“First, let’s share the progress of the exploration that my master and I have made.”

The meticulous exploration of an area for artifact retrieval was the decisive reason why conquering a ruin was a years-long endeavor.

Fortunately, the exploration of the druid’s ruin did not demand such a colossal amount of labor. This was thanks to the fact that the Mage Tower Master and Colin had already completed a certain portion of the investigation.

“This ruin takes the form of a giant city. If you follow the roads, you’ll come across forks here and there. We concluded that the method of conquest would be to navigate in the correct direction and reach the center of the ruin.”

“It’s a maze format.”

“Correct.”

“Since using human wave tactics is the standard solution, the two of you must have had a hard time.”

Colin found it fascinating how Allen understood and grasped everything without any blockage. Even now, he had pinpointed the core of the matter without any time for deliberation.

Fundamentally, ruin exploration was not the domain of mercenaries or contractors, but closer to the work of an adventurer. If one were to delve deeper, that too was different, but that was the general tendency. To say it was a contractor’s disposition to do anything for money, his skills were remarkably professional and his range of talents was broad.

“Well, it would certainly be convenient if there were more people, but if you ask whether the problem could be solved that way, I have my doubts.”

“Is it because of the magical phenomenon?”

“That’s right.”

In any case, since there was no blockage in the exchange of information, Colin found the conversation with Allen comfortable. After facing only the high-nosed, desk-bound fools of the Mage Tower, talking with Allen felt incredibly smooth. If he had his way, he would have wanted to gather at least all those under him and have them watch and learn. There’s a limit to what you can achieve cooped up in a small room; you need to come out into the wider world and broaden your perspective…

It was, in its own way, Colin’s loyalty, thinking of the Mage Tower’s future. He prided himself on having no ulterior motive to win over the young ones, as the upper echelons were too old to change.

“If it’s a magical phenomenon, shouldn’t there be a rule? Then, even if it’s a maze, I think we could escape quickly.”

Sage raised her hand and offered her opinion.

Apart from her intelligence, it was not in her nature to assert her own opinion while being taught. This was because it was faster and more convenient to show directly rather than explain with words, whether it was a question or an application. She had the talent to make this possible.

The way Colin had praised Sage was by no means an exaggerated reaction.

Nevertheless, the reason she was reacting differently than usual… her intentions were plain to see from her awkward, sidelong glances.

She wanted to show off her wit in front of her guardian.

Colin let out a chuckle.

“Of course.”

“In that case…!”

“But do you think your master and grandmaster wouldn’t have thought of such an easy method?”

It was partly to tease her because her intentions were so transparently cute, but it was also partly for show. It was the perfect opportunity to show Allen that he was doing a good job as a teacher.

“The perception-interfering magical phenomenon and the maze’s structure have mixed, transforming this ruin into a demonic realm where common sense doesn’t apply. It would be faster to show you directly rather than explain with words.”

Sage pouted her lips and protested with her eyes. It meant, ‘Why are you being so strict today of all days?’

Unfortunately, Colin was not in a position to cut her any slack. He had yet to recover the points he had lost from the disgraceful act of begging for money at the casino in District 4. There was no better opportunity than today to turn things around.

“Follow me.”

Colin took the lead and moved.

Allen followed, and Sage trailed behind him with a sulky expression.

***

“Hold on.”

Krrrrrumble!

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the wall of a building in front of them collapsed.

It was a representative trap that caused casualties in ruins.

Colin scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.

“Ahem, the path is particularly rough today. I took the lead so confidently, but my reputation is in tatters.”

“It’s fine. It’s a maze, after all.”

When taking an unknown path, it was only natural to encounter new traps. I didn’t think Colin would have chosen this path intentionally to give us a hard time.

“How did you know? Every time you tell us to stop, there’s a trap right in front of us.”

“I didn’t know. I’m just careful when I get a feeling that there might be something around here.”

It was big data accumulated through numerous ruin exploration experiences.

A quick glance was enough to give me a feeling of where danger might lie.

This wasn’t the kind of knowledge that could be taught. It wasn’t in the realm of a keen eye, but in the realm of familiarity.

In a word, it was a knack.

“Tsk, tsk, just how much hardship have you lived through…”

Colin looked at me pitifully, having misunderstood something again… but it wasn’t the first or second time, so I decided to just let it go. Perhaps because of his wanderer nature, he was more of a jester than a realistic mage. Since misunderstandings seemed to be a daily occurrence for him, I could only hope he wouldn’t have a bad influence on Sage.

“More importantly, I think I know what you were trying to say now.”

I stopped my steps, having somehow ended up in the lead.

The perception interference was still in effect, but I couldn’t mistake this place.

“If you make the wrong choice, you’re forcibly returned.”

Before our eyes, after a long walk, was the entrance we had come through.

This was the third time.

“Even at the same fork, the result is different each time, so the method of building up data by pushing through with numbers won’t work.”

“That’s exactly why my master and I made no progress. It’s a very troublesome type.”

Traps, guardians, local creatures… it was a trickier type than ruins filled with such actual threats.

The conquest of this kind of ruin was purely dependent on the workings of luck.

“The changes and flow of mana are so chaotic, it seems difficult to decipher any rules.”

“That’s why your grandmaster gave up. He concluded that it would be easier to experience it firsthand than to try and calculate it.”

The laws of mana acting on the ruin’s maze did not include artificial elements. To try and identify and handle them was akin to trying to conquer a natural disaster. It wasn’t impossible, but it required specialized equipment, a large workforce, and a long time. It was a calculation so difficult that even the Mage Tower Master had thrown up his hands, so it was not a level Sage could even attempt.

“Then how did you find the totem and the Guardian Hawk’s egg?”

“To be frank, I was lucky. I found an item that looked unusual and retrieved it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a harvest obtained after thousands of attempts.”

“……I can see why you’d cherish them.”

Since they were items obtained after such hardship, Colin must have wandered for a long time searching for clues, and the Mage Tower Master must have studied them carefully. It was a kind of reward psychology. Because it was obtained after arduous effort and its identity was a complete mystery, they believed it must be something extraordinary.

“Is there a way? Honestly, I brought you along, but I wasn’t expecting much, so you can be honest.”

Colin, true to his word, seemed unconcerned. His calculation was that it would be good if I had a clue to conquering the ruin, and even if not, he had used it as an opportunity for an outing, so it was a gain either way.

“……”

I remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

‘For a druid’s ruin, the conquest method is too dependent on luck.’

Frankly, it wasn’t a condition designed to be cleared.

If it was purely dependent on good or bad luck, there was no reason for this to be a druid’s ruin.

There must be a separate way to conquer the maze related to a druid’s abilities.

‘The totem is one thing, but it’s strange for a Guardian Hawk’s egg to be rolling around on the ground by itself.’

It was a creature’s egg.

For it to be found in a place far from a nest was unnatural.

If I think of that itself as a hint…?

Kii-ek!

The moment the thought struck me, I deactivated the tattoo transformation.

The Guardian Hawk landed on my forearm, using it as a perch.

“Hello.”

Sage was the first to approach and greet it happily.

Her pale cheeks were flushed red with delight, and her breathing was heavy.

When she stroked its head, the bird calmly entrusted its body to her.

They fought every time they saw each other, but had they developed a love-hate relationship?

Colin looked on with envy, but the moment he reached out his hand, the bird became wary and spread its wings, so he gave up.

“Why did you bring that fellow out?”

“Guardian Hawks have excellent eyesight.”

“I suppose so. They’re birds of prey.”

“It’s much better than the vague assumption that birds of prey are generally like that.”

To the extent that it could soar high in the sky and look down on every place within its sight. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it could find a small needle in a pile of desert sand.

If it weren’t for the Guardian Hawk’s abnormal vision, I wouldn’t have been able to snipe the mounted bandits in the first place.

That was the key.

Would its eyes be hindered by the perception interference phenomenon like ours?

Kii-eeek!

I separated the Guardian Hawk from the disappointed Sage and sent it flying high into the sky.

The Guardian Hawk soared so high it became a dot in the sky.

Hoping that there would not be a single blur in its sharp eyes, I said.

“Share vision.”

「Sharing vision with the Guardian Hawk.」

With a faint sense of elation, my mind connected with the Guardian Hawk.

As I slowly closed my eyes, the Guardian Hawk’s vision unfolded behind my dark eyelids.

“……”

The ruin, as seen through the Guardian Hawk’s eyes, was vast.

Much more so than the impression I got from wandering around aimlessly.

It was smaller than Gellerg City, which was comparable to a nation, but it was not a size that could be explored on foot.

As I surveyed the entire scene, I finally understood the structure of the unreasonable maze that always led back to the entrance.

Krrrrrumble!

The roads that stretched out from all eight directions and connected to the center would, at some point, rotate like cogs, transforming into a new structure. Sometimes, the positions of each section would swap with each other as if fitting a puzzle together.

It meant that the vast city was constantly and randomly changing its form.

No wonder we kept getting lost.

‘I see.’

So this is why even the seasoned veterans of the Thorson Expedition struggled and met their ruin.

Time is limited, and resources even more so.

There was no progress in conquering the ruin, and they were just losing money.

In a place like this, the best choice Cliff could have made was to give up on conquering the ruin.

Because he couldn’t, it was over-greed.

He paid the price dearly, as we know.

“Do you see anything?”

“……Yes.”

My case was different.

The entire view of the ruin, the changes in the maze, even the traps hiding their fangs in various places.

All of it was clearly visible in the Guardian Hawk’s vision.

“Follow me.”

The moment I could move while viewing my position in three dimensions from above.

The maze no longer functioned as a maze.

***

There was no blockage in our steps as we advanced through the path of the ruin.

At every fork, the choice was unhesitating, and each time, a new path opened.

The main thing was that we didn’t encounter any traps.

It was proof that we were heading in the right direction.

“We’ll be there soon.”

“Ho ho, to think we’d reach the center so easily.”

There was a sense of futility in Colin’s laughter.

“A vision that can see through the ruin’s perception interference.”

It was a novel experience to hear a voice on the ground while my vision was in the air.

When I focused, I could see Colin looking up at the Guardian Hawk soaring high in the sky.

“Truly astounding. Even if I sent my own familiar up that high…”

The rest of his words, though not heard by my ears, were obvious.

Could it really see the entire view of this ruin?

He clicked his tongue, as if he didn’t have a positive thought.

The perception interference phenomenon was a problem, but first and foremost, it was highly likely that the familiar’s eyesight wouldn't be up to the task.

“Sigh, what a shame.”

The importance of reconnaissance could not be overemphasized.

The ability the Guardian Hawk had just shown had endless utility.

Colin had seemed to be attracted to the Guardian Hawk from the beginning.

The gaze with which he stared at the Guardian Hawk was sticky.

The sharp yet rounded eyes, the broad yet soft-feathered wings, the sleek outline of its lean abdomen…

As Colin licked his lips with a greedy gaze, I could feel the Guardian Hawk’s disgust.

“Ah, over there.”

Just in time, Sage pointed beyond the path.

Taking advantage of the moment Colin’s gaze dropped, the Guardian Hawk descended from the sky and transformed back into a tattoo, and I blinked to readjust to my own vision.

“Is this the center?”

“Yes.”

The center of the ruin.

The building standing there was so well-preserved it seemed to have escaped even the weathering of time. Standing firm alone in the middle of a fallen civilization, it had a reverent appearance that made one feel a certain sanctity.

What was inside it was.

“A tomb.”

A single coffin.

(End of Chapter)