When I Was Reincarnated, All the Heroines Were Stolen by the Fake Hero ~ The Guy Who Dominated With Original Story Knowledge, and Me Who Dominated With Talent. It Seems the World After the Ending Is My One-Man Stage ~ - Episode 47

Episode 47

Ulrika showed no particular emotion over having defeated the enemy. She simply waved her staff again.

“Calamity Fire!”

The blazing flames released this time weren’t aimed at the Dragon. It was instead directed at the poisonous swamp it had created.

The purple liquid sizzled and hissed as it evaporated under the intense heat.

As if clearing a path forward with fire, Ulrika pressed on into the depths of the cave without hesitation.

“Hey, Ulrika. I seriously doubt there are any dwarves deeper in here…”

The presence of that Toxic Dragon earlier was proof enough.

There’s no way anyone would choose to live in a cave infested with such a dangerous monster.

“You won’t know unless we check, right?”

She responded cheerfully.

Her eyes sparkled as if she were on some kind of treasure hunt.

“Yeah, but look. As you can see, I don’t have a shield, a sword, or even a single piece of proper equipment right now. At least let’s head back to the mansion and prepare properly first…”

I tried to reason with her. But by the time I finished speaking, Ulrika was already several meters ahead.

It seemed she hadn’t listened to a word I said.

Hopeless, really. I let out a small sigh and shifted my mindset.

Well, whatever.

As long as I stay near this strongest of mages, I probably won’t be in any real danger.

Shrugging my shoulders, I hurried after her.

—

After that, we continued deeper into the cave.

Perhaps because it had been the nest of a Toxic Dragon, there were still no signs of any other monsters.

The only sounds we heard were the occasional roar of Ulrika’s fire spells and the echo of our footsteps.

As we walked the monotonous path, Ulrika suddenly came to a halt.

“Hey, hey, Yutaka! Look at that—look!”

She pointed excitedly at a wall up ahead.

There, a horizontal tunnel was blocked off by what looked like a pile of small rocks. They were clearly stacked there on purpose.

It didn’t look natural at all—it had obviously been sealed intentionally.

Could it be that another type of monster was using it as a den? I instinctively readied myself.

But contrary to my cautiousness, Ulrika’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

It looked like she was planning to blow that rock wall apart immediately.

Knowing it would be pointless to stop her, I gave up trying and just silently watched.

“Explosion!”

Ulrika shouted joyfully.

The next moment—*BOOOOM!*—a massive explosion shook the cave. And a shower of stones came flying straight at me along with the blast.

I reflexively shielded my face with my arms. But some of the rocks still hit me—nothing serious, but it definitely hurt.

Eventually, the cloud of dust began to settle.

Before us was a dark hole. And beyond that, we could see that the path continued.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Like a kid heading to a new amusement park ride, Ulrika marched boldly into the tunnel without hesitation.

Please… let there be no more monsters ahead…

Half-praying, I followed after her.

＊ ＊ ＊

The inside of the tunnel looked noticeably different from the cave before.

I realized the walls and ceiling were surprisingly smooth and neatly shaped.

It was as if they’d been crafted by human hands.

Looking carefully at the ground, I noticed small pieces of metal scattered here and there.

They clearly weren’t naturally occurring minerals—they looked like fragments left behind from some kind of metalwork.

Could this be…? A faint hope stirred in my chest.

As that thought floated through my mind, I followed behind Ulrika.

Then, once again, we came across another wall of small rocks blocking the path.

Ulrika was now completely used to the pattern. She raised her staff without hesitation.

“Explosion!”

Once more, a thunderous blast shook the cave. And the rocks vanished without a trace.

As the lingering smoke gradually cleared—

What came into view was something that looked like part of a massive structure.

Like ruins… or a temple, perhaps. Drawn in by the sight, we stepped through the newly opened passage.

And there, an unbelievably vast space spread out before us.

Countless buildings lined the area.

They were clustered closely together. They formed what looked like a full town.

It was clear—this place once held, or maybe still held, a true civilization.

“W-What is this… ancient ruins?”

Even Ulrika couldn’t hide her astonishment and gulped as she stared at the scene.

Then, she suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.

Gone was her earlier bravado—it seemed she’d gotten a little spooked.

And then—

“Hey! Who are you people?!”

A sharp, yet deep and weighty voice rang out from somewhere.

Startled, I turned toward the source—and saw a short man standing there.

His age was hard to guess. But he had a magnificent braided beard streaked with brown and white. And on his back, he carried a pickaxe larger than his own body.

The moment I saw him, I just knew.

There was no doubt about it.

This was the dwarf we had been searching for.