Early DAR Vol. 5 Chapter 16 Part 2

Full title: Starting a New Life for the Discarded All-Rounder

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Airis

____________________________________________

The outer wall’s foundation extended deep into the earth.

To bypass it, Uncle Gry had to dig a shaft dozens of meters deep.

Since he had dug it nearly vertically and shaped it into a stairwell, there was no need to create much horizontal distance.

Had he opted for a gently sloping tunnel, they would’ve had to begin digging several kilometers back.

“Where are we…?”

<I opened the tunnel into the basement beneath the nest. Surfacing directly would’ve given us away.>

By “nest,” he was referring to the central structure of the Citadel Dungeon: the tower they were now beneath.

Even though the outer walls resisted magic, it seemed that enchantment didn’t extend to the underground level.

Roa and Nostalgia emerged through a hole in an ordinary stone wall.

Kristoff carefully scanned the surroundings for any presence, but his detection magic found no signs of magic beasts nearby.

He exhaled in relief after confirming it was safe.

The space was like a corridor, its walls formed of rough stone. Likely part of the basement’s passageways.

It was illuminated by the magical light conjured by Uncle Gry, and the tunnel extended far beyond its glow.

The ceiling was also high—around five meters, perhaps.

Groundwater seemed to be seeping in from somewhere, leaving the floor damp and mottled with patches of moss.

“Surprisingly clean. I figured an old fortress would be way more rundown.”

“I expected it to be more like a cave, crumbling and swarming with magic beasts.”

Despite staying alert, Dietrich muttered, and Cornelia agreed.

She was clad in her usual full plate armor, ready for a skirmish the moment anything emerged.

She now carried a large warhammer in her hands. Apparently, she had adopted it as her primary weapon without anyone noticing.

<Hmm. That’s true.>

“You say that, but didn’t you use this place as your nest? Didn’t you live here? How do you not know?”

<I nested in the upper levels. The basement was little more than a garbage pit. I recall rats and dogs being down here before, but I sense nothing now. Perhaps they were startled by my magic light and fled.>

Meanwhile, Roa was crouched down, prodding the moss at his feet with a metal rod.

“Hmm. This is more like a fungus. It’s green, so it looks like moss, but…”

He was puzzled by the moss growing in a place with no natural light and decided to investigate.

Upon inspection, he determined it was a mushroom that only resembled moss.

“It’s rare. I’ll collect some and study it later. Did it grow from the seeping groundwater? Maybe it’s feeding on nutrients in the soil? But if there are no rats or anything around... could that be here? That’d be bad…”

Muttering to himself, Roa pulled a bottle from his magic bag and began harvesting the moss-like mushroom with a tool resembling scissors.

<What are you doing, brat? We’re moving.>

“Uncle Gry, hold on. I need to get ready.”

As he spoke, Roa sealed the jar of mushrooms and tucked it into his magic bag, then pulled out something like a coiled rope.

<Ready? We’ve been ready for ages, haven’t we? And there are no magic beasts or animals here either.>

Confident after his own search, Uncle Gry spoke without hesitation.

But Roa gave a hesitant smile.

“Uh, just a little longer. Something’s bothering me.”

“You found something?”

Kristoff furrowed his brow. Roa’s tone didn’t suggest a crisis, but it was clear he had noticed something.

“Well, I mean, I guess you could say I found something, but… it’s a bit…”

“If there’s something, just say it. We need to plan how to respond.”

“Oi, is something bad happening?!”

“What happened?”

The members of Nostalgia fired off questions, but Roa only averted his gaze with an awkward smile.

“It’s really just a small bit of preparation. Once I do that, there won’t be a problem. I’ll explain once we’re out of here. If I say it now… it could be, uh, problematic…”

Only the twin Magic Wolves seemed to catch on. After sniffing the air, they exchanged glances, then looked sideways at Uncle Gry.

<Stop dawdling, brat! We’re moving. This way.>

“Wait! Just give me a second! Don’t move!”

Despite Roa’s shout, Uncle Gry lost patience and started walking.

And then—

“PigyaaAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Uncle Gry’s shriek rang out.

His cry echoed through the stone corridor. The members of Nostalgia reflexively covered their ears at the harsh noise, then quickly recovered and adopted defensive stances.

“Knew it. He always finds the ones he hates first…”

While the others scrambled in alarm at the disturbance, Roa let out a weary sigh.

Uncle Gry’s fur puffed out in all directions. He leapt high enough to almost touch the ceiling, then darted off in a random direction like the wind.

“PigyaaAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Another scream. Just as intense and earsplitting as the last. The magical light he had conjured vanished.

“What just happened?!”

Dietrich shouted. Bernhart responded immediately, casting a light spell of his own. The area brightened again.

Nostalgia’s formation held steady even after being plunged into darkness.

They were confident in their ability to fight relying solely on presence and sensation.

“There’s nothing around us! Is it an invisible enemy?”

“No. I told you to wait…”

Roa replied flatly to Kristoff, who had his sword drawn and was scanning the area.

Then Uncle Gry came barreling back in a full panic.

His face was twisted in terror, and he ran with complete disregard for his dignity.

His tongue lolled from his open mouth, his eyes were unfocused, and his feathers and fur stood on end, completely disheveled from his mad dash.

If his face weren’t hidden under feathers, it would have been deathly pale.

Without slowing, he lunged at Roa.

“Hey! Stop!”

Dietrich moved to intercept him in alarm, but Roa calmly spread his arms with a smile.

Despite the momentum that could’ve sent a person flying, Uncle Gry braked just in time and collapsed into Roa’s arms.

“There, there. That scared you, huh?”

Roa gently embraced him.

Uncle Gry’s legs gave out and he sank to the ground.

He let out weak, whimpering squeaks—pee, pee, pee—and his body trembled.

“Baw!”

“Baw!”

The twins, looking on with frosty gazes, moved in and nestled against him from both sides, as if saying it couldn’t be helped.

“…So, what was it?”

None of the members of Nostalgia had the slightest clue what had happened.

They could tell one thing though: Uncle Gry was completely terrified, his usual arrogant demeanor utterly gone.

He didn’t utter a single word, only chirped like a frightened bird. The sight was quite the shock.

“Insects. The mushrooms were probably feeding on their droppings. Since there are no rats in this dump site, it makes sense that scavenger insects moved in. I figured that might be the case, but I think they’re just avoiding the light right now. Anywhere the light doesn’t reach, there’s probably a dense swarm of bugs that even rats couldn’t survive in.”

“Eek!”

Cornelia let out a short squeal.

She must’ve imagined it.

Detection magic only responds to threats.

Bugs weren’t flagged, so no one had noticed them. But once they were mentioned, everyone could almost feel their presence.

“Oh right… He hates bugs.”

Dietrich recalled clearly.

Back when they first met, Roa had tossed a bug at Uncle Gry, sending him into a full panic. That memory stuck.

Now it all made sense—Roa’s evasiveness, his hesitations.

He’d known Uncle Gry would end up like this, so he’d tried to keep the truth under wraps.

“I was hoping to light the bug repellent before he noticed, but since he ran ahead… he must’ve seen one moving and panicked. Uncle Gry has night vision, after all.”

Roa handed the rope-like item he had prepared to Kristoff.

“It’s bug repellent. Can you light it? It produces a strong-smelling smoke. I don’t think I can move until Uncle Gry calms down.”

Since he was still cradling Uncle Gry and soothing him, Roa couldn’t act.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just kill them? It’s a sealed space, an insecticide should work, right?”

Kristoff’s suggestion earned a shake of the head from Roa.

He did have insecticide, but now wasn’t the time.

“That’ll just make the dead bugs drop from the ceiling. Not recommended. Happened to me once in a cave, it was a nightmare.”

“Hundreds of dead bugs… falling…”

Cornelia turned pale.

Even if she wasn’t especially afraid of insects, that mental image was enough to trigger a strong visceral reaction.

Every small sound now had her whipping her head toward it in alarm.

Kristoff cut the rope-shaped repellent into pieces, lit them, and distributed them around the area.

The slow-burning coils gave off pale smoke and a cool, aromatic scent.

At the same time, they all felt it—the darkness shifted. Something receded like a wave, drawn back.

“…He’s actually kinda cute.”

Watching Uncle Gry cling tightly to Roa, Dietrich chuckled.

Like a big child desperate for comfort.

Roa continued to cradle Uncle Gry’s head, gently stroking his neck, while the twins pressed in for warmth and reassurance.

“I always thought it was weird when Roa talked to him like a parent scolding a child… but now I get it.”

“I’ve seen him like this a few times. If there’s only a few bugs or repellent is lit, he can endure it. But if there are too many, it’s no use. He’s never explained why.”

“So that’s his weakness. Scared stiff… kinda adorable.”

Cornelia gently touched Uncle Gry’s back.

He shuddered in response.

<…Don’t touch me.>

The soft chirping stopped.

<Only the brat and the twins are allowed to touch me right now. I never gave you permission.>

His voice was ice-cold.

So chilling that even the air seemed to freeze.

Cornelia quickly withdrew her hand.

“Uncle Gry, seems like you’re calming down.”

<I—I’ve been calm this entire time! Just a little startled, that’s all!>

“Sure, sure.”

Roa gave him a few pats on the neck.

Uncle Gry rested his head on Roa’s shoulder and pressed in closer.

He was completely in snuggle mode.

Even the twins gave him frosty looks, but he showed no shame.

“Pfft. So much for the high and mighty. Scared of bugs like a little kid, huh?”

<I’ll kill you. I told you not to touch me, didn’t I?>

As Dietrich laughed and slapped Uncle Gry’s back, a flash of lightning crackled across his hand.

He yanked it back in shock, but it seemed unharmed.

“Hey! That’s dangerous! Don’t go zapping people!”

<You insulted me. Unless you want to die, I’d suggest shutting up.>

With Uncle Gry back to his usual grumpy self, the tense air finally began to ease.

𑁋

Next→