𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗𝟐
“I heard that there’s a sealed place somewhere in this area. We were wandering around trying to find it.”
“……A sealed place? Why are you guys looking for that?”
Huh? Was my answer wrong?
For some reason, Mows seemed to be looking at us with an even more suspicious expression.
“It’s because monsters that are difficult for the continent to handle have appeared one after another.”
This answer is probably correct.
After all, the main scenario appeared after three subjugation requests popped up.
And as if it were indeed the correct answer, Mows slowly nodded.
“I can’t believe the aftermath has affected the continent.”
“Do you believe us?”
“I’m not saying I believe you. It’s just that it’s possible.”
Having said that, Mows waved his hands dismissively, as if he didn’t want to deal with us.
“Anyway, there’s no such thing as a seal here, so go back.”
“Then this place is……”
“It’s the village where we live. I’ll tell you in advance, outsiders are not allowed.”
“Ah, yes.”
He was a difficult person to talk to in many ways.
‘Well, at least I know this is a village.’
It might be fortunate that we found the mole village in a place with nothing.
The problem is that it’s hard to proceed any further.
Since the other party is clearly showing signs that they don’t want to talk, I couldn’t think of what to do.
“Wait a minute. What was that aftermath you mentioned earlier?”
Just then, Sina, who had been listening quietly beside me, spoke.
In a way, this could be the most important question in this situation.
“……Will you go back if I answer?”
“Of course. You’re not going to help us anyway.”
“Fine. Look around this area.”
I don’t know why he told us to look around, but I followed his words and looked around.
As expected, it was a barren land with nothing.
“How is it?”
“How is it, you say…… It’s desolate.”
“It wasn’t like this originally. But there was a problem with the seal you mentioned. Some b*stards partially released Beluin’s seal.”
Beluin?
Of course, it’s not like I don’t know Beluin.
The name of the boss we fought to get here was ‘Beluin’s 26th Apostle’.
‘Then is the final boss of this main scenario Beluin?’
While I was thinking that way, Mows continued speaking.
“Thanks to that, Beluin’s consciousness, which was sealed, awakened, and Beluin, who had lost all his power at the time, absorbed all the vitality of this land to recover his power.”
“But isn’t that unrelated to what’s happening on the continent?”
“It’s not unrelated. Beluin’s awakening means that the subordinate gods who are subservient to him are also resurrected. He probably indirectly influenced the continent to expand his sphere of influence.”
If the indirect influence Mows mentioned is the subjugation request, I could understand it to some extent.
Was the appearance of the Bamut Cult and the demons also the work of Beluin’s subordinate gods?
‘No, then how strong is Beluin?’
At least, he must be stronger than the Bamut God.
Fortunately, he’s sealed, but since his consciousness has awakened and he’s recovering his power, it’s not something we can be relieved about.
“One way or another, it can be said that it’s because Beluin awakened. That’s the end of the story.”
“Wait a minute. Just tell us where that place is.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know either. Even if you go, his followers who are there won’t just stand by. It would be better to give up.”
With those words, Mows went back into the passage, and soon the entrance was filled with dirt again.
“Will it open again if I use the Exploration Skill again?”
“No, I don’t think so. The dirt has become the same.”
Yua answered as if she had heard me muttering to myself.
Since it was Yua who found this place in one go, I trusted her words, but if she was right, we might have to find the entrance somewhere else.
“I think we need to get into the village.”
Suddenly, Sina said with a pondering expression.
Since she was the type to go around doing quests whenever she had the chance, I could agree with her to some extent, but there was no way to actually enter the village.
“Wouldn’t it be difficult? No matter how I look at it, there’s no way to enter.”
“We definitely lack clues, but…… It’s okay. We’ll find something if we wander around.”
How long would it take if we just wandered around as Sina said?
Thinking that it would definitely take a considerable amount of time, I decided to contact Aizen instead.
Since we had been wandering around for two days, I thought he might have found something.
“I’ll contact Aizen for a moment.”
“Why?”
“I’m curious about the progress on the guild’s side.”
I answered that way and contacted Aizen.
Since I had contacted him to bring Yua and Sina from the village, I naturally thought he would be there, and as I expected, Aizen answered the call quickly.
━Yes, Rudin-nim. What’s the matter?
“I was wondering how much progress you’ve made.”
━I used the Exploration Skill and found a chest. Other than that, there’s no particular progress.
“A chest? What was inside?”
I was disappointed to hear that the result of two days of searching was just one chest, but I couldn’t say anything about it.
Instead, I asked him what was inside, and Aizen answered simply.
━A stone called the Sun Stone.
“Sun Stone?”
━Yes, haven’t you found anything, Rudin-nim?
“Ah, actually……”
I briefly told him about the mole I had just met.
I used the Exploration Skill and met a mole who said this land became like this because Beluin’s seal was partially released. He added that even the mole doesn’t know where the sealed area is. Something like that.
And after hearing everything I said, Aizen seemed to be interested.
━If it’s okay, can I go there?
“You want to meet the mole too? He didn’t seem very welcoming.”
━It doesn’t matter. I was getting tired of the lack of progress.
There are times when even he sounds weak.
Anyway, I told Aizen to wait a moment and asked for Yua and Sina’s opinions.
If they said no, I was going to just tell him the location and look for another place, but they nodded as if they didn’t mind.
“Okay, then come this way. The location is……”
As I told him the location, Aizen replied that he understood and ended the conversation.
And while we were waiting and looking for another entrance, I saw Aizen approaching, but what was a little surprising was that there weren’t many people with him.
Where did everyone else go, and why are there only this many left?
Besides, except for Aizen, I didn’t recognize any of the faces, so I wondered if they were ordinary guild members.
Anyway, I looked at the guild members, only four of them including Aizen, and asked.
“Where did everyone go, and why are you here like this?”
“We’re scattered, looking for anything. It seems faster that way.”
Indeed, it’s much more efficient than moving around together.
“More importantly, where is the mole?”
Perhaps because I said mole, Aizen seemed to think it was a mole too.
“We have to find it. It closed earlier. I think the entrance appears randomly.”
“Ah, I found it!”
Suddenly, Yua’s shout was heard.
At her shout, everyone headed towards where Yua was, and she pointed to a spot on the ground and said.
“It’s here. Try using Exploration here.”
Then, one of the guild members, not me, approached and used the Exploration Skill.
Wouldn’t there be at least one person among the scattered guild members who could use the Exploration Skill?
Anyway, as that guild member used the Exploration Skill, a passage leading underground appeared with light, just like before.
“It’s real.”
What? Was Aizen doubting me?
━Who opened the entrance?!
Meanwhile, the same shout as before was heard, and someone was seen coming up.
There was no need to check who it was.
It was Mows, whom we had just talked to.
“Huh? You guys…… Didn’t you say you would go back if I answered you?”
“It’s not us who found it.”
It was an Emperor Guild member who found it.
I said that and looked at the guild member who used the Exploration Skill, and Mows also followed my gaze and looked at that guild member.
At the same time, before Mows could say anything, Aizen stepped forward.
“Greetings. I am Aizen, here to investigate this place under the order of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“……I am Mows of the Molmol Tribe. I’ve told that human everything, so wouldn’t it be better to just go back?”
“That’s not possible. I’ve already heard most of the story. If it’s okay, I’d like to enter Mows-nim’s village.”
“Outsiders are not allowed in our village.”
“Instead, how about I give you this as compensation?”
Aizen took out a brilliantly shining stone from his item window.
To put it bluntly, it was a stone that emitted enough light to make skills unnecessary in a dark cave, but strangely, it wasn’t blinding.
‘Is that the Sun Stone?’
I didn’t know why he took out the Sun Stone, but seeing it, Mows widened his eyes and showed a surprised expression.
“Su, Sun Stone?!”
“You recognize it. If you let us into the village, I’ll give you this.”
“W, wait a moment!”
Whether the Sun Stone Aizen took out was actually the answer, Mows hurriedly entered the passage.
Seeing that, I approached Aizen and said.
“How did you know they needed the Sun Stone?”
“I didn’t know. I just took it out.”
“Huh?”
“It’s an item found in the main scenario area, and it doesn’t hurt me to show it, right? If the Sun Stone wasn’t of any value to the Molmol Tribe, they wouldn’t have even glanced at it.”
So, Aizen just took it out without any specific plan.
As Aizen said, if the Sun Stone had no value, Mows wouldn’t have reacted.
Then we could just adjust and bring up another topic.
‘So it can be used like this.’
I couldn’t help but admire him at this moment.
“Fortunately, the Sun Stone seems to be working.”
“By the way, I wonder why he reacted like that to the Sun Stone.”
“Maybe it’s because they live underground.”
I was about to ask what he meant, but I closed my mouth when I saw Mows coming back out.
Perhaps this could be our chance to enter the village, just as Sina said.
“Fortunately, the chieftain has given permission. Come in.”
“Thank you.”
‘Why is it so simple?’
I know it’s not actually simple.
We still need to find the passage where the Molmol Tribe lives after finding the Sun Stone.
Right now, if it weren’t for Aizen, who had been struggling for two days, and Yua, who found the passage, we wouldn’t have made any progress at all, so it was definitely a high-difficulty scenario.
“By the way, can I bring these people too?”
Aizen was referring to me, Yua, and Sina.
Mows looked at us and then nodded, indicating his permission.
“It shouldn’t be a problem if a few more humans come in. But are they your companions?”
“Yes.”
“You tricked me.”
Mows clicked his tongue, but he didn’t make an issue out of it.
Anyway, Mows entered the passage, and we all followed him, bending our waists as much as possible, but the passage was longer than I thought.
At the same time, I heard Sina’s voice behind me.
“I didn’t expect things to go so smoothly.”
“It’s just a coincidence.”
“But I think this is just the beginning.”
At her words, I thought that she might be right.
I thought that the main scenario, being what it is, wouldn’t end with just finding the sealed place and wiping it out.
‘And if this is the beginning, wasn’t the Sun Stone a premature decision?’
If it has other uses, we’ve just wasted a precious Sun Stone.
Of course, since the only things we found so far were the mole village and the Sun Stone, we had no choice but to use it.
Anyway, putting those thoughts aside, we walked for a long time until finally, a space large enough to straighten our backs appeared.
We had arrived at the village where the Molmol Tribe lived.
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