I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 138: In Other Words, It Should Be Sealed

Episode 138: In Other Words, It Should Be Sealed 

While I was pondering how to summon Mother, lunchtime came to an end. From here, we would return to the tunnels and head deeper underground to explore the second ruin. 

“If it’s located deeper than this place, does that mean the other ruin was originally underground?” 

“That’s highly likely. If that’s the case, it might still be completely intact, unlike the previous one.” 

Brother Gilliam looked excited but also somewhat tense. If it was still intact, that also meant its defense mechanisms could still be functional. In other words, it was even more dangerous. 

“There’s also a chance that it’s much older than the first ruin, right? Maybe it got buried over time.” 

“Ah, I see. That’s a possibility too. Good thinking, Leonard. You’re quite perceptive.” 

“So you’re not just all brawn after all, Brother Leonard!” 

I should have kept my mouth shut. Brother Leonard immediately grabbed my head and ruffled it roughly. It hurt. Balt and Ray could’ve at least stopped him! 

As we bickered like siblings, we eventually arrived at the second ruin. 

“Now that I look at it, the walls here resemble those of the first ruin.” 

“That’s true. Though there are slight differences in the details.” 

Brother Gilliam seemed to notice those differences. But to me, they looked exactly the same. 

I called over Moguran to clear away the surrounding soil. Brother Leonard was already on high alert. 

Brother Gilliam and the survey team began inspecting the walls. They used some mysterious tool that resembled a stethoscope. They were pressing it against the wall and listening intently. Were they hearing something? But more importantly— 

“Brother Leonard, do you sense anything bad?” 

“Not at the moment. But… I have a bad feeling about investigating this ruin.” 

“Does that mean something dangerous is inside?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Brother Leonard muttered, his brow furrowing deeply. There was no immediate danger, yet something told him we shouldn’t go in. I didn’t quite understand. But I decided to call Lagios and Tetsujin just in case. 

I also wanted to bring Pii-chan and Ochun along. But something about the combination of birds and mines made me uneasy. It felt like something bad could happen. 

As I was holding Lagios, the survey seemed to have concluded. 

“Leonard, there doesn’t seem to be any problems. Open the entrance.” 

“Brother Gilliam, I just told Rufus earlier, but I have a bad feeling about this ruin. I don’t think we should investigate it.” 

“I see. I respect your opinion, Leonard. However, even if we decide to seal it, we need to confirm what’s inside first. Especially if it contains something dangerous.” 

“…Understood.” 

Brother Leonard nodded deeply, his determination evident in his stance. A chill ran down my spine. This was getting scary. Flare-chan must have felt the same way because she clung to my arm like a stuffed toy. Her warmth was seeping into me. 

Without a word, Brother Leonard sliced through a section of the wall. The severed wall fell away soundlessly. It revealed a deep darkness beyond. The survey team shone lanterns inside, but the chamber was too vast to see the far end. 

“It looks like it leads into a massive cavern. Everyone, stay on guard.” 

With Brother Leonard and the knights leading the way, we stepped inside. To illuminate the dark interior, I handed Marimo to Lagios and let it fly ahead. 

The room gradually came into view. It was an expansive space surrounded by cold, metallic walls. Rows of conveyor belts stretched across the area. And on top of them, neatly arranged metal arms, legs, and other parts were being transported as if they were moving to another room. 

“No way… This place was used to manufacture Guardians…?” 

I stopped myself before finishing the sentence. Factories didn’t exist in this world. While workshops were common, industrialized production didn’t exist yet. Everything was still handcrafted by artisans. 

“Just as Rufus said, it seems they were manufacturing Guardians here. They assembled them piece by piece like this.” 

“Was this method more efficient? Or did they divide the work intentionally to keep the process a secret from others?”

Brother Leonard crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. That was one way to look at it. Even if someone understood how to make just the arm parts, they wouldn’t be able to complete a Guardian. 

But I thought it was something else entirely. In the first place, wasn’t this place completely devoid of people? There were no desks or chairs here. 

“So this is the bad feeling you had, Leonard. If a Guardian manufacturing workshop were to be discovered, it would certainly cause a lot of problems. Regardless of whether we could actually build Guardians ourselves.” 

“They’re tools that fight on their own, after all. That alone would greatly reduce our own soldiers’ casualties.” 

“And they’re incredibly powerful, too. It wouldn’t be hard to wipe out an enemy nation.” 

Even Brother Gilliam, usually unshaken, observed this scene with a cold expression. If this factory could be put into operation, the Kingdom of Eladoria might very well have the power to dominate the entire continent. 

However, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of doing that. 

As expected of Brother Gilliam—rather than ruling the continent through sheer force, he wanted to see the Kingdom of Eladoria prosper through diplomacy. 

I wholeheartedly agreed with that vision. As the third prince, my position might be a bit ambiguous. But I would follow him anywhere.