Chapter 93
After finishing the meal, they started searching centered on the base. Though it looks like playing, Marquis Craft's inner thoughts are quite serious.
They thoroughly examined walls and jumped up to check ceilings collapsed due to time.
The map was quickly made. Areas were investigated one by one as parchment was filled in.
"Hut! This sentence!"
Pastel exclaimed in shock while reading new sacred language.
"What does it say?"
"It says there are upper floor stairs ahead!"
Amazing fact!
Elsior tilted her head then pointed at that ahead right in front. Stairs were visible.
"We can just see the stairs from here too."
"Huk, that's really true!"
Surprised twice!
"The written contents are quite kind."
"This isn't helpful though."
"Generosity is important, Bellamont."
The ruins probably made by God were kind as Melissa said. If only you know sacred language that is.
Pastel read sacred language written on another wall.
"Hut! This sentence!"
She shouted in surprise.
"Golem ahead!"
When she hurriedly looked, unlike the stairs this time, the golem wasn't immediately visible. There was just an empty straight passage. Is it hiding?
"A golem?"
Melissa was troubled.
"I'm not sure about its performance, but it's troublesome to face in a narrow space."
"Is a golem friend difficult for a magician?"
Though I have the impression of dealing fatal wounds with bullets. It's easy to kill people with an automatic rifle but difficult to break stone.
"Unless I have sufficient distance or time, it's troublesome in a place like this."
Heeh.
"I'll catch it."
Elsior subtly stepped forward.
"Because golems are very easy to deal with."
The rock in the silver-haired girl's hand lightly crumbled. It was the realm of apprentice knight-class that can greatly affect natural objects.
"Apprentice knight-class would easily break golems. I didn't think there'd be anything to envy about you Bellamont, but I envy just that."
While the two conversed, Pastel was vigorously walking forward. She was in an overflowing confidence state thanks to catching terrorists.
"Golem friend! The academy's great authority Pastel will face you!"
"I'll catch-"
Suddenly artificial cracks went through the wall right in front. Horizontal and vertical lines were drawn and it divided into countless square stone fragments.
The stone fragments stirred then floated centered on a black core. The golem's form took shape.
"Uwak!"
Pastel's mouth fell open. Red light flashed in the golem's pupils. Elsior hurriedly ran over.
"Craft! Back-!"
"Uwaak!"
Pastel rotated her body in panic. White clothes fluttered and a roundhouse kick struck the golem's hand covering the black core. A shockwave arose.
The rock hand shattered as if exploding. The black core was swept away by stone fragments and smashed. The red pupils lost light. A pile of rocks poured onto the ground.
"Uh..."
Elsior stopped her steps while running over. She looked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Uwaa."
Pastel trembled tremble tremble and stepped back.
"I-I didn't want a surprise attack though."
Disguising as a wall is too much!
She exhaled and calmed her surprised heart.
"Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale."
Phew.
Feeling calmed.
『How can you speak while saying inhale. If you speak it becomes exhale not inhale.』
Huk, that's right.
Is demon perhaps a genius?
Pastel did it again as demon taught.
"Exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale."
Feeling more calmed after fixing the error.
『...Hmm.』
Elsior approached. She blankly looked down at the golem remains then kicked a rock chunk and looked at Pastel's fine feet.
"How did you break it?"
It was confusion at how an ordinary person not even reaching apprentice knight-class realm could do that.
Oing.
It's because my body becomes sturdy from consuming magic stones! If I answer like that it would be troublesome in a Demon King Demon King way.
Pastel instead gave a thumbs up.
"The Craft family's secret!"
It's secret because it's a secret.
Elsior understood.
"I see. Hiding your realm is also the Craft family's secret."
"Ah, so that's how it was."
Melissa understood along with her.
"I found it somewhat difficult to understand since your skill increase was too steep compared to when we first met. If it's properly revealing your skills after obtaining stable power, I can sufficiently understand."
"You had to consider the imperial family's gaze before that."
"That's right."
The two warlords exchanged words and concluded.
Foolish foolish Pastel blanked out.
Why are you talking excluding only me.
They passed the golem and moved again. The map continued to be drawn on the parchment and became densely filled. But neither the cult nor Knight Order were visible.
"At this scale, the Knight Order must be organizing the ruins while making bases like us. Since there were second floor stairs, wouldn't they have already gone up?"
"Really? We've grasped the ruins atmosphere to some extent too, so should we raise our speed and go to the second floor?"
"If it's not urgent, let's stably rest at the base and move tomorrow."
"Okay okay! Let's do that!"
They returned to the secret space with natural spring water.
Pastel looked down strangely at the jerky soup she received again.
It tastes good but...
『If you're really dissatisfied, you can do it yourself.』
Uwee.
It's not that level of dissatisfaction.
Just, I have a very small wish (nod nod!) that someone would prepare a full-course meal that fills the stomach and pleases the tongue~
『I can see what you're thinking from your expression. I don't know how you became such a greedy child. Hmm. Could it be my fault?』
Hut.
I get a little scared when you suddenly say words like a guardian entering self-reflection.
Surely you're not thinking of making an unnecessary resolve to change your education method?
Oppose!
Completely oppose!
Resolutely oppose!
Melissa approached.
"Would you like more?"
"Ah. Yes!"
Pastel drank two cups of jerky soup. A sense of fullness filled up puff puff. Warm heat filled her body.
Warm soup on a cool autumn day.
Hua hua.
"It would have been better if it was winter."
"Our investigation slowed down from dealing with vampire bats along the way. If it was winter, the bats probably would have hibernated."
That's not what I meant though.
She blankly enjoyed the sense of fullness.
"Um Pastel."
"Yes."
Melissa somehow hesitated.
Surely my impolite heart thinking jerky soup was a bit off wasn't discovered?
It wasn't that but another reason.
"You have many friends, right?"
"Uwee?"
Pastel became perplexed.
"Do I look unpopular enough to receive such a question?"
Feeling like I lived life wrong.
Should I start a project to make 100 friends?
"There's no way for beautiful and cute you."
Melissa hurriedly waved her hands.
"That's not it."
Her fingers twirled golden hair.
"I'm curious about the secret to making friends well."
Oing.
Friend antenna rang tingle tingle.
This is a heart requesting help from a popular person because they're hesitant to approach alone though they have a friend they want to get close to.
Huk, it'll be totally fun!
Pastel observed Melissa with intelligent eyes. Melissa somehow glanced at someone. It was the silver-haired girl who already entered her sleeping bag and lay down alone.
A hesitation quite different from looking at a competing warlord.
This is this is!
A relationship where affection grew while fighting!
"Just trust me!"
Pastel linked arms with Melissa and suddenly stood up. Melissa stood up in a daze.
"What? What is it?"
"Friend friend!"
She walked chuk chuk.
When they arrived next to the sleeping bag, Elsior who only poked out her face looked up blankly. Silver eyes were drowsy flicker flicker.
I wondered why Elsior who usually doesn't have much enthusiasm gave the opinion to do it tomorrow, but she was just sleepy.
"Elsior! Elsior! Are you sleeping already?"
Is that so?
Elsior muttered.
"Yes..."
"You're not sleeping!"
That's fortunate!
Pastel brightly smiled and pulled the linked arm. Melissa who was hiding behind her back in surprise came out unable to withstand the strength.
"Hey hey! Melissa Melissa!"
Totally totally good news!
"Melissa says she wants to be close with you!"
Pastel cupped her cheeks.
"Shy shy Melissa who wanted to say it but couldn't."
Melissa looked with a shocked expression. Her lips trembled tremble tremble.
"Y-y-you..."
I understand your heart well!
There's no way you wouldn't feel like becoming friends seeing a peer from a similar warlord family!
But you've only been hostile until now due to family customs, and decided to be honest imitating popular Pastel!
She twisted her body on Melissa's behalf.
"Shy shy."
Melissa's face instantly turned bright red. Blue eyes trembled tremble tremble then tears slightly welled up ping.
Melissa hurriedly looked down at Elsior.
"Th-there's some misunderstanding. Please let that words flow by. To begin with, the grudges entangled with our families aren't light enough for us to become close."
Her finger pointed at Elsior.
"I remember well the past 70 years ago when you betrayed us falling for Craft's instigation. If only you hadn't betrayed us then, the empire's situation would be clearly different by now. We can't become friends or anything in this situation."
Huk.
Such deep grudges.
But this means Craft who instigated is the worst...
Pastel thought then rolled her eyes.
She decided to let it flow by since Melissa just said to let it flow by.
Uwee.
Instead she looked down at Elsior.
Elsior in the sleeping bag had a shocked expression. Silver eyes trembled finely.
"Weren't we already friends...?"
It was an expression realizing she had no friends until now, when she thought Melissa who she occasionally met as a similar warlord family was her only close friend after living without proper peers in the northern mountains until now.
"What?"
Melissa was dumbfounded.
"How on earth is that a friend relationship?"
Huk.
Declaration of 0 friends.
"I see..."
Elsior blankly looked up at the ceiling.
Her face became one feeling regret at a life receiving assassination threats from family and having no friends, then she fainted pik.
Thud.
"Elsior...!"
A scream came out.
Elsior socially died!
Uwaa!
Bad Melissa!