Convergence of Magic: Overlord X Harry Potter

Chapter 15 - Ruin in the Beast's Shadow

Each team had taken a different route at the crossroads, and among them Eruya Uzruth had simply charged straight ahead, driven by the baseless assumption that a strong enemy awaited him in the tomb's depths. He encountered stone doors and countless turns along the way. Picking each one at random, his route was peaceful and boring, devoid of any traps or monsters.

'Perhaps I picked the wrong route,' Eruya thought, clicking his tongue.

"Hurry up already, slowpoke," Eruya barked at the House Elf walking ten metres ahead of him as she was about to stop.

The Elf slave quivered for just a second before walking tiredly on. Exhausted from continuous marching since entering the tomb, she had not been permitted to slacken her pace at all.

Fortunately, nothing had happened so far, but if there had been traps, she could very well have died. The way he was using his slaves was not so much trap finding as having her serve as a canary in a mine. Eruya's team was composed of himself and three of his House Elves.

Giving such an order to someone like her, who possessed irreplaceable searching skills, was too much of a waste. However, he had his reasons. Simply put, he was tired of the Elf in front of him. Surely anyone would be shocked when they heard that answer. Their shock would not stem from ethics but from economics. House Elves were not cheap. This was particularly true of House Elves nurtured by Uzruth Family, who were trained in their secret arts.

In most cases, no household would ever consider selling their elves due to pride. Consequently, elves were shockingly expensive merchandise and not something an average citizen could afford. Even someone like Eruya, who worked in the ministry, couldn't simply purchase one on a whim.

However, Eruya had inherited the entire Uzruth household fortune. Therefore, once he grew tired of a slave, he didn't particularly mind if she died. Additionally, there was one other reason he only acquired a new elf after one of the existing ones perished: he could only create and control three slave seals at a time.

If he wanted a new house-elf, he had to either let go of or sell one of his current ones. He could also choose not to place a slave mark on them. House-elves were highly sought after for their absolute loyalty to their house, but given what happened with his family, Eruya didn't trust anyone he couldn't control.

Lost in thought, Eruya was a second late in noticing the Elf had stopped moving.

"Why did you stop? Keep going."

"Aiieee... ah, I, I felt strong magic."

"Magic?"

Eruya furrowed his brows as the Elf plucked up the courage to reply. He concentrated but felt nothing. The surroundings were silent, so quiet, in fact, that it made his head hurt. Though a genius swordsman, his magical abilities were mediocre.

"...I don't feel anything."

Normally, he would have simply punched her right in the face, but Elves had keener senses than wizards. She might have perceived something he hadn't. To verify, he asked the two beside him:

"How about you lot?"

"Y-yes, I can feel it. There is also a sound coming from ahead."

"It... it sounds like metal clashing against metal."

"...Is that so."

There was no way a strong magic signature along with metal clashing against eachother could occur naturally. In that case, it must surely have been made by someone. In other words, this might be the first fight since entering the tomb. As he thought of that, Eruya's heart filled with excitement.