The Ancient Underground Passage

We followed the dwarves into the mine. The one leading us grinned like we were already old friends.

"Name's Basilbeard!"

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Lashu Leonhart of Gale Wars."

"Never thought I'd live to see the son of the legendary hero Reiner. Hahaha! Well then, I ought to do a little bragging of my own. This shaft you're heading down? Biggest one we've got!"

Basilbeard threw both arms wide, genuinely proud of himself. The effect was a little diminished by the fact that he was about my height, but still.

Even so, the scale of the shaft hit you immediately. Nearly twice as wide as any of the others.

"I see. So if we keep going this way, the secret path comes out?"

"That's right. And not just any path — this one opens onto the Ancient Underground Passage!"

The Ancient Underground Passage was so deep and so vast that the tunnels of the present day couldn't even compare. Legend said it connected all the way to a subterranean city that existed only in myth.

In the game, it showed up after the mid-game stretch. People would get lost running quests in there and spend an entire day unable to clear it.

That was one of the reasons the game I used to play became a dumpster fire.

The lore was rock-solid, and the character models were some of the best ever made. Sigh.

Well, I came here trying to raise the ratings and keep them up, didn't I?

Still, I had to wonder. Why did I have to end up in this world? Not that I was complaining.

"Hold up."

We arrived in front of an enormous iron gate. It was so massive and imposing it looked like only giants were meant to pass through.

Basilbeard shrugged.

"As you all know, the superiority of an underground passage comes down to one thing. It crosses rivers, it crosses mountains, and it runs in a straight line so true it practically insults the sky itself."

"Which direction do we go?"

"Take this."

He held out a medal. Copper plated in silver — a cheap item you wouldn't get much for even if you sold it.

A medal? This wasn't in the original.

I tilted my head, and Basilbeard smirked.

"That's a navigation medal! I've set it to Myra, your capital. It'll glow green when you're heading the right way."

I held it up to the iron gate. After a moment, the medal shone green.

Fascinating. Getting lost in an underground passage was a genuine problem, and the dwarves had developed something like this?

Dwarf technology is number one in the world!

I couldn't help cheering internally. Seriously, if they'd put something like this in the game, they would've cut the hate by thirty percent!

The others marveled at the green-glowing medal.

"Ooooh! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It really lights up! Like a gem!"

"Oh my, how exquisite♥"

"It's not as crude as I expected. You can feel the precision of the craftsmanship."

I stared down at the medal for a while. Lumina tilted her head, a question occurring to her.

"What if we go the wrong way?"

"It'll glow yellow. Remember those two... ah, there's one more, actually. Never mind that one."

Basilbeard shook his head. You can't just say that and expect people not to want to know more.

Aunt looked down at him as she asked. Ah, this downward angle — her slender jawline caught the light so beautifully I loved it.

"What's the other one?"

"No. You don't need to know, and you shouldn't. Just follow the direction. Then you'll never see it glow red!"

What the hell had he been about to say? Now it just felt ominous. Was he planting a flag?

Aki smiled pleasantly.

"I've got a rather uneasy feeling about this♥"

Clunk. Creeeeak! Rumble...

At last the iron gate opened with a massive groan. Dust billowed up for a moment, then settled.

A gloomy, primitive underground passage of earth and stone came into view.

The dampness and smell unique to the underground were strong, but something else came with them too — an old, mysterious scent, worn with age.

This was the Ancient Underground Passage? Holy shit.

We climbed straight into the carriage and set off. Basilbeard waved goodbye.

"Safe travels! If you ever come back this way, just follow the path you took!"

"Yes, thank you! Basilbeard, and all you dwarf masters!"

I answered with everything I had, then looked forward again. Lin eased into a light, comfortable trot.

As we went, the medal glowed green.

"Whew, this place is cleaner than I expected?"

I laughed at Lumina's comment. Was it that it looked clean, or that it actually was? Kind of a toss-up.

I looked out the window. The underground passage was bigger and wider than I'd imagined. It stood about as tall as the first floor of a decent mansion, and wide enough that five carriages could probably pass side by side.

And honestly, I was in awe. Passing through a place I'd only ever seen in a game, for real. Even the air on my skin felt special.

This almost feels like I turned my hobby into a job.

The meaning might be different, but reaching something you love is pretty much the same.

If we could just keep going like this, no incidents, that'd be great.

"Hm?"

As we proceeded at a leisurely pace, I noticed something on the walls and ceiling. Here and there were stone tablets inscribed with unknown characters, night-pearls, and lamps giving off a strange orange glow.

I tilted my head, then startled. Why were these here? They looked like fragments of some ruin.

"What's written on those tablets?"

At my question, the carriage stopped. Aunt examined them briefly, then shook her head.

"These are characters I've never seen either. Looking at them roughly, they seem similar to the script Dark Elves use."

Dark Elf script? Why would that even be here?

This was the Ancient Underground Passage, so it had probably existed since ancient times. Things from that era could turn up here. If we were lucky, maybe even treasure.

Still, it was strange. If there were tablets like this, why had the dwarves just left them alone?

Haa, now I want to see the Dark Elf sister...

I was disappointed. So disappointed it burned in my gut.

I should have brought Laurel. I'd left her behind to keep watch over Weverpool, since I didn't really have a reason to bring her along.

Would she have figured something out if she'd been here? We set off again.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

As we went, I noticed how many branching paths there were. Some looked like they'd once been open passages that had since been blocked. Aki's expression turned serious.

"The more I look, the more amazing it is. To think the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dwarves opened all of this up."

I picked up the thread.

"Not all of it, probably. Some of these were already here, or got uncovered by accident."

Aunt joined our conversation as she polished her golden rosary.

"To think a place like this exists beneath the ground we walk on every day. I can hardly believe it. They never taught us this even in the capital."

The more I looked, the more I could only marvel. Did the people living up above even know a place like this existed?

They wouldn't have a clue. And here we were, cutting right through it.

Feels like we're on a tour.

Back when I was a student, I'd visited one of those infiltration tunnels North Korea had dug. It was really deep. I was shocked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that a place that deep had become a tourist attraction.

Thud.

Huh? What was that?

I asked Lumina.

"Lumina, did you feel that vibration just now?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't notice anything. By the way, do you smell something burnt? Not exactly the same, but..."

"A burnt smell, all of a sudden?"

"Hmm, maybe I'm imagining it? It's damp down here, after all."

Lumina tilted her head. Was it just my imagination?

I definitely felt a vibration.

Thud.

See? There it is again.

I swallowed dryly and waited. Would it come again? Again?

Thud.

Two minutes later, it rumbled again. That settled it.

It feels like the vibration is getting gradually closer.

I just stared out the window. Maybe it was just my mood. Getting excited, getting carried away.

We're not the only ones using the underground passage. But for a sound this loud... is there an earthquake somewhere?

Or maybe a battle was happening on the surface. Still, this was pretty questionable.

I sat there tilting my head, something on the tip of my tongue, almost surfacing.

Wait a second. In the original, didn't something happen when the protagonist went through the underground passage?

I tried hard to remember. I had a feeling something terrible would happen if I couldn't recall it.

But strangely, I just couldn't remember.

Fuck, what was it? It was definitely an important branching event.

"Hey, everyone! Do you smell something? For real? Is it just me?"

Lumina asked in a loud voice. It shattered my concentration.

"What smell?"

"No, not at all."

"There's a moldy smell, but is that what you mean?"

At our answers, Lumina sighed like the ground was collapsing beneath her.

"Nooooo! How do I put this? It's different from mold. Ah, it's hard to describe. There's a bunch of things mixed together."

"Never mind that — you really don't feel the vibration? Seriously?"

"What vibration, you keep going on about it? Don't tell me you're about to start talking about magitech dildos? You crazy bastard?"

I snorted. Why would dildos come up here, for fuck's sake.

"You're the crazy one. You got a uterus jammed in your brain? Why the hell would I talk about that?"

"Then why do you keep dropping vibration jokes."

"Ah, shut up. You stop with the smell bit already!"

It seemed like both Lumina and I were sensing something. For me, it was vibration.

Smell? I wasn't sure. There was a pretty strong basement smell, though.

We laughed and bantered as time passed. We were proceeding without incident when suddenly the view opened up wide.

"Huh? What's this?"

An unkempt clearing appeared — it had probably once been used as a shelter. I suggested we stop.

"Let's rest here for a bit! We don't even know how long we've been riding."

It felt like we'd been going for quite a while, but the time was hard to pin down. Everyone got out of the carriage.

The vibration was still there, coming at long intervals. Aunt was surprised beside me.

"There are tablets here too. Oh my, the floor itself is made of tablets?"

I looked down. Tablets of a size that was hard to measure made up the entire floor. There were plenty on the walls too. Anyone looking at this would think people had left guestbook messages at some popular restaurant.

Wait, is this actually a guestbook? And we're mistaking it for some incredible historical record?

Please no. That would be too stupid.

Aki brought out a notebook and started recording the tablets one by one.

"Aki, what are you doing?"

"I want to show these to someone who might know later! They might even be poems, you know? Hehe♥"

So Aki liked poetry too. Pretty textbook for a Japanese-style heroine, I thought.

The way she went wild during sex was great, though.

"Let's rest for about an hour, everyone. Lin, you rest too!"

I stroked Lin's head and let her rest. I looked around a bit more, then sat on the floor and leaned against the carriage.

I'd been sitting comfortably in the carriage the whole way, but I was strangely tired.

I should try to remember ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while I'm here. Come on, why won't it come back.

It was a strange thing. Whether it was the game or the original, I could usually remember just about everything.

Why was this time different?

I was deep in thought when Aunt came and sat down beside me. She pressed close, resting her head against me.

Her scent, despite the travel fatigue, smelled sweet.

Yeah. This was happiness. Having the people you love as your adventure companions.

I smiled silently and put my arm around her shoulder.

Inside the carriage.

The medal Lashu had left behind had fallen to the floor. Slowly, but unmistakably, it began to change.