My name is Rigron = Auerstadt.
I was born into a historic family of counts. Being a younger son, I don't carry the heavy weight of succession, but I was still raised strictly to ensure I would never bring shame to our name. Because of that upbringing, I have a fair amount of confidence in my skills.
Currently, I am engaged in an infiltration mission within the Demon Kingdom. My alias for this operation is Mick.
I was currently being led by my colleague, Dan, toward the forest north of Shashato City. Apparently, he had his heart set on seeing some "strange golems." I had told him I had no interest and that he should go alone, but he completely ignored me. He was an incredibly pushy man.
Personally, I had wanted to investigate the aquaculture farms being developed on the coast south of the city. While I didn't think gathering info on strange golems was a total waste of time, as it might be useful for something, it wasn't my priority.
"Should we start the search around here?" I suggested to Dan.
At our current pace, we were about five days north of Shashato City. For ordinary adventurers, this was a distance that would take eight to ten days. To be honest, I didn't want to go any further than this.
Or rather, I couldn't.
We had been following a trail through the woods, but the atmosphere of the forest ahead was entirely different. The danger level had clearly skyrocketed. It was the kind of place where a party of at least twenty should be traveling together, far too dangerous for just the two of us.
And yet, the path continued on as if nothing were wrong, almost like it was beckoning us toward our deaths.
"You're right. It's definitely too dangerous past this point."
Dan reached the same conclusion, which was a massive relief. My plan was to search this area for about three days; even if we didn't find the golems, I figured Dan would eventually give up and head back.
I hoped we would find something, but...
We never did find any strange golems. Instead, we stumbled upon a peculiar town.
It was a reasonably sized settlement, but there wasn't a soul in sight. It was a ruin. The reason I called it "peculiar" was the townscape itself. The roads were perfectly paved, and the houses were built with eerie, geometric precision. I had traveled all over the Demon Kingdom as part of the caravan, but I had never seen a town laid out like the one before us.
What was this place? An abandoned city? It seemed far too clean and well-maintained for that.
I looked over at Dan.
"Mick, here’s what I’m thinking. Could this be the base of those strange golems?"
I see. Sentient golems dwelling in ancient ruins was a classic trope of heroic epics.
"I think there's a high chance we'll run into them if we investigate. What do you say?"
Investigate this entire town? It was quite sprawling. We certainly wouldn't finish in three days.
"Hey now, it's impossible for just the two of us to clear this whole place. However..."
I looked where Dan was pointing. It was just a beautiful stone-paved street. I didn't see anything.
"It's not that there's nothing. If golems are here, they'll leave traces. And I can see them. Look, right here. These are tracks from someone passing through recently. Well, I can't be certain it's a golem, but given the circumstances, it has to be, right?"
Dan had me beat when it came to those kinds of specialized skills. Not that I had any intention of competing with him.
Dan followed the tracks until we arrived at a large mansion. I assumed it might have belonged to the town's leader. As I moved to step onto the grounds, Dan held out an arm to stop me.
"There's a mechanism there. If you step on it, it'll trigger."
"..."
"Mick, make sure you don't step anywhere except exactly where I've walked."
I understood, but I wondered if it wouldn't be better for me to just wait outside. From the look on his face, that clearly wasn't an option.
The investigation from that point on was an exercise in constant, grinding tension. There were so many traps I wanted to scream and ask why anyone would need this many. Dan disarmed them one by one, and I carried the deactivated devices outside.
It took us three full days just to break into the main structure. We eventually reached a massive hall. Judging by the sheer density of the traps, there was no doubt they were meant to protect this specific room.
Inside were thousands of books. The script was ancient, so I couldn't read it, but the luxurious bindings suggested they contained incredibly important information. Was every single volume here of that caliber?
"Dan, this is a massive discovery. Let's head back for now and bring the rest of the team."
Even if we were just going to recover the books, we needed more manpower. Plus, there might be more to find.
"But we still haven't found a golem," Dan grumbled, but I managed to force him out of the building. I didn't see how a golem could move freely in a place so choked with traps. Surely he realized that.
"I guess you're right... Wait, what is that?"
Dan stopped dead, staring at a golem standing outside the mansion.
I laughed. Unfortunately, that wasn't the golem Dan had been hoping for.
"It's a sculpture I made out of the traps you disarmed inside."
To be honest, I'd had a lot of free time while he was working, and I'd gotten bored. I thought it was quite the masterpiece.
"Are you surprised?" I asked.
"I'm terrified! Those are high-grade explosives, you know! Who plays around with stuff like that?"
"Eh?"
"I explicitly told you not to drop those while you were carrying them, didn't I?"
Well, he had said that, but...
"I suppose it's my fault for not explaining exactly what they were in detail..."
He probably realized I would have refused to touch them if he'd told me they were live bombs. And he was right—I wouldn't have moved a single one.
With that terrifying realization, I decided I wouldn't touch the sculpture again. I wouldn't even go near it.
"Forget going near it—if you bundle them up like that, the whole town might blow away if one goes off... Fine, whatever. Let's just go back."
To serve as proof to our comrades in Shashato City, Dan and I carried out one massive, arm-stretching volume. We also hoped it might be worth a fortune. A book kept under such heavy guard couldn't possibly be worthless.
We made our way back to Shashato City. On the road, we passed a party of four adventurers. I worried about how we'd explain ourselves, but it turned out Dan knew some of them. It was an all-female party, and they looked quite capable. Were they headed toward the dangerous forest we had just fled?
When on earth had Dan made friends with them?
He said they played baseball together. Apparently, it was that game Dan liked where you hit a ball with a stick. I had thought he was just goofing off, but I suppose his hobbies had their uses.
"You want to try it, Mick?"
"I'll pass."
"It's fun, I'm telling you."
"I get it, I get it. Maybe if there's a chance later."
For now, our priority was getting the book to our team. We entered the city at night to avoid drawing attention, but carrying a massive ancient tome might have actually made us stand out more. Perhaps we should have just come in during the day.
We were almost to the inn where our comrades were staying when someone blocked our path.
It was a woman. She radiated a strangely heavy, intense atmosphere. I could tell from her appearance that she was of the Demon Race. No, she was of the Devil Race.
"...I catch a most fragrant scent. That book you hold... I shall permit you to show it to me."
My mind didn't even process the idea of fighting. It wasn't about being strong or weak; the sheer rank of her existence was on an entirely different level. My instincts screamed that if we offended her, our lives would be forfeit in an instant. Dan seemed to feel the same.
We were just about to offer the book as commanded when another voice cut through the air.
"That book... how did you? No, that can wait. Ownership of that book rests with us. I don't care who you are, I will not permit you to read it on a whim."
A man in a butler's uniform was suddenly standing behind us.
My heart sank. This one was on a different level too. We were dead.
Father, Mother, please forgive your failure of a son. Brother, I leave the family in your hands. I really wish I could have lived a bit longer.
I had completely given up on life. But then, a savior appeared.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, waaaaaait!"
A man came sprinting toward us, shouting at the top of his lungs. He slid to a halt and took a defensive stance between us and the two terrifying entities.
"You two! I don't know what's going on here, but I won't let you lay a finger on these men! Please, let's settle this without a fight!"
This man was likely stronger than us, but he was clearly weaker than the Devil woman and the butler. Overwhelmingly weaker. And yet, he was the most reliable person I'd ever seen.
Who was he? It turned out he was another of Dan's acquaintances.
"Manager..." Dan whispered.
"Hmph. Protecting my players is part of a manager's job description. I'm not about to let a promising defensive recruit run into trouble like this."
Apparently, they were baseball teammates.
I don't know what's going to happen to me next, but if I survive this, I'm going to play baseball. Definitely.