“This way, Lady.”
In this pitch-black mine tunnel, Amisa seemed to have received some kind of boost.
Not only was she unaffected by the dim environment, but even her tone sounded much lighter than before.
Looking at it this way, bringing her along really was a wise decision.
Mother is truly…farsighted~
Ireya couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
At this moment, this Mercenary Company branch had about fifty people, including a dozen or so nobles who were almost completely useless in combat, with the rest being their guards.
However…with Jenny not participating in this exploration due to an accident, not a single person tried to desert before entering the cave.
This actually surprised Ireya a little.
It seems…the war that may break out in a year has really struck a chord with these young nobles.
Even those who spent all day indulging in pleasure have realized their own responsibilities.
As expected, only hardship and the tension before an approaching storm can truly make people grow~
“Hm?”
“Sniff sniff……”
Just then, both Amisa, leading the way, and Viel at Ireya’s side reacted at the same time.
The former drew a boning knife from under her cloak, slowing her steps with a hint of caution.
The latter spoke directly.
“Up ahead…there’s a strong scent of blood and death.”
The smell of blood and death…was there a battle?
The group halted instantly.
Everyone had witnessed Amisa’s skills before, so they put absolute trust in this extraordinary girl.
“Hmm…probably the people ahead ran into monsters in the cave…but who knows what happened…”
Ireya nodded slightly, then stretched out a finger, pointing at someone in the group…a person who was just about to hide at the back with all their might.
“You! Go ahead and scout the way.”
“Eh…me? Ah…okay.”
The girl who was pointed out was startled for a moment, then could only force a bitter face as she moved to the front.
This girl was the prisoner just captured, the Wind Veiler Erika Reid from the Hunter Blade Mercenary Group.
At this moment, she looked especially disheveled, her spirit a bit wilted…
Clearly, she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the Lady’s interrogation, and her gaze toward Ireya was evasive.
Silence.
“If you want to take this chance to run away…you can, you know~”
As Erika passed by Ireya, the Lady suddenly spoke.
Her voice was light and cool, like a dead person’s hand gently stroking the back of Erika’s neck.
“Uh…I…how could I run, uh…ahahaha…you…must be joking.”
The Wind Veiler quickly forced a laugh, but her smile was even uglier than if she had cried.
Indeed, having already suffered from Amisa’s abilities, Erika wasn’t stupid enough to try escaping now…
Life is important, after all.
Much more important than freedom.
At least, that’s what the girl thought.
Step step step……
Watching her disappear into the dim tunnel, a noble youth who fancied himself a gentleman couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
“Um, Miss Dingzhen, how about letting my guard follow to check on her?”
“Heh, if you want to be cannon fodder, just go ahead, no one’s stopping you.”
Ireya’s red eyes swept over the youth for an instant, making him freeze on the spot.
…This woman…she really doesn’t pull her punches…
And even though she’s so petite, why…does she give off such an overwhelming pressure…
“Are you stupid! That girl’s a prisoner, being cannon fodder is only natural…”
Seeing the awkwardness, someone familiar with the noble youth quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“Ah…ah~ Right, right, I was being silly…”
The noble youth hurriedly seized the chance to save face, bowing slightly to Miss Dingzhen to show he meant no harm.
As expected of noble scions, their minds may be immature, but they’re not fools.
However, up to now, there hadn’t been any sounds of fighting or shouting, so it was likely there were no enemies ahead…just the aftermath of a battle.
About ten minutes later, Erika returned unharmed.
Just as Ireya had guessed, there were a lot of corpses up ahead.
Most were short Cave-Dwellers, but there were also a few guards in leather armor…
It looked like the battle hadn’t lasted long; the blood on the ground hadn’t even dried yet.
With this information, everyone pressed on without much hesitation…
The battlefield was gruesome, but after the “violent rescue” in Insmouth…
Everyone’s tolerance had clearly leveled up.
Judging by the dead guards’ attire, they probably weren’t from the united Mercenary Company Erika had mentioned before, but rather from the Blue Crow group that abandoned them.
And as for the Cave-Dwellers…they looked like dwarves with bat faces, and perhaps from years without sunlight, their appearance was like that of deep-sea fish—quite… random.
They were short, their skin a pig-like flesh pink, with faintly visible veins beneath.
Almost none wore clothes, though some had tattoo-like marks or Totems carved on their bodies.
Their weapons, besides rusty pickaxes and iron shovels, were sharp stone spears and axes.
Their civilization seemed very primitive…
“What ugly and primitive creatures…”
Some noble youths, seeing a non-human…humanoid intelligent species for the first time, couldn’t help but sigh.
“These Cave-Dwellers…seem to be Divine Kin.”
But…
Amisa, who was crouching to examine them, said something that instantly quieted everyone.
Divine Kin are, by definition, the offspring of Supreme Beings or tribes that worship them.
Could it be…
“Lady, look at the Totems on their bodies.”
Amisa casually lifted a dead Cave-Dweller, pointing from its shoulder down its back.
There, extremely rough lines were branded, as if made with a fixed-shape branding iron…running from the arm all the way down the back.
Dense, like…tentacles?
No, some of the angles were too sharp…
Maybe the “tattoo artist” wasn’t skilled, or maybe her guess was off.
“Hmm…I can’t make out what this thing means at all…”
Ireya squinted for a while, but could only reach that conclusion.
“Looks like tree branches…”
Viel tilted her head, offering her opinion.
But no one paid the fool any mind.
“But it seems the Supreme Being they worship didn’t give them much protection…”
Ireya murmured softly.
“It’s usually like that. Supreme Beings rarely care for their Divine Kin beyond granting some power…They’re called Divine Kin, but in truth, they’re more like vassals—believers, nothing more.”
Amisa seemed rather knowledgeable about such matters and explained to the others.
So it’s like…
God doesn’t care?
What a cruel faith~
Ireya nodded slowly.
“Can you tell which Supreme Being these creatures serve?”
“That…I have no clue for now, maybe if we see more symbolic Totems…”
Amisa shook her head.
With only these abstract tattoos, there really was no way to tell.
“If we can reach their Tribal Village, maybe we’ll find more clues.”
And that place…
Was exactly where they needed to go—the Cave-Dwellers’ Tribal Village, where the Rock Dragon Egg was kept.