Volume 10 Chapter 6 Ancient Ruins Exploration Part Ii
"There's something!"
Al shouted excitedly as he moved the "Floating Eye" closer to the faint light at the bottom of the water. It was something flat and round. He had seen it before when Lara explained magic tools. This one was called a light magic tool, commonly found in ancient ruins.
It had a button, and when touched, it would light up. Lara, who sold magic tools, had it for 5 gold coins.
This magic tool was pretty ordinary, so it wouldn't sell for much. However, finding a magic tool here meant that the first and second floors of this building, which was underwater, hadn't been explored yet. Al felt really motivated.
But he still had some questions. Why hadn't they investigated the bottom of the water? The 'Detect Magic' spell should have reacted to this magic tool... or maybe it didn't? He had heard that magic tools without mana don't respond to the 'Magic Sense' spell. The 'Detect Magic' spell might be the same. There must be other reasons too.
As he was deep in thought, something passed the view of the "Floating Eye"—a small fish. Then, a large, snake-like creature appeared. Its body was orange and about 5 meters (≈ 16.4 feet) long, with a diameter of around 20 centimeters (≈ 7.87 inch). Its tail moved in a flat, wavy motion through the water. Could it be a type of sea snake? He didn't know its name, but with that size, it could be a magic beast.
The large orange sea snake quickly caught up to the fish and swallowed it whole. That explained a lot. With something like this in the water, people wouldn't be able to explore the ruins. It also explained the absence of lizardmen. Sea snakes are often poisonous, and even a strong lizardman wouldn't make this place home. Their eggs or baby lizardmen would likely be easy prey for the creature.
"A giant sea snake?"
Al explained what he just saw to Patricia and Joanna.
"Yeah, there's a really big sea snake in the water. That's why I think the lizardmen don't make this ancient ruin their home."
Hearing that, the two shook their heads.
"A big snake... It wouldn't come up here, right?"
Patricia's voice was shaking. Joanna also shook her head, frowning in disgust.
"There were mud scattered around the stairs and corridors below, but there were no signs of it. I think we're safe."
"Good... That means it's unlikely for the lizardmen to come up from the water."
Patricia let out a big sigh of relief. Al nodded. Without using the 'Fly' spell like Al and the others, they wouldn't have easily made it here. On the other hand, it made Patricia worry if the spies from the Tempest Kingdom could find Al and the others.
"Is that eavesdropping hairpin still working? Can't we use it?"
At Patricia's question, Al instinctively said, "Ah." He had completely forgotten about it. Normally, spells like 'Telepathy' don't reach even a kilometer. But the Ring of Pact worked over long distances. Depending on the magic tool's performance, it might still reach.
"That sounds good. Ms. Barbara said she wanted Baron Pankraft (the captain of the guard for Viscount Lester) to be suspected of betrayal, so it might be good to talk as if we're grateful for her telling us about this ruin."
"Yeah, let's keep an eye on things here for 2 or 3 days."
Patricia and Joanna nodded at Al's suggestion. During that time, he could use 'Floating Eye' to investigate underwater. If he found something valuable, he wanted to get it somehow. While Al was thinking about this, Patricia raised her hand lightly, looking like she wanted to say something.
"I want to clean the room so we can stay for those 2 or 3 days. We have the tent we used yesterday, but the egg shells are gross, and it's all muddy..."
'That's right. I don't think it's good for our health to sleep in a place like this.'
Glee seems to agree. Joanna is nodding, thinking it's a good idea too. It's a great chance to explore the ancient ruins, but... Al reluctantly nodded, trying to hold back his excitement. There's no choice. They have enough water and food for a few days, but they need to hunt to restock. The spies probably won't come until after they investigate the ruins, so there's still time. He reminded himself of that.
"Okay, I get it. Yeah, they probably won't come right away. We don't have a broom, but we have buckets and barrels. We can use those to wash the eggshells and mud down into the middle area with water. I'll look for something to eat nearby, so can I leave the hairpin and that to you two?"
Patricia and Joanna nodded at Al's suggestion. Al used the 'Light' spell to brighten the room, took out the listening hairpin from his magic bag, and handed it to the two of them before heading out to hunt.
* * *
The area around the building was just mud and swamp... He thought that when he arrived, but he decided to check the surroundings just in case. He found a spot where he could walk on the mud and tested how deep it was with a piece of driftwood. However, the two-meter-long driftwood sank easily to the bottom. It seemed impossible to walk here, which was a relief.
Al quickly gave up on walking on the ground and used the 'Fly' spell to search for prey from the air.
There were few beasts in the dense jungle above the swamp, but plenty of birds. Al had experience catching and cooking different birds back in his hometown. Some birds tasted too fishy, even when cooked, and many had little meat after plucking.
He spotted a type of sandpiper and took it down using the "Magic Missile" spell.
'Al really takes them down easily, huh?'
Seeing this, Glee said. It's true for birds, at least. According to someone who uses a bow and arrow, unlike regular arrows that are affected by wind and gravity, Al's 'Magic Missile' flies straight, making it easier to aim.
Al hurried to where the bird had fallen. While searching for the bird, he discovered a giant crab at the base of a tree. Its shell was about 40cm (≈ 15.75 inches) wide. Its legs probably stretched out to about a meter (≈ 39.37 inches). It had huge claws and was mostly buried in the mud.
'Can we eat it? Maybe this big one is a magic beast?'
Glee asked, looking very curious. Al remembered that he had boiled and eaten crabs from the river before, and they were delicious. This one should be tasty too.
"Let's try to catch it."
Al moved in front of the giant crab. The crab was either sleeping or just staying still. Al focused on one of its 2 eyes.
"Magic Missile'──Focused Power'
A bluish-white arrow shot out from Al's palm and pierced the giant crab. The crab twitched for a moment but then stayed still.
"I hope it's okay..."
He poked it with a stick, but the giant crab didn't react. It was either dead or unconscious.
'Looks like it wasn't a magic beast after all.'
If it's a magic beast, it wouldn't be easy to defeat. Struggling a bit, Al placed the giant crab on the "Carrier" spell disk and tied its huge claws with rope just to be safe. He also found the bird he dropped earlier, cleaned out the blood and inedible parts, and put it on the disk too.
This should be enough for dinner tonight. As always, he collected a sample so he could use "Animal Transformation" later. It had become a habit for Al to do this whenever he caught a new animal.
"Alright, tonight we're having crab dishes!"
Al smiled brightly and floated up into the sky.
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