Mine Cleanup (2)
The sound of Angelica's arrogant laughter filled the room as she stepped inside. "Hehe. I was planning to clean this place up soon anyway. This timing works out perfectly!"
The atmosphere was strangely tense—impossible to tell whether everyone was actually welcoming her or not. Only Selena frowned, her pretty eyebrows knitting together in clear displeasure.
"If we're not careful, this could just create more problems. It would be better to keep it sealed for the time being."
"No! If we leave it abandoned any longer, something terrible might happen. It could turn into a dungeon that spits out monsters, for all we know."
Dungeon. So those existed in this world too. I hadn't heard about them very often, though. Memories from my previous life flickered through my mind—being treated like a pack mule during so-called "dungeon raids." But things were different now. I had refined swordsmanship, gigaam, and reliable companions by my side. With a group like this, tackling a dungeon didn't seem impossible.
Then Selena spoke again. "There hasn't been a single case of dungeonification in the last several decades. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"But haven't things been awfully strange lately? All sorts of monsters are pouring out of the forest, and we've even discovered groups deliberately creating them. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if a dungeon popped up overnight."
"……."
Selena fell silent. It wasn't out of frustration—she probably agreed with at least some of what Angelica was saying.
"That's exactly why we can't afford to sit back and do nothing right now."
Angelica's eyes sparkled. Was this the natural charisma of a noble lady? A few people were already nodding in agreement, seemingly moved by her words.
"Lord Ruines!"
"Yes?"
"I will form an extermination team right here and now. You'll help us, won't you?"
I glanced at Iselina and Selena. Their expressions were filled with worry, but they didn't seem like they would stop me if I chose to step forward. Even without using gigaam, I could feel their concern.
Still… pretending not to notice in a situation like this didn't feel very knightly.
"Yes, I'd be happy to."
"I knew it!"
Angelica's eyes lit up as she grabbed my hand tightly. Then she began jumping up and down with genuine delight. Wait, we hadn't even finished the extermination yet—why was she this excited already?
"Are there any other brave souls willing to join us?"
"……If Ruines is going, then I will too."
"It seems I have no choice."
Both Melissa and Selena decided to join the team. Iselina looked like she wanted to stop them but eventually shook her head. Waiting for reinforcements from the knight order might have been safer, but this was clearly an urgent matter.
And then—
Liz the blacksmith burst into the room, panting heavily, having apparently caught wind of the news from somewhere.
"I can't let Ruines go alone. I've been training consistently, so I should be able to help…! Plus, I have quite a bit of experience working in mines."
"Ahh, thank you, Sister Liz!"
"What are you talking about? I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Liz had experience in all sorts of things. As a blacksmith, her strength was reliable, and she could maintain our weapons on the spot. It was hard to find a more capable addition to the team.
With that, our extermination party was roughly decided. I wasn't sure if our combination was solid or questionable, but with my gigaam and Janice's information network, things might go surprisingly smoothly.
"Alright, here's a map of the mine's interior."
"How do you even have something like this?"
"Haha. Trade secret, obviously."
"……."
Our departure was set for three days later. Until then, we would finish our preparations and keep ourselves in peak condition. The thought of heading out for a proper monster extermination made my heart race with a strange excitement.
Of course, Melissa immediately gave me a sharp warning.
"Mines are the perfect environment for monsters to build their nests. They're narrow, dark, and full of hiding spots. You must never let your guard down."
"Yes, Instructor Melissa. Still, with gigaam, I should be able to—"
"Gigaam is not all-powerful. If you rely on it too heavily, you may suffer greatly later. Keep that in mind."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
She never hesitated to give strict advice, even to a fellow disciple. Was there any knight more knightly than her?
Come to think of it, someone suddenly came to mind. I leaned over and whispered to Melissa.
"What do you think Master would say about this?"
"Master— No, if it's that woman's opinion, perhaps you should hear it from her own mouth."
"……."
There seemed to be quite a deep emotional rift there. Then again, considering Hildegard's personality and behavior, it was probably understandable. If anything, maybe Melissa and Hildegard should have switched roles as master and disciple.
With that in mind, I visited Hildegard for the first time in a while.
"Huuu…"
As always, Hildegard was sprawled out on the grass, smoking a cigarette. Thanks to whatever trick she was using, not a single wild animal or insect could be heard nearby. Was she able to act so boldly despite being wanted because she had ways to handle any trouble that came her way?
As I watched her with curious eyes, Hildegard glanced over at me.
"What? If you've got something to say, spit it out."
Her voice was as confident as ever. I let out a small chuckle and replied.
"Nothing in particular."
"Hah?"
Hildegard looked at me like I was ridiculous. Ignoring her, I picked up my wooden sword and focused like I always did. I slowly performed the sword techniques she had taught me, as if etching them into my mind.
Eventually, even Hildegard, with that strange look on her face, put out her cigarette and spoke.
"……You need to take one more step there."
"Like this?"
"That's right."
There was no need to say things like I'm going to hunt monsters or I've been given an extermination mission. If I aimed to become a knight, this was simply something I ought to do. In that case, the best thing I could do right now was to have my polished skills evaluated by my master.
"……."
Hildegard watched my swordplay in silence. Maybe there was a certain understanding between master and disciple after all.
By the time moonlight poured down and dawn dew began to form, Hildegard quietly spoke.
"That's enough. It's cold out, so go inside soon."
"Huu. I only showed you half of it, though?"
"It was passable. The rest will probably be passable too."
"……."
With that, Hildegard rolled over with a dramatic whoosh, as if she had no interest in seeing more. For some reason, that fired me up, and I continued practicing even after she turned away. Hildegard pretended to sleep without saying another word.
Whoosh!
I swung my sword for a long time behind her. Until my breathing grew ragged, sweat covered my entire body, and my mind began to blur. By the time I finished the final movement, I must have collapsed onto the ground.
When I came to my senses—
"Snrrk?"
I woke up inside Hildegard's tent. The lazily lying Hildegard was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe my master was surprisingly shy after all.
"Anyway…"
"What do you mean, 'anyway'?"
"Hiek!"
When I turned around, Hildegard was standing there—holding a skewer loaded with fish.
"Come and eat breakfast."
"Huu. I thought my heart was going to stop."
Crackle, crackle!
I sat by the burning campfire and smiled faintly. When I glanced over, Hildegard looked nonchalant, but there was a hint of amusement on her face.
After spending the night without any particular incident—
"Ruines?"
"Ah. Yes, Sister Eila."
"Where did you go last night?"
"……."
I froze up as if facing a true crisis.
The village of Hilden, home to the now-sealed mine, was located north of Piren Village. Before it was closed, it had apparently been quite lively with workers and merchants coming and going.
As I listened to Janice while riding in the carriage, the sun had already begun to set. We would arrive around noon tomorrow. There was still plenty of time left.
"Ruines. What are you staring at so intently?"
"Oh."
It was the bracelet Eila had given me before we left the village. It wasn't flashy, but it was clearly made with great care. Had she crafted it stitch by stitch with her own hands? In exchange for allowing me to go, Eila had insisted I wear this bracelet at all times.
"It must be like a lucky charm from Sister Eila. She's always so overprotective sometimes."
"With you, it's understandable."
"R-really?"
"Yes."
Selena, sitting beside me, looked at the bracelet with interest. I couldn't sense anything unusual with gigaam, but maybe she had noticed something. Then she suddenly leaned her head against my shoulder.
"Selena?"
"I'm feeling sleepy for some reason. I'll rest my eyes for a bit."
"U-um, okay."
The others' gazes briefly focused on us before drifting away. The carriages had been split into several groups. I ended up riding with Selena, Melissa, Liz, and Janice. Melissa had taken it upon herself to watch Janice in case she tried to run away, so Janice kept sneaking nervous glances our way.
Angelica was traveling separately in her own private carriage. She had invited me to ride with her, but it seemed like it would be uncomfortable in many ways. Besides, Selena had narrowed her eyes and glared at Angelica when the offer was made.
"Ahem."
"Those two don't seem to have an ordinary relationship, huh? This is some serious jealousy. Right, Liz?"
"Ahaha. W-well… Those two have been famous for sticking together since they were kids."
Liz was around the same age as Eila. She had probably seen plenty of our childhood.
"Wow, it's a pure love story. I'm so jealous."
Janice shrugged as she spoke. I couldn't tell if this cheerful merchant woman was being polite or rude. Her golden eyes sparkled as she looked at the two of us.
"I just hope it stays a pure love story until the very end…"
"?"
At those words, Selena slowly opened her eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. From what I can see, this boy seems to have been born with incredibly bad luck."
"?"
I met Janice's golden gaze head-on.