Chapter 189 – It Was Hidden!?

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“Hmm… This…”

As we walked, Ecleshia seemed to notice something.

“The tunnels are all concentrated in one place.”
“In that case, could the entrance be in the north?”

Iria asked, and Ecleshia nodded.

“Aye. That is most likely.”

Ecleshia answered, and then we continued on our way through the fields and to the north.

And while I searched for the presence of magic energy, I did not sense any killer worms in the area.

A short while later, Melk muttered.

“There is a scent. A raw stench. Must be the worm.”
“The tunnel stops in front of a boulder. Perhaps it was too hard for it to pass through.”

And so we headed to the rocky mountain that Ecleshia was speaking about.

And then, at the foot of the mountain, we saw a great hole.

“It seems that all of the tunnels connect to this place.”

Said Ecleshia, and then Mette brandished her club.

“Then they are likely to be gathered on top of the mountain. This may be our chance to get all of them at once.”
“It’s also possible that they scattered on the opposite side, in the south.”

As Asuha said, they may not be here at all any more.

“Still, there may be some clues left behind. Besides, they might return to this place. Let’s go up and search for now.”
“In that case, I will watch from the sky.”

So saying, Asuha took off into the air.

And then Celes turned to the Mopes and said,

“Baah! We will stop eating for now, and rest on the mountain.”
“Celes… You’ve completely forgotten our purpose here.”

Mette said with exasperation.

“Baahhh. Tasting this grass is a part of the investigation, bahh. I can tell you now, that it is crunchy, and delicious in a way that is different from Fendel grass.”
“That’s fine, but I hope that Milina is fine…? Huh?”

Mette’s head turned as she looked around.

However, Milina was not nearby, as she had already started to climb up the mountain.

“Hey! Don’t go off on your own!”
“We’re going up, aren’t we? Then we should hurry and see what it is!”
“But there is no reason for you to hurry.”

Replied Mette. However, Melk seemed to realize something as she followed after Milina.

“Search. Might find something.”

Melk’s expression was so serious that Mette closed her mouth and followed after them.

And so I and the others also started to climb up the mountain.

Asuha would report to us if she noticed anything strange, but she did not come back.

Furthermore, from what I could see, Milina did seem any different either.
But perhaps Melk had noticed something strange with her.

Once we were on top of the mountain, we were able to see the northern plains.

The north had few trees as well, and many boars. It did not seem like a good place for demihumans to live in.

On the other hand, the top of the mountain was quite flat.

And since there were no obstacles in the way, I could tell at a glance that there was no one else there.

And there were no tools or traces of someone having been there.

Iria muttered.

“It doesn’t seem like there are killer worms here. What do you think, Ms. Melk?”

Melk was staring hard at Milina.

As for Milina, she was looking dazedly at the rocky mountains to the north.

And then Melk muttered.

“Melk and the others used to sleep in mountains like this. Has Milina remembered something?”
“N-no… In the first place, I was born in a wagon And we were constantly moving…”

Even still, perhaps she was sensing something.

It could be that the foxfolk used to live in rocky places like this.

Mette muttered.

“However, there really are clues to be found here.”
“I cannot move the plants here. And so there is nothing I can do.”

Said Ecleshia, and then Asuha came down from the sky.

“I saw nothing from above. Not even any small animals.”
“I suppose they scattered to the south after all?”

Mette wondered, and then Melk answered.

“There was no scent on the south side. However, there is a faint scent of the worms drifting from the north.”
“In that case, they returned to the north then?”

Iria asked, and Melk nodded.

“However…there is one other smell. It is like Milina.”

Melk said as she turned towards Milina.

“…You’re right. It’s the same as father and my siblings.”

Milina must have noticed it as well, as her nose twitched, and she briskly moved forward.

And then, I saw an area with a single boulder.

“Underneath…”

At first, I thought it was a tombstone of some kind, but there was no smell of decay. So even if there was a corpse, it would already be just bones.

Mette rolled up her sleeves and approached the boulder.

“Leave it to me then… Oomph!”

Mette easily moved the rock to the side.

And then Milina hesitantly peered inside…

“…Kyuu!”
“!?”

Milina was then mobbed by the numerous, furry things that emerged from the hole… They were fox cubs.

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Seisan Mahoushi no Rakuraku Henkyou Kaitaku - Saikyou no Ajintachi to Howaito Kokka wo Kizukimasu!