Chapter 345 – Search in the Mine

We hastily prepared necessary items like rope, preserved food, lanterns, and set off.

“I’ll be flying at high speed, so please secure yourselves to your seats.”

“U-understood.”

Everyone hurriedly took their seats and fastened their belts. After checking the timing and confirming there were no issues, I lifted the Sirius into the air.

“Marquis Broderick, could you guide the way?”

“Understood. First—please fly toward that mine entrance visible from here. The problematic area is in an old mine. If you go beyond that mountain… you should see a settlement. It’s near there.”

“Understood.”

I hovered my hand over the crystal sphere and operated the magic tool. The Sirius gradually accelerated, taking in air and expelling it backward. When I ignited the fire magic—the acceleration instantly pressed our bodies against the seats. The scenery streamed backward at high speed.

“Wh-whoa…?”

Malcolm let out a confused voice, likely unaccustomed to sudden acceleration. The Party members familiar with aerial maneuvers remained relatively calm.

An investigation of an old mine, huh? Even though the marquisate is shifting toward agriculture… it must still be an important source of income. This is probably necessary both to compensate for reduced production and to support the marquisate’s transition to agriculture.

We cut straight across the shortest route, crossing one mountain before spotting a settlement in the valley and several mine entrances. One of those entrances had a crowd gathered around it.

“That’s it!”

Malcolm pointed at the crystal panel—the mine entrance where people were gathered. We passed it once, circled around, decelerated, positioned ourselves almost directly above, and descended vertically at a gentle speed, stopping at a moderate height.

“Grandfather. Sorry, but could you take care of the ship?”

“Hmm. I’ll guard our base.”

Old Sigmund nodded. Then let’s go.

“Co-Marquis!”

Leaving the ship with Old Sigmund, I descended with Malcolm using Levitation. The people gathered at the mine entrance were wide-eyed at our arrival in the Sirius, but when they recognized Malcolm, they gathered around.

“I received reports of an accident. What’s the current situation?”

When Malcolm asked, an elderly Dwarf man with impressive eyebrows and beard stepped forward from the crowd.

“The problematic area still has collapse risks. The investigation team should be further inside, past that area, so they likely weren’t caught in it… I believe. Collapses have a distinctive tremor, you see. When that reached the settlement, we checked and found the area had collapsed.”

I see. So that’s why they’re trapped. They must have sent a horse galloping to the marquisate as soon as the collapse was discovered.

If they weren’t directly caught, rescue chances are high. In that case, the sooner the rescue, the better—but removing debris takes time too.

“Is there anyone who can guide us through the mine tunnels to where the investigation team is? It would be preferable if they also knew details like the team’s numbers.”

When I asked, the elderly Dwarf who’d stepped forward nodded.

“I can do it… but Marquis, who is this gentleman?”

“This is Sir Theodore Gartner, the Otherworld Ambassador. He offered to assist with rescue upon hearing of the collapse. Yes… he was also involved in building that ship and is my benefactor.”

“Well now…”

The Dwarf raised an eyebrow, then bowed to me.

“Please lend us your strength, young Magician. If this old bones’ knowledge can be of use, I’ll guide you or do whatever else is needed.”

“Then I’ll be in your care. My name is Theodore.”

I bowed in response.

“I am called Edgar.”

The elderly Dwarf introduced himself, then shouldered a large pickaxe that had been stuck nearby—a Mithril Silver pickaxe. The way he handled it effortlessly despite his small stature confirmed he was indeed a Dwarf. He hung a lantern from his belt and held a birdcage containing a small bird in his other hand.

“Can Ignis come along?”

When I asked Edgar, he shook his head.

“With that physique, there are places it cannot enter.”

…Can’t be helped, then. I’ll have it guard everyone outside.

“Then… we’ll use the communication device to contact outside.”

I turned to Malcolm, Princess Stephania, and Princess Adriana. Those staying behind would be Malcolm and the others, Alfred, Valentina, Charlotte, Tephra, Floria, then the Demon-Slaying Knight Order members acting as guards, and non-combatants like Justia and Dominique.

“Both Adriana and I can use a bit of Healing Magic. If something happens…”

“Yes. We might also use Teleportation Magic to jump to the marquisate. If our hands alone aren’t enough, it would help if you considered returning to the marquisate via the Sirius.”

“Understood.”

“Then… let’s go.”

I released Grace’s Cursed Tool into its Released Form, then followed Edgar—who led the way with magical light—deeper into the mine. Passing through the entrance reinforced with arched wooden supports, the outside sunlight quickly faded, leaving us reliant solely on magical light. I then switched to Night Vision Magic and wrapped myself in a wind Barrier.

“Ooh… Night Vision Magic?”

“Yes. It will last for a while. I’ll recast it with time to spare before it wears off.”

“And this wind magic?”

Irmhild asked.

“Unlike labyrinths, mines have different problems. Some places lack air, or worse, are filled with poison. If you unknowingly enter such areas, you could lose consciousness and die. So we need to prevent that. The small bird in Edgar’s cage serves a similar purpose—it’s more sensitive to such changes than humans.”

“You’re quite knowledgeable. Creating a Barrier with wind is very reassuring.”

Edgar laughed admiringly. We then proceeded deeper together. The mine’s air was humid and chilly, with only our footsteps echoing.

Though there were many excavated side tunnels, Edgar’s steps showed no hesitation. He guided us as if walking through familiar territory.

“This mine was dug when our fathers were active, and we worked here too. We know which turns lead to our destination. Fortunately, there’s an old rest area we used to use. We’ve stored water, food, and tools there, so even if trapped, they should last several days.”

Hmm. That’s good information. That’s precisely why they needed manpower capable of removing debris while containing collapse risks.

“…I see. Survival prospects are indeed high. I heard it was an old mine.”

“Production was declining when a rich vein was found in the neighboring mountain. Mining shifted there, and this one was abandoned… but lately, yields have been dropping everywhere, so we proposed to the Marquis that this mine could still be usable if repurposed. That’s why we hired adventurers for the investigation.”

“Adventurers?”

“Old mines sometimes get inhabited by Monsters.”

“Monsters…? We should probably expect to fight.”

Grace said.

“Right. Whether it’s rescuers or Monsters, we need to identify them clearly before acting.”

“Understood.”

Ashley and Marlene nodded.

“We’ll also notify you immediately if we detect anything abnormal.”

Sheila and Irmhild added. It’s not certain Monsters will appear, but let’s proceed cautiously.

At every corner, Rosemary took flasks from her bag and dripped glowing paint on the path. With Night Vision Magic active, it looked quite bright.

“Is that… insurance in case we get separated?”

“That’s right. Just a precaution. We don’t use it much in labyrinths, though.”

“Quite handy.”

Even if separated from Edgar and Claudia, we could follow the paint marks back to the entrance. Since it glowed, we’d spot the markers even if Night Vision Magic wore off. Plus, with markers at every corner along the correct route, returning would be easy.

We each have communication devices, so we could contact each other immediately if separated… but having a means to return alone is significant.

“I’ll… keep Teleportation Magic ready at all times.”

“Yeah, please do. Set the destination to the marquisate.”

A double accident would be unacceptable. As long as Teleportation Magic is prepared, we can handle sudden collapses.

The mine tunnels were quite complex and winding, but side paths gradually decreased. It seemed we were heading downward.

Eventually… we reached the accident site. The ceiling appeared to have collapsed, with large rocks completely blocking the path. Cracks ran across the ceiling too—confirming the collapse risk.

“As expected… we can’t do anything about this ourselves.”

Edgar said.

“I’ll use magic—could you all step back a bit?”

“Understood.”

I had everyone keep some distance.

“Seraphina… since it’s not your home, you don’t know the structural strength?”

“Not my home, but I might know a little.”

“Brownies bring luck to household members and warn of misfortune.”

Claudia added. …Hmm. So because she senses danger to the household head, she can also identify structurally dangerous or weak points.

“I see. Then, could you point out particularly dangerous spots?”

“Mm-hmm. First… around there might be the scariest.”

Starting with the ceiling ahead, I deployed a Shield overhead to block falling rocks while using Levitation indiscriminately upward.

“Around here, I need pillars.”

“Roger.”

Using scattered rocks as materials, I assembled a Golem to support risky areas from below, then reinforced the structure with Earth Magic. After each step, I checked with Seraphina for safety confirmation.

I supported and reinforced dangerous spots in sequence. Transforming collapsed debris into Golems from above, I expanded the safe area further and further along the tunnel. I prayed the investigation team members wouldn’t emerge from under the debris…

Using collapsed debris as materials, I erected pillars and reinforced them, covering irregularities in the floor, walls, and ceiling. Supporting one spot sometimes transferred pressure elsewhere… so following Seraphina’s intuition, I steadily addressed those areas.

There were still rocks that seemed likely to fall, so in those cases, I used Levitation to lower them quietly to the floor, avoiding impact from collapse.

Gradually, the rugged rock surfaces were remade, scattered stones vanished, and the structure became smooth. A small tunnel opened through to the other side of the passage. I widened it to a size people could pass through, then further reinforced the ceiling.

Eventually… after removing the last debris and finishing reinforcement of the collapsed section, I let out a breath. No one had been buried alive. Seraphina still seemed to be cautiously observing the surroundings, but she eventually nodded quietly.

“Mm-hmm. It’s safe.”

“Good.”

“Theodore. Look.”

Just as I caught my breath, Sheila inspected the opened passage and spoke.

“These marks, like something large moved violently.”

Sheila analyzed the situation from the mine’s condition. This is…

“…Did something burst through from this side…?”

The impact direction was toward the wall. I understand the ceiling collapsing under unbearable weight. But why were there cracks on the wall as if something had collided? Looking closely at the apparent impact site, I found claw marks etched there.

“Edgar-san. Do you recognize these claw marks?”

“Be… Beryl Mall…”

Edgar’s eyes widened.

“What is that?”

Grace tilted her head.

“It’s a giant mole-like Monster that devours minerals. Highly territorial… a dangerous Monster with claws that can slice through rock. I never expected such a thing to appear.”

Beryl Mall… I haven’t encountered one in labyrinths, but…

“Human footprints discovered too. They scattered and fled deeper.”

“Toward the rest area, I’d say. It’s sturdily built, so they might be barricaded there.”

“And the mole?”

“It didn’t follow the footprints, but went into that hole over there.”

…I see. No traces of bleeding either, so likely the mole didn’t pursue once outsiders left its patrol route. The investigation team is probably safe, but what a troublesome creature. Judging from the situation, the collapse was likely its fault.

“…If the Beryl Mall returns, it’ll be troublesome. Let’s rescue the investigation team members before we encounter it. It seems to have considerable burst power, so fighting inside the mine would be dangerous.”

When I announced the plan, everyone nodded.