Abel and the others arrived at the foot of the Northern Mountain Range.
A vast line of towering mountains stretched before them, with their snow-covered peaks gleaming white.
Beyond those mountains, it was said, lay lands no longer under the Empire’s control.
It was impossible not to feel the presence of a national border.
They left their horses at a village near the Aldoba Mine Ruins.
As they continued on foot along a mountain path, scattered stone ruins began to appear.
The ruins were believed to have been built around a thousand years ago, during the era of the Great Empire.
It was said that humanity had been more prosperous a thousand years ago than it was now.
That prosperity was mostly lost with the fall of the Great Empire and the long, drawn-out civil wars that followed. All that remained now were these remnants, faint traces of that bygone age.
Up ahead, hundreds of dark holes dotted the face of a huge rock wall.
According to the map they received from Baron Gatu, only three of those tunnels led to the deepest parts of the mine.
Without the map, they would have been lost already.
Abel was reminded once again of the importance of information.
The deeper the tunnels went, the denser the concentration of magical essence became. This meant higher-quality magic stones could be found.
So their goal lay in the deepest part of the labyrinth-like mine.
Walt was busy sniffing the ground intensely.
“There’s the stink of magical beasts, yup. Tons of ’em in there!”
“You can tell just by the smell…? Lady Ise, maybe he’s actually useful.”
“Seems so. I won’t lose to anyone when it comes to sight and hearing, but when it comes to smell, no one beats a Wolf beastkin.”
Under Ise’s command, they formed a formation.
At the front was Walt.
Ise took the vanguard position.
Casalos stayed in the center.
Abel was at the rear.
In caves overrun by magical beasts, it was common for enemies to ambush from behind.
As such, Ise explained, the rear was just as dangerous as the front.
“Lady Ise, this is actually my first time in a mine. I’m scared.”
“Good. Fear is appropriate. The beasts are dangerous, sure, but ancient ruins often have magical traps. Even skilled adventurers die from carelessness.”
“But this is just a mine, right? No traps or anything?”
“Probably not. But prepare for everything.”
Abel activated his “Light” spell.
Casalos could use Light as well, but since one was enough, he didn’t bother.
Both Ise and Walt had excellent night vision, making them quite reliable in the dark.
Casalos could only use fire and water magic up to the second rank, but in mineral magic, he was a high-level mage capable of casting up to the sixth tier.
He casually mentioned that it wouldn’t be long before he reached the seventh tier.
Though he gave off subtle vibes of being an eccentric, his magical ability was genuine.
Because mineral magic was heavily used in the creation of magical tools, his skills improved rapidly.
Apparently, he crafted his first magical device through self-study when he was just five years old.
Ever since, he had lived a life completely consumed by the creation of magic tools.
However, he had almost no combat experience, so Ise firmly warned him not to fight.
Abel could completely understand.
Poorly controlled magic was dangerous. It could easily affect allies nearby.
It was like giving a cannon to a child.
Then, as they finally entered the tunnel, they were immediately greeted by something unpleasant.
A human corpse.
Most of the body had been eaten, and bones still bearing scraps of flesh were scattered across the floor.
Insects resembling toilet crickets, each about the size of a fist, were energetically hopping around.
They were swarming over the rotting flesh stuck to the bones.
Moths fluttered about as well.
They had vividly toxic orange eye-shaped patterns on their wings like a warning sign: “Touch and you’re dead.”
Abel felt dizzy.
He reflexively shut his eyes tightly.
A chill ran down his spine.
—I want to go home already…
Judging by the fragments of gear, the corpse likely belonged to an adventurer.
They gave it a quick search to see if there was anything that could identify the person but found nothing.
There was nothing they could do, so they moved on, leaving the body behind.
The tunnel twisted and turned, with countless side paths branching off.
Abel felt that if they got lost, they’d never make it back to the surface.
Casalos lit a small candle.
Abel found himself wondering why he would bother doing something like that.
“Huh? Is it too dark? In that case, why not just use Light?”
“No, I’m doing this to check whether there are poisonous gases in the air. If the flame suddenly goes out, it means the air has turned toxic. If that happens, stop breathing immediately and retreat.”
“I see… So that kind of danger exists too… I wonder if I could use Wind Gust from weather magic. If I blow in some fresh air…”
“There’s a special magic called Pure Air Creation, which generates clean air. It was developed by the Morgan School of Magical Studies. You haven’t heard of it?”
“That exists? I had no idea. You really are amazing, Professor Casalos.”
“Leave it to me. Though… I can’t actually use it.”
“…What?”
They kept moving forward, exchanging lighthearted remarks with Casalos.
In truth, without this kind of conversation, it would’ve been hard to stay calm.
The tunnel eventually opened into a vertical shaft.
The group lowered a rope and descended to a lower level.
Just then, Walt let out a sharp bark.
Something was coming out of the darkness.
It was spider-like and about the size of a large dog.
It resembled a spider but had far more legs.
Probably around twenty.
Its grotesque form alone was enough to make their skin crawl.
Long feelers trembled, as if sensing for prey.
“It’s a Giant Spider-Centipede! Watch out for poison!”
Casalos shouted.
Walt, holding a dagger in each hand, launched a fierce attack.
That served as a solid distraction, opening up a chance for Ise to strike.
She swung her greatsword and, with a single blow, sliced the Giant Spider-Centipede clean in half.
It was a masterful display of swordsmanship.
Viscous bodily fluids oozed out of the dead creature with a wet squelch.
Looking closely, they saw its back was covered in tiny eggs, and some had already hatched.
Newly born spider-centipede hatchlings tumbled off its back and swarmed the freshly slain parent, beginning to devour its body.
A dry rustling sound echoed around them, like leaves scraping together.
“…I’m so done with this.”
Abel watched the scene in horror, but then a shiver ran down his spine as he sensed something behind him.
Instinctively, he turned around and just a few steps away stood two Giant Spider-Centipedes.
His head flared hot, and he almost unleashed fire magic, but he forced himself to resist.
In a place this cramped, even a fireball would put them at risk.
—I have to kill them with magic, fast!
He recalled Mineral Magic, Fourth Rank spell: “Soaring Earth Spears”.
He had never used it before, but there was no choice.
Desperately, he imagined the spell taking shape and chanted its name.
A sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the air.
The Giant Spider-Centipedes thrashed wildly.
Both had been pierced in the abdomen by cone-shaped stone spears that had shot up from the ground.
Pinned as if nailed in place, they were still alive but unable to move.
Abel gasped for breath with his heart pounding furiously.
“Damn, the underground’s no joke! I barely noticed them sneaking up behind us.”
Ise, seemingly without the slightest trace of fear, spoke calmly.
“You noticed them; that’s good enough. Spider-Centipedes use paralyzing poison. If one manages to crawl up unnoticed and you get poisoned, it’s over. Once your body stops moving, that’s when they eat you. Now you understand. Always watch your back.”
They resumed moving forward.
In this enclosed space, their sense of time quickly began to warp.
How long had they been walking? He had no idea.
It felt like an hour… but at the same time, it also felt like several hours had already passed.
The sloping tunnel carried them deeper and deeper.
And then, the presence of countless living creatures became unmistakable.
From the depths of the mine, a sound drifted toward them.
Abel’s wariness rose to its peak. Tension gripped him, and his breath came short.
Glimmers of eyes reflected in the darkness.
The number grew rapidly.
Rats.
Huge rats, each the size of a cat, swarming toward them in droves.
Abel’s body stiffened.
It was swarms like this that were the most dangerous.
If it were just one big one, Ise could handle it somehow.
But against sheer numbers like these, even Ise’s skill couldn’t keep up.
If those sharp teeth tore into their bodies, the result would be a gruesome, miserable death.
Something had to be done.
“Lady Ise! Walt! Fall back!”
The two quickly retreated, taking positions to guard Abel on both sides.
He decided to use the “Heated Wind” spell that was normally used to dry off the body as an offensive weapon.
Abel rapidly accelerated the magic power within him and blasted out as much hot air as he could.
Dozens of giant rats began writhing in pain.
Abel poured in even more magic, holding nothing back.
The reflected heat scorched his face and body, but he ignored it and continued releasing the hot air.
“That’s enough. Stop.”
Ise grabbed his shoulder, and Abel finally ceased the spell.
He gasped for breath.
His throat was painfully dry.
About ten giant rats lay dead on the ground.
Casalos looked genuinely stunned.
“What’s this, Abel? You’re strong! Better than most mages I know.”
“Rats just freak me out… And they’re way too big.”
Ise crushed a dying rat underfoot as she spoke.
“Abel. Using Heated Wind in response to danger was a smart decision. But if it had been me, I would’ve killed a few first. Giant rats are drawn to the smell of blood. Once it spreads, the rest swarm the bodies. That’s your chance to either escape or launch another attack. Don’t let fear get the better of you and burn through too much magic. We’ve got a long way to go.”
“Y-Yes, Lady Ise…”
They resumed their journey and continued on for several more hours.
The path, damaged by a cave-in, made the footing treacherous, and Casalos, in particular, struggled to keep going.
He looked like a scholar, but his desire for magic stones must’ve been strong. He pressed on with determination.
Abel was surprised by the density of the magic particles in the air.
They weren’t visible, but his senses could clearly feel them.
After descending a particularly steep slope while carefully adjusting their posture as they went, they finally had their first find.
Abel spotted something like a crystal glowing pale blue, wedged in a crack in the rock.
It was about the size of a thumb.
“Huh? Is this a magic stone?”
“Hmm? Ah! Yes, that’s it!”
Casalos picked it up.
He smiled with genuine delight.
“What grade would that be?”
“Let’s see… Probably a fourth-grade magic stone.”
“How much would it sell for?”
“At a specialty shop in Porto… maybe around fifty silver coins.”
“Huh.”
Seemed like a decent price.
That said, Abel still didn’t really understand the value of money.
“Lady Ise, are squires paid a monthly salary?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know?”
“No, actually, no one really explained it to me.”
“Most likely, squires employed by the castle get five silver coins per month.”
“That’s cheap!”
“In return, food and housing are provided by the castle.”
“But it’s a job where you risk your life.”
“To earn the honor of becoming a knight, you must first pass a trial.”
“…That’s exactly how black companies justify things.”
Ise and Casalos gave him puzzled looks.
“Abel, what’s this ‘black’ something?”
“It’s something you don’t need to know about, Professor Casalos.”
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