Editing Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 10 (section)

===Part O===

Our troubles continue.

“What? Can’t we just break through here?”

Eisbahn says with displeasure.

However, “That’s impossible.” Viscaria denies him immediately.

“If we continue moving forward, we’ll have to keep cutting blocks of ice. You’ll end up depleting all the electric power, and have to retire.”

“But…” Eisbahn stamps on the ground lightly. “How much of a detour will this be?”

“We got no choice here. We can’t waste our electricity, and we’ll have to use the path we have now, even though it’s a detour.”

“Surely in our masters’ world, there’s the saying ‘haste won’t do the job’.”

Götz too joins in the lecture, “Hmph.” Eisbahn looks extremely miffed.

“Whatever works for you.”

“Trust me here. Please, just once.”

It’s rare for Viscaria to be begging.

“Well, it’s not like I’m doubting your calculations here…”

Eisbahn looks all the more miffed, and stabs at the ice with his heel. This is a marking for cutting with the saber.

“Is this fine?”

“Mostly. It’s about two meters thick. Try digging it like it’s a manhole.”

“Yes, yes.”

Eisbahn slouches his back, and follows Viscaria’s calculations as the Phantom Blade immediately gives off a blue light, stabbing right into the ground. He then moves his body around slowly, creating an arc.

After ten seconds, the cut off part sinks in, and a round hole appears like a hole on a frozen lake.

“So this leads into the underground tunnel?”

I ask as I look into the hole. It’s completely dark inside, and nothing can be seen.

“Right. Head East from here. We’ll finally reach the path leading to the surface. It’ll be a long detour, but this is the move that saves the most electricity.”

“I see…I’ll go first then.”

The electronic meter detects the depth to be at least ten meters. I lower the rope, check that it’s down, and enter the hope.

—How far more do we have to go?

As I head down the rope, I recall the words Eisbahn said,

He’s right too. We’re trying to hurry to the surface, yet we have to go down. This really gives an unappealing feeling. The other villagers are feeling the same, “Why are we heading back?” Daisy’s voice enters the wireless.

—Don’t get anxious. Don’t get anxious.

I continue to descend down the rope, shaping my legs. The hardness of the ice reaches the soles of my feet, and I know I reach the bottom. How long will it take for us to lower the Cradles one by one? I feel really uneasy.

—Don’t get anxious. Haste won’t do the job. Haste won’t do the job.

I mutter to myself, as though I’m uttering a mantra, and I feel a little relieved.

I look up, and see a round full moon-like ring in the darkness. The villagers will be descending the rope from there.

Suddenly, I have a feeling that everyone’s sucked into the darkness, and I can’t help but quiver.