Ch.133Grave of Hope

After defeating the insect-type Dragoon, we confirmed that no enemies remained in the tunnels and ancient ruins, then sent Fatum and the Beast King tribe warriors up to the upper level first.

Some of the Beast King tribe members expressed dissatisfaction at being told to leave before exploring the ancient ruins that had been the monsters’ stronghold, but when we explained that investigating the ruins was our right as promised compensation for reclaiming the mine, they reluctantly agreed and went up.

“I understand their position, but we need to be alone to properly investigate these ruins.”

“It’s not like we can share this discovery with others anyway, so we might as well collect what we can, right? Hehehe~”

Our agreement with Director Kelly was to keep everything we discovered here secret for the sake of the Dwarves’ and Beast King tribe’s peaceful seclusion.

This meant we couldn’t take information about the ruins’ purpose or any materials found inside to the New Continent Development Headquarters for recognition, nor could we sell them to anyone while revealing their source.

It was only natural to hope we’d at least find some valuable treasures, and Mina in particular seemed convinced we would.

The exterior of the ruins consisted of a large cube-shaped building with long walls extending from both sides.

The left and right walls were covered with mysterious structures that resembled toothbrush holders in a bathroom—I suspect each of these structures once held a Dragoon.

The lowest level of the cube-shaped building had a structure similar to a parking garage, with four corner pillars and a central column supporting the entire building.

Since there were no structures on the walls sized for the giant Dragoon, perhaps it was normally parked here?

The square pillar in the center was much thicker than those at the four corners.

It was large enough to house an elevator or staircase inside, and arcane words engraved on it suggested it was indeed used for that purpose.

“{Open the door to the Tower of Hope}”

When I read the arcane words on the central pillar, the entire square pillar split apart like a puzzle mechanism, revealing a spiral staircase leading upward.

“Great. Let’s go up.”

“There might be monsters. I’ll take the lead.”

We climbed the spiral staircase in our usual formation and found ourselves in a cylindrical empty room.

It was truly an empty room with nothing in it except for lighting fixtures attached to the ceiling—no exits or windows.

The purpose of this mysterious space became clear the moment all five of us entered the room.

A transparent barrier covered the section leading down to the spiral staircase, and the entire cylindrical room began to rise.

‘Whirrr—’

“Huh? What?”

“We’re going up.”

“So it’s an elevator. I wonder what’s up there…”

The elevator rose slowly for about 30 seconds before gradually coming to a stop.

It felt a bit empty without a ‘ding’ arrival sound, but as soon as the wall in front opened and we saw what lay beyond, any disappointment about the missing sound flew from our minds.

“What is this place…?”

“A tomb, perhaps?”

The area outside the elevator door was a wide corridor that stretched far ahead.

Under the bright illumination from ceiling fixtures, objects resembling coffins were arranged in rows of four on each side of the corridor.

What was unusual was that the covers of the coffins were made of transparent material, allowing us to see inside.

They looked like classic-designed versions of the cryogenic sleep capsules you might see in sci-fi movies.

“…There are only old clothes inside. The bodies must have disintegrated long ago.”

“I’ve heard the custom of burying people in coffins has almost disappeared. These must have been people from the era before black mana.”

“That’s probably right. Being laid to rest in such a unique facility suggests they might have been people of high status.”

After passing between the eight coffins and reaching the end of the corridor, we found a large box placed in front of a wall covered with ancient text.

While Mina examined the box for traps, Jessica read aloud the ancient text written on the wall.

“The ominous mana that covers the world…”

====================================

The ominous mana covering the world is taking people’s lives and driving birds and beasts mad.

I have chosen to preserve humanity as a way to escape this unprecedented crisis.

Those sleeping here are physically healthy men and women of four races, free from any disease or disability.

They may be the last survivors of the Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Beastkin races.

To those who discover this place: Your ability to read these words means you are survivors who have inherited humanity’s knowledge and culture.

You must have been guided here by the Guardian Beasts created to protect humanity.

Please open the covers of the cradles where the four pairs of men and women sleep and awaken them to live alongside you.

And if there are races that have become extinct, unable to overcome the ominous mana, I hope you will help these individuals bear children and flourish once again on this land.

The items in the box are things I prepared believing they would be helpful for future life.

You may take and use them, or if unnecessary, give them away or discard them.

If, due to the inadequacy of my knowledge and techniques, none of those sleeping in the cradles survived…

I ask that you pray for their souls on my behalf.

====================================

“…From a mage who was not permitted to reveal their name.”

As Jessica finished reading, our gazes naturally turned to the eight objects placed in front of the wall.

“So those weren’t coffins but tools meant to save people.”

“But the fact that not even bodies remain…”

“Ah, it means the research of the person who left this message failed.”

The transparent-covered coffins were indeed a type of cryogenic sleep device, and the surviving men and women of each race preserved inside would have been awakened by the hands of visitors.

But something went wrong—the cryogenic sleep devices didn’t function properly, and the men and women inside had died long ago.

The lack of any signs of decay inside suggested their bodies had been decomposed by black mana.

“It’s unfortunate. The ancient human race must have been extinct for a long time; if they had survived, they could have continued their lineage.”

“But what were these Guardian Beasts?”

“I think they’re referring to the golems that Will called Dragoons. They were probably created to protect people initially, but became monsterized due to the influence of black mana.”

“Well, we’ve smashed them all to pieces, so it doesn’t matter now.”

“Anyway, I’ve confirmed there are no traps in the box. Shall we open it?”

The large box contained, literally, various items.

About 20 types of metal ingots of different materials, one book and two scrolls with magic circles drawn on them, a thick metal plate of unknown purpose, a cone-shaped tool modeled after a Dragoon’s head, and everyday items like dish/plate sets and teacups.

The box had a magical effect that prevented damage or deterioration of its contents, and among the contents, the metal plate and tableware were revealed to be magical tools comparable to artifacts.

The book contained blueprints and instructions for Dragoons. According to Mina, Dragoon golems were created to protect people from monsterized creatures.

However, the “people” referred to here meant the four ancient human races before they were corrupted by black mana. Modern humans of any race have accumulated black mana in their bodies, so they were recognized as “monsters” by the Dragoons.

If the Corkas Mine had contained a grand barrier instead of black magic, we might have received a more moderate response from the Dragoons, as we would have approached them without any black mana accumulated in our bodies.

The magic formulas recorded on the scrolls were defensive spells that reduced the power of the red destruction beam and impacts used by the Dragoons.

They seemed to have crudely imitated monsters’ physical resistance using this defensive spell, but it couldn’t block the explosion of dynamite.

We decided to leave it to Jessica’s judgment whether to use them as is or dismantle the formulas to create new magic.

The greatest gain from this adventure was an artifact called the “Crafting Tablet,” which looked like a thick metal plate.

It’s a miraculous crafting tool that creates finished products by placing materials on it, skipping the intermediate processes.

However, it fails unless the user has the knowledge and experience to vividly imagine the manufacturing process in detail, so unfortunately, I don’t think I can create anything with my shallow modern knowledge.

Mina will be the main user, and if I ever use it, it will probably just serve as a microwave to shorten cooking time.

The tool resembling a Dragoon’s head was a crafting tool that could carve metal surfaces without applying force, and the plates and teacups had the effect of removing toxins from food placed on them.

These weren’t particularly necessary for us, who had already secured the destruction beam formula and antidote spells, but we decided to take them anyway for Mina’s research or to sell for money.

“Wow~ This adventure was amazing too~~~”

“I know, right? I wish I could show this to my former party members who used to complain about entering ruins that don’t make money.”

“Finding treasure in the ruins was thanks to Will. It would have been impossible for Jessica’s former party members.”

“That’s true. How did I ever meet such a lucky man… Oh?”

As we returned to the elevator platform with our treasures, happy with our findings, we discovered a familiar silhouette sitting on the empty platform floor.

It was Fatum, the jaguar-headed Beast King tribe youth who had worked with us the longest among those participating in this reclamation operation.

“Fatum?”

“What are you doing? Where are the other Beast King tribe members?”

“…They returned to the village to rest.”

“Then why are you…?”

“……”

In response to my question about what he was doing, Fatum slowly stood up and raised his head that had been bowed low.

His face was filled with unidentifiable negative emotions instead of the fighting spirit and pride he had shown earlier.

“Adventurers. Did you find anything valuable in the ruins?”

“…Yes, we took what we could, and left what needed to be preserved. We plan to give Director Kelly the details when we go up.”

“I see. So you took what you could…”

Although my danger detection ability hadn’t activated, I could tell without its help that Fatum’s condition was unusual.

Why had he remained here alone instead of celebrating the complete liberation of the Corkas Mine with the Dwarves?

Above all, how should I interpret his behavior—asking about our findings from the ruins with a deeply furrowed brow and a dejected voice?

“Fatum, you…!”

“I’d like to know just how valuable these treasures are—”

Fatum’s eyes, glowing ominously in the darkness, were literally those of a fierce carnivore.