Well, let's get going.

　After gathering information from the archives, we decided to resume our search.

Mm, we have no choice.

　I don't know if Ramise is still reluctant to back down or not, but her gaze still lingers on the books in the stacks.
　He really is a researcher through and through, isn't he?
　Well, if he wasn't, he wouldn't have jumped into the dangerous ruins on his own.

　We leave the stacks while Riso-san drags Ramise along with him.

There are a lot of books in the stacks that relate to various demons, but there are also a lot of materials on chimeras. And considering the giant chimera we encountered in the courtyard, it would be correct to assume that this ruin was an institution that studied chimeras.

So we may run into the chimera again, as we did before.

　Following Ramise's words, Foca-san looked in the direction of the courtyard with a slightly stronger gaze.
　Church people are very strict about chimeras, you know.
　But chimera research is also useful in the study of magical medicine, so even church officials can't deny it all together.

''It's more than that ... okay, big guy eater, you have to protect your magic bag no matter what!

　Suddenly, Ramise tells me this.
Because my magic bag contained some of the most valuable books (from Ramise's point of view) that I found in this stacks.
　Since Ramise's sack was already filled with material from the giant chimera in the courtyard, it was decided to keep the books and other materials found in the stacks in my sack.
　So, it seems that Rameez is curious about my magic bag.

'This is just a stacks after all, isn't it?

　Roddy muttered as he turned his attention to the hidden wall of the stacks.
　Right after we left the storeroom, the wall jutted out from the side and the door was hidden again.

Indeed, there were many valuable books, but that was only in our time. Perhaps in those days they would have been more commonplace.

　Oh, Mr. Risow and Mr. Roddy, who are not researchers, don't know about that.
　It's not just books in here, is it?

No, it wasn't just books in here. Along with the books, there were a number of materials that were probably the result of research. But unfortunately, most of the research is outside my area of expertise, as there's a lot of jargon I've never heard before, and most of it is difficult to understand. And I think the wall contraption was designed to keep these research findings from being stolen by intruders.

　Yeah, I think Ramies is right too.
　Research results are basically stored in the archives, but they usually get mixed up with the materials we bring in from outside.

　I think this room was originally just for hiding research results.
　But I guess some lazy researchers brought in materials normally, and it became what it is today.

　How do I know this?　Because that's what we were in a previous life!
　I mean, isn't it a hassle to go back and forth between the archives and the stacks all the time?

　Nevertheless, I think the defense of this institute is relatively mild.
　In my previous research lab, they would have been happy to use our newly developed research results as a countermeasure against intruders, instead of talking about some nonsense about hidden rooms.
　Everyone would say that an intruder would be a perfect match for a real-world experiment.
　Huh?　Of course I wished you good-naturedly home.

　◆.

Mm, there are a lot of demons ahead.

　As we were walking back to resume our exploration, Rameez-san stopped everyone.
　I'm sure the search spell has caught the demons' reaction.
　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good deal more than you think.

　It's a good thing that you're able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's true that this is not only a building, but also an underground space.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

"There are several swarms of demons relatively close together. If you fight one of the swarms, there's a chance that other swarms nearby will attack you as reinforcements.

Shall I bypass it?

No, there's a large magical reaction in the back. It's a little annoying to ignore.

　That's what Ramise replied to Lisou-san's suggestion.

''If you're talking about a large magical reaction, is it a magic item powering the ruins, or is it the Lord of the ruins?''

　At my words, Ramise nodded.

'That's very likely. Perhaps, but the demons in the back here are the Guardians guarding it.

Are you guarding something important or...?

Either that or there are undead out there protecting an ancient civilization.

　Lissou-san's words are taken over by Roddy.
　'Undead, that's a living corpse that occurs when the soul of a dead person is not separated from the body for some reason.

'The undead ... do you think they're witless?　Or do you think it's wise?

　Wise and Wisdomless" refers to the rank of the undead.
The undead, which are called "wisdomless", have no brains as far as the word is concerned, so they wander around and attack creatures they see at random to eat them.
Since they are literally moving corpses, they will eventually rot and become zombies, and in the end they will lose their flesh and become skeletons.

And when it weathered down to its bones, it finally became a spirit body called a ghost.
After all, ghosts don't have anything that can be called wisdom either, and they are troublesome beings that blindly attack humans under the influence of their obsession during their lives.
Moreover, since ghosts don't have a body, only energy-based magic, enchanted weapons, and sacred magic can be used, so it's even more troublesome.

　In contrast, the undead called wise undead are literally the undead that have intelligence left.
　Because of their intelligence, they can communicate with each other.

　And perhaps because they have a strong connection to their bodies, their corpses don't rot.
　This is why they are called a symbol of eternal youth because they stay intact for so long, and in the past, there were studies that deliberately turned them into wise undead.
　Well, the church officials were very angry about it.

　And wise undead with strong undead instincts tend to seek blood, and those undead are called vampires, while undead with less instincts and no blood seeking are called rich.
　Therefore, as an undead, the rich, who are not controlled by instincts, are recognized as higher ranking undead.

''If they have no wits, there's a good chance we can wipe them out with the holy magic of a saint, but if they have wits, it's going to be tricky.

　It's no wonder Lissou-san says that.
　Even in the adventures of the great swordsman Reiguard, Reiguard and the others were wiped out by the great magic wielding Rich who was hiding in the ancient ruins.

But if there might be a wise man out there, we need to investigate even more.

We're supposed to be doing our job...

　Lissou-san lets out a sigh at Roddy-san's words.
　That's right, our objective is to investigate this ruin and find out the cause of the large number of demons that have appeared.
　If the existence of dangerous undead exists, it is our job to defeat them.

We have to hope that this is someone who can negotiate with the smartest person in the room.

"Oh, it's an old Reigart story.

Don't mess with me.

　What Roddy said was the end of the fight between Rygaard and Rich earlier.
　Rygaard decided that he couldn't beat the overwhelmingly powerful Rich, so he negotiated his way out of the pinch.
　He was able to placate the furious Rich and offered him something he appreciated as an apology and got the knowledge he sought as a reward.
　And in his triumphant return, Rygaard gained the reputation of being a warrior who not only fights but also turns his wits around.
　From this story, even the country's knights were taught that it's important to stand around and avoid battles that can't be won by warriors.

''Then we will kick the demons out and investigate the source of power. Our goal is to reach our destination, we don't need to force ourselves to take on all the enemies.

So, shall we go, gentlemen?

　Everyone nodded at Foca's words.

　◆

　In order to find out the true nature of the reaction, we decided to force our way through the passage protected by the swarm of demons.
　In order to keep them from getting ready, we unleash our magic from a distance.

''Chase Lightning Lancer!''

"Freezing Lancer!

　As the swarm of lightning and ice spears that me and Rameez-san released disappears into the darkness, the demons' screams rise from the back.

''Next!　Windward Lane!

'Yes!　Thunder arrow call!

　Since you can't see your opponent, you don't think about making sure you hit him.
　What you do here is to unilaterally damage the enemy from a distance.
　Lissou and Roddy deal with the enemies that came in alive.

　The one that came with blood flowing was not a monster, but a chimera.
　Although it is small compared to the chimera in the courtyard, its appearance is still an impossible structure for a natural creature to have.

''Hmph!''

Go!

　The wounded chimera's movements were slow and the two of them slaughtered the chimera without danger.
　And in less than a few minutes, the chimeras stopped moving.

'The demons in the direction of travel no longer responded. I don't see any sign of the reactions waiting elsewhere moving either.''

"Hmm, as we've talked about before, you're being trained not to move out of your own protected territory. But, well, thank goodness for that for us.

'It's handy to have all the mana potions you can use as much as you want, since it's only an emergency request from the guild. It's nice to be able to fire magic continuously without thinking about the consequences.

It also preserves my magical power.

　And Foca, who didn't have to use recovery magic, said.
　But he looks a little disappointed that he didn't get a chance to do so.

''Then let's proceed,''


　You're not going to be able to do that.

　After we got through the battle with the demons, we went beyond the doorway to a large space.

''This is...?''

　And it's not just wide, the ceiling is quite high.
　After all, the magic of the lights couldn't illuminate the ceiling.
　I'm sure it's many times taller than the ceilings in the previous rooms.
　I wonder what in the world they made the ceiling so high for.

　But there is something even more surprising about this room.

This is a research facility for a chimera...

　Just as Rameez had shouted, this room was covered with various equipment.
　And connected to the equipment were cylindrical crystals, and in them slept demons of an unseen shape, or rather chimeras, that I had never seen before.

''Gyuu........''

　The Mohammedan, who had been following behind me, growled at the sight of the chimeras.

　But that wasn't the problem.
　The real problem was that this facility was working.
　The crystal pillar where the chimeras were sleeping glowed faintly, and the equipment to which they were connected emitted a low sound and light.

　And the fact that this facility was running meant that the chimeras inside the crystal pillar were alive.
　If such a large number of chimeras woke up and went outside, there was no doubt that they would be in trouble.

''Does that mean that this facility was the cause of the mass appearance of the demons after all?''

　Mr. Lissou looks around as he increases his vigilance.
　Our purpose is to investigate the ruins, but the ultimate goal is to find out the cause of the mass appearance of the demons as Lisou-san said.

''Everyone, look at that!

　As I was advancing to the back of the room, wary of my surroundings, Foka-san called my attention to the front.

''Is that...?''

　What Foka-san pointed to was a mass of cloth spread out on the floor.

'Is that ... clothes?　

　You'll be able to find out more about the best way to make your life easier.
　But as we approached the clothing, we realized the full extent of it.

"This is the body of an ancient man?

　There was a human corpse lying on the ground.
　The corpse had been slashed from the back with a slice in a kasaya, which seemed to be the direct cause of death.

''No, it's not. This isn't just any corpse. It's the undead.

'What?!'

　Everyone is alarmed by Foca's words.

''Look, the corpse's skin is too fresh. If it was an ancient corpse, it would have been turned to bone or mummified long ago!

　Indeed, if you ask me, you're right.
　This corpse looked like a normal human being, as if it had just died a short while ago.

　But then why is this undead person lying here?
　If this undead is being cut, does that mean someone else is cutting them?
　That's when we all had that question.

'Don't worry. The thing is already dead.

Check....

　The moment we heard a voice from beyond the darkness, we reacted instantly and formed an outward facing circle.

'Don't be so alarmed. And well done, humans who have made it this far.

Who are you?

　As Lisou-san raised her voice, the sound of clattering footsteps could be heard from the back of the facility.
　The one who emerged from the darkness was a man with brown skin, silver hair, and bat wings, in other words.......a witch man.

''Majin?''

　It was Foca-san who reacted immediately.
The people of the church consider the demon who invaded this world as an enemy, calling him a member of the evil gods.
　However, to the people of this world, a witch who suddenly attacked them is an enemy even if they are not from the church.

A demon?

"Seriously?

　Lissou-san and Roddy-san shouted in surprise, but Ramise did not lose her composure.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

Of course not. We, the demons, will not be destroyed by your people.

　Come to think of it, the existence of demons wasn't confirmed to the extent that they are treated as legends in the present day.
Probably, but it seems that the demons couldn't stand up to the demons called the white disaster, which were described in the archives, so they probably ran back to their original world until the threat passed.

''But if you've come this far, then you've defeated the guard dog in the courtyard. ........Even though it's a failure, humans are quite good at it.

The courtyard?　A failure?　...Is it possible that you made that giant chimera...

　At Lisou-san's words, the demon smirked.

You're right, that chimera is one of the results of my research. That's right, that chimera is one of the results of my research, an experiment to create a controllable white disaster!

　An experiment to create a controllable white disaster?
　But this is supposed to be the work of the ancients who were studying these ruins?

''So... you took away the research that was being done in this laboratory, the research that the researchers were continuing until they became undead!

　Now that explains why there was a dead undead man in there.　

Yeah, that's right. "Yes, that's right, I was investigating the remains of past humans when I discovered this place. I was surprised to find the undead still doing research there. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing. Isn't that foolish?

　Saying that, the demon pointed at the undead who had fallen down on the floor.

'It's convenient, so I pretended to be interested in researching it and showed it to you, this undead, you taught me a lot of things without even asking me. And once I've extracted as much knowledge as I can draw from you, the rest is no longer needed. I decided to cut them off from behind and crown them with the entirety of my research. No, the research of a human is useful to me. This undead would be proud of me.

　The demon's face had a nauseatingly selfish smile on it as he said this.
　You take credit from others and treat them as your own, or it reminds me of my previous life and makes me feel bad.

''So, does that mean that the appearance of a large number of demons is also caused by you⁉?

'Demons?　Ah, the demons I prepared as ingredients for the chimera. Hmm, it seems that the demons that were being reused as food for the chimera have escaped from the material selection process.

　A witch who is convinced of the seriousness of the matter, as if it doesn't matter.

"You don't seem to have an ounce of remorse.

What do you expect me to do to reflect on the trouble a human has caused?

　The demon replies to Roddy's sarcasm with a sneer.

'But rest assured. You don't need to feed anymore. Because.....

　As the demon waved his arms, the facility lit up.

''The strongest chimera is already complete, you know!

Okay.

　And then we saw a huge crystal towering over the demon behind him.
　The huge crystal's majesty immediately made us understand why the ceiling of this facility is so high.
　More than anything else, the huge white chimera hulking body sleeping inside the crystal caught our attention.
　Even though it was created by splicing several lives together, the only thing that was consistent was its color, a pure white chimera.

'Come on!　"With your lives, it will be the beginning of the end of the human world.

"Sunlight Saber!

　After confirming the appearance of the giant chimera, I immediately unleashed a deadly blow at it.
　Instantly and decisively, a holy magical blade containing the light of the sun shot out of the sword and reached towards the heavens, and I swung it down without any hesitation.

　In the next moment, the giant chimera was cut in half, the entire crystal pillar was cut in half and fell to the left and right with a resounding thud.

''.........heh?''

　Lisou-san and the others and the demon's voices overlapped.
　Although they were enemies, they had the exact same expression on their faces.
What happened now?　And.

''We've defeated the giant chimera. All that's left to do is defeat the demons in the ruins by defeating the demons in the ruins, and our request is complete.

　The first one to fight is the one who wins.
　If it's an unknown enemy, it's even better to defeat it before it attacks you.
　That's the best solution in battle for me, who fought as a hero in my previous life.

"Ki, you, your ministry!

"What are you doing, kid?

　And the demon who came to himself and the undead who had fallen down got up and became furious.
　It's too late to get angry now........

''Huh?''

　The fact that the undead who were supposed to be dead stood up makes everyone's gaze involuntarily focus on the undead.
　Even the demons are looking at the undead.

''Oh, shit.''

　You scratch your head like the undead did it.

　...Uh, what do you mean?