After finishing the meal, they began the search centered around their base. It may look like they’re having fun, but Lord Craft’s true feelings were quite serious.
They carefully inspected the walls and jumped up to examine the ceiling, which had collapsed over time.
The map was quickly drafted. Areas were being investigated one by one as the parchment was filled in.
“Whoa! This sentence!”
Pastel gasped as she read a new sacred phrase.
“What does it say?”
“It says there’s an upper floor staircase ahead!”
An amazing discovery!
Elshire tilted her head and pointed straight ahead. There was indeed a staircase visible.
“The staircase is just right here.”
“Wow, that’s true!”
A double surprise!
“The notes here are really helpful.”
“Not that this helps.”
“Good intentions are important, Bellamont.”
It seemed that the ruins, likely made by the gods, were quite kind, as long as one could read the sacred script, according to Melissa.
Pastel read another sacred phrase written on a different wall.
“Whoa! This sentence!”
She exclaimed in shock.
“It says there’s a Golem ahead!”
When she hurriedly looked, unlike with the staircase, the golem was nowhere to be seen. Just an empty straight corridor. Is it hiding?
“A golem?”
Melissa looked perplexed.
“I don’t know how effective it is, but fighting in such a tight space could be tricky.”
“Isn’t it difficult for a wizard to deal with a Golem Friend?”
It gave the impression that it could inflict fatal injuries. It’s easy to kill a person with an assault rifle, but smashing rocks would be difficult.
“Unless there’s enough distance or time, it’s a problem in a place like this.”
Heh.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Elshire stepped forward.
“Golems are really easy to deal with.”
The stone she held lightly crumbled in her silver-haired hand. It was a display of semi-knight-level prowess that would have a significant impact on natural materials.
“I suppose if you’re semi-knight level, smashing a golem would be easy. I thought there wouldn’t be anything to envy about you, Bellamont, but this one thing is enviable.”
While the two were talking, Pastel was bravely moving forward. Thanks to having caught a terrorist, she was brimming with confidence.
“Golem Friend! I, Pastel, the great power of the academy, will take you on!”
“I’ll catch it-”
Suddenly, an artificial crack appeared on the wall right in front of them. Lines were drawn, dividing it into countless square fragments of stone.
The stone fragments stirred, floating around a black core. The golem’s form was beginning to take shape.
“Whoa!”
Pastel’s mouth dropped open. The golem’s pupils glowed red. Elshire rushed over.
“Craft! Back-!”
“Waaaaah!”
Pastel, in panic, spun around. The white hem of her clothes fluttered as she kicked the golem’s hand, which was hiding the black core. A shockwave erupted.
The stone hand shattered like an explosion. The black core was swept away in the debris. The red pupils lost their glow. Piles of stone fell to the ground.
“Uh…”
Elshire halted mid-run, stopping in her tracks. She stared, frozen.
“Waaah.”
Pastel took a few steps back, trembling.
“I-I didn’t expect an ambush!”
Hiding behind the wall is just too much!
She let out a breath, calming her startled heart.
“Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.”
Phew.
She felt her nervousness ease.
『What happens if you speak while inhaling? If you talk, it becomes exhalation, not inhalation.』
Oh, that’s true.
Could the Demon Lord be a genius?
Pastel did it over again, following the Demon Lord’s teachings.
“Exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale.”
Fixing the error, she felt even calmer.
『…Hmm.』
Elshire approached. She stared blankly at the golem’s remains, kicked aside a stone, and then looked at Pastel’s unharmed foot.
“How did you break it?”
There was confusion over how an ordinary person, not reaching semi-knight level, could do that.
Ooh.
What if she said her body became strong after consuming gem? That would definitely lead to trouble with the Demon King.
Instead, Pastel gave a thumbs up.
“Craft Family’s vision!”
Vision means a secret.
Elshire nodded in understanding.
“Well, keeping your level hidden is part of Craft Family’s vision.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Melissa also came to understand.
“It was hard to comprehend how steep your skill growth was compared to when we first met. If you’re hiding your skills until securing stable power, then I can understand.”
“Before that, you must have had to consider the imperial court’s scrutiny.”
“That’s right.”
The two warlords exchanged glances and came to a conclusion.
Silly Pastel was left dumbfounded.
Why is everyone talking without including me?
They passed the golem and moved on. The map continued to be filled in on the parchment. But there was no sight of either a cult or a knight order.
“If it’s this big, the knight order must have set up a base just like us to organize the ruins. With the staircase to the second floor, they must have already gone up, right?”
“Really? Since I feel like we have a grasp of the atmosphere of the ruins, should we speed up and go to the second floor?”
“If there’s no rush, let’s rest securely at the base and move tomorrow.”
“Okay! Let’s do that!”
They returned to the secret space with a natural spring.
Pastel looked curiously at the jerky soup she was served again.
It tastes good, but…
『If you really have complaints, you can make it yourself.』
Ew.
It’s not that big of a complaint.
Just, a tiny hope that someone would serve a splendid feast that fills the belly and delights the tongue~ (Okay!)
『Your expressions reveal everything you’re thinking. I have no idea how you became such a greedy child. Hm. Am I to blame?』
Oh.
When the caretaker suddenly speaks in a self-reflective tone, it gets a bit scary.
You’re not contemplating changing your education method or anything unnecessary, right?
Absolutely not!
Completely opposed!
Vehemently against!
Melissa approached.
“Would you like to eat more?”
“Ah. Sure!”
Pastel downed two cups of jerky soup. A feeling of fullness filled her. A warm heat enveloped her.
Drinking warm soup on a chilly autumn day.
“Hoo hoo.”
“It would be even better if it were winter.”
“It did slow us down with having to deal with the vampire bats along the way. If it were winter, the bats would likely be hibernating.”
That wasn’t the intention behind her comment.
She blankly enjoyed the feeling of fullness.
“Hey, Pastel.”
“Yeah?”
Melissa seemed to hesitate for some reason.
Please tell me you’re not thinking the jerky soup wasn’t that great.
That wasn’t it; it had another reason.
“You have a lot of friends, right?”
“Huh?”
Pastel was taken aback.
“Do I seem like I lack popularity to be asked such a question?”
She felt like she lived her life wrong.
Should she start a project to make 100 friends?
“There’s no way a beautiful and cute person like you would.”
Melissa hurriedly waved her hands.
“That’s not it.”
Her fingers twirled a strand of golden hair.
“I was just curious about your secret to making friends.”
Hmm.
The friend radar went off.
This is someone who wants to befriend you but hesitates to approach alone, seeking help from a popular person.
Oh, this is going to be fun!
Pastel watched Melissa with keen eyes. Somehow, Melissa was sneaking glances at someone— the silver-haired girl who had already crawled into her sleeping bag.
It was a different hesitation from what she showed toward a rival warlord.
This is this is!
A relationship born from fighting!
“Just trust me!”
Pastel linked arms with Melissa and jumped up. Melissa was caught off guard and also stood up.
“What? What are we doing?”
“Friend friend!”
They walked over together.
As they arrived beside the sleeping bag, Elshire, whose head peeked out, looked up blankly. Her silver eyes were heavy with sleep.
It was surprising that Elshire suggested they do it tomorrow when she hadn’t been very motivated— it turns out she was just sleepy.
“Elshire! Elshire! Are you asleep already?”
Is that the case?
Elshire murmured.
“Yeah…”
“So you aren’t sleeping!”
Good!
Pastel grinned brightly and pulled on her arm. Melissa, embarrassed and trying to hide behind her, couldn’t stand the pressure and came out.
“Hey, hey! Melissa wants to be friends with you!”
Pastel cupped her cheeks.
“She’s the shy Melissa who couldn’t say it before!”
Melissa looked on in horror. Her lips trembled.
“Y-you…”
I completely understand your feelings!
With a friend from a similar warlord family, there’s no way you wouldn’t want to be friends!
But having only faced enmity due to family customs, she decided to be honest, inspired by the popularity of Pastel!
Melissa’s body squirmed instead.
“So shy!”
Melissa’s face turned bright red at once. Her blue eyes trembled, and tears glimmered in her eyes.
Melissa hurriedly looked down at Elshire.
“W-wait, there’s some misunderstanding here. Just ignore what I said earlier. The grievances tied to our families are not light enough for us to become friends.”
She pointed her finger at Elshire.
“I haven’t forgotten how 70 years ago, you guys were swayed by Craft’s scheming and betrayed us. If you hadn’t betrayed us back then, the empire’s situation would have been drastically different by now. In a situation like this, there’s no way we could be friends.”
Oh dear.
Such deep enmity.
But Craft, who caused the estrangement, is the real villain…
As Pastel pondered, her eyes rolled.
Melissa just told her to ignore it, so she decided to.
Ew.
Instead, she looked down at Elshire.
The expression of shock on Elshire, tucked in her sleeping bag, was notable. Her silver eyes were quivering.
“Aren’t we already friends…?”
Having lived without a proper friend while trapped in the northern mountains, realizing that she had thought she was close to Melissa, who was actually her only friend, she wore an expression of sudden realization.
“Really?”
Melissa was flabbergasted.
“How can that be considered friendship?”
Oh dear.
A declaration of zero friends.
“I see…”
Elshire looked blankly at the ceiling.
Her face displayed regret at living in a life where her family faced assassination threats and had no friends, and then she suddenly fainted.
Thud.
“Elshire…!”
A scream echoed.
Elshire has socially died!
Aaaah!
Bad Melissa!
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