We say goodbye to Mr. Shamash and drive down a trackless road.
　Our destination is the Kayentau Tunnel. It is the largest gutter in Luklaera.

　◇◆◆◆◇

　After communicating with everyone by walkie-talkie.
　It was Shamash-san who stopped me as I was about to run off in the dark, before it became irretrievable.

I'm not going to be able to tell you where you're going," he said. Have you decided where you're going?　You don't even know the lay of the land, do you?

'Oh, right!　That's right. Can you take care of the grand master?　Guide.

　I am sure he knows the area.
　It's a trivial matter.

I don't mind. ......

Then I'm counting on you. If you don't hurry, the monster's momentum will be too strong. We're in trouble.

　In fact, it was amazing.
　I wonder how many goblins we killed today alone, I think we did about 100 of them.
　If they were to gush out of the other tunnels at that rate, Luclaera could already be an a-hazardous hellscape.
　In the meantime, we have to meet up with Deanna or Rebecca or someone else and be flexible depending on the situation. ......

'So, calm down. It's certainly an unforeseen situation, but it's okay. Lucretia is not going to fall so easily. It's a good thing that the people are not helpless. At least against a goblin-sized opponent, we should be able to survive on our own.

'Really?　But there were a lot of tunnels on the way here, and I don't think all of us can prevent that from happening. ......

It's an abandoned mine, isn't it?　The entrances to the abandoned mines have been properly sealed, so no monsters will be able to come out. Right now, there are only four mine entrances in Luklaera that have been approved.


　According to Shamash, there are only four tunnels to be sealed off in total.
　Much less than I thought there would be.
　There were about 10 holes in the mountain just before we got here, but .......

　When I asked him about it, he said, "Abandoned mines are dangerous. We've taken steps to seal it up and collapse it to prevent monsters from coming out.
　The area that looked like it was inhabited was not deep in the mine, but rather, the area around the entrance was used as a dwelling or for growing mushrooms and other purposes.
　The tunnels themselves are blocked off a few dozen meters from the entrance.

　Since monsters come out of the depths of the tunnel, it must be safe to stay a few dozen meters from the entrance. I've heard that tunnels can be dug out for as long as a thousand meters, you know.
　There's a scene in Lauta where they walk through an abandoned mine, but it's like that kind of thing that goes on forever.

　I'm not so familiar with it, but I heard that an abandoned mine is quite dangerous to begin with. Aside from the fact that monsters will spring up, there is a risk of getting lost inside the mine because it branches off like a spider's web, and there are also concerns about toxic fumes and lack of oxygen. It is said that it is possible to fall down a vertical chute without noticing it.

　That's why the entrances to the tunnels are basically closed off.
　Even in normal times, there is a danger of monsters springing out of the tunnels, so they are strictly controlled.
　It is said that there are always warriors - 'demon hunters' like Mr. Shero - stationed in the tunnels that are still alive.
　Therefore, it doesn't mean that they'll be able to do anything about it right away.
　According to Shamash-san's story, there are some very powerful monsters in the area, so it's hard to be optimistic.

There are four tunnels, but we can ignore the government-owned tunnels. They have a large contingent of warriors, and they have good crisis management. It's a big place with a large force and a good crisis management system, and they will be quick to respond. It's the last place we'd want to go.
So there are three places left?

　Oh, it's quite manageable.
　It's a world where monsters are commonplace, so they must be doing some serious risk management.

　The remaining three sites are currently the second most influential, privately commissioned Liras Tunnel.
　The Kayantau Tunnel, which is believed to have existed since the Age of Spiritual Civilization and is now a virtually abandoned mine, has been repurposed and turned into a cave for the poor.
　The tunnel is now virtually abandoned, but its tunnels have been repurposed and turned into caves.

''The last one is this tunnel where my house is located. "The last one is this tunnel, where my house is located. The demon crystals are essential to the demon tribe, so they allow me to use the tunnels alive, on condition that I keep them under control.

　I heard that's what it means.
　I thought he was a recluse at first, but he has a normal social nature. Even though he's a demon, he's just a normal, friendly person.

　Anyway, there are two tunnels that we should head for right away.
　If we hurry, we can make it.

Shamash-san, please take all this stuff for now.

　I'll give you all the countless magical crystals I've recovered from the goblins.
　For now, I have no use for them. It would be more useful if Shamash-san, the demon tribe, had them. In terms of size, it's a smaller stone than Skeleton's. It's not a good time to be concerned about that, and the monetary value is not of much value.
　Shamash-san's summoning magic.
　Earlier, I only had to summon a single Twilight Mimic and used a handful of magic crystals. Then it's probably a good thing no matter how much you have.

''Are you sure?　It helps.

Yeah. Come on, we don't have time to waste. Let's go.

No, wait. I think we should split up. I'll seal off the Liras Tunnel on my own. Ayase, I want you to head to Kayentau. There are a lot of poor people there, and no matter how fast Luklaera responds, there's a good chance they'll be put off.

　You want to split up? Well, Mr. Shamash is a huge asset. He needs to go alone. There's no point in having someone else go with you.

Okay. Grand master, do you know where?

Yeah, I'll be fine.

　All right, let's go. Let's get going.
　Kayentau Tunnel. A favela means a slum. ...... I don't mind if I'm a guy, but what about Deanna? It's funny how you go to eliminate one monster danger and then encounter another, isn't it?
　Well, there's Marina as an escort, so I don't think it's going to be so strange. ......
　...... No, is Marina more dangerous than the tattooed Deanna, or is she more dangerous in reverse?　But they say the Turks don't have that kind of demand, and I'm not sure. Rebecca-san and Elepippi might be more dangerous.

...... Also, can I leave Aeon to you, Ayase?

　When I'm worried about the futility of the situation, Shamash-san makes such a request.
　Aeon, right? Well, it's okay.
　I was half planning on it.
　It's not like Aeon-san is going to be of any use to me.
　But he's determined to follow her, you know.
　Right now, he's still staring at Shamash with his backpack heavy with all his belongings.
　It's a silent pressure.

''I don't mind, but Aeon-san seems to be really uncomfortable with it.
No, no, no, I don't hate ...... but I do have ...... prison crests, for example.

　Polar pattern. I see.
　Maybe it's not safe to bypass taking them to a place with lots of people. If it's Shamash-san, she has the more frightening attribute of the fearful demon race, so it's not a problem ...... I guess.
　If you're taking Aeon-san with you, does that mean you're going to be protecting her?

''But, well, it's okay. We have elves in our house too.

　If we meet up with Deanna early and leave it with her, it won't be a problem. It would be like an elf catching the polar cresters, so they won't be able to mess with them so much.

And you know what, Ion? And let's face it, I'm slowing you down. I alone can contain the monster before it comes out of the mines.

　Shamash says with a snap.

'All right. Be careful at .............

Thank you. Now, before we go, let's get an escort for now. It's not that I don't trust you, Ayase, but just in case.

　He laughed so mischievously and took a handful of demonic crystals in his hand.
　And then he began to chant the spell.

＜"The Eight Loving Precepts of the Knight, Mirror of This World, Sword Lurking in Shadow.
＜Let there be light, and in the shade, let there be a corridor of blackness.
＜I am the Nightmare, Shamash Aureole.
＜Show yourself when called upon!　Shadow Knight! >

　Shamash's aura rises like a flame.
　It is a summoning magic.
　After a distinctly large glow, what manifested was a black figure.

'Yes!　Yes!　Your Highness!

　What can only be described as a knight in shadows came out.
　He came out and yes yes!　He shouts.
　He's all black and has what looks like a sword and shield.
　What the hell is this thing?

I knew it was going to talk.
He's going to talk. We're alive. ...... Come on, Shadow Knight. Your master is this little Ion. Protect him well.
'Yes!　Yes!　Your Majesty!
...... Well, okay.

　Apparently, the monstrous people called by Shamash-san's magic are not monsters, but are classified as 'summoned magical beasts' and are, in fact, living beings.
　The small, 140-centimeter-tall shadow knight, Shadow Knight, is also a creature. It's quite a fantasy.
　Apparently, it seems to be the one that is sometimes called up, and Aeon-san accepts it without much surprise. Well, it's certainly helpful to have a knight as a bodyguard.

　Since we've come to an agreement, I took out my walkie-talkie and explained the current situation to Etowah.

---- and that's it. I'm heading to the Kayentau Tunnel now. Etwa and the others will continue to evacuate the people and head to the Kayantou Tunnel. We'll meet up with you.

Yes, sir. Hey, boss. Miss Deanna has made contact with the priestess of Elishe.

Whoa, what's going on?

　It's high performance when you think about it, being able to contact the priests in Elishe in real time normally.
　Is distance irrelevant?
　Are they transmitting amazing radio waves, or are the spirits relaying radio waves to each other?

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. And he's also going to organize a strike team in Luclaera. There are adventurers in Luclaera who make their living by hiding in dungeons, so they've asked for help from them as well.

Oh, you're moving fast.

　I don't know if adventurers ever existed.
　I think I've heard of dungeons before, but adventurers hey .......
　Well, a dungeon is probably an old ruin or something, maybe it's like a treasure hunter. If there are monsters out there, they'll probably collect magic crystals, and I've heard that magic crystals can be sold for a good price.
　Well, it would be helpful if the ones who are used to fighting those kinds of monsters would cooperate with me.

''...... That boss. Also, ...... do you have a minute?　I have a proposition for you.

　It's rare to hear a suggestion from Etowah.

''I heard that Miss Rebecca and Elepippi-san are going to be separated, but in this case, I think it's best not to spread out the forces.

What do you mean?

''Since the demon tribe is heading to seal up the Liras Tunnel, it would be more efficient if we only do our best to deal with one place. There are only six of us, and we are more comfortable focusing on one place rather than seeking many results!''

　I see.
　What Etowah says is also reasonable.
　I couldn't help but think that we could handle everything on our own, but that may be arrogance.
　We are only six people, no matter how strong we are in battle. No, the only ones with combat power are me, Marina and Rebecca-san.
　Etowah can't fight, and Elepippi is as good as an amateur. Deanna can only use auxiliary magic.
　We have a walkie-talkie, so I thought that we would be able to keep in touch - but it might have been a poor plan.
　Above all, there are only three places where the monsters spring up and where they should be held. It's better to concentrate our power in one place.
　Hmm. Etowah's a much cooler guy than I am.
　Maybe he's a mathematician, so he can count on numbers.

Thank you, Etoi. That's exactly what I was thinking. Can you still catch Rebecca and her friends?　We should all gather in the Kayentau Tunnel. I heard it's turned into a slumspace, so be careful. It looks pretty bad.

'Yes, sir!　The blacksmiths will help us out, so the younger ones with more fighting ability will go to the Liras Tunnel, and the faster ones to the state-run tunnels, just to be sure, while the present master will follow our directions. We have each borrowed a weapon that suits us best!

　Etowah explains it crisply.
　Etoi is a quick thinker, so we can rely on him.

　We discussed the arrangements one last time and decided to go there.

Then I will join you after we seal off the Liras Tunnel. Ayase, I'll join you after we seal off the Liras Tunnel and I want you to take care of the tunnel. I'll seal off the Kayantow Tunnel and then I'll go to seal off the state-run tunnel. That should do the trick.

I understand. Take care of yourself, Mr. Shamash.

Thank you. Now, look after Aeon for me.

Yes, sir.

　And so Mr. Shamash literally flew away in the sky.
　To be precise, he summoned a large bird that flies in the sky and rode it - but. Summoning magic, it's too versatile.

　Come on, let's go too.
　...... Oh, you failed to ask where the strong monsters and such come from. Let's hope they don't come out of Kayentau.



　◇◆◆◆◆◆◇.



　The Grand Master leads us on the road to the Kayentau Tunnel.
　It's relatively close to Shamash's tunnel. We walked quite a ways from the center of town, and the town must be close to the main tunnel, so a place like the one where there are poor people's caves must be out of town, just like Shamash's tunnel.

　Mr. Aeon is dressed in a black hooded robe, so that a quick glance at him would not make him obvious as a polar bearer.
　But it might still be noticeable. It's a black robe that looks like "I'm enduring the world," and it's not like it's going to stand out in a bad way. ...... I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find an alternative ....... I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get away with it with makeup. I'm not going to be able to get it right. It's a very good idea to be able to wear thick clothes and an eye-catching hat if it was winter, but it's not that season yet.

　If we were in the midst of a monster outbreak, it wouldn't be so obvious, but I don't understand how much disgust people in this world have for polar crests. I'd like to think that there's no such thing as ...... that would suddenly come up to you and try to catch you.

　The Shadow Knight of the guards is surprisingly high-powered, and right now he's hiding in Aeon's shadow.
　It's not that he's sinking into the shadows and disappearing, it's just that he's obscured by the refraction of shadow and light, and apparently he exists normally.

　The path leads to the mountain where the Kayentau Tunnel is located.
　At the foot of the mountain, there is a small village lined with barracks.
　I don't know if they are working or just passing the time, but there are people hanging out in the daytime.

　A man of indeterminate age is building a bonfire on the side of the road, looking at the fire in a bong.
　A young man, wearing a tattered shirt that is almost hairy, is polishing something single-mindedly.
　An old man who inhales a cigarette and then coughs loudly, spitting out a lungful of smoke on the side of the road.

　Hmmm.
　It takes courage to talk to such a person. I don't think they'd take me seriously. ......
　But since we're in an emergency situation with a massive monster outbreak, I think we need to make sure we're informed.
　...... No, the right person in the right place, as they say.
　I'm not sure if my role in this case is to fight. That's the way it should be. It's a good idea.

"Oyakata," he said. I'm sorry to be so weak all of a sudden, but I'm going to tell those people, 'There's a monster in the air all of a sudden, so run! I'm not confident that they will believe me. Can I ask for it?

　I might listen to what the grand master has to say. It's called age. It's scary to look at.
　At first, I was going to briefly explain it to people I met and spread the word through a message game. I knew it wasn't the right thing to do!

No, sir. Let's get to the mines first. If the monster gets to this point, it will be too late to do anything about it. We'll have to stop them at the water's edge, won't we?

'That's true too. Let's hurry up.

　A little relieved at the grand master's suggestion, we went down a narrow road lined with barracks.
　The slope leading up to the mountain. Sometimes I see people who look like they are labor slaves. I wonder if the labor slaves who work in Luklaera live in this area.
　There doesn't seem to be any rent or anything.

　At any rate, the monster hasn't emerged yet. It seems that no information has been transmitted yet either. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a nonchalant atmosphere.
　I wonder if they've managed to prevent it from happening at the water's edge. It wouldn't be impossible for them not to spring up, but if the monsters are defeated, they will give out a cashable jewel called magic crystal. If this was a poor man's cave, then the Goblin Infinite Spring might be the event equivalent of a gold rush.

　The closer I got to the anti-mouth, the more people were coming in and the more bustling it became.
　People fleeing.
　A mixture of angry shouts mixed in with our own, "I heard a lot of monsters have sprung up, this one is dangerous! He calls out to me as he runs away.

　It looks like Deanna and the others aren't here yet. I guess they were closer from me in terms of distance.

　At the anti-mouth, the men were scrambling to close the entrance, fighting the monsters that were gushing out of it.
　However, there was no fragile material. Wood is scarce, and at best we can only haul what we can carry from Mount Botha and pile it up, but that will not be enough.

　The entrance to the Kayentau Tunnel is quite wide, and like the Shamash tunnel, it has a strange light source and is reasonably bright inside. There are quite a few dwellings inside, as far as the eye can see. The houses are no more than huts, but they are comfortable enough to keep out the wind and rain in the tunnels.

　As expected, the residents in the area had already been cleared out.
　We don't know if there are any victims.
　For the moment, there were no injured people in the area.

'Grand master. I'm going to go join them for now. And it seems that the only monsters are goblins.
Oh. I'm gonna go explain to these guys.
Wow. ...... I don't know what to do.

　Aeon, huh?
　I was going to leave it with you if Deanna was here. What do I do?
　It shouldn't be a rare occurrence since the Shadow Knight is there.

'Grand Master, could you ask Aeon to join us? There are a lot of deadly men out there.
Oh, I'm on it.
'Aeon-san is good too. Please try to keep your face to yourself as little as possible.
'Yes. It's a little scary but ......

　Aeon must have been holed up in Shamash's tunnels for a year, so I can understand why he's scared. As a fellow semi-recluse.

'You take care of the Shadow Knight too. But don't kill anyone.

　He also calls out to Shadow Knight, who is hiding in Aeon's shadow.
　The mentality of the summoned demonic beast is unknown. If anyone would harm their lord, they might not hesitate to f*ck him.

''Yes!　Yes!　My Lord!

　I only heard a cheerful voice.
　Well, it would be fine. I don't know how much of a fighter he is, but it's not like he's going to be defeated by an amateur, and if a pitch black one like that comes out, normal people would be scared. It's unlikely to be a fight. Maybe.

　I drew my magic sword and headed into the tunnels alone.
　Then I think.
　What would it be like to join a fight by saying "I'll help you"?
　Would it be a violation of the rules, like a side blow?　No, there are so many monsters popping up that you wouldn't care about that. But, the magic crystals are coming out.
　You don't need the magic crystal, so let me help you ......?　No, that's just being a softie.
　Let's just be normal. Normal.

"Can I help you?　I'm a bit of an expert, may I help you?

　It just makes me feel like a killah. This is why the commie is .......

'You'll know it when you see it!　They're going to keep coming out all the time, no matter how many times I take them down. Anything to help me out!

You'll get the Demon Crystals for all the ones I beat!

　As he says it, he cuts off all the goblins in the vicinity together. Some of the goblins are wearing armor, but in front of the sharpness of the Magic Sword Heart of Blood, it's completely pointless.
　Maybe it's because I fought so much earlier, or maybe it's because I'm used to dealing with goblins.

　If it's a goblin opponent, I'm already comfortable with it, but Shero-san and Rebecca-san have both told me to never let my guard down.
　I won't let my guard down. I won't even lick my tongue in front of my prey.
　I'll take them down with all my might as fast as I can. That seems to be the mercenary style.

　For now, I'm going to defeat the goblins as they appear.

　--10.
　--20.
　It seems that there were about 30 of them coming near the entrance, and I was able to defeat most of them.
　But they are still in the back.
　Occasionally, you can also hear what sounds like animal noises.
　Maybe there are monsters other than goblins springing up there as well. If that's the case, it's tricky.
　Rebecca and the others, I can't wait for them to join us.

"Thanks for the help, brother. Who are you?

　An otchan who was fighting at the entrance of the tunnel called out to him.
　Including him, there were seven men involved in the battle. They were all men, some young and some old. They may be hunting the monsters that usually spring up here.

　The equipment itself is crude.
　Iron spears and swords. The armor is good as long as it has an iron breastplate, and it seems to be mostly made of leather.
　Well, I don't have any armor at all, so I'm not really qualified to speak for others.

　But what will I say?
　Well.
　Oh, I had an answer for a situation like this.

"The Knights. Knights of Artemis.

'A knight?　Are you a knight?　You.

Oh, no. I'm the owner. The knights are running a little late.

?

　It was not tight at all.
　Smugly, I was embarrassed to say knights and all that!