The suggestion for only the three of us to head out on reconnaissance surprisingly passed without much resistance, perhaps due to the Fix Ougus incident. Of course, it might also be because our classmates had seen our performance in the battle against the goblins.

Oujin, who quickly restructured the group, and Void, who singlehandedly plunged into the center of the horde, were irreplaceable. As for me and Miku, we were treated as add-ons.

Miku took a water pouch from a classmate and asked the girl who handed it over.

"How long do you think Ilga will hold out?"

Ilga apparently referred to the fool who recklessly charged at that monster on the first floor. He was the eldest son of the Freiges Marquis family, a prominent noble family central to the royal capital Galliant.

Though I didn’t interact with him much, I remember he was always surrounded by fellow nobles at school. Right now, Fix Ougus was focusing solely on channeling mana into the hole in his chest.

"Fix-kun's healing magic is barely keeping him stable, but he won't last even half a day before his mana runs out."

"Figures. We'd better hurry."

"Do the weapons for your group suffice? Should I lend mine too?"

Oujin answered in Miku's stead.

"We're fine. We won't push ourselves to the point of losing weapons. That's why we're keeping the group small."

"…? Isn’t that dangerous? Nearly half of those goblins are still alive, you know? Wouldn't it be better to stick together?"

The female student looked uneasy.

I spoke up.

"We aren’t scouts meant for combat. Avoiding conflict is a prerequisite for reconnaissance. Especially in a dungeon with a monster so fearsome, we’re uncertain if the entire class could defeat it."

"Um…?"

"The more people, the louder the footsteps. Even breathing subtly disturbs the air. Ideally, we want to spot it first. But the risk of being discovered first increases with numbers. That's why a smaller group is better suited for this."

Oujin continued after me.

"Not to mention, in the event of a retreat, more people slow us down. For reconnaissance purposes, fewer is better."

That said, I honestly wanted to take a few more weapons with us. However, this base wasn’t entirely safe either. The monster could descend through the hole in the ceiling at any moment, and if this floor was a goblin nest, another attack wouldn’t be surprising. They needed weapons as much as we did.

Though, even with weapons, if it’s that monster we’re dealing with… Best not to voice those thoughts.

After all, we’re going out to scout to prevent their annihilation. Putting them in danger would defeat the purpose.

Void placed a hand on my head, tousling my hair.

"Well, that's how it is. Still, you're a smart little guy, Neu."

"Hey, don’t casually mess with a guy’s head."

I grabbed Void's hand with both of mine and roughly pushed it away.

"Heh."

"What are you laughing at, you delinquent?"

"You're not bad, kid. You don’t act your age."

Pointing at Void’s nose, I shouted.

"Then stop treating me like a kid! If you call me Neu again, I won’t respond!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let’s get moving."

He wasn’t listening, brushing me off as usual.

Miku, Oujin, Void, and I started walking away from the corner we’d been using as a base. The girl from earlier waved us off.

"Take care!"

"Got it~! You too!"

Miku cheerfully waved back, her face lit with a smile. She looked as though she were heading out for a picnic. However, once the base was out of sight, her smile faded.

"This place is huge, El-tan. The echoes are strange; they don’t bounce back from the front."

"…Yeah."

Though voices echoed from the sides, there was no response from the front. This dungeon was home to monsters, after all. That girl wasn’t exactly shouting earlier, so it wasn’t quite like a mountain echo, but still.

Only the sound of our footsteps and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling filled the dungeon.

Miku mused as she walked.

"Who do you think made this artificial dungeon?"

The dungeon was clearly man-made. Even though parts were crumbling, the flat stones fitted together revealed its artificial nature.

Oujin, walking ahead, answered.

"There are many dungeons on the eastern continent too. Here, it’s theorized that the magic tomes and unknown metals excavated from them are remnants of a human civilization that thrived before ours."

"Oh? So, ancient ruins of a prehistoric civilization?"

Void chimed in, and Oujin shook his head.

"Who knows? It's just a theory. But metals that repel magic are crafted with techniques found only in dungeons. If not from an ancient civilization, it would mean a species with far more advanced magical technology than ours exists somewhere in this world."

"Like the legendary demons from another continent?"

"Exactly. While we think of demons as mere fairy tales, maybe they’re real."

Void laughed gleefully.

"Heh. Of course, nations wouldn’t want to admit that. Knowing there are others far stronger than them would ruin their pride. If their authority wavers, rebellion follows. An ancient civilization theory is more convenient."

"That’s probably the case."

We moved through corridors filled with rubble, stone, and sand. The passage was remarkably wide, broad enough for about ten grown men to stretch their arms out side by side. The ceiling was equally high. If it were lower, we might have climbed the sand piles at the base and reached the upper floors, but as it stood, only winged creatures—birds or monsters—could manage it.