027. Underground Cave
The day after a noisy night at the shack.
Just like yesterday, Finesse and I were at the guild.
“Master, this is the financial statement for this quarter.”
“Hmm? “Why are you giving me the statement of accounts?”
“Have you forgotten in just one day that you defeated Sentai Master Oriha and took over the important position of Guild Master?”
“That can’t be possible. However, since I am only a temporary master, I am telling you to hand over the master duties to Oriha.”
“Unfortunately, Oriha-sama is busy concentrating on making magic tools under the Master’s orders.”
“That’s right, I forgot about that. So you’re telling me to check if there are any problems after checking the statement of accounts?”
“No, I have completed the verification process. However, as a matter of procedure, you must show the settlement report to the guild master and receive proof that it has been confirmed.”
A female secretary pointing with her finger at the stamp placed on the desk.
This meant that all you had to do was stamp the checkbox without even checking the financial statement.
What exactly does a guild master do?
I’ve never seen such a sweet position even in the military.
“Okay. “Give it to me.”
“Here it is.”
I received the document from the female secretary and opened it wide.
I was very curious about what the financial statements would look like in an era without computers.
I took a quick look at the contents of the statement of accounts.
[Quantity of imported cards]
Monster Card
Magic Card
Trap Card
[List of imported cards]
Ancient Drake
Tiger Flower
Tomboy Butterfly
.
.
.
.
.
Paradise Trap
Death Lucky Box
The list written on the financial statement was all cards.
How serious is this world about dueling? ….
I stamped the paper, closed the document, and returned it to the secretary.
However, the secretary did not leave and just stood there blankly.
When she tilted her head, wondering if she had any other business to do, only then did she open her mouth.
“I have something to report to the Master.”
“What is it?”
“According to information received, there is one among the apostles who is particularly close to the executioner. His name is Shardel, and he is a brave and righteous apostle.”
“Oh, that young man knows a lot about bailiffs. Should we at least try to meet secretly?”
“Even so, I asked informants to look into Shardel’s movements. But they say he suddenly disappeared the night before for some unknown reason.”
“What? “What do you mean he’s gone?”
“Literally, his whereabouts became unknown.”
“Did he possibly realize that we were being investigated?”
“I think it would be better to consider that there is no possibility of that happening. “I sincerely asked the informant to move secretly.”
The voice of a female secretary full of confidence.
It meant that he trusted the informant who entrusted the request to that extent.
There was no way that she, who was great at getting things done, would have entrusted the work to someone of poor quality.
“Then why did that apostle named Shardel disappear?”
“I don’t know either. First of all, the last confirmed point was that after dinner, we entered the apostle’s headquarters. They say he never came out after that.”
“Didn’t you at least work overnight at your home base?”
The female secretary shook her head sideways.
“Chardel’s routine is frighteningly regular and consistent. It is said that he is a person who does repetitive tasks without caring at all whether it rains, snows, or even if there is a storm. He didn’t canter this morning. What do you think of this?”
“It’s clearly suspicious.”
“This is just my personal opinion, but maybe he was purged by the executioner.”
“To the bailiff? “Didn’t he say he was close with him?”
“As the Master said, if the Executor is someone who dreams up a dangerous plan, the likelihood that Shardel has been purged becomes even higher. “They say Chardel is a young man with an upright heart.”
A good-natured apostle tried to dissuade the executioner, but ended up being punished.
This was a very likely story.
According to the words of the god Miner, the executioner had already failed in his plan once and was preparing for it in many ways.
What if, in the meantime, a writer appears who might cause a disruption in his plans?
Not only was it an eyesore, but it was natural to want to get rid of it somehow.
So the bailiff disposed of him last night.
“Ha… ! “It was an opportunity to get good information, but unfortunately it ended up being an opportunity.”
I leaned back on my chair and let out a long sigh.
He couldn’t be sure that he had been purged, but it seemed like he wouldn’t be easy to find.
“So, Master. “I have a good idea.”
“Tell me.”
“If Shardel has really been purged by the Executor, he just needs to dig up information through his soul.”
“Do you know how to bring the souls of the dead here?”
“Of course I don’t know. But anyone who lives in an underground cave near the village will definitely know.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Necromancer. It is close to death, and a necromancer lives there who can communicate with the dead.”
Is there a devil in your life?
These days, there seems to be a lot of involvement with the undead.
***
‘We have recruited the gatekeeper in charge of the northern gate today. You can leave and come back with peace of mind. Also, the location of the underground cave is marked on the map, so you can check the map if you are confused about the path.’
The female secretary’s handling of the work still leaves me with nothing but admiration.
Just as she said, Finesse and I came out of the village through the north gate without any problems.
If I had known this would happen, I would have taken control of the guild a long time ago.
“It feels like breaking out of a cage and flying through the sky!”
“The village was so stuffy.”
“Aren’t you feeling uncomfortable, master?”
“It would be a lie to say no, but it wasn’t as bad as everyday life in a shack.”
While teaching Lilith, who was new to Duel, I was reminded of my childhood.
When I was in middle school, when the kids were gathered together and playing with cards for a while, there was a kid who didn’t know anything about dueling.
I wanted to play with him, but I had a hard time joining him because I didn’t know anything about dueling.
I lent the kid a deck and taught him how to duel step by step.
I had to sit next to him and teach him what to do, but it wasn’t bothersome.
Even though it wasn’t my duel, I was able to feel vicarious satisfaction from his duel, and the child also realized the joy of dueling and was reborn as a duelist.
After that, the child also made his own deck and had fun playing duels together…….
I miss him endlessly, but when he taught Lilith, I felt like I was back in time.
“It was a small place, but there were many enjoyable things to do in many ways as we stayed close together.”
“That’s right. Still, I think that child should live in a place with better living conditions rather than a shack.”
“That’s why the master is so busy like now, right?”
“hahahaha….”
I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.
Because Finesse completely saw through my intentions.
The real power in the village is the Apostles of Justice, and their leader is the executioner.
In other words, if I just defeat the bailiff, I will become the powerful person in the village, so I planned to threaten the villagers with force.
If you discriminate against the devil or anything else, I will destroy you.
I didn’t reveal it to anyone because it was a somewhat barbaric method, but Finesse was able to see right through my ambition.
Really, Finesse knew me well enough to be suspicious.
“Anyway, is it still far? Looking at the map, it seems like it’s time to start showing the underground cave….”
“Master, isn’t that hole the entrance to the underground cave?”
When I looked along the tip of Finesse’s finger, there was a hole.
I wondered if I should consider the pit a cave, but as I got closer, my thoughts changed.
An entrance large enough for a person to enter.
When I took a quick look into the pit, there was a surprisingly good path inside.
Only the entrance was a pit, and the inside clearly resembled a cave.
Even though it was definitely an underground cave, there was no major problem.
“I think this is the right place.”
“Then let’s go quickly.”
Finesse said that there might be a dangerous trap and that he would take the lead.
I wanted to take the lead, but I am a weak human, while Finesse is a monster with supreme power.
Due to the overwhelming power gap, I had no choice but to follow behind her.
“Would you like me to lend you a flashlight?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“It’s okay, I can make a fire myself.”
Sorry, Battery Man. I don’t think you’ll be active this time.
I put the flashlight I had brought with me to explore the cave into my pocket.
Anyway, relying on the fire created by Finesse, we slowly made our way into the cave.
A cave that was perfect for just one person to pass through, both in width and height.
I was amazed that there was a cave like this below the ground, but at the same time, I shivered at the gloomy atmosphere.
Maybe because I heard that it was a place where necromancers hide out, I often kept an eye on the rear.
If I let my guard down, it seemed like the undead would suddenly pop out from behind.
“Master, it’s okay if you don’t be so careful. “I can’t feel anything except for the presence at the end of the cave.”
“Yeah, really?”
“Yes. And it seems like we arrived at the only sign of it just in time.”
It definitely felt like the surroundings were brighter than before.
When I peeked my head out, I saw a large auditorium at the end of the cave.
At the center of the auditorium visible from a distance was a white-haired man wearing a black robe.
“Is he a necromancer?”
“Yes, I can tell by looking at the floor.”
“Floor?”
I lowered my head and looked down.
Then I couldn’t help but encounter a shocking sight.
“This, this…” !”
“I was living in a place befitting my nickname of necromancer.”
There were cards torn in half scattered all over the floor.
The floor is so full of cards that it could easily be called a card carpet.
What was surprising was that all the cards were completely cut in two.
It is very difficult to tear the card like this.
“With corpses piled up like this, it’s difficult to get close. “
“Ah… !”
Once again, I had forgotten that this was a duel world.
Cards that are torn in half are skeletons in the real world.
So, will the old me who tore the unnecessary cards into pieces and throw them away become a bastard who committed murder and even abandoned the corpse?
I lost my mind again.
“Kkekekeke! Dual… !!”
As we got closer to the necromancer, he also confirmed our presence and soon began to let out a strange laugh.
“Hey, are you the necromancer who lives in the underground cave?”
“Kekekeekkeek…” !!”
“I came here because I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“Kekekeke!! Dual… !!”
“No, we didn’t come here specifically to duel, but because we wanted to get help from you.”
“Dual… !!”
“Master, I don’t think you will listen to my story unless you duel.”
“Um…. “Before that, there’s something I want to try for a while.”
Suddenly, curiosity arose, and I picked up a pair of card pieces lying on the floor.
Then, he opened a store and purchased tape from the stationery section.
When I opened the tape I purchased, I neatly connected the cards that were torn in half.
I showed the result to the necromancer.
“Jjaran! “The resurrection of the dead!”
At that moment, the necromancer’s expression, which had been smiling darkly, immediately hardened.