Chapter 48

Disposal Ruins Investigation Team

Several men were walking in the dark forest .

A member of the investigation team suddenly stopped and looked back at something he didn’t notice before .

[What in the world are those corpses?]

Hearing him, I also turned around and looked at what he’s looking at .

[I don’t know . Those corpses looks like a fallen mercenaries to me . ]

[Are they perhaps on their way to Mills?]

[That’s possible . Other than our group, the only people who pass through this forest are those who are heading towards Mills . ]

I noticed that one of the members looked really pale .

He is very pale .

[Have you ever seen a corpse that had turned into that state before?]

[Ye… Yes…]

The corpses were terrible .

There were a total of four of them .

None of their faces could be identified .

It must have been eaten by some kind of beast or a monster .

One of the members knocked over the sword that was hanging on the waist of one of the corpses .

[To fall in a forest like this, these mercenaries probably aren’t that strong . ]

[These corpses, no one of them had any money?]

Anyone could seldom find that much money from dead corpses .

Of course, that includes the baggage they had .

[They may have encountered a robbery . Well, it’s rumored that there have been occasional robberies going on in here . ]

[Does that mean that after these people were killed by a monster, other travelers who pass by looted these corpses?]

[If they were just going to be killed by some random monster in this forest, they shouldn’t have bothered becoming a mercenary . ]

[Did a monster finally come out from the Disposal Ruins?]

[Hahaha, if that were so, then we have to ask the Magic Knights to handle this instead . ]

[You’re right . ]

The members tried to insert some jokes into their deductions of what they think could have happened to those people .

[Oh, we can finally see our workplace . ]

Disposal Ruins .

The familiar landscape .

There would be no change yet again this time .

That’s natural, or so the captain thought .

[There’s no abnormality this time again . ]

One of the loose-lipped members spoke .

[This job sure doesn’t have that much change . ]

[An unchanging job is fine . Okay, I’ll do the usual confirmation . ]

[Captain, you’re so serious~]

[It’s because this is still our work . ]

This is the job that was tasked to them by their Allied Kingdom, Allion .

A periodic survey to the Disposal Ruins .

These two kingdoms have a good relationship that they had been maintaining for a long time .

I’m glad that I got this job .

I strongly like that .

First of all, the pay for this job is good .

And yet, the job is very easy to do .

I take out a magic tool from my bag .

This is a magic tool that was personally made by Goddess Vysis .

For many years, this investigation had been occurring from one team to another .

I walked along the walls of the ruins .

I traced around for quite some time until I pressed on one unsuspecting part of the wall .

Clank~ clunk~

A dent appeared out of nowhere .

It’s an elongated hole that is just wide enough for an arm to fit through .

I would then bring the crystal near the hole .

It’s a black crystal .

If you see this crystal’s color turn to platinum, then the work is over .

I don’t know the principle of why the crystal changes color .

However, I had no intention to investigate the reason .

An easy job .

Everyone in the Investigation Team is happily enjoying the leisurely job .

I know what kind of place this Disposal Ruins is .

But I’m not interested .

It has nothing to do with me whoever is sent to wherever it is .

It’s a discussion that has nothing to do with my life .

If I can have an easy life without danger, then that’s just fine .

I don’t wish for any change in my life .

Everyone was used to the leisure of our job .

Even I’m the same as them .

I don’t want any trouble in my life .

I just want to continue to do this good-paying job with ease .

[Hmm? What the?]

[What happened, Captain?]

[The color didn’t change . ]

The black crystal didn’t even shine at all .

There’s always something that behind that hole that made the crystal shine into platinum .

The crystal at my hand should have changed its color in response to that .

[Captain! Does this mean—]

[Ah…]

My eyes turned serious as I looked at the others .

With a stern expression, I held my hand over my mouth .

[I guess this crystal had finally reached its end . ]

[Even the magic tool that the Goddess had personally made had a lifetime too~]

Clink~

I poke the crystal with my fingertip .

[I guess we have to this crystal changed for a new one . ]

[When we get back, should we report this to Allion?]

[No—]

I replied quickly within a beat .

[I can just tell them at the time of the regular report . That should be about half a year later . ]

[Is that okay?]

[The procedures to handle matters are really troublesome especially when the news have to be sent to Allion . The procedures would be easy if it would be just talked about in this country . ]

[Ah… I understand . ]

The Investigation Team started preparing to leave the Ruins .

[Well, I guess the report this time should be “No Abnormalities” as usual . In fact, I can’t anything that had changed at all . ]

[Well, what if there may actually be some people who had lived and managed to get out of this Disposal Ruins?]

[Hahaha! That’s impossible!]

Laughing and joking with the rest, I turned back and looked at the ruins .

[There was no record of someone of someone who has managed to live through there and escape the ruins even once, even after examining the past records about this ruins . ]

The Disposal Ruins with zero survival rate .

There can be no change .

I put the crystal that doesn’t work anymore into my leather bag that was strapped on my belt .

[This will be just an easy job . Absolutely . ]