155 – The Witch’s Domain

As we made our way through the forest, Seras seems to have noticed something.

Leaning her upper body forward, Seras began observing the trunk of a tree.

[This is…… a Magic Crest.]

On the lower trunk of the tree.

There’s a symbolic crest carved on it.

Because it’s engraved in such a low place, it’s quite difficult to see with all the weeds growing from the ground.

I suppose it was made to be difficult to find on purpose.

Seras looked closely at the crest, as if she’s searching for the meaning of this crest.

[Is that some kind of trap that triggers when a condition has been met?]

[This crest is certainly one of those, but it probably won’t be triggered because some of the formula is damaged. It looks pretty worn out.]

A really old one huh.

[Actually, we may be just told to excuse ourselves since that Witch has already died long ago.]

I pass Seras a flask of water as I said that.

She…

[Ah, thank you. I’ll gratefully accept it.]

—said with gratitude.

Untying the string on the flask’s opening, she began drinking water.

Gulp

After she swallowed the water down her throat, Seras continued.

[Most of the elves aren’t good at magic. Because just as you know, our bodies aren’t suitable for refining magic energy. However, the Witch of Taboos may be an elf who is good at refining magic energy.]

Elf.

High Elf.

Dark Elf.

Generally, Elves weren’t good at refining magic energy.

They’re a race that isn’t suitable for magic.

Instead, they specialize in the Spirit Contract Technique to make use of the power of the spirits.

Apparently, that doesn’t change no matter which tribe you are in.

However…

[There are some exceptions huh.]

[Yes, they’re very rare though.]

[I see. Well……]

First of all, we need to know whether she’s still alive or not.

For instance, we may actually be having our first meeting with a dried-up mummy……

That’s not impossible.

We wouldn’t know about that until we see them face-to-face.

I glanced towards Seras.

[Seras-dono?]

[……You don’t look like you’re fatigued anymore.]

[??? Y- Yes…… Thanks to Touka-dono’s <Sleep>……]

It’s only just a bit.

It’s only just a bit but…

I could see guilt on Seras’ face.

I didn’t overlook those fluctuations on her expressions.

The reason for that guilt is quite obvious.

That thing she did to me last night.

……I see, so she remembered it huh.

However, it seems that she didn’t notice that I’m aware of it.

Then—- it should be enough for our situation to stay as is.

There’s no need to dare mention it now.

It also seems like she’s reflecting on it in her own way……

Moreover, I think that…

If it’s Seras, she would eventually come clean with it.

She has that kind of personality.

As for me, I would just go about my business as usual and act as “her lord”.

I would just wait until that right moment arrives.

Until the time comes when Seras thought about this.

▽

[I somehow feel like the trees here were different.]

I wonder if it’s related to how close these trees were to the Corrupted Tree.

Seras stops walking and gently strokes the branch of a tree.

[It seems that trees around here have a lot of vitality.]

Apparently, she could tell the condition of these trees.

As expected of someone from a forest tribe.

……It suits her image though.

Even so…

[I can’t feel the presence of any monster at all.]

[……A barrier?]

Seras mutters to herself.

[It may be the power of a barrier.]

[A barrier huh.]

As I thought, there would be such things like that.

[Barrier is an advanced technique. There are two types of barriers, magic-based and spirit-based…… However, I can’t infer what kind of barrier this one is.]

We advance further.

[What in the world is that?]

It was Eve who noticed “those things” first.

Several stone pillars came into our sight.

Those pillars look like they’re deeply pierced on the ground.

Each one of them is subtly different in size from another.

There are about 10 of them scattered about.

I could see crests engraved on the stones.

Those crests were emitting a faint light.

[Those crests seem to be working. From hereafter, we should be vigilant—–]

Eve’s ears twitched.

[Seras…… These crests look like they’re activated already.]

Eve puts her hand on the hilt of her sword.

However, by the time she did that—-

I already had my arms held out towards the front.

[<Paralyze>]

———Crackle, crackle———-

The light on the crests became weaker.

The stone pillars look like they’re about to change into something.

Transmutation? (T/N: Henkei  変形)

Transformation? (T/N: Henshin 変身)

Anyway, it must have been some kind of a countermeasure against intruders.

However, it didn’t finish transforming.

It has now stopped turning into something that appears to be humanoid.

In theory, the one who moves first wins.

[Well…… It feels like it was a golem that would intercept any intruders.]

That disguised stone statue we encountered back in the Mills Ruins.

If my skill works on that one, it may also work on this one too.

That’s what I thought.

[It appears that it worked.]

[Touka.]

Eve pointed at our luggage with her gaze.

She’s indicating the hammer tied up on my backpack.

That hammer we used to smash the Ashinto’s corpses back then.

It seems that she’s asking if we should break it or not.

I…

[No.]

–rejected her.

[It can’t be helped if it forces itself to move while it’s paralyzed and ends up getting destroyed. However, I don’t want the Witch to think that we’re belligerent people that destroys everything in sight. As much as we can, we’ll go in a direction where we don’t destroy such things.]

The paralyzed stone pillar didn’t try to force itself to move.

It instinctively(?) sensed that it would be dangerous for it to move.

It still values its life even though it’s a golem?

Or perhaps—- it’s the Witch’s order?

Without knowing the strength of the stone pillar golem, we made our way through the forest.

We arrived in an open area.

The lake shores—- we arrived in such a place.

We didn’t feel any dazzling nor anything frightening around the area.

Rather than that, it would be better to say that the area’s filled with vitality.

A lush forest.

I feel like the air in this place is clearer than the other places.

Eve looked around.

Oozing with interest, she exclaimed with admiration.

[I can’t feel the presence of any monster at all.]

That means…

[We’ve completely entered the Witch’s domain huh.]

▽

The edge of the lake looks nearly elliptical.

Extending out her neck, Seras peeked into the lake.

[The bottom of the lake is shining……]

I stand next to her.

[Is that light coming from magic energy?]

[That could be possible.]

Clear waters.

I could clearly see the rocks beneath the lake.

There’s no fish at all.

[The magic energies shining like that in the waters…]

[That’s probably because of the high amount of magic energies, isn’t it? With this intensity even in that deep waters, the amount of magic energy in there must be quite considerable.]

While still leaning forward, Seras obliquely turned her head behind her.

Her glance was turned towards—- the Corrupted Tree.

[This abundance of magic energy and that withering giant tree…… It’s like these two places have two opposite impressions.]

[……The witch is probably using that enormous amount of magic energy on a daily basis.]

Seras gulps.

Then, she nodded her head.

Standing side by side, we gazed towards one direction.

A slightly elliptical shaped cabin erected on the edge of the lake.

I call out to Eve and the others standing behind me.

[Let’s go.]

▽

The door to the cabin erected on the lake shores.

It wasn’t locked.

I opened up the door.

Cautiously, I peeked inside.

……It’s surprisingly normal inside.

It really had the appearance of what a “cabin erected on the lake shores” would look like.

[Let’s look around inside.]

Eve took the initiative to ask.

[Seras, keep a lookout here outside together with Liz.]

[Understood. Please be careful, Eve.]

[Umu…… Touka, could you stay on standby near the door? If something were to happen, I’ll be relying on you.]

[Got it.]

Holding out my hand, I have an unsheathed dagger on my other hand.

[If anything goes wrong, I’ll immediately make my move.]

Eve started scouring around the cabin.

There was a ladder leaning against the wall of a room.

Eve checked out the stability of the ladder.

With that, she went up to the second floor.

However, she came back before long.

[It’s just an attic without anything unusual in it.]

Eve started searching around the first floor of the house again.

It has two rooms, except for the attic.

I cast my gaze on the areas I could see from where I stand.

I could see some old furniture and furnishings.

The fireplace shows no sign of having been used for a long time.

There’s also dust collecting in various places……

There’s no lingering signs of anyone living here.

The hut probably hasn’t been used for at least a month.

[Touka, can you be quiet for a while.]

[Okay.]

Eve strained her ears and began pounding on the walls and floor of the room with her palms.

She stops moving.

Her gaze is on the center of the room.

There was a rug laid out there.

With her heel, Eve pokes the carpet a few times.

[There’s something down there.]

Eve then peeled off the carpet.

Thereupon, there appeared a handle in a depression wide enough for a hand to fit in.

Looking closely, there’s a rectangular seam in the floor.

……That means there’s something hidden under the floor.

Walking into the house, I stand next to Eve.

Pigimaru stretched out his protrusion.

[Pinii?]

We peeped into the handle together.

Eve asked me with a glance.

I nodded my head in response.

Looking back at the floor—– Eve pulled the handle.

With a pull, the floor sprung up.

And then, a staircase leading to the darkness below appeared.

[Fumu… This is quite the typical way of hiding something.]

[The Witch probably isn’t that particular about hiding this……]

This looks more like a doorway rather than a hidden room.

At this point, it seems like there wouldn’t be any traps.

Calling out Seras and Liz, I inject magic energy into my magical leather bag.

The leather bag faintly shines.

[From hereafter, I’ll be taking the lead on going down here.]

▽

It had become a spiral staircase along the way.

When we finally got down, I found myself in a space with a sense of freedom.

A rocky ceiling.

A rocky wall.

A rocky floor.

The unevenness on the walls has been scraped and smoothed out.

There were several candlesticks on the wall that appears to be powered with magic energy.

[Is that a golem too……?]

A magical creature made from earth.

It’s slowly moving about with its back turned towards us.

I wonder if it’s doing wall maintenance?

I didn’t use my skill on it.

In the first place, its attention isn’t even directed towards us.

It’s just silently working on something by the wall.

[Touka-dono.]

Seras called out my name.

She’s looking ahead us.

Looking at it, we found an enormous door.

On that door, there’s a crystal ball inlaid on it.

We then stood in front of that door.

[In theory, we should be able to open it by injecting my magic energy into that crystall ball but…]

Incidentally, even when we walked here, the golem was still silently working.

It didn’t even look back at us.

It would be good if it keeps ignoring us but—–

[Pigimaru, let me know if that thing strangely moves.]

[Pigiii.]

[Now then.]

I place my palm on the crystal ball.

Refining my magic energy—– I began pouring it in.

My magic energy began to ripple in the crystal ball.

It’s as if my magic energy is a liquid jumping in it.

The volume of that liquid is slowly rising.

Perhaps, there’s a mechanism in this door that opens it when it’s full.

[This door… The amount of magic energy it’s eating up is extraordinary……]

The amount it needed to fill up is stupidly high.

The doors in the Disposal Ruins can’t even be compared with this.

However……

[If we’re talking about my MP, I’m quite confident with the amount that I have.]

I continued supplying my magic energy.

The crystal ball began to be filled up in flickering faint light.

And then…

[With this, it’s completely filled.]

The crystal ball that was translucently black is now completely filled with a faint light.

——–Klink——–

Just like the sound of an opening lock, I heard a short click from the door.

And thus, the door opened.