Chapter 301: Ruins of an ancient civilization


    We walked through the primeval forest, which was difficult to walk in, at such a brisk pace that it was like we were walking on t ground.


    「There aren’t that many monsters, but this forest is taking quite long to get through.」


    「Indeed. It had been said that the ancient civilization suddenly disappeared over 5000 years ago. Even we Elves only know about the events from that era through the literature.」


    We moved through the forest at a pace that Valzak-san and others wouldn’t fall behind. This forest was an old-growth forest which included the mountain-side that Valzak-san’smunity inhabited. It was like a primeval forest from ancient times.


    Perhaps having difficulty walking through the overgrown forest because of his age, Valzak-san would at times fly low.


    The Aligerous Tribe’s wings were only support for flying, but as expected, it could be used this way too. He would repeatedly jump and glide for short distances to consume little magic power.


    「Valzak-san, let’s take a small break.」


    「That helps. Though we live far longer lives than Humans, I am already considered aged. Traversing this dense forest is difficult.」


    「You don’t need to push yourself, so let’s take it slow.」


    Was our pace a bit too fast? Valzak-san looked young, so I must have deluded myself, but he really was someone who’s lived several times longer than humans. I must havecked some consideration.


    I set up a simple and disposable Barrier MD in a spot and we rested there for a bit. Our regr party members were alright, but Valzak-san was basically artificially trained, so it must have been hard for him to catch up to us while fighting with monsters.


    「<em>Fuu</em>, Berkut is still lively.」


    「Chief Valzak, I often subjugate monsters in monster nests with Takumi-sama and the others, so this much is nothing.」


    Valzak-san who had been resting his weary body was in admiration upon seeing Berkut still being full of energy.


    Berkut was emotionally attached to me for some reason, and she would actively participate when we would clear out monsters in monster nests. It was also for that very reason that Berkut had be the strongest among the Aligerous Tribe.


    「Takumi-sama, have some tea.」


    「Thank you, Maria.」


    I drank the tea that Maria offered and enjoyed our short break.


    After about 15 minutes of rest, Valzak-san looked to have recovered a bit, so we resumed our search for the ruins.


    As we made our way straight into the forest while asionally killing the monsters thate attacking, the forest of thick trees grew thinner. The moss-covered ground that felt like a walk over a carpet changed to a hard surface.


    「The state of the forest is changing as we get closer to the center of the forest.」


    「It is still plenty dense as a forest nheless.」


    At the time when Valzak-san’s ancestors settled into this ind, the ancient ruins were already engulfed by nature. However, because there were barely any monsters that posed a threat inhabiting it, they investigated the ruins to some extent, identifying that the floating ind’s floatation device utilized a dungeon core.


    Just as we were about to reach the center, Sophia discovered something.


    「Ah, this is man-made.」


    「You’re right. ……it’s worn down now, but I can tell it was made with high technique.」


    It was likely the ruins of a building. A portion of the ruins was visible.


    It’s being toppled over by creeper nts and the like, but was it the wall of a house? We found cut stone joined together without gaps.


    I carefully removed the dirt on the ground.


    「Yup, it’s paved stone. It’s not at all inferior to the roads I made in the Sanctuary.」


    After removing the dirt and debris from the ground, an impressive stone-paved road that one wouldn’t think to be from many thousands of years ago had appeared.


    「……I remember thendscape around here. It would likely take two hours to reach the dungeon entrance at this pace.」


    Valzak-san, who looked around and identified our location, pointed in the direction of the dungeon’s entrance.


    「Let’s postpone examining the ruins. Checking on the dungeon core takes precedence.」


    「Indeed. Investigating the defect on the device that used the core.」


    We headed to the dungeon entrance by relying on Valzak-san’s memory.


    The closer we got to the center, the more ruined buildings there were.


    Eventually, we discovered a three-story architectural structure simr to a smaller version of Mexico’s Teotihuacán Pyramid[1] in the ruins encroached by greenery.


    Valzak-san pointed at that structure, saying that it was the way to ess the dungeon core.


    「Iruma-dono, that building is the entrance to the dungeon core.」


    As we approached it, we could tell that the structure very likely had a special magic that prevented decay as it didn’t seem like thousands of years had passed.


    「……it’s amazing. I don’t know what the buildings were like a thousand years ago, but it had roughly remained the same.」


    「Takumi-sama, let’s first stop the monsters froming out by raising a barrier at the entrance.」


    「Afterwards, let’s have dinner.」


    「Right. Gotcha, we’ll set up a barrier, so please make dinner, Maria.」


    「Then Kaede will hunt monsters around us, kay~?」


    The minute Kaede said so, she disappeared into the forest.


    ***


    <strong>Footnotes:</strong>


    1. Teotihuacan Pyramid info here.