Ch.2727. Evernode (1)

I had been traveling north for five days now.

We were occasionally ambushed by monsters and delayed by rain and mud, but as of yesterday, we finally entered the region known as the North.

Horseback riding was easier than I had expected. Even without pulling the reins or kicking the horse’s sides forcefully, it moved according to my thoughts. Somehow, I felt like I communicated better with this animal than with people. Or perhaps the original Ilroy had been skilled at horseback riding.

“The days are getting longer as time passes,” George said.

That’s inevitable. The date was approaching the summer solstice, and we were moving to higher latitudes. If we reached Evernode, we might witness the famous midnight sun phenomenon.

“What time is it now?”

“It’s about six in the afternoon. The horses must be getting tired, so we should set up camp nearby and rest for tomorrow.”

I nodded. Looking back, I could see Daphne Ephiphone, Marianne Prim, and the knights and soldiers assigned to escort us to the North. I heard this journey wasn’t just an escort mission but also meant to honor the Northern Grand Duke who always protected Evernode and to reinforce his insufficient troops.

“We’ll stop here for today and look for a suitable camping spot.”

When I stopped my horse and spoke, the soldiers dismounted quickly with bright expressions. They were good soldiers who never complained, but I couldn’t help smiling at how enthusiastically they set up camp at the end of the day, compared to how slowly they packed up in the mornings—something I could relate to.

“We should start setting up too.”

I dismounted and stretched my stiff body. Though the horse did the running, sitting on horseback for hours consumed considerable energy. My joints cracked with every movement. After tethering my horse, I helped set up tents at the campsite. The knights and soldiers who initially tried to stop me from doing such work now began assigning tasks to me first.

“Ah, Hero. You’re getting good at this.”

“Right? Once you get used to something, you can do anything well.”

When I spoke with subtle pride, the soldiers put their hands on my shoulders and pointed to their tents.

“Since you’re on a roll, could you help set up our tents too?”

“Get lost, you guys.”

The soldiers ran away snickering, and I sat down in front of the instantly completed tent. The freshly lit campfire began to burn bright red as it consumed the small branches. Early summer. Though it wasn’t ideal weather to sit by a fire, the changing climate called for the moderate warmth of a campfire.

“It’s nice that it gets cooler as we go north.”

The wind was becoming cooler as we approached Evernode. Since yesterday, the wind carried different scents—the smell of wet soil and stones covered with moss, the scent of tree bark touched by cold wind, and the clean water smell from upstream. All these mixed to create the complex air of the North.

“The monsters in the North are fierce.”

George said as he sat beside me. I blinked and looked at him.

“Have you been to the North before?”

“Yes. Like the knights traveling with us now, I’ve participated in regular deployments.”

George stirred the fire with a branch while looking at the mess tin placed over the campfire.

“When there’s no food in winter, the monsters become much fiercer. Fighting monsters while snow piled up to our knees, unable to sleep properly, was grueling. I’m sincerely grateful that this expedition is taking place in summer.”

Gray bears even more ferocious than before. Not an opponent I wanted to imagine.

“We’ve finished setting up too.”

Daphne and Marianne approached and sat down after completing their camp setup. I was implementing a “hope they become friends” project between the awkward pair. Though it felt somewhat forced, Daphne was slowly adapting to Marianne. Now she seemed to match Marianne’s dry demeanor as well as I did.

“Is it Ilroy’s turn to cook today?”

Daphne peeked into the mess tin as she spoke. I think my cooking has improved since Marianne’s harsh criticism last time. “At least it’s edible,” was George’s evaluation last time. Well, since Marianne was an insurmountable wall, the group tried to dissuade me whenever it was my turn to cook.

“Yes. This time it’ll be less adventurous than before.”

Daphne nodded anxiously while looking down at the mess tin. With each adventurous attempt, some were well-received, others not so much. The computer in my head was gradually figuring out how to make the optimal stew by organizing this big data.

“It seems almost ready.”

“…You didn’t put anything weird in it this time, right?”

George peered into the mess tin expectantly, seemingly enjoying my amateur cooking, while Daphne anxiously avoided looking at it. The rising aroma didn’t smell ominous, but perhaps our tastes differed. I tilted my head and removed three mess tins from the fire.

I took a small taste with a spoon. Hmm. The best I’ve made so far.

“It’s decent.”

“…Not bad.”

The evaluations were subtle. I was relieved their expressions didn’t stiffen. We ate while chatting for a while. Today’s main topics were Daphne’s progress since reaching the 5th circle in the last bet, and George’s experiences in the North, which he shared with his “back in my day” stories.

“So now we’re really going to fight the fourth calamity.”

Daphne said while staring blankly at the fire. The empty mess tins were stacked by the fire to dry.

“Do you know what The Seven Calamity are?”

George asked, turning toward Daphne and Marianne. Daphne shook her head uncertainly, and Marianne, unusually for her, spoke up.

“Enemies of God and humanity.”

“…That’s right. Remnants of the mythical age, seven calamities that will destroy the world.”

George counted on his fingers as he spoke.

“‘The Serpent,’ ‘The Locust,’ ‘The Kraken,’ ‘The Giant,’ ‘The Mist,’ ‘The Meteor,’ and ‘The Origin.'”

Each calamity’s name carried an eerie aura. The campfire flickered slightly with each one George mentioned.

“Of these, the first and second calamities, ‘The Serpent’ and ‘The Locust,’ were conquered and disappeared in the generation before ours. And the third calamity, The Kraken, was conquered in the last expedition, as you know.”

I nodded. George could explain the first three calamities better than I could.

“When we fought the third calamity… I truly understood why they’re called world-ending calamities.”

George seemed to be recalling the battle against The Kraken.

“Each time that creature swung its leg, several ships disappeared. In the end, we couldn’t finish the battle at sea and had to lure it to the dock to fight. The port city was nearly destroyed, but somehow, by mobilizing all our forces, we managed to defeat it with great difficulty.”

George glanced at me as he spoke.

“It was a much more devastating victory than expected. Wasn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

I nodded, turning my face toward the campfire. It would be best to keep quiet here, but George seemed to interpret my silence as self-blame.

“War always comes with sacrifice. If it’s not a war between humans but a noble fight to protect all of humanity, then their deaths won’t be meaningless.”

Deaths I didn’t know. Wars I didn’t know. I couldn’t casually respond to George with words, so I just nodded silently. I sensed Daphne fidgeting. Even without looking at her, I could imagine her expression.

“Well, let’s end the gloomy talk here. Ask something else.”

George tried to lighten the mood with a deliberately cheerful voice. Not wanting to kill the atmosphere by staying silent, I quickly spoke up.

“How did you set up camp in winter? It must have been difficult with everything covered in snow.”

“We gathered moss to sleep on. We had to prevent body heat from escaping somehow…”

==

“…Ilroy.”

I blinked awake. Everything around was completely dark. Today was my turn—time to stand guard until sunrise. I irritably pushed away George’s hand tapping my shoulder and sat up. The weather was chilly, and my sleeping bag was damp.

“I’m coming. Stop poking me.”

After sending George back, I groggily put on my coat and grabbed the Holy Sword. When I pushed through the tent, George was standing there with tired fish eyes, holding a lantern.

“Your shift. Anything unusual?”

“Nothing. Since it’s summer, the monsters seem to be staying in their territories. Still, don’t sit and doze off—stay alert.”

George handed me the lantern while yawning widely. Having completely dispelled my drowsiness by circulating mana, I took the lantern with bright eyes and sent George inside. In the northern silence, only the occasional hooting of owls and cawing of crows could be heard.

I set down the lantern and sat by the campfire. The soldiers and knights on guard duty were each lost in their thoughts. I looked at them once and then drew the Holy Sword.

“[Are you ready?]”

“Of course.”

When we departed for Evernode, the Holy Sword gave me two tasks.

‘[I shall give you two tasks.]’

‘Tasks?’

‘[Completing both tasks I’m about to assign will be the condition for unlocking the second stage.]’

‘Second stage… unlocking.’

I drew the Holy Sword and took a deep breath, then exhaled. Mana flowed through my body, making time around me flow more slowly.

‘[You remember when I told you about mind, energy, and body, right?]’

‘Yes. I struggled hard to train that ‘body’ part.’

‘[In my view, you’re still far from adequate, but well, this time it’s not about ‘body’ but ‘mind.’]’

Whoosh.

The Holy Sword’s blade lightly cut through the air.

‘[For the first task, tame the crown you received from that bishop. In other words, pass its trial.]’

‘Sounds dreadful.’

‘[The crown’s trial will be different each time. It tests your mental strength itself, so try to endure it well. Then you’ll be able to withstand the aftermath when I unlock the second stage.]’

‘What’s the other task?’

Whoosh.

‘[Mind refers not only to your mental strength but also to what people commonly call ‘mental mastery.’]’

Whoosh.

‘[What I’m asking of you now is to master the technique to handle that power. After all, what overcomes strength (强) is not greater strength but softness (柔).’]’

Whoosh.

‘[Second task: Swing your sword once and catch dew on the tip of my blade.]’

Slash!

A branch that couldn’t withstand my sword wind was cut. I looked at the Holy Sword with dissatisfaction and lowered my arm. Though I practiced swinging the sword every night or whenever I had time, I still didn’t understand even 10% of the Holy Sword’s words or the true meaning of this training.

“I still don’t get it.”

“[If you had figured it out in five days, it would mean you have talent surpassing even a Grand Swordmaster. I didn’t expect much to begin with. Even the most brilliant person who wielded me took considerable time to reach that level.]”

I stroked the Holy Sword’s blade, which seemed more likely to cut than to catch dew. The pure white blade gleamed brightly in the campfire light.

“[You must be able to control even that sharpness.]”

“That’s difficult.”

I gripped the sword again and took a stance. The night was long, so I had plenty of time to try different approaches.

Rustle.

While I was swinging the sword again, I heard the sound of someone stepping on leaves and felt a gaze watching me. Lowering my sword and turning my head, I saw an unexpected figure observing me from across the campsite.

“Marianne.”

It was Marianne, leaning against a spear, her eyes like the full moon shining brightly.