How much longer do you think this will go on?

　Kirill asks in an anxious voice.
　He has descended more than a hundred steps so far. You can't help but feel uneasy.

"Come on. I'm sure we've come down a lot deeper than that.

　We don't even know what the purpose of this basement is in the first place. If it was a food storage room or just a warehouse, there would be no need to build it this deep.

　When Ardis lightly rubs the wall with her fingers while descending the stairs, the tips of her fingers immediately turn completely black.
　The walls and ceiling of the stairs leading to the basement are completely stained black.

　The ground level was indeed covered in dust, but it was pure dirt.
　In contrast, the dirt in the basement is clearly soot.
　I don't know if it was caused by the fire or by some kind of magic.

　The end of the long staircase finally came into view.

　At the bottom of the stairs is a small hall.
　A space about three meters high has been hollowed out, so wide and deep that it's wider and deeper than the building on the ground.

　Unlike the above-ground portions of the building, there is no rubble scattered about, but instead, charred objects can be seen here and there. Judging from the shape, they were probably desks and chairs originally.
　There were a total of six entrances on the left and right walls that led to the back of the room. With the exception of one, there is still a charred solid in the area where the door would have been.

'Is there a sword in here somewhere?'

If that guy who told you to do it is who he says he is.

　Although Ardis had a general idea of what to expect from the magic probe, he carefully checked each room one by one just to be sure.

　The first room was a place that looked like a storage room. When I smashed the charred door and entered, I found black rotting objects piled up along the walls of the room.

　The second room was probably a workshop of some sort. Tables and tools whose original form was no longer recognizable were scattered about.

　In the third room, as in the first room, charred objects could be seen along the walls. Judging from the pile of thinly shaped ashes, it may have been a former storeroom.

　As he was about to step into the fourth room, Aldis paused.

'Oh, um, ......, Mr. Aldis?　What's going on?

　Kirill asks Aldis, who suddenly stops.
　As Aldis had told him, he couldn't see the inside of the room as he followed its back.

　The room was considerably more spacious than the two rooms he had seen earlier.
　A lot of people must have come and gone in and out of this room when these ruins were alive.

　Inside the room, there were also numerous blackened objects scattered around. But the size of the object was too large for Ardis to be familiar with.

...... There's nothing there. It's empty.

　After a short silence, Aldis replied briefly and turned around to block Kirill's view.

'Let's check the other room,'

'What?　Oh, yes.

　Then, as if to chase Kirill away, he moved to the room next to him.

　The fifth room, like the other rooms, was littered with charred remnants, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

　The sixth and final room.
　Unlike the other places, the door still kept its role.
　The heavy iron door, though sooty, melted and distorted, is still blocking the way.

　As soon as we descended to the basement, Ardis, who was probing for magic, confirmed that there was a reaction from this room. If there was a sword, it was probably here.

'Stand back,'

　Alerting Kirill, Aldis stood a few steps back from the door himself.

'I don't think you'll get anything out of it, but ......'

　In preparation for the unexpected, he took a distance and lifted the "Tokiharugasumi" into the air, then unleashed it with an eye toward the door.
　The pale yellow-green sword barrel easily cut through the iron door.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.
　The iron door collapsed down with a deafening sound in the underground space.

　When Ardis stepped cautiously into the room that was no longer blocked, it was the smallest space he had ever seen.
　The floor and walls were black and dirty, but unlike the rest of the place, they were in good enough condition that he could imagine the original whiteness.

　There was only one thing in the room.
　A waist-high pedestal in the center of the room and a single sword lying on top of it and in its scabbard.
　Judging from the length of the scabbard, the blade is about eighty centimeters long. Although there was no extravagant decoration, the carefully carved hilt and scabbard gave a feeling of elegance.

　This sword was definitely the one that responded to the magic probe just now. This way, when I got closer, I could see it clearly.
　Even if it wasn't Ardis, anyone who dealt with magic or witchcraft would notice that the entire sword was wrapped in strong magical power.

''Ah, there it is!　The sword, Mr. Aldis!　Now your sister can go to ......!

　Kirill's voice bounces in front of the sword he was looking for.
　Kirill was about to run out unintentionally out of joy, but when he suddenly stopped, he looked at Ardis' face and said.

''Well ......, these things can activate traps when you try to pick them up, or the sword is actually cursed ......?''

　Kirill had a point.
　There are many traps and guardians in the treasuries of ruins that are placed to repel intruders.
　In addition, the treasures themselves are of unknown origin. It is not uncommon to find stories of treasures that are actually cursed items that have been obtained.

　It's not that I'm not a fan of this, but I'm not a fan of this.

''What do you think?　I'm not a treasure hunter either, so I don't know much about it.

...... What should I do?

　It's not worth risking your life if you don't take this sword back with you.
　Regardless of whether or not there is a problem, there is no way to avoid taking the sword with you.

Let's go to ...... and see what we can do.

　Aldis blurted out and attempted to float the sword on the pedestal with his magic.
　With a crack, the sword floats up from its scabbard.
　You will find that it is very easy to move the sword, although Ardis thought there might be resistance.

''Ugh, wow!

　Next to Aldis, who is out of it, Kirill shouts in surprise.

'Hmm?　What's going on?

Oh, Mr. Aldis!　The sword!　The sword is on the move!

　Kirill, who hadn't been informed that Ardis was manipulating the sword with his magic, must have felt that the movement was some kind of trap or trick.

Yeah, I'm the one who works the magic.

'What ......?　Oh, is that Aldis-san who's moving it?

Yes.

......

　Kirill, who had been making eye contact with Ardis with his mouth hanging open, finally swallowed the situation and began to complain about his neighbor's lack of consideration for his companion.

''If you're going to move it, please tell me first that you're going to move it!　You surprised me by thinking that the sword moved on its own!

You saw me wielding a sword earlier, so you know that, right?

I know, but... I know, but...　There's something to be prepared for over here, too!　I didn't realize Mr. Aldis was moving it because it started moving so suddenly!

　Come to think of it, Kirill was right.
　Since he usually acts alone, Aldis is slightly lacking in things like caring for his party members.

　Come to think of it, Ted once yelled at me for something similar. And Aldis reminds him of his meddling mercenary friend.

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should have said a word to you.'

Please.

　His heart must have jumped wildly. Kirill's voice is weak as he replies.

''Well, I've made arrangements to bring it back ....... The night will have already widened today. We'll rest for the night and leave in the morning.

　If it's just Aldis, there's no problem if they continue to march home in a forced march through the night.
　But Kirill's physical strength would not be able to come with it.

''Well then, do you want to use this room?　It's small, but it's cleaner than most places.

No, let's get out of the basement and rest upstairs.

　Aldis hurries Kirill, who tilts his head, not knowing why he doesn't rest in the basement, and begins to climb the stairs early.

　Certainly, it would be better to rest in the basement.
　But there is a room in the basement that you don't want Kirill to see. You shouldn't show that kind of scene to a child who is not yet an adult.

　It takes more than twice as long to get back to the above-ground portion of the building as it did when they came down.
　Although the buildings in the ground portion of the building were in tatters, fortunately they seemed to be useful enough to keep out the rain and wind.
　At least it would be many times better than camping in the forest.

　Aldis washed out the open corner with water magic, dried it with wind magic, and then picked up some dead wood from around the building to start a fire.

'Well, and ....... Which one of you would like to do the guards first?

Not necessary. I'll be up in a minute if something happens.

...... But we're in the middle of the woods, aren't we?

Don't worry, there are no demons or beasts in the vicinity.

　More likely, though, if it were to come out, it would be something else, Aldis muttered to himself only in his mind.

'Ha, ha. ......'

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but Kirill's mouth is full of replies that don't quite add up.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you want to do.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. He was also probably tired from the fatigue he had been experiencing.

　Seeing this, Ardis searched the area around him for magic power just to be sure, and after confirming that there was no reaction from demons or beasts, he closed his eyes and laid back down himself.





　The wind blows.
　On a gentle hillside. A small grassy area where a series of trees broke off and opened up.

　Aldis opened her arms and legs in a wide circle and looked at the sky, burying her body halfway in the grass.

　Her eyes follow a flowing cloud, and as it fades to the edge of her vision, she turns her gaze to another cloud.
　Every now and then a small bird crossed the sun, creating a shadow on Aldis's face and then flying away in an instant.

　In the distance, he hears the voices of his friends.
　Someone must have done something stupid again.
　A chuckle, a belly laugh, a pissed off yell.
　All of them are depressing and endearing.

　It's a happy memory in Aldis.
　An important routine that can never be returned to.
　Even if it is the world with blood on its hands, I know now that this place is my home, my home to which I should return.

　And I realize that I can't go back there anymore.

　It was all because I was stupid.
　It was all because I was weak.
　Everything was because I failed to protect what I should have protected.

　As Aldis continued to stare at the sky, stunned, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
　A light, dancing step. That's all it takes to know who it is.

　Aldis's eyes heat up.

'Aldis. 'How long are you going to be pouting?　The Commander said, 'Don't worry about it,' right?　You're too depressed just because you missed the timing of the assault a bit. You didn't do much damage, so you should quickly switch that sullen look on your face.

　The girl's face jumped into Aldis' vision.
　The face, reflected upside down, had a look of astonishment on it.
　She has dark eyes and black hair like Aldis. Her long hair was held together with a violet ribbon slightly behind the whirlwind.

''Look, hurry up or you'll miss your lunch, okay?　They're not so auspicious as to leave a lot of people behind who aren't there.

　A smiling girl's hand is reached out to her.

　Tears pour out of Aldis' eyes. Her vision becomes distorted and blurred.
　She wants to see more, but against her will, her own eyes prevent her from doing so.

　It's a very good idea to have a good time with your friends.

More. It's time to get up. If you don't get up quickly, you'll be in danger.





　After waking up, Ardis quickly got up and pulled out the Sotensaika that she kept in her hand.

　The fire has already been extinguished and only the magic light that Ardis had floated in advance was dully illuminating the ruined ruins.
　In the midst of the continuing silence, Ardis silently ran a magic probe around the surroundings.

　There was a response.

''When did you get to ......?''

　Aldis and the others were surrounded by multiple magical forces.