Jammerg55 here, this was a really fun chapter to translate, by fun I mean thrilling. This arc was only 3 chapters long but it is a big setup for a several arcs including the next one. Enjoy!

Chapter 23:The Underground Ruins and the Crystal Demon

Light come forth, Small Illumination, Light

In the air above Lindseys head appeared a small light. With a firm step on the stairs we begin to descend underground.

The stairs drew in a gradual spiral angle, just how far is this thing going to go? While continuing forward it felt as if we were walking closer to the bowels of hell, such foolish uneasiness sprang up.

After descending the long flight of stairs, there was a wide stonework passage way.

Pointing straight ahead, what lay ahead was so dark nothing could be seen. There was a damp moist smell that caused an indescribably eerie mood.

Som-, something, it feels bad, a ghost might even appear.

What are you saying Elsie!? Surely, gh- ghosts wont come out~degozaru! Right

Yae overreacts to what Elsie muttered quietly. I dont really care but can you girls please stop pulling on my coat its making it hard to walk

Lindsey walks voluntarily ahead through the passage. Youve got some guts.

The light from Lindsey ahead lights the passage. Next we follow and gradually advance through the next passage that gradually rises and comes out into a large hall.

What is this?

Drawn on the furthest wall ahead, there seemed to be characters or something. Approximately 4 meters high and 10 meters in length, there seemed to be continuous lines of writing.

As I drew nearer, rather than characters they seemed closer to pictographs. Something in the range of Inca or Aztec writing.

Lindseycan you read whats written here?

No not at all. Ancient magic languagedoesnt seem to be this.

Lindsey while answering my question doesnt look at me, but stares at the wall absentmindedly.

This certainly classifies as a historical relic. Even an amateur like me can understand that. But, if you were to ask me if this was treasure, I would honestly say that it was something else. Search would have still shown this as a result.

Oh thats right, I should at least take a picture. I setup the smartphone, pushed the picture button on the camera app and a brilliant flash of light appeared.

U!? What was that!?

The sudden flash of light startled Yae and the others. Showing them that it was alright by showing them my smartphone, they breathed a sigh of relief. The girls are gradually becoming accustomed to my eccentric behavior. Oh wait, I shouldnt say things like eccentric behavior about myself.

I took pictures of all the paintings but why is something like this in a place like this?

Hey, wait! Everyone come over here for a moment!

Elsie suddenly raises her voice. On the right side of the hall she was pointing to a certain part of the wall.

Someone buried something here

In the wall, there was a brownish transparent diamond stone just in our line of vision that was imbedded. It was approximately 2-centimeters in diameter. A jewel, it seemed to be slightly dirty.

This is a demon stone. This is the earth attribute demon stone. If you pour in some magic something might happen.

Something like a trap?

I cant say it isnt something like that but something like this wouldnt be a trap normally its unthinkable

I can nod at Lindseys explanation but what is it, this unease? Because there is a switch I want to push it. With that feeling it might not be a trap I might just be over thinking it.

Well then Touya, apply some magic.

What me!?

With Elsies nonchalant comment, I spun around and looked. Even though it might be a trap!?

I mean Touya is the only one with the earth attribute right?

Muu, if I remember correctly, Lindsey has fire and water, and light, Elsie has non-attribute, Yae doesnt have any attribute. And I have all attributes. Oh well, it cant be helped

Why is everyone so far away?

Well, just in case

Everyone takes a distance from me, trying to laugh it away while staring intently. After sighing once, I apply magic to the demon stone.

Zuzuzuzuzuthe sounds of the ground that had begun to move, all the walls in front of me became sand and opened a hole. It was a pretty flashy door opening.

What is this?

The walls disappear and we look inside. There seemed to be an object covered with dust and sand in the center of the room.

What would be something appropriate to say? The first image I saw was an insect. A cricket. It looked close to that From the almond shaped body, that looked like it could fly, sprouted 6 long slender legs. Several had already been broken.

It was approximately the size of a light car. Imagine a dead cricket with its arms and legs missing.

But, the form was machine-like, with a simple streamlined structure, rather than a living thing.

What is that thing? Is some kind of image?

Elsie looked at it from various angles. Looking closely at it, looking inside the head there was what looked like a transparent baseball sized red object.

With dust and sand on the surface, the mysterious object was half transparent was it glass? It cant really see through the gloomn?

LindseyHow much longer can you maintain the light magic?

Eh? Im certainly not very good with light magic but I can keep it going for about 2 hours.

Puffing her cheeks in protest, cocks her head and looks at the light ball thats suspended in the air.

Huh? The light seems to be getting weaker it seems

Its not it seems. Its certainly weakened. This is

Touya-dono!

Glancing back at Yae who shouted, in the head of the cricket, the red ball began to shine. The crickets body begins to vibrate a little.

Touya-san! Its absorbing the light magic!

Thats the reason the light magic was weakening! The ball quickly begins to shine and the crickets body begins to move. Could it be this thing, its alive!? The magic is being absorbed and its starting to move!?

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Ughthis is!

My ears started to ring from the shrill noise. The sound impacted all the walls around the room. It was like an electric shock to the body. The pinging was causing the walls to begin to crack. This is bad! At this rate were going to be buried alive!

Gate!

As the gate appeared, everyone ran through the gate one after the other above ground. I was the last to enter the gate just as the cricket stood up. It was charging at me at a terrifying speed. It was only 5 meters away from me, it was like a spear, and was headed right at me.

I fell out of the gate and landed on the ground. I immediately closed the gate and the ruins on the ground extended in my presence. It seems to have been buried alive in the end.

What was that?

That demon, Ive never seen anything like it degozaru!

Elsie and Yae looked at the entrance to the underground, still tense while talking about the underground looked around, gogogogogo the earth rumbled and a crack appeared.

From the interior came the sounds of roaring and a cloud of dust appeared. Perhaps the hall in the underground caved in it seems. That cricket demon seems to have been buried, or should have been.

Everyone held their breath, silence ruled the vicinity.

Kiiiiiin

That soundcould it be

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin

Its coming!

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Dokaa! And it broke through the ground and came out on top.

That almond type, 6 long slender legged creature. The crystal shines under the sun. This is what you would call a translucent living being, a crystal creature?

The cricket stretches its legs again, and runs sideways down the walls and directly at me. It cuts through the walls like a knife through tofu. What sharpness.

Flame come forth, Red duet, Fire arrow!

Lindsey sends a continuous stream of flaming arrows at the cricket. However, even without dodging the arrows, calmly accepts them. The flame arrows were being sucked into the cricket and disappearing.

Its absorbing the magic!?

Kuuwell then what about this!

Yae draws her sword and strikes at the head of the cricket. But what would have been a hit was merely a scratch.

What hardness degozaru!

Next, Elsie punched the cricket from the side. But it wasnt effective, it wasnt something that could damage it after all.

One of the crickets feet took aim at Elsie. She dodged it before she was skewered.

What should we do with this thing!?

Magic is absorbed, blades dont cut it, what should I! Wait, if attack magic doesnt work directly then what about indirectly lets test that out.

Slip!

The moment I set the frictional properties on one of the crickets feet to zero the result was immediate, that guy fell spectacularly. OK!

Lindsey! Magic doesnt work directly, but does indirectly!

I seeI understand! Ice come forth, a huge lump of Ice, Ice Rock!

Lindsey recites the ice magic. A huge mass of Ice appears over the head of the cricket, then falls just like that. The cricket is crushed. Though direct attack magic is absorbed, an object made from magic could not be absorbed.

Kiii!

Like the rust on the hinges of a rusted door, the cricket flinches. However with even with the objects invented by magic only damage it a little due to the hardness.

Facing the one who stopped it, Elsie jumps out of the way like avoiding a bullet.

Boost Open all!

This non-attribute magic improves physical strength, Boost is used, with a best aimed kick to one of the long slender legs of the cricket with as much power as possible.

The next moment, with what sounded something like breaking glass, the leg was crushed.

Theres no way this thing cant be wounded. If can be damaged even a little at a time, itll fall eventually!

Kikiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Suddenly, the cricket groans and screams, the read ball shines in its head. As if reacting to that, the leg that should have been crushed was restored, Hey, thats a lie right

It restored it

In a moment of surprise, Elsie stops momentarily. In the moment that she stopped she was deeply pierced in her right shoulder.

Oneechan!

Elsie flies instantly backward away in escape. Blood streams profusely from the shoulder. Her shirt is stained and stains all the way down to her pants.

Yae! Lindsey! Stall it!

The two nod and Yae quickly attacked while Lindsey began to form another ice rock. While the cricket is focused on the 2 girls. I run up to Elsie and use recovery magic on her. The wound is gradually closed, and before long the blood is stopped.

Thank you Im fine now

Like hell youre fine. The wound might have been closed but the damage should still be there.

Capable of regeneration, magic absorption, abnormally strong hardness how do we beat it? Are there any weak points?

Even if we break something it gets regenerated making this hopeless!

Speaking of whichwhen we found that body it was already broken apart So why.?

If I remember correctly It absorbed Lindseys magic and then it regenerated Even though it regenerated it still needed magic? Speaking of which, at that time the ball in the head started to shine. Could it be that the red ball in the head is the nucleus?

Elsie, come here

I told Elsie what I realized.

Eh? You can do that kind of thing!?

Im not sure. But its worth trying

Got it

With a breath straightening up, I faced the cricket and concentrated magic on my grip and imagined its body. The body is transparent so look closely!

Aport!

In my hand the red crystal appeared. Good, it succeeded!

Elsie!

Boost!

I aimed and threw the ball , Elsies strengthened fist came straight down on it. It got caught between Elsies fist and the ground and shattered to pieces with a Pakiin!

How about that!?

After pulling out the nucleus it stops moving. Before long, it crumbles with a rattle. Reflecting with a glitter in the sun, the Crystal demon finally falls.

For a while, waiting for it to reproduce again, but it did not revive for a long, long time.

With the tension drained, I sit on the ground. The idea that I decided to try went well. Looking around closely Elsie and Yae were also sitting on the ground.

Lindsey took a splinter of the demon, she wanted to examine it.

Could this be, this could be something that closely resembles demon stone

Demon stone?

Demon stones features are magic amplification, accumulation and discharge. This demon absorbed magic from someone else and used it to regenerate itself no, could it be that was a defense ability and then used it, I think. Absorption, accumulation, discharge those are features that look like demon stone.

Could it be that thing couldnt actually produce any magic itself? And because of that it stopped moving in the ruins? Nothing but a mystery.

Is this something that we should report to the guild degozaru?

No, when taking the fact of the underground ruins and this being the former Capital into consideration, the government should be informed instead. Lets go and speak to the Duke

I see. That would be best.

Lets immediately go to the dukes house.

Gate

I see, the old Capital had those kinds of ruins

The Duke folded his arms and leaned back in his chair thinking about it. It was unfortunate but Sue and Ellen were both out. While sitting in the parlor, we explained the general outline.

I understand. This could possibly have some relation to the royal family. The government will send out an investigation and investigate the area. Of course the demon as well.

Ah The underground ruins are probably destroyed, so examining those might be quite difficult.

What? Oh, I see.the writing on the wall was something that interested me but

The Duke looks down with a disappointed face. Did I do something bad? No, its not as if we destroyed those ruins.

Oh, but I was able to take some photos of the wall painting. You might be able to do something with that.

Photo?

On the smartphone camera app the photo was displayed to the Duke.

What is this!?

This is a non-attribute magic image recorder

Hou? Youre amazing as usual

With a little lie the duke was easily deceived. Sorry forgive me. The explanation is too confusing.

If I can have some time I can make some copies and hand them over.

Please do. By chance, its possible that this was recorded 1000 years before the capital was transferred.

Ah, why is it that the country of the capital that was transferred doesnt even know why it happened. Usually this kind of thing is recorded by the country in some kind of record. Or could it be that the duke is saying that the reason the capital was transferred is in the wall painting. That something about the demon was written there.

We understand the weak point of that monster. If we were to fight it again we would probably win.

But, something bothers me. The old Capital was that in that condition that it probably wasnt the demons doing.

With hazy feelings, we left the details with the Duke and departed the residence.

So I hope you enjoyed this arc, I think its the best to date. What do you guys think of my writing style for Smartphone? Any suggestions, comments, endless praise etc etc write below. Thanks!

If I have more time Ill probably release chapters for the next arc.