AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 147
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Maria : Mebius World Online
Ouren/Yuuzen : I Was a Small Fish
Episode 12-4
“I see… So that’s why it’s called the Catacombs of the Old City…”
“Technically, this isn’t the original city itself.”
“Anna-san? But… there’s an entire ancient cityscape right here…”
“Naoya is right! But it’s believed that this phenomenon is a recreation—a manifestation of lingering thoughts from the deceased and undead absorbed into the dungeon!”
“…Wow. Dungeons really can do anything, huh…”
“Indeed! There are even structures here that match ruins found outside!”
“I see… So, that’s what you mean by a ‘recreation.’”
“Yes, so you could say this entire city serves as a kind of grave.”
“So, everything here, too, is part of the Catacombs of the Old City.”
It had been 34 days since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store. My goal in coming to this dungeon—an hour’s walk from the mall—was to get a firsthand sense of the life adventurers lead and understand their needs better.
The dungeon, based on a city that had perished 800 years ago: Catacombs of the Old City.
After passing through the gate on the second basement level, we found ourselves in an ancient cityscape.
A hazy layer of clouds drifted overhead. Beyond them, there might be a sky—or perhaps just a cavern ceiling.
The plaza in front of the gate had an inn, a signpost, and a few resting spots—or were they eateries? Wooden booths that resembled street stalls lined the plaza, while a cobbled main street stretched out, lined with buildings extending far into the distance.
But there was no one around.
No bustle, no voices, no signs of life.
The quiet, empty streets felt somber, maybe because I knew this was a “city destroyed 800 years ago.”
“The gatekeepers here were dependable, dutiful people,” Anna-san began softly. “They remembered those of us who lived in the church outside the city, and they were heroes in the eyes of the children.”
The Skeleton Captain’s armor clinked as he shifted, while the ghost traveling with us drifted away from him, floating near the gate.
“The innkeeper’s wife, the old man at the food stall… They were kind people. I remember them giving us food, saying they’d made too much.”
Anna-san’s footsteps echoed as she walked.
This city had been destroyed by plague 800 years ago.
It was the Red Death that ultimately destroyed it, an illness they couldn’t cure or contain, bringing helplessness and regret to Anna-san and others.
Even though it was only a re-creation, the memories it evoked must still be strong.
“Anna-san, if this is too much, we can turn back. I only wanted to get a feel for adventurers’ daily lives—”
“No, please, Naoya-san, let me continue. This… is something we accomplished.”
With her hand on her chest, Anna-san smiled—a smile with a trace of sadness.
At Aion Mall Otherworldly Store, the pharmacy area had recently opened. Anna-san, though undead and a lich, had been preparing medicine for the people of this world. She was also an apothecary.
The “false saint” and the “cursed city.”
The elves of long life spoke of the saint who mourned a city destroyed by the Red Death.
Anna-san had spent centuries, full of regret over those she couldn’t save, researching endlessly. She’d even made herself into an undead, dedicating 800 years to her work. Before Aion Mall appeared and even after joining the staff, she’d been studying and integrating the knowledge of Earth.
And at last, she succeeded in saving a peddlert’s child who’d contracted the Red Death.
The cure was complete.
“Alright, let’s keep going. It may be empty here, but it’s still a city, so I doubt there’ll be any monsters, right?”
“What are you saying, Naoya? Monsters will definitely appear.”
“Huh? Oh, I mean… maybe goblins? Or intelligent monsters? Or maybe tsukumogami-like creatures, objects coming to life…?”
“Hehe. Naoya-san, the monsters on the second floor are basically the same as on the first.”
“Skeletons, ghosts, ghouls, and… oh yes, there are undead animals on this floor too!”
“I-I kind of suspected, but…! Still, it’s so much like a city, I thought maybe it’d be different!”
“Naoya, it’s getting late. We should decide on a camp spot. Let’s secure one of the buildings—”
“In that case, how about the soldiers’ quarters? It has fewer entrances, so it’s easier to keep watch.”
“Ahhhh! Camping in an undead-filled dungeon! I did say I wanted to experience this… and that I wanted to spend the night…!”
My complaint echoed through the quiet plaza.
I guess this was my fate now: “The Lament of the Fallen City and its Wailing Manager.”
Anna-san and Chloe started walking, looking for a place to set up camp. The ghost that had been drifting around the plaza floated along behind them.
With a deep breath, I got up, only to feel a bony hand on my shoulder—the Skeleton Captain. He gave me a solid thumbs-up, as if to encourage me.
“Thank you… Really relying on you here. Just, if you can, keep the undead away from me tonight. I know you’re undead too, but please don’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere…”
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”
“Anna-san? Where are you going?”
“Yes. Although the original one crumbled, there is a recreated cemetery here…”
“Oh… I see. Please be careful out there.”
“Leave the guard duty to me! As a holy knight, I shall protect this camp!”
“*chuckle, thank you, Chloe.”
Half a day since my first dungeon adventure began, we were now in what had once been a soldiers’ quarters. We were planning to spend the night here. Somehow, the outside had grown dark.
Anna-san, cradling a small wooden box, exited the room, followed by the fully armored Skeleton Captain and the ghost, who drifted along silently.
That left just me and Chloe.
“Aha! Could it be that Naoya has cunningly orchestrated this to be alone with me? Whispering, ‘Stay quiet, or the monsters will hear us’ before he binds and has his way with me!”
“Yes, yes, be quiet now. The monsters will hear us.”
“Tch, know this—I, an elf, shall not yield to shame!”
“Not that I’m planning to shame you. Sigh.”
I ignored Chloe’s usual antics and took a look around our campsite. The dim light from the enchanted lamp cast shadows over the stone-walled room, with cloaks laid out on the floor to sit on. We hadn’t lit any fires since we were indoors, and dinner had been some rock-hard bread.
“So this is what adventurers’ camps are like.”
“Indeed! It’s much the same for the knight order as well! In the wild, we sometimes pitch tents.”
“Huh, interesting.”
“Well, Naoya, have you found any ideas for merchandise? I’m rather clueless on that front.”
“You should be better at this, former store manager. But, yeah, I don’t really know what’s already available here, so it can’t be helped.”
Simulating adventurers’ daily lives like this was definitely worth it. With how things were, there were way too many potential products to sell.
“I’ll save the ideas for after we get back. We’re still in the dungeon, after all.”
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, I turned back to Chloe, taking the chance to learn more about life in the adventurers’ and knightly circles.
It was the 34th day since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
The night spent in the Catacombs of the Old City’ second level crept by, peaceful and quiet.