236 - - CHAPTER XXIII -- THE HIDDEN IN THE EARTH

Once we had solved the ice problem in the ice house, we decided to explore the town to find the source of the problem.

"The cause of the melting of the ice in the ice house ...... could simply be due to the continuous hot weather, couldn't it?"

The first opinion that came up was Gyro's.

"But isn't it strange that the ice is melting faster only this year?　At least the air in town doesn't seem that hot. And if the temperature is high enough to melt the ice in the icehouse, wouldn't that affect not only this town but also neighboring towns and villages?"

"What about that area, Mr. Tracy?"

To confirm Mr. Norb's rebuttal, I ask the opinion of Ms. Tracy, who lives in the Holy City.

Yes, that's right. It was a little hotter than usual this year, but it didn't seem to be particularly hot. I don't think it's just this town that's getting hotter, since it's similarly warm all over the area.

Yes, it feels a little hot, but not hot enough to melt all the ice in the icehouse at once.

"I look around the town, but I don't see anything that would make it hotter. It doesn't look like someone is using magic, or any kind of magic item.

"In the first place, if you use magic, you will feel a certain amount of magic power. But I don't feel like there's any big magic going on around here.

Mina, who had been concentrating her attention and searching for the flow of magic, assures me that it is not caused by anything magic-related.

Yes, I don't feel any strong magic power either, and I think Mina's words are right.

"If we can't find any cause, and it's not caused by magic or magic items, then ...... it must be the wrath of God!　In fact, the people of this town must have committed a sin that would provoke God's wrath!

I was puzzling over the cause of the problem when suddenly Tracy said something like that.

"No, no, no, no...what kind of wrath could melt the ice in this town's ice house? If they were going to punish us that finely, they would have punished us more spectacularly.

"That's true, too. ......"

As one might expect, Tracy quickly retracted her opinion, as if she herself had found it painful to do so just now.

"Hmmm......... then I guess the rest is demon-related?"

"But I've never heard of a demon that doesn't attack people and just melts the ice in the icehouse, have you?"

Indeed. I've never heard of such a mischievous demon either ...... but, well, such rare demons don't show themselves that often.

First, let's check around with a search spell.

"...... what's that?"

When I check around the area with my search magic, I detect a reaction of some big demon deep in the ground.

What is it?

"I think there's something underground."

"""""" underground? """"""

Well, since the probing magic can only confirm bio-signs, we can't investigate any further.

Then we should use that magic.

I put my hand on the ground and activate the magic.

"Ground search!"

This magic is used to search for deposits and ancient relics that lie beneath the ground.

It is a magic that sends a thin wave of magic into the ground, and when it hits something other than soil, it causes a special reflection that tells us what is there in some detail.

The wave of magic power I emit spreads throughout the earth and creates a hemispherical exploration field.

Then the magic wave touches and reflects off the monsters lurking in the ground and delivers detailed information to me.

"Hmmm......... this demon is pretty big. And it's so hot that I can't believe it's a living thing. ......

Yes, the huge monsters lurking underground were wearing unnaturally high temperatures.

A monster lurking underground, and this high heat...... melts the ice in the ice chamber......

It looks somewhat familiar .......

"Oh, yeah!　It's a heat stealer!

I shouted the name unconsciously as I thought of the identity of the monster lurking in the basement.

""""""Heat stealer?

"Yes, heat stealers are very hot demons. They have lava-like organs inside their bodies, and they steal the cool air around them to cool them down.

"There are demons like that ...... that take cold air to cool themselves?"

Liliela nodded her head many times in admiration.

"This is the one that melted the ice in the ice room, isn't it? It's a demon that normally can't live in a place like this, so I noticed it too late.

"You can't live ......?"

Tracy nodded her head, wondering if the word "unsurvivable" bothered her.

"Yes, a heat stealer is a demon with a very high body temperature, and if it doesn't keep itself cool with the cold air nearby, it will cause a huge explosion and die. That's why they usually live in areas with heavy snowfall or in permafrost.

"Wow, that's a strange demon. I can't believe it explodes if it's not cooled down.

"Yeah, I mean, it's a dumb-ass who's going to die in a big explosion on his own. ......"

"""""" big explosion oooooh!?""""""

Everyone who hears that there is going to be a big explosion screams with a blue face.

"Really, a big explosion?

"Really?　Isn't it a big deal to have such a thing nearby?

"No, no. The demon is under the ground, so even if it explodes, I don't think it will be that much of a disaster, right, Mr. Laxhi?

I can't help but think that if Mr. Norb were underground, it wouldn't be that bad, but I'm not so sure.

"No, a heat stealer this size would blow up this whole town in a heartbeat."

""""""d*mn!!!""""""

"Oh no!　We have to take them out now!

Wait! We can't risk an explosion while we're fighting! We have to evacuate the town first!

"That's right!　We need to tell the townspeople to hurry up and get out of here!"

Well, everyone is upset.

Well, it's understandable that people who are fighting heat stealers for the first time would be confused.

"Don't worry, we have countermeasures."

""""""Really?

Everyone looks at me with anxious faces.

"Yes, the underground heat stealer is getting very hot, but fortunately the ice we just made in the ice chamber is just barely keeping it from exploding. So let's use that time to get rid of the heat stealers.

"Yes, yes. So you're still okay. Good. ......"

Everyone lets out a sigh of relief, knowing that there is no danger right now.

"So how do we catch the demons in the soil?　Do you dig into the ground and drag the demons out?"

I guess so. The easiest way to get rid of them is to heat them up.

They are very vulnerable to heat because they will die if you don't cool them down.

But I'm afraid of secondary disasters if we do it near the city, and since our goal is to keep them from exploding in the first place, I don't think we should do it this way.

Besides, heat stealers are useful as a material for heat insulators if they are recovered well.

In that sense, I'd like to recover it as peacefully and neatly as possible.

"No, the heat stealer is buried deep underground, so rather than digging it out, we'll force it out.

"Forcibly remove them?"

How?　When asked, I decided to actually do it.

"First of all, we need to adjust the place. Ice field!"

First, the temperature of the surrounding area is lowered at once by environmental reproduction magic to create a pseudo-cold area.

"Bukkesho?　It's suddenly getting cold!

Gyro-kun shivers and sneezes repeatedly at the sudden temperature change.

"I see...so they made another cold place to lure us in... Boo!"

No, that would take too long, so we'll take a more direct approach. This is a preliminary step.

"Preparation?"

Clay control!

Next, the clay manipulation magic creates a river-like flow in the ground and pushes the subterranean heat stealers to the surface.

"What's that shaking?　Earthquake!

With the shaking of the ground, the heat stealers detected by the exploration magic come up to the surface.

"I'm coming out!

"What?　What?"

The next moment, a huge mole-shaped monster, Heatstealer, leaps out of the ground into the air.

""""""Wow!　A big mole aaaaaaah!?""""""

"Mooooooooooo!"

And as soon as the heat stealer comes out, the space filled with cold air begins to heat up at once.

Oops, the heat is much higher than expected. At this rate, Tracy is going to get sick from the heat.

"Heat coating!

Immediately I coat the heat stealer with thermal magic to keep the heat from leaking out.

"Air slasher!　Water control!"

Then, I cut off the neck of the surprised heat stealer who suddenly leaps into the air with a vacuum spell, and throw an anti-heat potion at him, and apply it all over his body with magic.

"Yes!　Recovery complete."

Finally, after storing the fall with the magic bag, I turned to everyone and told them that everything was over.

"It's over."

"""""" what? """"""

Everyone looks at me with a blank stare.

"Now we've eliminated the cause of the ice melting in the ice room.

"What?　Are you done already?"

"Yes. The extermination of the heat stealer is over."

""""""Ehhh? """"""

For some reason, Lilieira and the others groan in unconvinced.

"If you hurt the heat stealer, it will overflow with high fever body fluid and cause a lot of trouble, so it's better to finish it off in an instant like now."

It would be a disaster if they went berserk and spread their bodily fluids all over the place.

"No, but I don't know what happened until you tell me more about what happened."

Oh, I see. I did defeat them before I could explain the details, because I thought I had to take them down quickly.

"Well, first of all, we cool the battlefield with an ice field. This is to protect the town and everyone from the high temperatures generated by the heat stealers.

"I see. I see.

Everyone nodded.

"Next, we use clay control to manipulate the soil on the ground to push out the huge body of the heat stealer.

That was an earthquake.

"However, the body temperature of the heat stealer was higher than expected, so we used the magic of heat coating to prevent the heat from leaking out. This magic is like a thermal blanket that covers the body and keeps the body temperature constant so that it is not affected by hot or cold places. This is used to prevent the body temperature from leaking out of the hot place.

"Wow, there is such magic."

"And what an unusual use of magic to use on demons when we use it on our own bodies.

"Because it is easier to consume and control magic for one person than for a number of people.

I guess you could say that.

Then I'll finally use wind magic to decapitate the heat stealer. The inside of a heat stealer's body is so hot that a poor weapon will melt it. That's why it's more efficient to use magic to cut off the head.

"It's quite a thing when a weapon melts. ......"

"In this case, if the magma sack inside the body was breached, it would cause a catastrophic firestorm in the surrounding area, so we had to attack the heat stealer while it was startled by being pushed to the ground. When he comes back to himself, he's going to go berserk."

"You didn't just drive them out of the ground."

"Then, to prevent the heat of the heat stealer from leaking out even after the magical effect of the heat coating wears off, we coat it with a temperature maintenance potion, collect it in a magic bag, and the extermination is complete."

The heat stealer material gives off a high heat when it is defeated. Especially if they are freshly dead.

So they need to be prepped to shield them from the heat so they can be disassembled later.

"You thought of all that in such a short time and got it done in an instant. ......"

Liliela and the others heard the whole process, but for some reason they all crossed their arms and groaned.

"Megli, could you have done that?"

"Impossible. I can cut it with wind magic, but it's impossible to kill a demon thrown up in the air by aiming at its vital point without cutting the part that shouldn't be cut. Can Norie use earth magic to drive that demon out of the ground?

"No, it's impossible. I can't use search magic, so I don't know where they are. And since they will struggle to escape when they are under the ground, they will escape if you don't hurry to carry them to the ground.

"And after you defeat them, before they hit the ground, you have to apply magic potions all over them so they don't leak heat. ......"

"You also have to have heat protection so that you can withstand the heat of the demons in the first place."

"""""Too much to do......""""""

Apparently, people have been thinking about what they should do when they fight heat stealers.

Yeah, everyone is full of ambition.

"Hah, Laxi, you're awesome ......".

Tracy stares at me with an impressed gaze.

"No, no, this is normal for adventurers.

"Is that so?"

""""It's not true!!!""""

What?　Why does everyone deny it?

"...... hmmm, how can I defeat him with my fire magic?"

While I was fussing like that, Mr. Gyro let out a troubled sigh.

Yeah, Gyro-kun is good with fire, but not so good with ice.

"Jai, in Janet's case, I think it's also possible to make the heat more intense than a heat stealer and burn it down in an instant.

It is better to change the way of doing this kind of thing according to the characteristics of the person who is fighting.

"My method is relatively easy for everyone."

"""""" for all""""""

"Well, guys, now that we've solved the problem surprisingly quickly, let's report back to the townspeople and go to our next destination!"

"""""" Oh, oh ......? """"""

Alright, let's catch up with the other participants before we reach the next town!

◆ priest of the god of knowledge

"Well, it looks like we made it to Kasgal Town without incident."

We had a rough night at the encampment last night when we encountered an unknown demon, but we are relieved to have arrived at the town safely.

...... hmm, the other temple attendees are immediately asking the townspeople if they are in need of any help.

"But to no avail. There is only one problem in this town, and that is the ice house.

How do I know that?　It's that simple.

It is the handiwork of the Temple of the God of Knowledge that has released the heat stealer, the cause of the melting of the ice in the Ice House, in the vicinity of this town!

This is because we have been having difficulties in our meetings about how to interfere with the other temples on this pilgrimage.

After so many years of dragging each other down, the temples of the Holy City have come to understand each other's moves.

We were at a loss as to how we could effectively interfere with them, since they could read our thoughts, when a priest belonging to a frontier church offered to meet with us.

The priest offered me a sleeping heat stealer to use for my pilgrimage.

In fact, such offers are not uncommon.

If the temple, the head temple of the church, is well received, one can easily get ahead in the local church.

Above all, the demon brought by the priest was very convenient for us.

After all, it was a demon that inhabited an uninhabitable and extremely cold region, and was so little known that even our temple, which boasts the greatest knowledge in the world, could find only fragmentary data on it.

Expecting that it would be difficult for other temples to find out the cause if it was this demon, we ordered the priest to release the demon near this town where the ice house is located.

Furthermore, to be extra cautious, we had our own hands solve even the smallest of problems in the town of Casgar.

Yes, there is only one problem that can bother the people of Casgal!

And we are the only ones who know the solution!

The rest of the Temple community can take their time looking for something to worry about after we have solved their problems in style and left this town!

A fine concern, one that will be recognized by the steering committee members as a concern worthy of the pilgrimage!

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Well then, let's get on with it and let him show us the way to the ice room.

"Hey you there, is there anything wrong in this town?

I ask a townspeople passing by if they have any problems.

"What?　No, nothing in particular?"

"What?"

But to my surprise, the man in the town assured me that there was nothing to worry about.

Does this guy think he doesn't know what's going on in this town?

"Yes, yes, yes, yes.　You see, we have a big ice house in this town, don't we?　Is there a problem with that?"

"Ah!　You mean the icehouse!"

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

When I pointed it out to them, the townspeople seemed to finally remember.

Good grief, you startled me.

"Well, I solved it this morning.

"Go to ......?"

"The participants of the pilgrimage solved the problem in no time at all."

"Huh?"

Other participants?　Who in the world would do such a thing?

I mean, how did they even know it was there?

"Well, I can't thank those people enough!

"Pokern ......"

We were so shocked that we let go for a while.

"...... what?　We must do a good deed anyway!

My colleague was quick to come to his senses, and his words brought me back to mine.

Yes, there is no use in staying in a state of absentmindedness forever. I must do my good deed and get out of town as soon as possible!

"Oh, hey!　You there!　Are you in some kind of trouble?

We immediately ask the townspeople nearby if they are in need of any help.

But ......

"Huh?　Oh, no, not really now. Whenever I've had a problem recently, someone has solved it right away.

"Shit!"

That's right!　We were solving the problem ourselves!

And so we were left stranded because of our own actions. ......