...... Well, it seems that this was, as Shinobi San-san said earlier, the last stronghold.
It is, isn't it? ...... So you were secretly ordered by the Kingdom of Dinar to build the last stronghold of mankind in this place, the furthest from the battlefield?
That's right. According to this journal, it was never completed.
Before it was completed, the Aether Stampede occurred, ending the war.
At the same time, the concentration of free ether in the area dropped so low that the work could no longer continue.
If the workers were mages too, they must have died.
That's what I'm thinking.
That's why this fortress was left unfinished.
But it seems that some of the mages were still able to work even with the lowered concentration of free ether.
Yes, they did. Cleaning golems, air conditioning...
Either they're very good or they don't need much free energy.
It's a good thing this place is kept so neat and tidy.
[......] Whoever wrote this memoir must have been a sloppy writer.
It's not very detailed.
Yes, unfortunately, the details of this facility were not described in the memoir.
I'm sure the people who found this place read it, too.
I'm sure of it.
The members of the Shinobi Unit imagined that this room was used as a strategy meeting room.
There were some signs that it had been used.
It is easy to imagine that the people who must be from the or .
I found a floor plan of the facility at .......
Oh, I see.
But there are some differences between the floor plans and the actual layout.
This is probably due to the fact that it's incomplete.
I'm sure it is. Be that as it may, take a look at this.
Yeah?
Here, there's a large vault-like storage facility for important items.
I see. What's really going on here?
<
It was a large vault located at the end of the back room, with a hatch covering the entire wall.
Moreover, it was made of all metal.
It's not ...... adamantite. Alloy steel.
Looks like it. Adamantite would've been a priority.
Maybe.
There's something written here: ......
"One of royal blood"?
You mean the unique magic patterns of those of royal blood?
<
At this point, the old man joined the conversation over the comms.
<, who has been acting relatively quietly, would plot to kidnap Ms. Mertze, but now I understand it.
The royal families of each country...... Shoro is an imperial family, but its lineage can be traced back to the royal family of Dinar.
It is natural to assume that they would not kidnap a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Celuloa, their base of operations, and that Mertze, who happened to have information in the Shoro Kingdom, would be the best candidate for the job.