I retreated with all my might.
Splat!
Something brown fell with a splat where Pandan had been standing just moments ago.
There’s no need to explain what it was.
I was furious.
Even the chimera snake shook its leaves vigorously.
‘Should I kill him, Master?’
It seemed to be asking that.
That adventurer Umberto just made it onto my kill list.
But I don’t have the confidence to kill him by biting because it’s too dirty.
Jakob tried to calm Umberto down, sweating profusely.
“Captain, that’s how it turned out. For now, let’s settle down…”
From what I hear, it seems they messed with something in this ruin.
As a result, Umberto got trapped in the iron cage that rose from the center.
The bars were made of something that couldn’t be cut and there was no way to open it.
Umberto’s Aura Blade could somewhat scratch it, but a rapier is not suitable for cutting bars.
Umberto’s mana ran out much faster.
If the person trapped in the cage wasn’t Umberto.
If he wasn’t an S-rank adventurer and their captain, they probably would have given up and left long ago.
“Shit, how long do we have to keep this up…”
Jakob muttered.
He was tired too.
In fact, whether Umberto was the captain or not wasn’t important.
If possible, they would have fled from this hell-like magical realm long ago.
They had already completed the quest, hadn’t they? They had already secured the item they were looking for.
“Captain, I promise you.”
Jakob stepped forward, not afraid of being hit by excrement.
“Hand that over to us.”
“What?”
Umberto was about to throw excrement again.
Jakob spoke once more, calmly.
“If we don’t return with that, everyone will be in trouble. The Adventurers’ Union probably didn’t know you were in this situation. That’s why they didn’t send a mage.”
“You bastard, so you’re saying you’ll leave me behind?”
“We at least need to show them the item for them to send a mage! I’ll threaten them that we won’t hand over the item unless they dispatch someone to rescue you.”
“Jakob, you son of a bitch!”
Umberto screamed.
The situation was like this.
They had already found the item they were looking for in this magical realm, and Umberto was holding it.
That’s why the adventurers couldn’t bear to leave Umberto behind and depart.
And Umberto, with his life on the line, wouldn’t easily hand over that item.
‘But he doesn’t seem to be holding anything special.’
To my eyes, Umberto didn’t seem to be carrying anything significant.
Just his sword and a small pouch on his waist?
Whatever could fit in that pouch would be at most some precious metals.
While Jakob tried to persuade Umberto, and Umberto raged like a madman.
Meanwhile, I decided to examine this cavity.
“No matter how I look at it, it’s a suspicious ruin. Why would there be an iron cage? It must be to trap something.”
It was just as Pelerian pointed out.
My sharp reason was warning me that this cavity was no ordinary space.
‘The fact that the iron cage is in the center means it’s meant to be viewed.’
“Oh ho, quite perceptive.”
In the world I used to live in, there was something called a zoo.
It’s a place where animals are kept in cages, and people gather around to view them.
The iron cage in the center reminded me exactly of such a zoo.
I wonder if there are zoos in this world too?
There might be. There might even be monster zoos with magical beasts.
Even if not made by a madman like Deshnan.
“Go to that wall.”
Following Pelerian’s words, I went to the wall of the cavity.
There were mysterious patterns drawn on the wall.
There were wave-like patterns that seemed to have formed naturally rather than being artificially drawn, though I’m not sure how they were made.
“This wasn’t deliberately engraved.”
‘Then?’
“It’s a trace left behind.”
Hmm.
For wave patterns to form on the wall… Ah!
It seems something quite dynamic happened here.
“Ah, whatever. Everyone gather!”
There was a shout from behind.
It seems the agreement between Umberto and the adventurers didn’t work out.
“Let’s catch this bastard and take the item!”
That was Jakob’s idea.
The idea was for the adventurers to cooperate, subdue Umberto, and seize the item.
“Oh yeah? Let’s see you try!”
Though he looked like a beggar, he was still an S-rank hunter after all.
As he swiftly drew his rapier and thrust it through the bars, Jakob grabbed his hand and screamed.
Jakob, who suddenly had a hole in the back of his hand, shouted.
“Arrows, bring the crossbow!”
“Uwaaa!”
The adventurers who had been staying here probably wanted to withdraw long ago.
In front of the smelly iron cage, their brawl began.
Meanwhile, I approached Pandan.
‘Pandan.’
“Yes, Mr. Snake.”
Among the barbaric adventurers, I rather liked Pandan.
He’s also a fellow student who learned the Ferang School Dagger Technique.
So I decided to give Pandan a chance to save his life.
‘What’s the item you’re looking for? Tell me honestly.’
“Hmm…”
Pandan thought for a moment and then said.
“This is a secret, but…”
‘Yes?’
“It’s a wyvern egg.”
He told me more straightforwardly than I expected.
Good.
Then I’ll spare you.
‘Since you told me honestly, I’ll give you some advice. You should run away from here right n…’
I was about to tell him to run away.
But I guess my writing speed was too slow.
Click!
In an instant.
All the passages connected to the cavity closed.
Iron bars dropped down at each passage.
“No more!”
At the same time, Umberto shouted.
There were already several arrows stuck in his body.
Is he going to surrender now?
“If you touch even a fingertip of mine, it’s all over!”
He widely opened his pouch and took something out.
An object much larger than the size of the pouch popped out.
It must have been a space pouch.
What he took out of the pouch was a large, black egg that looked like a black pearl.
“I’ll smash it right away, got it!”
“Captain! Calm down!”
“Calm down my ass!”
The adventurers really did steal a wyvern egg.
“Oh my. This is bad.”
Pelerian let out a dry laugh.
Stealing a wyvern egg, their courage is admirable.
“The situation will differ depending on which wyvern’s egg they stole.”
Pelerian chuckled.
“Wyverns never forgive egg thieves. They’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”
So that’s why the wyverns were so noisy.
There were quite a few wyverns moving around, but is there only one egg?
“It could be the group of the mother wyvern whose egg was stolen… or it could be family.”
Grrrrrung-
“Wh-what’s this!”
Even Umberto, who had been raging, seemed to notice the situation now.
The entire cavity was rising upward.
The wave patterns on the wall were traces left from the cavity moving up and down.
“Ah, ah, the, the ceiling!”
So that’s how the ceiling opens.
The adventurers panicked and became confused.
“What is this!”
What else could it be?
This is the Wyvern’s Altar.
I guess the altar activated because enough sacrificial prey had gathered.
The dark dawn just before daybreak.
White clouds floating in the sky.
Tall stone pillars seeming to pierce that sky.
And wyverns resting on those pillars.
They howled at the sudden appearance of humans.
“Guok, guooo.”
“Guoooooo!”
It sounded like they were alerting someone.
We found the thieves.
We found the thieves!
As if saying that.
And soon, a black and enormous wyvern slowly descended from within the clouds.
“Ah, we’re dead, we’re all dead.”
Jakob fell to his knees with a thud.
From that reaction, I could tell.
“That’s the one. The owner of the egg.”
Whose egg the adventurers had stolen.
──────────────
[Oblivion Wyvern Queen Celeta lv???]
──────────────
What appeared was the Wyvern Queen.
A named, very powerful monster.
