Chapter 61

After Kurt and Wendy finished their meaningless chit-chat and breakfast, the time came when everyone else had already left.

Mari, Karina, and Serena, excluding Kurt, had already left the Adventurer Guild to take on another request.

They had accepted the request to investigate the strange behavior of monsters, which Wendy had mentioned to Kurt during breakfast.

This was partly because they were still trying to lose weight, as Kurt had suggested, and partly because they felt a sense of responsibility, as the cause of the anomaly was suspected to be the extermination of the Black Ink Wolf pack.

“The location where the monsters are acting strange is the same place where we defeated the Ink Wolves… Could it be because we defeated them?” Mari, who had been silently climbing the mountain, suddenly spoke up with a worried voice.

“We can’t jump to conclusions until we figure out the cause,” Karina replied.

“Right. The Ink Wolves were attacking humans and causing casualties, so we had no choice but to exterminate them,” Serena added.

“I guess so…” Mari’s voice still sounded uneasy.

Noticing Mari’s gloomy mood, Karina and Serena exchanged awkward glances, unsure of how to comfort her. They quickly decided to change the subject.

“Let’s focus on the request we’ve taken on for now,” Karina said.

“Exactly what kind of strange behavior are we talking about?”

“Oh, I know about that. I heard that monsters have been frequently leaving their territories and encroaching on human areas. Also, the monsters that appear like this are all showing signs of agitation,” Serena explained.

“Hmm. Could it be that the ecosystem is in chaos due to the appearance of a new predator?” Karina pondered.

“The Ink Wolves were strong, but they were also intelligent, so they didn’t have a major negative impact on the ecosystem. Maybe the new leader of the territory is a particularly violent type of monster,” Mari speculated.

As they discussed their investigation, they ventured deeper into the mountains, heading toward the location where they had found the Ink Wolf den.

…

And further ahead, past the Ink Wolf den, hidden behind the bushes, was a cave with a concealed entrance.

Inside the naturally formed cave, there was another hidden path, blocked by stalactites and rocks. If one squeezed through the narrow gap between the rocks, they would find the forgotten ruins of the Ancient Empire, hidden away where no one had discovered them.

No one knew why such ruins were hidden inside the cave, but the sight of the ruins, seemingly buried within the rock, was enough to give anyone a glimpse of an ancient civilization, even after countless years.

Inside the cave, dozens of burly men were chipping away at the rocks, uncovering the ruins. Despite their simple work clothes and only using pickaxes, they easily broke through the rocks as if they were digging through dirt.

And if one noticed the faint but distinct aura surrounding their pickaxes, it was clear that these men were not ordinary laborers.

Using aura alone would make them qualified to be knights in most rural territories. The fact that such high-level personnel were being used like construction workers was a testament to the significance of this operation.

The reason their work wasn’t finished yet wasn’t due to their slow pace, but because they were carefully minimizing the risk of a cave-in.

If this operation were taking place in an open area without the risk of collapse, or if they weren’t working in secret to avoid the eyes of the Kingdom of Eustia, it would have been completed long ago.

Among these men was a blond man with flowing golden hair, who had been observing the three adventurers who had recently searched the Ink Wolf den. He, too, was using his aura-infused pickaxe to chip away at the rocks.

The aura surrounding his pickaxe was noticeably denser and more vibrant than the others, indicating that his level far surpassed that of the other men.

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

Despite his higher level, he was working alongside the others without any special treatment. A red-haired man with a fierce demeanor approached him.

“Captain!”

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

“Isn’t it fascinating? How could such a structure be buried within the rocks of a mountain… It’s as if the mountain was built on top of the structure rather than the other way around,” the red-haired man said.

The blond man, ignoring the comment, continued to swing his pickaxe. The red-haired man, looking exasperated, added, “Captain, you’re the leader of the knight order. Shouldn’t you leave this kind of work to your subordinates?”

“At least I’m not slacking off like you, Vice-Captain.”

“Ugh…! It’s because if I, as the Vice-Captain, work too hard, my subordinates won’t be able to rest properly… No! That’s not it! I have a report for you!”

“A report? I expect it to be worth the time you’ve spent slacking off.”

“Can’t you call it vigilance duty instead of slacking off…? Anyway, adventurers have approached the cave. There are three of them—the same ones who exterminated the Ink Wolves.”

At this, the blond captain stopped his work and looked at the red-haired man.

“…Do they know about us?”

“No. It seems they haven’t noticed the knight order. They’re probably here to investigate the disrupted ecosystem after the Ink Wolves were exterminated.”

“Hmm. It’s good they haven’t noticed us, but we can’t let them keep snooping around here…”

“Should I go out and deal with them?”

“No, if they haven’t noticed us, there’s no need to risk exposing our identities. Besides, don’t we have another monster prepared as a backup?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, but unlike the Ink Wolves, that one is hard to control…”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s uncontrollable, it’s better to release it.”

If the adventurers are taken out by the monsters, that would be enough. Even if the monster is defeated, it would serve as a scapegoat for the disrupted ecosystem, and the adventurers would leave satisfied.

The red-haired man, understanding the plan, grinned.

“Too bad we can’t deal with them directly, but this is a good plan. I’ll release the monster right away.”

With that, the red-haired man left to release the backup monster.

As the blond captain watched him leave, he turned back to the ruins his men were working on.

The ruins, despite the passage of time, were a magnificent sight, something that even modern technology couldn’t replicate.

But what concerned the captain wasn’t the grandeur of the ruins.

It was the fact that even the Ancient Empire, with its advanced culture, had been wiped from history by something.

“What could have happened…?”

…

Meanwhile, Mari and her group continued their investigation of the strange monster behavior in the mountains.

Their initial seriousness had faded, and they were now casually chatting as they searched the area.

“So, that morning, when I saw Kurt throwing away oil, I was so sad that I made a grave for the oil. But Kurt just looked at me like I was crazy!” Wendy exclaimed.

“…Wouldn’t anyone look at you like that if you made a grave for oil?” Karina replied.

“Hahaha! A grave for oil? Are you joking?” Serena laughed.

“No! I was genuinely sad because I thought I might never be able to eat French fries again!” Wendy protested.

As they chatted, the bushes in the distance began to rustle unnaturally.

*Rustle*

*Rustle*

Mari, with her sharp senses, was the first to notice.

“Wait a second! There’s something up ahead.”

“Something…?”

“A monster?”

As they quickly shifted to a defensive stance, two fierce hounds emerged from the bushes.

The hounds resembled Dobermans, but with a key difference—they had manes of flickering flames.

These monsters were Hell Hounds, also known as the guardians of the ruins.

Normally, they only had flaming manes, but in battle, their entire bodies would be engulfed in flames, making them one of the more dangerous monsters.

Their combat strength was such that just two of them could rival a pack of over ten Black Ink Wolves.

No wonder they were kept as a backup.

*Growl…*

The Hell Hounds, seemingly uncomfortable, let out low growls.

Without any warning, the two Hell Hounds slowly expanded their flaming manes, preparing for battle.

“Hell Hounds…”

“This won’t be easy.”

“Get ready for battle! Once their whole bodies are on fire, they’ll charge at us!”

As Serena predicted, the two Hell Hounds, now fully engulfed in flames, let out a loud roar to intimidate their opponents.

*ROAR!*

*GROWL!*

The roar was so fierce that it made one wonder if these creatures were truly hounds or perhaps more like lions or tigers.

*ROAR!*

And then, as if in response, a third, even more terrifying roar echoed through the mountains.

The three adventurers instinctively flinched at the sound, which seemed to shake their very bones.

“Wait, a third one?”

“Where’s that coming from?”

“It’s not us, is it?”

But their confusion didn’t last long, as the source of the roar soon revealed itself.

*THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!*

*CRASH!*

*CRASH!*

The ground shook with each step as the monster pushed aside trees, clearing its path.

*ROAR!*

It was a monster often referred to as a dinosaur.

An A-Dragon (亞龍).

…