I thought I was going to die...
I'd be dead if it wasn't for my husbands...
And thanks to Miss Krim.

　Ted and the triplets slumped in the back hidden room and said, "We'll have to wait until the gargoyles don't show up anymore.
　This was after I had thoroughly cleaned them out until the gargoyles no longer appeared.
　Ted and the others were under Krim's recovery spell.
　They had been lightly wounded during the gargoyle's first surprise attack. I had informed them of the existence of the trap beforehand, but the number of appearances was far greater than they had imagined, and all three of them were too panicked to deal with it properly.

'It's just an old lady. I hate flattery.

　Crim, who has cured Mud completely with magic, gives him one last slap on the back with a bashin.
　Mudd shrugs in response to the unreserved slap, "That's not really how it works...
　After this, it's time for them to enjoy rummaging through the untouched "magic items," but all three of them are listless. When we raided the first hidden room, they were so elated.

What's the matter?
'No, I was reflecting that I should have listened to Mr. Magnus when he warned me properly that there was a trap.
It's auspicious. So what do we do?　According to this map, though, there are two more hidden rooms left by the sixth level. The one with a trap.
No, no, no, no, no!　Let's go find old Ramsey!
I suppose it's not so dangerous when me and Krim are with you, is it?
We don't want to sit on your back and beg for a handout, do we?

　And the triplets offered that they would decline to share this excavation with me and Krim alone.
　They may be good-natured, but they have the decency to reflect on what they've done, and above all, they're serious and naive. I don't hate these people. In fact, it's people like this that I even wish would be happy.

I understand. But we'll split this stuff up among the five of us, and then I'll tell you what to do. And then I'll give priority to my own situation. Are you okay with that?
I don't mind.
Mr. Magnus Mr. Crim.........
You're too nice!
We were worried that we were losing money, you know?
It's okay.

　Crim said crisply to the triplets who were worried about him.

If you only want to benefit from one person, there is something wrong with you. But sharing the benefits with others is a good way to live.

　These are the words of a woman who has lived for more than sixty years, with implications. I also felt more than a little of that.

　　　　◇◆◇◇◇◇◇◇.

　We descended more and more into the lower levels of the Tabla ruins.
　Up to the sixth level, the adventurers had roughly scavenged the area, and the magical creatures had been exterminated, so there was no danger at all along the way. It's just a hassle to find the downward spiral staircase with the help of a map.

'Ramsey is probably aiming for the eighth level,'

　That's according to Krim.

　We finally descended to the seventh level, where it was not secure.
　The view of the old magical empire style city is exactly the same as before.
　But from here on out, it's a dangerous area full of magical creatures that will never stop wandering around, hoping to get rid of the intruders.

　As soon as we stepped out of the tower that connects the six levels, we immediately encountered the guardians.
　They are the Iron Golems of the three body groups. They were on level 11.
　The triplets were instantly spooked, but I crushed them with a blow from Stone IV.

"Magnus-san is not afraid of anything...?
'No, I have. I really don't want to be surrounded by numbers.
"!　Then we'll be on the lookout for you at all times!
Thank you. You got it.
Leave it to me. We're very good at that.
You're too chickenshit to do anything about it.
Haha, that one's taken.
"Crim's old lady's a hard-ass!

　And so on, and so on, but only at first we were laughing.
　Ted, Rudd, and Mad quickly turn serious and then they form a triangle formation around me and Crim to alert the others.
　They're a serious bunch at heart, and I guess they're thinking, "I gotta show my man here, what's the point of the party?
　I looked at their fearless profile and was convinced that they were men worth believing.

　Since we're not here to excavate, we head straight for the stairs that lead down to the eighth level.
　Map in hand, we walked down the stairs.
　Along the way, we were attacked several times by many different kinds of Guardians, but I kicked them all away with my magic.
　Ted and the others were able to detect and report their approach early on, so we were able to strike first before they surrounded us.
　We also encountered magical creatures classified as imitators - which mimic trees, the ground, house walls, etc., and ambush us and attack us out of the blue - and although there were times when Ted and others were wounded by surprise, we were able to With Krim's recovery magic, we weren't afraid.

　We came here and proceeded as one party and broke through the seventh level without any danger.
　We successfully found the spiral staircase to the bottom and finally arrived at our objective of the eighth level.

'The map is useless from here,'
Somewhere in this big city, there must be a Mr. Ramsey, right?
"Let's do it in a flash!
By the way, that man is unusually good at hinting at presence and footsteps.
Hmm. After all, we're legendary in the world of antiquities hunting.
Okay. Let's get fired up so we don't miss anything, just in case.
All right, brother!　And be on the lookout for monsters!

　While sharing awareness once again, we finally parade through the town on the eighth level.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has the ability to make a living.
　I'm not a fan of the Stone type magic, which is often effective against magical creatures made of minerals and metals and has striking attributes, but rather the fire type with its loud explosive sounds and flashes.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.
　Since Guardians never fight each other, hearing the sound of battle was a sign that other adventurers were nearby.

　However, a side effect of the flashy fighting style is that the Guardians in the vicinity will sense your presence and invite you to join them.
　It's a vicious cycle of intensifying battles and attracting even more Guardians.
　It's a critical moment.
　I made up my mind, cast spells in rapid succession and increased the speed with which I could sweep the enemy.
　Krim also made a skilled decision, sparing no MP and keeping the triplets and gladius buffed up at all times.
　That was a good thing, and we were able to adapt easily to the intensifying battle.
　No, I thought we had done it.

''That's as good as Magnus-san and Crim's old lady!　There's nothing to be afraid of!

　Lad, the most well-mannered of the triplets, shouted out a pleasant cry.

　It was right then that I heard the strange footsteps.

　Incredibly heavy footsteps. And yet, it's chiggy, stepping in a light rhythm.
　I'm convinced that this is what is approaching.

　It was a golem nearly five meters tall, made entirely of silver.
　However, this is no ordinary silver golem.
　The lower half of its body was shaped in a way that closely resembled a horse.
　On the other hand, if it was a real horse, a silver statue that closely resembled a human's upper body would grow out from the area where the neck was extended. There are three of them.
　The upper half of the three statues has a different face shape from each other, the middle one is an old man holding a staff, the right one is a young man holding a large sword with both hands, and the left one is a maiden holding a spear and shield.
　It is truly a guardian of heresy.
　In spite of its figure, it runs nimbly like a real horse.
　It runs straight down the street of the house we're in, with its huge body!

Get out of the way!

　If we don't, we'll be trampled and kicked around by a giant horseshoe.
　We hurriedly spread out to the edge of the street.

　Three bodies in one - or is it four bodies in one, if you count the lower half of the horse's body, too? -- the Silver Goreme just ran through and disintegrated our ranks.
　Then, as we ran to the four streets, he made a U-turn and still rushed at me.
　The upper body in the form of an old man shoots an electric shot from his staff and shoots me.
　The upper body in the form of a young man swings a large sword at Krim.
　The upper half of me in maiden form cleaves Ted and the others together.

With superior magic resistance and the Guardian Angel's Ring, I was only slightly injured by the blitz.
　But Krim's evasion was just barely possible, and I stepped on a tatara and was knocked over.
　The triplets were blown up together and somehow survived.

'Gladius!'

　I let my new partner (Mk-II) concentrate on dealing with that Silver Golem.
　Gradius stands up to the four-legged Guardian, and with his thick body, he takes on the enemy's rush.
　That's great!
　If compared to this Silver Golem with its five-meter tall massive body, the three-meter tall Gladius was a small soldier. In spite of that, the Bazel's Bazel's respectfully made Mithril Golem was neither hit nor defeated by force.

　Our trusty partner is holding them off, and in this reprieve, we must regain our poise.
　What should we tell them to do first?　I turned my head fast.
　But - quickly, I heard a voice from somewhere.

"Over here!　Come on, come on, come on, come on!　Quickly!

　It was the voice of an old man who looked out of an upstairs window of a nearby house.
　He was beckoning to us, and he was the one I was looking for.
　It was Ramsey, the man I was looking for.