Scarlett sat on top of a smooth piece of stone, idly flipping through a book on magic theory she had found in the Freybrook mansion’s library. It didn’t cover exactly what Arlene had lectured her about back in Freymeadow, and a lot of its contents honestly went over her head, but some of the concepts described appeared to be at least similar. It was an interesting comparison, at least, considering that quite a bit of time would have passed between when this was written and Arlene’s days.

As she finished a chapter, she glanced up from the book’s pages to observe Adalicia’s progress.

They were currently on top of a small hill, and at its center, the wizard was moving back and forth between several metal stands placed around the area. Each held an irregularly shaped crystal that emitted a soft light. The woman had been at it for a while, and it had taken at least an hour or so just to set up all the equipment. Since then, she had been busy calibrating it all according to the data Scarlett had provided her.

Their group had left Faybarrow early this morning, before the sun had risen, in order to get here as soon as possible. They had traveled eastwards from the city, along the coast, for several hours, until they reached a highland region surrounded by stretching forests. While there were roads through the forests, the carriages couldn’t traverse through the highland, so they’d had to make the rest of the trek on foot, carrying all of Adalicia’s equipment along with them. Or, to be more exact, Fynn and Shin carried it.

They were searching for a set of Zuverian ruins, but Scarlett had only vaguely remembered where they had been in the game. All she had to go off was that there would be a rather distinct kopje—a tall, mostly flat, stone formation—nearby. But ‘nearby’ in the game was pretty different from ‘nearby’ in this world.

Fynn had been able to spot the stone formation itself relatively quickly, which had assuaged some of Scarlet’s worries, but she didn’t know where to go from there.

Thankfully, this was exactly why she had wanted to get Adalicia involved in all of this to begin with. Or at least one of the reasons.

She watched as the wizard leaned over one of the metal stands, inspecting the crystal at its crown. In her left hand, Adalicia held the thick, decorated tome that she always carried on her side, opened so that she could glance down at its pages now and then, while a white light shone above her right hand which she occasionally raised to the crystal.

The crystals themselves were a kind of surveying device. They were what Adalicia was using to locate their final destination.

Scarlett hadn’t actually been sure how this surveying magic worked before she first discussed it with the woman. She just knew that it was a thing that had been used in one of the quests if you joined Elystead Tower in the game. Now she had a rough idea of the process, though.

Essentially, the surveying crystals set up by Adalicia scanned for different sorts of energies that were present in the surroundings. The way the crystals were positioned was supposed to help triangulate exactly where the origin of those energies were. It wasn’t too different from how many signal-detecting technologies worked back in Scarlett’s world, though the range didn’t appear to be as impressive as what she was used to.

These crystals were supposed to be incredibly sensitive—not to mention expensive—which was a necessity if they were to be used to detect anything underground. According to Adalicia, the ground and soil in general were pretty good at absorbing most types of magical energies, so it was very much up to chance when enough would escape so that it could be detected. When it did, it was often in extraordinarily minuscule amounts. That was why you wanted to calibrate these crystals to as many types of energy as possible. Specificity was key. It apparently wasn’t enough to just search for lumomancy-attuned mana, or something ‘general’ like that, because that wasn’t often what you found out in the real world. Not unless there was a mage specifically going around casting lumomancy-based spells everywhere.

Because of this, Scarlett had shared what she knew regarding exactly what types of beings were present in the ruins they were looking for. It was basically only undead, but according to Adalicia, it made a difference exactly what type of undead it was, as well as the rough size of the ruins themselves. In addition, Scarlett had also provided some examples of the artifacts that might be inside the ruins, since it seemed those could also have unique signatures that could be detected.

Adalicia had seemed curious about how detailed Scarlett’s information was, but she hadn’t asked too many questions. Instead, the woman had immediately moved on to comparing the data with a magic database of some kind that she had stored in her tome before starting with her calibrations.

It had been a while since then. Scarlett wasn’t quite sure how long, but judging from the sun’s position in the sky, it was currently well past noon. Adalicia had said that there was no telling how long this step would take, but Scarlett was ready to wait the whole day, if necessary.

“Gnublul!” Allyssa’s voice cried out to her left.

She turned to look at the young Shielder, who was sitting on a rock a short distance away. Fynn and Rosa were in front of her, positioned in a small triangle around each other. The girl placed a card on the ground in front of the other two.

They were playing a game called Imps & Worms, which Scarlett was only moderately acquainted with. It was apparently based on a ‘true’ fable where an old farmer had to differentiate between the worms living in his field and imps that sought to eat his gourds. A strange story, if you asked her, but she supposed most fables were.

Her assumption was that the word Allyssa had just yelled was supposed to be the name of one of the imps, which would hold power over the demon. What she wasn’t sure of was how that feature had become part of the game to begin with. From what she had seen, the fact that names held power over demons didn’t seem to be common knowledge.

“I’m afraid that was a worm,” Rosa said with a grin. The bard leaned forward to turn over another card that was lying on the ground.

Allyssa let out a groan as the bard triumphantly grabbed a couple of pebbles from a pile in front of her.

Next to them, Fynn was hardly paying attention to their actions as he stared down at his own cards with knitted brows. He had been intently focused on the game since it started. Not that Scarlett understood why. He’d won most every game up till now, since he could always tell when the other two were lying. Why they continued playing with him was also a question she lacked an answer to.

Shaking her head, she looked over to where Shin sat. He was by his lonesome, closer to the middle of the hill where Adalicia worked. Like Scarlett, he was also reading a book, but he was also acting as an assistant of sorts to Adalicia whenever the woman needed help.

There was a pretty large age difference between the two—the woman was more than twice his age—but despite that, they’d seemed to hit it off pretty well during their conversations up till now. They had had several ‘interesting’ discussions about certain pieces of literature—Allyssa had seemed horrified learning there actually existed people who indulged his hobbies—and the Kereq tribe during the carriage ride here earlier.

Scarlett returned her attention to her own book, rereading a few passages about the things she didn’t quite understand. She was planning on asking both Adalicia and Arlene about it later.

After a while, sounds of activity rang out from in front of her, and she looked up again. Shin had moved from his spot as Adalicia rushed over to one of the surveying crystals that had turned a bright yellow. Soon after, four other crystals lit up in the same color. The wizard moved between them all, performing some form of confirmation with her magic, then eventually turned to Scarlett with a pleased expression. “It appears we have found our location.”

Rosa, Fynn, and Allyssa stopped their card game at the announcement.

Scarlett stood from her seat and walked over to the woman. “Are you certain?” she asked.

“Reasonably so,” Adalicia answered. “Three of the surveying nodes detected energies that are likely to belong to a lich, and the remaining two have matched it to another type of energy that has been confirmed to be common in Zuverian ruins.”

“Then let us depart. If we make haste, there is still a chance that we can return to Faybarrow before the day ends.”

Together, they helped pack things up and left the place where they’d made their temporary base. The surrounding highland consisted of rolling hills and slopes with dense forests nestled in the valleys, so trying to find the hidden entrance to the ruins by pure luck would have been extremely difficult. Even with Adalicia guiding them along with her magic, it still took them upwards of forty minutes of arduous journeying before they reached their destination.

It was a natural quarry of sorts, situated below a narrow ridge etched into a hillside that concealed it from above. The nearby vegetation made it hard to spot from a distance. At the center of the quarry, there was a small basin of water, with steep declines of unstable dirt and rocks leading down to it. Running along the ridge on the opposite end were several cramped cavities burrowing into the cliff. Some were large enough to allow a person to pass through.

Scarlett scanned across the area. The hidden entrance should be inside one of those cavities. Probably along with a puzzle of some kind that opened it. That would have been the intended way of getting inside the ruins in ‘Chronicle of Realms’, at least. But, well…

This had been a game, after all. There were few things players hated as much as backtracking through an entire dungeon after finishing it. It wasn’t too uncommon for there to be more than one entrance.

She looked down towards the bottom of the quarry, pointing down to it. “Fynn. See if you can find an underwater path in that basin.”

The white-haired young man sat down the equipment he’d been carrying and set off without a word, effortlessly climbing down the treacherous-looking decline. After reaching the bottom, he only stopped for a moment to look around and gauge its depth before promptly diving into the water.

“You think they would put the entrance at the bottom of a lake?” Allyssa asked, squinting down to where Fynn had disappeared beneath the surface.

Scarlett shook her head. “I do not. But it is not the entrance that I am searching for.”

“Zuverian ruins are a rather well-documented subject,” Adalicia said. “A factor that is commonly shared among most of the ones that are hidden away in this fashion is that they have a test of some kind that must be solved in order to enter. I don’t think it’s likely that he will find a path of any kind down there.”

Scarlett turned to the woman. “While you are not wrong in what you say, Miss Mendenhall, there is one other factor to take into consideration here.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

A small smile wound itself onto Scarlett’s face as Fynn’s drenched head appeared above the water seconds later. “Laziness,” she said.

Adalicia eyed her. “…You’re saying the Zuver would have added another entrance out of laziness?”

“Something along those lines, yes.”

“Let me remind you that this was a civilization that had society-wide access to magic capable of teleportation.”

“When you think about it, isn’t that just the epitome of laziness?” Rosa asked.

The woman turned to look at the bard for a moment. “…I suppose you’re right in that.” She chuckled, turning her gaze down to Fynn as he climbed out of the water.

“We will see what our young scout has to say about it,” Scarlett said as she started climbing down the quarry. The rest followed. They took it slow—so as not to injure themselves—and eventually stopped at the foot of the basin, where a small platform of dry mudstone overlooked the water. Fynn shook his head like a dog a short distance away from them, gusts of wind aggressively blowing away some of the liquid from his hair and clothes.

Scarlett noticed a glint of interest in Adalicia’s eyes at the casual use of the magic, but the wizard stayed quiet for now.

She turned to Fynn. “What did you find?”

He stopped trying to dry himself off and faced her. “There was a thin passage leading further in to a small cave, as well as a spot to stop for air.”

Scarlett nodded her head. It was as she expected, then. She looked to the others. “Are there any of you that cannot swim?”

Allyssa gingerly raised her hand. “…I’ve never even tried it before.”

Next to her, Shin showed a smirk at the confession, which promptly earned him an elbow to the side. With his armor on, though, he simply ignored it, along with the glare Allyssa sent him.

“Fynn, will you be able to aid her?” Scarlett asked.

The young man gave a nod. “Sure.”

She then turned to Adalicia. “Will you be fine?”

The wizard glanced down at the clear water in front of them. “You appear confident that this passage truly leads into the ruins.”

“I am experienced in the matter of ruins such as these.”

“I am not questioning you. Since we’re already here, I am rather inclined to trust your word.” Adalicia looked down at her robes, gently pulling at them. “Unfortunately, however, I will admit that it has never crossed my mind to enchant these in order to be prepared for underwater activities of any kind. Perhaps I should have.”

She reached for the tome attached to her waist, pulling it up and opening a certain page that was covered in columns. As she tapped on one of the columns, it lit up and a thin bracelet appeared in her hand.

Scarlett eyed the tome with interest. “Is that a spatial enchantment?”

“It is, though its size is nothing to brag about. I had the Vice-Dean of the Elystead Tower help in making it, and, well… You’ve met the man.” Adalicia put the bracelet on her right forearm. “I had almost forgotten I had this item. It allows the wearer to survive without breathing for almost ten minutes.”

“Then I take it you will manage on your own?”

“I would hope so.”

Scarlett examined the bracelet for a moment. Maybe she should try to get her hands on something like that as well. Although that would have to be left for another day.

She turned back to the others. “Then let us not delay any further.”

People began removing the equipment that would be in the way, placing it into the [Bag of Juham]. Shin took off his armor; Allyssa, her cape and bandolier—which was now the [Alchemist’s Potion Belt (Epic)] that Scarlett had decided to lend her—and Rosa placed her klert into the bag. Fynn, of course, didn’t even bother, and Scarlett used her [Charm of Expeditious Change] to slip into some clothes that she had prepared for this. It was a relatively light set that still protected her modesty.

The others gave her curious looks at the sudden display of the artifact’s magic, and Rosa even let out an envious whistle.

Fynn was the first one to jump into the water again, followed by Allyssa and Shin. Then it was Rosa’s turn. The bard let out a small cry as she hit the water, complaining about the cold, but she soon disappeared under the surface after the others.

“Shall we?” Scarlett asked, looking at Adalicia as the woman set up some sort of barrier around the surveying equipment they had brought with them. It was too large to fit in the [Bag of Juham], so they would have to leave it here.

When Adalicia finished, she gestured for her to go first. “I think I’ll be a bit behind the rest of you. I’m not as spry as you younger people, and I did not think to bring another set of clothes that was more suitable. Don’t worry, I won’t take too long.”

Scarlett gave the woman a nod before turning back to the water. The thought of jumping in with her clothes still on honestly irked her slightly, but there was nothing to do but clench her teeth and get it over with. She would not be removing them, that was for sure.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and let herself drop into the pool.

It was cold. Her eyes closed as her head was quickly submerged and her feet touched the bottom soon after. She almost instinctually wanted to use her pyrokinesis to warm herself up, but she pushed those thoughts to the side as she opened her eyes and looked around. The water was clear enough, and there was enough light coming from above that she could spot the passage that Fynn had talked about.

She started moving. It had been years since she last went swimming, but she used to be decent enough, at least. And she wasn’t quite as physically weak now as when she had first arrived in this world, so she had assumed it wouldn’t be too difficult. Now, though, she realized she had underestimated how much her clothes would slow down her movements. It was like swimming with weights around her limbs, even when she had purposefully changed into a lighter set. She hadn’t swum with clothes on since she was a kid, so she hadn’t thought it would be this annoying.

It took her several heavy motions to reach the opening of the passage, and her lungs were already starting to strain. Had she perhaps overestimated how strong she had gotten as well? How far was it to the first air pocket? The water turned darker only a few arm’s lengths in front of her, so it was hard to know, but she could see a faint light ahead.

She kicked her legs in an attempt to get some extra movement, then stopped as a thought came to her.

Maybe she could make things easier for herself?

With a mental push, she tried using her hydrokinesis to control the water around her, moving it along with her. She almost let her breath escape when she was grabbed hold of by a stronger current than she expected. [Sidhe’s Flowing Garbs] saved her from getting cut on the stone around her as she was pushed forward. A few seconds after, she reached the light she’d seen, surfacing in a small space that was slightly wider than her shoulders. It was illuminated by a patch of glowing moss growing on the wall.

She took several deep breaths, trying to ignore her hammering heart and the chill that was invading her bones.

Using her hydrokinesis here felt easier than usual. Did that have something to do with the fact that she was surrounded by such a large body of water? Most of the time, she only conjured her own or used existing water in small amounts, so if there was a difference, she had missed it. Perhaps it was something she should look into later, when she had the chance.

For now, she took one last breath before diving again. Fynn and the others were probably already on the other side.

Using her magic to move herself along—slower and more controlled this time, since it was even darker now and she almost had to feel her way forward—she eventually reached what looked to be the end of the passage. There, when she broke the water’s surface, she found herself in a small cavern lit up by the pale yellow of a lit lamp.

The others sat on the stone floor of the cave nearby, turning to look at her.

She swam over to the edge of the water, climbing up onto the rough stone as she gasped for air. Then she looked back at them. Their hair and clothes were completely drenched as they stood bunched around a lump of red goo that emitted waves of heat from it.

Allyssa must have brought out one of her concoctions.

Feeling herself start to shiver, Scarlett pushed down the urge to snap at the others to stop looking at her. She waved her hand, and masses of water rose from her and the others’ bodies, floating through the space as she returned it to the small pool behind her. Then she used her pyrokinesis to start heating up the air in the cave, breathing out as the chill slowly faded.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Allyssa said in an appreciative tone, arms hugged around herself.

“It’s convenient, I’ll tell you that,” Rosa chimed in. “You could make a business out of this.”

The woman leaned to the side as she started squeezing out the last bits of dampness lingering in her hair. “This’ll be torture for my curls, though. They get all frizzy when warmed like this.”

“Would you prefer if I refrained from drying you?” Scarlett asked.

The bard showed a smile. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Shin looked behind Scarlett. “Is Miss Adalicia not coming after you?” he asked.

“I believe she might take some time, still,” she answered casually, shifting her attention to the cave beyond them. It didn’t stretch on for long, ending in just more stone. There was a narrow slit in it, though, through which looked to be a smooth stone wall. A crack in that wall revealed a dark room.

“There are undead that way,” Fynn said, a frown on his brow as he looked in the same direction.

“Yes, we will deal with them soon enough. For now, you should all prepare yourselves as we wait for Miss Mendenhall.”

Scarlett continued using her pyrokinesis to warm them up—it didn’t take too much mana using it like this—as they waited for Adalicia. When she felt she was dry enough, she changed into her normal set of clothes, appreciative of the convenience afforded by the [Charm of Expeditious Change]. Eventually, the older woman appeared, her dark hair clinging to the sides of her face and shoulders as she surfaced and hurriedly swam towards them.

“I must say,” Adalicia said, a slight quiver to her voice as she climbed up on land. “I never quite expected that this would be what I was agreeing to back when we first met, Baroness. Never before have I heard of someone that had to swim to enter a Zuverian ruin.”

Scarlett raised an amused eyebrow. Wonder how the woman would react when she learned of Beld Thylelion’s existence.

“I hope it did not prove too uncomfortable an experience.” She raised a hand and used her hydrokinesis to remove most of the water from the woman, then started warming her with her pyrokinesis.

The wizard paused for a moment, studying her curiously. “That’s an interesting use of hydrokinesis and pyrokinesis. I was under the impression that you weren’t a mage?”

“I am not.” Scarlett shook her head. “Or, at least, I do not believe most would class me as such. However, that does not mean I do not have a few tricks up my sleeves, so to speak.”

“I would like to meet those who would consider such a masterful application of magic a mere trick.” Adalicia watched as the liquid drawn from her clothes returned to the body of water behind her. “I know several Master Docent Wizards who wouldn’t be able to replicate what you just did. At least not as effortlessly.”

“I suppose that is a consolation to the fact that I do not know any spells.”

The woman gave her a surprised look. “Truly?”

Scarlett nodded. “Truly. You could say I have a natural affinity for pyrokinesis and hydrokinesis. The same does not apply for spells, however.”

“That’s…” The woman creased her forehead. “That is certainly strange. I can scarcely comprehend how you learned the one without the other.”

“Some trial and error was involved, but it mostly came naturally. That is all I can say.”

Adalicia observed her for a while longer. “Curious…”

Scarlett turned back to the others and gestured at the opening that led to the room beyond. “Leaving that aside for now, we can continue whenever you feel sufficiently prepared.”