Chapter 64

We had only come here to test the capabilities of my equipment. It was a mine that was supposed have been abandoned quickly. But it had evolved into a dungeon, as monsters dug endless tunnels through it. It seemed that hardly anyone ever came here, and we encountered more and more monsters the deeper we went in. It was not difficult to imagine that a hoard of them would rise up and attack Spiris. And we were the only ones here now. Then it was our duty to do what we can to stop it.

“You finished inspecting your equipment. We have eaten. All prepared then?”

“Yeah, ready when you are.”

I answered as I stood up. We would try to reach the furthest depths of this place. We didn’t know just how far it went, but we were determined. I also put the iron sword away in the bag. I would fight with an ice sword from now on. I had still to fully grasp the effects of my armor while using it anyway. And that was my original purpose. And it was also something I could use longer, unlike the iron blade. I would actually cry if the iron sword broke on me at this point.

Daniela made no comment as I seemed to go forward without anything on my belt. She knew well how I would fight. And so she took her bow made of the tree of death and life, and promised to be my backup. We were almost perfectly synchronized. That’s my wife for you. I was confident that she would have my back.

“There is something up ahead. It’s no kobold.”

“Another mole perhaps. Kill it quickly.”

The paths were now on a steep decline as we walked. Then we sensed the presence of a monster. A single creature that seemed quite large. I was eighty percent sure that it was a mole. I generate an ice sword in my hand and approach it slowly. The sounds of something scratching against the walls echos from the shadows. I squint in the darkness and see that there is a mole with its back turned to us. It is digging into the wall with no mind paid to its surroundings. It was close enough that I was sure I could get. It wouldn’t even have time to turn before it was split into half.

“I got this.”

“Yes.”

And then I run. The distance was bridged in the blink of an eye and then the sword of ice swung down onto the mole’s back, sending it to the afterlife without giving it enough time to scream.

I’ve been calling these guys ‘moles,’ but I wonder if they have an official name or something. I didn’t even know what you were supposed to collect as proof of hunting them…

“Ah, they are called hole moles. The proof of a hunt is their claws. You only need three of them.”

I see. Hole moles…very creative naming. I joked to myself as I retrieved the claws. Truth be told, we were burdened by enough baggage as it was, but I wasn’t going to leave it here if it meant getting paid. As long as I could carry it. And so we continued to go further in.

□ □ □ □

Quite some time had passed since killing the last hole mole. I didn’t even know how deep we were now. There had been so many twists and turns, both horizontally and vertically…I lost all sense of direction. We continued to leave markings, but if we miss any, we might have to call this place our new home.

We had just finished filling our hungry stomachs with more stall food, our third meal of the day. In other words, it was dinner. It was likely already night outside.

Many monsters had fallen to us by now. We could no longer carry any more proofs of our hunt. We left the bodies under the markings we carved on the walls. Kobolds, hole moles, and hole worms. They were monsters that could use earth magic, much to our annoyance. There were blood bats that attacked with their ultrasonic waves, and rock hunters, which were monsters comprised of many rocks and were humanoid in shape. Apparently, they were different from golems. Golems were magical creations. But these rock hunters were created through parasites that inhabited the rocks.

We killed them all and continued downward.

“I’ll set up the magic barrier.”

“We are not continuing?”

“We’ll collapse if we don’t rest.”

“I suppose so…sorry, you are right.”

I pick up the tools and walk down the tunnel. Our accumulated fatigue wasn’t going to decrease any by continuing on. And we had already rested quite a bit. But it was not enough to be completely revitalized. We would need to get a good rest here or it would affect our ability to fight later on.

And so I placed the barrier tools in different spots and stretched my limbs. And then I sensed something strange. It was coming from someplace passed the barrier. Would Daniela know what it was? I slowly move back without making a sound.

“Daniela.”

“Hmm?”

Daniela turned around as she spread a cloth on the floor to sleep on.

“I’m sensing something strange out there…”

“Hmm…ah, so you have come far enough to detect such things then.”

Daniela nodded with a pleased expression. As for me, question marks were popping out of my head.

“It is the flow of magical energy. Just as there are veins of water in the ground under our feet, there are also rivers of magic flowing here. There is an old name for it, the dragon vein. You must have stuck your foot in it just now.”

“So, are we inside of the stream right now?”

“In a way. You might say that we are far from the mainstream, but close to tributary streams.”

Hmm, dragon vein, eh? The power that flows through the earth. I wonder who called it that first? It’s a name I had heard in some novels before…hmmm, I wonder…surely, not.

“Will there be any effect on us when we are in it?”

“Perhaps. I do believe there would be some effect if you are inside long enough.”

“Like a reservoir of magic?”

“No, not really. Magical reservoirs occur when the dragon vein deposits its excesses into the surface. It is a negative energy. But these dragon veins are a positive energy. There should not be a negative effect on us. At least not any time soon”

“I see… It’s like how medicine can be poison if you overdose. Let’s not stay here for too long then.”

Of course, we still had to take our rest here. We would stay here tonight, and tomorrow we would finally reach the bottom of this dungeon and do what we can. And so under Daniela’s watchful eyes, I fell into a deep sleep.

□ □ □ □

Daniela woke me up and we switched places. But nothing strange happened, and things were quiet until Daniela got up in the morning. We had a light breakfast and continued our trek through the tunnels. At first, the dragon vein would merge with the presence of other monsters in my head, but I got used to it after a few hours.

We put down many monsters on that day as well. They had increased in number to such a degree, that I half expected them to start flowing out from holes like a fountain. We pushed the corpses to the side and continued on our way. I was starting to have my doubts, but we couldn’t allow this danger to affect Spiris. For now, we could only go deeper, deeper.

And then I suddenly noticed something. It just came to me. I was enjoying this killing of monsters and moving forward.

It was to prevent a stampede of monsters. To save Spiris from this possible danger. Or so I told myself, but I found pleasure in it nonetheless. Once I acknowledged this, my legs stopped moving.

“What is it Asagi? An enemy?”

“Hey, Daniela…is there something wrong with me?”

“Hm?”

She approaches me and peers into my face. I didn’t want her to do that. I didn’t want her to see the face of someone who enjoyed doing what I was doing. I thought, and looked away.

“Asagi?”

“Hey…I, I can’t help but enjoy this right now. In this time, in this place. There is a part of me that enjoys killing the monsters. That first night. There were kobolds who were approaching our camp. I froze them with magic and killed them. Even while discarding their bodies…I felt nothing. It makes me feel like I must be a rotten person.”

Daniela listened to this quietly.

“And today. I thought I was emotionless at first, but now I see that I enjoy it. I acquired such good armor, good weapons and…kill and move forward… I feel almost like this place has broken me in some way…all the killing and moving has become entertaining.”

I managed to say all of this and looked up anxiously into Daniela’s face. How would she react?

Would she look down on me…

But instead, she smiled gently.

“Asagi, you are a kind person. Perhaps the kindest I have ever met. You are kind enough that your heart aches because of the monsters that you have killed.”

I look back at her. Her words reach my ears, but they do not fit my reality at all. I just could not believe them.

“And you are a person fit for being an Adventurer. Just as I am, no?”

“You as well?”

“Aye, even I am enjoying it. I enjoy moving forward. It brings me pleasure to know that the death of these monsters will bring comfort to those in the city who I owe a debt of gratitude. But more than anything, I love you for being able to confess this to me. For not losing yourself in this place that reeks of blood and for being able to see what is in your heart.”

And then she embraced me tightly. A gentle embrace that seemed to cover the blood that was all over me.

“Asagi. What we are doing is killing. It makes no matter that they are monsters. There is no doubt about it, it is a slaughter. But it is necessary. The lives of those who live in the city must be saved, and it is up to those with weapons to carry this out. You have not been an Adventurer for long, so it is no surprise that you should have doubts. Up until now you have only killed what was required. For yourself. It is easy to have doubts when you are doing it not for yourself, but for people you cannot see, who you do not know.”

My heart trembles at the sensation of her hands slowly caressing my head.

“Enjoying the job is just part of the character of an Adventurer. What lies beyond this place? The desire to fight stronger enemies. These are emotions that will inevitably occur in any in our profession. And so, you and I, Asagi, are enjoying the present. It is only normal to do so. I am confident that whatever we see at the end, it will be highly interesting. Did I not tell you? I do not want to leave. I am having too much fun now.”

Daniela chuckled. My quivering heart finally began to melt.

“And yet, you should not learn to feel pleasure in the act of killing itself. Unnecessary killing is wrong. The Asagi that I love would not be like that, would he?”

“Of course not… No, surely the man you love would never be like that.”

“Hehe. Good. I love you, Asagi.”

She gave me a tight hug. I had feared the coldness in my heart those two nights ago. I felt like I had become cold and emotionless. But Daniela had warmed me. Told me that I was a kind person. That we weren’t killing in some thoughtless excess. And those words saved me.

I was overwhelmed by an emotion that I didn’t understand, and having no place to go, they came out as tears. But I wanted to understand them, and so I stared at the ceiling to prevent them from falling away.