Chapter 20. Investigation (2)

Astra Trade Company was located in the general commercial district.

It occupied an entire, rather tall building.

*Creak.*

As I opened the door and walked in, I saw busy employees.

“Welcome…!”

“How can we help you…?”

Perhaps it was because the maids had dolled me up before I left? As I strode in confidently, the surrounding employees looked up at me cautiously.

Well, the maids did say I looked like some noble knight. It was understandable for ordinary employees to be a bit intimidated.

Amongst these employees, I found a person with reddish hair, probably in their mid-30s.

Standing right in the center of the counter, they wore the same expression as the other employees.

I went straight to her and spoke.

“I’m here on behalf of Lowell.”

“Ah, yes, we were expecting you today.”

The woman’s expression immediately changed.

Not only hers, but the others who I thought were ordinary employees also changed their expressions and immediately started their work.

…Were all these people acting?

Wow, scary. So *this* is the Void Family’s secret intelligence agency?

Anyway.

“I’ll guide you inside.”

I followed the woman inside. There were only stairs leading up to the second floor, but when the woman touched a device, stairs leading *down* opened.

Descending through a surprisingly clean underground facility, I saw a reception room.

“Are you… Lowell’s replacement?”

Sitting on the sofa in the reception room was a middle-aged man in a luxurious suit.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Younger than I expected. I heard we were getting a seasoned Aura User, so I thought someone my age would be coming.”

He had close-to-white gray hair and a cold impression, accented by a monocle over one eye.

“I’m Lorenz, Branch Manager of the Astra Trade Capital Branch. What’s your name?”

“Rain.”

“Right. It’s a pleasure.”

He looked at me expressionlessly, but not with disdain or anything.

Just the look one would give to a young man standing in for Lowell.

He looked middle-aged, but…

Someone skilled enough to be a Branch Manager in the Capital must be older than he appeared.

“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to the team.”

I followed Lorenz as he stood and led me further inside. There, I saw a number of armed men and women.

About twenty? They seemed pretty high-level.

“These are my direct subordinates. They’ll be joining us on this expedition.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure’s ours.”

They all stood in a line, each holding their respective weapons.

They looked less like secret agents and more like… special forces soldiers.

…Going with these kinds of people must mean this investigation is more focused on combat than exploration.

“Did you bring your own equipment?”

“Uh, yeah, I don’t have any.”

“…You’re an Aura User, and you don’t have any specialized equipment?”

“Is that a problem?”

Lorenz gave me a strange look at the mention of not having any equipment. But…

“Then we’ll provide you with some. Heinz, get this gentleman some gear.”

“Yes, sir.”

He generously offered to equip me.

“Here’s your equipment.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I put on the equipment that the man called Heinz gave me.

A chainmail vest under a leather jerkin, sturdy-looking leather gloves and boots, and a long sword of decent quality. I looked pretty well-equipped.

This felt like the first time I'd worn such proper gear since the Colosseum event matches.

Back then, I usually wore minimal armor, and there was no need for it at the mansion.

“Does the equipment fit alright?”

“Yeah, it seems sturdy.”

It wasn't so bulky that it hindered my movements, but…

It definitely seemed to offer decent protection.

Since I tended to rely on my body in most situations, this equipment would be a big help.

It’d probably halve the number of stab wounds I’d take.

“Alright, then. Let’s begin the briefing.”

“Okay.”

After I was equipped, I received a brief rundown of the investigation.

A well-trained, twenty-person team, plus an Aura User, was going to investigate… the Kingdom's underground facilities.

Apparently, there had been sightings of Lugard Kingdom remnants and Devil Worshippers – the same ones who attacked the Void Family two years ago – in the underground facilities.

So *that’s* why they were swarming with combat personnel. They were definitely expecting a confrontation.

“Let’s move out.”

Anyway.

After the explanation, we headed straight for the underground sewers.

“This area is restricted…”

“We have authorization from the Kingdom for this investigation.”

“Oh…! Understood, sir!”

There were Security Guards at the sewer entrance, located somewhere on the outskirts of the city.

At Lorenz’s words about having the Kingdom’s authorization, they immediately opened the entrance.

“Let’s go.”

The sewer, as expected, was damp and dark. I raised the lantern I had been given earlier.

“More importantly, are we *really* authorized to be here?”

I’d figured this was a secret organization thing, so I expected a clandestine entry. Their brazenness was surprising.

“Of course we are. The Royal Family wouldn’t dare refuse an investigation request from the Void Family itself.”

“Ah…”

So secret organizations weren't all about skulking around in the shadows.

Well, with the Void Family’s clout, demanding investigative authority from the royals was probably par for the course.

“Let’s run a quick detection spell.”

After we'd descended a fair bit into the sewers, Lorenz spoke, raising a black-gloved hand.

And then…

*Ziiiing-*

A blue magic circle materialized in the murky underground.

Followed by…

*Saaaah-*

Blue lines emanated from the circle, snaking along the sewer walls.

“This is…”

“A simple detection spell.”

“Impressive.”

The only magic *I’d* seen was the fireball-chucking kind.

This practical magic was a first.

After maintaining the spell for a moment, Lorenz lowered his hand.

“Nothing detected. Let's proceed.”

“Yes, sir.”

From the briefing, this guy seemed like a pretty powerful magician.

A seasoned Aura User, a skilled magician, *and* twenty elite fighters.

This felt more like a high-tier monster raid party than an underground investigation team.

That meant they considered the remnants a serious threat.

With heightened vigilance, I followed Lorenz deeper into the underground.

***

Passing through Underground Level 1 and 2, we stopped before a massive door.

“This is…”

“The entrance to Underground Level 3. Access is usually strictly prohibited.”

I hadn't even realized it *was* a door. Lorenz touched the wall, and his men cleared away the debris, revealing the entrance.

“It’s locked.”

“We’ll break it down.”

“Are we allowed to do that?”

“We have authorization. They’ll seal it up again after we’re done.”

Well, well.

Pre-approved authorization sure streamlined things.

After unceremoniously smashing the lock, we entered Underground Level 3. It was a completely different world.

My lantern illuminated moss-covered walls and the general decay of long-abandoned infrastructure. But compared to the sewers we'd seen so far, the technology on display was on another level.

“This is…”

“The ancient Empire’s aqueduct system.”

…I’d heard that the Adel Kingdom still used the ancient Empire’s underground waterways.

Did that mean they sealed off this main aqueduct and used only Levels 1 and 2 to manage the Capital’s entire sewage system?

It sounded absurd, but…

Thinking about ancient Rome from my past life, it started to make sense.

If there had once been a superpower that dominated the continent…

And magic existed… Advanced technology wasn't out of the question.

“Be careful from here on. The remnants are likely hiding somewhere around here.”

“Understood.”

Lorenz cast another quick detection spell, and we began exploring Level 3.

The deeper we went, the more of the facility we saw.

The high ceilings, the surrounding pillars and buildings…

It looked less like an aqueduct and more like a whole other world. There were even buildings that looked like they could have been used as living quarters.

…Just what kind of technology did the ancient Empire possess?

Judging by its dilapidated state, it had been abandoned for an incredibly long time.

Yet the surface world’s technology seemed to have *regressed* during that same period. Typical Medieval Fantasy world.

As we walked and observed, we came across a massive door and old iron rails.

“This is…”

“The way down to Underground Level 4. It connects to an abandoned mine.”

“A mine beneath the sewers? Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?”

Digging this deep underground was already risky.

A *mine* below that?

It sounded insane, but…

“It’s dangerous, but the resource yield was so high that the ancient Empire mobilized all its technology to build this facility.”

“…Amazing.”

Apparently, for the almighty ancient Empire, anything was possible.

“It's no wonder scholars are so desperate to rediscover their technology.”

“I’d be after it, too.”

“The current Empire has made significant progress in restoring it. If you ever get the chance, you should check it out…”

Just then, as we reached the door…

*KABOOM!!!*

A sudden explosion rocked the door.

“...! Everyone, take cover!”

Lorenz reacted instantly, deploying a magic circle.

I kept my eyes on the now-blasted doorway, where a dark figure emerged.

Finally, they showed themselves.

Exploring the ancient Empire's technological marvel was interesting and all, but I was itching for some action.

Despite the sudden attack, I drew my sword with a flicker of anticipation.