January 18, Midnight
Rhodim, United Kingdom of Slephen
The Special Operations Group's Shimazaki Team, which had been subsisting for two months on rations they had brought with them, food gathered from the forest, and wheat purchased from farmers, had entered the street of Rhodim with their magical advisor, the Ina Kingdom ninja named Asakabe Nagahachirou Yoshifumi. Even though it was already late at night, the citizens were still noisily looking up at the night sky. The strong magical barrier that completely covered the capital was vaguely visible.
"...Here... this way."
The Special Operations Group's objective, led by Captain Shimazaki, was to destroy the magic circle and the source of magical power that maintained the solid barrier. Following the guide of Nagahachirou's magic accumulation detector, they proceeded through the back alleys to the right and left. But in the middle of their journey, Nagahachirou abruptly stopped.
"...What's wrong, Hachirou?" Shimazaki asked, peering into Nagahachirou's magic tool. It showed an arrow-like symbol on a small screen.
"It seems... that this instrument is pointing to this basement."
Nagahachirou's magical tool was detecting a huge accumulation of magical power underground. This means that the source of this strong magical barrier exists underground.
"Looks like it... you are right."
"...!"
Shimazaki's subordinate, Staff Sergeant Yasuharu Akino, noticed an unnatural door on the floor of an abandoned house nearby. When he opened the door, he found a staircase leading to the basement.
"I see... a hidden staircase."
Shimazaki peered into the depths of the staircase. It was unlit and appeared to lead to the bottom of the earth.
"Alright... let's go."
Shimazaki stepped onto the stairs without hesitation. His men followed him down the hidden staircase. Nagahachirou, who was going last, looked around and closed the door.
Underground
Shimazaki in the lead proceeded through the pitch-black staircase, shining a flashlight below him.
"We are underground, aren't we?"
"We've already gone down 400 meters."
The stairway, with no end in sight, was so dark that no one could see the end. Although less than five minutes had passed since they had started descending the stairs, it seemed to them that it had taken several times longer than that. But the end came suddenly. After about 550 meters, they were blocked by a mysterious wall.
"...Dead end? No, it's a door."
It was a small door separating the staircase from the space beyond. It was not, however, the kind of door they usually use. Instead of a doorknob or keyhole, it had a dial for entering a passcode, reminiscent of a scene from a Sci-Fi novel.
"...The heck? How do you open this thing?"
The dials were written in unfamiliar characters, and they did not know what to type in to open the door. There were no knobs or gaps in the door, so there was no way to pry it open.
"Let's blow it open... get the C4 ready!"
Shimazaki decided to use the C4 explosives to blow up the door. However, Nagahachirou, who was walking in the rear, objected to the order.
"Blasting may cause a collapse. Before we do that... may I look at it?"
"...Alright, do you have something planned?"
YOU ARE READING
ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)
Adventure"On September 4, 2025, Japan disappeared into another world. The adventures of the Self-Defense Forces, diplomats, politicians, and the Japanese people will begin..." PS: I did not write Asahi no Nishisei, this is a fan translation of the webnovel m...
