Chapter 48

Chapter 48
Disposal Ruins Investigation Team
Several men were walking in the dark forest .
A member of the investigation team suddenly stopped and looked back at something he didn’t notice before .
[What in the world are those corpses?]
Hearing him, I also turned around and looked at what he’s looking at .
[I don’t know . Those corpses looks like a fallen mercenaries to me . ]
[Are they perhaps on their way to Mills?]
[That’s possible . Other than our group, the only people who pass through this forest are those who are heading towards Mills . ]
I noticed that one of the members looked really pale .
He is very pale .
[Have you ever seen a corpse that had turned into that state before?]
[Ye… Yes…]
The corpses were terrible .
There were a total of four of them .
None of their faces could be identified .
It must have been eaten by some kind of beast or a monster .
One of the members knocked over the sword that was hanging on the waist of one of the corpses .
[To fall in a forest like this, these mercenaries probably aren’t that strong . ]
[These corpses, no one of them had any money?]
Anyone could seldom find that much money from dead corpses .
Of course, that includes the baggage they had .
However, no money were found on these corpses .
[They may have encountered a robbery . Well, it’s rumored that there have been occasional robberies going on in here . ]
[Does that mean that after these people were killed by a monster, other travelers who pass by looted these corpses?]
[If they were just going to be killed by some random monster in this forest, they shouldn’t have bothered becoming a mercenary . ]
[Did a monster finally come out from the Disposal Ruins?]
[Hahaha, if that were so, then we have to ask the Magic Knights to handle this instead . ]
[You’re right . ]
The members tried to insert some jokes into their deductions of what they think could have happened to those people .
[Oh, we can finally see our workplace . ]
Disposal Ruins .
The familiar landscape .
There would be no change yet again this time .
That’s natural, or so the captain thought .
[There’s no abnormality this time again . ]
One of the loose-lipped members spoke .
[This job sure doesn’t have that much change . ]
[An unchanging job is fine . Okay, I’ll do the usual confirmation . ]
[Captain, you’re so serious~]
[It’s because this is still our work . ]
This is the job that was tasked to them by their Allied Kingdom, Allion .
A periodic survey to the Disposal Ruins .
Urza Kingdom and Allion Kingdom have been hand in hand together .
These two kingdoms have a good relationship that they had been maintaining for a long time .
I’m glad that I got this job .
I strongly like that .
First of all, the pay for this job is good .
And yet, the job is very easy to do .
I take out a magic tool from my bag .
This is a magic tool that was personally made by Goddess Vysis .
For many years, this investigation had been occurring from one team to another .
I walked along the walls of the ruins .
I traced around for quite some time until I pressed on one unsuspecting part of the wall .
Clank~ clunk~
A dent appeared out of nowhere .
It’s an elongated hole that is just wide enough for an arm to fit through .
I would then bring the crystal near the hole .
It’s a black crystal .
If you see this crystal’s color turn to platinum, then the work is over .
I don’t know the principle of why the crystal changes color .
However, I had no intention to investigate the reason .
An easy job .
Everyone in the Investigation Team is happily enjoying the leisurely job .
I know what kind of place this Disposal Ruins is .
But I’m not interested .
It has nothing to do with me whoever is sent to wherever it is .
It’s a discussion that has nothing to do with my life .
If I can have an easy life without danger, then that’s just fine .
I don’t wish for any change in my life .
Everyone was used to the leisure of our job .
Even I’m the same as them .
I don’t want any trouble in my life .
I just want to continue to do this good-paying job with ease .
[Hmm? What the?]
[What happened, Captain?]
[The color didn’t change . ]
The black crystal didn’t even shine at all .
There’s always something that behind that hole that made the crystal shine into platinum .
The crystal at my hand should have changed its color in response to that .
[Captain! Does this mean—]
[Ah…]
My eyes turned serious as I looked at the others .
With a stern expression, I held my hand over my mouth .
[I guess this crystal had finally reached its end . ]
[Even the magic tool that the Goddess had personally made had a lifetime too~]
Clink~
I poke the crystal with my fingertip .
[I guess we have to this crystal changed for a new one . ]
[When we get back, should we report this to Allion?]
[No—]
I replied quickly within a beat .
[I can just tell them at the time of the regular report . That should be about half a year later . ]
[Is that okay?]
[The procedures to handle matters are really troublesome especially when the news have to be sent to Allion . The procedures would be easy if it would be just talked about in this country . ]
[Ah… I understand . ]
The Investigation Team started preparing to leave the Ruins .
[Well, I guess the report this time should be “No Abnormalities” as usual . In fact, I can’t anything that had changed at all . ]
[Well, what if there may actually be some people who had lived and managed to get out of this Disposal Ruins?]
[Hahaha! That’s impossible!]
Laughing and joking with the rest, I turned back and looked at the ruins .
[There was no record of someone of someone who has managed to live through there and escape the ruins even once, even after examining the past records about this ruins . ]
The Disposal Ruins with zero survival rate .
There can be no change .
I put the crystal that doesn’t work anymore into my leather bag that was strapped on my belt .
[This will be just an easy job . Absolutely . ]