Ch.85The Road to the Crusis Mountains (1)

“Alright. We’ve secured food and water, and packed all the necessary items, so let’s get going now.”

7 AM.

As Saburo was slowly rising in the world, we mounted our horses, ready to depart from Fernheim.

Though we had stayed for only two days, we had gained many experiences in Fernheim, and now it was time to leave.

“Time to hit the long road, Bruiser.”

“Neeeigh!”

“My, you’re full of energy this morning.”

Mounted on the energetically snorting Bruiser, I looked back at Raisha and Simon who were also on their horses, confirming they had their feet in the stirrups.

“We’re heading to the Crusis Mountains!”

“Lead the way, Party Leader!”

“Hiyah!”

Soon the horses began to gallop, and the towering red walls of Fernheim and the gradually rising cheers from the Colosseum faded into the distance.

Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!

“Neeeigh!”

“Slow down a bit! We can’t keep up!”

“Oh…!”

Hearing my companions’ cries, I slowed Bruiser down and rejoined them.

Getting a warhorse was good, but the problem was that since the others didn’t have warhorses, our overall speed wasn’t much faster than before.

But what did it matter if we were a bit slower?

We were now heading to the last remaining attraction on this Faerun continent—the Crusis Mountains.

Toward the winding mountain range and echoing peaks, toward the sheer cliffs and trees and grasses buried in snow.

And this journey would certainly not end easily!

*

The Crusis Mountains are the highest mountain range on the Faerun continent.

With peaks soaring over 11,343 meters, they are perpetually covered in snow, and crevasses (gaps in rocks or ice—fall in and you die) are scattered throughout, making the journey extremely treacherous.

However, they say that after enduring all those hardships, the view from the summit is renowned as the finest in the Faerun continent, and the majestic mountains themselves are spectacular enough to be selected as one of the 52 Wonders of the World.

“It’s starting to get cold now.”

“It’s not just winter, but we’re also gaining altitude.”

“Do we need to buy new clothes?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Let’s go a bit further and if necessary, we can either buy clothes or make do with magic.”

Simon said this while briefly conjuring a small flame in his palm before instantly extinguishing it.

Magic wasn’t omnipotent, but it was close enough to be truly reassuring to have such a companion.

“Let’s head to the nearest village and take on some simple quests. We still have plenty of travel funds, but I think we’ll have many expenses coming up.”

“I agree. Especially in the Crusis Mountains, which are crawling with dwarves. Even I have to marvel at dwarven business tactics.”

“Are they that overpriced?”

“It’s not so much overpricing as… they monopolize essential items and sell them with an overbearing attitude. As you know, dwarves don’t have an ounce of flexibility.”

“Hmm.”

In Partcifal, dwarves were a rare species.

Being a race that preferred to live secluded in mountains or caves, the sea was unfamiliar to them, and they could easily obtain various resources from other continents without having to go all the way to Partcifal.

In my 16 years of life, I had seen dwarves only about 10 times, and they were all short with stubborn expressions, and once they started drinking, they would empty at least one barrel—absolute alcoholics.

“Well, it can’t be helped. They literally dig for their business. They control the passages through the Crusis Mountains, don’t they?”

“That’s right. But dwarves are stubborn in strange ways. Say one wrong word, and you might find yourself stuck at the entrance with nowhere to go.”

Simon looked at me as he spoke.

“That’s what worries me. Judging by your personality, you’re the type to take things to the extreme once provoked…”

“Come on, why does my personality seem so bad to you?”

Seriously, anyone would think I’m some psychopathic murderer with anger management issues.

“Then let me ask you the opposite. How good do you think your personality is?”

“…”

“See? Even you can’t bring yourself to say your personality is good.”

“Still, I have no intention of changing my personality. This is who I am.”

“Who said anything about changing it? I’m just worried about your inability to compromise.”

Simon sighed and pulled out a map from his pocket, and Raisha and I checked if we were on the right path.

“We’re currently on Route 23. In about three days, we’ll reach Waterfall City.”

“Waterfall?”

“Yes. It’s a large city with a waterfall, and tourism is thriving there. It’ll be a good sight to see before the Crusis Mountains.”

“A waterfall…”

Actually, I’ve never seen a waterfall before.

The closest thing I’ve seen would be the locks installed at the port of Partcifal.

“Have you ever seen a waterfall?”

“No.”

“It’s like taking the middle part of a river, cutting it off, and placing it on high ground. Water comes down from above… and below, there’s a whirlpool with water spray. It’s a place filled with the loud sound of water.”

“The sound of water…”

I’ve heard the sound of waves to the point of boredom, but the sound of water?

Would it be a quieter sound, different from the crashing of waves?

“My curiosity grows. And we have the ability to satisfy that curiosity. That’s a very good thing.”

“When we get to Waterfall, let’s rent a small boat and go boating together.”

“Boating… that sounds nice.”

In Partcifal, boating was something you couldn’t see except on special days.

Except for city founding anniversaries and such, the port was always bustling with merchant ships and passenger ships.

I still vividly remember delivering water bottles while watching nobles and the wealthy leisurely floating on small boats, laughing and chatting happily during those few days a year when the port was closed.

*

Sizzle!

“Do you know what the best thing about this party is?”

“The food?”

“Exactly that. Wouldn’t ‘Food Fighter Party’ be more fitting than ‘Iron Walker Party’?”

“Hehehe. That’s an amusing name.”

Simon joked as he set up boundary magic.

Jokes aside, objectively speaking, our Iron Walker Party ate exceptionally well.

Instead of hardtack or corned beef, we had properly baked fluffy white bread with butter and salt, fresh vegetables, and juicy meat seasoned with plenty of spices.

“I was just thinking, how much money did the mage who developed the spatial storage make?”

“Hmm? Ah… he didn’t actually make money from the spatial storage. He didn’t register the intellectual property rights and made it available to everyone.”

“Huh. Really?”

“Yes. But people supported him with various donations and food, so he lived quite comfortably.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I took out pepper and salt from the spatial storage, and Raisha sprinkled them on the eggs that were sizzling in the frying pan.

The savory aroma and the sharp scent of pepper lingered in my nostrils, and we sat by the campfire, placing our spoons on the plates she handed us.

“Here you go, eat up.”

Raisha said as she handed me a freshly made sandwich, and I took a big bite.

The rich egg yolk, the well-seasoned savory meat, the crisp texture of cabbage that still had life in it, and the soft yet crispy texture of white bread toasted with butter—all delighted me.

Raisha was leaning against me while eating her stew, and Simon was simultaneously spearing steak, fried eggs, and potato salad on his fork while buttering his bread.

“*Gulp*… Ahem. Party Leader.”

“Hmm?”

I mumbled with a mouthful of sandwich.

“Have you thought about recruiting a ranger?”

“Hmm…”

*Gulp!*

“Why?”

“Our party doesn’t have a ranged damage dealer.”

“A ranged damage dealer…”

Come to think of it, our party really didn’t have a ranged damage dealer.

We had Simon, but all he could do after using up his spells was annoy enemies with minor spells, so sustainable combat was impossible.

Of course, rangers would also be useless if they ran out of arrows or ammunition, but still, arrows were more plentiful than spells.

“A ranger…”

Though not a ranger, I kept thinking of Seriya.

She was a scoundrel, not a ranger, but her archery skills were quite sharp…

“My love… what are you thinking about?”

“A woman other than you.”

THWACK!

“Ugh.”

When I said that, Simon sighed and hit my head with his staff.

“Well done.”

Raisha’s fierce words followed, and she burrowed deeper into my arms and asked.

“Is that woman prettier than me?”

“No.”

“Does that woman have bigger breasts and buttocks than me?”

“No.”

“Then it’s fine.”

And with that, she pulled my arm around her body.

“Do you think you can get along with dwarves with this kind of rhetoric?”

“Can’t I?”

THWACK!

“Ugh.”