Two days after leaving the town of Von.
The Holy State fleet, including Skidbladnir, entered a port town called Dazlu.
The person in charge of the harbor imdiately ca to Skidbladnir, and Abel and Captain Paulina dealt with him.
Because of that, Ryo went along with Head Chef Kovac and the others for resupply.
While receiving, just a little, Abel’s reproachful gaze.
Three hours later, Head Chef Kovac and the others returned to Skidbladnir with a great many ingredients they had acquired.
At that mont, Ryo looked exactly like the phrase “in high spirits” had been made for him.
“Abel, I’ve gotten hold of so wonderful information!”
“Wonderful information?”
“Apparently, deep in the jungle behind this town... ah, in the dense forest, there are underground ruins.”
“Underground ruins?”
Abel tilted his head at Ryo’s delighted report.
“Captain, have you heard of them?”
“Yes. They are famous ruins in the western continent. However, perhaps because there is a seal or sothing of the sort, I believe no one has been able to go beyond the entrance.”
Paulina answered Abel’s question as though searching her mory.
“Yes, yes, exactly! But that seal was undone a week ago... or perhaps even earlier. One week ago, it was confird that people could proceed deeper inside!”
“So it’s like discovering new underground ruins.”
“What do you think? Abel, as soone at least on the fringes of being an adventurer, doesn’t this make your heart race?”
“Of course it does, but...”
Abel glanced toward two people standing in a direction separate from Paulina.
They were Zack Cooler and Scotty Cobuck.
Both were company commanders in the Knightley Kingdom’s knight orders.
They were Abel’s guards.
Both stood perfectly upright.
But this conversation had reached their ears.
Ryo also noticed Abel and the two company commanders.
“You’re right. Abel cannot go to dangerous ruins.”
“Huh...”
“It’s all right. If I find any rare treasure or anything, I’ll bring it back for you, so wait here.”
“Hey...”
Ryo said it with a nod, and Abel’s expression turned lonely.
“Abel, we did not co here to play. We ca to lay the groundwork for a future trade treaty between the Knightley Kingdom and the Dark Continent. You are the head of that effort, and you are the king as well, so you must not do anything reckless.”
“You’re the one who brought up the ruins in the first place...”
“Reporting, communication, and consultation are common sense for working adults. You are, so to speak, my superior, Abel, so I had to report it properly. It could not be helped.”
“I don’t accept that.”
Abel murmured and shook his head slightly.
But then Ryo realized sothing.
“This town... we were only going to stay overnight, weren’t we?”
“That’s right.”
“Then there probably isn’t enough ti to tour the ruins.”
“To begin with, how large are these ruins? What’s inside them? No, is there sothing inside them? They’re different from a dungeon, aren’t they?”
“Abel, you’re getting too eager just because you can’t go in yourself.”
“Co on, you can tell that much.”
“I would love to tell you, but I know absolutely nothing.”
“...Pardon?”
“I know absolutely nothing.”
“Hey...”
At Ryo’s outrageous answer, Abel sighed.
“I’ll have to negotiate with Graham. I’ll just tell him, since I’m going to dive into the depths of the ruins for a bit, let’s stay in this town a little longer.”
“There’s no way.”
Abel rejected the idea without even giving it a glance.
Ryo grimaced in response.
Of course, Ryo understood as well that it would likely be difficult.
The fleet had its own schedule.
They could hardly extend the number of days they stayed just for one person’s convenience.
But consultation was free.
“I’m going to Archangel for a bit.”
Saying that, Ryo ran off.
Graham was aboard the pope’s official ship Archangel.
“That is fine.”
“...Huh?”
“On the sea route ahead, there is an area with an extrely large number of reefs. The navigators of this fleet are, of course, exceedingly skilled, but I was told that if we want to make absolutely certain, we would be better off hiring a pilot familiar with those waters.”
“I see, I see.”
“It seems it will take a little ti to find such a guide... so perhaps we should extend our stay by five days.”
“Oh, please do!”
Ryo’s face lit up with joy.
And so Ryo’s wish was granted.
The next morning.
Ryo, Abel, and Scotty ca to the Dazlu governnt office.
This ti, Ryo walked in front, Abel behind him to the right, and Scotty behind him to the left.
Ryo walked ahead in high spirits.
Abel, walking behind him, had the air of his guardian.
Their visit to the governnt office had been arranged through the Fandeby Holy State fleet.
They had also inford them of their business: they wished to inspect the ruins whose seal had been undone.
Because of that, the person who received the three of them was the magistrate of the town of Dazlu.
Magistrate di Araji ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) was the head of the governnt office, dispatched by the Federation of Western Nations governnt.
He was an elderly man wearing glasses, with a very stern and nervous air.
The three sat in the offered chairs, exchanged greetings, and the conversation began.
“The seal has indeed been undone. We have also confird that several parties entered the ruins in the confusion. However, at present, we have restricted entry by the general public.”
“What!”
Ryo was shocked by Magistrate di Araji’s explanation.
Abel tilted his head, but remained silent.
Because he knew the explanation would continue from here.
Before that could happen, however, a water-attribute magician who could not hold back asked a question.
“Why!”
“Because we learned that the inside of the ruins is dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Of the parties that entered, only one party ca back.”
“Eh...”
“And from that party, only one person.”
“So the others were wiped out.”
Abel spoke in a murmur.
“Thinking about it sensibly, there must be sothing troubleso inside that was sealed away because contact between it and us was better avoided... or perhaps it is that sort of place.”
“Precisely. That said, now that the seal has been undone, the town of Dazlu cannot simply leave it be. We have submitted a report to the Federation governnt and asked for instructions, but still nothing...”
“Because of that matter with the head of the Federation.”
“You knew of it?”
di Araji nodded, showing slight surprise at Abel’s words.
Ramun Fes, Head of the Federation of Western Nations, was still missing.
Because of that, every movent by the Federation had slowed.
To the point that the Eastern Nations were trying to interfere.
“Since no reply has co for far too long, the town has no choice but to act. The story that adventurer parties did not co back has spread throughout the town. On top of that, if even the governnt office does not know what is happening inside...”
“The residents will grow anxious. It will interfere with maintaining public order.”
“Yes.”
Abel spoke with a nod, and di Araji agreed.
Abel understood painfully well.
The position the people of the governnt office, centered on the magistrate, had been placed in.
They would be constantly pressured by anxious citizens.
“We pay our taxes, so do your jobs.”
“If you don’t know, then why don’t you dive in and see for yourself?”
“What’s going to happen to this town?”
They would beco the outlet for that sort of anxiety.
The people of the governnt office were anxious too.
After all, they lived in this town as well. They had families too.
Those were answers they wanted to know as well...
“By good fortune, two Alpha-class adventurer parties happened to be staying in this town. Therefore, we have issued them a formal request, and they will enter the ruins starting the day after tomorrow. After them, the town’s Warrior Corps will follow.”
“Alpha-class?”
“Warrior Corps?”
At di Araji’s explanation, Abel tilted his head, and Ryo tilted his head too.
They were words neither had heard before.
“Alpha-class refers to those called the highest-ranking adventurers on this continent.”
“Ohh.”
“Whether human or inhuman, once such beings fall into their hands, they are defeated in an instant.”
“That’s amazing!”
For so reason, Ryo looked delighted.
“The Warrior Corps are the ones who protect this town. In the Western Countries and Central Countries... I believe they would be called sothing like a garrison.”
“I see. In that case, I understand.”
Abel nodded.
“Fifty mbers of the Warrior Corps will enter. Beyond the sealed door is a small room. From there, there is a staircase descending farther downward, and beyond that, we know there is a great hall paved with stone slabs.”
“Is that from the report of the one person who returned?”
“Yes. For the mont, we are considering advancing as far as that large stone-paved space. We need to determine whether there is still more beyond it, or whether sothing happened there.”
di Araji explained.
Abel listened and nodded.
He recognized it as an extrely sound and cautious exploration.
However, he had a question.
“The one who ca back... did he not report where and how his companions and the other parties were defeated?”
“No... For so reason, he had lost his mory regarding that matter. His mories up to the large stone-paved space were clear, and apparently his report was easy to understand as well, but... According to the healer, there is a possibility his mories were erased by magic or sothing of the sort. Whenever his companions or the other parties were ntioned, he repeatedly scread, ‘Don’t co!’ He must certainly have undergone sothing terrifying.”
“Hmm.”
Abel grimaced and thought.
But there was no need to think deeply for the conclusion to co.
This was abnormal.
“If you absolutely insist on entering... then we can grant permission if you follow behind the Warrior Corps. Of course, you would need to sign a written pledge accepting that, no matter what happens, it is your own responsibility.”
“Of cour—”
“Magistrate, allow us to think about it for a little while. If we decide to accompany them, we will contact you at a later date.”
Just as Ryo was about to agree, Abel forcibly stopped him and wrapped up the conversation.
And so the three mbers of the Knightley Kingdom party left the Dazlu governnt office.
“Abel, why did you stop ?”
Naturally, Ryo questioned him, puffing out his cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“Because that is definitely bad news. Having only specific mories left, and only one person being sent back... that was the work of sothing with extrely high intelligence.”
“W-well, now that you ntion it, that may be true, but...”
“We are in the middle of a journey toward the southern continent. If this were the Knightley Kingdom, that would be one thing, but I don’t think it’s wise to do anything too reckless here.”
“Mrrr.”
Ryo could not argue against Abel’s sound reasoning.
Yes, it was sound reasoning.
It was sound reasoning, but... he was certainly curious.
“Abel, you’re a forr A-rank adventurer, aren’t you?”
“Hm? I am.”
“Do you know of any monsters that can erase mories?”
“No, I don’t.”
Abel answered Ryo’s question imdiately.
He had been thinking about it ever since he heard the story.
Among the monsters Abel knew, there was nothing like that.
If there was a possibility...
“Intelligent beings like vampires. Among them, if one used dark-attribute magic... I think there is a possibility.”
“Ohooo.”
At Abel’s words, Ryo’s face, which had looked disappointed until a mont ago, brightened a little.
“That Count Sothing near Kona Village was a vampire who used dark-attribute magic.”
“Count Haskil Carinikos. But he didn’t manipulate mories, did he?”
“No, he didn’t. He tried to place under his control, but he didn’t do anything to my mories in particular.”
“The idea that dark-attribute magic can manipulate mories is only a hypothesis.”
“Huh? It is? Why do you know sothing like that, Abel?”
“I learned it long ago, when I was still in the royal castle. They likely ant it as a warning.”
“As expected of the Knightley Kingdom’s prince education.”
Ryo grimaced as he praised it.
He did acknowledge how impressive prince education was, but he also had feelings of resentnt toward the privileged class.
That was why his praise and grimace coexisted.
Perhaps, deep down, he wanted to receive that prince education himself... maybe.
But at the sa ti, he also understood that being in a position to receive that education ant being in a position where one could not freely choose one’s future afterward.
No freedom to choose one’s occupation.
That seed quite painful to him.
After all, one’s occupation... one’s work, took up a considerable portion of one’s life.
To be unable to choose that freely...
Of course, he understood that many working people were not doing the jobs they truly wanted, but still worked hard anyway.
Even so, he felt that it was different from never being given the chance to choose from the very beginning of one’s life...
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