[136] Ancient Ruins (2)
"Yeah. He really does look strong."
"Right."
Shirone and Amy agreed. It wasn't just the tattoos — their keen senses actually picked up latent power in the man's presence.
But Rian thought differently.
"Hmph. Putting on a tough face doesn't give you strength you don't have. No need to be scared."
Rian's senses were weaker than most. That was why he couldn't open a schema, but Shirone found comfort in that stubbornness. No matter how dangerous things got, Rian would stubbornly be their shield.
"All right! Let's start exploring the ruins!"
After passing the toll gate, their real investigation began.
The Kergo ruins had once been a temple dedicated to a god, laid out as a square two kilometers east–west and two kilometers north–south. A 200‑meter moat crossed by a footbridge led to a long cloister; follow the worship path another 500 meters and you'd reach the central temple.
"Wow, this is huge. You're telling me this was built thousands of years ago?"
"I heard earlier that it was buried under volcanic ash, so what we see now is smaller. It used to be several times bigger."
Shirone looked down at his feet. The volcanic eruption had been five hundred years ago, so the ash layer would lie beneath the surface soil.
Amy, walking ahead, called back to Shirone.
"Shirone, what are you doing? You should look around the central temple too."
Shirone didn't answer. He wore a faint smile and seemed absorbed in something.
Curious, Amy moved closer.
"What's wrong? Something the matter?"
"Amy, go into your Spirit Zone."
"My Spirit Zone? Why the Zone all of a sudden?"
Realization slapped Amy's palm to her forehead.
"Oh, right!"
A mage could expand their senses with the Spirit Zone. If something was hidden beneath the ruins, it wouldn't escape synesthetic detection.
"All right. I'll try."
Amy entered her Spirit Zone. As she scanned the underground with her synesthesia, the crease between her brows deepened. After about five seconds she let the Zone fall away, as if she'd realized something.
"Shirone, this…."
"Yeah. Nothing's picking up. I'd expect at least to sense bedrock, but there's nothing."
"Maybe the ash layer is too thick? What if you try going deeper?"
They couldn't do that, which left them frustrated. Then Shirone, thinking for a moment, brightened and called out.
"Aha, there is a way."
Amy could do it. Among the four-way forms, her specialty was the long‑range target-type.
The target-type was also called the cross Zone: the mage stood at the intersection of two lines and rapidly rotated that intersection to strike a specific target quickly.
But that wasn't the end. As a senior who had chosen a major, Amy had developed the target-type into a sniper mode.
Sniper mode made the Spirit Zone a perfect straight line; to maximize range, the mage positioned herself at the end of the Zone.
This was called a directional Zone. Its drawback was slower rotation, but it could reach at least four times the range of the target-type.
If you expanded the Zone to a diameter of just 500 meters, the target-type would already exceed a kilometer. Switch that into sniper mode and you could hit targets four kilometers away.
Amy's current base diameter was 68 meters. In target-type it became 143 meters, and in sniper mode it surpassed 500 meters.
"All right, I'll do it."
Amy began the sequence and entered the Zone. The four-way form converted at high speed, and a cross tilted ninety degrees rose up.
'Sniper mode!'
Amy's Zone plunged downward like a spear. A groan escaped between her clenched teeth.
The longer the Zone, the weaker its durability. If nothing interfered it wouldn't be a problem, but underground strata made the Zone lose orientation and bend this way and that.
Amy drove herself in harder.
Just as she thought she'd finally hit something, the Zone shattered and her consciousness wavered.
"Huff! Huff!"
"Amy! You okay?"
Shirone hurried to support her. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"I'm fine. But this is going to be rough. I broke through to 300 meters, but beyond that it's impossible. From there it just floats off like a thread thrown into the sea."
Shirone could guess how powerful the opposing force was. Amy's Zone wasn't fragile; for her to compare it to a weak thread meant serious resistance.
"Still, you at least proved there's something. That's a major find."
"It's a result, sure. But it's not enough. Someone who can expand a Zone while keeping durability — without at least a competent Joner, exploring with the Spirit Zone is impossible."
Even Shirone felt that, without that level, no one could dare explore the ruins' underground.
"If we'd known, I'd have asked Ares oppa. The exploration team he's with probably has joners who could handle this place."
"Or ask Teacher Ettela."
Ettela, the monk, specialized in durability-focused joners. She'd be perfect for surveying this kind of terrain.
"If it's Teacher Ettela, it might work. I don't know how deep it goes, but she could probably clear as far as you reached."
Rian cut in.
"But if that's the case, we don't have to investigate ourselves, right? The principal gave us a hint — maybe he meant for us to figure things out on our own."
Shirone and Amy exchanged looks and fell silent. Focusing only on efficiency sometimes meant missing the point.
Amy admitted honestly.
"Rian's right. But it feels like such a waste. If we break through here, we wouldn't even need to comb the rest of the ruins. Why don't we keep thinking along this line a bit longer?"
Shirone understood. They'd come to hunt for clues about Miro, not to go on a tour.
"Let's weigh our options. It's not something we can do right away. Now I'm more curious than ever. I don't think I'll be satisfied until I see it with my own eyes."
Leaving only vague images of the underground behind, Shirone's party continued their exploration.
But Kergo was really just a tourist spot.
As if to mock their earnestness, old men chatted idly while children ran about with pinwheels.
"Amy, are we actually accomplishing anything?"
"Don't ask. I'm feeling pretty disillusioned too."
After checking the central temple route, the group gave up the surface investigation. There was nothing unusual above ground.
"I don't get it. The principal said we'd understand if we came here. But what does a ruin thousands of years old have to do with Miro?"
"Anyway, there's definitely something underground. We'll have to scout with the Spirit Zone, right?"
Rian's eyes lit up as if an idea had come to him.
"I've got a thought. If you can't pierce it with the Spirit Zone, why not just dig in ourselves? Something should turn up eventually."
Shirone and Amy looked at Rian in disbelief, then continued talking.
"How about contacting the locals? Since they live here, some of them should know the common language."
"True. But I don't think the locals would know anything important. Better to get an interpreter…."
Rian protested like someone who felt ignored.
"Hey! Why won't anyone answer me? I said dig!"
Tess jumped in.
"You idiot. This is a protected site the local autonomous government can't touch—what makes you think you can stick a shovel in the ground? Do that and you'll be charged with cultural heritage damage and face a heavy sentence."
After scolding Rian, she turned to Shirone.
"So what are we going to do now?"
"I don't know. Questioning locals is best, but it'll take time. We'd need an interpreter and a permit from the native autonomous district."
"Is that so? Well, there is one thing we can try right now. Want to hear it?"
"Really? Tell us! What is it?"
Rian made a sour face, resentful at being left out.
"You're not seriously suggesting we dig secretly, are you?"
Tess suppressed her anger and continued.
"...Anyway. While you were focused on the ruins, I scoped the other side. I noticed something odd."
"Odd? What is it?"
Tess scanned the crowd with a sharp look.
"Look at the people. Most are tourists, but some aren't. They move in groups, they're armed, and they don't seem very interested in the ruins."
They looked around. Indeed—there weren't many, but armed men were moving about.
"Aha! I see!"
"Yeah, they're mercenaries. Why would mercenaries be hanging around a tourist spot? Some of them look pretty strong. That means they know something about this place."
"And the mercenaries know the secret?"
"Exactly. Talking to the natives will take time and they might not talk. Mercenaries are different—the fact they're here means they know something."
Shirone admired Tess's eye. While others focused on the ruins, she'd been watching the surroundings.
It fit Tess's background. The Elajin family had produced many commanders and diplomats. But their true strength lay elsewhere: spies. To enemy states they were spies, but the intelligence they gathered contributed heavily to the Kingdom of Thormia's foreign strategy.
'That's a good idea. In fact, it's the only idea we've got right now.'
Shirone decided to adopt Tess's plan.
"All right. So we just tail the mercenaries now?"
"Tail them? Hmm, honestly I'm not confident. If you get caught by a seasoned mercenary, it'll be trouble—especially if they have sensory schemata. I could tail them by myself somehow, though."
"That's a problem. I don't even know how to hide my presence. What should we do?"
"Heh, no need to hunt them down. Mercenaries can be found everywhere."
"Huh? There's a place like that? Where?"
Tess winked and pointed.
"Fancy a daytime drink?"
* * *
Along the southwest inner wall of the ruins, a row of shack-built shops stretched out.
There were eateries, taverns, and a provisions stall. Compared to regular shops they were shabby, but business was brisk.
Despite being inside the ruins and charging high prices, people came for the convenience.
Shirone's party entered a tavern. Who drinks at midday? Yet except for two tables, every seat was taken.
They picked a corner. Amy sat beside Shirone; Rian and Tess took the opposite side.
"Are you going to drink?"
"We should probably order something. It's a tavern, after all. But let's focus on food. It's better to have lunch here."
Tess ordered. Traditional Galliant Island liquor arrived with hot noodles and minced meat.
Hungry from a meager breakfast, the four of them paused their conversation and focused on eating.
Then someone nearby began snickering. At first they tried to ignore it, but the persistent, mocking titter grated on their nerves and they couldn't help but bristle.