episode_0021

Rader Mountains

“….. Damn it.”

It was the last morning in Altheon. It wasn’t refreshing at all. It was because of Aria, who had watched me all night with an even stronger attachment. I’m really tired to death… But Karina, had she gotten used to it…? She was snoring away. I’m so envious, so envious… I woke up and looked beside me, Aria wasn’t there. She must have gone to prepare breakfast.

“Yawn…. Ugh, I’m tired. I might die from exhaustion before I get torn apart by a monster. Karina? Wake up. It’s morning.”

“Yawn… I want to sleep more…”

“…. I can’t believe I’m experiencing this situation…”

Now I understand why my parents used to let out a hollow laugh whenever I said something like that. It’s like I’m a little angry, I guess you could say… It’s truly a strange feeling. Ugh… Let her sleep. Then I… even though something terrible would happen if Aria caught me, there’s still something I’m curious about…

“Riera? Are you inside?”

I had a lot of questions about wandering bards. The fact that bards and wandering bards were separated was information I had never known. So, shouldn’t I find out more before leaving…? Well… instead, I bought delicious food for Riera and her sisters to their hearts’ content yesterday… so they’ll tell me, right?

“Yawn… Zeke-nim… Good morning….”

“Ah, you were sleeping… Wait. But how is Melian sleeping?”

“When we went to sleep, we laid her down, covered her with a blanket, and closed her eyes with our own hands…. But is something wrong? This morning…”

“Ah, I’m curious about the difference between a wandering bard and a regular bard.”

“Ah…. Wandering bards are recognized professions in most countries of the Krentid World, so they receive subsidies. With those, wandering bards travel the Krentid World to maintain their insignia and sing songs. Eli also decided to become a wandering bard because she seemed curious about the world, just like Zeke-nim.”

I see… So there was such a difference…. Wait. If a regular bard is only recognized in a specific region… then a wandering bard must have skills recognized by the entire Krentid World, right? That’s almost on par with a master merchant!! What kind of potential do these kids have, seriously…?

“Huh? Why are you making that face?”

“Because you’re amazing.”

“Yawn…. Still, we can’t beat our Saint-nim’s singing… I heard the Saint-nim’s song the other day. When the Saint-nim sang for Zeke-nim.”

“What? How did you…”

“Ah… you must be curious about this too. All Fairies are born with the nature of wind. We can use the nature of wind to hear sounds from far away. Please keep this a secret from the Saint-nim….”

So that’s how Riera knew my location. The ability to hear sounds from underground… and even from outside the village. It’s quite a covetable ability. It’s a perfect ability for an explorer like me. Still, I guess… Aria must have gained similar abilities by now. Aria, who would do anything for me, if it’s for me…

“Alright. Thanks for the info. I’ll have to add it to my records. Oh, we’ll be leaving right after we eat.”

“Is that…? What? You’re leaving right away? We’re also departing today… but we leave after lunch.”

“I see. Alright. Thank you for saving me this time, Riera. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Day. I hope you achieve everything you wish for in the new year.”

“Yes… I hope your book gets about half-filled, Zeke-nim. That means you’ll still be healthy until then.”

“Alright. Then I’ll take Karina downstairs to eat and leave. Thank you very much, Riera. If we can meet again next time, let’s do so.”

“Yes, Zeke-nim. I look forward to our reunion as well. Then…”

“Okay, good night.”

Riera smiled at me, then bowed to me. After that, she went inside and closed the door. She’ll probably tell the others. Let’s just take the still sleepy Karina downstairs to the first floor. 11 days… I hadn’t originally planned to stay this long…

“Karina. Let’s eat. We’re leaving now.”

“Huh…? Aren’t we staying longer?”

“Nope. We need to set off for Kartun soon. It takes two days, and it might even take longer. To get there, we have to pass through the Rader Mountains, a famous mountain range in the Maglion region.”

“Rader Mountains?”

“There are quite a few uphill sections. We’ll have to spend a night there and then depart again to reach Kartun. That way, we can arrive around lunchtime. Come on, let’s go eat.”

“Who’s making the food?”

“Huh? Aria should be preparing it downstairs.”

“Aria Unnie has been staring at you from over there since a while ago…?”

At his words, I finally noticed a gaze I hadn’t felt before. And when I quickly turned around, Aria, who was hiding behind a pillar and continuously staring at me, came into my sight. Wait… Th-then, surely…

“Were you… listening…?”

“Yes. How dare that stray cat eavesdrop on my song for Zeke-nim… I can never forgive her…!!”

“Aaahhh! Calm down, Aria!! Please, just calm down!!”

I used my whole body to stop Aria from harming Riera, and we barely managed to eat together. This means I’ll have to keep stopping her every time something like this happens. And it’s never an easy task… As we were eating the stew Aria made on the first floor, Aria asked me,

“Zeke-nim, have you finally decided to leave Altheon? That’s such a relief! I want it to be just the two of us as soon as possible. Hehe…”

“Y-yeah. Karina’s parents must be worried about her too, so we should hurry.”

“….. I miss Mom and Dad.”

At the mention of her parents, Karina, who had been enjoying her stew, put her spoon down on the plate and looked disheartened. Indeed… what child doesn’t miss their parents? Karina had been separated from her parents for a long time, so it’s natural for her to miss them.

“Alright. Let’s go soon. Are you done eating?”

“Yes, Zeke-nim! I’ll clean up the dishes, so if you’re outside, I’ll be right there! Karina, if anything happens to Zeke-nim, scream.”

“Okay, Unnie!”

…. When did they get so close? Well… Karina’s fear of Aria has decreased lately. But why did they get close? Even now, with Aria wary of her, why is Karina…? I’ll ask later. For now, I set aside my questions, picked up my luggage, and went outside the inn with Karina. Aria also went outside the inn immediately, and we left Altheon and headed towards Kartun.

“Hmm… two days on this road… with many uphill sections…. Are both of you okay?”

“Wherever Zeke-nim is, I don’t care. Even if it’s a cliff.”

“I’m fine too. But Kartun is a village inside a forest, so why are we crossing these rocky mountains?”

“The Rader Mountains are definitely rocky mountains. But once you pass them, there’s a forest immediately. Maglion is divided into sea regions, forest regions, rock regions, and mountain regions. The representative city of the sea region is Altheon, and the mountain region is Melodian. While other villages are famous in the forest region, Kartun is also included there. The dividing line is based on what exists based on these Rader Mountains.”

“Hmm… I see. But how do you know all that, Zeke Oppa?”

“I asked the innkeeper before. He said the Maglion region is famous for the Rader Mountains, the Boyati Trade Route, the Nergal River, and the Faren Forest. And that they also trade monster byproducts from each region with each other.”

“…. I don’t quite understand what you mean, but I know you’re smart, Oppa.”

“I’m not smart either. I just record things and get told. There are always things that don’t quite sink into my head.”

“I see…. Phew….”

“Huh? Why? Are you tired?”

“Yeah…”

Hmm… Even though it’s still winter, climbing a mountain could put a strain on their stamina. We should rest here…. The moment I was about to look for a place to sit nearby, Aria suddenly handed me a water bottle.

“Drink, Zeke-nim. You’re sweating too, Zeke-nim.”

“Oh? I am? Thanks, Aria. I’ll drink it well….”

“Heeheehee….”

…. This feels ominous. I would have gulped it down without hesitation before…. But now, for some reason, I’m starting to be suspicious. Right… just in case, let’s check. The mouth of the water bottle…. At the mouth….!!!

“Aria.”

“Yes~ Zeke-nim~”

“Did you perhaps take a sip earlier?”

“Oh my~ You’re so quick to notice~”

“….”

…. Of course. There was clearly a reason. Sigh… Still, I should drink it, right? My throat was getting dry quickly, perhaps because it was winter… I had no choice but to start drinking the water from the bottle Aria gave me, and the moment I drank, I saw Aria’s face turn red. Ugh… I’m going to choke on my water.

“Sigh…. Here, Karina. You drink too…”

“Heeheehee…. Karina has her own water bottle…!!”

“… What? Did you buy it in Altheon, by any chance?”

“Heeheehee….”

That expression. She definitely didn’t buy one on purpose for this reason. When I saw Karina, behind me, turn her head to avoid my gaze, this thought became certain. What if this gets worse? It’s only this bad now, but I feel like it’s going to get more severe.

“…. Let’s just go.”

“Yes~ Zeke-nim!”

“Ah, wait for me!”

For now, let’s just move forward without thinking about anything. If I think any more, I’ll definitely collapse from a headache while climbing. But in my mind, the ecstatic expression Aria made when I drank the water earlier was still floating around. Huh… how much more will I see that expression? As I was thinking this, I could already see the sun setting. By our location, it seemed we had passed about half of the mountain range…

“Let’s see… Aria, is the food still intact?”

“Yes. The weather is cold, so it hasn’t spoiled. Shall we eat here?”

“Hmm… Karina, are you hungry…?”

“Ah… Aahh…”

Karina saw something next to her and became very frightened. Why is she like this? What is it that’s making her scared…!!!!

“Growling….”

“Gasp…!!”

“Wh-what should we do, Zeke Oppa…?”

I… I don’t know either… I turned my head to where Karina was looking, and an Asura Salamander was staring at us… A powerful, flesh-colored lizard that inhabits rocky areas and breathes fire with toxins contained within its body…. So they lived in the Maglion region too…!

“Shrieeek!”

“O-Oppa! Isn’t that thing glaring at us?!”

“Asura Salamander… The book said that one was famous for being ferocious, damn it…!!”

I had gotten information that they inhabited the Rader Mountains, but I didn’t expect them to be on the roadside like this…!! Damn it… I’m thinking of Boyati’s safe stone walls… Ah, wait. There was a stronger creature than that here.

“Aaahhh!! Zeke Oppa! Its mouth!!”

“….”

The Asura Salamander was taking a deep breath. That must be the movement it makes to breathe fire. But what’s the point now… It really has bad luck today, bad luck…

“WHOOSH!”

“Heeheehee… What an unpleasant sound.”

Fire blasted out of the Asura Salamander’s large mouth. But as Aria chanted a prayer and lightly spun her staff, the fire hit the staff and bounced off, flying over the Asura Salamander. At that moment, the Asura Salamander seemed to sense something, surprised, and stopped breathing fire. So that’s the instinct of a wild animal. But you already attacked, so what can you do…?

“How dare you try to burn Zeke-nim… It’s truly unpleasant…. I’ll turn you into tonight’s dinner ingredient…!!”

“Shri… Shriek!!”

At Aria’s dark smile, even the animalistic Asura Salamander seemed to feel fear, startled, and began to quickly turn its body. Wow… for an Asura Salamander, several times stronger than a Boar, to be like that…

“Where do you think you’re going to run…? You can’t…!!”

“Shriek!!!”

As Aria rushed towards it at a terrifying speed, the Asura Salamander instinctively moved its legs to try and escape from the spot. But even the Asura Salamander, known for its quick speed despite its size, could not possibly overcome Aria’s speed.

“Heeheeheehee….”

Aria let out a terrifying laugh as she chased the Asura Salamander, and as the distance closed, she swung her golden staff and struck the Asura Salamander’s head. Multiple times. In the end, the Asura Salamander’s head wasn’t shattered by Aria’s staff, but it was knocked unconscious, and Aria grabbed the salamander’s tail and slowly walked towards me. Wow… she knocked that thing out by bludgeoning it…

“Heeheehee… Zeke-nim! Tonight’s dinner will be this salamander meat stew! I learned in Altheon that this salamander meat is… heheheheh…”

…. I know the meaning of that laugh. But I didn’t want to know more. Anyway, Aria’s strength is still formidable… Well, she’s strong enough to sweep away Rubdon alone, so she’s…?

“Huh…?”

“Why, Oppa?”

“…. Now that I think about it, how did 20 mana just knock through Aria’s barrier like that…?”

“What?!”

Thinking about it, something feels strange. Knowing Aria’s strength, I can’t even begin to gauge how strong 20 mana is now. Still, since I won’t have to meet them again, let’s not worry about it. While Aria was butchering the salamander, I set up the tent, and Karina helped me. But does Aria even know how to butcher it?

“Aria? Have you ever butchered a salamander?”

“No~ But I do know where the poisonous parts are! There’s poison in these intestines… and here…”

Thanks to Aria, I won’t have to worry about running out of food on my journey. However, the price for that will be quite high… By the way, to butcher it so fearlessly with my knife… I couldn’t do something like that. For me, who’s afraid to even look at corpses, butchering such a large creature is impossible. Well… the tent is all set up… Hmm… I guess I should ask soon.

“Aria. You’ve been kind to Karina lately… Is something up?”

“Hmm… Thanks to Riera-nim, I was able to find Zeke-nim. But Karina knew where to enter by scent. They say all Beastkin have highly developed senses of smell. So, for the grace of finding Zeke-nim, I haven’t been pressuring her as much lately.”

“You…?”

“Yes. But… if it’s for Zeke-nim’s eternal love, I’ll bestow eternal grace, so don’t be jealous!”

I wasn’t jealous, and am I the only one who feels like it’s eternal obsession rather than eternal love? Karina, who was holding a tent pole beside me, sighed, as if she was too used to it. Right… I’m not the only one.

“Hmm~ Hmm~ The stew is ready! How about the tent?”

“It’s all done. I’m hungry… Let’s eat.”

“Yes~ I’ll prepare it right away!”

Aria grinned as she scooped stew into a bowl and gave it to me. It’s properly de-poisoned, right…? Karina also seemed a bit suspicious and didn’t eat it readily. Right… let’s trust Aria. If anything happens, Aria will do something about it…! I bravely took a piece of meat from the stew into my mouth and chewed. Oh…?! Th-this taste!!

“So… so tender!! It’s tastier than Boar meat..!”

“What?! Where…!!”

At my reaction, Karina also dropped her suspicion and took a piece of meat. Then her eyes widened, and she began to gobble down the stew. It’s definitely delicious… I’m not good at cooking like this, but how does Aria have such skill…?

“I’m glad it’s to your liking, Zeke-nim! Heeheehee…”

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“It’s intuition~”

…. What terrifying physical abilities and intuition. What kind of scary woman is she…? So she can do things she hasn’t even learned freely?… Wait. Speaking of poison, something comes to mind.

“But Aria, why couldn’t you restore my stamina in Altheon? Weren’t you able to deal with poison too?”

“That’s… I found that strange too… Zeke-nim. Some blessings had no effect on you at all.”

“What?”

“You didn’t know either, Zeke-nim…. So I used various methods to try and restore your stamina. I even kicked Karina out of the room because it might be dangerous. Zeke-nim. Why did all the blessings have no effect on you…?”

“…. I don’t know either.”

So that’s why the room was so messy back then. Anyway, Aria’s blessings don’t work on me? As I heard Aria’s words, the mysteries began to unravel. Why Aria couldn’t wake me up immediately, and even why Rascal gave me the antidote.