than before.

Now that I think about it, 'Cave King' was currently Rank 3… Would I be reaching Rank 4 soon? Or did I have to do something else to reach it?

I wondered about this as I dug, and about five minutes passed.

Suddenly, my pickaxe bounced off a hard wall.

"What? Could there be another room-like place?"

Previously, I had found what looked like a shrine and then later, a place that was a wine cellar.

And just like those times, there was a wall that had clearly been made by someone.

I stopped swinging, and shortly after, the sounds around me also died down.

And the rock walls to my right and left crumbled.

Fule and Taran then moved next to me and looked at my wall.

"Oh, so it's the same over here too. What about you, Taran?"

Fule asked. Taran shook its body up and down.

"That means this place must be pretty wide then…Shiel. Could you tell the slimes to make a report to Baris?"

Shiel started to hop around in front of the other slimes.

They then started to move towards the surface as if they understood.

Then Fule said,

"What if there is a golem inside like that other time?"

"I don't know… I don't sense any magic."

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

There really wasn't any magic to be detected.

"I doubt anything will happen as soon as we step inside."

"So, should we go in then?"

"Yes. But we should still be careful. I'll create the shield. So could you break through the wall?"

"Okay!"

Fule nodded, and then swung down at the wall with all of her strength.

But one strike was not enough. And she had to hit it a second and third time.

"How about this!"

As Fule's powerful voice echoed, the wall came crashing down.

It seemed a lot like how glass looked when it shattered…

Then light came pouring through, and I couldn't help but close my eyes.

And then hesitantly, I opened them…

"Huh…what? What is this?"

A lush field of grass spread out before us.

In spite of us being underground, there were colorful flowers and long crystals growing everywhere.

Were we outside? No, that was impossible… I had to remind myself over and over again that we were underground. Yes, we were under the sea.

Not too far away from where we stood, I could see that there was a wall that looked like it was made of glass. And on closer inspection, I saw that the ceiling also looked like it was glass.

And from the other side of the glass, came the light that was bright like the sun. This was like an underground greenhouse.

"It's pretty…"

Fule whispered as she looked up.

"Yeah… It's like being outside."

However, what was this place?

But what was most odd, was the complete lack of surprise from Taran and Shiel.

"Taran. Did you know about this place?"

Tara quietly nodded.

Taran's movements were usually very strong and expressive, but here, the spider seemed very quiet.

It was as if this place was very special. It just stood there quietly.

However, Fule was in high spirits as she asked me,

"Lord Heal. Are those transparent things crystals?"

"Maybe… But they seem awfully neat for natural ones."

While there were some differences in size, they had the same shape and were equal distances apart.

It was clear that someone had arranged them here for a reason.

And in front of each crystal was laid beautiful flowers that looked like they had just been picked.

Fule looked at me.

"Should I try digging?"

"No… I think they're…"

This somber atmosphere… While they were different from ours, they were likely a type of grave.

"So this is a graveyard. Isn't it, Taran?"

Taran nodded.

"I see."

So it was confirmed.

There were creatures that lived underground who mourned over their dead.

While this was still speculation, I thought it was very likely that the people that rested here were related to those who made the shrine and the winery.

I could not imagine grave digging… I suppose we could just look around a little. Hmm?

Suddenly, a part of the wall moved like a sliding door.

And then…

"Golems!?"

They wore giant armor, just like the ones we had seen before.

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Chapter 62 – I was revered for some reason!

"Lord Heal. It's them again."

"Ahh… But it's strange…"

The golems stood in a line along the wall and just stared at us. They didn't do anything.

"Maybe they won't attack as long as we don't? Huh?"

Shiel suddenly started to move forward.

And once Shiel arrived at one especially large tombstone on a small hill, the slime began to shake and jiggle.

The golems watched this, but did not do anything.

"What does this mean? Is there something special with that tombstone?"

While keeping an eye on the golems, Taran, Fule, and I walked towards Shiel.

"Shiel. You know this place?"

Shiel didn't answer me, but it reached out and touched the crystal.

And then, the gravestone began to shine brightly.

It was so sudden that I closed my eyes.

However, I then opened them slowly…

And there stood a woman who was so beautiful that I thought she was a goddess.

Her lustrous, long hair was so bright that it would put any golden thread to shame.

And those sapphire-like… No, I was bored of looking at sapphires now. This looked like the sea bathed under the rays of the sun. Such were her blue eyes.

She seemed to be the same age as me. However, there was a mature dignity there that I lacked.

She was wearing a blue dress that was not too different from what was worn in my country.

However, it was decorated more beautifully and extravagantly than anything I had ever seen.

Every precious gem I had ever dug up could also be seen on her dress.

She then raised the hem of her skirt and bowed.

"Hello, Lord Heal."

"He-hello…"

As I was so taken in by her appearance, I couldn't help but stutter.

"You're so easy…"

I could hear Fule mutter from behind. But she also said hello when she and Taran were called.

"This is my first time meeting you like this… I am the one everyone calls Shiel."

"Huh? You're Shiel?"

What did this mean? After all, I could still see Shiel jiggling down by her feet.

"Yes. I suppose you could say that I am Shiel, and I am not Shiel… In any case, this slime here and I are one and the same. But, I usually have the mental capacity of a slime…which I'm sure has been a great inconvenience to you all."

I shook my head.

"Hardly! You've always been very…helpful."

Shiel looked at me and laughed.

"…This is very strange, isn't it? And to think that we always sleep and bathe together…"

"Oh… I-I'm very sorry!"

I said with a bow.

Yes, Shiel had always helped me wash up and I even used her as a pillow… This person right in front of me.

Not only has she seen me without clothes, but she also helped me get clean.

My mind was about to boil over on the spot, but then she continued.

"There is no need to apologize! …I am grateful for all the affection you've shown… Besides, your scent was… Oh!"

I was feeling very light-headed, and Taran and Fule had to help support me.

Shiel, both the human and the slime, were moving towards me.

I righted my posture and said to her,

"S-sorry… Uh…so…why do you look like that, Shiel? And uh…what is this place?"

"Oh, yes. First…allow me to introduce myself properly."

Shiel continued with a saddened expression.

"My real name is Shiela. I was truly very surprised when you gave me the name 'Shiel.' My full name is Shiela Veluar. However, you may continue to call me Shiel."

"If you want… I will do that."

"Thank you. …There was an empire here…and I was the Empress."

"Em-empress!?"

No, looking at her now, it was no surprise that she was someone of such great importance.

"Yes… That being said, it was nothing but a name…the empire was dying."

"Were you attacked by another country?"

"No. During its glory days, Veluar ruled all the lands of this world. There were no other countries. We had no enemies."

"Then, how?"

"There was once an age in this world that was called the 'Unending Winter.' It seems to have ended now, but that age weakened Veluar greatly and suddenly. During its final days, the only remains of the Veluar empire could be found here."

I see.

So this Sheorl island was that last part a great country during an age we had no knowledge of.

That explained the remains I had found.

"It had become too cold for us to survive outside. And so we moved into a mountain that was located in the center of the empire. However, it is all underwater now. But we had the ability to create food without sunlight…"

Yes, so that's what the sun stones were used for.

It had the power to make plants grow.

"However, we could not produce enough of it… And so we decided to preserve our bodies by freezing them, and have our souls coexist with the slimes, since they only need water to live."

The priests always told me that the soul resides in the body. And when a person dies, the soul leaves them.

"I see… In others words, slime Shiel has both your soul and the soul of the original slime inside of it?"

"Yes. And so the original slime has the highest authority. So I am Shiel and not Shiel."

"So that's what it means. But, why were you underground?"

"That… One day, there was a meteor…a giant boulder fell. Because of this, the facilities in our mountain were destroyed, and passages were blocked… We could do nothing but wander underground."

It was just one disaster after another for them…

In other words, the cold meant they could not grow any food, and then they could no longer live outside. Then they lost their bodies, and a meteor came down and destroyed their last fortress.

"And so I waited for nearly ten thousand years… And then a light appeared. It was you, Lord Heal. It was you."

A light. That was an exaggeration… But ten thousand years, huh?

All that time in the darkness… I would definitely have gone mad.

Shiel's eyes shone as she took my hand.

However, it went right through me. Of course, there was no warmth either. It wasn't real.

"Thanks to you, many of my friends, whose souls also coexist with the slimes, have been saved. However, many are still sleeping as well…"

Shiel's voice shook.

"Lord Heal. I have a request. I am surely unworthy of asking such a thing, but could you save the rest of my kind from the eternal darkness?"

To this request, I could do nothing but nod.