The pathway looked as if it had been used with an excavator. The path was rough, but wide enough for a person to pass through. The ground was rough, but it prevented it from slipping.
　As they approached the exit where a faint light shone in, Felinella and Illumina lined up their faces in astonishment.

''My God...''

　A chill that gave me goosebumps swept over my body. The area they had been investigating was above ground, but this deposit also existed underground. Now, it was clear.
　What surprised Felinella more than anything else was that this underground section was even wider than the upper floor, and was a labyrinth. It wasn't inherently strange that the basement itself was there. However, if it leads to a dead-end room in the form of a descent into a dead-end room.......yes, that's enough of an area to consider.

　However, if it's much larger than the place we laboriously investigated on the upper floor, it's understandable that we would be astonished. The tip of the iceberg, what percentage of the entire area had been surveyed? Could it be that the labyrinth above was only a small part of this huge deposit?

　If there was an underground level in addition to the upper floors, then yes, Kalia's warnings would all fit together.
　The fact that the number of demons that should have been reduced after the association had completed its investigation had increased.
　That the geologists disagreed with each other. At least it added a rational basis to the concerns presented by the opposition in Rusarka.

　The underground level was a huge passage, four meters high. It was an area suitable for giants........no, demons to live in.

　A dense space. The damp air caught in the throat area, and it was not a comfortable place to be.
　The faintly glowing mithril that illuminated the surroundings had a suspicious glow that was nothing compared to the upper floor. The way it glowed with a bobbing light seemed to put you into a kind of trance if you stared at it.

　They each shook their heads and brought the path that stretched out on either side into view. The three of us emerged from the middle of a single road. They looked to the left and right and looked again at the road they had come out from. It's not the original path, as I suspected, but rather the path that had been vacated by something or other.

　The three of us were puzzled, but there was no time to think and no time to be surprised.

　Faint, continuous, wild footsteps echoed from the left road. It was easy to imagine that it was a frantic ride, as if they were being driven. Despite the unseen distance, I could almost hear the desperate breathing for oxygen.

'Let's hurry up!

　Felinella and Illumina nodded back. The three of them ran without hesitation towards the bottom of the scream.


　Soon after, it shows a thin shadow of a person in the three of them' vision. A familiar artificial garment. They are nothing more than equipment for protection, to exterminate demons.
　The first thing that appeared in my field of vision was a trooper from the Fourth Magical Academy who was running as if dragging an injured person from both sides.

　A male student was holding both sides of the injured female student. From her limp appearance, she seems to have difficulty even opening her eyes.
　Two male students are holding their weapons while retreating from behind them. They are taking a stance while slowly backing away. Even with a cursory glance, it was clear that they were on the run.

''A total of five people. It seems to be the Fourth Magical Academy and that's it for sure!

　Faster than they could hear Illumina's explanation of the situation, Kalia and Felinella started to move. With their rapier-type AWRs at the ready and two pairs of short spears at the ready, the two ran at full speedーーas if to condense their leg power in that moment.

　The demon that the 4th Magic Academy was currently facing, the demon that was approaching from behind was wielding a deadly blade.


　◇ ◇ ◇


　No one in the Fourth Academy of Magic had expected the presence of demons chasing away their prey. It was only a few minutes ago that they all held a hurried meeting in front of the inexplicable terrain.

　The omission of the map, and the possibility of it, was a mistake in the first place to attempt to investigate as much as possible.
　There was not the slightest bit of evil thinking about taking credit for it. He merely felt the need to investigate.
　There must have been some pride, some........

　The Fourth Wizarding Academy woke up the sleeping monster, drawing its ire.
　For a moment during the encounter, it happened just as soon as it put the demon's presence into view. It was only a single thrust, a hole in the belly of the schoolgirl who was at the very back of the room.

　They all realized in an instant that they were going to be killed. They were going to be killed.
　We didn't need time or thought to realize that. Reality told us so. A moment in less than a second reveals everything inexorably. Because none of them were able to recognize that the schoolgirls were attacked.

　The companions had fallen suddenly with a buzz, and that was enough for them to understand.
　The difference in strength between him and me, the meaning of the fight, was not seen. It was even the equivalent of throwing oneself off a precipice.

　''Run!'' It was almost a miracle that he, the captain, was finally able to shout out, "I'm so proud of you!
　Just looking at it was like having your heart grabbed in your hands. A body like a scorpion would be over three meters long.

　The only difference between it and the Scorpion was its eerie upper body.
　It had arthropods' distinctive countless legs, each one as sharp as a nail. The torso is supported by its legs, and at the end of the torso is an articulated tail with needles, of course.
　The upper part of the body is human-like, but the figure is nothing more than a monster. The very pollyanna-like head spoke for itself. The horns that extend forward from the left and right like a sense of touch are monstrous.

　A total of four arms sprouting from both arms and both shoulders were like sharp lances. They were arms that specialized in stabbing.
　In general, that demon is a half-man, half-poison. It is a demon classified as a [multi-legged demon]. In terms of shape, it can certainly be classified. However, depending on how you look at it, it looks like a bug evolved.

　If you move one of your legs, a series of grating sounds can be heard. It's not as pleasant as the rubbing of a leaf, but the sound of a leg scraping and hitting the ground, a series of small sounds that are disgusting. It was a sickening feeling, as if a bug had entered my ears.

　He was a male student who served as a lord in front of a demon that he could look up at, but the will to fight did not already exist for him. Still, he deserved praise just for not being the first to run away.
　The two of them are facing a demon just to get the injured student to escape. It wasn't out of willpower or pride. They were merely doing so out of role. Therefore, they are probably still grabbing their weapons, knowing they are no match for them, and making their feet, which are trying to escape, listen to what they say.

　But the conclusion is that nothing has changed. They are just waiting for their deaths, which have been confirmed even before they fight. It's too late to run away.
　Perhaps it was the pride of being a man, but the two of them waited for death without giving in to fear.

　The two arms of the demons lifted slightly. They didn't even recognize the act of raising them. The only thing they could vaguely tell was that death was approaching. Because even the sensation of their magic power traveling through the AWR had been driven into oblivion.

　It's strange, but it's difficult for humans to resist true death. The fear of death disturbs the body more than we realize. It is one thing for the body to become rigid, as if it has accepted death. It was as if it knew it was going to die and even became rigid after death beforehand.

　The demon's arms were aimed at each of the two men of the Lord.
　But for a moment as they just wait for death, two shadows appear in their vision. There were those who boldly attacked the two arms, aiming at the two arms, from head-on.