Chapter 63

Orange Floor

After I gave Pigimaru some instructions, I also went into my own sleeping bag .

[I’m sorry for making you do this unpleasant duty, partner . ]

[Pii ♪ ]

I glanced again at the gauge over her head before I go to sleep .

After checking it, I laid down into the sleeping back with my back towards Mist .

We are now raiding this ruins .

I don’t want to be troubled now just because I’ve learned her true identity .

Mist— Seras Ashrain .

I still have some trouble thinking about how to deal with her .

However, I think this story should be put aside for now . There should be another opportunity that would be more appropriate to talk about this .

At least, I’ll leave this out until we’ve made it back to the upper ground .

I have to finish my top priority first, getting the materials that I need .

The problem now is whether she noticed my usage of towards her or not but...

I laid down and waited for the effect of to expire .

[............ . . ]

The effect will soon be released .

I closed my eyes .

[Nnn—-...eh?]

I could hear some sort of sound wave resounding from her side...

It seems that the forehead protector and bracers that has disappeared were summoned again .

I wonder if that Illusion Technique of hers was automatically activated when she has awakened .

[No way... I’ve fallen asleep before I even knew it...? However—]

She started checking for signs if I’m awake .

[I should still have some time before the contract expires... Why did this happen?]

Time before the contract expires?

Is Mist unable to sleep because she used it as payment or something like that to a spirit she has a contract with?

After a while, I could hear her relieved sigh from where I’m lying on .

It seems that she was relieved after she confirmed that I’m asleep .

Good .

Apparently, she didn’t know that I casted on her .

Or is it that Pigimaru’s distraction was that successful?

[—... . Pyuu?]

[Pigimaru-dono? Perhaps, has he already fallen asleep?]

[Pii . ]

I think Pigimaru is a monster that doesn’t need to sleep .

But now, it seems that it was trying to act like it’s sleeping .

[Is that so...]

Mist looks quite relieved again .

She must have thought that Pigimaru haven’t seen the changes in her face and her equipment .

That’s what she must have confirmed right now .

[Pyiii~ ♪ ]

[W- What happened? No way... Hati-dono is quietly sleeping and you’re quite lonely?]

[Pii! Pii ~♪ ! Pyyiii~ ♪ ]

[U- Umm— Could you not touch my body too much... especially around the face...]

[Pii...? Pyii... . Pyuuuuuu...]

[Ahh? I- It’s not like that! There’s no problem with Pigimaru-dono at all, or so I think...!?]

Pigimaru faithfully executed the instructions that I had left him earlier .

According to my instructions, Pigimaru would try to make as much ruckus as possible .

Mist should also lose her cool in response to that...

Around this time, I would also “naturally” wake up from my slumber .

I tried stifling the yawn that’s about to come out of my mouth .

There were some tears that were “unknowingly” on the side of my eyes .

[Nngh... What’s wrong, Pigimaru? Why are you making such a ruckus?]

I raise my body from the sleeping bag I’m laying on and rub my eyes with my fingers .

Mist finally notices me .

[Ah, I’m sorry . Did we wake you up?]

[It’s nothing . Rather than that, I had said that I would wake you up myself when it was already the time to leave . I’m sorry about that . ]

[No, don’t worry about it . ]

Her face has turned back to how it was before .

There’s also the forehead protector and the bracers that has been reequipped on her body .

I don’t think that she has found out that I’ve just been feigning my sleep earlier .

Perhaps, the only way she could tell someone is lying is through their voice .

[Have you taken some rest?]

[...Yes . Thanks to you, I was able to take some rest for a bit . Ummm... It seems that I wasn’t really that aware of how fatigued I am . ]

Mist wryly smiled .

There’s still a bit of awkwardness left on her smile .

She wouldn’t be able to sleep, but she suddenly lost consciousness even if it’s just for a while .

It seems that she feels a little uncomfortable after that has happened .

However, it seems that it’s already good for her if her identity weren’t exposed for the time being .

[Sleep is really important for our body . ]

I was reminded of the time back when I was in the Disposal Ruins .

[Yes . Whenever I could, I would take some sleep as much as I could . ]

[Yeah, if that’s the case then it’s good . ]

We left the room and started preparing to depart from this place .

v

We descended down to another floor deeper into the ruins .

[I feel like the amount of pyroxenes in our path has been steadily increased in this layer . ]

Mist replies after she looked around the area we’re at .

[Yes, that’s right . ]

Has sleeping given some kind of positive effect even though it has been quite short?

There’s a hint of liveliness in Mist’s every step .

[The corridor was also quite wide . Is the large amount of pyroxene because it’s matching the size of the area?]

[I heard that pyroxenes would appear more in places where there were an abundance of magic energies...]

I could find numerous pyroxenes in the upper floors .

Does that mean that there are more magic energies in the upper floors?

[If you look at it from another viewpoint, could you say that this floor is somehow special compared to the others?]

[That’s possible . ]

I think that this must also mean that we’re gradually getting closer to the monster whose materials I needed .

[Speaking of which, there are things I’ve been concerned but...]

[What is it?]

[That doorway we passed through as we go further into the hidden staircase in this ruins, did that door automatically close itself?]

The Great Sage must have found the bone meal somewhere deep in this ruins .

That should mean that the Great Sage has opened the hidden staircase when he’s gone out of here .

However, that mechanism has been restored to how it originally was .

[It has already been explained before that ancient ruins were restored by the existence called the “Repair Ghost” . Though I said that, there has been no evidence about their existence . The truth is still unknown up to this date . ]

[Repair Ghost?]

[It is said that there are ghosts that reside in all of the ruins . They were the ones who would restore the functions of their ruins every decade or so . Nowadays, it is just considered to be some kind of incorporeal monster . ]

Isn’t it just attaching those who are unknown with the occult?

Or maybe, it really was the reason why .

After a few moments, I stopped .

[That door...]

I point towards the door in front of us .

It’s a gigantic door .

It’s pretty wide in terms of both length and width .

Mist steps in front of me .

[There’s something lurking around the place, I could feel it in the air— please be careful, Hati-dono . ]

The door in front of us is completely decorated with bones .

That’s quite an eerie door of bones .

My purpose in this place is the Boney King’s bone meal .

[............]

My target must have been close .

[It seems that one side of the door has already been opened...]

The door of bones was already opened on one side .

I tried look towards the end of the room .

But I couldn’t see it well from where I’m standing .

I slowly approached the door as I kept my vigilance .

Together with Mist, we peeked inside the room .

A room enclosed in walls filled with bones .

No— it seems that those bones were just stacked up against the wall .

I could see that most of these large amount of bones were from monsters .

Still, there were still some human bones that were included among them .

I couldn’t feel the presence of any monster inside the room .

We lightly explored around the room .

I couldn’t find anything other than these piles of bones .

I’m kind of bothered though since the pyroxenes in here were glowing in orange color .

Hmm?

I bend down and touched the floor .

[Hati-dono?]

[It may be just a hunch, but I think the leading monster in this room may have come out already . ]

If I look closely at the traces around the place, there was an indication of something being dragged on the floor .

There was also traces of something scraping through the floor .

There are some traces in here that looks relatively new .

Are these traces something that were left after a monster battled in this room?

As far as I could see the shaved off areas, something large must have been used to make something like that...

Did it leave through the door and is the one who left the door open?

Fumu...

There must have been someone who explored in this place already without waiting for the results of the investigation team .

[What are we going to do, Hati-dono?]

[We would still continue with our search . It’s possible that what’s over there is the monster that I’m after . ]

We began leaving the room .

At that time though...

Doggooonnn!

[Did you hear that?]

[Yes . ]

[Pii . ]

I think that sound came from a distance .

However,

[I guess we have illegal trespassers in our midst . ]

It’s coming .

Based on the sounds, it’s probable that it’s just one .

[—iiieeeeeh—ggiiieeehhh—-]

I could hear a loud howl from a distance .

Is it because of the structure of this place?

The echo from that howl sounds strange when it had resounded towards our position .

If this is the case, the place where that voice came from can’t be properly specified .

[Hati-dono, what’s our next move?]

[Move somewhere suitable where could observe whatever that is . For the time being, let’s move towards the stairs that’s leading to the upper floors . We should be able to easily hide our body around that area . ]

[Understood . ]

The monster’s strength is still unknown right now .

No... .

It is still unknown whether that really is the skeleton king .

It could be another Soul Eater for all I know .

I must not be negligent .

We started moving towards the stairs .

On the way, we arrived in a fairly wide area in this floor .

The ceiling isn’t that high though .

After we pass through here, we would finally—

Dooooooggaaaaannnnnnn—-!

Breaking through the walls, the figure of the monster has appeared .

The crags from the wall and the pyroxenes flutter around in the air .

In an instant, I understood .

[This guy...]

The strength this guy have is different .

It can’t be compared with the other monsters in this ruins .

Upon seeing the monster, the expression on Mist’s face changed .

[No way... This monster is—]

It seems that I’ve finally found my target .

[The Skeleton King...!]