Chapter 44: The Ancient Ruins and a Bath

Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/45/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

The dungeon exploration ended in a swing and a miss, so today I come to the Gernika ancient ruins again.
Last time I was in a bit of a hurry, so this time I mean to explore thoroughly.

“Now then. Hope there’s something… Ring, map.”
“—Analysis complete: displaying the map.”
“Thanks.”

Umm… last time I went that way, so this time this way.
While I’m checking the map, Ring speaks in that usual androgynous voice.

“—Ouka, I have a report.”
“Nn, what?”
“—The recording media obtained here last time: analysis complete.”

Oh. Those silver cards, I guess.
Unreadable letters carved in, but they got analyzed.

“Good job. So what were they?”
“—Hero combat records. The combat record installed in Ouka, and the Hero Shimauchi Hayato’s combat record.”
“…Meaning?”
“—Presumably pseudo-lifeforms produced with combat records as a medium.”

Hnn? I don’t really get pseudo-lifeform.

“Umm, so they’re ghosts of those combat-record things?”
“—Affirmative: also, they cannot occur naturally.”
“Eh. So someone made them on purpose?”
“—Affirmative.”

Fumu. The talk’s getting fishy.
Who made those.

“I see. Wait, what even is a combat record in the first place?”
“—Answer: that person’s combat experience and combat patterns.”
“…Umm. Memories of fighting, and how they fight?”
“—Affirmative.”
“…Hey. A bit of a question, but. Why do those even exist?”

Who recorded them, how, and for what.
Another person’s combat experience doesn’t seem like something you can write down.

“—Unknown: the reason they were written in the ancient language is also unknown.”
“Muu. Kind of a creepy story.”
“—However, Ouka’s combat record was inside me from the start.”
“Ah. Well, that follows.”

Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to fight properly.

“—Two things follow from that. That Ouka is my Master, and that combat records can be copied.”
“Ah. Right, if the black me the other day was the original, then Ring’s is a copy.”
“—A further unknown: after the limiter release, access to the Gale Lightning combat record became possible.”
“Nn? That was in there from the start too?”
“—Unknown: however, at limiter release there are traces of an attempt to connect to something.”
“…Nnh. What even are we.”

Too many things I don’t know.
Well, that’s why I’m doing this adventurer thing.
All the more reason I want a clue in these ruins.

“Well, if I keep looking I’ll get it someday.”
“—Affirmative: continuing further analysis.”
“Thanks. But don’t overdo it, okay?”
“—Acknowledged.”
“…Ah. Come to think of it, modeling, was it. Did that get done?”
“—…. In progress.”

What was that pause. Ah, this one too, maybe.

“—Apology: I had forgotten.”
“Fufu. You forget things too.”
“—Apology.”
“It’s fine. Show me someday.”

I’m actually looking forward to it a lot.
I want to see with my own eyes and talk.

“—Affirmative: proceeding with creation alongside analysis.”
“Ai ai. I’m counting on you… otto?”
“—Ouka, mana reading: skeletons.”
“There you are, bones.”

Same as last time, skeletons well up from the ground.
This too is a phenomenon I don’t really get the logic of.

Anyway. Chat’s over.
I’ll scatter them quick and take souvenirs home.

“Ring, shall we.”
“—Sakura-Drive Ready.”

“Ignition.”

I wear pale crimson. Trail light, take my stance.
As always. Hips low, left hand forward. Right reverse-grip beside my face.

“Now then, I’ll have you serve as dance partners this time too.”

Targets: five. First, number one.
A big step, I stretch up from a low stance and kick up. Headshot as it rears back.
Crumbling bone; I kick the one behind it and punch through two together, that one and the one behind.
Two left. Both in my range.

Straight in. I drive, kick up the skeleton’s shield. Follow with a mana round and knock the shield flying.
Fire at the wide-open head. Punches through as aimed.
Last one. I slip the swung sword with a gun butt, spin, and smash it with the other gun butt.
The bone monster staggers. I don’t miss the opening; I shoot. The mana round hits between the eyes as a matter of course, and the skeleton crumbles without a sound.

“Ring, search the area.”
“—Search: no mana readings in the vicinity.”
“Copy. Annihilation complete.”

I return the handguns to the holster, and as always the mana-light scatters.

Fuu. I’ve gotten quite used to it lately.
Can’t do it without Sakura-Drive, though.
Anyway, back to searching.

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I go through pretty much every room; no real clue.
This is the last room. Hope there’s something.

I put my hand on the sphere at the entrance and the door opens, pashun.
Bookshelves on every wall. A fairly large writing desk in the middle.
A study, maybe? I pick up one book and it crumbles to bits as I hold it.
A miss here too, huh. Ah, I’ll look in the desk at least.

I open a drawer. A dried-out inkwell and a quill. And a black notebook.
The condition is relatively all right. I open it and find letters I can’t read at all, written on and on.
All right. Mystery harvest get.

“Ring, can I ask you to analyze this too?”
“—Understood: proceeding in parallel.”
“Nn. Leave it to you.”

I stuff it in the item box for now and leave the analysis to Ring.
Hnn. From the look of it, nothing else.

“Then, shall we go home.”
“—The sun will set shortly.”
“Nn. I’ll take an inn in Asura. Fish feast today.”

Ah, grilled fish, stewed fish, fried fish.
Shrimp and shellfish would be good too.
I’d like to try sea dragon and giant sea turtle sometime.

Now then. I’m hungry; shall we pyuun and fly.

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No trouble on the way; I reach Asura in complete calm.
That’s the obvious thing, but it feels oddly rare.
I usually run into monsters.

I head for an inn right away and call to the uncle at the counter.

“Excuse me, one night?”
“Sorry. All rooms are full today.”
“Eh. The big rooms too?”
“A rare group came in. Sorry.”
“…For real. Understood.”

I wave to the uncle, who really does look sorry, and leave the inn.

Umm, what now. The sun’s about to go down.
Force it and go back to the capital? Ah but the fish feast…
No, tonight’s bed matters more.

Can’t be helped. Sky trip, extension.

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Aaaaa it’s cooooold!
The night sky is insanely cold!

The temperature is already low, and the wind steals body heat without mercy.
Even with leather gloves my hands seize up; I feel like I’ll drop the handguns.

I have to come down now and then and warm up or this is rough.
Damn. I didn’t think I had a weakness like this.
If I’d known I’d have brought a cloak… well, what I don’t have I don’t have.

I come down now and then, heat a big pot I make with mana, warm up, then fly.
With the breaks, the time to the capital takes about twice the trip out.

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Aaaaa! Coooold!
I wrap in a blanket the second I get back to the inn, but this isn’t working.
A blanket doesn’t warm me at all.
Damn it’s cold.

Ah geez. At this point I have to use the last resort.

I make a fairly large stockpot and an even larger deep plate with mana.
I pour water from the item box and sink a wooden lid.
Heat. While I make sure it doesn’t get too hot, I confirm the lock is solid.
I shut the curtains tight and take off my clothes.

That’s right. A bath.
If the inn mistress finds out she’ll be furious, but I have no choice.
It hits the right temperature right away, so I keep it there. I sink slowly into the pot.

Chapon.

Uaa. Good water.
Even if a little overflows the deep plate catches it; reassuring design, nothing to complain about.
…Well, as a girl of a certain age I do wonder, but.
I really should rent a house, huh.
Or I just shouldn’t go out at night.

Whatever.
It’s warm. For now I’ll heat up.
Uaa. Feels good.

I spend a peaceful time, until I notice I hadn’t prepared a cloth to dry with.