Chapter 70
“Here are the items you asked for.”
Gavinu handed over the bombs he'd collected once they returned to the column.
“Let know if they're not enough. I'll go to other paths to find more.”
“No, this is enough.”
Rumble! A vibration was felt once again.
“Sir Joshua, don't you think this place is going to collapse?”
Gavinu looked around anxiously.
“Don't worry. It won't collapse right now.”
“That ans it could eventually collapse, doesn't it?”
“Yes.”
Gavinu let out a sigh.
He couldn't just brush off Joshua's words as a joke.
“Leo, Talleon, Gavinu. I want you to push this wall.”
He spoke while pointing to a large rock blocking the front.
Leo was the first to approach the rock.
“You want us to push the wall?”
“Yes.”
“Is there so kind of chanism?”
“You'll know once you push it.”
“Well, since you're the one telling us to do it, I'm sure it's nothing strange. You guys, co over here and help.”
The three knights pushed the wall with all their might while letting out a shout.
The sound of machinery turning was heard, and a hidden room was revealed.
Joshua threw a firefly inside.
A pulley appeared as the interior brightened.
“This is a pulley the mine workers used to move ore. We'll escape to the surface using this.”
“It looks like it hasn't been used in a long ti. Is it safe?”
“I've escaped about three tis using this. It's safe as long as you watch the weight.”
Leo looked at him with suspicious eyes.
“There you go again with that nonsensical talk I can't understand.”
“I've developed an immunity to it by now. Sothing like this always happens whenever I go sowhere with Sir Joshua.”
Talleon spoke proudly while puffing out his chest.
Leo frowned as if he found it distasteful.
“In tis like this, isn't it normal to be scared? This guy knows way too much.”
“Haha, let's just think positively.”
Joshua headed toward Adela as if to cut off the talkative atmosphere.
She jumped back reflexively as he got closer.
Her eyes wavered, as if so lingering feelings from earlier remained.
“W-What is it?”
“We're escaping by pulley. I want to send the knights up first to check the situation rather than the survivors. What do you think?”
“You're asking ?”
“You're the leader, for now.”
“……I see.”
Adela combed her hair with an awkward touch.
She tried hard not to be conscious of him, but it wasn't easy.
The scene of him helping her earlier kept flickering in her mind.
“G-Good idea. I thought that was a good thod too.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“Then tell the survivors and set the order. It's fine if we're a bit late.”
“Alright.”
While Adela organized the situation, it was ti for him to explain things to the others as well.
“Hey! Obviously we should go up first. You pushed our turn back?”
Leo was up in arms.
It was natural for the reinforcents who ca to rescue them to have priority.
“That's how it turned out.”
“What are you going to do if those people break the rope while going up?”
“I know a few more side paths, so it doesn't matter.”
“That's not what I ant.”
“I know what you're thinking. We, who ca to rescue them, shouldn't end up in the opposite position.”
Leo nodded.
He had been worried that Joshua's judgnt might have been clouded.
But Joshua was Joshua.
“Don't worry. I'll take responsibility for you all.”
The boys and girls looked at him all at once.
Among the people they knew.
No one was as reliable as him.
“I'll send everyone up without exception, so don't rush and keep your turn!”
Adela approached while leading the people.
The first people to get on the pulley were two knights and three young children.
The people waiting for their turn watched them with anxious eyes.
The machinery turned.
The people on board gradually grew distant from their sight.
“The first one is a success, at least.”
The pulley safely reached the ceiling.
They waited for the situation from above.
The fact that no sound was heard was a good sign.
“It's fine here. Proceed as planned!”
The knight's booming voice was heard.
Only then did the survivors feel relieved and let out sighs.
A single ray of light flowed through the hole.
People quickened their steps to reach the other side.
The gathered survivors gradually decreased in number.
It was when they believed the plan in the mine was going smoothly.
“……Ah.”
A faint groan flowed from Adela's mouth.
Bewildernt spread across her face.
Cold sweat flowed down her forehead like rain.
Her gaze, desperately searching for soone, passed over the people and went back to the passage they had co through.
“Sister, what's wrong?”
Tania, unable to watch any longer, grabbed her shoulder and asked.
Adela couldn't answer.
Her lips, full of hesitation, showed no sign of opening.
A brief silence flowed.
She began to explain the circumstances as if she'd made a decision.
“I can't see Serena.”
Everyone who heard the story looked around.
The girl with golden hair was nowhere to be seen.
“Did we lose her on the way?”
“That's not it! I clearly saw her by my side until just a mont ago.”
Adela imdiately countered Leo's question.
“There's no way a zombie would do sothing like kidnapping, and we would've known if there was a commotion among the survivors.”
“She must've gone back of her own will.”
While Leo continued his reasoning.
Joshua brought up the story that everyone knew but had kept quiet about.
There was only one possibility from the start.
“Then there's no need to rescue her.”
Leo spoke flatly.
Everyone standing at his decision was quite shaken.
“She left alone without an explanation. Whatever the reason, this is an unauthorized action. I don't see why we need to risk danger to go find her.”
Adela's eyes wavered as she lowered her head.
“That's true. This is our problem. We have to solve it.”
“It's decided then.”
Leo turned away coldly.
The two apprentice knights following him also boarded the pulley.
Tania hesitated between them, unable to take anyone's side.
“I'm going.”
Everyone looked at Joshua with surprise at his answer.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“What's the reason?”
“To survive.”
“What do you an! Anyone can see you're jumping into a death trap right now.”
Leo looked this way as if he were confused.
He didn't know.
He didn't know the thod Joshua hadn't tried yet.
He had abandoned people, ignored them, and survived selfishly.
That thod alone wasn't enough.
The effort required to survive was lacking.
“Because I don't want to die, I'm struggling as if I'm going to die.”
“I don't understand.”
“People say giving up is the hardest choice, but they're wrong. Giving up is the easiest.”
Leo frowned.
Joshua's words felt like they were stabbing his heart.
“Don't worry. I expected Serena would disappear, and I have a way to save her.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, you go up first. I'm counting on you while I'm gone.”
Joshua approached Adela while glancing at her.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Take with you too! I'm also responsible for losing Serena.”
“Understood.”
She approached the passage as if she were ready.
“Luna, what are you doing? Co here quickly.”
Talleon reached out his hand toward Luna.
“Don't worry about and go up first.”
“It's dangerous if you're left alone! If you're scared of the pulley collapsing, I'll wait instead.”
“It's not that. I have sothing to do here with my brother. Right?”
Luna asked Joshua as if seeking his agreent.
The head of the man, who was like a rock, nodded slowly.
“Luna is coming with too.”
* * *
She exhaled a rough breath.
The sound of her heartbeat was heard loudly.
She shook her head greatly as if to shake off the sound.
The more she did, the more the magic she was using reacted precariously.
Detection magic.
The specialty and pride of her Earth attribute.
She possessed an excellent ability to find things.
But just for today, she thought it was sowhat regrettable.
With the exit right in front of her.
Movent was caught by the magic that hadn't reacted once until then.
She thought it was an illusion.
No, it was closer to wanting to believe that.
But as ti passed, whatever she found struggled strongly.
And it started to run.
Even without seeing it with her eyes, she could feel how desperate that sothing was.
She looked around.
All the survivors were overwheld with the hope of going outside.
Adela was no exception.
She didn't want to break their smiles.
By the ti she snapped out of it, she'd left the group and started to climb the passage again alone.
There were a few chances to turn back.
But she brushed them all aside and moved forward.
There were no regrets.
She was already full of enough regrets.
I don't want to lose it again.
She repeated that in her heart.
The scenery of her ruined hotown.
Her parents turned into monsters, and her only younger sibling was found under the collapsed debris.
It was a terrible mory.
Even now, she dread of that day like a nightmare every night.
From that day on, she beca unable to speak and developed a personality that couldn't abandon people.
She quickened her steps.
Her heels were grazed and blood flowed down.
It was painful, but she didn't stop, as if mocking the pain of the wound.
“Sob, sob.”
A small crevice at the corner of a rock.
A young boy was sobbing while covering his mouth with his hands inside.
She wasn't late.
Barely holding back the tears that were about to burst, she took out a notebook and tried to communicate.
[Are you hurt anywhere?]
The child nodded slowly.
He was a smart child.
He seed to know that monsters would find him if he made a sound.
[Let's go outside, it's dangerous here.]
The child didn't refuse her outstretched hand even while trembling with fear.
Her dead younger sibling ca to mind.
That child also followed her words well.
Now they had to go back.
Her mana was almost exhausted, but she judged it was enough until they returned.
A trembling sensation was felt from the child's hand she was holding.
Deep darkness lay in the direction they were walking.
She thought it wouldn't be strange if sothing popped out.
I hope there are no zombies…….
Combat was impossible.
Even in normal condition, it was her weakness, called a poison.
But right now, her whole body was screaming.
If she encountered a monster, there was no way other than running away.
“N-No!”
The child pulled her hand strongly.
[What's wrong?]
“You can't go this way!”
The child pointed to sothing with his hand.
A necklace that soone seed to have lost was dropped there.
“There's a monster. A monster wearing armor.”
[I understand. We'll go in a different direction, so don't worry.]
He didn't seem to be lying.
Since she didn't have the luxury to hear the circumstances, she turned around.
While walking the other way.
She felt a strong chill from behind.
When she quickly turned her head, soone wearing armor was standing there, just as the boy said.
A moonlight pattern engraved in the center.
It was the knight order.
And among them, there was only one person who used silver plated gear.
It was Derek.
“Graaaah!”
Derek, who had beco a zombie, flew in.
He drew up his sword and swung it greatly.
She barely managed to avoid it by ducking her head.
The place where the sword's trajectory passed was cut cleanly.
The ability to display the skills learned during life even after death.
It was a variant.
Serena grabbed the child and started to run.
He was an opponent she couldn't defeat.
“Ugh!”
She tripped over a stone and fell.
She couldn't stand up again.
It felt like the burden placed on her legs had hit her all at once.
[Run away!]
The child didn't run away.
Rather, he approached her as she fell and tried to support her.
No.
At this rate, they would die together.
Even if she squeezed out her strength to push the child away, he kept coming back to her.
“Grrr.”
Derek approached.
His gaze reflected inside the helt had turned inorganic.
She couldn't avoid it this ti.
The young boy still stayed by her side.
It was the end.
She was ready to accept death.
On that day, when she lost her whole family.
She had wondered several tis if she wanted to follow them.
But not this child.
She had to send this child to where Joshua and Adela were, sohow.
“H-He…….”
She tried to squeeze out her voice.
But her throat was blocked.
She'd practiced alone a few tis, but failed every ti.
Even if she succeeded in speaking in the first place.
The possibility of soone miraculously saving them was low.
Even so, she tried.
“Help !”
A voice ca out.
Her own voice, which felt so nostalgic.
The thing she wanted to achieve so badly succeeded right before death.
And sothing appeared as if reacting to her voice like a lie.
It wasn't a human.
It was a beast moving on four legs.
The creature passed her and rushed at Derek.
“Serena!”
Adela approached and hugged her.
“……How did you get here.”
Serena spoke clumsily.
The influence of the mutism she'd suffered from remained.
“There's no way I could leave you behind! But your voice is?”
“I-It's dangerous here, we have to run away quickly…… H-He is here.”
“What do you an?”
“……Sir Derek has t-turned into a…… zombie.”
Adela turned her head.
The knight captain who had turned into a monster also ca into her sight.
“……How?”
Adela was flustered.
“Don't worry. We ca prepared in our own way too, right?”
Adela's gaze turned toward the passage.
When she followed her and looked at the passage, soone walked over.
It was Joshua.
“……You ca too?”
“Yes.”
“Why? This is…… m-my fault.”
“I promised at the eting place. That I'd help.”
The boy ntioned the promise she'd forgotten.
“……I didn't even r-rember it.”
“It doesn't matter. That's not the only reason I ca.”
The look in his eyes as he watched her was blunt.
He wasn't even angry.
He had the face of a person who'd expected this to happen.
“Next ti you leave the group, explain the situation properly.”
“Huh?”
“I'll overlook the unauthorized departure only for this ti.”
“O-Okay.”
“Good, as long as you understand.”
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