“Ruins?”

It was my first time seeing ruins.

It seemed to be a building constructed long ago.

But that was all there was to it.

I couldn’t understand why Amelin was so happy about finding such a place.

Amelin seemed eager to enter the ruins.

No, she openly showed that desire.

She said there might even be treasure inside.

I was slightly swayed by those words.

No matter how much money I had, it was never enough.

Furthermore, the thought that there might be magic tools that couldn’t be obtained with money made my heart tingle.

He looked at the entrance to the Ruins.

His gaze was different from before.

It was just an old Building. But now it looked like a secret box that might contain some unknown Treasure.

“Have you been inside?”

“Not yet. I was planning to check it out once you returned.”

Amelin egged him on from the side.

He said that if there was a proper Treasure, there would be enough money to last a lifetime, even for a Gnoll.

His mind was slowly being swayed.

But he also had to hear the Mercenaries’ opinions.

“Let’s just take a quick look.”

“Really?”

“We don’t have anything else to do right now, anyway.”

There might be Orcs outside the Cave. He had to stay in the Cave for a day or two and see how things unfolded.

“What if a Monster comes out? Are we going to fight?”

“No.”

He shook his head.

He didn’t intend to fight unnecessarily.

The party cautiously entered the Ruins, looking around.

The conversation continued.

It was about whether or not to go deeper into the Ruins.

It would be different if he were alone, but now there were several people in his party.

Even if they entered a Dungeon, their thoughts had to be aligned.

Amelin’s opinion, of course, was to go in.

He also told the Mercenaries about the things they could obtain if they entered the Dungeon.

He looked more lively than ever.

His appearance was comparable to a Merchant shouting on Market Street.

But the mercenaries frowned.

They looked like they didn’t want to go.

“Isn’t this place dangerous? I don’t see any reason to fight for nothing.”

A mercenary said.

It was a different mercenary, not the sneaky one.

He was large, with a somewhat bear-like impression.

He was characterized by carrying a shield.

The bear-like mercenary seemed to be against it.

It was natural.

If treasure was dormant in the ruins, there would also be something guarding it.

No matter how appealing the treasure, a battle risking one’s life was naturally something to be avoided.

“We have to stay in the cave for a few days anyway. During that time, we can explore the ruins. Maybe there’s another way out to the outside.”

“Another way?”

“There will be orcs on the surface, so it’s better to escape through the underground. If we can find treasure in the process, it’s a bonus.”

Amelin knew a lot.

It was as if she knew the ruins inside and out.

What she said sounded quite plausible.

They had to fight anyway.

There was a chance of encountering orcs even if they moved above ground.

In that case, moving underground might be safer.

Even if they fought the same, the gains were significant.

Perhaps they might find immense treasure.

The sneaky mercenary spoke.

“Are you sure there’s another way?”

“Look here.”

Amelin pointed to the floor.

In the stone-built Passage, there was also a Tunnel made by digging through the earth.

“A Tunnel?”

“Monsters also make their lairs in old Ruins like these. It’s highly probable that ants dug this Tunnel.”

“Ants?”

A Mercenary who looked like a Bear expressed his doubt.

It was a hole large enough for a person to enter with room to spare.

That mere ants dug such a place.

It meant the ants were at least the size of a human.

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

“There will be many paths like this dug by ants. There must be dozens of ways to get outside.”

The cunning Mercenary asked.

“You know a lot. Were you an Adventurer?”

“Oh, no. I saw it in books. There are many stories about old Ruins like these.”

Amelin answered.

He saw her hesitate before speaking.

If the mana flowing from her hadn’t wavered, he wouldn’t have noticed.

It felt like a lie.

She seemed to have explored Ruins before.

He didn’t know why she was lying.

He thought women had many secrets.

“What will we do if we find Treasure, Beggar?”

Everyone was silent.

Amelin was also flustered.

She hadn’t seemed to consider splitting the Treasure. It was a very sensitive issue.

When there was a lot of immediate profit, people would first think of betraying others.

Before money, there were no families.

Even the Mercenaries under Bruno harbored Rebellious Intent in the end, wanting to get more for themselves.

Amelin suggested an equal split.

It was a reasonable proposal.

It was important for the mercenary to hold the front line.

Their presence was crucial for the battle to proceed smoothly. After all, being at the front was the most dangerous. There was no other choice.

Just then, a sly mercenary stepped forward.

“Wait a minute.”

“What is it? Surely, you’re not implying your share isn’t enough?”

Amelin’s voice was sharp, like a cat raising its fur.

“No, not that. I want to be paid a fee.”

“A fee?”

“I mean, let’s consider this a commission.”

Amelin didn’t understand what he meant.

Rael was the first to realize.

“You don’t think there’s any treasure, do you?”

The sly mercenary nodded.

“Of course not.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve done this kind of thing a few times. But every single time, it was a wild goose chase. Do you really think treasure can be found that easily? There’ll probably be nothing. I don’t want to waste my effort.”

If there was no treasure, there was no reward.

It meant putting in effort for nothing. Rather than that, he wanted a guaranteed payment.

It would be a loss if treasure was found, but a gain if it wasn’t.

Amelin, on the other hand, brightened at the suggestion.

She was betting on there being treasure.

She was almost certain.

“What’s the fee?”

“Five silver coins.”

It was a bit expensive.

The reward for a guard request that took a considerable amount of time was 5 silver coins.

Even a mercenary like Bear hesitated before asking for the same amount.

Hiring two mercenaries cost 10 silver.

Their gaze shifted this way.

There was a capital city where they could take requests like mercenaries. However, Rael also had high hopes for the treasure.

If treasure was found, they agreed to split it half and half with Amelin. After pretending to think for a moment, it changed to seven to three, with the protagonist getting seven.

He nodded.

Although the protagonist received twice as much as the other person, this was natural.

Amelin knew about the ruins, but she wasn’t much help in combat.

If they gave him too little and the protagonist tried to harm them, there would be no way to handle it.

That’s probably why they offered more.

The cost of hiring the mercenaries was split evenly.

Rael also put in 5 silver coins.

He thought it was cheap to pay 5 silver coins in exchange for getting seventy percent of the treasure.

Amelin also didn’t seem to regret it much.

They might earn enough money to live off for the rest of their lives.

Compared to that, 5 silver coins were nothing.

The four companions walked through the passage.

A cunning mercenary carefully examined the wall stones.

He seemed to be looking for traps.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the kind of ruins with such things.

Perhaps ants had already walked all over it.

It was comforting to have the mercenary leading the way.

If danger struck, they would have to face it first.

That gave them a sense of security. The 5 silver coins were not wasted at all.

Seeing that made me want to create a Golem quickly.

It seemed convenient if I could make a Golem even if it wasn’t made of ice.

There was a Capital City where I could send them ahead or for reconnaissance.

Most importantly, I wouldn’t have to pay a hiring fee for a Golem.

“Wait a moment.”

The cunning Mercenary raised his arm.

The party stopped walking.

“What is it?”

“There’s a Stone Chamber to the left.”

It was a fork in the path.

I peeked my head out slightly to observe.

There was something inside.

There were several Human Stone Statues.

What was strange was that mana was flowing out. It felt like they would move if I got closer.

Amelin said,

“They’re Golems.”

“Golems?”

“They’ll move if you get closer.”

My prediction was correct.

I pondered.

It seemed like I would have to fight the Golems to go that way.

But I had no idea how strong they were.

Since Amelin recognized the Golems, she would probably know.

She murmured as she looked at the Golems,

“How strange. Those were said to only exist in ancient times.”

“Ancient times?”

“Records say Mages researched things like that. Seeing it come from these Ruins, this might be a Mage’s lair.”

“A lair?”

It meant a nest.

It sounded like a place where Mages conducted research.

The more he listened to her, the more he smelled treasure.

Perhaps that’s why his heart was pounding.

He wondered if this was what adventure felt like.

“Can we handle them?”

He asked about the Golems.

Amelin nodded.

“They’re nothing. Though they’re ancient Golems, those sizes are weak. They’re just made of earth and stone, so they’ll shatter if you strike them with a sword.”

Fortunately, she knew a great deal.

It was as if she had faced them before.

The mercenaries’ expressions improved.

They had already received their pay. If it meant fighting comfortably, that was good.

Rael first examined the Stone Chamber.

There were six Stone Statues inside the Stone Chamber.

Each held a Weapon.

Two Stone Statues held spears, and four Stone Statues held swords and Shields.

He decided he should deal with the ones holding Shields first.

It would be troublesome if they didn’t die in one hit. He would have to cast more Magic, and that would prolong the battle.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more dangerous it became.

“I’ll cast the spell first.”

The cunning Mercenary asked.

“What about us?”

“Just block the enemies when they approach.”

The mercenaries nodded.

Amelin decided to stay behind. Her fire was weak. Besides, the Upper Castle wasn’t good.

He appeared in the passage.

The stone statue did not move.

It seemed to move only when approached.

Good.

He could use magic once before starting the battle.

At least one was dealt with before starting.

“Water Ball!”

Two water masses were shot.

With a sound of something breaking, the stone statue shattered into pieces.

He thought one shot was enough.

What Amelin said was right.

She said it could be broken with a sword, so its durability was weak.

As one stone statue broke, the other stone statues moved. They were truly golems.

But the stone statues were slow. They walked clunkily.

He cast a spell again.

This time, he shot water masses at different stone statues.

The stone statue raised its shield.

The water mass pierced through the shield and even brought down the stone statue.

He wondered if the one with the shield would hold up, but it was an unnecessary worry.

Only then did the distance between the two sides narrow.

There were three stone statues left.

Two of them were carrying spears.

The mercenaries’ weapons were swords.

Their attack range was more than twice as long.

Perhaps that’s why they were struggling.

They had to take risks to close the distance.

The Mercenaries decided to hold their ground.

Behind them was a Mage.

They immediately cast a spell and defeated the Stone Statue.

Their numbers dwindled further, leaving only one Stone Statue.

It was a Stone Statue holding a sword and a shield.

The Mercenaries dealt with that Stone Statue.

When the two of them pushed it, it was easily handled.

They took a breath.

It seemed like they had easily defeated it, but they thought it would have been difficult without the Protagonist.

If four Stone Statues with shields had held the front line and two Stone Statues with spears had stabbed from behind, the two Mercenaries would not have been able to hold the Capital City.

Arrows couldn’t penetrate shields, and it was hard to break Stone Statues, so it made sense.

With Magic, they were able to reduce their numbers before engaging in close combat.

It was fortunate.

After the battle, they examined the inside of the Stone Chamber.

It wasn’t a simple Stone Chamber.

It looked like a space where people lived.

There was a table, and shelves on the wall.

Pottery and such were displayed. Every single one showed clear signs of age. They didn’t look valuable.

It was then.

“Mr. Rael!”

Amelin, who was looking at the table, shouted, holding something up.

“Look at this! It’s Treasure!”

It was a small Coin.

It was so dusty it looked like trash.

But the woman was happy.

“That’s a treasure?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t think so…”

“Wait a minute. I’ll show you.”

The woman took out her waterskin and poured water on it.

She wiped the wet coin with a cloth. Then the coin’s color changed.

Rael’s eyes widened.

“Crazy.”

It was a gold coin.

At that commotion, the mercenaries rushed over.

They saw what Amelin was holding in her hand and were speechless.

“A gold coin?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Treasure would come out.”

The woman smiled.

The sly mercenary’s face crumpled.

Perhaps it was something that belonged to the Capital City, to be shared. He had kicked it away with his own feet.

It was enough to make his stomach ache.

Even the bear-like mercenary had a similar expression.

But Rael couldn’t smile.

The mercenaries’ gazes were strange.

What was in their eyes was greed.

He saw them gulp.

With a gold coin, murder wouldn’t be unusual.

Treasure brought trouble.

Rael felt that the appearance of the Treasure was not entirely a good thing.

Ever since the Treasure appeared, he had to pay attention to the Mercenaries.

It was possible that they might draw their swords in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep.

His head ached.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep well tonight.