Chapter 278: 【Adventurer Mitran】The Reunion of Archaeologist Leseida and the "Ruins Plunderer" Ibrabarleg

【Adventurer Mitran】The Reunion of Archaeologist Leseida and the “Ruins Plunderer” Ibrabarleg

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“Whether it’s an accident or an incident… there might be injured people there, right!? We have to help them!”

After receiving my report that “I smell blood,” Leseida-san thought for a bit and reached that conclusion.

Leseida-san is a strange person who becomes blind to other things when it comes to ruins, but at heart, Leseida-san is straightforward and kind.

That point is very admirable.

But as a bodyguard!

I really wish Leseida-san would stop running ahead, leaving me behind!

“Wait! Wait for me, Leseida-san!”

So, having allowed Leseida-san to go ahead, I, Mitran the adventurer bodyguard, am now hurriedly chasing after Leseida-san’s back…

This is really a deduction point for an adventurer’s response!

My cheats have a flaw.

Whether it’s 【Super Intuition】, 【Super Senses】, or 【Super Combat Instinct】 that allows me to intuitively respond appropriately in combat against any opponent…

There is a “fluctuation” in their activation.

Sometimes, they don’t activate when I really want them to, and I make mistakes.

Like this time, I couldn’t immediately respond to Leseida-san running off.

My cheats alone don’t make me a perfect superhuman.

In a sense, that could be said to be very protagonist-like.

The old man Adventure God seems to have set this “fluctuation” because he wants me to “ultimately rely on my own power and experience instead of cheats”…

But at times like this, I really think “give me a break”!

In the end, it’s my own fault for being slow to judge, and I know it’s misguided to complain to the old man Adventure God!

“Hey, wait, you guys! What in the world… did you do!?”

Well, I finally caught up to Leseida-san in a somewhat spacious small room located a few staircases down from the room where we were investigating earlier.

The worst part is that the situation has already progressed before I could stop it!

Leseida-san is already confronting a group of four men with clearly shady faces in the room!

“Ugh!”

And I unintentionally covered my mouth with one hand.

Because there was the corpse of a man who had been horribly beaten and was staining the floor red with a large slash wound.

It’s been years since I was reincarnated from relatively safe Japan to this conflict-ridden world of Ardyst, but I still can’t get used to human corpses.

This is also one of my flaws as an adventurer that my cheats can’t solve…

“Ah!”

“Those guys…!”

But I wasn’t the only one turning pale in this situation.

Two of the four men, the ones wearing eyepatches, were pointing at us while trembling and saying something to the large, bearded man.

Ah!

Those two were the ruffians who were bothering Leseida-san in the town of Nebo!

“Oh my, well well. Long time no see, Leseida-kun.”

In this confusion-dominated situation, the next one to speak was… a dandy-looking man with a deep-brimmed hat and a goatee.

That man stepped forward from the back, addressed Leseida-san by name, and greeted like that.

“!! You are… the ‘Ruins Plunderer’ Ibrabarleg!!”

Being called out, Leseida-san first widened those eyes in surprise, then glared at that man while gritting teeth.

“L-Leseida-san, is he an acquaintance…?”

“…His name is the ‘Ruins Plunderer’ Ibrabarleg… a vicious grave robber who plunders ruins illegally and doesn’t hesitate to commit crimes like murder to obtain the desired relics.”

Leseida-san spat that out with resentment while glaring at Ibrabarleg.

“Kukuku… what a way to speak to your former teacher, Leseida-kun. Your teacher is sad.”

“Shut up! Even if you were hiding your true nature… those three years I studied under you at Kiralimake are a stain on my life! I no longer acknowledge you as my teacher!!”

“How cold… even though I read all of your published papers, happily thinking about my student’s growth.”

Ibrabarleg shrugged and let out a sad-sounding sigh.

But that… that sadness isn’t genuine.

This guy is a heartless villain who doesn’t care about others at all.

【Super Intuition】 is intensely telling me that, and even without it, I can tell.

A man who can chat while staining his shoe soles with blood next to a corpse can’t be a decent guy…!

This guy is… an enemy to be wary of, an enemy to be defeated!!

“However, Ibrabarleg, the fact that you’ve appeared in these ruins means that the relics sleeping in these ruins are indeed…”

“Oh, ‘indeed’? Did you say ‘indeed,’ Leseida-kun? As expected of your excellence. When did you realize it?”

Leseida-san and Ibrabarleg continue their exchange in a tense atmosphere.

But that was interrupted by the large, bearded man.

“Boss, it’s nice to have a reunion with your student, but things have gotten a bit troublesome.”

“Hmm?”

The large, bearded man drew his machete, pointed it at me, and said,

“Our two idiots got beaten to a pulp by that brat yesterday. That’s a dangerous brat. We might not be able to restrain her.”

“Oh? Such a small child…? Really, Mr. Megzam?”

“I’m ashamed to say it, but we’ve been taught painful lessons by ‘dangerous brats’ many times. Don’t be fooled by appearances or age.”

“Oh my, oh my! What a predicament! Just when my long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled!”

Even while saying that, Ibrabarleg is composed.

Grinning, he took out a metal cylinder-like object attached to his waist… and pressed a round protrusion… like a switch.

Then, with a “ping” sound, a whip of glowing yellow light emerged from that cylinder!

“This is the magic whip ‘Torture.’ Not from a dungeon, but a genuine crystallization of human wisdom that I personally obtained from the ruins of an ancient magic civilization.”

While continuing his explanation, Ibrabarleg swung that light whip around.

The ruins’ floor was struck, making high-pitched “pishi, pishi” sounds.

“Well then, Mr. Megzam. I shall step in here.”

“…Boss, I know you’re strong, but I don’t know if you can reach that brat.”

Pishi!

Pishi!

Pishi!

Continuously swinging the light whip, Ibrabarleg keeps striking the ruins’ floor!

The whip’s movement is like a snake!

Its trajectory can’t be fully read, making it impossible to approach carelessly…!

“Kukuku… there’s no need to reach. If I use my unique ability.”

“What did you say!?”

The one who let out a surprised voice upon hearing the words “unique ability” was Leseida-san.

A unique ability… if I remember correctly, it’s a special power that individuals possess, different from magic…

Judging from the conversation so far, Leseida-san and Ibrabarleg are former acquaintances.

Despite that, Leseida-san doesn’t know about it.

…He was hiding it?

“It’s a bit unfair, so I kept quiet about it to look cool in front of Leseida-kun, but I possess a unique ability. And the name of that unique ability is… 【Scan】.”

“【Scan】… you say!?”

Pishi!

Pishi!

Pishi!

The light whip strikes, strikes, strikes the floor!

“Yes. It’s a convenient supportive unique ability that allows me to grasp and understand the structure of various things like magic. If you use this, you can do various things. You can grasp the structure of ruins at once and easily explore them, and by scanning the human body… kukuku, you can even perform efficient torture.”

“You…!”

Pishi!

Pishi!

Pishi!

“And let’s see.”

Ibrabarleg said that while smiling coldly.

Something bad is going to happen!

My non-cheat instincts are screaming that!

But I don’t know what to do or what will happen.

My body won’t move!

“Like which stone to strike to collapse the floor of the ruins that have become brittle due to age! I can even figure out things like that!”

“Oh no…!”

Hearing those words, I tried to lift up Leseida-san and jump back from the spot, but… I was a step too late.

GARARARA…!

With a loud noise, the ruins’ floor collapsed, and a large hole opened there.

Leseida-san and I were helplessly caught up in the floor’s collapse…!

“Farewell, my student Leseida!! No one will interfere with my exploration!! The magic sword ‘Soul Devourer’ sleeping in these ruins is mine!!”

While hearing Ibrabarleg’s triumphant voice… we fell into the large hole that opened up… into the deep, deep darkness.

【Kiralimake】

Appeared in Arc 5.

A school in the country of Teenidys, officially named the “Royal Kiralimake Academy.”

Currently, a little bird named Fate Goddess Allofa or something is using this academy as the stage to shoot an otome game-style isekai reincarnation broadcast.

【Magic Sword “Soul Devourer”】

A magic sword whose fake version appeared in Arc 13.

It seems to be a well-known existence that even appears in fairy tales.