Isekai Nonbiri Nouka-Novel

Chapter 205 – Behind the Hidden Door

We advance to the hidden passage.

Members are me, Kuzuden, Loo, Hakuren, Ursa, and Guraru.

There are also pups surrounding us as guards.

As for the other members, mountain elf Ya, is currently getting information about the technical aspects of the castle from the devils and dream demons.

Tier, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, and Kierbit are exploring the interior part of the sun castle.

I asked them to check if there are any kind of devices that only angels can use.

Maa, at the present, only this passage is the most suspicious.

As for Rasuti, I feel sorry for her since she’s getting back to the village for additional food.

I feel uneasy knowing what has been the diet of the people living here.

The remaining members are checking the uses of the magical tools that Kuzuden gave us.

Many of them are weapons so I left them to the lizardman Daga and the beastkin Gulf.

I had them do that in the courtyard. Who knows if they’ll explode?

As we advance through the passage, we arrive in a place that looks like a wide study room.

There are books arranged in the bookshelves but…..there are also a lot of books on the floor.

This place looks like it was struck by an earthquake.

The books left on the bookshelves are still in good condition but the books on the floor are already covered with a thick layer of dust.

Is there an active magic on the bookshelves?

As for the contents of the books….they take a lot of topics.

“Glory of Godkins”

“For Victory 3rd edition”

“Becoming a Lord of the Castle”

“Favourite Superiours”

“Illustrated Art Book”

“How to Make Paint”

“Perfecting Ball Games”

“Animals in the Forest”

“Popular Fashion”

“Love Theory”

“Secrets of Dragons”

……I want to read the “Secrets of Dragons”.

Anyway, the arrangement is kind of messy.

Can it be that the lord of the castle doesn’t know how to properly arrange books?

The books were scattered on the floor are tattered….they are already falling apart.

I wonder how long have they been there?

If not a hundred maybe 200 years.

The footprints of the pups are visible as they proceed on the dust covered floor.

After checking every nook and cranny….we proceed to a newly opened passage of the study room.

There is an ornament next to the passage, did the kuros knock it down to open the passage?

They’re pretty clever.

We chase after them.

Ursa and Guraru.

Don’t play with dust.

You’ll cough later.

After chasing the pups in the passage, we found another door.

There’s no mechanism that needs to be triggered and it can be open up easily….once you open it, you’ll understand why.

There is the same ornament mechanism behind that door.

It seems to be designed to be opened by mechanism from the other side.

And, there’s a prison.

Small jails are lined up to the left and right making the atmosphere eerie.

There is also dust in the passage making it clear that no one has been here for a long time.

Fortunately, no one’s locked up.

……..ah, there’s something strange.

But only in one place.

The jail nearest to the door is neat and clean.

There are also traces that it was only cleaned up recently.

In short, that person is not confined here….

As I was thinking while walking, we arrived at a familiar place.

The courtyard.

Daga and Gulf came to us along with the kuros who advanced before us.

「A prison in a place like this?」

There is the usual wall.

There should have been an ornament here but it seems like it’s broken.

Because of that, you only need to push the door to the prison to open it up.

We found the girl who was defending a monster when we arrived at the sun castle.

It seems like she has kept the monster in that jail.

By the way, that monster is a lizard type.

Is it a chameleon?

It seems like it is already accustomed to people and won’t attack but….maa, I think it’s safe.

The chameleon is standing cautiously as if defending the girl. It’s wary of me.

I felt some sort of admiration to it.

Don’t worry, do not feel despair just because the kuros are approaching.

With this, the passage exploration is over.

Study room, prison, and out of the castle.

Is that study room a hidden room?

Is it designed as an escape route outside via the prison?

Or do you flee to the prison then to the study room when a revolt occurs?

Is this something for the lord of the castle?

……

Yeah, it’s strange.

What are you even going to do in a study room?

We return to the study room just in case.

Daga and Gulf also came with us.

There are two entrances to the study room.

The passage from the interior of the castle where we came from initially, and the passage from the prison.

However, the ornament there is already destroyed.

Since it has come to…..

I checked the device that should have triggered the mechanism to open the passageway to the prison.

The way it was arranged is the same as the ornament from the should have been dead-end passage at the castle.

Since it looks the same, it must work the same way too.

If that is the case, then the passage that will lead to the prison is a dummy.

When I examine the ornament….

Yeah, it is possible to turn it.

The whole study room shakes as if it will fall down.

It seems to be an elevator.

As soon as the descent ends, a new passage emerges.

This is your favorite, right?

I thought that the kuros will immediately charge but…..

They’re not moving.

Areh?

……….

They don’t seem to recognize the passage.

Why?

I pointed at the passage and asked everyone.

「There is a passage there.」

Only Ursa answered positively to my question.

What’s our common point? Both humans?

Then, is there a race recognition obstruction here?

Anyway, even if you can’t see it, there is a passage.

I proceed.

Ursa goes with me too.

The others weren’t able to.

They were blocked by a sort of wall.

No, it seems like only the members that can see it can enter.

Hakuren tried to follow but all she hit was a wall.

「Let’s not act rashly.」

I return to the study room.

Yup, I can go back.

Thinking about it, it would be better not to proceed….

We are expecting that beyond that passage is the power room of the sun castle.

It is likely that the floating device of the sun castle is there.

If that is the case, there shouldn’t be any trap but….

It is also a place that I should be careful of the most.

Should I really proceed with just me and Ursa?

I hold hands with Ursa to make sure that she won’t go.

She obediently holds my hand.

I thought that she would slip out and dash.

Hnnn?

Guraru too?

Then, hold my other hand.

Loo and Hakuren, you’re slow so don’t sulk.

Now, what should we do?

…….

Okay, let’s go back.

「Please wait.」

When I asked Daga to turn the mechanism, a voice resounded in the room.

The voice is not from any of us here.

It’s an unfamiliar voice of a woman.

「I’ll remove the barrier so the others can enter too.」

So that’s the reason why only me and Ursa can see the passage.

The kuros and Gulf enter the passage.

There seems to be no problem since the kuros enter before us.

Under Gulf’s guidance, we advance to the passage.

As expected, the end of the passage is really the power room of the sun castle.

There is a machine I don’t know of that is attached to a huge crystal.

However, the atmosphere here is that of a temple rather than a power room.

A woman dressed as a priestess emphasizes it.

She’s surrounded by the kuros.

「Though it is 10 years earlier compared to what is written to the book of prophecy….I welcome you.」

She has a long, bundled, white hair.

After bowing, she moves forward to the topic.

「I am the assistant to the lord of the sun castle. My name is Bell Foguma.」

Assistant to the lord of the sun castle?

「Please think of me as the person in charge of operation and navigation of the sun castle. By the way, there is something I would like to pass to you immediately. I will tell you things that I should say and about the prophecy.」

Bell took out something like a priestess’s staff from somewhere and wave it.

A bright red sword appeared before me.

「That is the sun sword.」

Is this the thing you need to pass me?

However, both my hands are full because of Ursa and Guraru so it is not possible for me to hold it.

Bell proceeded without minding it.

「Demon King Gullgald’s weakness is a scale on his back. If you pierce it with this sword, you will be able to slay the demon king. Please do your best, hero-sama.」

……..

「I’m sorry, you’ve mistaken me from someone else. I’m not a hero.」

「I know.」

「Eh?」

「The book of prophecy said the hero will come. In short, the moment you came here, you have become a hero. Even if you are not a hero before, you are a hero now. Isn’t that good?」

「No, even if you say that… I am acquainted with the demon king so I don’t have any intention of slaying him.」

「You are free to do what you want. My job is only to pass the sun sword to the one who’ll come here and to convey the weakness of the demon king.」

「Ehto….」

「I found that really annoying since I have to do an extra role beside operating the sun castle. My job will be over once you receive the sword so I thank you in advance.」

「You don’t mind if I don’t slay the demon king?」

「I have no problem with that.」

「There will be no strange curse as a consequence?」

「There is none.」

「Even if I release this sword?」

「I won’t care.」

「Even if I throw it away?」

「Yes」

「Is that so?」

I let go of Ursa and Guraru’s hand and hold the sun sword.

Heavy.

「Thank you. I was able to fulfill my duty with this.」

Bell gave off a fresh smile.

No matter how you look at this, everything that happened is somewhat mysterious but I felt that what we talked about is really troublesome.

「Thank you for your hard work.」

As I said that, I pierce the sun sword on the floor and put out the AFT in its hoe form.

I plowed the sun sword.

It turned into fertilizer.

I don’t need a sword that is designed to kill an acquaintance.

I thought Bell will get angry but…. She giggles and gives me a thumbs up.

I guess she found that role of her really unpleasant.