Ch. 40 The Valley of Seol-in
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 40 – The Valley of Seol-in
After what felt like a forced abduction, Isolin and I didn’t even attempt to return to Fox Tail.
The tightly shut carriage door wouldn’t open, and the scenery outside the carriage changed in the blink of an eye.
From vast plains to rugged mountainous terrain, and in the next moment, the carriage was speeding through a snowy wasteland.
The falling snow blanketed the expansive fields, and white snowflakes clung to the bare branches of trees. Even our breath formed visible clouds in the cold air.
“Supreme! It’s snowing!”
“Hmm…”
It doesn’t snow in Fox Tail.
How could it snow in a region that only experiences autumn and summer?
It seemed the carriage we were riding in had somehow crossed space using some kind of power.
After speeding through the snowy wilderness for dozens of minutes, the carriage finally stopped in front of a village.
It was then that the tightly shut carriage door opened.
Crunch—
As I stepped out of the carriage and onto the white snow, a system message appeared before my eyes.
[You have arrived at the quest area ‘Snowfield Parna.’]
[This area is isolated from the outside world.]
[Time flows differently between the outside world and Snowfield Parna.]
[Completing the quest in this area will unlock a carriage route from Fox Tail to Snowfield Parna.]
I nodded as I read the system message. There was no need to overthink it.
It seemed that from the moment we were given this forced quest, we had entered an instanced quest area.
Suddenly, a game tip I had skimmed over during character creation came to mind.
Didn’t it say that every action a player takes influences the flow of the world?
It seemed that by completing the quest in this area, Isolin and I would unlock a warp function that allowed rapid travel between regions.
“Wow. It’s snow…”
Crunch crunch— Isolin began stomping on the snow beneath her feet. Her tiny footprints scattered across the pristine snowfield.
Seeing her so excited over something as simple as snow made me smile involuntarily.
“Hehehe!”
Leaving Isolin to play by herself, I looked around and noticed the priests bustling about.
When had they even gotten here?
It seemed the priests had already finished their discussions with the villagers of Parna, as they were now moving supplies from the carriages into the village.
Some villagers had even rolled up their sleeves to help.
Supreme, the 12-year-old priestess, couldn’t stay out of this.
I grabbed Isolin, who was lying on the ground making snow angels, and joined in moving the supplies.
Food went to the storage, and items for immediate use went to the annex. With my short legs moving quickly, the work was done in no time.
“Phew…”
“We’re done…!”
Isolin and I sat down in a suitable spot to rest. While we weren’t physically exhausted, the repetitive lifting of heavy supplies had given us a muscle soreness debuff.
[Muscle Soreness Debuff]
[All stats reduced by 5%]
[Duration: 1 hour]
It had been a while since I last saw this debuff, thanks to our comfortable life at the inn.
Moving my arms and legs slightly, I could feel that my body had become sluggish.
Just then, a man emerged from among the priests. A paladin clad in shining full plate armor—Einhardt.
[Level 80]
[Paladin Einhardt]
He stood before Isolin and me, smiling brightly.
“Thank you so much. We were short on hands and didn’t know what to do, but you stepped forward to help… Sister Supreme and Isolin, your actions are an example to all believers.”
“Huh…?”
Isolin and I exchanged confused glances at Einhardt’s words. I decided to ask him just in case.
“Did I… Did I really offer to help?”
“Yes. You came all the way to the temple and said you wanted to help, didn’t you?”
“Ah…”
It seemed this quest had a predetermined narrative. I quickly nodded.
“That’s right. I did. So, what should we do now?”
“You can rest for a bit if you’d like. But your willingness to jump right into action! I’m truly moved.”
“Ah, should we rest for a bit then?”
“No, no need for that. I’ll prepare everything right away. We were just about to start the search, so this is perfect timing.”
Einhardt rummaged through the supplies near the annex and pulled out two large leather backpacks and two thick, fluffy coats.
He handed them to us and said, “The villagers will prepare crampons that won’t slip on the ice. Put on these coats and backpacks, then meet us outside the annex.”
After Einhardt left the annex, I stared at Isolin. Rather than questioning the situation, Isolin seemed more interested in the fluffy coat.
“Hey, Supreme. How do I look?”
She jumped up and immediately tried on the coat. The slight curves of her body disappeared completely, making her look round and chubby.
“Is it warm…?”
“Yeah!”
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded and put on the coat as well.
I was a bit worried about the quest’s difficulty, but with so many temple NPCs around, it was clear nothing too dangerous would happen.
Most likely, Isolin and I would only be asked to play a supporting role.
With Einhardt, a level 80 paladin, by our side, any monster that appeared would be dealt with in an instant.
Following Einhardt’s instructions, we put on the coats and backpacks and stepped outside the annex.
There, we were met by a villager holding a small box filled with sharp-soled leather boots.
“Hmm, the smallest priestess and mage… That must be you. Could you stick out your feet for a moment?”
As the villager asked, I stuck out one foot. He examined my shoes and frowned.
“Huh… These are way too small. Here, try these on for now.”
The boots the villager handed me were too big. If I shook my foot, they would wobble like they were dancing. Isolin’s boots were no different.
“Oh dear, this is a problem…”
“Don’t you have anything smaller? These boots are too big.”
As Isolin shook her leg while speaking, the boot on her foot flew off, revealing her small, pale foot.
“Try these on instead.”
The second pair of boots the villager handed us fit somewhat better. I glanced at the box he was holding, hoping for something smaller, but the villager shook his head.
“These are the smallest ones I have. Anything smaller would be impossible…”
“These will do.”
It was a bit disappointing, but as long as I tied the laces tightly, it would be fine. I pulled the thin leather laces taut and tied them securely.
Glancing over, I saw Isolin had finished tying her laces as well. She had made a pretty bow.
“Alright! All done!”
Isolin and I went to find Einhardt. He was organizing the search party, and when we approached, he naturally included us in the group.
The priests in the search party had various roles. There were regular priests like me, paladins, and even inquisitors wielding large shields and terrifying maces.
Their helmets covered their entire faces, so I couldn’t see what they looked like.
[Level 50]
[Inquisitor Rena]
Judging by the feminine name, there must be a beautiful woman hidden beneath that helmet. I casually approached Rena and struck up a conversation.
“Hello?”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Sister Supreme.”
The voice that came from inside the helmet was deep and gruff—clearly a grown man’s. My smile faded at the unexpected voice.
I returned to Isolin’s side.
The organization of the search party didn’t take long. Out of the personnel sent from the temple, 30 were selected for the search party, with Einhardt leading the group.
“Alright! Let’s head out to find traces of the heretics!”
“Woooh!”
The search party set off with high spirits. Following Einhardt, we headed toward a snow-covered mountain.
The members of the search party began climbing the mountain with enthusiasm, pushing through the thick snow.
But Isolin and I couldn’t do the same.
Plop—!
“Ah…”
“Eek…”
The moment we took a step toward the mountain, more than half of our bodies sank into the snow.
“Ah, Einhardt…!”
Isolin and I shouted, only our upper bodies barely sticking out of the snow. The search party, seeing our predicament, began whispering among themselves with shocked expressions.
“Oh dear…”
“The snow is piled a bit high…”
After a moment of thought, Einhardt nodded with a serious expression.
“Sister Supreme, Isolin, it might be better for the two of you to wait in the village.”
In the end, Isolin and I returned to the village.
“Sniff…!”
The cold weather made my nose run.
Vrslop_translator
0 Comments