Chapter 19: Let"s keep it straight a little.
I returned to the ruin before heading off to the upper floor.
The place is a mess. All of the lithographs have been eaten so there"s nothing left here.
However, despite the destruction, the mural of the brave hero and the demon king was beautifully restored.
That"s not all.
In the centre of the dome, a golden pedestal and a colorful ball illuminate the place.
Though I ate the whole thing.
……it really turns back the same way it used to be.
I"m amazed by the mechanism of this place.
I already know about this from the lithograph but it"s as nothing compared to seeing it myself.
Before visiting Ann, I decided to come here to take the special magic stones for her.
Don"t worry, I"ll explain it later.
I approach the pedestal and touch the sphere again.
『h.e.l.lo~ everyone"s favorite Elibel-chan hereee. My glorious comeback is made possible thanks to everyone"s support! Yay ☆ Hehe Hic. Eeeeh~ my viewer, you broke the pedestal~ But don"t worry! This pedestal comes with regenerative function! Hic. 』
And with all wishy-washyness, Elibel appeared again as a hologram.
……Your character changed too much, yeah.
You should praise me for not hitting the pedestal and sphere without thinking.
Taking a closer at it, her cheeks are slightly red.
Are you drinking?
I think she"s drunk while filming.
Her subordinate, the cameraman, must"ve gone through a lot.
The drunkard (Elibel) begins her explanation.
It seems that the ruin itself is enchanted with a restoration magic, maintaining it regularly by repairing the necessary structures.
There"s magic circulating between the ruins and the dungeon, and if either one is destroyed, the other one will supply magic to it. It"s an amazing invention.
However, the lithographs I ate are not included in the ruin"s gimmick and so, they were not restored.
……That"s too bad. The lithographs are really delicious.
While I was thinking so, Elibel had finished talking.
By the way, her lively demeanour was caused by liquor after all.
In the middle of her speech, she seems to have sobered up and became depressed after saying a nonsensical thing like『This is a dark history… 』.
I don"t know what she means.
Elibel"s hologram also served as explaining things in the ruins. When I looked properly at the pedestal, there seems to be a keyboard.
Originally, it was designed to explain the contents of the lithograph based on the keywords type in it.
So, this is how you get the information without eating it.
But it"s really tasty.
Hm? This pedestal can regenerate many times?
It"s all you can eat then.
Yosh.
The knowledge of the dungeon and ruins mechanism inside my head is a proof that it"s easier to bite and munch than reading the words on it.
Now then, let"s do what I came here for.
Whilst munching on the pedestal, I walked to the edge of the ruins.
It"s one of the murals of the brave hero and the demon king.
Slowly, I twist the dent, next to the mural, three times.
Thunk, the wall splits open.
A hidden staircase appeared from the opened wall.
It"s too small.
But somehow I manage to squeeze through it.
Before I ate, I never realized there"s a door here.
I went down the stairs into a small room.
If I had to say then, a storage shed is much comfortable than this.
Moreover, the room was furnished with just the bare necessities - bookshelf, table, chair.
And a former person who resides in this place.
A white skeleton.
Wearing a ragged robe, sitting in the chair with a droop head.
This skeleton was Elibel Löwenherz.
But to stay and die sitting in the chair, I had to say she"s a very committed person.
I think.
When I lightly poke it with a finger, her remains collapse with a sound.
Originally in this world, the dead must be cremated so that it will not turn into an undead.
Since she used a special technique on herself, it"s safe to say she"s dead for certain.
…..She seems to hate this world through and through.
Well, it"s probably best for me not to say something like that to her.
I still remember her image in the recording after she confessed.
『……The legacy you left. I will take and use it. 』
I came here to say that.
Though it took longer than I"d like to admit.
I will be responsible with it.
Through this ruin, I know what Elibel thinks of this world.
So you"re glad an outsider like me uses it instead of those from this world?
You really detest this world, huh.
『I believe that magic originally isn"t used for conflict but to enrich the relationship of mutual respect. 』Was it?
Well said.
I never thought about that.
Well, I understand why you hadn"t been acting like a sage.
Your past. I saw it through the colored ball.
Let me say this.
I will use what you left behind.
So, pardon me.
I lowered my head to the motionless corpse.
Although I"m in a cave where the wind doesn"t blow, the robe of her corpse fluttered a bit.
『Do whatever you like. 』
I felt like that was her message.
Everything"s I need to do here is now done.
Let"s head back to the upper floor.
______________________________________________________
Author"s corner:
The story is a little serious this time.
There"s a lot of things I need to think about.
Elibel: In other words, you"re hinting a volume about my past!
Author & MC: Too bad, that"s not it.
Elibel: (；ω；)
There"s simply no demand for it.
TLN:
Dark history or kurorekishi (黒歴史) is a j.a.panese internet slang for "an embarra.s.sing/regretful moment."
Ed: think chuunibyou survivers.