Clothbound Magic Circle – Part 2
Today’s workplace was the Moiwa Mountain dungeon.
Most dungeons start at ground level and go either upward or underground.
But Moiwa Mountain is different—you ride a gondola-like ropeway up to the very top of the mountain, and the entrance is there.
Naturally, you start from the summit and work your way down toward the ground.
Compared to dungeons like Marui, Mitsukoshi, Parco, or 4Pla, Moiwa Mountain is considered a bit more difficult.
Honestly, I’m not sure I should even be entering this place, but dungeon janitors are chronically understaffed.
Today’s assignment was limited to B3, so I had no choice.
Because of its unusual structure, Moiwa Mountain isn’t very popular, so we don’t clean it often.
But… if trash is left alone, it starts to smell, attracts pests, and in some cases even generates monsters.
So regular cleaning is mandatory.
Another reason it’s unpopular: there are only stairs.
No elevators.
No escalators.
Just stairs.
Still, people who like physical training seem to enjoy it.
Since there are only stairs, I strapped on my magic garbage carrier like a backpack and began my descent.
While collecting trash near the entrance, I kept thinking about that cloth.
Today, I really wanted to do something about it.
Right—
I remembered something.
Grandma used to stitch patterns into cloth from time to time.
Back then, people couldn’t buy clothes often, so they embroidered fabric to make it stronger.
She used to say that.
And she kept notebooks full of those designs…
During my break, I called a certain person.
Brrrr…
“Hello, this is Kakizaki.”
“Hey, sis? It’s Heisuke.”
“Oh, it’s you. Long time no talk. You doing okay?”
“More or less. So, uh… today, I was wondering if I could stop by and look through Grandma’s things.”
“Sure, that’s fine. Want to stay for dinner?”
“…Really?”
“Don’t be shy. It’s nothing fancy, but one more person won’t make a difference.
If you can, bring something from Kinotoya.”
Grandma’s house is now my sister’s place.
We still haven’t sorted Grandma’s belongings…
Both of us keep putting it off.
…About what happened twenty years ago…
Well, that’s for another time.
While running Appraisal and Auto‑Mapping, something appeared underground.
The terrain map sliced the mountain in half, and far below, a faint light shimmered.
What on earth is down there…?
Curiosity stirred, but my body shivered instinctively.
As expected of Moiwa Mountain—
I collected a ton of trash.
But nothing valuable today.
