Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2146: Feeling regret

More and more structures began emerging, revealing a variety of building types in the mix.

Previously, the area had mostly housed residential homes, dotted with a handful of shop-like buildings here and there.

Yet judging from the ruins alone, discerning this wasn't straightforward at all.

Time erodes everything in its relentless flow.

Even surrounded by these additional edifices, their interiors lay reduced to powder, leaving us powerless to alter the reality that all traces of former life had vanished.

We pressed on, scouring for any hints that could unveil secrets about this forsaken place.

One discovery persisted amid the desolation.

"Isn’t this a bit excessive?"

Those words escaped me upon beholding the trove of statues we'd amassed. Far beyond a mere one or two, innumerable figures had endured the ravages of ages.

Not limited to solitary icons per dwelling—many homes boasted over five Solista statues strewn across every corner, as if adorning each room was their fervent obsession.

Their devotion painted this long-lost civilization as zealous devotees to Solista.

A nagging thought crept in: could this have been the cradle of the Holy Empire?

"If only it was, navigating back would be far simpler."

I'd been shoving thoughts of the Kite Kingdom's fate aside, powerless to intervene from here. Still, ignoring the dread of its potential annihilation upon my return proved torturous.

After all, War wouldn't spare the Kite Kingdom...

For the moment, banishing those worries, I focused on forging ahead.

Eventually, we stumbled upon non-residential structures, ones clearly built for specialized functions beyond mere commerce.

"They'd advanced to the point of prioritizing leisure. This society outshone most others in this world by leaps and bounds."

The Kite Kingdom hadn't reached such heights yet.

This realm embodied a brutal medieval fantasy, merciless to ordinary folk.

Beyond scattered taverns, outlets for venting frustrations were scarce.

Despite eons of decay, these venues unmistakably offered entertainment surpassing ale-swilling, including what appeared a children's play area.

Above all, remnants of their ingenuity stood recognizable.

"Looks like they mastered electricity..."

Yet these revelations stirred a pang of regret within me.

Though hailing from a far superior technological era than this medieval fantasy realm, I lacked profound expertise in such matters.

A regular guy in my previous existence, I couldn't decipher the buried artifacts fully.

Wires caught my eye here and there, but their combined purpose eluded me...

"If only I'd studied harder..."

This could have been the key to escaping this labyrinth.

Regret changed nothing; ignorance rendered them useless.

What it did affirm: this ancient folk surpassed the continent's current inhabitants in sophistication.

Such tropes abounded in games like this, yet firsthand immersion revealed nuances.

Integrated into this world now, I grasped their downfall stemmed from divine warfare—Solista's omnipresent statues made it obvious, even unconfirmed.

"Survivors might linger among today's dwellers, but they'd grasp little of antiquity beyond handed-down tales."

Absent knowledge of their origins, pinpointing their modern descendants' race remained elusive.

Lost in contemplation, Lupus's call snapped me back.

Approaching, I found a edifice utterly unlike any prior.

The instant it registered, I dashed straight inside.

This was, after all, a church.

Unlike every other discovery we'd made until now, it stood utterly apart—tied directly to the gods, with Solista's statues as the sole remnants.

Should a path exist to reach the gods via this church, we might just discover an escape from this forsaken realm.

The very instant I swung open the door, disappointment clouded my expression.

"It looks like this place isn’t shielded by the same force as the statues."