I was a Warrior?

“…You must’ve had it tough up until now. Especially since, with a humanoid appearance like yours, you probably faced no small amount of discrimination wherever you went.”

Having witnessed firsthand the struggles of those affected by such prejudice…

I, who understand their hardships better than anyone, momentarily set aside my curiosity and cast her a sympathetic glance.

But then, after briefly showing surprise at my reaction, she waved her hand dismissively as if to say ‘don’t worry about it too much,’ and spoke up in an energetic tone.

“You don’t need to fret over me so much. It’s true that I endured hardships in the past because of this appearance and my special abilities, but at this point, it’s all water under the bridge. Besides, thanks to that, I found work only I could do and reached this position, so I certainly don’t regret being an elemental mage.”

On the contrary, she said she even took pride in it, and with that, lifted her hand toward the spirit she’d summoned to lighten the mood.

Closing her eyes, she seemed to communicate silently with it, and soon enough, the small golem-shaped spirit thumped its chest confidently before heading toward the sewer entrance.

Of course, having no way of knowing what transpired during that process, I could only watch in amazement.

Meanwhile, as the short-legged golem diligently moved forward, she gestured for me to follow and rose from her seat.

The content of her words was enough to leave me astonished once more.

“I’ve already relayed the request separately, so all we need to do now is follow the direction this golem indicates. Based on the memories embedded in these surroundings and the sewer facilities, it’ll guide us to the right place.

Just, since this golem is a spirit summoned from nearby terrain, if we move too far, it’ll disappear before long. But then, we can just repeat the same process there.”

Her latent ability being a relic of ancient humans, and with the focus on the cute appearance of the spirits, I had momentarily forgotten about the unique powers of an elemental mage.

Indeed, upon closer thought, the ability to materialize souls embedded in objects and receive their aid, while perhaps lacking in combat power, boasts overwhelming efficiency when it comes to investigating cases.

After all, such materialized spirits act as covert surveillance devices, remembering everything that happens around them.

Not only that, they would have surely kept watch on our target’s every move, naturally making them exceptionally skilled at tracking down well-hidden culprits.

And with this cheat-like ability to see all the answers, catching the culprit before dawn wouldn’t be impossible at all.

Truly, she had solid grounds for her bold claims. Just as I was revising my evaluation of Riel, this feline beastman, in admiration…

Ironically, our seemingly smooth path hit an obstacle sooner than expected.

“…”

“…Uh, Ms. Riel? Isn’t this awfully slow?”

An endlessly stretching sewer system.

Despite running full-speed toward it, the golem’s progress remained painfully sluggish due to its short legs.

Another issue revealed itself immediately after entering the sewer through the entrance.

Even if we could see the answers clearly, the sheer size of this sewer system was overwhelming.

Unless the culprit was hiding very close by…

If they were deep within somewhere, even with the golem’s guidance, it would obviously take days to reach them.

A situation perfectly described by the phrase “mountain after mountain,” while I sighed in frustration, Riel appeared lost in thought, wearing an expression of contemplation.

Then, as if struck by a good idea, she extended her hand toward the dirty sewage flowing nearby.

Soon, a dazzling blue light enveloped the sewage, followed by a bright flash.

Revealing a large slime-like sewer spirit.

Though its origin understandably repelled me, Riel approached it without hesitation, extending her hand quietly as if communicating her intent.

Though her words remained unheard, the sewage spirit seemed to understand, trembling slightly before reshaping itself into something easily recognizable.

Namely, a ferryboat commonly seen along riversides.

Within the Demon Emperor’s Nation, these are rarely seen, and having only ever encountered them in pictures, my eyes naturally lit up with excitement.

After all, given that Demon Folk can simply fly across suitable distances over rivers, boats are largely perceived as human tools.

The ferry, adjusted to fit the width of the sewer and made not from regular wood but congealed sewage, was undeniably fascinating to me.

“The golem will handle navigation, and we’ll rely on this sewer spirit for transportation, allowing us to swiftly reach our destination. Moreover, regardless of how complex the interior may be, there isn’t a place disconnected from this waterway, so we won’t get stuck midway.”

With an air of self-assurance after resolving the major issue, Riel held her head high.

This was indeed a remarkable achievement, as she claimed.

However, shortly after, another reality confronted me, prompting an awkward smile and cautious inquiry.

“So, we’re supposed to board this directly…?”

“Of course. With such a fast means of transport right here, we can’t give up just because it feels unpleasant physiologically.”

As she watched me hesitating to approach the ferry, Riel demonstrated by stepping aboard the sewage-formed ferry without a moment’s hesitation.

She then beckoned me to join her, but it was a suggestion I struggled to accept willingly.

After all, as someone who, as a maid, always pursued cleanliness, entering the sewer was one thing, but boarding something made of sewage was an entirely different matter.

Though the foul stench was blocked, the physiological aversion visible in my line of sight persisted, filling my mind with deep deliberation. However, imagining Lady Yuria in her dress acted as a sort of cheat code, helping me overcome the repulsion.

The moment I finally boarded, the ferry-shaped spirit shot forward at full speed.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEK!!!

“Haha!! Yaa~Hoo~!!!”

“Gyaaaahh!!! Aaaaaaahhh!!! Sewage, sewage in my hood!!!”

Like a fish in water, the sewer spirit raced along the endless waterways at incredible speed.

While Riel joyfully cheered from atop it, I screamed as clumps of sewage splattered upward due to the rapid movement.

Adding the tiny golem steering at the front of the boat, our party zipped through the sewer’s labyrinthine interior like lightning.

Of course, the internal sewer system, fittingly nicknamed the maze, presented countless forks and complex structures to block our path, but none of that posed any real problem against Riel’s elemental magic.

After moving with the help of the spirits for approximately an hour—though precise calculation was difficult—we reached deep inside Tracion’s inner regions when the sewer spirit began to slow down.

Slowing down meant we were nearing our destination.

With the expectation that this tormenting time was finally coming to an end, I scanned the surroundings with a bright smile, but that hope quickly turned to confusion.

For one simple reason:

Despite the spirit slowing down, the surrounding scenery looked no different from the ordinary interior of a sewer.

Faint lighting occasionally piercing through the pitch-black darkness and the endlessly stretching pathways.

Moreover, the narrow walkway beside the waterway, where one could step, seemed unchanged from when we first boarded, except for the absence of a visible entrance behind us.

As I was bewildered by this unexpected outcome, the previously slowing spirit finally came to a complete stop.

The mini-golem, updated periodically during our journey, ceased indicating directions and instead turned to face the side wall.

In contrast, Riel communicated briefly with the golem, then stepped off the ferry onto the pathway with an intrigued look.

“Indeed… That’s why the secret security team of the capital couldn’t achieve any results despite expanding their investigations.”

“Ms. Riel…? What exactly does that mean…?!”

Click!

RUMBLE—!

As she muttered incomprehensible words to herself and I hurriedly followed her off the ferry to voice my confusion…

I soon understood her words.

When she pressed one of the numerous bricks at the bottom of the wall, a small tremor rippled through the area, revealing an unbelievable sight.

“Goodness gracious, these stairs… Are they a secret passage?”

“Most likely created intentionally by someone from ancient times. And… judging from the circumstances, there aren’t many beings who would need something like this.”

With a small tremor, a mysterious entrance emerged between the ordinary walls, leading downward to a seemingly endless staircase.

Looking at the underground stairs, whose destination was impossible to gauge, Riel dismissed the sewer spirit with meaningful words, cradled the tiny golem, and started walking toward the passage.

Meanwhile, I, still stunned and having missed her detailed explanation, subconsciously swallowed hard.

…For some reason, I felt an ominous aura emanating from beyond those stairs.

Thinking that to myself…

---