136 Antique Ruins (1)

"Yes, he looks strong."

"Alright."

Shirone and Amy agreed. It wasn't just because he had a tattoo. Their sharp senses felt a real latent strength in the man's appearance.

But Rian thought differently.

"Hmph, just because he's putting on a show doesn't mean he gains strength he didn't have before. There's no need to be scared."

Rian's senses were inferior to the others. That's why he couldn't grasp Schema, but Shirone was rather comforted by that appearance. No matter how fearsome the situation, Rian would serve steadfastly as their shield.

"Great! Let's start exploring the ruins!"

After passing through the toll booth, the formal investigation began.

The Kerugo Ruin was a temple dedicated to a god and had a square structure that measured 2 km from east to west and 2 km from north to south.

A long corridor extended after crossing a 200-meter lake via a bridge, and only after passing another 500 meters along the pilgrimage route did they reach the central temple.

"Wow, it's really huge. Is this really a building constructed thousands of years ago?"

"I heard from others that it was buried in volcanic ash, so it's only this size, but supposedly it was much larger."

Shirone looked down at his feet. Since the volcanic eruption was an event 500 years ago, the layer of volcanic ash should have formed beneath the surface.

Amy, who was at the forefront, turned around and shouted to Shirone.

"Shirone, what are you doing? We need to look around the central temple."

Shirone didn't respond. He was absorbed in something with a faint smile.

Perplexed, Amy approached Shirone.

"What's wrong?"

"Amy, enter the Spirit Zone."

"Spirit Zone? Why all of a sudden?"

In the moment she realized, Amy clapped her palms together.

"Ah, right!"

Mages can extend their senses with the Spirit Zone. If something was hidden beneath the ruins, there was no way it could escape their synesthesia.

"Understood. I'll give it a try."

Amy entered the Spirit Zone. While exploring the underground with synesthesia, her eyebrows began to gradually furrow. After about 5 seconds, she finally released her Spirit Zone as if she realized something.

"Shirone, this is..."

"Yes. Nothing's surfacing. There should be at least some base, but there's nothing."

"Isn't it because the volcanic ash layer is thick? What if we dig deeper?"

It was difficult because she couldn't do it. However, after thinking for a moment, Shirone realized and exclaimed.

"Ah, there was that method."

Amy could do it. Her specialty among the four techniques was Long-range Target Type.

The target type, also known as the cross zone, was a way in which the mage stood at the intersection of two lines and rapidly spun to swiftly strike a specific target.

But it didn't end there.

Amy, who had entered the advanced class, chose her specialization and developed the target type into sniper mode.

The Sniper mode, where the shape of the Spirit Zone was perfectly straight, was characterized by the mage positioning themselves at the end of the zone to enhance range.

This form is called Directional Zone, and although the rotation of the zone is slow, it could produce a range at least four times longer than the Target Type.

Even if she expanded the zone's radius to just 500 meters in diameter, it was over 1 kilometer in the target type. From there, if she re-entered sniper mode, she could reach a target at a distance of up to 4 kilometers.

Currently, Amy's default radius was 68 meters in diameter. When switched to Target Type, it was 143 meters, and when she entered sniper mode, it exceeded 500 meters.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot."

Amy entered the zone simultaneously using the sequence method. The transformation of the four techniques was carried out at high speed, and a cross held its vertical position, with the axis tilted 90 degrees.

"Sniper mode!"

Amy's Spirit Zone began to dig as if it were pouring rain. A groan escaped between her clenched teeth.

As the zone lengthened, durability inevitably weakened. It wouldn't be a problem if there were no obstacles in the way, but she didn't know what was underground and the zone bent here and there.

Amy infiltrated even more desperately.

And at the moment she thought she had touched something for the first time, the Spirit Zone shattered, and her consciousness shook.

"Heok! Heok!"

"Amy! Are you okay?"

Shirone quickly aided Amy. Cold sweat burst on her forehead.

Shirone quickly helped Amy. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I'm okay. This is going to be tough. I've drilled up to 300 meters, but it's impossible to go deeper from there. Beyond that, it's like throwing a thread into the sea and letting it drift."

Shirone could guess how powerful the force in action was. Amy's Spirit Zone wasn't weak in durability by any means. However, she was comparing her zone to a fragile thread.

"But at least we found out that there's something there. That's a great achievement in itself."

"It's an achievement, for sure. But it's not enough. We need someone who can expand their Spirit Zone while maintaining its durability. Unless it's a high-level Zoner, navigating with the Spirit Zone will be impossible."

Even for Shirone, it seemed that anyone below that level wouldn't dare to explore the ruins.

"If I knew it would be like this, I would tell my older brother, Ares. If it's the expansion of the expedition my brother belongs to, there will be a Zoner who can explore this place."

"Or we could ask Professor Ethella."

Ethella, being a bishop, was a Zoner specialized in durability. She was the perfect person to explore this type of terrain.

"If it's Professor Ethella, it might be possible. I don't know how deep it is, but she could easily break through to where I've reached."

interrupted Rian.

"But if that's the case, wouldn't we not need to investigate? I heard that the director gave a clue. Wouldn't his words imply that we should solve it ourselves?"

Shirone and Amy fell silent as they looked at each other. In their focus on efficiency, they sometimes forgot the significance.

Rian was frank.

"Rian is right. But it's too precious. But it's a waste. If we could break through here, we wouldn't need to investigate the ruins. What if I keep thinking this way?"

Shirone understood Amy's feelings. This trip wasn't about playing explorers in the ruins, but about finding clues about Miro.

"Let's try several things for now. It's not something we can do right away. Now that we've come to this, I'm more curious. I think I'll only be satisfied when I see it with my own eyes."

Leaving only vague imaginations about the underground, Shirone's group continued their exploration.

However, the ruins of Kerugo were actually just a common tourist destination.

As if mocking those who were investigating seriously, men chatted, and children ran around spinning pinwheels.

"Amy, are we doing it right?"

"Don't ask. I'm feeling a sense of self-reproach right now."

After visiting the last route, the Central Temple, the group finally stopped their investigation. They couldn't find anything unusual in the ruins above the ground.

"I don't understand. The director said we could figure it out if we came here. But what does a ruin from thousands of years ago have to do with Miro?"

"Anyway, it's certain that there's something underground. We have to explore with the Spirit Zone, right?"

Rian's eyes lit up as if he had remembered something.

"I have a good idea. If we can't get through with the Spirit Zone, why don't we dig into the ground and enter? Won't something eventually come out?"

Shirone and Amy looked at Rian as if it were ridiculous and then resumed the conversation.

"What about contacting the locals? Since they live with the locals, there must be someone who speaks the common language."

"Hmm, yeah. But I don't think those people would know anything important. Maybe if we had an interpreter..."

Rian shouted loudly.

"Hey! Why aren't you responding? I said let's dig!"

Tess intervened.

"Idiot, how could you wield a shovel in a ruin that even the Autonomous Government can't touch? If you do such a thing, you'll be severely punished for damaging cultural heritage."

After scolding Rian, she turned to Shirone.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. The best thing would be to investigate, but I think it'll be difficult at this time. We'd need to find an interpreter and also require permission to enter the native autonomous region."

"Really? Well, I have a method we can try right away. Do you want to hear it?"

"Oh, really? Tell me! What is it?"

Rian said with a troubled expression, as if he couldn't embarrass himself enough.

"You're not suggesting we secretly dig the ground, are you?"

Tess desperately suppressed her anger and continued.

"...Anyway. This is what I thought. While you were focusing on the ruins, I was looking around. I found a peculiar point."

"A peculiar point? What is it?"

Tess scanned the surroundings with her eyes.

"Take a close look at the people. Most are tourists, but there are some who aren't. Those who travel in groups, carry weapons, and don't care much about the ruins."

The three looked around. Indeed, there were some. Obviously not many, but armed men were walking around.

"Ah, I see!"

"Yes, those are mercenaries. Why are mercenaries wandering around a tourist spot? Some of them look quite strong. In the end, there must be something about these ruins."

"And do the mercenaries know about it?"

"That's right. After all, contacting the natives takes time, and they might not talk to us, right? But the mercenaries are different. The fact that they've come here means they know something."

Shirone admired Tess's insight. While others were focusing on the ruins, she alone observed the external circumstances.

If one knew Tess's background, it was natural. Historically, the Elzaine Family had produced numerous commanders and diplomats. But their real strength lay elsewhere.

It was in espionage activities.

Of course, they were seen as spies from the perspective of enemy countries, but the information they infiltrated and sent from various nations made a significant contribution to Tormia Kingdom's diplomatic strategy.

"It's definitely a good idea. No, it's the only idea for now."

Shirone decided to adopt Tess's strategy.

"Alright. So, do we follow the mercenaries from now on?"

"Follow? Hmm, honestly, I'm not sure. Getting caught by a high-level mercenary is a headache. Especially if they have a Sensorial System Schema, we should definitely consider ourselves caught. It might work if I follow them alone."

"I see the problem now. I don't even know how to hide my presence. So, what do we do?"

"Huhu, do we really need to go looking for them? If they are mercenaries, there's a place full of them, right?"

"Really? Is there such a place? Where is it?"

Tess winked and pointed somewhere.

"Wanna grab a drink during the day?"

***

"On the southwest inner wall of the ruins site, there was a series of stores made from wooden boards.

In the sequence of restaurants, bars, and cafés. Compared to the general stores, the scale was shabby, but the profits were much better.

It was located within the ruins site, and even though the prices were high, people still chose this place for its convenience.

Shirone's group entered a bar. They wondered how many people would be drinking in broad daylight, but almost all the tables were full except for two.

Shirone's group chose a corner. Amy sat next to Shirone, and across from them, Rian and Tess took their seats.

"Are you going to drink?"

"I suppose we should order something? This is a bar, after all. But let's focus on the snacks. It's probably better to have lunch here."

Tess placed an order. Traditional Galliant Island liquor and hot noodles with minced meat were served.

The four people, who had a poor breakfast, stopped talking for a while and concentrated on eating.

At that moment, laughter was heard from the next table. Initially, they tried not to care, but the annoying laughter continued, and they couldn't help but get annoyed.