The World's Ego

The Trap

Rimuru POV

As we explored the castle with the Chief as our guide, I realized how vast the castle was, big enough for all the dark elves to live in. There are also places for the Majins working under Geld to live in, the dark elves were managing these residential areas as well so that they could live in them on the day they returned.

"This is the entrance to the ruins. There are three levels in total, the bottom floor seems to be a tomb. We were only able to enter the upper floor, since for the middle floor and below, only Demon Lord Clayman knew what was held there."

"Then do you know the layout of the upper floor?" I questioned

"Yes, all of the treasure from the upper floor were collected. Right now, we are using it as living quarters."

I nod and opened the door, walking straight inside, noting that despite it being an underground location, it had a gentle glow emitting all around.

"What is this light?" I asked the Chief

"Your Majesty, this is the permanent effect of magic creation. It seems to be linked with the orbit of the Sun as it does get dimmer at night."

This stirs the crowd of teammates behind us.

"What? So ancient magic is still at work here?"

"Th-This alone should be a major discovery. Even though it's being utilized so naturally, I still want to investigate it thoroughly."

"Oh, so is there similar magic present on the middle floor and below as well?" I questioned once again

"Yes, when we sent off Clayman-sama, I secretly had a peek at it. The middle floor was very bright as well."

We continued to explore the first floor in this exciting mood and hushed voices.

"Won't monsters emerge from underground if you guys were to reside here? The word tomb alone makes me feel that there are ghosts." Gobta questioned with a slight shiver

The Chief answers him with a wry smile, "No, we wouldn't be concerned about that. There's only one entrance to the underground, and only Clayman-sama was able to open it."

"Oh, then why not just break it if you can't open it?" Milim suggested with fists ready

Shion joins in with her odachi, "Leave it to me, I'll slash it open right away!"

"We're supposed to be preserving such things, not breaking them apart!" Mobius scolded them in my stead

"Mobius is right. We are here to investigate carefully. Nothing here must be broken." I reminded them

"Y-You have a point, let's be careful now, Shion!" Milim exclaimed

"That was close. I would have cut it down had you not warned me." Shion sighs in relief, keeping her odachi

We continued walking in the cavernous ruins and walked past the residential area of the dark elves before a giant gate appeared in front of us. The size was about the same as the first gate, but it seemed to be enchanted with a spell.

"I see. This appears to have been enchanted with an ancient magic defense mechanism. If you accidentally disturb the contraption, the defensive mechanisms within the city may activate." Kagali noted

"Are these defensive mechanisms still functioning?" One of the boys in the exploration team asks

"Yes, please be very careful. If we were to trigger it accidentally, we may no longer be able to investigate the ruins." Kagali advised everyone with a serious expression