Free Web Novel“Did the message go through?”
A middle-aged man, looking around thirty or forty, was grinding bone powder with deep focus. Dressed in red long johns and a blue jacket, with heavy bags under his eyes and grayish hair, he looked every bit like an overworked office worker who hadn’t slept properly in a year while battling a midlife crisis.
The pitch-black mining tunnel was lit only by a single torch.
A woman in black clothes, white socks, and a beret held the torch in one hand and tapped the rock wall lightly with the other. Her presence carried a quiet, commanding force, as though she were sensing for secrets hidden behind the thick stone.
Yet her appearance was far younger—barely twenty, her figure compact and well-balanced, short brown hair tied into two small braids behind her head. Combined with her short stature, she almost looked like a child.
“I sent it with the last bit of power. I don’t know if the captain received it.” Menesis said as she inspected the tunnel with her torch.
The grating grind-grind of bone powder became unbearable. Finally, Menesis snapped, “Ugh—can you stop grinding that damned bone dust already? It’s driving me insane! I’d rather starve than eat that garbage, all right?”
“This is the only edible thing we’ve found in this mining town. Otherwise, we’ll have to start eating dirt.” The man replied calmly. “Relax. It’s not human bone. It’s safe.”
“Ugh, forget it.”
Menesis frowned, glancing back toward the way they came. “This town is too strange. Not only has the dead Hero come back to life—even the soldiers who vanished here years ago are appearing again.
Half-dead, half-alive... I can’t even imagine how the world would react if they knew the heroes who once fought against monsters ended up like this.”
“The world’s reaction doesn’t matter,” the man said. “But once this commission is complete, the report must be submitted to the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“I know this isn’t the right time for disagreement,” Menesis said, her tone low, “but I can’t allow too many people to know about this place.”
“Why?” the man asked. “Because you took part in the war against the Demon King three years ago? Or because you want to protect your comrades’ reputations?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“Fine. I just hope you won’t regret it.”
The man shook his head, still grinding the bone powder. “Since Captain Luna’s come to this town too, we should head up and regroup with them.”
“Forget it, Rakaide. Even if we go up, we won’t see them.” Menesis closed her eyes, her voice quiet.
Clang!
The pestle fell. Rakaide stood, the weary office-worker air vanishing from him. He stared at Menesis intently. “What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you noticed?”
Menesis pulled a golden identification plate from her pocket—the one she’d taken from a corpse in the tunnels earlier.
“The entry date on this miner’s ID doesn’t match the time we entered. We can’t reach the captain because we’re in different times. Even if we went back up, we wouldn’t see them.”
“Just that?”
Rakaide glanced at the tag, then looked back at her. “You know I won’t believe such a claim without evidence.”
“The Demon King who died here was the one who controlled Eternity and Time. I don’t believe she left this world without a trace after death,” Menesis said firmly.
Seeing his skeptical look, she added,
“And about seventy thousand breaths ago—around twenty hours—the resurrected Hero went berserk. If my calculations are right, that’s about when the captain’s group first arrived in town.”
“I don’t know what they did, or what they might have brought with them... But one thing’s certain—I don’t want to return to the surface and face the Hero who died three years ago.”
Rakaide frowned. “You... seem afraid of that Hero.”
“Anyone would be afraid of something that died and came back,” Menesis replied flatly.
...
“Ah—choo!”
Vieya sneezed /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ hard, nearly tearing up from the force.
What the hell—was Jasmine thinking about her at home?
Or maybe that damned witch was still cursing her from inside the stone.
Ugh... better finish this commission quickly. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Rubbing her sore nose, Vieya frowned.
“Ah, Vieya-sis, stop for a bit and drink some hot water. You probably caught a cold from that rain earlier...”
A pink mug with a little bear pattern appeared in front of her. Liufir beamed brightly.
“Don’t worry, I just bought this before the trip—it’s brand new!”
She looked so eager for praise, like a puppy wagging its tail.
“Thanks...”
Seeing those expectant eyes, Vieya hesitated but took the cup anyway. As a slime girl, keeping hydrated was a good habit.
She gulped down a large mouthful, licked her lips, then paused—staring at the cup suspiciously.
“Hmm... did you put something in the water?”
“I added a bit of sugar,” Liufir said nervously. “Do you not like it sweet?”
It was fine—Flaviel had always liked sweets.
Vieya shook her head and was about to return the cup, but paused mid-motion.
Returning a used cup wasn’t exactly polite. Better to just buy her a meal later as thanks.
At least so far, Vieya had a good impression of Liufir and the Fairy’s Wings crew. They were all good people—friends worth keeping.
“I could hold it for you if you want... You can drink again later when you’re thirsty,” Liufir said shyly.
“Then... thanks?”
“No problem! That’s what I’m here for!”
“Wow, Captain, when did we get a little housemaid in the team? You didn’t even tell us!” Yuancherin gave Luna an exaggerated thumbs-up. “Such a good maid—where’d you find her? Get me one too!”
“......”
Liufir shot her a deadly glare that clearly said: I will murder you with my eyes.
“Miss Lin, I happen to be short on a maid myself,” Vieya said, smiling sweetly at the smug Yuancherin. “Interested?”
“Don’t bring that up again...” Yuancherin groaned, covering her face in despair. She no longer dared tease Vieya.
Just thinking about that petrification ability made her shiver.
Total petrification was one thing—but the idea of being partially petrified, with your head or backside left exposed and smacked around... no, absolutely not.
“She’s terrifying. Truly terrifying.”
“By the way, Miss Vieya,” Yuancherin asked curiously, “your petrification—is it like Medusa’s in those adventure legends?”
“That’s not really petrification,” Vieya shook her head. “Stone just happened to be the most convenient material nearby, so I turned the witch into a static statue.”
“Can you make gold instead?” Kare asked excitedly.
“If you’re carrying enough gold on you, maybe I could try,” Vieya said evenly.
“Whoa, amazing!”
The lighthearted exchange seemed to wash away the gloom that had lingered in everyone’s hearts.
Following the faded propaganda slogans painted on Mount Aisa Town’s walls, they slowly made their way step by step—until they reached the shrine at the very center.
There, no Hero awaited them.
