◇ ◇ ◇

　--quiet.

　The hearing developed in the outside world is able to distinguish between various sounds and--especially odd sounds. Strange noises that blend in with the sounds we can produce in the outside world. It's information that can be very useful in quickly capturing the enemy.
　But inside the deposit, those odd-shaped traces were lurking. Even though I know they're there, the sound of a dive hides the presence of a monster.

　After entering the interior of the deposit, Ars and the others were running with the force of water pouring in on their way downstairs.
　The silence that all of them must have felt.
　With a speed of march that could be called a forced march, the group sprinted through the interior of the deposit without getting lost.

　All that could be heard was the echoing sound of their own footsteps.

　However, those with keen senses had certainly detected their presence. On the way downstairs, a peculiar sign of the demon's peculiar presence is faintly sniffing at the stirred up magic power.
　It's not just some random fish, but a stream of magic power that doesn't even try to hide seems to be leading them downstairs.

　A place to hope for. There is no such thing as an approximate rule for Ars and others who march so fiercely that they even feel such a will. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

　A beast type demon. It is an individual that is considered to be a high level species of 【Dare Wolf】. The threat level is C-rated. As soon as he made the instantaneous decision, it was Ars, who held his hand to AWR at the front of the line - but the silver-haired girl passed by his immediate side at a terrific speed.

　Loki used [Force] only on his legs for one step, and instantly used the wall surface to close in on the demon.

　There are three sounds of kicking the wall surface. Immediately after the faintly distinguishable continuous sounds, a 【Gekka】 with a white silver blade pierces the head.
　A moment later, an electric shock that burns the demon from within the body ran through.

　Even the time to react to the encounter head was not given to the demon, and it was promptly reaped.
　Even the demon had finished the process from beginning to end faster than she could perceive what had happened to her.
　She didn't slow down her troops and danced back to the lead group.


　Although it was originally black in color, the demon that had been burnt by the blitz had begun to turn into dust, both the head and the detached body. However, it doesn't care about that, it is flung away by the Karginis team that was running next, as if it were a mosquito.
　In the process of hitting the wall surface violently and falling down without force, the demon completely disappeared into dust.

　Despite the non-reaction of the surroundings, Ars decided to open his mouth, although he was a little lost. It was a natural consideration for a magician here, but he couldn't ignore it because he could see how much she cared.

'You're very crafty,'
It's no problem. More importantly, Al, focus only on the target. I'll take care of the small fry.

　The dewdrop that he voluntarily took on in order not to burden Ars with it. Loki thinks about it. It's almost as if he hasn't taken a rest, a rest, since he left with Tesfia and Alice until now.
　Normally, Ars wouldn't feel tired from that level of rest, but it's different now.

　Just the fact that they don't know the cause of the dis-ease that's happening to Ars is a big deal to Loki. The hope he had hoped for himself not long ago. Now, he was able to recognize again where it was. Life for him.........
　It's not such a great self-sacrifice. In sharing time with Ars, this life is no longer as light as it once was. The time we've spent, the walls we've crossed over have given weight to life.......to the point where I feel it's a shame.

　That's why I do my best to do what I can, one by one.

　Loki's reply was really curt. Her face was stern, not allowing her to relax even for a moment, long before she entered the mineral deposit.
　However, an ailing Ars himself softly warned Loki, "You're putting too much effort into this.

'You're putting too much effort into this. You're welcome to do what you always do.'
''........I'm fine. I have plenty of strength and magic power.

　Loki looked at Ars with a sideways glance for a moment, keeping his eyes straight in the direction of travel. Even though he knew it himself, he couldn't nod honestly.
　That would be like flogging a sick man to work for nothing. It is natural to consider giving him as little trouble as possible.

　Of course, it was understandable that he would be concerned about making a trivial mistake. This is the outside world, and it's an unknown deposit.

　--I will never make a single mistake.

　Inwardly, Loki's reply was meaningless, as if to imprint directly on his heart.


　The group arrived at the passageway leading to the downstairs as if they were sucked in, as if they had been used to going through it many times.
　Ars also can be said to have consumed almost no energy on the road to this point.

　-- Even if you estimate at least, the amount of magic power is 80 percent........ There are no obstacles to movement.

　It's not perfect, but that doesn't mean that there is any abnormality that Loki is worried about at this stage.
　It's true that it's difficult to perceive your own magic power.
　Normally, accurately calculating the amount of magic power remaining would be as easy as moving a finger. It's just a little hazy now.

　From here, Felinella and the others descended downstairs.

　A huge hole that was not even a path. A little cave had been created in the deposit, which seemed to lead to the cauldron of hell.
　And even before you descend, you can smell a strong, nauseating magic that makes you want to throw up.

　It's difficult to walk, and the pebbles that someone has kicked away are falling with a clickety-clack echo. The foothold is so bad that if you're not careful, you're likely to lose your footing.

''It's a complete monster anagura.

　The first thing that comes out of my mind when I go downstairs. The inside of the deposit, its basement, is exactly like an ant nest, and I guess you could call it an underground maze.
　The influence of mithril, or the dense magical power can be felt everywhere. The structure is perfect for demons.

　The first thing I do on the new floor is to understand the situation.
　As is my usual habit, I glance at Loki, but her magic sonar-based detection is not expected to be effective enough, even if it is inside the deposit.
　Arrus, who had arrived quickly, turned to the experts in that line of thought, but sooner than that, Exeles, the vice captain of Fanon's squad and the first in line of exploration, was walking up to her at a brisk pace.

　Of course, she must have succeeded in detecting it, because half of her face is wriggling with bruises forming a pattern.

'Ars-sama, after all, the big reaction is still moving inside, but there is no indication that it has moved between the various levels. It's just that........there are foreign objects that we couldn't detect from the outside.......

　Exeles drops her dark face to the ground as it filters through her feet. The bruises on her face become even darker, staining her face. Then suddenly she suddenly released her abilities.
　Fanon peered at Exeles' face and inserted with the intention of turning her consciousness towards us, "What did you sense?".

　Yes, Exeles had stopped moving, albeit slightly, to the extent that it was obvious to everyone. It's as if her heart was plucked out.

''Yes, yes ... I'll be blunt. We've been traced.
"--!　What, what do you mean? Are you saying there are other wizards out there?

　Fanon's abrupt dialogue was a promising sign that Ordwise was alive and well.
　But both Ars and Loki understood what Exeles meant when he shook his head.

'As Master Fanon knows, that's not going to happen. It's called tracing, but this is not the same thing as detection magic. Perhaps, but as far as I know, the only mage capable of reverse detection is Master Ars.

　Arus was forced to join in when he received Fanon's unexpected look.

'It's not so much an established technology as a tracer. It's because they are attuned to the opponent's magic and magical power. If you say so, isn't Exeles-san more adept at tracing?

　Of course, such a technology is similar to magic manipulation, and the reason why Exeles thinks that Ars can do it is probably related to her unusual abilities.


　When it comes to tracing - in other words, finding out the location of the detector, Exeles' ability is exactly the right one. Perhaps the reason she had mentioned Ars as a candidate was because some information had been extracted during the meeting. No, it should be more of a skin sensation thing.
　Essentially, what tracing means is entrainment. It is possible to perceive with agile senses from the traces of magic power.

'Of course, I'm talking about possibilities. I solved it in the middle of the day, so the exact location and number of people on the other side should not be known to the other side.
Anything else?

　Exeles was thrown into a daze by the verbal question that could be taken as a pursuit of Ars, but

There is no noticeable change in the response so far. But with the amount of mithril we're getting, it's not like we're going to get any better accuracy just because it's internal.

　The words were spun while looking at the other party.
　However, Ars's reaction, which Exeles had expected, was oblique.

''It's a quintessential accuracy. Normally, with mithril all over the place, it would be difficult to detect them.

　It's a good idea to have a clever coloration of the upper side of the word, separated from the thought.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　The reason for this is the existence of the engraving on Loki. It is clear that it contains a magical element because it is very similar to the magic formula. If that's the case, if Loki uses magic power and composes magic, it should certainly respond.

　If the curse that [World Serpent "Jormungand"] placed on Loki to detect him, he should aim for the perfect place, the outside world. One of the reasons Arus allowed Loki to accompany him was because he thought the mithril inside the deposit would work well as camouflage.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them, but if you're not able to detect ExCeles' detection inside, there will be almost no traces of it, even if you used your magic.
　In other words, as long as he was inside the deposit, Loki was temporarily released from his spell.

　It was a big deal for Ars to have resolved the concerns that he wanted to destroy first and foremost. He was close to half-convinced, though, since he knew the effects of the mineral called mithril, which was a known influence.
　Anyway, it felt like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders.


　There are still problems left, but I understand the pointlessness of discussing them here, so Ilyce crosses his arms and snatches the topic away from his age.

'It's no use thinking about it. Lurking down there are first class monsters. I think it's best to hang on to it by heart. The only thing to do, Ars, is to destroy the demons here. They are much stronger than we could ever hope to be.
You will. If you use your magic, it will eventually go down the tubes.

　As they all tried to head downstairs, Exeles was the only one who felt an itch that he couldn't verbalize well.
　Interference with her abilities was difficult and terribly uncertain to convey in words. Even what she usually sensed in her demon counterparts would not be shared.

　The feeling this time is more fuzzy, because it's unrealistic to say that she can feel it.

　-- that was a noise mixed with a thought-like noise.

　What this means, not even she knows that much. It's just that it's a feeling unlike any other I've ever felt. More to the point, in terms of the quality I've felt so far.....

　--You're going to be able to find out what you're looking for. Telling you this kind of thing would do a hundred harm.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. You can't stop everyone.