037 脱出を目指して (1)
それぞれ意見を出し合い、しばらく話し合ったアイリスたちだったが、現実的に選択肢などほぼなかった。
崩落箇所を掘り起こすのが難しい以上、アイリスたちにできるのは、奥へと続く道を進むことだけである。
今の場所を動かずに救助を待つという方法もあるが、助けに来てくれる可能性があるのはサラサのみ。
だが、本来そのサラサには、アイリスたちを救出する義務も責任も存在しない。
もちろんサラサはアイリスたちの救出に尽力するだろうが、それに頼り切ってしまえるほど、アイリスたちの面の皮は厚くない。
未知の場所へ足を踏み入れるということは、新たな脅威に遭遇する危険性も増えるわけだが、外に出られる道を探すためには進む他なく、仮に道が見つからずとも、周辺の気温が下がるだけで、魔力消費が抑えられるメリットがある。
そのようなことから、先へと進み始めたアイリスたちだったが――。
「......何だか、周囲の気温が、上がっているように、思えないかい?」
ノルドラッドがやや苦しそうにそう漏らしたのは、崩落現場から半日ほど歩いた頃のことだった。
細かなアップダウンはありつつも、当初こそ上方向へ延びていた洞窟。
だが、やがてそれは下方向へと変わり、今となっては崩落現場よりも低い位置まで下りてきていると思われる。
気温が上がったのはそれが原因だろうが、高品質な防熱装備のおかげでさほど変化を感じていないケイトたちは、それをそのまま口にするのは憚られると思ったのか、別のことを口にした。
「水、補給しましょうか?」
「助かるよ......」
ノルドラッドは滴る汗を拭いつつ、ほぼ空になっていた水袋をケイトに差し出した。
それを受け取ったケイトは湧水筒を傾け、自身の魔力を使って水袋に水を注ぐ。
「ケイト君、魔力の方は大丈夫かい?」
「今のところは......店長さんに感謝、でしょうか」
ケイトがノルドラッドに水を補給するのは、これですでに四度目。
平均的な人間が一日に出せる水の量が一五~二〇リットルぐらいであることと、防熱装備の
アイリスたちとしては、『筋肉じゃなくて身体だろう』などとツッコミを入れたいところだったが、ノルドラッドの言い分も、必ずしも間違いではなかった。
洞窟の入り口からサラマンダーの所へと続いていた道と異なり、今アイリスたちが進んでいる通路は、正に
大きな岩を乗り越え、岩壁を這い上がり、天井の低い通路を屈んで進み、幅のない場所では背負った荷物を下ろして横向きになって進む。
かかった時間から想像するほどの距離は稼げていない上に、その過程では足腰だけではなく腕力を酷使することもまた多く、最も多くの荷物を運んでいるノルドラッドの腕には、かなりの疲労が蓄積していた。
「まぁ、確かに疲れてきたな。ケイト、私にも水をくれるか?」
「えぇ、魔力は......大丈夫?」
「あぁ、私は自分でやろう。......ふぅ。冷たい水は美味いな」
アイリスはケイトが差し出した湧水筒を受け取り、湧水筒から生み出される水を直接カップに注いで飲むと、ホッと息を吐く。
「そうね......常温なんだけど」
湧水筒で出せる水の温度はおおよそ一五度前後。
通常であればさして冷たく感じるような温度ではないのだが、周囲がサウナ状態であれば話は違う。
その上、水袋に入れておいた水は、周囲の気温に影響されて湯になってしまうことを思えば、常温の水の貴重さが解ろうものだ。
「しかし、予想以上に道が険しいな」
「最初に通った辺りに比べると、かなり違うわよね」
「おそらくあの道は、サラマンダーが出入りしていたんじゃないかな? 明らかに歩きやすかったからね」
「有り得ますね。あそこの道は、屈む必要すらなかったですし。......逆に言えば、この辺りにサラマンダーが来る心配はなさそうですね」
「不幸中の幸い、ね。その分、こうして苦労しているわけだけど」
ある意味では安心といえるが、別の見方をするなら、外に繋がるかどうかも不明ということ。
だが、そのことに考えが至っても、誰もそれを口にしようとはしない。
「ノルド、体力は大丈夫か?」
「正直、ギリギリだねぇ。調査はともかく、サラマンダーとの追いかけっこと道なき洞窟の探索。なかなかにハードな一日だったから」
「そう、だよなぁ......」
「えぇ、そうよね......」
ノルドラッドの言葉に、アイリスとケイトは顔を見合わせ、しみじみと頷く。
イベント盛りだくさんではあったが、あれから未だ一日も経っていないのだ。
不慮の事故――いや、故意の事故さえなければ、今頃は家路についている頃。
そのことを思い、こみ上げてくる微妙に黒い感情を押し殺しつつ、アイリスはノルドに訊ねる。
「今、何時か判るだろうか? ......判らずとも、そろそろ休むべきかとは思うのだが」
「あぁ、そうだね。ちょっと待ってくれ。時間帯ごとの観察も必要だから、時計は一応持ってるよ」
そう言ったノルドは荷物を下ろし、その中から一辺二〇センチほどの四角い時計を取り出した。
「えっと......あぁ、もう日が落ちてるね。普段寝る時間よりは少し早いけど......休むかい?」
「その方が良いだろう。特にノルド、お前は私たちより体力を消費しただろう?」
「そうだね、そうしてもらえると助かるかな。数日ならともかく、長期に亘っては無理が利かないだろうし」
「解りました。では夕食を食べて休みましょう。
「そうだね。傷んで食べられなくなったら勿体ないし。......周辺温度が高すぎて、逆に大丈夫かもしれないけど。ハハハ......」
「これが最後の晩餐にならなければ良いんだが......」
あまり冗談になっていないアイリスの言葉に一同は無言になり、ケイトの作ったやや豪華な夕食を静かに終えると、その日は早めに就寝したのであった。
フローティング・テントと防熱装備を併用した野営は、アイリスたちが想像したよりも快適だったが、魔力を消費し続けているからか、それとも閉じ込められているという精神的重圧の影響か、残念ながらアイリスたちの目覚めはあまり快適とはいえなかった。
どこか重く感じる頭を振りつつ、もそもそと起き出したアイリスたちは、昨晩よりもだいぶ貧相になった朝食を終え、今日も洞窟の奥へと歩き出す。
相変わらず道は悪かったが、幸いなのは、はっきりとした分かれ道がないことだろう。
所々にとても人が入れそうにない隙間などは存在したが、仮にそこが外へと繋がっていても、通れないのでは意味がない。
迷うことがなく、議論も必要ないという点では、彼女たちには都合が良かったのだ。
しかしそんな幸運も、その日の昼頃までだった。
「分かれ道、だな」
「どれを選ぶか、予断を持たずに判断はできそうですね」
今、三人の目の前には、人一人がやっと入り込めそうな縦方向の隙間が三カ所、存在していた。
いずれの裂け目も岩と岩の隙間といった様相で地中深くへと切り込み、下の方は脚が入る幅すらなく、地面に足を着けて歩くことも難しい。
先へ進むためには、両側の壁に脚を突っ張るようにして身体を支えるしか方法はないだろう。
その困難さはどれを選んだとしても大差はなさそうで、ケイトの言う通り、通路の難易は選択に影響を与えずに済みそうであった。
「......考えても仕方がない。順に進んでみるしかないだろうな」
アイリスはこれからの道中に予想される困難さを想像し、深くため息を吐いた。
119 037 Towards Escape (1)
They were the Iris who each came up with their opinions and discussed them for a while, but realistically had little choice, etc.
More than difficult to dig up the crash site, the Iris can only do it by going down the road that leads to the back.
There is also a way of waiting for rescue without moving where it is now, but only Sarasa could possibly come to help.
But that Sarasa inherently has no obligation or responsibility to rescue the Iris.
Of course, Sarasa will devote herself to the rescue of Iris, but the skin on Iris' face is not thick enough to rely on it.
Stepping into an unknown location also increases the risk of encountering new threats, but besides going on to find a way out, even if you can't find a way, the surrounding temperatures just drop, which has the advantage of dampening magic consumption.
Because of that, Iris and I began to move on...
"... don't you think the ambient temperatures are rising?
It was about half a day's walk from the crash site that Nordrad seemed to leak so painfully.
While there is a fine up-down, the cave initially extended upwards.
Eventually, however, it shifted downward, and now it seems to be coming down to a lower position than the collapse site.
That would have caused the temperature to rise, but the Kates, who haven't felt so much change thanks to their high quality heat protection gear, thought it would be possible to keep it in their mouth or say something else.
"Water, shall we replenish it?
"It helps..."
Nordrad offered Kate a water bag that was almost empty while wiping the dripping sweat.
Receiving it, Kate tilts the spring water bottle and uses her own magic to water the water bag.
"Kate, are you okay with magic?
"So far... thank the manager, is it?"
This is already the fourth time Kate has replenished Nordrad with water.
Given that the average human being can produce about 15-20 liters of water per day, and the continued use of heat-proof equipment smelters (artifacts), even Kate, who has a lot of magic, is likely to have problems with her magic residue, but Kate has yet to feel the fatigue coming from the loss of magic.
As for Iris and the others, I almost wanted to put in a scratch, like, 'It would be the body, not the muscles,' but Nordrad's statement wasn't necessarily a mistake either.
Unlike the path that led from the entrance of the cave to Salamander, the passage that Iris and the others are now taking was a truly self- (...) sinus (...) cave (...).
Over a large rock, crawl up a rock wall, bend down a passage with low ceilings, and in a place without width, lower your backpack and go sideways.
Besides not earning enough distance to imagine from the time it took, in the process he also often tortured his arms, not just his ankles, and considerable fatigue accumulated in Nordrad's arms carrying the most luggage.
"Well, you're definitely getting tired. Kate, can you get me some water, too?
"Yeah, the magic... are you okay?
"Oh, I'll do it myself.... Phew. Cold water is delicious."
Iris receives a spring water bottle offered by Kate and exhales when she pours and drinks the water produced from the spring water bottle directly into the cup.
"Right... it's room temperature"
The temperature of the water that can be put out in the spring water bottle is approximately fifteen degrees or so.
Normally, it's not as cold as it feels, but if the surroundings are in a sauna, the story is different.
Besides, the preciousness of ambient water can be solved if the water left in the water bag is affected by ambient temperatures.
"But it's harder than I expected."
"That's a lot different than the first time I went through it."
"Perhaps that road had salamanders in and out? Obviously, it was easy to walk."
"That's possible. The way over there, you didn't even have to give in.... On the contrary, you don't seem to have to worry about salamanders coming around here."
"Fortunately in misfortune, you know. That's how I struggle with it."
It is reassuring in one sense, but if you look at it in a different way, it is also unclear whether it will connect to the outside.
But no one's going to talk about it, even if they can think about it.
"Nord, are you all right with your health?
"Honestly, you're critical. Regardless of the investigation, chasing with Salamander and exploring caves without paths. Because it's been a pretty hard day."
"Yes, it is..."
"Yeah, right..."
To Nordrad's words, Iris and Kate looked at each other and nodded smugly.
It was a lot of events, but it hasn't been a day since.
Accidents by accident - no, if not even accidents intentionally, by now, when I'm on my way home.
With that in mind, Iris asks Nord as he pushes and kills the subtly black emotions that creep up.
"Do you know what time it is now? ... I don't know, but I think it's time to rest."
"Oh, right. Just give me a minute. I need to observe every hour, so I have the clock."
That's what I said. Nord unloaded his stuff and took a square watch about 20 centimeters a side out of it.
"Uh... oh, the sun's already falling. It's a little faster than usual to go to bed... do you want to rest?
"That would be better. Especially Nord, you'd have consumed more health than we did, wouldn't you?
"Right, I guess it would help if you did. In a few days, it won't be easy for you to do it for long."
"I understand. Then let's have dinner and rest. Food other than portable food should be consumed sooner."
"Right. If you get hurt and can't eat, you won't be able to eat....... the ambient temperature is too high and on the contrary it may be ok though. hahahaha......"
"I hope this isn't the last supper..."
The words of Iris, who had not been much of a joke, were silent together, and when he quietly finished Kate's somewhat lavish dinner, he went to bed early that day.
The camp, combined with floating tents and heat protection gear, was more comfortable than the Iris and others had imagined, but unfortunately the Iris awakened less comfortably because they continued to consume magic or because of the effects of the mental pressure of being trapped.
Shaking heads that feel heavy somewhere, the Iris, who woke up in the first place, finish their breakfast, which became a lot poorer than last night, and walk out into the back of the cave today.
As always, the road was bad, but fortunately, there would be no clear division.
There were gaps that people were very unlikely to get into everywhere, but even if it was connected to the outside, there was no point in not being able to get through.
It was convenient for them in that they didn't get lost and didn't need to argue.
But such luck was not until around noon that day.
"Split way."
"You don't seem to be able to make decisions about which to choose without having a prediction."
Right now, in front of the three of them, there were three longitudinal gaps that seemed to allow each person to finally enter.
Any rift cuts deep into the ground in such shapes as the gap between the rock and the rock, and the lower one doesn't even have the width of a leg into it, making it difficult to walk with your foot on the ground.
In order to move forward, there will be no other way to support your body than to push your legs against the walls on both sides.
The difficulty didn't seem to vary greatly, no matter which one you chose, and as Kate put it, the difficulty of the aisle seemed to have to affect the choice.
"... I can't help thinking about it. I guess I'll just have to go in order."
Iris imagined the difficulties expected on the road ahead and sighed deeply.
The Novice Alchemist’s Store
[Web版] 新米錬金術師の店舗経営
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Adventure Comedy Fantasy Shoujo Ai Slice of Life Supernatural
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