CH 310.1

『The Great Pit』

It is a huge mortar-shaped hole of 1,000 meters in diameter and 500 meters deep that opens up in the middle of the desolate land.

It is located further southeast of Landbarn which is the territory of the Margrave. It is the furthest Empire’s territory from the Spirit Forest which is located north of the Empire.

At the moment, the Elven knight order was hiding behind a huge mass of rock on the north side of the pit.

(We’re finally here.)

In the cockpit of a B-class Knight, a woman with a slender build exhales as she sweeps up her long, straight hair.

She is the vice commander, and her pale face is showing a hint of fatigue. It was only natural since she has been running almost without stopping.

(There’s not even half of us left.)

The newly promoted vice commander, her face contorted in pain, looks around.

Their formation, which had consisted of one A-class and 12 B-class Knights, had been reduced to just one A-class and five B-class Knights after the encounter with the Imperial Army that occurred immediately after they left the forest.

『Let’s go』

It was the sound from the external sound system of the commander’s Knight standing at the front of the line. The wooden fortress and the Empire C-class, which appeared to be standing guard, could be seen at the tip of the chin of the spiky green-and-black A-class.

Perhaps it was because it was morning, but it seemed that they haven’t started 『Mining』, which is to say, defeating Stone Golems yet.

(Everything will just get worse if we just stand still and do nothing.)

The long straight deputy commander takes one deep breath and recomposes herself.

Of course, she does have a feeling of wanting to take a break. But they have come this far, breaking through checkpoints at every turn. It is only a matter of time before the pursuers arrive.

The only thing that will gain an advantage as time goes by is their enemy.

(Firing!)

The Knights have their wand at the ready, and as the commander’s Knight lowered its hand, they released Ice Arrows.

(…. What’s this? They’re too weak.)

Her thoughts were understandable, considering the encounter a few days earlier. Then a voice from the external sound system arrives from the commander’s Knight.

『Keep shooting.』

The Elven Knights emerge from behind the mass of rock and advance, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. They reached the outer edge and peered into the Great Pit from above.

There were no longer any Empire Knights above and below the ground. Only Clay Golems and Stone Golems, which were still roaming in the depths of the pit, were there.

(So the next generation of the World Tree is down there huh.)

The long-straight vice commander who, while turning her gaze toward the golems, swallowed her saliva while further bracing her spirit.

They must conquer the place where the next generation of World Tree will grow, wipe out the earth-attribute demon beasts, and make this place the new Spirit Forest.

『Let’s descend!』

The voice of the thin high elf echoes sharply. The five B-class Knights shouted in response in unison.

The vice commander swept her long hair out of her eyes with her hand and made the Knight step down toward the bottom of the Great Pit.

***

The Empire’s largest mine, the Great Pit, is staffed by the Frontier knight order, under the direct control of the Margrave.

However, it is difficult for them to defeat the golems and carry them up to the surface, as they have less than-average strength.

Therefore, every morning, the Yellow Lily Squad of the Lily Knights, a group of skilled mercenary Knights, would head out from Landbarn to support them and return in the evening.

(…….?)

The captain of the Yellow Lily Squad was advancing her Knight toward the Great Pit as usual. She stopped when the jet-black A-class Knight in front of her extended its one arm to the side, blocking her way.

What followed next was the sound of something being destroyed.

The blonde, braided female captain looked up into the face of the Grim Reaper’s A-class Knight, then followed its gaze.

(Was that offensive magic just now?)

A little further on, in the vicinity of the Great Pit, a light that no pilot could mistake appeared again, followed by the sound that reached them.

(They’re in the middle of a battle.)

She immediately tried to rush to the rescue, but the Grim Reaper moved one palm, which had been placed horizontally, up and down, and instructed her to get down.

The Yellow Lily Squad, consisting of three B-class and four C-class Knights, and two C-class riders of the Frontier knight order, immediately crawled on the ground.

After a short pause, the Grim Reaper mumbled in a subdued external sound system.

『It’s the elves. Looks like they went down into the hole.』

When he mentioned the name, the pilots of the Frontier knight order shrank.

At the same time, they understood why the Grim Reaper had stopped them. They had heard enough about the horror of the elven Knights from the pilots of the frontier knight order.

『The Yellow Lily will stay here and keep monitoring the situation. You go to the Margrave and inform him that the elves have made their appearance.』

Then, the blonde, braided onee-sama asks Grim Reaper, who gives her instructions in quick succession.

『What will you do, Your Excellency?』

After a pause, the slender, jet-black Knight slowly spits out a few words.

『……I’m going to play for a bit.』

Those who heard what he just said could not stop a chill from running down their spines.

『M-May the fortune of war be with you.』

The captain of the Yellow Lily does her best to squeeze out a reply. The A-class Knight carrying the Death Scythe, nodded lightly and began to walk away.

On the other hand, a C-class Knight of the Frontier knight order was running in the direction of Landbarn with a hunched posture.

『Let’s look for a place that has good visibility but made it difficult to spot us.』

Their Onee-sama, the captain, turned around and instructed her non-blood-related sisters. They, too, stood up to fulfill their assigned roles.

***

Here the perspective switches again to the vice commander of the Elven knight order. We move to the pale female pilot with long, straight hair.

Inside the Great Pit exists a spiral path, the same diameter as the pit, that runs from the surface to the bottom of the pit. The Elven Knights descended straight down, ignoring this path, as if they were jumping down a few flights of stairs.

The maneuvering, which depends on the use of hover to repeatedly make big leaps, is something that is possible only for the elves.

(Steam? Or is it gas? I can’t see a thing.)

Their Knights proceed by jumping over the shallow layer where the Clay Golems are, and kicking and crushing the stone golem in the layer below it as they jump.

There was a mist at the bottom, probably due to geothermal heat or volcanic activity. To the elves, who are not familiar with the earth element, it seemed like a miasma.

「You’re in the way!」

It was probably trying to catch her, the Heavy Stone Golem aimed at where she was going to land, stretched out its arms, blocking her way.

She hits the golem with a series of Ice Arrows, blowing it off from the chest up. Then, using its torso as a foothold before it collapses, she flies further down.

Finally, she reached the layer one level above the bottom.

「Earth attributes magical power? What disgusting air. I wouldn’t want to be there for even a second.」

She thought as she looked down at the circular clearing, about a hundred meters in diameter.

The humidity is probably 100 percent. And due to the geothermal heat, the temperature would probably exceed 50 degrees Celsius. It was not an environment in which one could remain alive.

When she looked closely into the shimmering air, she could see the entrance to a side hole in the wall of the pit. It was just large enough for a Knight to pass through.

『…… Could it be that’s the entrance to the underground lake?』

The voice came from the commander’s spiky Knight.

A World Tree that grows on the shore of a lake, and the World Enemy that feeds on it. The old pharmacist woman relayed to the High Elves the vision she had seen through the eyes of Zaratan, the turtle-shaped Great Spirit Beast.

All six Knights descended to the pit, and the vice commander, prompted by the commander’s chin, proceeded to the side hole. She then switched to another wand to shoot a ball of light for illumination.

『Move away!』

The old man who was as thin as a dead tree sensed something and shouted, but he was too late.

The lead-colored golem, which had come charging out of the side hole like a bullet, slammed its fist into the abdomen of the vice commander’s Knight, snapping its body in two and sending it slamming into the wall behind it.

『Shoot it!』

The elven Knights jump back to the upper layer by hovering and concentrating their offensive magic at it. However, the Metal Golem, which has a high resistance to magic, doesn’t even flinch.

After tossing the vice commander’s Knight, it runs up the wall with both its arms and legs, embraces a B-class Knight, and crushes it with Sabaori* technique.

「*TL Note: A technique that sumo wrestlers can use to bring their opponent to their knees.」

『Metal Golem huh.』

After clicking his tongue, the commander told his men to shoot a powerful Fire Arrow at the B-class and knocked the Metal Golem along with it to the lowest part of the pit.

『I’m going to defeat it. You guys keep those Heavy Stone Golems busy so that they won’t get in the way.』

After he finished speaking, the commander descended to the floor of the pit again.

And so began the battle between the elves’ A-class Knight, who greatly surpassed the A-class Knights of the humans, against the Metal Golem, which is said to be the top of stone-type magic beast.