Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“So, what do you want to do? Fight?”
“Better not. If I challenge you, I’ll be the one to suffer. Besides, the collapse of the world is near. I’d rather witness it than be killed by you.”
“That’s wise.”
“In the first place, I’m only bound here. I’m not obligated to guard anything.”
“Oh, I see. When I entered and got hit with that blast of fire, I assumed you were on guard duty.”
“Isn’t it natural to try and drive off someone who enters your territory?”
“That would be fair—if someone randomly barged into your house. But in this case, you should at least mark the place properly. To me, this is just a cave.”

◇◇◇

When I stepped into the cave inside the crater, I was immediately struck by a dragon’s breath. Thinking Lullus might be in danger—especially since this wasn’t ordinary fire but a direct enemy attack—I quickly moved to shield her. As I did, I saw a dragon that made the Wind Dragon I had fought before seem like a mere child by comparison, glaring down at me.

Its body was covered in crimson scales, with a long neck, massive wings, and an overwhelming presence. One glance was enough to know that this creature was on an entirely different level—powerful enough to paralyze lesser beings with fear. Its stats reflected that clearly: several of them exceeded 500, a level that even the heroes might never reach.

Its name was Ancient Dragon.

(Is this on par with an Ancient Elf?)

“Who are you? How did you survive my attack?”
“Just a passing Demigod.”
“So a god has come… I suppose that makes sense. The only ones in this world capable of withstanding my breath are either gods or beings from another world.”

The Ancient Dragon, apparently satisfied with his own reasoning, turned out to be more talkative than I had expected. I steered the conversation back on track and asked whether he intended to fight, but he said he had no intention of doing so.

“I have a few questions, but first—can you confirm if there’s a spirit deeper inside?”
“There is. It resides in a place I cannot enter. You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Got it. In that case, I’ll take care of it.”

With that, I casually walked past the Ancient Dragon and continued deeper into the cave. I half-expected him to try something, but he didn’t. He simply let me pass without resistance.

◇◇◇

Inside, the cave was… just a cave. At first, I was mildly intrigued, but as the scenery refused to change, boredom began to creep in. Just when I was about to lose interest, the tunnel opened into a smaller space. I understood then—this passage was too narrow for the Ancient Dragon to enter.

“Looks like it’s just up ahead,” I said.
“It does. But we should probably hurry a bit,” Lullus replied.
“Is it that bad? Humans… I swear, I can’t deal with them.”
“Weren’t you a human not too long ago, Master Finis?”
“Didn’t we agree not to bring that up? It’s because I was once human that I understand their ugliness. There were things I deliberately chose not to see back then.”

With nothing around to distract us, we continued walking and talking. Eventually, we reached a familiar sight—the cage used to imprison spirits. This time, however, it was submerged in lava.

“So that’s how it is… That cage is incredible.”

I didn’t know much about the structural stability of volcanoes, so I had no idea if something like this was even possible. That aside, rescuing the spirit in these conditions was going to be a pain… or it would have been—if I hadn’t stopped by Viridis first.

I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I could try using Creation to craft something for this situation. Just like I had when rescuing Lullus in Fraus, I placed my hand on the cage, analyzed its structure, and compared it to the key…

“Aaaaaa!”
“Master Finis?! What’s wrong?”

Startled by my sudden outburst, Lullus rushed over in alarm.

“This cage is different from the others. It’s been modified. Using the key alone won’t be enough to unlock it.”
“Will it be difficult?”
“It’s manageable… if I have enough time.”

However, the spirit inside was visibly fading. At best, it might last a few years. At worst, only a few hours. But with long-lived beings like this, even knowing their remaining lifespan left an infuriatingly wide margin of uncertainty.

“So all you need is time?” Lullus asked.
“If I had a full day, I could do it. If I wanted some margin for error, maybe two or three days.”
“In that case, I’ll concentrate on keeping the spirit stable while you work on freeing it.”
“Will you be all right, Lullus?”
“Yes. It’s just a little tiring.”
“Then let’s get started before it’s too late.”

At the end of the day, this was just another job. A hassle, sure—but still something that had to be done.

◇◇◇

After a full day of effort, we finally managed to break through the cage. The royal family of Rubel might have become aware of what we were doing, but by then it was already too late.

The spirit was on the verge of disappearing and could no longer speak. Lullus now held it gently in her arms.

“Oh, God!”
“What is it?” God replied.
“Can I ask you to take this spirit?”
“Hmm… The thing with this one is, it doesn’t look like it’ll survive the transfer if I take it now. If you don’t mind, could you hold onto it until it recovers? I’ll even grant you an extra wish for your trouble.”
“Fine. I’ll take care of it—but just so you know, I won’t take any responsibility if it disappears.”

“Just treat it the way you’ve been treating Lullus.”
“All right. I’ll stay nearby for a while, then.”
“Oh, by the way—the spirit had been suppressing the volcano’s eruption. Now that it’s free, the eruption will likely follow soon¹, so be careful.”

(That damn God… Who drops a bombshell like that at the very end?!)

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