The Qualification
After wandering endlessly through the passages of the Qualification Cave, a new path finally comes into view. Only now can we truly say we've entered the ruins in earnest. A vast space tangled like a maze. An ordinary explorer would have spent ages trying to find their way, but that wasn't a concern for us.
"It seems like we should go right."
"Why...?"
"My intuition... It's pointing right."
...As if to mock the elaborate maze and traps that had been set, Hestia simply trusted her own instincts and avoided every single one. Each time her chosen path proved correct, that intuition grew almost frightening. Was it because she was the Hero? Her instinctive senses—things like intuition and gut feeling—had already reached a level where calling her a Transcendent wouldn't feel out of place.
No wonder it felt like I was the only one stepping on traps. Thanks to this whole "ruins experience" thing, I'd been diligently triggering them... but now I was starting to wonder if I'd just been bothering her for no reason.
"A little further and I think we'll find something."
"Right..."
Hestia, oblivious to my inner conflict, continued expertly navigating the ruins. Weren't we supposed to be exploring because we were curious about the ruins? The thought suddenly struck me that this expedition felt no different from children playing a treasure hunt.
I watched Hestia as she walked, trusting her instincts while I carefully observed the structure of the walls and ceiling. Thinking back, Hestia hadn't voiced a single complaint since entering the ruins. Of course, given her personality, she wouldn't openly complain anyway, but I could usually gauge her mood from her actions and eyes. Even this tedious ruin seemed to satisfy her—she showed no signs of displeasure. The occasional excited bounce of her golden hair was proof enough.
"...Lady Hestia."
"Yes, did you call me?"
"Are you having fun?"
"...Pardon?"
"The ruins. Are they as interesting as you expected?"
She tilted her head at the question, then answered brightly.
"They're fascinating. Imagining who built this structure and for what purpose, or why it remained undiscovered until now... Being able to picture all that myself really gives me the feeling of an adventure."
"That's good to hear."
"It's strange that we haven't seen a single monster, but I've already grown tired of hunting them outside anyway......"
I nodded inwardly with relief and continued listening to her. Once she got going on a topic she enjoyed, Hestia spoke with genuine excitement—until she suddenly blushed, cleared her throat in embarrassment, and said,
"Ahem... My apologies. It seems I've been talking only about myself."
"No, it was nice seeing a fresh side of you."
"P-please stop saying such strange things......"
"Oh? There's a door over there!"
"......"
Hestia stared at me blankly for a moment before sighing and turning her gaze in the direction I pointed. There stood a suspiciously large door.
"Is that the direction your intuition is pointing, Lady Hestia?"
"...It seems so."
"Hmm, suspicious, but......"
I let my words trail off, waiting for her decision. After a brief moment of thought, she placed a hand over her chest as if to say "trust me" and declared,
"I will protect you. Let us go in together."
"Then I'll be counting on you, Hero."
"...Please don't stray too far from me."
Watching her cold retort, I approached the door with an awkward expression.
"Hmm... It doesn't seem to be locked."
"I'll open it. Please step back—it might be dangerous."
I obeyed without argument. Once she confirmed I'd moved away, Hestia pushed against the door with both hands.
Qualification
A thunderous rumble shook the ground as the massive door began to slowly part to either side. Hestia pushed the enormous door—whose weight was impossible to gauge by sight—without the slightest sign of strain. Watching from behind, I felt pure admiration... until Hestia, who had checked inside first, called out to me.
"You may come in now."
"What's in there?"
"...It would be better if you saw for yourself."
She gestured lightly, as if words wouldn't suffice. Of course, I already knew what was inside, but I put on an expression of barely contained curiosity.
Following her lead, I stepped through the great door—and was met with a blinding radiance that filled my vision.
"Good heavens...!"
A mountain of gold and jewels lay piled within. I gaped in exaggerated shock. Hestia watched me from the side with a peculiar expression. Ignoring her gaze, I approached the glittering treasure heap.
"H-how much do you think all this is worth...?"
"I've never seen this much gold and jewels before. Moreover... there seem to be extraordinary treasures mixed in as well."
As she said, some of the treasures possessed special abilities. Of course, most of the truly powerful or dangerous ones had already been dealt with, so they wouldn't be necessary for her, who was on the verge of becoming a Transcendent. Even the few secret manuals that had been here had been taken by Elisha......
Unfortunately, it didn't look like Hestia would find anything useful here. Still, since we were already here, I figured I might as well take a few. Just as I reached for the treasures she seemed interested in, Hestia gently grabbed my hand to stop me.
"Wait."
"Why? Don't tell me you're trying to hog all the treasure......"
"......"
"Haha, it was just a joke—don't make that face."
After soothing her slightly hurt expression, I asked for her reason.
"There might be cursed items or treasures tainted by the traces of outer gods... It would be best not to touch them."
"Hmm... Understood."
I nodded at her words. There were no such things here, but I could understand why she was being cautious. Unlike Elisha, Hestia had no special eyes......
Unfortunately, she lacked the ability to discern or filter treasures. All she could do was rely on her natural intuition. Not touching the suspicious treasures piled in the ruins was only natural for her.
"Aww, what a shame. I thought I might get rich."
"Are you experiencing financial difficulties?"
"Not really......"
Leaving the central treasure mountain alone, we wandered around chatting—until Hestia suddenly stopped. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before walking toward the wall at the edge, away from the treasure pile.
"Did you find something strange?"
"No, it's just......"
I stood beside her with a question mark on my face. Hestia hesitated before answering.
"I got a strange feeling from this direction."
"A strange feeling...? Your intuition again?"
"...Yes."
She had trusted that intuition all the way to this treasure-filled room, yet now she only moved her lips without certainty. Growing impatient, I approached the wall she found suspicious.
"Ah..."
"It's fine."
Reassuring the overprotective Hestia, I ran my hands over various parts of the wall but found nothing unusual.
"There's nothing here, though?"
"Is that so? It seems my intuition was wrong."
"Hmm, I'm not so sure......"
Leaving some room for doubt, I returned to her side. Hestia still looked uncomfortable, as if her intuition was still pointing at that wall.
"If it's bothering you, check it yourself."
"...Understood. Then, just for a moment......"
At my words—which implied she shouldn't hold back—she immediately moved closer to the wall. I quietly watched from behind as she examined it, just as I had: touching various spots, enhancing her vision to look for tiny flaws. But despite her efforts, all she found were old dust and stone powder. It seemed she too would return empty-handed.
Then—!
I pointed at one section of the wall with my finger.
"Lady Hestia?"
"Yes."
"There are some strange letters appearing on the wall over there."
Where there had been nothing before, odd characters had now emerged. Hestia narrowed her eyes and read them aloud.
"Qua... li... fi...?"
Qualification
The moment she spoke the word—
A tremendous roar echoed throughout the entire ruins. Startled, Hestia moved to approach me while staying alert—when
BOOM!
With a sudden explosion, the surroundings were engulfed in black fog.
"L-Lady Hestia?!"
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, I called out to her in panic. But she seemed just as clueless about the situation. All she could do was hold me tighter so we wouldn't be separated.
"Hold on tight. No matter what happens, I will protect you."
"I'll trust only you, Hero!"
"......"
Even in this situation, Hestia looked at me with wonder as I acted as casually as ever. Clinging to each other, we were completely swallowed by the black fog.
At that moment, I quietly smiled to myself.
'Success.'