Along with the elf girl who was assumedly the Master Craftsman I was looking for, we ventured even deeper into the abandoned mining cave.

We passed by mountains of rocks in this cold and desolate place. It felt like it was so hollow that my normal voice would echo around here.

There were many other tunnels which led to different places, but we continued on forward. 

The female elf was walking ahead of me, and she would sometimes turn sideways to tell me something with her hands.

Actually. 

It wasn't sometimes.

She would constantly move her hands in quick succession, as if she was dying for a conversation for a long time.

Honestly, I was having a hard time keeping up with her, especially since I wasn't especially proficient at sign language. Before I even finished a sentence with sign language, she would cut in halfway and interrupt me.

This happened too many times, I began to feel a little frustrated.

Let me talk please.

Picking up my impatience, she began to answer me instead of starting the conversation instead.

While we were continuing to walk in the darkness and exchanging signs with our hands, I whispered.

"Sign language is very tiring, can you speak English?"

"..."

"Ah, okay."

"So are you from Earth?"

There was a short pause.

"Ah, as I thought. You don't talk because you can't speak the Elven tongue right? Why are you still using sign language? If you can speak English, go ahead. Japanese as well.

Or rather, anything besides sign language please."

<... No, it's not because I can't speak the language of the Elves.>

"Then why?"

A sudden rumbling of the earth stopped her finger movements.

She quickly realized remade them. 

Following her advice, I stopped moving nervously and waited for the trembling in the ground to pass. 

It seems that this cave was a monster nest. This elf had been navigating us around in strange curves, probably to avoid some of them. These things called the Tunnel Worm was likely not the only monster in here. 

"Is... it gone?"

"Right."

Sighing inwardly to myself, we continued venturing deeper into the cave. 

----------------------------------------

<...We're here.>

The walk to this place she wanted to take me to took 5 minutes, but we barely even had our introductions yet.

The only thing I knew from her was that she was from Earth, and could not speak for some reason.

Looking around, the cave area had become narrower.

It turned into a corridor-looking place, with a door at the end.

The walls were covered in some sort of unindentifiable and odorless liquid.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The door resembled those on ships. The ones that were made out of iron and had a lock wheel on it that you had to turn to open and unlock the door.

I think a television programme I've seen before called it a hatch?

Usually those doors were created due to its use as a water-tight protection in the seas. What is it doing down here? Is there a drainage channel beyond that door?

As if reading my thoughts, the girl shook her head.

"...Yeah?"

<...You might have to prepare yourself mentally for what you're going to see.>

...

The sudden warning jolted my sense of danger.

I wasn't blindly following her into danger!

Doesn't that sound... dangerous...?

I got a bad feeling about this.

Why am I endangering myself for nothing here? I thought she wanted to bring me to her workplace?!

Chickening out this late into the situation, I stammered.

"O-On second thought, I don't think I should be down here... It's been a really detailed trip down here, I appreciate your help... W-well then, I'll get g-"

She grabbed my right arm firmly. It was a very powerful grip, which doesn't fit her seemingly thin arms that were locking my arm in place.

Feels like I've been held down by girls all the time...

"?! L-let go!"

 Using her other hand, she asked me.

"I-I didn't sign up for this! D-didn't you plan to bring me to your workplace where you build your stuff?" I shouted.

Since I was reminded, I returned back to a whisper.

"L-let me go first!"

The female elf let me go obediently.

Rotating my right wrist, I squinted my eyes at the soreness from the grip.

 She proceeded to question me again while narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Huh? Aren't you the Master Craftsman? Don't they send people down here occasionally to collect some of your work?"

<...! ...What is your name?>

"E-eh? I-it's White. White Shigaraki."

"Lezzie... Okay..."

Nodding her head, Lezzie took out a crumpled piece of paper hidden inside of her hair.

"Sir White?"

 The paper fell onto the floor as I missed the timing to take it from the sudden voice calling out my name.

"!!!" "!!!"

A voice sounded right behind us at the other end of the corridor where we had came from.

There was no way out other than the door ahead. 

I was panicking extremely hard.

Isn't this bad?! This place isn't off limits right...?!

S-Should I come clean?

...They wouldn't be so harsh on a guest right?

I had ties with Tasha too...

Yeah... that's right... Why am I panicking...

I'm probably fine.

I'm fine.

I'm definitely fine!

Without even doing a hand sign, Lezzie quickly turned the wheel with much effort.

It was making a loud creak from all of its rust clogging the mechanism.

"Y-yeah... that's right... I-I should be fine...

I didn't see anything after all.

I'm popular in the village.

I should be fine.

I'm popular in the village.

I should be fine..."

She was still turning the wheel with all her might.

Lezzie suddenly noticed that I was slowly walking towards the voice that called out my name, as if in a trance.

She didn't seem to have the time to do the hand signs, as she continued turning the wheel and watching me leave her side.

But Lezzie was making a very anxious face and trying to make soundless screams to catch my attention, as if she was asking me ...

"Y-yeah... I'm not in the wrong here. I'm just passing by. I'm not in the wrong. Passing by..."

I could finally make out the approaching figure.

It was Syviel.

As Syviel looked at me with an unknown expression, she noticed the female elf that accompanied me turning the wheel.

"?!"

Syviel immediately turned hostile this instant, and lifted the battle axe on her right arm to both of her hands.

Steadying herself with a little trouble, Syviel dashed forward quickly with a fierce look.

"Stay away from him!!!"

"!!!"  Instead of fighting back, Lezzie braced herself as she put up both of her arms up as protection.

Knocking me down in the process of rushing forward, Syviel handled the battle axe in her hands clumsily as she- 

-hacked Lezzie, the elf girl I had just met, to pieces.

Blood splattered behind me, as no screams were heard.

Some of the blood flew onto my face. 

But I still could not see the gorey scene of mutilation as I was on the ground, just like the piece of paper.

I touch the blood on my cheek absentmindedly. 

Blood? This isn't blood. 

...See White, is this blood, you coward? 

No, it's a delusion. Silly me, it's about time I differenciated them from real blood. 

...I really need my medication. It's messing up my head from telling what's real and what's not...

My ears were ringing.

"Whi...Whit...Si...Sir W... Sir White!!! Get a grip, Sir White!!!"

"Nngh...huh...?"

I regained some semblance of consciousness when I heard a familiar voice.

I turned my head towards the finally opened door, but I could only see part of it as someone was squatting in front of me with a worried look.

Ah. It's Syviel.

Thank god...

I thought someone scary had come for me...

I'm sure to be alright once I wake up again.

There's nothing scary in this village.

Nothing scary.

I'm safe here.

I'm safe with Syviel by my side.

 "Sir White! Are you okay?! Did she say anything to you?! Sir White, Sir White!!!"

Leaving a last blurred look at the concerned face of Syviel, I passed out.