Day 481-490/Day 482

Day 482 / The Twelfth Day
　Today, as I was working, I could just barely detect the presence of something in the distance looking at me.
　I tried to search for it without looking at it, but I could only tell that it was there simply because of the distance.
　If you have a detection ability that can search a wide area even in space, you can get a shot, but since you can't use it, it's a bit frustrating.
　This inconvenience of not being able to reach an itchy spot reminds me a little of my rookie days, but that's beside the point.
　The only sign of life was in the depths of the countless voids left by mining.
　It was one of those places where the air flow had connected to another underground space.
　I was convinced from my past experience that the owner of the presence was probably attracted by the sound of the work.
　However, I also thought that it was a little different from the uninvited guests that had come before.
　There was no sign of hostility or murderous intent.
　Today, the mining site, with its scraped walls and holes, had lost the beauty that had made the first jewel shine.
　The countless number of mining golems in operation have learned through the accumulation of information, and their work has become more efficient, and even if I am careful about accidents such as the crushing of magical gems, the amount of mining is increasing.
　In proportion to the amount of ore being mined, the sound of mining echoed, and vibrations and dust were constantly being generated.
　The rising dust was bad for the body, and more importantly, it could lead to serious accidents such as dust explosions.
　To cope with this, an air-conditioned golem was installed to suck up the dust and blow air, but this added a loud blowing sound to the work noise.
　As a result, the loud noise and vibration attracted a good number of monsters.
　In a sense, it was a natural result, since the sound seemed to echo quite far.
　However, they were either destroyed by the security golem or hunted down by me.
　I've been making good use of the monsters that attack me for food and materials, but this time it's a little different.
　So instead of sending the security golem to intercept them, I decided to wait and see.
　As I continued to work, the vague hint of a presence gradually became clearer and clearer, and I succeeded in catching it accurately.
　This was because the distance between us had shortened. It was approaching from there.
　And as I got closer, I realized that the owner of the presence was not alone.
　There are about five bodies as small as children that are responding.
　If they had only been as small as children, I might not have mistaken the number, but each reaction was so fragile and small, and they were so close together that I misidentified them all.
　The thinness of their presence is similar to that of gaseous or astral aliens.
　If I were to describe them in this world, they might be ghosts or spirits. If they have little or no substance, this reaction is understandable.
　Even now, I can't sense any hostility or murderous intent, so I pretend not to notice them, but I'm still on guard.
I want to come over here, but is better not to go.
　I felt such hesitation in their movements.
　Their movements were clearly different from the monsters that had attacked us while we were mining, and I wondered if they were intelligent life forms.
　If they could talk to me, I could get some information about this place.
　However, it would be boring if I was in a hurry and failed to make contact, so I decided to keep working.
　If they approached me when I was mining, then there is no doubt that the five bodies are aware of the mining work, whether it is instinct, habit, or interest in the unknown.
　The first thing to do is to wait for them to approach me. If that doesn't work, I can make a move.
　The sound of mining echoed in the air, gurgling and clanking.
　As time went on, a large amount of ore and minerals were piled up, and the presence of the five bodies that I sensed increased as if they were excited and dizzy.
Since most of the gazes are not directed at me, but mostly at ore minerals, I guess that the owners of the signs are a race that likes mining, or a race that eats ore minerals as their staple food.
　I had high hopes that if it was a race with excellent blacksmithing skills, they would be able to make various tools for me.
　As I continued to work, hoping to make contact with them soon, the five of them finally appeared in the corner of my eye.
　I looked at them for a moment, and then back again before they noticed me.
　The owner of the presence was a dwarf.
　He wore a red conical hat with a beautiful jewel ornament on the tip, and wore sturdy-looking clothes and carried a collapsible basket on his back.
　There was not much difference in their physiques, but their faces were of old men, young men and women, and young children.
　The children looked like twin siblings, and their faces reminded me of their relationship with the young man and woman.
　In addition, the old man looked vaguely like the young man, so it must be a family of five.
　In such a family of five, not only the man and woman holding hands to prevent the curious children from getting ahead of them, but even the old man is focused on us.
　In other words, they were all looking at us as if they were being lured by something.
　I didn't know what the cause was, but for the time being, I didn't look at them and waited for an opportunity to see what was going on.
　However, something happened that I could not devote my attention to observing.
　As I was digging, a blinding light suddenly leaked out from the wall.
　Then I felt a tremendous sense of intimidation or presence, something like a wave that shook my whole body, coming from the crack in front of me.
　There was something out of the ordinary ahead.
　There was no room for doubt in my mind.
　I put the family of five aside for the moment and dug cautiously, but boldly.
　The presence of the family of five seemed to be approaching, but there was no time to worry about it.
　I knew that if the magical jewel was ahead and I shattered it, something unprecedented would likely happen.
　After a good amount of time of mining under extreme concentration, it finally came out.
　It was a gigantic jewel made of spherical diamonds, about a meter in diameter, with a golden sphere the size of an adult's head trapped inside.
　Even with my eyes closed, I could sense that this was a special jewel the moment I held it in my hand, already perfectly round from the moment I dug it out.
　The size and brilliance of the diamond on the surface alone is extraordinary, but the presence of the golden sphere trapped inside is particularly unusual.
　I guess it was similar to the feeling I had when I first picked up the 【Avalon Cube】, a product of the company I used to work for that claimed to be "the ultimate eco-energy that can supply the power of an advanced civilized planet for a year without any problems.
　It has a unique presence, or perhaps I should say it has an energy inside that attracts people around it.
　In fact, I could feel the vibrations coming from the golden sphere inside the diamond shell.
　As I watched in fascination, the family of five moved as if lured by a giant treasure ball. 
　When I saw them coming towards me, they were staring at the giant treasure ball with a stunned and fascinated expression.
　Somehow, I held up the giant jewel proudly.
　The family of five then hung their heads in place as if they were looking at an object of worship.
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PLACE TRANSLATIONS ABOVE THE BAR. THESE ARE THE RAWS, LEAVE THEM HERE. CLICK EXPAND TO VIEW THEM.
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“十二日目”　／　“四■八■二■目”
　今日も作業を進めていると、遠くの方からこちらを伺う何かの気配が感知圏内ギリギリに入ってきた。
　視線を向けずに探ってみるが、単純に距離があるので居るという事しか分からない。
　宇宙空間でも広域を探れる探知系アビリティがあれば一発なのだが、使えない現状では仕方ないとはいえ少々歯痒い。
　この痒い所に手が届かない不自由さは新人時代を少し思い出すのだが、それはさて置き。
　気配があるのは採掘によって無数に空いた空洞の奥だった。
　空気の流れ的に、どこか別の地下空間と接続してしまった場所の一つだ。
　気配の主は恐らく作業音に引き寄せられてきた存在だろう、とコレまでの経験から確信する。
　しかし、これまでにやって来た招待していない客人の類とも少し違うようだとも思った。
　敵意や殺意の類は感じられなかったからだ。
　現在、壁が削られたり穴だらけの採掘場となったここは、最初の宝石が輝くように存在した美しさを失っている。
　無数に稼働している採掘ゴーレム達は情報の蓄積によって学習して作業が効率化し、魔法宝石破砕事故などに気をつけていても採掘量は上がっている。
　そして採掘量に比例してけたたましい採掘音が響き、振動と粉塵は常に発生していた。
　巻き上がる粉塵は身体に悪いし、何より粉塵爆発など重大な事故に繋がる。
　その対応として空調ゴーレムを導入して粉塵の吸引と送風で対応しているのだが、それによって作業音に加えて大音量の送風音も追加される事になり。
　その結果、大きな音や振動に引かれて相応の数のモンスターもやって来た。
　かなり遠くまで響いているみたいなので、ある意味当然の結果だろう。
　ただそれ等は警備ゴーレムによって駆逐されたり、あるいは俺の手によって狩られている。
　食料として、あるいは材料として襲い掛かって来るモンスター達は有難く有効活用しているのだが、今回は少しそれ等とは違う。
　だから警備ゴーレムを迎撃に向かわせず、しばらく様子を伺う事にした。
　作業を続けていると、ボンヤリとした気配から次第にハッキリとしたものとなり、正確に捉える事に成功する。
　距離が縮まったからだ。アチラから近付いてきている。
　そして近づいた事で分かったが、気配の主は一人ではないらしい。
　子供のような小ささで、五体ほどの反応がある。
　子供のような小ささだけなら数を間違える事はなかったかもしれないが、一体一体の反応がとても儚く小さく、しかもピッタリと寄り添い一塊になっている事で誤認してしまったらしい。
　気配の希薄さはまるで気体系星人や、あるいは幽体系星人に近いだろう。
　この世界風に表現するなら、幽霊や精霊の類なのかもしれない。実体が薄い、あるいはほぼ無いのなら、この反応も納得できる。
　今も敵意や殺意などは感じられないので気が付かないフリをしつつ警戒していると、五体はコッチに近づいたり遠退いたりしている。
　コッチに来たいけど、でも行かない方がいい。
　そんな迷いを感じる動きだった。
　採掘作業中に襲いかかってきたモンスター達とは明らかに違う動きであり、もしかして知的生命体だろうかと期待が高まる。
　もし会話できるのなら、少しでもここの情報を得られるだろう。
　しかし焦って接触失敗してもつまらないので、焦らずこのまま作業を続ける事にした。
　採掘をしていると近づいてきたのなら、五体は採掘作業について本能か習性か、未知に対する興味かはともかく、意識を向けているのは間違いないのだから。
　一先ずはアチラから近づいて来るのを待つ。それでも駄目なら動けば良い。
　ゴガガガガガ、カンカンガンガンと採掘音が響く。
　時間と共に大量の鉱石鉱物が積み上げられ、それに伴い感知する五体の気配は興奮しているようにコッチにフラフラとくる割合が増えた。
　向けられる視線も俺では無く、鉱石鉱物に多く向けられている事から気配の主達は採掘が好きな種族なのか、あるいは鉱石鉱物を主食にする種族なのかと予想する。
　優れた鍛冶技術がある種族なら、色々と道具を作ってはくれないだろうかと期待が膨らんだ。
　早く接触してほしいなと思いながら作業を続けていると、ついに視界の隅に五体は姿を現した。
　一瞬だけ視線を向け、気づかれる前にまた戻す。
　気配の主は小人だった。
　尖端に美しい宝玉の装飾がある赤い円錐形の帽子を被り、丈夫そうな服を着て折りたたみ式の背負い籠を背負っている。
　体格に大きな差は無いが、顔立ちは年老いた男性、若い男女、幼い子供達だった。
　子供達は双子の兄弟なのか瓜二つで、どことなく若い男女との関係性を伺わせる顔立ちだ。
　それに老人は若い男性の方にどことなく似ているので、きっと五人家族なのだろう。
　そんな五人家族は好奇心旺盛な子供達が先走らないように手を繋ぐ男女だけでなく、老人までこちらに意識が偏っている。
　つまり全員が何かに誘われるようにこちらを見ていた。
　何が原因かは不明ながら、とりあえず視線を向けないまま様子を伺いながら機会を待った。
　しかし観察するのに意識を割けない事が起こった。
　採掘していると、不意に壁から眩い光が漏れ出したのだ。
　そして凄まじい威圧感というか存在感というか、全身を震わせる波動のような何かを眼前の割れ目から感じた。
　この先に普通では無い何かがある。
　そう思う事を疑う余地はなかった。
　一旦五人家族の事は脇に置いて慎重に、しかし大胆に掘り進む。
　五人家族の気配が近付いてきているようだったが、それにかまう余裕も無い。
　万が一この先にあるのが魔法宝石であり、かつそれを砕いてしまうとこれまでにないほどの何かが起こる可能性が高いと判断したからだ。
　そして極度の集中下で行われた採掘により、それなりの時間が過ぎた頃になってようやくそれが出てきた。
　大人の頭程の大きさがある黄金色に輝く球体が内部に閉じ込められた、直径一メートルはある球形のダイヤモンドで出来た巨大宝玉だ。
　掘り出した時点で既に完璧な丸みを帯びたダイヤモンドの巨大宝玉を手にした瞬間、これが特別な宝石である事は目を閉じていても感じ取る事が出来ただろう。
　表面のダイヤモンドの大きさと輝きの美しさだけでも尋常ではないが、特に内部に閉じ込められた黄金色に輝く球体から放たれる存在感がまず普通ではない。
　以前『高度な文明惑星一つ分の電力を一年間問題なく供給できる究極のエコエネルギー』が謳い文句な、務めていた会社の製品である【アヴァロン・キューブ】を初めて手に取った時の感覚に似ているだろうか。
　独特の存在感と言えばいいのか、周囲の存在を引きつけるようなエネルギーが内包されている。
　実際、ダイヤモンドの殻に閉じ込められた内部の黄金色に輝く球体からはビシビシと波動を感じた。
　ボウッと魅入っていると、まるで巨大宝玉に誘われたように五人家族は動いた。
　こちらにやって来る姿を見ると、呆然とした、まるで魅入られたような表情で巨大宝玉を見つめている。
　何となく、巨大宝玉を自慢げに掲げてみた。
　すると五人家族はまるで崇拝する対象を目の前にしたように、その場で頭を垂れたのだった。
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Category:Novel
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Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 2