The day they set out for Keune Village was clear from dawn.
As planned, Jin and his companions departed in his carriage. The group consisted of Jin, Reinhard, Elsa, and the butler, Claude. Reiko sat atop the coach box.
Just as they had been warned, the road was in terrible condition. It was riddled with bumps and deep ruts, featuring steep inclines, narrow passes, and large rocks strewn about. Jin’s carriage handled the treacherous terrain with ease, reaching Keune Village before noon.
“That was fast! Your carriage never ceases to amaze, Jin!” Reinhard offered his praise.
“Now then, I wonder where the ruins are?”
Jin parked the carriage in a modest square and looked around. Keune Village had the desolate air of a remote mountain settlement, appearing even more impoverished than Kaina Village.
Are there really ruins here? Jin wondered. He figured a place with such historical significance would be a bit more lively.
“You folks come to see the ruins?”
Jin turned at the voice to find an elderly man with a hunched back leaning on a cane. He looked like a local.
“Y-yes. The Keuwan Ruins, right? We’re very interested in seeing them.”
When Jin explained their purpose, the old man chuckled, his speech tinged with a slight dialect.
“Ho ho, is that so? The ruins, eh? You’re a curious lot.” He began hobbling toward the mountains. “Well, this way, then. I’ve got nothing but time, so I’ll show you the way.”
The group exchanged glances.
“What do you think?”
“We might as well follow him.”
“Mm. I agree.”
“I don’t sense any particular danger from him. There was no killing intent or malice in his presence.”
Claude—who had once been a first-class swordsman—assured them the man was harmless.
“Alright, let’s go. Oh, Jin, will the carriage be alright?” Reinhard asked.
Jin chuckled and reassured him it would be fine. “I’ll make sure it’s locked.”
Far from just locking it, the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) was secretly keeping watch, so he could leave the carriage with peace of mind—though Jin couldn’t say that out loud.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
Further up the path, the old man turned and called back to them. Jin grabbed his bags and started walking. “Come on, let’s go.”
Reinhard and the others followed. Elsa watched Jin with curiosity, as it was rare to see him carrying luggage. “Jin-kun, what’s in there?”
Jin replied with a smile. “This? Just some essentials. Magi-lamps, water, rations, and rope.”
Hearing this, Claude voiced his admiration. “Ho ho, Jin-sama is quite thorough. Unlike that tourist mine yesterday, ruins are generally unmanaged. Light and water are absolute necessities.” He pointed to his own pack; it seemed Claude had come prepared as well.
Reiko held the sword Touka in her hand for the first time in a while, staying close to Jin as they walked.
“You folks brought a lot of gear, but you won’t be needin’ any of that,” the old man muttered from ahead.
“Eh?”
“The ruins aren’t all that big. You just duck inside, have a look around, and that’s about it.”
“Is that so?” When Jin asked, the old man nodded.
“Yep. If there was more to see, it’d be a real tourist trap by now.”
It sounded like a bit of a letdown. However, they had gone to the trouble of packing, so they decided to keep their bags with them.
After a ten-minute walk, they arrived at the base of a massive cliff.
“A cliff...?”
“Looks to be at least a hundred meters high.”
“Look, there’s the entrance.”
The old man pointed toward the base of the nearly vertical granite face, where a dark opening marked the entrance to the ruins.
“Nothin’ dangerous in there. The locals come here to cool off during the summer heat.”
His explanation dampened their enthusiasm even further, but they had come this far, so they proceeded toward the opening anyway.
“Seems like a bit of a disappointment,” Reinhard remarked.
“But this is my first time at a place like this. It might be more interesting than it looks once we’re inside,” Elsa replied.
Jin walked in silence. Suddenly, Reiko stopped and placed a hand on his arm. “Father, there is someone in the ruins.”
Right on cue, a man poked his head out from the entrance.
“Oh, how rare. Visitors?”
“Ah, Professor. Are you conducting your research again today?”
The man addressed as “Professor” appeared to be an acquaintance of the villager and was roughly the same age. He was completely bald but sported a magnificent white beard. Yet his posture was perfectly upright, and his gray eyes sparkled with vitality. Wearing a white, robe-like garment, he radiated the unmistakable aura of a scholar.
“Indeed. I don’t feel quite right unless I visit at least once a day.” After saying that, the man turned toward Jin and the others. “As a scholar, it brings me great joy to see young people taking an interest in such ruins. I am Lucol, an independent archaeologist.”
“I’m Jin. This is Reiko.”
“I’m Reinhard, and this is Elsa.”
“I am Claude, the butler.”
Jin and the others introduced themselves and exchanged greetings with Lucol.
“I’ve been investigating these ruins for ten years now, and yet I still haven’t reached a full understanding of them. If you like, would you care for a brief tour?”
It was a generous offer. Honestly, rather than just wandering aimlessly, being guided by a dedicated researcher was much preferred.
“That would be wonderful. Please, lead the way,” Reinhard said, speaking for the group.
“Very well, very well. Come this way.”
Lucol led them toward the entrance he had just emerged from.
The entrance was a weathered, crumbly fissure in the granite, but any initial impressions of neglect vanished the moment they stepped inside.
“Wh—what is this place?”
The interior was a vast space filled with chairs, benches, and beds. It was also cluttered with heaps of scattered trash.
“Hahaha, surprised? It was originally just a large, vacant hall, but because it’s cool in the summer and warm in the winter, the locals started using it to escape the weather. That’s how it ended up in this state,” Lucol explained.
Likely because of the villagers' use, magi-lamps were positioned throughout the area, providing ample light, if not quite as bright as the sun.
“Oh, I see.”
“It was so unexpected, I was startled.”
Reinhard and Elsa laughed at Lucol’s explanation, but Jin was the only one whose face remained clouded with a frown.
What's wrong, Jin? What on earth happened?!