The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 61: Guardian of the Ruins

Episode 61: Guardian of the Ruins

There was no sign of any living creatures inside the ruins. But just in case, we posted a lookout and spent the night. Of course, multiple layers of shields were set up at the entrance. Even if it was a Guardian, it shouldn’t be able to break through so easily.

As soon as I crawled into my sleeping bag, drowsiness came over me. Our shift was scheduled for early morning. Until then, we needed to rest properly.

In the end, that day passed without incident, all the way until the next morning.

—

Second day of the ruins investigation. 

After finishing breakfast, we immediately began a thorough investigation of the interior of the ruins.

The method was simple. Starting from the area near our base, we opened the doors one by one in order.

The corridor was wide enough for two adults to pass each other comfortably. The height to the ceiling was about the same as the width of the corridor. Looking closely, circular holes were spaced evenly in the ceiling. And inside them were spheres that appeared to be made of glass.

“Are the spheres set into the ceiling holes lighting fixtures?”

“Probably. I saw a similar structure when we investigated another ruin before. The spheres were missing then—someone must have taken them.”

Apparently, this wasn’t Ardan and the others’ first time investigating ruins. That’s reassuring. It’s far better than doing everything blindly. Maybe the reason he first asked if there were any small rooms nearby was because the ruin they investigated before also had small rooms.

“I wonder if the lights would turn on if we pushed a button somewhere?”

“They’re probably broken, though? If they did turn on, that would be a huge discovery.”

Saying that, Jill examined the wall by touching it. But no button-like object was found, and a door appeared in the back. Elise was using Small Light. She approached the door.

“There’s a door. But this one doesn’t have a keyhole. It seems to be made the same way as the entrance door. Just smaller.”

“Yeah, looks like it. But this one seems to slide sideways.”

Ardan was carefully inspecting the door down to every corner. As he said, the door did look like it would slide sideways. There was a thin groove running along the side of the door.

“There’s no reaction beyond the door. It’s a slightly spacious small room. About twice the size of our base.”

Lilia was investigating using Analyze. She formed a rectangle with her hands. It seemed to be a deep room. Ardan tried to slide the door sideways. But due to the shallow decorative grooves, there was no place to grip, and he struggled with it.

“What do we do? Should we make a hole on the side like we did at the entrance?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Can you try to make a hole without damaging the ruins’ wall as much as possible?”

“Got it.”

Carefully, we made a hole beside the door. The wall wasn’t that thick, and we could see the other side right away. The hole was just wide enough for a person to pass through sideways. For someone with a big belly, it would be hard to get through. Even a Guardian shouldn’t be able to pass through.

“As expected of Fel. You’re really skilled.”

Lilia jumped onto my face. She seemed happy that I was now able to handle magic smoothly. I patted the cute Lilia.

“You two are as lovey-dovey as always. Now then, what’s inside? Hmm, seems like it was used as a storage room. There are a bunch of collapsed shelves.”

Everyone followed Jill, who had gone in first, into the room. Just as Jill said, decayed shelves covered the ground like dead leaves. Among them were paper-like objects. But they were so weathered that they crumbled just from trying to pick them up.

“It’s better not to touch anything more. Valuable documents might be lost.”

“Ardan, are there researchers who could possibly do something about this?”

“No idea. But better this than being blamed for destroying it, right?”

“True enough.”

Either way, we couldn’t read the ancient people’s writing. There was no need to earn unnecessary resentment.

It seemed that this room had once been used as an archive or library. The things rotting on the floor were the wood that had been used as shelves, and the papers that were probably stored in them.

“No clues. And judging from the lack of human bones, it looks like everyone moved out before this place was abandoned.”

“But it doesn’t seem like they had time to carry things out.”

“Maybe the stuff in here was already considered unnecessary?”

Jill’s opinion made sense. But the fact that the door was so tightly sealed still bothered me. If these were truly unneeded items, I didn’t see why they had to be stored so securely.

“Alright, let’s move. If we go to another place, we might find some clues.”

At Ardan’s instruction, we returned once more to the corridor from earlier. After walking for a while, we came across another similar door. The difference was that this one had a metal plate with letters engraved on it.

“This door is the same as the one earlier. It’s closed.”

“Let’s see………… as I thought, it won’t move.”

Ardan tried to slide the door sideways. But it seemed it didn’t budge. He raised both hands in front of the door. Seeing that, Jill also began struggling with the door.

“What’s different from the previous doors is this metal plate. Something’s carved on it. Are they letters?”

“Looks like it. Probably ancient writing? A scholar might be able to decipher it eventually.”

While talking with Lilia, I used Analyze to check the situation beyond. It seemed to be a long corridor beyond this. And at the end of that, there was one of the magic stones we had previously detected.

“It definitely seems to be an important room. That means there’s likely danger as well.”

“There’s one magic stone beyond here. We should be careful.”

At Lilia’s advice, Ardan closed his eyes and crossed his arms. That was the stance he took when thinking deeply. We waited quietly until he reached a conclusion. After a while, he opened his eyes.

“If there’s a magic stone, I want to check it out. I think we should proceed. Fel, can you make another side hole?”

“Leave it to me.”

Perhaps it was his sense of responsibility as a Platinum Rank adventurer. Ardan probably made that decision while thinking of those who might come after. Many adventurers are the type overflowing with a sense of justice. It seemed he couldn’t just leave it be. Even if I had been in Ardan’s position, I think I would have made the same choice.

Just like at the entrance to the ruins, I created a bypass path. It was my second time, so the path was finished quickly.

As before, the hole was just big enough for one person to pass through. A Guardian shouldn’t be able to get through.

“This should be good. I’ll go ahead and check.”

I carefully entered the narrow passage. There was nothing in the corridor—it continued straight. Before long, the others also came. As we proceeded all the way to the back, we came across another door. It was just like the one before.

“Another door. This one also has a metal plate. I don’t know what it says, though.”

“Beyond this door is a slightly wide room. There seems to be a magic stone in the back.”

“Alright, let’s not let our guard down. Fel, make a passage.”

“Roger.”

I was getting quite used to making passages. As usual, I opened a hole. The view through the hole showed a pitch-black space like a bottomless pit. It felt like we’d be sucked into it if we weren’t careful.

“Fel, I’ll go in first.”

“Huh? Ah, okay.”

Maybe he sensed something strange when I stopped. Ardan called out to me. I had confidence in the magic Lilia taught me. But I wasn’t good at close combat where speed was required. That weakness must have unconsciously made me freeze up.

In that regard, Ardan was used to close combat. His main role on the battlefield was to block and deflect enemy attacks with that large shield, creating openings for Jill and the rest of us to attack. It was natural for him to lead. And it seemed he understood that it was his role.

Without the slightest fear, he passed through the hole. Following behind him, the rest of us also went through the hole.

“The magic stone is coming closer! Could it be a Guardian?”

“Elise, brighten the light source!”

“Got it!”

Elise raised her hand, and the Small Light in her palm glowed stronger and brighter. From the darkness in the back of the room, we could hear small clattering sounds.

“I’ll go check it out. Cover me.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Roger.” 

“Leave it to me!”

The sound gradually grew louder. It changed into crashing noises of metal striking metal. It seemed there was no doubt—it was a Guardian.