137 Antique Ruins (2)

"Are those punks laughing at us right now?"

"Forget it. Don't turn your head. They're just drunk."

Tess patted Rian on the leg to calm him down. Fights among mercenaries in taverns were not uncommon, but given their professions, they rarely ended well.

"They're still not responding. It's impossible that they can't hear us. We're laughing at you, idiots."

"Look at that kid's sword. It's ridiculously big, huh? And the size of the woman next to him isn't a joke either. Although I won't say where. Hahaha!"

Rian clenched his fists. He could tolerate being insulted, but he couldn't stand them mocking his friends.

But then Tess grabbed Rian's wrist. If she left him alone, he seemed ready to flip the table.

While eating noodles, Shirone remembered his memories.

When they entered, there were four mercenaries sitting at that table. Three men, one woman. Archers seemed to be included, and the woman was probably a mage, judging by the fact that she had no weapons.

An archer and a mage. A pretty solid group.

The mockery from the mercenaries continued without respite.

"Is that blonde guy pretending to eat now? Please, look back once. We're ready to throw a bottle. I'm in a really bad mood today. That's why I want to see some blood."

"Oh, stop it. Is it fun to tease kids?"

The woman tried to stop, but it wasn't sincere. It seemed that she preferred to enjoy it this way rather than openly mocking.

"Hey, kids. Don't you have the courage to fight? Aren't you even ashamed in front of women? You probably boasted about how strong you were."

"Hello? Can you hear us? Respond if you hear, or do you want us to come over?"

Rian couldn't contain his anger. He knew it was part of the operation, but he didn't want to endure this insult.

However, Rian finally didn't move. It was because his eyes met Shirone's, who was looking at him with a calm expression.

'Shirone...'

Shirone, with whom he was bound by a knight's oath, said nothing. If he couldn't endure even this level of humiliation, he would prefer to disgrace Shirone's face.

'Yes, this is also practice. I'm participating in this journey as a knight apprentice. Rather, it gave me a good opportunity to test myself.'

As soon as he made a decision, he could endure it as if it were a lie. Rian had another chance to contemplate the uselessness of words.

After about 10 minutes, the mercenaries prepared to leave. They thought they had obtained a complete victory. They were the perfect snacks for a drinking party.

"Keke, this is the first time I've seen such cowardly bastards in my life."

"Oh, come on. They were weak kids, so of course they must have been scared. Don't you feel sorry for them?"

"Hey! You're lucky. You don't have to be beaten. You'll live your whole life like that. You'll live for a long time."

The mercenaries paid for their drinks and disappeared. The tavern owner, who had been indifferent until then, rushed over to the table.

"Are you okay? Those damn bastards. Saying abusive words against innocent children."

"Do you know them?"

"They've been coming often lately. They get drunk and make a scene, especially against those who don't want to fight like you. I want to tell them not to come, but I don't know what harm will happen if that happens. Anyway, you held up well. In times like these, keeping calm is the solution."

Shirone's eyes lit up. If there wasn't something in the ruins, there would be no way for a group with a mage to come.

Tess comforted Rian. The two simpletons didn't have the ability to deceive themselves like Shirone. It was literally a situation they endured with determination.

"You did well, Rian. I was so nervous that you might cause a scene."

"It was dangerous. But are we going to meet them again anyway? Didn't you hold back for that?"

"Alright. Let's leave too."

Shirone stood up and said. When they paid for their drinks and left the tavern, the mercenaries were walking towards the Central Temple.

Instead of following them, Shirone and the others chose to watch from a high place. Given that most of an archer's scheme constructions were from the sensory system, there was a high probability of being caught if they tried to close the distance.

Having climbed to the fourth floor of the temple building, Shirone observed the mercenaries. Surprisingly, they were a young group of people who were no older than thirty.

The slender figure swordsman seemed to be the leader. The sword he wore around his waist was a steel sword with a great recognition, enough for Tess to remember the artisan's name just by looking at the design.

Next to them stood a giant with a blunt weapon, followed by a long-haired man and a woman in a robe.

"Two warriors. One of them a swordsman. An archer and a mage. We can summarize it like that. Although it's a tourist spot, they maintain formation. They seem to be an experienced group. It was a good decision to follow them."

The mercenaries walked to a stepped altar on the east side of the central temple. Shirone remembered that place. It was a peculiar place guarded by natives, which seemed unusual.

One of the mercenaries, the archer, seemed to be speaking to the native in a mix of gestures and words. He seemed to know the Kerugo language.

The native looked around with sadness. It was clear they were concerned about people's attention. Shirone and the others realized it was the right time and descended the stairs.

When the native activated the device, a rectangular fissure appeared on the altar and was pushed inward. As the thick stone door moved aside, an entrance covered with a dark barrier appeared.

"Wait a moment! We're going in too!"

The mercenaries who were on their way stopped and looked back with stern faces. But the tension quickly dissipated, replaced by irritation. The children they were intimidating at the tavern were running over.

"What? When did they follow us?"

"Sir, can't we come in too?"

"Get lost! This is a place we found! Do you even know where this is?"

"Don't be like that, please...!"

The moment Shirone pleaded again, the leader drew his sword. The speed of the unsheathed sword wasn't fast, but the naturalness ingrained through countless repetitions was excellent.

"Do you want to die? Do we look like an easy target? If you don't back off, I'll cut all your throats right here."

Unlike before, Shirone didn't step back. In the tavern, he couldn't even turn his head, but now he was looking directly into the eyes. The contrast made the leader uncomfortable.

"These kids...!"

Spoke the indigenous person guarding the altar.

"Are they with you?"

The leader sheathed his sword and looked at the archer. The only person who could interpret was the archer.

"What's he saying?"

"Is he asking if this kid is with us?"

"Hmph! What a group. Tell him we'll deal with them shortly, so please wait."

When the archer conveyed the leader's words, the eyes of the natives widened. He spoke in an authoritative tone, as if they had been insulted.

"Warriors don't fight here. Anyone who defiles the sacred altar with blood can never set foot here."

The archer translated with a grimace.

"It's better to stop. He says we won't be allowed in if we fight here."

"Damn it! Lucky kids. Saving their lives twice."

As if the leader didn't care anymore, he sheathed his sword and walked toward the altar. The rest of the group followed him to the dark entrance.

Shirone's group remained in place for a while. If they had entered together, there wouldn't have been a problem, but given the situation, they were concerned about the piercing gaze of the native.

"If you wish to be tested, enter. The eyes of the angel will be watching you."

"What is this person saying?"

"Well, since we've come, I think he's telling us to have fun. If he wanted to drive us away, he would have closed the door."

Shirone took his steps, mindful of the other party. There was no particular reaction from the native. Only then did the four, convinced, enter the dark entrance that seemed like an abyss."

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

In an instant, eight people vanished, yet no tourist was aware of it.

Upon entering the altar, Shirone first examined the structure. Contrary to the appearance from the outside, it wasn't dark inside because torches were lit.

Square holes descended into the floor, and the stairs spiraled down the inner wall at right angles.

Looking down, he could see the mercenary group that had already made two turns down the spiral.

Shirone quickened his pace. There might be a second door, so it wasn't good to lag too far behind the mercenaries.

Finally, a group of eight people descended the stairs.

The leader was annoyed with the kids who had taken a free ride with the information he had paid a considerable sum for.

However, fulfilling the purpose of coming here was the top priority, so he put aside the idea of fighting for the time being.

The archer behind the mercenary group asked Shirone who was following them.

"Are you sane kids? Why intrude into a place like this with barely a drop of blood on your hands?"

"Then why did you come here, big brother?"

"What, don't tell me you followed me without knowing anything?"

"Yes. We don't know."

The archer looked at Shirone in puzzlement. He thought it might be possible. After all, the existence of a hidden door in the ruins was public knowledge.

Something exists beneath the ruins. However, no one knows what it is. That is the limit of what the common people interested in the site can imagine.

"As we're already here, can't you tell us? Why did we enter here?"

The archer wondered what to do. He ran through the information market until his feet sweated to find the hidden door.

Moreover, the code had a high level of information, so he had to pay up to 20 gold.

But once they passed through the door, the value of the information essentially vanished.

The archer thought up to that point and spoke with bright eyes.

"What's with this? The fact that you entered means you broke a high-security code. In terms of money, that's worth at least 100 gold. So, I'll sell you information. 5 gold coins per question. How about it?"

"Okay. We'll find out anyway when we descend."

When Shirone spoke as if there was no need to ask, the archer became nervous. He felt ridiculed by the little boy, aside from making money.

'This insolent brat...!'

At that moment, the leader stopped walking. When the leader stopped, the people following him reduced their pace one after another.

"No, now that I think about it, that sounds fair. Do you know how hard it was for us to find this place? You can't just take that for granted. If you want to go down from here, you have to pay us."

Shirone glanced again at Amy. When she shrugged, he nodded as if understanding and spoke to the leader.

"Then, we won't go down. We'll stay here; go ahead and do your thing."

"What the hell...!"

The leader got excited without realizing it.

He should have noticed it when he didn't even turn his head in the tavern. The phrase 'Only their mouths are alive' meant cases like this.

"But if it's one gold coin per question, I'm willing to accept the deal."

"Eh? One gold?"

The leader's mind spun rapidly. After all, they couldn't recover their cost from them. In that case, isn't it a profit to earn even if it's a few gold coins?

"Alright. One gold per question. Pay 1 gold first."

Shirone rummaged through the pouch of gold coins and took out one gold. He could have done his research separately away from the mercenaries, but his friends respected Shirone's judgment.

Shirone thought this situation was worth a gold. They had no idea what might be underground. He thought that if he could prepare in advance with just one gold, it definitely wouldn't be a loss.

For instance, if there lurked a danger only the mercenaries knew about, they would be caught with no chance if they fell into a trap. However, after hearing the explanation, they could roughly estimate the difficulty of the underground danger and exploration.

"Why did you come here?"

In case of a question too broad, there might be room for fabrication, so Shirone delved into the central part.