The area that was attacked by this fiendish beast called Salamandra was the very center of the Mithril Mine.

　It was hard to see it because it was in the distant view when I discovered it, but after running a lot to reach the area like this, I could understand the horrific damage it had caused.

It's all burnt to a crisp...!

　Everything that had been built on the surface to operate the mine had collapsed to black rubble.
　The area around us still looked like a scorching hot hell, thanks to the residual heat from the remains of the fire.
　Sweat erupted from all over my body from the heat.

''Are there any survivors...?''
This is impossible, isn't it? Not with this mess...!

　I know what Sesha-san wants to say.

　By the time I got here, I saw several human-shaped charcoals lying on the side of the road.

　Cinders that retained their human shape.
　Perhaps because it had lost moisture, it was originally about the size of a grown man, but now it had shrunk to the size of a child.
　But his entire body was black, and it was impossible to discern his original face shape.

　We wanted to give him a hospitable burial right away, but our priority was still to find the survivors.
　I should have searched for the living first, but I still couldn't find any of them.

''No way........?
''That is such a raging fire, that it is...!　I didn't want to think about it, but...!

　Zero survivors..........?

　As that worst possible conclusion crossed my mind, I also saw the faces of the many people working here.
　It's been more than a year since the Mithril Mine has been run by the human race.
　It has been more than a year since the Mithril mine was taken over by the human race, and he has made many acquaintances.

　It was hard to imagine those people gone.

'Dariel-san!　Dariel-san!

　Just as I was being assaulted by my worst imaginings, Radie came running in.

'Come here, come here!
What's going on?

　Are you a survivor?　I headed for it with the sudden expectation that I would be able to find the entrance to the mine.
　We found ourselves at the entrance to a tunnel.

　This is the entrance to a tunnel, a work passage through which a hole had been dug deep into the ground to extract the ore.

　But this entrance to the tunnel....

It's blocked up...?

　A large rock stood in front of us like a lid, blocking the entrance to the tunnel, which allowed us to get in and out of it.

　It would be impossible to enter the tunnel, and those inside would not be able to get out, either.

"The gap is carefully covered with earth and sand and it's blocked up tightly...?
It's hard to imagine that such a thorough blockade could have happened naturally.

　Mr. Alanziel had also rushed to the scene.
　All of their attention was now focused on this rock door.

'The tunnels are artificial caves, so to speak. 'A tunnel is a man-made cave, so to speak, not a fortress, but doesn't it seem like an excellent place to take shelter in the event of something unusual happening?
"If you had sealed off the entrance this tight, you could have shut out the flames of the Fiendish Beast.
But if it's too tightly sealed, there's a risk that fresh air isn't coming in either.

　If there is someone on the other side, they are in danger of suffocation if they don't hurry.

Do you have any idea how to move this big rock?
Even the fire of the monster was stopped. But with this brave man's secret technique...?

　Aranziel-san swings his signature weapon, the stick, wide.
　I followed suit and raised my Hermes sword in sword form.

''The 'Great Emperor Splitting Sky'!

　Two huge aura slashes are unleashed at the same time.
　The two huge aura slashes released at the same time, the cutting and destructive power of which even Oiwa couldn't withstand, and it was ripped into two pieces, then into two pieces again, then into four pieces and scattered.



　The shattering of the fragments, which seemed to be an explosion, agitated Radey and the others who were watching nearby.
　Sorry for doing it so suddenly.

　But thanks to this, a large rock is completely shattered, revealing a hole in the tunnel with a gaping mouth.

''Now, I hope there's someone inside in this...?

　If not, judging from the burnt-out landscape outside, it's safe to say that this time it's hopeless for survivors.
　The rescue team must go on with their somber work as a corpse recovery team.

　But..........

'Oi, oi!'

　Did you hear that?　You hear that?
　I think I hear something human coming from deep in the mines!

　If I looked closely, I could also see a single red light in the darkness at the back.

　That was definitely Kantera's light.

'Yes!'

　I shouted to myself.
　A large number of knockers and a few humans emerged from the depths of the tunnels.

''Mr. Bestfred!''

　He was a cadre class sent by the Center Guild and was also in charge of the operations of the Mithril Mine here.
　I've known him since my first visit here a year ago.

　It was about time I was familiar with him, so I'm really glad he's survived.

''Chief Dariel...!　I knew you would come to help me...!

　Mr. Bestfred came out of the mine covered in soot, and seemed to be out of breath.

"Dariel-sama!
"I knew it was Dariel-sama that came to save us!

　The subhuman knockers in the mine were delighted.
　The sub-race knockers living in the mine were delighted to see that they had survived the threat to their lives.

Thank God!　No, when I saw the burned-out area on the ground, I didn't think there was anyone left alive...!
"Knocker-kun and the others were the first to detect the danger. Most of the guild staff and workers on the ground were able to escape into the tunnels.

　Mr. Best Fred and the knockers, shoulder to shoulder, show their unity.

''I love you Oya-bin because you're so kind!
"Next to Dariel-sama, I trust you!

　When did you two become such good friends?
　Well, after a year of working together, of course, right?

I was so surprised. A giant monster appears out of the sky!　If the evacuation had been delayed a little longer, we would definitely have been wiped out.

　However, by the time the flame monster Salamandra appeared, the non-combatants had been evacuated and the entrance to the tunnels was sealed off with the trick we had prepared in advance, and we managed to fortify our defense.

''It's a relief that we made preparations for the emergency...!

　In fact, it was because the tunnel was sealed off that the flame monster beasts were unable to attack deeper into it.
　All they had to do was activate the trap and a large rock would fall in front of the doorway, and the trick of sealing off the tunnel was very effective.

"There are a few adventurers left on the ground as defenders, saying they were going to fight demons... Dariel, have you seen anything like that?
..........

　All I could think of was the charred bodies I'd seen before I came here.

　Even though it was my job to fight the threat of the mines, what would be the point of bravery?
　If they knew at first glance that they were an opponent they couldn't win against, they should have run away without wavering in their judgment.

'But I'm really glad that everyone survived. The worst was avoided.
Yeah, but...

　Best Fred, the guild executive, went to the ground and looked around at the scorched earth's surface.
　With an expression of desolation.

''........Everything has been burned to the ground. Everything we spent a year building up has been reduced to ashes........''
You're still alive, aren't you?

　As long as you're alive, you can do it all over again.
　So as long as there are survivors, nothing is over and nothing has failed.

There's still a long way to go...!
Well in that case, we need to hurry up with the recovery work above all else!

　Exactly.

"Now, Dariel, I'm going to ask a quick favor of you.
At your service.
Just before the monster attacked, many of our men ran into the tunnels, but in the chaos they were torn apart. They got lost all over the tunnels.
That's a lot of work.

　The tunnels have been dug deep into the ground to extract the ore, creating a maze of branches.
　If an unprepared layman stepped into these tunnels, he would be sure to get lost.

'Now that the danger is over, we should ask the evacuated guild officials to return, but there is a high probability that some of them will not be able to escape on their own.

　They asked Knocker and his team, who are familiar with the tunnel, to search it.

Dariel and the others can come with me into the mine.　Some of the guild staff are still afraid of the knockers and may not listen to their instructions.

　I didn't know someone so delusional still existed.

Let's go.

　It looks like we won't be able to start the full-scale recovery process until Gacita's follow-up team arrives, and we can't just sit around and wait until then.

''I'm going too!　It's a brave man's job to do his best for the people!
'I'm no longer a brave man myself, but if this old body is of any use to me, I'll be glad to work for you.

　Radey and Mr. Arantzill also came forward for the rescue mission.

''With the heroes!　Old heroes?　Why did you come to this place!

　After all this time, Best Fred was surprised.