39
My Villains Episode 39
10. Underground Floor 4 (4)
By the time the slime shriveled in the flames and became a sticky lump of charcoal.
Figuring the search was over and it was about time for a meal, I declared a break.
There happened to be stairs leading to the 3rd floor nearby, so we moved there for now.
As Luke and Arnal were setting up a small fire near the landing, I helped Grania remove her armor.
Grania's armor, which had been hit by the slime's acid, was melted in various places, and we had to remove all the iron plates and rings that had been attached.
It had become a rag full of tears and holes - well, I guess we shouldn't regret it since it saved her life.
As I was thinking this while removing the melted armor, ugh, a handful of peeled skin came off stuck to the sleeve.
"Ugh, your skin's all peeled off? Doesn't it hurt?"
"Of course, it hurts."
When I sprinkled water on her left arm that had been hit by the acid, Grania gritted her teeth and groaned.
Her left arm was full of red swelling and white blisters - ugh, what a nauseating sight.
After wiping off the moisture with a cloth and applying ointment, I spoke in a reproachful tone.
"It's your first time seeing a slime, right?"
"Well, where would I have seen something that only appears in dungeons? Ouch, can you be gentler? It stings a bit."
"Then why did you rush in so recklessly? You could have died."
"Phew- Well, that's true."
...Is that all you have to say?
Grania, who answered briefly, took out a leather canteen and gulped it down.
She doesn't seem to care much about what I say.
"I thought you had a cautious personality, why did you do that?"
"...Why, you ask? I was just doing my job."
"Your job?"
At my question, Grania frowned as if wondering why I would ask such a thing and answered.
"Ellen is a mage, right? She's a valuable person, so I have to protect her."
"Didn't you see me running over? I would have handled it somehow."
"You expect me to just sit back sucking my thumb, trusting you'll handle it well?"
"Well, not exactly,"
"Ugh, can you stop with the useless questions for now and just wrap the bandage?"
"...Alright."
I started wrapping the bandage from Grania's shoulder and fell into thought for a moment.
As I was about to tie a knot at her elbow, which was marked with scars past her muscular forearm, I suddenly spoke up.
"So, you did it to save Ellen, right?"
"It's just work, that's all."
I slightly furrowed my brow as I looked into her eyes, which seemed friendly at first glance but sharp upon closer inspection. I couldn't understand.
"But Ellen hasn't been - well, particularly kind to you, has she?"
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"To be frank, I'm asking if Ellen is worth risking your life for. She's usually prickly, and well, there's been some conflict between you two, right?"
At my question, Grania slightly turned her head to look at Ellen. Confirming that she was preoccupied with organizing her bag, Grania shrugged and answered in a low voice.
"To be honest, it wasn't for Ellen's sake."
"Then?"
"Hmm. If we're talking about worth - I guess you could say it was for the sake of my own worth."
"Your own worth..."L
I tilted my head but started to wrap a new bandage around Grania's forearm.
Grania, wearing only a sleeveless linen shirt, had her shoulders and arms fully exposed. Her forearm was bumpy to the point of being a mess due to her taut forearm muscles, faded scars, and newly formed burns.
"I'm a mercenary. I'm someone who works for others for money. And that work mostly involves fighting enemies."
Twenty-seven years old. The twenty-seven-year-olds I met when I was Kim Seung-soo were mostly job seekers or newcomers to society.
It was an age when one is thrown into the hardships of the world while still retaining the purity of youth.
"So my worth... It's determined when I step into danger, when I swing my sword at a strong enemy, when I raise my shield for my comrades behind me."
Twenty-seven years old. Twenty-seven years in the Middle World was enough time to create an experienced mercenary with numerous scars all over her body.
The twenty-seven-year-old Grania had long since become numb to the guilt of killing, and was a warrior with a strong heart that could wash away the death of a comrade with a glass of cheap alcohol.
Hiding my clear sense of discomfort, I asked again.
"Do you have to do that even underground where no one's watching?"
"What do you mean no one's watching? You're here, and so are Luke, Ellen, and Arnal."
"That's true, but."
"Even if no one was there, nothing would change. I'm the leader of a mercenary group. I can't do shameful things."
In Grania's dark brown eyes saying that, many things were contained. It was hard to describe, but if I had to explain - well, it seemed like something akin to pride.
In the Middle World, small-scale mercenaries were often equated with thieves or robbers. Grania, who couldn't have been unaware of this, seemed to have a sense of calling in her profession.
When I first saw Grania, I wondered how someone with such a small build - about 160 cm, which is tall for a woman in this world - could be playing the role of a gang leader.
Back then, I just assumed it was because of Grania's excellent combat skills.
But now, looking at her, I think she would have become a leader even if her martial arts skills were terrible.
After tying the end of the bandage and finishing it appropriately, I closed my mouth.
The world felt stranger than when sleeping on a straw-filled bed, drinking lukewarm and thick beer, or wearing oddly shaped pants.
The following dinner was quite satisfactory.
Smoked pork, boiled alligator eggs, oat pie, figs, and beer mixed with water. It was quite a feast for a sewer meal.
We were able to have such a generous meal thanks to two factors.
First, the down payment we received was a considerable sum - we received five gold coins - and second, with the increase in personnel, we were able to stock up on plenty of supplies.
Anyway, thanks to that, I was examining a copy of the blueprint handed over by the guard captain, having satisfactorily filled my stomach.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
When I looked up, Ellen, who was crouching nearby, was staring at me intently.
"What did you talk about?"
"What?"
"I asked what you talked about with the old maid."
Here we go again.
I glanced around slightly, but it seemed no one had heard her words. It was because Ellen and I were appropriately distanced from the rest of the people.
The reason we were apart - well, Ellen didn't want to mix with other people, so she sat separately. And I, being considerate, sat nearby out of concern.
I brushed up my bangs as I put the map down on my knees.
"Can't you just call her by her name? Do you have to use offensive terms like 'old man' or 'old maid'?"
"If you don't want to talk about it, just say so. Why are you nitpicking?"
"...Sigh."
Let's be patient. I don't want to create discord by nagging unnecessarily. Instead, when we get to the surface, I'll definitely, surely give her a good scolding.
As I let out a sigh filled with complex emotions, Ellen flinched for a moment and then started to glance at me sideways.
She clearly knows what she did wrong.
That's what makes me even more upset. If you're going to be aware of it after doing it, why do it in the first place?
Swallowing the words that had risen to my throat, I spoke with a calm demeanor.
"I just said thank you."
"For what?"
"For stepping up earlier, and for fighting for me at the inn the day before yesterday."
"Why are you thankful for that?"
Ellen was wearing a puzzled expression, as if she genuinely didn't understand.
Sigh, I keep sighing.
"Both times were because of you."
"Because of me?"
"Yes. You got hurt trying to catch the slime that was coming at you. Your armor was damaged too. Not only that, Anton was seriously injured fighting the thieves at the inn the day before yesterday. We could have run away, but we stayed because we knew you were on the second floor. Of course, I should be thankful."
Even after my words, Ellen sneered as if she couldn't understand.
"Ha, I'm a wizard. I could have handled a slime without that kind of help."
"Come on. You were the one trembling and running away."
"T-trembling! That was just... I was momentarily surprised. If it had attacked, I would have,"
"Yeah, yeah. Maybe you could have done something about the slime. But what about the day before yesterday? If it wasn't for Grania, you would have died, right?"
At my firm words, Ellen closed her mouth tightly. When I shrugged my shoulders teasingly, Ellen chewed on her lips for a moment before speaking.
"B-but why are you saying thank you? It's my business."
"Because you would never say such things. To begin with, have you ever even talked properly with Grania?"
"...Well, that's true."
She closed her mouth again and lowered her eyes. She seemed to be looking for something to say.
"Don't try to nitpick unnecessarily."
"When did I,"
"There you go again. Aren't you thankful? Just say that."
Ellen didn't give any answer, but... Considering her usual behavior, this must mean she's agreeing.
"Alright. If you're thankful, just speak nicely in everyday life. I won't even expect you to have friendly conversations with other people."
"Huh? I'm worried about you. I'm afraid you might get stabbed if you keep acting like that."
As I gently admonished her, the crouching figure buried her face in her knees and mumbled.
"Why would I suddenly get stabbed?"
"It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, be careful from now on. Especially, no more saying things like 'old maid' or 'old man', okay?"
Ellen, who had been silent for a while with her eyes lowered...
"...Okay. I'll be careful."
Finally said that while nodding her head slightly.
I smiled silently, feeling somehow proud.
"So then... How much time has passed?"
At my question, Ellen took out something that looked like a transparent conch shell from her sling bag. It was a magical hourglass.
Well, the magical hourglass didn't have any particularly impressive effects. If you infused it with magic, it would consistently flow sand in one direction no matter which way you turned it.
Thanks to its simple but useful effect and small size making it convenient to carry, it was something that every magician in the La-Palais Palace had, according to Ellen.
Ellen looked at the markings on the hourglass and answered.
"It's just - twelve hours have passed."
"Twelve hours, huh."
That's ambiguous.
The ancient empire's sewer system had existed since very long ago.
During that time, without proper management, the deeper you went, the more often you'd find collapsed walls or water seeping in.
This is where the problem arose.
The hidden stairs leading directly from the 4th floor of the sewer to the secret passage had already collapsed.
In the end, to approach the secret passage, we had no choice but to search through naturally formed caves to find a way.
The good news was that once we entered the caves, we could use the blueprint to determine the direction of the secret passage.
So... First we need to find a way to the caves, and then find a way from the caves to the secret passage. Ugh, it's giving me a headache.
After pondering for a moment, I looked around at my companions sitting around and said,
"Since we've more or less cleared the surroundings, our only option is to find the caves... But given the city's situation isn't very relaxed, we should hurry a bit."
Good. It seems no one has any objections.
"Mr. Luke. You said you've been in the caves before, right?"
"That's right. To be precise, I didn't enter, I fell in."
According to Mr. Luke, about two weeks ago, he headed to the sewers with people from his hometown.
Mr. Luke's group reached the 4th floor of the sewer after various difficulties, but suddenly the floor collapsed, and they fell into a wide cavity.
Most drowned or were eaten by monsters, but thanks to sheer luck, only Mr. Luke barely managed to escape and crawl back up.
"When we passed by earlier, I saw that the place that collapsed then was filled with some kind of dirt pile. I'm not sure what happened, but it would be dangerous to dig that hole again. Besides, falling into a cavity full of groundwater isn't a very wise action."
"That's true."
As I quietly nodded, Arnal, who was fiddling with her arrow fletching, shrugged and said,
"In the end, is there no other way but to scrape the floor bit by bit?"
"...It seems so."
Of course, we hadn't just been hunting Ratmen while searching the 4th floor until now. We looked for small gaps or cracks that might lead underground, but without much success.
What should we do? Searching blindly seems stupid, but is there really no other way?
We had a meeting of sorts, but no useful opinions came out.
"Well, we have no choice. Let's try to find a way down."
"Aren't we going back up to the surface? We need to regroup."
When Ellen expressed a complaint bordering on whining, I calmly reasoned with her.
"I don't think we have that luxury. We still have enough supplies, so let's search with the mindset of camping out for today."
Ellen pouted her lips for a moment, but seeing everyone else nodding readily as if they had prepared for this much, she ended up closing her mouth too.
It's good that we reached an agreement without much conflict, but...
Hmm, why do I feel like we're in for quite a bit of trouble?