Free Web Novel“Just as I thought—nothing!”
Luna’s brows furrowed deeply. Reaching the shrine this easily was honestly beyond her expectations.
“Everyone, spread out and stay alert. Check your surroundings and see if there’s any information related to the Hero. Search the entrance hall and the rooms carefully. We’ll go into the main chamber and sleeping quarters together later.”
She gave her orders sharply and without hesitation. At times like this, everyone turned serious; they moved quickly, following their leader’s instructions to the letter.
“Miss Vieya, do you want to act together with me...?” Liufir invited softly from beside her.
Act together?
Vieya glanced around at the others who had already split up and begun their assigned tasks. Something clicked in her mind.
Every team had its own way of operating—some good, some bad, some extreme, some average—like different wolf packs living on the same grassland. Even among wolves, there were differences.
Humans were no different.
After thinking for a moment, she turned to Liufir. “Hmm... I’m still not familiar with your team’s usual methods. Would you tell me about them?”
“Of course! We can talk while we walk.”
Liufir seemed eager to explain, her bright smile softening her delicate face.
“I think last time I didn’t explain things thoroughly enough. You weren’t there during lunch, and when we were on the road afterward, everything was rushed. So now, I’ll tell you in detail...”
“Actually, everyone in our team can fight—hey! Miss Vieya, that look in your eyes is rude! I may not be as strong as the others, but I can fight, you know!” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
She puffed up her cheeks and emphasized, “I’m not just some tag-along who got in through connections...”
But her voice grew smaller toward the end—like someone feeling guilty.
“It’s fine. Even if you were a tag-along, it’s fine.”
Vieya spoke casually, recalling her old days as an adventurer and deliberately ignoring Liufir’s golden ahoge trembling in frustration. “If I remember right, there are only three diamond-rank adventurer teams in the entire Adventurers’ Guild. After this commission, yours will become the fourth. That’s impressive.”
“Hehe...” Liufir’s face lit up at the praise, her ahoge drooping down in satisfaction. “Our Fairy’s Wings is absolutely the most united adventurer team!”
Vieya nodded, humoring her. But then her gaze caught on a well at the center of the open courtyard, and she instinctively quickened her steps toward it.
“Miss Vieya, eh...?”
Liufir noticed something was off and hurried after her.
Their sudden movement immediately drew the attention of Luna, who had been quietly observing them from nearby.
“Is that... a sky well?” Vieya murmured, slowing her steps until she stopped two meters from the edge.
“A... sky well? You mean one of those structures that collect rainwater...? Hmm, come to think of it, shrines like this have been extinct for ages. They haven’t been built anywhere outside the southern regions for centuries—and even there, they’re rare. So why would a mining town like Mount Aisa have one?”
Curiosity flickered across Liufir’s face. She wanted to examine the rare structure up close but hesitated, half-imagining a ghostly woman crawling out of the darkness to knock on her door every night.
Fortunately, Luna and the others gathered around as well. It was clear none of them knew much about this ancient type of architecture.
With more people around, Liufir grew bolder. She stepped closer and saw that the well had long since dried up—only a faint dampness lingered at the bottom.
“Does anyone here know anything about ancient architecture like this?” Luna asked, not expecting much.
“Big Sis Menesis studied old ruins for a while, but she’s not here,” Kare said, shrugging.
“That grave-digging woman looks at stuff like this?” Arc exclaimed, rubbing his bald head in disbelief.
Pus twitched at the corner of his mouth. “She’s a certified archaeologist and a retired official. Can you try to have some perspective?”
“I didn’t study much—how’s that my fault?!” Arc barked. “I’ve got three younger brothers! If I’d gone to school, who would’ve fed them?!”
“......”
Luna, used to this kind of bickering, ignored them. She took a few steps forward herself, intending to inspect the sky well.
But—
Just as she moved, Luna suddenly stopped again and turned toward Vieya, her voice filled with concern. “Miss Cleric, what’s wrong?”
“I... just remembered something.” Vieya hesitated for a moment, then tilted her head slightly toward Luna. “I want to go down there.”
“Down? To the bottom of the well? Do you need me to come with you?” Luna asked.
“No need. Just watch from up here. I’ll be back soon.”
“All right. Be careful.”
“Eh? Miss Vieya...”
“How about I go instead?” Kare scratched his head. “There are probably lots of bugs down there. You girls might not like that. But bugs never come near me—something about my body’s heat or smell. Let me handle it. I’ll report anything I find.”
Luna nodded. “That’s true. Kare carries a fire spirit inside him—he can control temperature around him easily.”
Vieya shook her head with a smile. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”
When she had first become a slime girl, she’d been completely clueless—using the sky as her blanket and the earth as her bed, munching on random colorful mushrooms when she was hungry, drinking dew off leaves when she was thirsty...
Wandering aimlessly through the Monster Forest, she had encountered more poisonous creatures than she could count.
At first, she’d been terrified—waking up to find a frog sitting on her face. Later, she could calmly grab it by the leg and gulp it down whole without blinking. Who knew how she’d survived all that?
Even thinking about it now made her skin crawl. Ugh. That wasn’t me!
Anyway—back to the point.
Vieya suspected that the warm puddle where she had awakened three years ago was this very sky well.
Back then, she had opened her eyes to a narrow circle of sky above, the dazzling sunlight blinding her. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Her head had throbbed in pain; she didn’t know why she was at the bottom of a well—only that [N O V E L I G H T] she vaguely remembered fighting with her wife... They had loved each other for so long—so why had it ended in violence?
“Miss Vieya... maybe let Kare go down instead.”
Liufir clasped her hand and gave it a small shake. “You always get lost in thought. What if something happens down there and no one can reach you?”
“It’s fine.”
Vieya gently pulled her hand free, smiling faintly. “I’m pretty strong, you know. It’s just a well.”
Seeing that her mind was made up, no one tried to stop her again.
The opening of the sky well wasn’t very wide—enough for one person to descend comfortably, but not two.
Splash!
Before their eyes, Vieya leapt in and landed solidly at the bottom.
“Miss Vieya! Is everything all right down there? If anything happens, call us! We’ll be right here waiting!”
Liufir cupped her hands around her mouth like a trumpet and shouted into the well, “Please be careful!”
