episode_0070

After several camps and a long wait, we finally arrived at the village of Hilda, where Aldera Mountain is located.

“Is that Aldera Mountain…?”

I marveled at the large mountain visible behind the village.

On the map, Aldera Mountain appeared to block the eastern continent vertically with its mountain range.

Aldera Mountain signifies the largest peak on that massive mountain range.

“Ugh… I’m already exhausted, senior.”

As soon as we got off the carriage, Sylphy complained while patting her back and buttocks with her palms.

After sitting for a long time, it was no wonder that her body was sore.

“Let’s stop by the village and rest for a bit.”

Sylphy and I found a place to rest within Hilda village.

Aldera Mountain was quite a high mountain.

It would be burdensome to climb it without any preparation.

Although physically, there would be no problem for an adventurer in terms of stamina, we would still need extra provisions and camping gear.

While preparing, should we also gather information that we need to know when climbing Aldera Mountain from the villagers?

The village was tiny compared to Kube, almost like a countryside village smaller than Dyna village where I had visited before due to a demon subjugation mission.

Since guilds were only found in cities of a certain size, it was natural that there was no guild here.

In each house, there were tall wooden racks set up in the yards, where meat was hung horizontally and dried on ropes.

It felt like seeing people drying peppers on mats in each house in the countryside village where I used to live in my previous world.

There were hardly any young people on the streets, and it was quite peaceful with only a few elderly people coming and going.

Having always been in the bustling and diverse Kube where various people were constantly coming and going, seeing this scenery felt refreshing.

As we walked further into the village, we found a tavern open for business and decided to enter.

Surprisingly, there were some customers, including young people, inside the tavern.

As Sylphy and I entered, the middle-aged tavern owner with a sturdy build gestured to us to take a seat.

“The village is so quiet and peaceful.”

Sylphy commented as she sat down.

I shared the same sentiment.

“Yeah, sometimes this kind of atmosphere isn’t so bad.”

As we casually ordered food and drinks and waited, the owner approached us and struck up a conversation.

Since it was a small tavern, the owner managed everything alone without any waitstaff.

“I haven’t seen your faces before. Are you adventurers? Did something happen at Aldera Mountain?”

The tavern owner’s face showed a hint of concern as he asked me.

“No, there’s no request in particular… I just need some materials for personal use.”

“Oh, I see! I was surprised, thinking there might be some demon trouble here again.”

“Is there something you’re worried about?”

The tavern owner’s face brightened at my response, but he asked with concern about the expression he had shown earlier.

“Well, these days, demons are suddenly getting stronger with the power of the Demon King. Our village sustains itself by hunting animals in Aldera Mountain, so if the demons get stronger, it could be dangerous.”

“I see…”

“Still, it seems like the influence of the Demon King hasn’t reached here yet, thankfully. It would be great if a hero could defeat the Demon King before that happens.”

Since this area was further away from the Demon King’s castle in the opposite direction, the demons here might not have been as influenced by the Demon King yet.

Certainly, if a village that sustains itself by hunting in the mountains were to face stronger mountain demons, it would be a big problem.

Come to think of it, rumors about heroes are not as prevalent these days.

Previously, there were constant rumors about heroes like them slapping the head of the knight commander in the capital, or mocking the Central Church’s goddess, but those rumors seem to have disappeared.

What, are you a hero or something? You’ll figure it out on your own.

It’s none of my concern right now.

“By the way, why did you come all the way to this rural village, hyung?”

The owner of the tavern asked as he brought out a table full of food.

Without hesitating over the menu, I asked for the recommended dish, and soon a warm soup dish with thick slices of meat arrived.

Sylphy clasped her hands together and marveled at the food with sparkling eyes.

“I came to hunt the Steelheart Dragon. It’s said to be in the Aldera Mountains.”

“Hmm? Is that… really true?”

The tavern owner’s eyebrows furrowed at my response.

“Is something strange?”

“Well, it’s true that creatures live in the Aldera Mountains… but are you planning to hunt it with that sword?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“Unless you provoke it first, those creatures won’t come down from the mountain, so adventurers don’t usually come to hunt it unless it’s a special case. It’s incredibly tough and not really used for its meat or leather.”

Algot also mentioned that.

When asked if it was a strong monster, the answer he received upon returning was ‘solid’.

If someone living locally says that, it makes me curious about just how tough it really is.

“Well, be careful anyway. The top of the Aldera Mountains is very cold. Make sure you don’t freeze before hunting that beast.”

With that, the tavern owner chuckled and returned to the kitchen.

* * *

After filling our stomachs at the tavern and resting enough at the inn, we set off for the Aldera Mountains early in the morning.

The mountaintop was said to be much colder than here, so I bought two fur coats in the village.

I carried some jerky for emergency rations and minimal camping gear as we climbed the mountain.

“Sylphy, are you… okay? You look cold.”

I asked Sylphy, who was following closely behind me.

Sylphy’s usual attire was so short that her thighs were exposed.

Even though she wore a fur coat on top, it seemed like she might be cold because of the clothes she wore underneath.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t that cold in the village. It’s not a northern city, so I’ll be okay.”

Will she really be okay…?

The village was more cool than cold, but climbing up to the top of that high mountain would be extremely cold.

If the tavern owner warned not to freeze to death…

Well, since Sylphy says she’s okay, I hurried my steps for now.

The mountain path was quite treacherous.

Animals like deer and wild boar were frequently seen running around.

If it weren’t for a body trained with magic, I would have collapsed halfway up the mountain.

Seeing that I was climbing the steep mountain path with quick steps and barely out of breath, I once again realized the tremendous power of magic.

“Senpai, I have a favor to ask…”

After climbing for a while, Sylphy, who was following behind me, spoke to me first.

“Yeah?”

“Could you teach me how to handle magic later?”

At the unexpected request, my busy steps came to a sudden halt without me realizing it.

She wants me to teach her how to handle magic?

I’m currently in a situation where I can’t control my own magic…

“You mean manipulating magic?”

“No, I’ve already finished magic transformation. It’s just that I have trouble imbuing or maintaining magic in my weapon during battle.”

It was a statement that I couldn’t understand.

Imbuing and maintaining magic in a weapon… isn’t it just a matter of infusing magic into the weapon?

Isn’t that something all other adventurers do as well?

“Yunoa didn’t even think about her own lack of experience, and didn’t understand Sylphy’s serious concerns.

The ability to move and manipulate magic requires a high level of concentration.”

During battle, even a slight loss of concentration would cause the power of the mana being wielded to scatter.

This was not a problem unique to me.

Experienced adventurers excelled in minimizing the dispersion of this mana and maintaining focus.

However, there were plenty of adventurers who were not so skilled in this world.

At that moment, the narration in my head spoke.

So, the things I had been doing so naturally were actually quite difficult?

I couldn’t believe the words of the narration.

“Senior, where did you learn to manipulate mana?”

Failing asked me as I momentarily spaced out.

No… even if you ask me like that… I never learned it.

The only reason I could say that I ‘learned’ something related to mana in this world was that I learned the basic mana conversion method from my old friend Oren during my novice days.

After that, I occasionally received hints from the narration and tried to imitate or apply others’ techniques naturally.

“I guess it’s more like I awakened through constant training rather than learned.”

I evaded Failing’s question for now.

I had never even thought about it before.

It wasn’t so natural for me to manipulate mana like I had thought.

I had believed that as long as there was a sufficient amount of accumulated mana in my body, handling it wouldn’t be so difficult.

“Um… Senior? You don’t have to teach me if it’s too much of a burden…”

“No, I’ll do my best to teach you when the opportunity arises.”

I quickly responded to Failing, who was trying to look sullen.

I felt like I needed to see and confirm it with my own eyes.

Under the guise of teaching Failing, I wanted to see the difference in how she and I manipulated mana and our abilities.

“Really? Wow!”

Failing jumped up and down excitedly, beaming at my answer.

I started walking towards the summit of the mountain once again.