Chapter 93-94

Chapter 93 – Someone appeared!!

"I'm going now, Rienna."

"Yes, Lord Heal. You're so close to the control device… But be careful."

Rienna said to me in front of the cave's entrance.

"Exactly… You're very precious to me, Lord Heal."

Kamyu said with a slightly reddened face.

Last night, we were supposed to have slept together…

In fact, I had just told the slimes to take her to her room and I had left.

Even Rienna knew that I was sleeping in my own room, as her room was next to mine.

And so Rienna looked a little puzzled as she saw Kamyu's satisfied expression.

What dream had Kamyu seen… Well, it was best to leave that untouched.

"Uh, yeah. I'll be careful. I'm sure everyone has a busy day ahead of them. So let's do our best."

Kamyu's trading ship had returned, which meant that there was so much more to be done.

First, we had to make fields for the various crops found on the continent.

According to Baris, the field underneath the World Tree was already full, and so the reclaimed ground would have to be expanded.

Also, we now had books to help study Barleon letters.

And so children would finally be able to actually study.

Furthermore, there were books on tailoring and food production.

We intended to make workshops where these things could be made according to the books.

Finally, as Kamyu had returned, we could now train new sailors. In order to buy everything that the island needed, we would need crews and not just ships.

Personnel would have to be assigned to each of these roles…and Baris was the right person to decide.

As for me, I had to go underground and reach the control device today.

"Alright, let's go, Shiel."

When I looked down, Shiel moved her body as if nodding. She was always with me.

She seemed very calm right now, and a little quiet.

We would find the control device today… And we would learn something.

Shiel would be making an effort to calmly accept the outcome, even if it was something undesirable.

We took the train down and arrived at the bottom. Taran and Fule were already there waiting.

Mappa was also here today, as the railroad would be extended.

Well, it was probably mostly because he was curious about the control device…

"Alright, let's begin!"

"Aye!"

I said. Fule and the monsters replied enthusiastically.

"Here I go…"

I broke down the wall with a single swing, and the area on the other side was suddenly visible.

It wasn't just me, but Taran and Fule also looked shocked.

"What? So we were that close to the other side…"

"I guess… Anyway, let's look inside."

I cast Shield around us as I stepped into the chamber.

There was no light. However, Cave King's night vision ability allowed me to see inside.

"I see… Yes, this does give that impression…"

Fule muttered as she looked around.

The space was huge. It was as big as the training grounds in the royal capital. Thousands of people would be able to fit in it.

It was as big as the place where we fought the floating, square Golems.

And in the center of the chamber, was what looked like an altar that shone white.

"That must be it…"

There wasn't really anything else there. The walls were black and curved upwards to the ceiling. The place seemed like a dome.

Not knowing what else I could do, I headed towards the altar.

As I had casted Shield on the monsters who worked to extend the railway as well, it would be fine if something did happen. Besides, the Mithril Golem Number 15 would protect them.

And so I, Shiel, Taran, Fule…and Mappa, who was with us for some reason, walked through the room.

When I reached the altar, I saw that it was covered in glowing stones.

The stones were lined up perfectly, and it seemed like they were half buried inside of the altar. There was something about their shape that made me want to start touching them.

Wait a minute, wasn't this…

"It kind of looks like the thing we saw in the wine cellar. There is even a lever."

"Yes. But there are so many more stones on this one. I don't know if it's a good idea to start touching it."

As Fule said, I had a feeling that something big might happen if I touched even one button.

Before I even said anything, it seemed like Taran was wordlessly applying pressure to Mappa so that he didn't touch it.

Mappa held his hands in front of him as if to say that he wouldn't think of it.

So that meant that even Mappa didn't know how to use it…

In that case, Shiel was our only hope.

"What do you think, Shiel? Can you control it?"

Shiel appeared to nod, and then hopped up onto the altar.

After scanning all of the stones for a while, she pushed one of them.

And then suddenly, the area around us became brighter.

"Huh? This…"

Fule couldn't help but move her head in every direction.

On the walls and floor of the dome we were in…were pictures. And they were so detailed and perfect in scale that they looked real.

It was so surprising that I averted my eyes.

As shocked as she was, Fule opened her mouth.

"Are these…people? It looks like they are all sleeping in water…naked."

Yes. The walls were covered in pictures of naked people sleeping in water.

At a glance, I could see that there were male and females of all ages.

These were likely the bodies of Shiel and the others.

The original bodies of the souls that now inhabited the slimes.

However, there were some places that were normal walls. Actually, most of it was normal walls.

I looked towards Shiel.

Shiel was looking around her, and seemed quite gloomy.

So, were they also dead, just like the dwarves we had found…?

"Shiel… Are you alright?"

Shiel shook her body as if to nod.

And then she pressed a different stone.

"Is that the one to control the Golems?"

Shiel nodded.

However, it didn't seem like anything had happened.

Shiel seemed to think that the silence around us was strange, and so she pressed the same stone a few more times.

But there was no reaction.

Perhaps she was pressing the wrong one?

Well, it was supposed to control the actions of the Golems. And there weren't any Golems here, so maybe that's why…

However, Shiel probably knew.

And she was visibly flustered.

She even tried pressing some other stones, but there was still no reaction.

That's when it happened.

A hole suddenly opened in the wall on the opposite side of the altar.

"It's no use. You can't control my dolls with that."

A cold and unfamiliar voice echoed. And then two lights flashed from the darkness of the hole.

0

0

0

Chapter 94 – A terrible strategist!?

"It's no use. You can't control my dolls with that."

I turned to face the cold, unfamiliar voice.

There were two red lights shining.

This was no ordinary person…

And I didn't come to that conclusion purely by instinct. I could feel the sudden swell of magic that was like blazing fire.

What emanated from the darkness was more powerful than the huge floating Golem we had fought previously.

"It-it seems dangerous?"

Fule's magic had increased a lot through using crystals, and she too could sense the danger behind those lights.

While it was so sudden, Taran and Mappa prepared to fight.

However, I was mostly surprised to hear someone speak in a language that I understood.

And so in answer, I called out.

"Who are you?"

My voice echoed in the dome-shaped chamber, and the cold voice replied.

"Me? You mean me? Hehehe…"

There was an eerie chuckle that soon exploded into a boisterous laugh, as if the stranger could no longer hold it back.

"Hahahahaha! You are wise to ask! Indeed, everyone in this world should want to know my name! For I am the embodiment of the god of war. Everything in the universe is under my control. The wise and the great…strategist, Aries!! Do you tremble!? Hahaha!!"

The stranger called Aries burst into laughter once again.

I and the others could only watch in stunned silence.

What the hell was wrong with this person…

Fule said,

"Uh…you're a what?"

I turned to look at Shiel.

Perhaps she would know something.

However, Shiel looked confused and didn't seem to recognize the voice.

As we waited, Aries's laugh faded away.

"Ha… Hmm. That is not much of a reaction?"

The voice sounded greatly disappointed.

"Uh, umm… Aries, was it? We're…"

I was at a loss for words, and spoke quietly.

However, the stranger had not missed a word, and quickly fired back.

"Hmph. There is no need for you to introduce yourself. You all came here in order to kill me, isn't that right?"

"Huh? N-no. We didn't come to fight! If we have insulted you, I apologize. And we will be leaving soon."

"No, that won't do… I have been waiting for so long…for this very day! Now, go! My friend!! Seize them!!"

As the stranger shouted this, the thing with the red eyes showed itself.

It was likely a Golem that was covered in Mithril armor.

Its sword and shield were probably made of Mithril as well.

However, unlike most Golems, it was not very big.

It was pretty much the same height and build as me.

"Yes, I suppose one is not enough to make you afraid…in that case!"

Aries's voice echoed.

However, nothing followed it.

"Huh? What? That's odd… Uh, was it like this? No, that's not right… Oh, this!"

After a while, more holes began to open in the walls.

And numerous Golems that were just like the first one started to appear.

Fule looked around cautiously.

"Thi-this is bad. Isn't it?"

"Well, we're surrounded. However, it's strange."

"Strange? Well, yes. He's very strange."

"That's not what I mean. The Golems aren't moving. And this voice…don't you notice it?"

Aries was still going on about something not working.

And the Golems remained stationary.

Fule seemed to understand me as she said,

"Yes, how is it that we are even able to talk to…"

"Yes. Besides, it's letting us hear how it's struggling… I don't think a famous strategist would do something so stupid. …Mappa, can you open this device?"

I asked as I pointed to the machine that Shiel had been controlling.

And then Mappa tapped it lightly with his hammer.

"He-hey! Why would you do something like that?"

Aries asked. There was concern in the voice now.

As I thought…the first Golem would not have been able to see us from the other side of the device. In that case, there was something else here that was able to watch what we were doing.

After all, it had heard me even when I spoke quietly.

But the Golem was so far away that I would have had to shout to be heard.

In any case, Mappa ignored the voice and continued to tap the machine with his hammer.

After a while, Mappa grinned mischievously and pointed at one of the panels towards the bottom.

"You want me to open it?"

Mappa nodded.

"Alright…let's do it. Is that fine, Shiel?"

Shiel seemed to think about it for a moment and then nodded.

Upon seeing this, I raised my pickaxe.

Then Aries's voice echoed.

"Wa-wait!! Why are you wasting time doing that! The Golems are attacking you! You should fight them!"

"No, they aren't moving at all… That being said, is there some reason that you don't want us to open it?"

"Th-that's not it… Uh, you should open it if you really want to. But don't blame me if you don't like the outcome!"

Aries was clearly flustered.

It was hard to imagine that Aries knew how to speak the Barleon language.

And so I assumed that some kind of magic must be used.

However, Shiel had once shown her true form to us in front of her grave and talked to us.

But that wasn't Shiel's own power, but something to do with how the graves were made.

Perhaps there was some similar contraption here as well.

Besides, Aries was much too aware of everything that was happening here…

And so there was a high possibility that the answer was inside of the machine.

"…Okay, I'm going to open it."

"Wa-wait! Actually, you should stop! Something bad will happen to you!"

"Why?"

I asked. And Aries became silent.

But after a while, the voice muttered quietly.

"…Please. Please… I'll do anything. But fight."

"But we don't want to fight… Besides, you don't mean to kill us, right?"

"It's true, I have no intention of killing you. However, I just wanted to know what it was like. Just once, I want to know the taste of 'victory.'"

"What the hell…"

What was going on here? Well, I understood the desire to win in a competition, but…

"Alright. What if we admit defeat?"

I tried suggesting. And Aries's voice rose immediately.

"Re-really!?"

"Sure. I don't mind… If that's all it is. Saying I lost this fight…"

"Ye…yes! I won!! I am finally victorious!"

An innocent cry of joy echoed throughout the dome.