Chapter 294 - 294. A Mountain Climb in the Rain, and Fugitives
The fog swirled, growing thicker and thinner, the rain intensifying and easing in turn. The beeswax-coated coat and shoes kept the raindrops at bay at first, but soon the moisture seeped through, making them heavy and uncomfortable. In the treeline, the overhead branches shielded us from the rain, so we stayed relatively dry, but once we emerged onto the ridgeline, exposed to the wind and rain, the cold seeped in quickly. With each return to the treeline, I used laundry magic to dry my clothes and body. Since I could store luggage in Storage, there was no need to carry days' worth of supplies on my back, making it bearable. However, Hyatts and Hatts would part ways with us upon reaching the fortress, returning to the village as a duo. Unable to use magic and lacking Storage, they had no choice but to trudge back along this pathless mountainside under the weight of heavy supplies—and battle monsters along the way. The creature encounter rate was low, thankfully, but the journey still felt brutal.
"If it were just the two of us, we could move faster, even with all this gear, and scavenge for food too", Hatts roared with laughter, his usual intimidating glint in his eye. Fam had told me she was scared of him at first, but she got used to it. She also said they just got carried away because I acted so skittish. And it was true—of the Wind Blade members, I was the only one easily spooked.
"You need water, right? What if the water source has dried up?"
"I've got multiple locations marked", he said with a grin, palm up. "It's raining, see? Nothing to worry about." He stuck out his tongue, miming a scooping motion. But if it rained too much, the water would be murky, and the rivers might swell into rapids, making them impossible to cross. Plus, wet clothes and a perpetually damp body were just plain unpleasant. Not to mention the mud-caked humus underfoot, which practically crawled into my shoes. And worst of all—I couldn’t start a fire. Trudging through the mountains for days in this world’s gear felt like suicide by attrition. Hatts glinted his eyes at my obvious unease.
"Don’t you dare underestimate me! This mountain range is like our backyard!"
Hyatts and Hatts barked with laughter. I offered a noncommittal nod and distanced myself from them as I walked. The squelching of mud and water in my shoes was disgusting. Nefee sidled closer to me.
"What’s wrong?"
"…Nothing. It’s just… I don’t understand why a man like you would be afraid of them."
I raised my head at her words. She didn’t seem bothered by the rain at all, walking as straight-backed as a clear day. Realizing I was hunched over and cat-backed, I straightened my neck following her example. I corrected my sagging posture and raised my chilled hips back up. Rain pattered against my cheek, so I pulled the hood deeper over my head. The hood amplified the rain, dulling both my vision and hearing.
"A man like me? Anyone who’s hit by that club of theirs is done for, you know? Of course I’m scared!"
"Didn’t you beat Zeno and Clovis in one-on-one combat?"
My feet stopped at those words.
"…Do you think I’m strong?"
Nefee frowned slightly at my question, but quickly reverted to her usual casual smile.
"I couldn’t beat Zeno or Clovis, and Hyatts and Hatts either. And you think you can beat me, by the way."
"I don’t think I could beat you. But that kind of strength doesn’t make things that scared me unscary, does it?"
Her eyes softened.
"Strange indeed. You must have low self-esteem."
"Are you evaluating me, Nefee?"
"Hehe, maybe." She seemed to be teasing me like Hyatts and Hatts, but maybe she was actually infatuated with me.
"There’s a way to improve my self-esteem. It requires your cooperation."
"Oh? And what method is that?"
I had a plan. I’d embrace her and boost my self-worth right now. I subtly closed the gap between us, edging closer. At that moment, a splash echoed behind me. I turned to see Marms tumble over a tree root.
"Are you alright?"
I called out, but she didn’t get up. Nefee and I each grabbed an arm and helped her up. Her face, stained with mud, was visibly pale with exhaustion. Only she and I could use laundry magic, so we had to split the duty, but she was washing herself far more than necessary. Laundry magic was a rough method—we created a sphere of water with Water Magic, washed ourselves from head to toe, then extracted the moisture into the sphere to dry ourselves. Requires a lot of control to wash from head to toe, plus uses Fire magic to comfortably adjust the temperature, and Wind magic to dry the remaining moisture Completely drying the remaining moisture. I cast laundry magic on mud-covered Mars to clean her.
"You’re overdoing it with the magic."
"…It feels gross when my underwear clings to me."
She tugged at the hem of her dress, fanning herself under the sleeves.
"Hey, I can see the tulip embroidery on your panties!"
I stopped her, noticing Hyatts and Hatts’ eyes. At the same time, her ears perked up and her hood tilted. Famm and Hyatts and Hatts stopped almost simultaneously. Hyatts, walking in the lead, raised a hand to halt us. Clutching his club, he crouched into the undergrowth. We followed suit, lowering our profiles and hiding behind tree trunks. I drew my sword silently. Raindrops slid down the blade. The sound of rain hitting my hood was distracting. I pushed back my hood, listened intently—and caught the sound of something rushing through the bushes, mixed with the rain. Multiple sets of footsteps. The sounds weren’t coming directly at us, but seemed to be cutting across our path.
"Damn, don’t come closer!" A shout burst from the foliage, followed by a figure tumbling out of the undergrowth and rolling. Several dark shapes leapt out after him. My eyes strained to see what they were. Just then, Mizuki, who had been crouched beside me, darted forward.
"Hold on! Assess the enemy first!"
"If we don’t help them, they’ll be attacked and killed!"
"Guh!" I followed Mizuki with a sense of déjà vu. Fam and Hyatts and Hatts trailed after me. My feet almost slipped on the sludge, but Mizuki didn’t slow down. I cut down the shadows that had burst from the bushes, then hacked down the two fleeing goblins who had been hit by the magic. They disintegrated. I took a deep breath and looked towards Mizuki and the others. The clashing of metal had stopped on their side as well. Apparently, their battle was over. Only Famm stared at the fallen man with a grim expression. On his head was a red hood.
"The Crimson Brigade…?"
Maira simply stared at the fallen man. The man had an arrow lodged deep in his back, blood flowing from the wound and his mouth. Red, but blackened with mud. He had probably collapsed from the arrow.
"Is he dead…?"
I asked. Maira shook her head and lowered her gaze.
"No. But…" A grimace. I couldn’t bring myself to ask any more. I nodded to Maira and knelt. The man no longer seemed to notice us, staring blankly at the mud with vacant eyes. He didn't seem to care the mud/crap was getting in his eyes. Maira had already given up, so I knew he was beyond saving. But I needed to ask him something. I held a stamina recovery potion near his eyes, but he didn’t react.
"Why are you here? Are you alone? Why are you being chased by monsters? Do you know a man named Jinma?"
His eyes remained unfocused, and he said nothing. As I was about to give up and stand, his lips trembled. I bent closer.
"Te…The monsters… burst… from the… fortress… overflowed… into the… outside…"
The light faded from the man’s eyes. I grabbed his wrist and searched for a pulse—but there was none. I couldn’t bring myself to shake him to confirm his death. If this were before, I would have been crushed by an overwhelming sense of pity. Whether it was because he was part of the Crimson Brigade or because I had grown used to seeing corpses in this world, I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that I hated looking at his vacant eyes. I closed his eyelids and stood up, replaying his words in my head.
"Did he say something?"
Maira had also stood. She didn’t seem overly shaken. Only a heavy sigh as she exhaled as if to push out something.
"That monsters…poured out…from the fortress…overflowed…outside…"
"Has the seal been released? Area Guardians aside, no monsters except the Boundary Areas spawned in the sealed temple…"
"Ignoring the temple seal in Fam's village, the plate temple had its seal removed before we arrived. Then at Lily’s village, it was sealed with an item related to the Staff."
Maira gripped her battleaxe after hearing my words. That weapon was the item that had been sealed.
"Finally, something akin to a `Mana Pot` was sealed."
"I heard that. That's the same pot that Lady Risharu-sama destroyed. Could it be related to the monster's appearance?"
"In our original world, Mana was a food created by the gods. The Golden Pot contained part of it. In this world, Mana is the source of magical power, possessing the ability to create Crystal Cores, monsters, and dungeons."
"Giant opened the seal of the fortress. Then the Giant used that power to create monsters?"
"I don't know. Jinma, the Transfer Student, also resided in the fortress. If the seal responded to the Transfer Student, perhaps he was the one who removed it."
I didn’t understand anything. But something was happening in the fortress where the Crimson Brigade was hiding. I rested my hand on my chin, thinking if there was a clue. Then Hyatts approached.
"Sorry, but the council’s over. Staying here is dangerous. We’ve made too much noise, and either monsters or this guy’s buddies might be nearby. Either way, we want to avoid an encounter."
I nodded at his words. Then lowered my gaze at the man.
"What do we do with him?"
"Tough luck. I wouldn't bury him even if I felt like it."
Hyatts spat the words and started walking. Hatts and Famm followed, and the other Levante members followed. So I started walking as well. Mizuki and Nefee watched the man until the very end but then started walking.
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