Chapter 34
Thanks to Hamma, I realised that the spot Kaizen had cut with his sword was actually the entrance to the mine. The moment I realised that, a surge of exhilaration ran through my whole body.
“No wonder the terrain looked familiar. I had a feeling, but I didn’t expect it to really be a mine…”
It was surprising to stumble across the mine entrance by chance, but not exactly shocking. Volcano Village was famous for its mines even within Tales World.
At any rate, this worked out. Thanks to Kaizen, things were about to get a little easier.
“Let’s get inside. If we stay out here any longer, we might get caught.”
I gestured toward the dark, narrow mine tunnel, pretending to know nothing. Hamma quickly nodded.
“A mine! This is exciting!”
We opened our backpacks at the entrance, checking that we had compasses, illumination devices, and other tools, which we fastened securely to our waists. I was about to suggest to Kaizen that we enter when he, surveying the entrance, strode ahead without waiting for me.
“Kaizen! Come together!”
Hamma and I, flustered, hurried to follow him. Inside, it was so dark that we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. I quickly activated my illumination device, but something felt off.
Sssssk—
Something was moving deep within the mine. I grabbed Kaizen’s shoulder as he moved ahead.
“Kaizen”
He stopped me with one hand and raised a finger to his lips, signalling silence. Then, silently, he reached for his sword sheath.
The instant he drew his sword, the shadow that had flickered in the darkness vanished.
“They noticed us!”
We exchanged glances and quickly moved in the direction the shadow had disappeared.
“This way.”
Even in the pitch-dark, Kaizen moved with incredible agility, finding the path with ease. Hamma and I struggled to keep up, relying on our light devices, but he was already far ahead.
He’s like a ghost.
But it got worse. He was so fast that just when we thought we’d caught up, he was already ahead again. And the path he took was unusual.
If we hadn’t been following him, we’d never have noticed it existed.
We passed through a secret wall that rotated 180 degrees, a narrow pit barely wide enough for one person, and a door that would have been easy to miss. There was a sense of déjà vu.
This terrain feels familiar…
Could it be a place I’d seen before while playing Tales World? I tilted my head in confusion, and Kaizen muttered under his breath:
“They’re luring us.”
His eyes gleamed sharply. Without seeming to tire, he was ready to move again, so I stopped him for a moment.
“Wait, Kaizen. Why are we following this path?”
I looked at him, exhausted from the heat radiating off the mine. Hamma and I were already nearly drained.
“We should know the purpose of this lure, shouldn’t we?”
“It could be a trap.”
“Even if it’s a trap, it doesn’t matter. We’ll just break it anyway.”
He wore the expression of someone who truly didn’t see a problem with anything. Considering he had just cut through a rock wall with his sword, it was easy to believe.
“I’m getting tired, so let’s keep moving.”
“What? Why!”
His casual tone triggered a flash of PTSD. Last time, after taking down Hirata, he’d said the same thing—and then almost died without warning.
Could this also be some action opposing the Demon King?
I noticed that the skull icon gauge above his head had risen to two bars. I’d been maintaining just one!
Did he hurry because he thinks he might die soon?
I quickly grabbed Kaizen and asked:
“Are you tired? Tired to the point of wanting to die?”
“…Put this down first.”
“Did I starve you today? No! Sit down for a bit; eat something first…”
“I’m fine. Put this down. Why is some woman pawing at me? Do you… do you touch strangers like this?”
Kaizen, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly snapped. His sudden outburst was both absurd and hilarious.
“…And you’re a stranger?”
We were comrades facing life and death together—calling him a mere stranger felt ridiculous. He looked stunned, as if he’d been slapped.
“…?”
“…?”
We blinked at each other silently. Kaizen lifted a hand and rubbed his mouth, as if trying to control a smile. Curious, I kept watching. Then he returned to his usual expressionless face.
“Ahem. Anyway, it’s fine for now. No need to worry too much.”
Since his gauge was still at two bars, there was no immediate danger.
I need to resolve this quickly.
And most importantly…
“Woah? The flowers are glowing, Romi!”
The faintly glowing flowers sporadically lighting the mine confirmed my suspicion. They looked like lily-of-the-valley, emitting a soft blue light.
When touched, the blue glow crumbled like dust.
If there are glowing flowers here…
I looked around. Near the areas with the most glowing flowers, a thick vine covered one wall.
I recognised the scene instantly.
If my memory is correct, the Mystical Spring should be behind that vine.
But Kaizen pointed to the opposite, the right side.
“This way.”
I hesitated, then grabbed him.
“Wait, Kaizen. Let’s go the other way.”
“Do you have a reason?”
“Well…”
How could I explain this without making him suspicious? But I couldn’t just pass by.
With the Mystical Spring Water, it’ll be much easier to infiltrate the village.
The Mystical Spring was an extremely rare item only found inside Volcano Village’s mine. Why rare? Because it was the only transformation potion ingredient in Tales World without side effects. One drop of the target’s blood into the spring completed the potion.
To get it, we have to go to the left where the vines are…
I followed the vine with my gaze, and Kaizen’s head turned naturally to the left as well. He looked at me silently, then spoke after a moment:
“Understood.”
“Hmm?”
He agreed so easily? I had prepared arguments in case he objected.
“If it’s difficult to explain, you don’t have to. You’ve been acting suspicious for days, anyway.”
“Hey…”
“And you wouldn’t do anything harmful to me, right?”
“…”
In his calm gaze, I saw trust. My chest tightened. I had been scheming, but he was letting it slide.
He knows and still lets it go.
A soft smile spread across my face. I looked Kaizen in the eye and said:
“That’s right. I would never do anything to harm you. The reason I want to go left is…”
I grabbed Kaizen’s wrist and headed for the vines. As we got closer, a faint, mysterious fragrance lingered in the air.
Hamma used his steel axe to gently cut the vines, revealing the mist-filled Mystical Spring.
“We need the Mystical Spring Water here. We can make a transformation potion with it.”
“…!”
“The Mystical Spring? A transformation potion? Romi, how do you even know to find this?”
Hamma’s voice trembled with surprise. Kaizen’s eyes widened unusually.
“Not now… I’ll explain everything later.”
I didn’t want to shock them with the truth just yet. Eventually, I would explain…
Once Kaizen is a little more stable.
I resolved to get the water and began rummaging through my backpack for a container.
But suddenly, an unfamiliar presence approached.
“Uh…? Uh…!”
Tap, tap, tap!
Someone was running toward us in the darkness.
