Chapter 137: Ancient Ruins (2)
kH9“Are those bastards laughing at us now?”K3S
ZY0“Forget it. Don’t turn your head. They’re just drunk and messing around.”zlNzDDd
uvjlqCTess tapped Rian’s leg to calm him down. Although brawls among mercenaries in a tavern were common, given their profession, they seldom ended well.MFLWTVM
gx1HF“They’re still not reacting. Surely they can hear us. They’re laughing at you, idiots.”G9d7PcP
TEkezXl“Look at that guy’s sword. It’s ridiculously big, isn’t it? And the woman next to him is no joke either, though I won’t say where. Pff, haha!”CTZ
oqFRian clenched his fists. He could tolerate insults directed at him, but mocking his friends was unforgivable.Oi6hQjJ
kfssN7Then, Tess grabbed Rian’s wrist. Left to his own devices, he looked ready to flip the table at any moment.ziSn
Z1XShirone slurped his noodles, recalling what he had seen upon entering.8vCy
kHE4When they had come in, there were four mercenaries at the other table: three men and one woman. It seemed one of them was an archer, and since the woman didn’t appear to have a weapon, she was likely a mage.scB
1MR‘An archer and a mage. That’s a solid group.’QpYnVxK
PY5The mercenaries continued their jeers unabated.kRPI2a
IT0Oq“That blonde is pretending to eat now? Just turn around once, will you? I’m ready to throw a bottle. I’m in a really foul mood today, looking to see some blood.”2VYeL
trI“Oh, stop it. Is it fun to pick on kids?”7R41
Eq1oAlthough the woman tried to stop them, her heart wasn’t in it. It seemed she preferred to enjoy the situation this way rather than outright mocking.NNqSCg
jnkw042“Hey, kids. Don’t have the guts to fight? Not ashamed in front of the girls, are you? Those guys must’ve been bragging about how strong they are.”xYH8
GWBaLa“Hello? Can you hear me? If you can, answer me, or should I come over there myself?”vej2
ec4Rian couldn’t contain his anger. He understood it was part of the strategy, but he didn’t want to endure such insults.CY9
7ikh1kYet, ultimately, Rian didn’t move. His gaze met Shirone’s, who looked at him with a calm expression.D3ShA
IDO1TAY‘Shirone…’oYQh
XEtL0XJBound by a knight’s oath, Shirone remained silent. If Rian couldn’t endure this level of humiliation, it would only tarnish Shirone’s reputation further.muxx
wVPYQqR‘Right, this too is a test. As a squire, I joined this trip. It’s a good opportunity to test myself.’VDh9Hs
5wg3JBpOnce he resolved himself, it surprisingly became bearable. Rian had another chance to contemplate the futility of words.Jr3ei
dPiBWAfter about ten minutes, the mercenaries prepared to leave, believing they had achieved a perfect victory. To them, the timid boys made an excellent target for their amusement.9PEc1u
XLxNOhM“In all my life, I’ve never seen such cowardly fools.”RrH
7Mnj1“Really, you’re not even a bit sympathetic? They must have been scared, being so weak.”PdEHsT
lmK“Hey! You guys are lucky. You don’t have to get hit. Live like that forever. You’ll live long.”QJ5V96e
HXebnGAfter paying for their drinks, the mercenaries left. Then, the tavern owner, who had been pretending not to notice, hurried over.WDi
IYqz“Are you guys okay? Damn those scoundrels. Bullying innocent kids with their foul words.”VW6Wz
oC9vx5j“Do you know those people?”k961Tb
IaS“They’ve been coming around lately. They drink their fill and then harass those who don’t want to fight, like you. I’d tell them not to come, but who knows what trouble they’d cause. Anyway, you did well to endure. Sometimes, enduring is winning.”iQpV
Sw9DXMShirone’s eyes sparkled. If there wasn’t something in the ruins, a party with a mage wouldn’t have come.xjgt
zXHGTess soothed Rian. Unlike Shirone, they didn’t have the skill to deceive even themselves. They had endured purely through grit.K2Hyh
1dlqag“Good job, Rian. I was so nervous you’d cause a scene.”0YpU
90sVD4“It was risky. But we’ll meet them again, right? That’s why you endured.”0e46a5
pXxd“Right. Let’s get going.”I6qaov8
GePrfCShirone stood up, saying. After paying for their drinks, they left the tavern. The mercenaries were heading toward the central temple.9WpOH
7W7dzxInstead of tailing them, Shirone and his friends chose to observe from a high vantage point. Since an archer’s Schema build often includes sensory skills, getting too close might risk detection.yECj
21yFrom the fourth floor of a temple building, Shirone watched the mercenaries. Surprisingly, they were a young party, none over thirty.apm
OKaClThe well-built swordsman seemed to be the leader. The sword at his waist was so renowned that Tess could recall the craftsman’s name just by its design.o7ICU9
mjtBeside him stood a man wielding a club, and behind them were a long-haired man and a woman in robes.2j0b
ergBh“Two warriors, one of them a swordsman. One archer, one mage. That sums it up. Even in a tourist spot, they maintain formation. They’re an experienced party. Not tailing them was the right decision.”LQ28
PUUkqThe mercenaries walked toward a stepped altar on the east side of the central temple. Shirone remembered the place. It was odd because it was guarded by a native, which had struck him as peculiar.eF5pnu
shWVThe mercenaries approached the native, with the archer gesturing and speaking, likely in the Kergos language.swtuZ
GPiOq7The native looked around brusquely, clearly conscious of the onlookers. Realizing the timing was right, Shirone’s group descended the stairs.m1w8GoU
wKSWjhAs the native operated a mechanism, a rectangular fissure formed on the altar, sliding inwards. A thick stone door moved aside, revealing a dark entrance.qjhb
VWPCjf“Wait! We want to go in too!”zlsI3kL
TqT0KThe mercenaries turned back with stiff expressions, which quickly turned to annoyance. The same kids they had tormented in the tavern were approaching.QMo
QJj2lS“What? When did you follow us?”LyIk1
JzJqnz“Sir, can we come in with you?”6mQ
r83v79g“Get lost! This is a place we found! Do you even know what this is?”msK29
EZDra“Please, just…”5cCekGi
WetiTAs Shirone pleaded again, the leader drew his sword. The speed wasn’t particularly fast, but it was so natural after countless repetitions.zqK7u
geVFqa8“Do you want to die? Do you think we’re easy? If you don’t leave, I’ll cut all your throats right here.”xsWRUuI
1wB0Shirone didn’t back down this time. Unlike in the tavern, where he couldn’t even turn his head, now he looked straight into their eyes. The contrast only irritated the leader further.yGLUmBF
xOa“You little…!”00ffxJ
0MMThe native guarding the altar spoke up.Vjpp3
yRy5o“Are they with you?”VXGk
NXl74IThe leader sheathed his sword and looked at the archer, the only one who could translate.RsOKXC
O0N“What’s he saying?”pnP3S
iNzJrf8“He’s asking if you’re together.”wKAD
uQ8“Hmph! Together? Wait here while we deal with this.”FtT
3YbMHA0As the archer relayed the leader’s words, the native’s eyes widened with anger. It was as if he had been insulted. He spoke authoritatively.SHMbi04
cH8ItR“Warriors do not fight just anywhere. Those who stain this sacred altar with blood will never enter.”XIW
CmiyTJThe archer, licking their lips, translated.4BR
YxkysPE“Maybe we should stop. He says we won’t be allowed in if we fight here.”AYPXV
z1Gqb“Damn! Lucky brats, saving your necks twice.”Lny
VDc2BThe leader, no longer interested in dealing with them, sheathed his sword and entered the altar. The rest of his party followed him into the dark passage.1jAC
mddShirone’s group hesitated for a moment. If they had entered together, there wouldn’t have been any issues, but given the current situation, the piercing gaze of the native was unsettling.TqHq
oB8aEo“If you wish to undergo the trial, then enter. The Eye of the Angel will watch over you.”RLQo
aeZ“What did he say?”9Xq0B17
PW66ca“I’m not sure. Maybe he’s telling us to enjoy ourselves since we’ve come all this way? If he wanted to kick us out, he would have closed the door by now.”BWAXL
dYOHcCautiously, Shirone moved forward. The native didn’t react, so the four of them, now confident, entered the dark doorway.3GxEwwK
dhqqK2lIn an instant, all eight of them had disappeared, unbeknownst to the other tourists.TA2E
TwwZF***H1p04UD
5Adinw8Upon entering the altar, Shirone first assessed the structure. Contrary to the exterior appearance, the interior was not dark, thanks to lit torches.pRm
u5ILA square hole led down into the ground, with stairs spiraling down along the inner wall in a right-angle spiral.vO1p
gB4cY0Looking down, they could already see the mercenary party, having descended two full spirals.zfkLde
4EMShirone quickened his pace. There might be a second gate, and it wouldn’t be wise to distance themselves from the mercenaries.YOI0y6
0K5Eventually, all eight of them formed a group and descended the staircase.jLzwi1
qWCoNThe leader was annoyed at the freeloaders who had hitched a ride on the information he had paid a hefty sum for.A9z6k
a1qz9However, achieving their goal in this place was the priority, so any thoughts of confrontation were put aside for now.dCxw7
7gXxThe archer, who was bringing up the rear of the mercenary party, asked Shirone, who was following them, “Are you guys out of your minds? Why are young kids like you wandering around here?”flrWC03
11pg“Why are you here then?”JEpP
P2j“What, did you come here without knowing anything?”xk7
Iw6W“Yeah, we don’t know.”vjn5
byazThe archer was baffled by Shirone’s response. Perhaps it was possible. The existence of a hidden door in the ruins was a well-known secret.50hQ
acBRcXbThere was something beneath the ruins, but what it was remained unknown. This was the limit of what ordinary people interested in the ruins could speculate.QX6
sVdmnfN“Since we’re here, can’t you tell us? Why have you come to this place?”RQ0abwT
FW2oQThe archer pondered. He had scoured the information market to find the hidden door, even paying a hefty 20 gold for a high-grade cipher.kWa0K7
dBFAdjLBut now that they had passed through the door, the information had essentially lost its value.T4iSU
6jHeConsidering this, the archer, with a gleam in his eye, proposed, “How about this? Since you’ve come through the door, you must have cracked a high-security cipher. That’s worth at least 100 gold in monetary terms. So, I’ll sell you information. Five gold per question. What do you say?”PeUZkug
nFjV“That’s okay. We’ll find out when we go down anyway.”n32
6KkOSeShirone’s dismissive reply frustrated the archer, feeling mocked by a child.B7k0
9Rto0U‘This insolent brat…’bXV3sIE
d84XFxXAt that moment, the leader halted. As he stopped, those following behind gradually slowed down as well.urQ
AxLz“Actually, thinking about it, that might be a good idea. Do you have any idea how much trouble we went through to find this place? We can’t just let you take advantage of that. If you want to go down, you’ll have to pay us.”q02Dg
dagOShirone glanced at Amy, who shrugged, indicating agreement with whatever decision he made.CyJDARW
dWXvTu2“Then we won’t go down. We’ll stay here, so you go ahead and do your business.”AMlnMbr
v7vXi4“This damn…!”BETT
Axrw5The leader couldn’t help but flare up.emnvV
CuHDehHe should have realized back in the tavern when they couldn’t even turn their heads. These spineless fools were all talk.FKr
Ni0“But if it’s one gold per question, we might consider it.”yAe01
51WIqR“One gold?”Nyz
CAnfTThe leader quickly thought it over. They couldn’t get their investment back from them anyway. So, taking whatever gold they could was beneficial.V1Ul
zQK“Fine, one gold per question. Pay up first.”CTc
NGVmShirone rummaged through his coin purse and pulled out a gold coin. Although they could have investigated separately from the mercenaries, his friends respected Shirone’s judgment.HAoQe8
dIgNh6GShirone believed there was value in this situation for one gold. They knew nothing about what lay below. If one gold could prepare them in advance, it was no loss.qxL0A
NRE1TMLFor instance, if the mercenaries knew of dangers only they were aware of, they could be led into a trap without any chance of escape. But with some explanation, they could roughly estimate the risks and difficulty of exploring the underground.gaWfL
fZuacZ“Why have you come here?”riJ
uBiLTo avoid broad questions that could lead to fabricated answers, Shirone targeted the core issue.r1739A
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