I groan as I watch through the eyes of one of my owls. We're flying over a section of the landscape that's littered with old buildings. The sun is high in the sky, and the ground below us is rugged with crops growing in sparse fields. All of which suggests that there should be a village nearby. Unless it's just a farming community. However, it unsettles me to have people living this close to the ruins I call home. It wouldn't be much of a walk for some adventurous children to come exploring. Though, it's likely they'd get lost in the caverns unless they know their way around.

I shake my head as I realize that this is one of the things I have to worry about. What do I do when more people start showing up?

Hmm, maybe I could put up defenses to stop them from entering? But, would that be enough? What if someone really bad like bandits shows up? It'd be a disaster! Someone's bound to notice if a bandit group goes missing in the area. Well, maybe not. I could just be overthinking things. I frown as I consider this. It seems like my options are limited right now. If I don't get out in the world soon, it's likely I'll start making mistakes.

Wait, what? Did my owl just spot something moving below?

Ugh, looks like I jinxed myself. There's a group of young teens heading toward the caverns. I make my owl look at the sun, by the looks of things, it's still early morning. So there's little hope they won't go too far from their homes. Wait. Didn't Eraina say monsters roam the wilds? What sort of irresponsible parents would let their kids go wandering around? Ah, that's not entirely fair, actually. Sometimes kids have a mind of their own. Even if you try to keep an eye on them, they still find ways to get themselves in trouble.

Well, they're only kids, it shouldn't cause any problems if I keep an eye on them. Besides, it doesn't look like Eraina's group came this way. I give the owl an order to follow the kids. Maybe I can learn something about this village and its people from them. It won't hurt to gather a bit more information before deciding what action to take regarding it in the future.

The kids are starting to get a little tired from the walk over the rough terrain. They're covered in sweat and gasping for breath. Their eyes look wide in fear as they stare at the mouth of the caverns. Perhaps they've never been here before? Well, the orc child leading them definitely has judging from his smug expression. Well, I guess I know whose idea this was now.

"I'm not sure I want to go closer."

"Are you scared? Come on, there's nothing there."

"You mean, nothing's alive there."

"Ha-ha! Don't be such a scaredy cat."

The kid who said that just got punched by the girl walking beside him. Ouch. They all turn to look at him and scowl. Well, that was the wrong thing to say. The boy takes a step back with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Lizzy."

"Whatever," She says with a huff. "You guys better be nice to me if I find something valuable in there."

"Oh, please! There's nothing valuable in there!"

"No way! If you don't think there's anything, then how come those people from the town have been coming here?"

"Yeah, they were looking for something that used to be in that place a long time ago."

"You mean, the ruins? That's what that fancy elf has been asking about for the past few months. " The kid who got punched asks in a quivering voice.

"Yeah, you know. Like, the underground labyrinth of the ancient empire. That sort of thing."

"No way!"

"What's the ancient empire? And what's a labyrinth?"

"Quiet you two. It's not a labyrinth. That's just a rumor. It's just some ruins of an old city from people who lived long ago."

"No, it isn't! My aunt worked at the mine. You know, digging through these caverns to find the ruins. She was there when they broke through into the area where the ruins are. She said the Lord's man was more excited than a child with a new toy!"

"Is that why the adults stopped working out here?"

"Yep! They found what they were looking for, and the Lord's men forbade anyone from entering the caverns. They said it's dangerous."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"So, why are we here? I thought you were just joking! You don't really want to go take a look at those ruins, do you?"

I mentally shake my head as they continue their argument. Still, Eraina didn't mention anything about a labyrinth in our conversations, so I'll mark that bit of information as a rumor for now. I wonder if the ancient empire is the same as the ancient civilization. Hmm, that should make sense.

"Come on, let's go." The orc kid says as he approaches the maw of the caverns.

The other kids don't answer him, and they all watch him warily as he approaches the mouth of the cave. It's interesting how kids will act so brave for a little while to impress their friends. I'm guessing these kids don't get much excitement living way out here. The orc boy smiles as he steps inside.

"H-hey! You can't go in there alone! You're just going to get lost!"

"Yeah, you'll never make it back on your own! It's too dark."

I watch as the orc boy glances at them from where he's standing. He waves to them before his image fades away into nothingness. Well, that was unexpected. I feel my owl tilt its head in confusion as it tries to understand whether it should follow the orc kid or stay with the others. I sigh as I tell it not to worry about it. I'm willing to bet the little orc won't go far, and the others will either join him, or the orc will return and they'll all go home.

Suddenly, my attention is drawn to one of the other screens. It seems another owl has picked up on Eraina's group's trail. Well, that's a bit more interesting. I make sure the previous owl understands to stick with the kids until its mana reaches the critical point where it would have to return. Ok, now I can give this owl my full attention. I squint at the screen as the owl loops over a dense area of forest.

I frown as I see the wind blowing through the leaves. The trees here are a lot larger than anything I've seen before. Their trunks are wide, and they stand in such thick clumps that you can barely see the ground beneath them. What is this place? A large area of this forest up ahead appears to be cleared of trees, with small structures of various shapes built inside it.

Hmm, I have no idea what they are. The largest one appears to be a long building that is made up of several circular rooms. Maybe a home or some kind of work center. Well, I can't see much more since my owl is focusing on the group trudging through the woods below. Ah, they seem to be heading for that clearing, so I wonder if it's some sort of outpost.

It takes a little time for the owl to follow the group there, but it isn't long before I can see more of what is in the clearing. It looks like a collection of buildings around a well. Hmm, maybe the structure that looks like a home is a barracks? There's a big wall built around the whole place with a large gate at the entrance.

It's pretty impressive, but it feels out of place. I can't help but think that the architecture is inappropriate for this area. As if it's trying to draw attention to itself. My owl circles the area, watching from within the treeline to prevent itself from being noticed. I hear Grix talking with the guards at the gate before they're shown inside. My owl perches on a branch a short distance from the gate where it can keep an eye on the place while remaining hidden. I note the armor and weapons of the guards and I become convinced my earlier assumption was correct.

This place is definitely an outpost. Maybe a supply depot or staging ground for teams to be sent out from. That makes a lot of sense if the Lord is searching all over for ancient ruins. However, the question remains. What are they doing here? I thought they'd head straight to town. I frown as I stare at the screens that show my owls' various viewpoints as they begin to converge on this location.

Hmm, I set my owl spawner to work creating a second group so that I can rotate them out. This way, there'll be no gaps in my surveillance for something unexpected to happen. I observe a small group of guards patrol the area beyond the wall. I really want to find out what's going on inside, but the metal of my golems will catch the light. So it's highly likely they'll be noticed. It's better to wait for the night to come. Even if they light fires, it should be easier for my owls to sneak in.

Hmm? That could be a problem. I groan as I order my owls to contact me if the situation changes before I close the link. The silence in my dungeon body is deafening as I step out of the charging pod and flex my fingers. I turn my gaze in a certain direction as I squint before closing the door to the secret room. My thoughts race as I try to make a decision about the situation that's just unfolded.

"They're just kids..." I shake my head as I set off running toward the edge of my territory.

My owl that's following them keeps me updated with images. The group of kids has made quite a bit of progress and should reach the edge of the ruins shortly. However, my owl spotted a group of bear-like monsters wandering near the same area. The kids seem unaware of the danger they're about to face, and a single owl may not be able to prevent any of them from dying if the bears spot them.

I send a brief mental order to my new batch of owls to start the journey to switch out with the first group, while also telling Arachea to bring ten spiders and join me. Wait. Actually, grab a scarf or something I can use to cover the lower half of my face from the spoils I gained from the dwarven mercs. I don't want to scare the kids with the metal hiding under my human appearance.

I had considered just letting them die. But my conscience wouldn't let me. They're innocent in everything that's going on, and it's not like they'll understand what I really am. They'll probably just think a kind stranger helped them. Plus, they probably won't tell their parents to stop themselves from getting into trouble. I pick up the pace as I pass the invisible boundary of my dungeon body and feel my mana start to drain. I'll need to be sure and deal with this quickly.

Clack, Clack, Clack!

Arachea and my spiders catch up as they race through the ruins beside me. I make sure they understand that they're to protect the kids and kill any bears that threaten them. Arachea bobs up and down as it runs, which I assume is a nod of acknowledgment. This is going to be annoying only having a one-way connection with spiders outside of my territory. But it should be enough just to send them orders. It only takes a few minutes for us to clear the ruins and step foot into the caverns.

However, I pause as I hear screams start coming from all around me, echoing off the walls. Ugh. That doesn't sound good.