Chapter 154: To the Underpass

"No! Ah! Lute-sama’s and my airship Nest of love it's burning!!!!!"

Nest of love…? Is Meiya thinking like that?

For the time being, I put her screams aside. The airship was wrecked by six magicians with no-chanting magic. This had crushed the option of escape flying.

The magicians were illuminated by the fire of the airship burning brightly, and I was able to observe them in detail.

Their bodies were completely covered with white armor. They didn’t give a rugged feeling. There were no carvings designs on the armor, it had simplicity at the level of cutting down so much the waste that it was conspicuous. There were only two holes to secure visibility in the full-face helmet.

Gimmick blades popped out from the left and right arms like fish fins. Depending on how you look at it, it looked like a half-fish-man who came to land.

(What are we going to do? Will we fight them here?)

There were only 6 opponents, even if they were magicians.

Taking out two General Purpose Machine Guns and shooting them at random, I don't think they can be avoided no matter how much the vision is strengthened. Or you can throw grenades and anti-tank mines as much as you can to annihilate them.

But is that really good?

The enemies are not limited to the six in front of me. It is more likely that they are still hiding in the snowfield as a reserve force. Reinforcements may arrive while stranded here.

Moreover, these magicians are more unusual than any magician I have ever met.

If you know how firearms attack, you can avoid them by assisting your body with physical strengthening techniques and strengthening your eyesight.

However, when using magic, he could sense the magical power. The magician reacts to magical power. Therefore, it is difficult to attack a magician with magic and surprise him enough to kill him. This is because the flow of magical power will be noticed before the attack.

When the airship was destroyed, I didn't notice it until just before the attack magic was activated, albeit without chanting. This is very unusual.

The common sense grown so far was shaken.

In addition, they passed through Shia's warning network, who is good at detecting signs, and approached the airship side. I was just lucky to notice their approach.

There must be some kind of gimmick or trick, whether it was magic or a sign. It is not a good idea to stand up without knowing the inside of the opponent's hand.

But if you could hold down here, it would be possible to get their background. This was a unique opportunity to get important information.

Battle or escape … which was right?

"You guys!"

When I was at a loss, a person wearing a hood called out. Everyone’s eyes were turned to that person.

During the day, after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild, it was the person who was watching us. Because I knew how dirty the hood looks, there was no doubt.

Perhaps he felt that we were wary of the newcomer, thus the other party took off the hood. There were animal ears and silver hair that appeared from below.

The girl exposed the characteristics that can be recognized as a white wolf immediately.

You're not living in the hinterland!? I never imagined that there was a white wolf in such a place.

"Come here soon! We'll run away from this place!"

"Okay! Everyone, let's go!"

She turned her back and ran into the city. We followed her words.

The white armors change their aim from us to the white wolf girl and start running like the wind. Of course, I'm not going to let them follow her.

I fired the AK47 at the white armors.

Dan! Dada, Dada, Dada!

They stopped to avoid the AK47 bullet by lowering themselves or retreating.

To stop them further…

"Liz! Explosive grenade!"

"Yes, explosive grenade!"

Liz took out the explosive grenade from the infinite storage and handed it over to me with the protection of the spirits.

When I received it, I pulled out the pin with my mouth and assisted my body with physical strengthening. I threw it at the white enemy with all my might.

Explosion! Snow soared like a curtain.

"Follow her now!"

Everyone followed with Shia at the front, and me at the very end, I threw an explosive grenade backward again.

Again, the snow curtain soared.

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

She, the white wolf girl rushed into a back alley as she entered the city. She open a round metal lid like a manhole and slid her body into the darkness. We also followed. In the end, I closed the lid again.

The tip of the lid was a staircase. There was no light source and so, just in case, the night vision was strengthened with the little magical power left.

At first, I thought it was an underground sewer, but it was rather an underpass like a loophole or a mining tunnel. There was not much height or width in that hole. If I stretched my arms, they reached the ceiling, and if I spread my arms sideways, my fingertips touched both walls.

The underpass continues endlessly so that the end could not be seen, and as we went further, it split in two, then in a three-pronged road, or in a road that only turns left or right.

The white wolf-girl who led such a path went on without hesitation.

After entering the underpass and walking for about 30 minutes, we reached a square. It was about the size of an elementary school classroom. Of course, there was no light source.

"Is there anyone who can use magic? If there is, give me a fire."

With a slightly blunt tone, the White Wolf girl pulled out a lantern from under the hood.

Snow lit the lantern on her behalf.

The area became brighter, and we could distinguish each other's faces without strengthening our night vision with magical power.

"Don't worry, if you come this far, that white guys will not follow you anymore. Because they do not know this underpass at all, they cannot follow this far."

Certainly… There are underpasses all over Norte city.

This underpass must have been a remnant of measures against giants. In the days of small villages and towns, ordinary citizens fled to this basement and evacuated. As the city grew larger, and because of repeated expansion work, it seems that it became a huge maze where no one could grasp the whole picture.

Apparently, this White Wolf girl knew the directions in this huge underground maze.

"Do you know those white magicians?"

"It's a secret soldier of the aristocrat who governs this city. About a year ago, he invited a magician belonging to a certain top legion as a military instructor and let him train them."

The White Wolf girl answered my question without hesitation, scraping out the long silver hair that was shoved under her jacket.

She shook her head a couple of times to loosen the tangled hair and move it to loosen the muscles of the beast's ears.

I observed her again.

The long silver hair was straight and extended to the middle of the back. She had pierced earrings on the animal ears.

She was taller than Snow, about the same height as Meiya. Her chest wasn't overwhelming, but …

Was she about the same age as Snow and me? Although she was a beautiful girl, her eyes were big and sharp, giving her a cold impression.

If Snow is a soft girl, she feels like a slender cool beauty. A beautiful girl whose direction is the opposite of Snow.

I introduced myself and thanked her on behalf of everyone.

"Thank you for your help. Let me express my gratitude on behalf of everyone. I am Lute Gunsmith of the High Elves kingdom, Enol, and one who has been awarded an honorary knighthood by the king. I am also the representative of the Legion Peacemaker. Is it okay to ask for your name if you don't mind? "

"Hmm, you're a nobleman on the Fairy continent… I'm Ice Cream from the white wolf race."

Ice told her name without hesitation.

"Miss Ice is a white wolf, isn't she? Why are you here when you should have a bounty on your head?"

"Ice is fine. I don't need honorifics. I… rather, we have friends outside Norte, and I came to the city to buy the supplies."

Salt and spices were hard to come by in the interior of the continent, so it seems that you had to buy them in Norte, the largest city in the neighborhood.

As she said, I stopped adding honorifics.

"But isn't it dangerous? The White Wolf tribe has a has a huge bounty, right?"

"It's okay. Not everyone is aiming for our bounty, especially those with old relationships or those who were helped in a distress in the snowy mountains, they won’t sell us."

It seems that the White Wolf tribe has long been taking care of and helping people distressed in the snowy mountains or people being attacked by demons, before sending them home. Instead, if the White Wolf tribe asked for help in Norte, they would help.

It was truly coexistence and co-prosperity.

As for the prize money, it seems that there was no way to block it because it was started by the aristocrat who govern the city.

"For the time being, I usually disguise myself and dye my hair black with magic paint."

It seems that this time she intentionally exposed her animal ears and silver hair to persuade us.

Ice's gaze was directed at Snow.

"On the way home after purchasing the necessary supplies there was noise in the Adventurer’s guild. When I talked to an adventurer who came out, I was surprised to find out that a white wolf girl appeared with a nobleman. It didn't seem like she was caught in the guild because she came out, but … I was worried and watched. Then… "

"Did you realize that we were being attacked and helped us?"

"Yes"

She agrees coolly.

"But you really helped us keeping an eye on the situation until midnight… Thank you again."

"The White Wolf is a minority, living in a harsh snowy mountain world, so it's almost instinct to help the family. So don't worry anymore. Even so… I have never seen your face, but you're a white wolf, right?"

"Yes! I'm Lute's wife! I'm Snow Gunsmith from the white wolf race!"

Snow cheerfully introduced herself to the family she met for the first time.

"I was entrusted to an orphanage on the Fairy Continent when I was a baby……I just arrived here yesterday to look for clues for my father and mother. So, I did not know that a reward was being paid for the White Wolf tribe…"

"I see, that's what I thought. I thought it was a family I had never seen before."

"Ice- chan, have you ever heard about my dad and mom? Or about the family who went out to the Fairy continent?"

“…………”

Ice opened her mouth and closed it at once, her face like she was thinking about something.

"…If you go to the White Wolf Village, there may be someone who knows. I could take you to the village for few days after all the items I bought are ready, but what will you do?"

Snow looked around and looked at me.

A chance to get clues to your parents. "Can she take us to the White Wolf Village? If it's impossible, I'll withdraw quietly, but…"

Of course, our answer is fixed.

"Can we follow you to the White Wolf Village?"

"I don't mind, because you are friends with her husband. I can trust her."

"If so, please."

"Thank you, Lute-kun! Everyone! And Ice-chan!"

Snow smiled and thanked everyone.

"Then, let's go through the underpass and cross the wall. Follow us."

"This is bad, can you wait a moment?"

"What's wrong?"

Ice asked.

I looked back at everyone…

"Since we were attacked while we were sleeping, everyone was wearing nightwear … May we have time to change into proper clothes?"

Since Shia and I were standing like sentinels, we were well equipped, but Snow and the others jumped up in thin undershirts and fought back, so they didn't even have time to change clothes.

Meiya and the others were not even wearing shoes because I forced them out of bed.

From Liz’s "Infinite Storage", we took out a set of spare clothes and equipment. In case of emergency, I prepared and stored multiple spare equipment and clothes.

I told Ice that Liz was a High Elf. She trusted me so we should trust Ice and tell her a part of the secret.

After refitting the equipment, we started walking down the underpass with Ice Cream in the lead.

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