When the rest was over, three hours had already passed since the mission began. Felinella and her team's mission accomplishment rate was about thirty percent.

　Of course, it took a long time to reach the area to be investigated, so from here on out, the mission is practically a full-fledged one.

We're on track to make progress at about the same speed. "We're on track to reach the target area, so we'll have to be careful.

　The Association's preliminary survey did not capture every detail. Even so, they haven't investigated the internal structure in detail, as it won't exceed the size of the deposit after all.
　

　Ferrinella again reminds us and looks down at the map.

''Even so, it's complicated. There are a lot of similar forks in the road and not much in the way of features like this.'

　Even the place where we rested just now is the periphery of the perimeter, which is why we know there is no other way out. However, as soon as we started moving, we found the same room 《pocket》 as before.
　A few dead-end side holes, a meaningless space that looks like a flask on its side.

　In addition, the presence of mithril, whose light intensity changes, muddies our thoughts even more. Without a map, we don't even know where we're headed. The brilliance of these enchanted treasures also disrupts your sense of direction.

　I'm not sure how much to trust the detection system of magic in this situation.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one. As for the maze to lead humans astray, that's exactly what it's designed to do.

　Every time she moved deeper into it, the memories of the path she had taken to get here seemed to fuel her anxiety. I pulled back my hair while I could still see the path. But even so, the reason why we are able to proceed like this without hesitation is because we have friends.
　I'm not going to go alone, even if I'm asked to," said Felinella with a firm determination.

"This is the tenth fork in the road, isn't it?

　Stopping at an impending crossroads, Seniat, who was in the center of the squad, wrinkled his brow in thought. He immediately shook his head, but the words that were spun as he did so were, "I don't know the way I came anymore.

'I'm not sure I'm ready for this either.'
There's no point in devoting your thoughts to something that's impossible to begin with.

　Three forks appeared in front of the squad.
　With an anxious voice, Felinella checked the map again.
　The split phase was issued by Illumina. She stood in each of the passages, her eyes peering ahead. It's a good idea to have a hand on the wall of what appears to be a mithril and let the magic flow through it.

　If the minerals are close to each other, the mithril, which has a high conductivity, will transmit magic power to each other and illuminate the depths.
　The glow of the gradual lighting - the pale magical light disperses the darkness.

　Following Illumina's example, the boys also stopped by the two remaining passages.

''I wonder which one is the right path?'' You can find a lot of people who have a lot of questions to ask, and the boys don't have the answers to the questions we exchanged. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　But--.

I see~
What do you need, Feri?
Yeah. We haven't explored it yet, but I think it's connected to something else. So it's not just one particular room, like the pocket, like before.

　That is as it should be. The association's investigation was limited to only a few routes.

'So you're telling me where this fork in the road leads to, or that it could be a dead end?
Mr. Seniat, you're half right. Look at this.

　She said and showed the map to Seniat, who was closest to her.
　With her face close to his, Ferrinella pointed out the current location to her as she peered in.

　Nothing is unexplored, but not everything towards the back is a blank slate. Just because the path to reach it was not written down like a bugbear, it gave a general idea of what to expect.
　The preliminary exploration must have reached the point where Felinella and the others were headed from a different route.

''Going straight or turning right? Considering that this is the end of the road, the right side will probably lead to a room like the one we saw earlier, right?
Yes.

　Once the meeting was interrupted, Illumina, who had been looking at the direct route, returned.

'I think it's a hit. From what I've seen, it's almost a straight line.
So there's a problem with both sides.

　Felinella turned her attention to the passages on either side of the problem and then looked alternately at Illumina and Seniat, as if seeking their opinions.
　The problem was the need for exploration. Felinella and the others are exploring the right-hand end of the deposit once they enter it. The other troops are given a mapping route to the interior and the opposite end and each of them is given a mapping route.

　Naturally, there are many things that cannot be discovered in advance.
　This is the case, for example, when there are side roads in unexplored compartments, such as this one. Even if it was just a pathway that led to somewhere, it was still necessary to write it down.

　Even if it is left to other units, there may be a leak in exploration.
　Likewise, Illumina also looked down at the map and covered her mouth to think about it.

'Surely this means we'll have to come back. 'How much time do we have?'
'It's not impossible to adjust, but you never know where you'll get your time. Of course I do have some extra time in case of an emergency.
'It's up to you to decide, Felli. Wasting time worrying about it is just a waste of time.
"Right. We'll just keep going straight on. The passage on the right is probably a dead end, so we can check it out on the way back. The one on the left might be explored by another unit. Maybe the 4th Wizarding Academy's troops will come through. There's a point ahead where we can meet up with them, but if we're lucky, we'll be able to check each other out there.

　No objections were raised to Felinella's proposal. All of them, including the male students, nodded their heads.

　It was also reported that there were no enemy shadows in the area visible by the boys who were checking the passages on either side.
　When they were in agreement, Seniat clasped his hands together vigorously.

''It's unanimous. Then let's go. Yeah, it's the most reasonable thing to do.''
We can arrange our time. We need to meet up and exchange information.

　In addition to Seniat, Illumina voiced her agreement.
　With any luck, he said, but Felinella felt that the information that would be brought by the actual joining of the other units was essential. At least what kind of situation the other troops were in, or at least what the possible unexpected had happened.
　Had Kalia's warning become a reality?

　That confirmation was also necessary for the continuation of the mission.
　The worst-case scenario that Ferrinella could think of was if an emergency had already occurred that was too much for the students to handle. He could be left behind inside the deposit without being able to share that information.

　From a remote position, though, there is no way to communicate with other units, so it's inevitable.
　This mithril, no matter how high the conductivity of magic power is and how strongly it emits light in response to magic power, there is no proof that it will be useful for measuring the battle and distance of other units.

''And shall we change the formation a bit?''

　It was Felinella who suggested it, and we all soon understood why.
　The reason was that the passage we were about to take was narrower than the one we had been on. The frontage is wide, but the road is narrower as it tapers to the back. The width is only wide enough for two people to pass through, and the high ceiling was lowered in places by the rocky surface that was knotted. There is also a sense of pressure that you might hit your head if you are gingerly.

　With Illumina at the front and Seniat at the tail, Ferrinella is mainly second from the back.
　Although they were in a single row, they were slightly off to the left and right to allow each of them to have a clear view.

　We started walking, and it wasn't long after that.
　There was still a long way to go, and there was no wide open space for an exit within sight. There was no wide open space within sight, but there was no fork in the road.

　Seniat put Ferrinella at the edge of his vision and shook his head from time to time, making it difficult to see what was ahead. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you.
　As far as I could see from head to head, he seemed to be okay for the most part. While being concerned about the back, but still being the rear guard and dealing with defensive magic, Seniat is also given the task of deploying magic immediately if the situation arises.

　But just after confirming that there is nothing behind him, and returning his face to the front - suddenly there is a sound like a clattering sound, like a hard object hitting the ground.
　Seniat was deviously quick to notice it. Immediately, his body tensed up and his nerves were forced to sharpen.

　An irregular sound that gradually approaches to stir up a sense of frustration.
　Kacha-kacha-kacha-kacha-kacha--.
　No one, including Ferinella, noticed it earlier than Seniat, and even Ferinella noticed it a beat later.

　Before she had time to stop, Seniat turned back toward the sound, "What?" she let out a tight scream from her throat. The source of the sound, which he had thought was ahead, was unexpectedly behind him.
　He should have confirmed that there was nothing there just a moment ago. Maybe it was because of the echoes, or maybe it was because I was paying too much attention to the front.

　Either way, Seniat turned around as soon as he noticed, and his face instantly went pale.
　Seniat turned around as if he was being hurried, it was a figure worthy of the name of the deformity, and it was approaching the troops with a tremendous spit.

''Hiiii!!!!!