Chapter 41 Hideout?

  "This is it."

  ?

  We'd been walking through the desert for over an hour. Still, we were much closer than we'd expected when the man with a lizard face -- this one called Ranga, and the other man called York -- stopped in his tracks.

  However... There was nothing to be seen here except sand.

  ?

  "Fumu?"

  ?

  "... What do you mean...?"

  ?

  I don't think they were pnning to lure us out to a secluded spot and eliminate us there. There was no one around to begin with, and there was no benefit to them in eliminating us. If they didn't want to be known, they should have just left us there without showing themselves in the first pce.

  Still, a mystery is a mystery. As we tilt our heads in confusion, York responds with some sort of triumphant look on his face.

  ?

  "Hehe, you don't get it, do you? But that's exactly why it's a good pce to use as the entrance to a hideout."

  ?

  "Hideout?"

  ?

  "Ah, the vilge we actually live in is even farther away... But it's because it's so far away, that we've been able to escape their hands."

  ?

  That's certainly true. If they were really being persecuted, it would have been overrun if their vilge was nearby. It doesn't seem like they're just a remnant of a force that was overrun.

  But... I have no idea where the entrance is.

  Looking around again, there was nothing within sight, just the bowl-shaped ground gently flowing towards the center.

  Fumu, something seems off.

  ?

  "Is it the nest of a quicksand eater?"

  ?

  Fricka also seems to be digging up memories. The pce where Regulus rolled down looks exactly like this.

  But that's not what bothered me - I don't think they would lead to us to something like that - I searched back in my memories using quicksand as a keyword... And cpped my hands as I remembered.

  ?

  "... I see. It's an entrance to a dungeon."

  ?

  Rion had mentioned it briefly before. That there was sometimes a dungeon beyond the quicksand.

  I guess I was right, because Ranga and York reacted to my answer, and they reacted nervously.

  ?

  "Wait, how do you know that?"

  ?

  "Because Rion knew."

  ?

  "... Is it a known fact to a miko?"

  ?

  Hmm. If not Rion, but the miko of Airo Vilge, knew, then it would be a matter of life and death. In that case, it makes sense to be cautious.

  ?

  "I don't know if the miko of Airo Vilge knows or not. However, Rion said something along the lines of, 'I don't want to conduct such a dangerous search unless I'm sure there's a dungeon there.'"

  ?

  "So, then it's still okay for now?"

  ?

  "Well... I wonder?"

  ?

  York breathed a sigh of relief, but it was too early to judge.

  It was unclear how skilled the Airo Vilge miko was, but judging from his years of experience it was safe to assume he was at least as skilled as Rion. Even if Rion judged it dangerous, he might be able to do it safely, and even before that, this dungeon's entrance hadn't been confirmed to be here alone.

  And a miko like him could sense the general location of the dungeon. If it was the remains of a dungeon that had already been purified of its core, he would likely leave it alone, but if not, there was a good chance it would be searched for. If it was this close, it would have been purified a long time ago... But what was the truth?

  ?

  "... I see. It seems best not to stay too long. Anyway, let's go in."

  ?

  Ranga quickly headed for the bottom of the basin, and York hurriedly followed suit.

  Little by little, his body was buried, but he didn't resist and just went along with it, and soon his whole body was no longer visible.

  ?

  "... Even if you know there's a dungeon below, it's still scary to see someone being swallowed up by the sand..."

  ?

  Fricka muttered, rubbing her arm.

  It's only natural for an ordinary person to think that, but in our case, it shouldn't be that serious.

  ?

  "If something does happen, we can just use the Return Stone."

  ?

  "That's true, but...?"

  ?

  "I don't want to keep them waiting, so let's go."

  ?

  I picked up Fricka, who was hesitant... It wasn't that it would take time if I left her alone, but I could see a future where she would accidentally stumble when she nded.

  "Hold on tight," I advised, and followed after them without waiting for her reply.

  The exit from the quicksand was a rge open space, and involved a slight fall, the accumuted sand made the footing difficult, so I think my actions were correct.

  ?

  ?

  The dungeon was like an underground ruin... Or rather, it was exactly an underground ruin, it was much more solidly constructed than I expected. It was very different from the natural cave-type dungeons I had visited before.

  As far as I could see, it was made of stone bricks on all sides, with stone paving at the bottom and beams at the top, and it was clear to anyone that it was man-made. There were a few broken parts like where I had fallen, but the condition was not that bad. If it was like this, it wouldn't colpse even if I rampage a little... Well, I probably...

  The reason I thought such a thing was... Because we were surrounded by a dozen armed people. Our coming was irregur and something they should be cautious about, but... Was it too much to ask for them to put weapons down when Ranga and York had come down first?

  ?

  "Not only lizards, but snakes and mermen too... I guess it's a big gathering of scaled people."

  ?

  "Snakes aside, is it okay for mermen to be in such a dry pce?"

  ?

  "Well...?"

  ?

  Ranga was expining the situation, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad situation, and we were having a carefree conversation while shaking the sand off. Even though we were whispering, York, who was right next to us, heard it, and he looked at us with an astonished look, but I pretended not to notice. However, there was no way to avoid the sand getting inside my clothes. It felt unpleasant and gritty, but... I couldn't take them off.

  The expnation ended while I was fpping my hands with a frown, and the people who had gathered there, probably convinced after seeing my scales, went back to their work. Maybe they lost their sense of caution after seeing my foolish behavior, but it didn't matter.

  ?

  "Sorry to keep you waiting. You must be tired from moving around, so let's sit down and rest and talk."

  ?

  "Before that, I want to ask, how do we get outside?"

  ?

  You should first know how to escape in case of an emergency. Not knowing the exit would be a problem. Since these guys were actually outside, there's no way they couldn't get out.

  ?

  "We have someone who is good at wind magic. We have that person jump from where we fell earlier and hang down a rope."

  ?

  "I see?"

  ?

  It was a simple matter.

  I gave Fricka a wink and she replied, "It's one thing to just get out, but I don't have the strength to pull you up, Uru-san." ... I guess I'll just have to try my best to jump?

  ?

  I was taken to a small room. It was probably used as a resting pce, with a stove and a rge stone serving as a desk. A small stone had a cloth id out on it to serve as a chair. The cloth was too thin to provide much cushioning, but it was better than nothing.

  ?

  "Sorry, but we don't have much water, so I can't give you much."

  ?

  "Well, we'll give you what we have."

  ?

  "... I see, that helps."

  ?

  Both Fricka and I always keep our item boxes filled to the brim with water, food, and potions, so that we can be safe even if we get separated from Rion. Of course, we've been told over and over to use our Return Stones without hesitation in times of danger, but it's not efficient to just return home after only being separated for a short time. Rion has collected all the materials we've obtained along the way, so it's not a problem. ... It's Rion who has the tents and other things, so it's not a good idea to stay overnight, though.

  ?

  After taking a sip of cold water and taking a breather, the story of what had happened so far began to unfold.