Local Arrival
A square of vertical holes so high you can't see the ceiling.
Tien and the other three were speechless when they reached District 4 of the mine.
"...I didn't expect it to go this far."
Astrid muttered.
A large tunnel entrance with the sign "District 4" on top is illuminated by a magic lamp.
The path, which was gently descending, was blocked by a collapse - and not only that, it was knee-deep in water.
It's all downhill ahead--the water must be even deeper in the back.
I can't imagine what the foreman is going through.
"It's been raining all the time deep in the mountains...Chi knew it, and yesterday, there was a smell of water I'd never smelled before."
"Never smelled anything like it, have you?"
"...If you had thought about it calmly, you would have realized that it was a harbinger of a water accident."
Tien's shoulders slump.
(So that's what it is.)
Astrid will see to that.
Tien said he wanted to help the foreman.
This is, of course, partly because she is a decent person.
But at the same time, Tien felt responsible - he could have foreseen the accident.
There was no denying that this thought had made her impatient and led her to this place.
So Astrid said.
"And we're here to get over the accident. Before it's too late."
"Oh..."
"No?"
"...Hmm. It's not different."
"Okay. Then we'll do what we can-- Emily, what do you say?"
I called out to Emily, who was near the collapse site,
"It looks like it's buried at least 10 meters over there. It shouldn't be too hard to get the debris out, but I think the problem is the water."
"Drainage. .... Is it possible to magically move water?"
"It's not impossible, but it's a lot to ask. We have less than half of our magic left."
"How much magic do you have left?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
Astrid folds her arms and thinks.
"Debris removal is possible. In fact, you didn't need a drill. The magic lamp is the type that breaks when submerged, so there's a good chance it's dark inside. After clearing the debris, we can do the rescue work with the minimum amount of water, or..."
"As long as you clear the debris, Chi will go and take a look."
"...Mr. Tien. It's dark inside, we have to swim. We don't even know what's underneath."
"I know, sir. But I have a map of District 4 in my head, and Chi can get us out of the way if there's a little debris left. Also, if we can get out where there's air, even in the dark, Chi has this nose."
"Mm."
Astrid snarls.
What Tien said is correct.
In fact, Astrid thought that there was no other way - Tien would go looking for him alone.
However, the level of danger is much higher than in the past, as you have to swim in the dark.
Zuzu...rattle rattle ....
"!"
I heard a crash somewhere.
Emily looks up at the dark ceiling with a stern face.
"...I don't think we have time to get lost, Astrid. This isn't exactly a safe place."
"Chi is going. Please use magic to remove the debris."
Bowing, Tien bowed to Emily.
(Why so much... for someone who seemed to be bullying me...)
Astrid looked at Tien with a rather painful feeling.
"She knows that if she doesn't take the first step now, she'll regret it for a long time."
Emily gave Astrid a wry smile.
"We know how you feel, don't we?"
"!"
Emily had a talent for using 5th level magic, but she was unable to use it due to her special constitution.
I knew I wouldn't be able to use the magic of the fifth level.
Astrid had been researching the application of spirit magic to sorcery. The path was clear, but she could not succeed.
I knew I couldn't die until I succeeded.
(Tien-kun is really a straightforward boy, isn't he?)
I know if I don't do it now, I'll regret it.
I guess Emily was right.
(I feel a strong... will.)
Astrid doesn't know what kind of emotions it is backed up by.
So, even though I knew that stopping her here was the best way to avoid danger, I was beginning to feel the urge to push her back - my companion Emily was already preparing to use her magic.
"...all right. I've lost, Mr. Tien. I don't think the words "be careful" mean anything, but still, be very careful and go."
"Yes!"
"Then let's use magic!"
Emily is casting a spell at the entrance to District 4. She pulls the rubble toward her and reinforces the tunnel, which is actually an extremely difficult task that involves two spells in parallel, and she does it with an unconcerned face.
In the meantime, Astrid asks Tien.
"How big is District 4?"
"It's roughly a 600 meter walk to the end."
"That's quite a long time..."
"But if there's a pool of water, I think we're somewhere with air. About fifty meters from here, there is a square where the tunnel branches off, and the ceiling there is high."
If he's here, he's there.
Tien nodded.
On the contrary, if you are not there, you are doomed to be a foreman.
"Fifty meters... or maybe thirty, with the way it's submerged. Can you do that without breathing?"
"It's okay."
"It's dark, and the water is muddy, so you can't see what's ahead."
"It's a road I've walked many times."
"All right. All right, I'll tie the rope off."
"Rope?"
There's something I found on the drill machine. -We'll hook it up to kun's body. It might get in the way of the swim, but it's good to have for the ride home."
"Oh..."
Even if Tien can dive 30 meters, it doesn't mean that the foreman can do the same without losing his breath.
No, it's better to assume that you can't.
"I'll pull the rope on the way back. That'll speed things up a lot."
"All right. Please."
"Cue twice, yank, yank, yank."
And then Emily came,
"I got the debris!"
It's called.
Unlike before, the rubble had been cleared from the side of the entrance, and a tunnel was now open.
Zuzu....
The ground's shaking again.
"We have to hurry."
Tien took off his helmet, jacket, pants, and boots with one swift motion.
Her appearance, with a running shirt and pumpkin pants, was poor and not girlish at all.
Really, Astrid wonders, where does such strength come from in this thin body?
Astrid wraps the rope around Tien. She had a thin body.
The length of the rope was not likely to be 50 meters, but it seemed manageable for a distance of 30 meters.
"There we go."
"You have to go."
Tien turned himself around and entered the tunnel without hesitation, wading through the water as he went.
When his head hit the ceiling, he took a deep breath and dove into the water.
"It's amazing how bold she is..."
"Oh, really, Emily?"
Astrid rushes over to Emily, who is sitting on the floor.
"-kun...I knew it...you have very little magic left..."
"Well...I wanted Tien to think about the rescue, not about us."
"That's pretty stubborn."
"You know what I mean."
Emily said, and Astrid smiled.
"Let's hope the other stubborn one comes out of this in one piece."
"...Right."
The rope is being pulled smoothly to the back--.
A square of vertical holes so high you can't see the ceiling.
Tien and the other three were speechless when they reached District 4 of the mine.
"...I didn't expect it to go this far."
Astrid muttered.
A large tunnel entrance with the sign "District 4" on top is illuminated by a magic lamp.
The path, which was gently descending, was blocked by a collapse - and not only that, it was knee-deep in water.
It's all downhill ahead--the water must be even deeper in the back.
I can't imagine what the foreman is going through.
"It's been raining all the time deep in the mountains...Chi knew it, and yesterday, there was a smell of water I'd never smelled before."
"Never smelled anything like it, have you?"
"...If you had thought about it calmly, you would have realized that it was a harbinger of a water accident."
Tien's shoulders slump.
(So that's what it is.)
Astrid will see to that.
Tien said he wanted to help the foreman.
This is, of course, partly because she is a decent person.
But at the same time, Tien felt responsible - he could have foreseen the accident.
There was no denying that this thought had made her impatient and led her to this place.
So Astrid said.
"And we're here to get over the accident. Before it's too late."
"Oh..."
"No?"
"...Hmm. It's not different."
"Okay. Then we'll do what we can-- Emily, what do you say?"
I called out to Emily, who was near the collapse site,
"It looks like it's buried at least 10 meters over there. It shouldn't be too hard to get the debris out, but I think the problem is the water."
"Drainage. .... Is it possible to magically move water?"
"It's not impossible, but it's a lot to ask. We have less than half of our magic left."
"How much magic do you have left?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
Astrid folds her arms and thinks.
"Debris removal is possible. In fact, you didn't need a drill. The magic lamp is the type that breaks when submerged, so there's a good chance it's dark inside. After clearing the debris, we can do the rescue work with the minimum amount of water, or..."
"As long as you clear the debris, Chi will go and take a look."
"...Mr. Tien. It's dark inside, we have to swim. We don't even know what's underneath."
"I know, sir. But I have a map of District 4 in my head, and Chi can get us out of the way if there's a little debris left. Also, if we can get out where there's air, even in the dark, Chi has this nose."
"Mm."
Astrid snarls.
What Tien said is correct.
In fact, Astrid thought that there was no other way - Tien would go looking for him alone.
However, the level of danger is much higher than in the past, as you have to swim in the dark.
Zuzu...rattle rattle ....
"!"
I heard a crash somewhere.
Emily looks up at the dark ceiling with a stern face.
"...I don't think we have time to get lost, Astrid. This isn't exactly a safe place."
"Chi is going. Please use magic to remove the debris."
Bowing, Tien bowed to Emily.
(Why so much... for someone who seemed to be bullying me...)
Astrid looked at Tien with a rather painful feeling.
"She knows that if she doesn't take the first step now, she'll regret it for a long time."
Emily gave Astrid a wry smile.
"We know how you feel, don't we?"
"!"
Emily had a talent for using 5th level magic, but she was unable to use it due to her special constitution.
I knew I wouldn't be able to use the magic of the fifth level.
Astrid had been researching the application of spirit magic to sorcery. The path was clear, but she could not succeed.
I knew I couldn't die until I succeeded.
(Tien-kun is really a straightforward boy, isn't he?)
I know if I don't do it now, I'll regret it.
I guess Emily was right.
(I feel a strong... will.)
Astrid doesn't know what kind of emotions it is backed up by.
So, even though I knew that stopping her here was the best way to avoid danger, I was beginning to feel the urge to push her back - my companion Emily was already preparing to use her magic.
"...all right. I've lost, Mr. Tien. I don't think the words "be careful" mean anything, but still, be very careful and go."
"Yes!"
"Then let's use magic!"
Emily is casting a spell at the entrance to District 4. She pulls the rubble toward her and reinforces the tunnel, which is actually an extremely difficult task that involves two spells in parallel, and she does it with an unconcerned face.
In the meantime, Astrid asks Tien.
"How big is District 4?"
"It's roughly a 600 meter walk to the end."
"That's quite a long time..."
"But if there's a pool of water, I think we're somewhere with air. About fifty meters from here, there is a square where the tunnel branches off, and the ceiling there is high."
If he's here, he's there.
Tien nodded.
On the contrary, if you are not there, you are doomed to be a foreman.
"Fifty meters... or maybe thirty, with the way it's submerged. Can you do that without breathing?"
"It's okay."
"It's dark, and the water is muddy, so you can't see what's ahead."
"It's a road I've walked many times."
"All right. All right, I'll tie the rope off."
"Rope?"
There's something I found on the drill machine. -We'll hook it up to kun's body. It might get in the way of the swim, but it's good to have for the ride home."
"Oh..."
Even if Tien can dive 30 meters, it doesn't mean that the foreman can do the same without losing his breath.
No, it's better to assume that you can't.
"I'll pull the rope on the way back. That'll speed things up a lot."
"All right. Please."
"Cue twice, yank, yank, yank."
And then Emily came,
"I got the debris!"
It's called.
Unlike before, the rubble had been cleared from the side of the entrance, and a tunnel was now open.
Zuzu....
The ground's shaking again.
"We have to hurry."
Tien took off his helmet, jacket, pants, and boots with one swift motion.
Her appearance, with a running shirt and pumpkin pants, was poor and not girlish at all.
Really, Astrid wonders, where does such strength come from in this thin body?
Astrid wraps the rope around Tien. She had a thin body.
The length of the rope was not likely to be 50 meters, but it seemed manageable for a distance of 30 meters.
"There we go."
"You have to go."
Tien turned himself around and entered the tunnel without hesitation, wading through the water as he went.
When his head hit the ceiling, he took a deep breath and dove into the water.
"It's amazing how bold she is..."
"Oh, really, Emily?"
Astrid rushes over to Emily, who is sitting on the floor.
"-kun...I knew it...you have very little magic left..."
"Well...I wanted Tien to think about the rescue, not about us."
"That's pretty stubborn."
"You know what I mean."
Emily said, and Astrid smiled.
"Let's hope the other stubborn one comes out of this in one piece."
"...Right."
The rope is being pulled smoothly to the back--.