Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2079: Inside a volcano

Upon reaching the village, a group emerged to welcome me, or rather to assess me.

The gazes from the other flame elementals toward this group revealed their esteemed position.

This mirrored the authority held by the elders among the rock elementals.

Thus, these flame elementals governed the village.

They examined me with suspicion about my identity, yet this doubt faded quickly once I presented the rock and the Mark of God on my hand.

With these items revealed, no room remained for their skepticism.

Indeed, nothing could serve as stronger evidence than this.

“We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

The leading elder in the group declared this after verifying my identity, echoing the words of the rock elementals' elder.

If so, then it implied...

“Did you also have a prophecy?”

The flame elemental elder showed brief surprise at the query, then seemed to grasp an insight.

“So you’ve already met others like us? That’s why you aren’t surprised at all?”

In reply, I lifted the rock gifted by the rock elementals.

Upon spotting it, the flame elemental elder displayed a smiling expression before remarking, “Right, I almost forgot about that.”

To clarify further, the elder added, “Well, you’ve just given us too much to be surprised about that I forgot about it.”

This elder differed greatly from the rock elemental one.

The latter had been reserved and solemn, speaking only when required.

Conversely, this one appeared impulsive and fond of conversation.

Could it stem from being a flame elemental instead of rock?

Maybe their elemental nature shaped their temperaments...

Whatever the reason, the priority now was handling the matter at hand.

“So where is the thing that I’m supposed to charge up?”

The elder reacted with surprise again, but soon a grin formed as it replied, “So you’ve already taken care of this before, then that makes things much easier.”

With those words, it pivoted and strode away, signaling me to trail behind.

Without a word, I followed the flame elemental elder.

Now that the elder had acknowledged me, the remaining flame elementals began warming up too.

Peering from behind the lava streams, they regarded me with curiosity.

I was eager to discover more about the flame elementals myself, yet the moment wasn't right.

Our immediate task was infusing the source of this realm with the necessary divine energy.

Still, I hadn't anticipated being guided to such a location.

After some walking, we reached the source's site.

A volcano.

This active volcano spewed lava, creating the rivers that crisscrossed the area.

Given that flame elementals dwelled in lava rivers, a volcano as the source felt entirely logical; anything else would have been odd.

The issue lay in...

“How do we get in?” I inquired as we neared the volcano, sensing its intense heat.

The warmth here was extraordinary, far surpassing the rest of the region. Even more, it burned at levels lethal to ordinary humans.

Empowered individuals would struggle to endure it for extended periods too.

Only Ifrit's power allowed me to ward off the heat.

In a pinch, I might enter using all my relics... but I'd prefer avoiding that, unsure of their impact on this entity.

The flame elementals stayed silent initially, then lifted their hands, parting a lava river to reveal an entrance.

Yet, optimism eluded me, as lava still encircled it.

It hardly looked survivable for a human.

“Just come and take a look.” The flame elemental elder urged before proceeding inside.

With no alternative, I trailed them, though at a cautious pace, uncertain of what awaited.

Surprisingly, the heat diminished as I drew nearer to the opening.

Some enchantment seemed to repel the heat, similar to the lava's effect.

Evidently, the creators had foreseen a visitor lacking heat and lava resistance.

Thus, I entered the opening with them, venturing into the volcano.

The path formed a cavern plunging deep into the volcano's core, reigniting my concerns.

After all, only a magma-filled chamber likely lay ahead...