I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Mole （1）

“Here it is.”

Rake found the tunnel.

It was smaller than the one in Symphony, but it was big enough for one person to enter and exit.

“Shall we go in?”

━ Yes. The other two, wait here.

I don’t know what’s inside. It’s better for Rake to go alone because she can take care of herself and escape.

It’s too narrow for three of us to go in.

Rake, who received the map from Luna, infiltrated the tunnel.

“I think there are traces of the demon’s bodily fluids everywhere.”

━ I see.

Rake is an expert at digging tunnels.

She’s the one who dug a tunnel and hid herself to avoid the Dark Cloud Demon in Tibera.

She endured it for dozens of hours.

She’s like a demigod of tunnels who can fight against the Tunnel Demon.

“Hmm.”

Look. Rake entered the tunnel and is diligently moving on all fours.

It’s quite cute like a mole…

“…Is something wrong?”

Ah, did I look too happy?

Rake, perhaps because she’s a demigod, can read my emotions to some extent.

I need to be careful.

But it’s too late to fix it.

“Do I look that funny crawling around…”

The quick-witted Rake looks dejected.

━ N, No, it’s not that.

Damn it, I stuttered.

“Did you think I looked like a mole?”

━ …

“…”

She hit the nail on the head.

I have nothing to say.

Rake, who became quiet, moved cautiously, no, timidly.

Her movements are small, as if her confidence has plummeted.

“That’s too much.”

She mumbled softly, to make matters worse.

The atmosphere suddenly turns cold.

━ I thought it was cute because it looked like a mole.

Let’s just be honest.

There’s no need to lie all the time. I should be honest at times like this.

Actually, I have no excuse.

“Cute? Me?”

Rake turns her head sharply and looks at Totem No. 3.

“Not scary or funny, but cute?”

She has a strange expression.

━ That’s right.

Does ‘cute’ have a negative meaning?

Easy? Harmless? Weak?

Oh, come on. That’s too much delusion.

From the perspective of a strong woman, it could be a humiliating expression… She could feel that way.

“I’ve never heard that before. Cute…”

She giggles.

I’m glad she seems to like it.

We moved forward through the tunnel in a more amicable atmosphere than before.

It might be a bit wrong to say “we” since only Rake moved.

About 8 to 10 minutes passed.

“…It’s blocked.”

━ Hmm.

We reached a dead end.

He blocked this tunnel too. I was slightly expecting it, but it’s a shame.

Rake puts her ear to the mound of dirt blocking the way.

“The layer is thinner than I thought. I think I can break through.”

Is it shoddy construction?

We’re lucky.

━ Let’s go.

Rake, nodding her head, punches the mound of dirt a few times.

The mound of dirt, which was collapsing under her punches, crumbles down with a rumble.

…Wait, I think I called this woman cute earlier.

━ The tunnel won’t collapse, will it?

“It’s fine for now. Even if it collapses, I can dig my way out.”

If that’s the case, we have no choice but to go all the way.

Rake, now seemingly accustomed to it, crawls quickly.

Perhaps because we’re underground, there’s no sound of wind, but the way the surroundings change rapidly shows that this is no ordinary speed.

“I see light.”

As Rake said, a small light flickered at the end.

━ Are there any living creatures nearby?

“No.”

━ Don’t go outside, observe from the end of the tunnel.

“Yes.”

It would be troublesome if we were attacked since the outside is an open space.

“I’ll check.”

Rake, arriving at the end of the tunnel, carefully poked her head out.

━ How is it?

I’m at Rake’s waist, so I can’t see the outside scenery.

“There are no signs of life. It’s just an ordinary wasteland…Wait a minute.”

Rake narrows her eyes.

Did she spot something strange?

“I see other tunnels. There are more than dozens of them.”

Tunnel Demon.

Did that demon dig several tunnels in the nearby area and observe us?

If he saw our warriors leaving the gate through the Symphony tunnel, confirmed our warriors fighting through the Bluethan tunnel, and then invaded the headquarters?

Doesn’t that mean he knew all our movements?

It’s definitely not a lower-ranked demon. Lower ranks can’t move strategically like this.

It must be a mid-ranking or high-ranking demon, but I’m not sure.

I haven’t heard of a mid-ranking demon this active in the community.

Usually, they just protect their own territory like that Gorilla Demon.

But there are many strange things about it being a high-ranking demon.

If he came himself instead of just sending his followers, the headquarters would have been destroyed.

He wouldn’t have spied like this either.

But he just watched and left. Is he not confident in his power?

There are too many possibilities, I can’t pinpoint it.

It’s confusing.

Could it be related to the sea monsters that came by boat?

Something is happening, but it’s all happening outside my grasp.

Would I get an answer if I asked Jin Malak?

…What would that guy know? Let’s stop thinking useless thoughts.

“I’ll check the map.”

Rake took out the map.

Right, we need to check where we are first.

“We came straight left, and there’s a wasteland, so I think it’s Polaris.”

Polaris.

It’s an area near Bluethan.

It was also the place where golem magic users secretly gathered and carried out their final project.

And it’s where the Imperial Arena, known to have a Hidden Piece, is located.

We couldn’t avoid going there anyway.

━ Polaris, huh.

Our next destination has been decided.

━ Let’s go back.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

I returned to the Tribal Federation with the three women.

Everyone is currently gathered at the altar, discussing future plans.

“There was such a facility in Polaris…There was a mage who practiced golem magic in Symphony before the apocalypse. He said he had to leave because he received an order from the nation, but this must have been it.”

Rachel pushes up her glasses.

There is a magic tower in Symphony.

Harry got the Rock Golem from there.

“Then the Rock Golem…”

“You said you found it in the magic tower, right? It must be his work.”

Rachel nodded at Harry’s question.

The Rock Golem that the mage left behind was a great help to us.

━ I see.

Should we focus on repairing the headquarters, or should we eliminate the cause that made us repair it?

Opinions were largely divided into two.

“I exchanged letters with a friend who worked there through magic. A friend of 40 years. He wouldn’t have lied.”

Harry most actively argued for going to Polaris.

The point was that while dealing with the Tunnel Demon was a problem, the results that the golem mages put their heart and soul into creating there might be a great help in saving humanity.

He seemed to have the intention of retrieving his friends’ bodies, but he didn’t show it much.

An experienced attitude that doesn’t appeal to emotions. Is this what maturity is?

“I don’t mean to disparage the golem mages, but isn’t there a possibility that they failed to produce results?

Going into enemy territory always involves many risks. We’ve discovered Polaris, the presumed base of the Tunnel Demon. We know their whereabouts. I don’t think there’s a need to act hastily.”

Rachel took the lead in the opinion of repairing the headquarters.

“Are you saying we should wait for them to attack again? That seems too passive.”

“We were ambushed once. I think we need to move more cautiously this time.”

It’s time for Harry and Rachel to debate.

Both opinions make sense. They scratched the things I was worried about.

But there’s one thing they both overlooked.

There’s a Hidden Piece in Polaris.

The Imperial Arena, the Necromancer’s Tomb, the Skeleton Mountain Range, Gruaga Castle, the Assassins’ Guild Headquarters.

This is the location of the Hidden Piece revealed by the user Pumopumo, who was part of the George Raid.

I looked through the community, but there was hardly any mention of the Imperial Arena.

I might be able to obtain it.

If it’s a skill that seems a bit ambiguous, I can just give it to Noah.

━ Let’s decide to subjugate Polaris.

There’s also a saying that the best defense is a good offense.

It’s good to eliminate threats quickly.

Listening to the leaders discuss, I became convinced that the Tunnel Demon is not a high-ranking demon.

Why would a high-ranking demon bother sending only followers? He would have mid-ranking and lower-ranking demons under him.

He’s probably just a mid-ranking demon who’s suspiciously active and smart.

Now that I have the wide-area debuff blessing, siege warfare is also possible.

As a result of a fair vote with one vote per member of the Tribal Federation leadership and my 100 votes, the subjugation of Polaris was decided.

Unlike other regions, Polaris has no villages or cities.

It’s just one huge arena in the center.

We don’t have to plan strategies and conquer one by one like Symphony or Bluethan.

Wouldn’t it be over if Kanto and the warriors attack the arena while Rake finds and kills the Tunnel Demon?

“It’s decided. So, should I go back into the tunnel like a ‘mole’ now?”

Rake, who was leaning against Totem No. 1, slightly raised the corners of her lips.

That joke is a bit…

━ We depart in three days.