kscans

Chapter 294 - Trekking in the Rain and a Fugitive

The mist thickened and thinned repeatedly, and so did the rain.

The coats and boots, slathered with beeswax, repelled the raindrops at first, but soon the dampness seeped in, turning them uncomfortably heavy.

In the forested areas, the canopy of branches and leaves shielded us from the rain, keeping us relatively dry. But when we emerged onto an exposed ridge, the wind joined the rain. The wind whipping against our wet bodies instantly dropped our body temperature.

So, every time we returned to the forest, we used laundry magic to dry our clothes and bodies.

Since we could store our luggage in my storage, we didn't have to carry days' worth of food, clothing, and shelter on our backs, so it was bearable. But after reaching the fortress, Hyattsu and Hattsu would part with us and return to their village alone. Without magic and the storage skill, they would have to carry heavy packs back along this pathless route. And they'd have to fight monsters along the way.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the probability of encountering monsters was low. But the journey still seemed harsh.

"If it were just us, we could move faster even with packs, and we could forage for food," Hattsu said with a booming laugh, his eyes bulging. His attitude was still as intimidating as ever. According to Famu, she was terrified at first, too, but you get used to it. And she said they get carried away because I act so scared all the time. It was true, I was the only one in Levante who was scared.

"You need water, too, right? What if the water sources are dried up?"

"We've got multiple spots for that covered," he said, holding his palm up. "And with this rain, there's no need to worry." He stuck out his tongue and moved it as if to catch the rain.

Too much rain would make the water muddy, and it could turn into a torrent, making river crossings impossible. And wet clothes and bodies are uncomfortable, and stepping in the muddy leaf mold would get mud inside your boots. Above all, you wouldn't be able to start a fire. It still seemed like suicide to walk in the mountains for days with the equipment of this world.

As if reading my anxiety, Hattsu's eyes bulged.

"Don't underestimate us. This mountain range is like our backyard." Hyattsu and Hattsu both roared with laughter. I gave a vague nod and walked away from them. Mud and water had collected in my boots, making a sloshing sound, which was unpleasant.

Nephi came up and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with me.

"What's wrong?"

"…No, I just don't understand why a man like you is so afraid of those two." I looked up at her words. She seemed unaffected by the discomfort of the rain, walking with her back straight as if it were a sunny day. I realized I was hunched over and emulated her, straightening my back. I reset my hips, which had dropped completely. The raindrops hit my cheeks, so I pulled my hood down deeper. The hood amplified the sound of the rain and blocked both my sight and hearing.

"A man like me? Anyone would be done for if they were hit with that club. Of course I'm scared."

"You beat Zeno and Clovis one-on-one, didn't you?" My feet stopped at those words.

"…Do you actually think I'm strong?" Nephi's brows furrowed slightly at my question, but she quickly returned to her usual confident smile.

"Hyattsu and Hattsu couldn't beat Zeno and Clovis, and I don't think I could beat those two either."

"I don't think I could beat you. But that kind of strength doesn't make something that was scary not scary anymore, does it?" The corners of her eyes crinkled in a smile at my words.

"That's strange. You must have low self-esteem…"

"Do you think highly of me, Nephi?"

"Hehe, I wonder." I looked at her again. I had thought she was just teasing me, like Hyattsu and Hattsu, but I began to wonder if she might actually have feelings for me.

"There's a way to raise my self-esteem. I'll need your help for that."

"And what way would that be?" It was decided. I would hold her right now and boost my self-esteem. I slowly closed the gap between us.

Just then, there was a splash behind me.

I turned around to see Marmi had tripped on a tree root and fallen.

"Are you okay?" I called out, but she remained face down, showing no sign of getting up.

Nephi and I took her arms and helped her up. Her face, covered in mud, was clearly etched with fatigue. Since only she and I could use laundry magic, we had been sharing the duty, but she had been using it on herself more than necessary. Laundry magic was a rough method of creating a water sphere with Water Magic to wash the entire body, then having the sphere absorb the moisture to dry off, but it had become a surprisingly advanced magic that consumed a lot of mana, requiring control to wash from head to toe, comfortable temperature adjustment with Fire Magic, and drying with Wind Magic to avoid excessive moisture loss.

I used laundry magic on her mud-covered body and washed her clean.

"You're overusing magic, aren't you?"

"…My underwear is sticking to me, and it feels gross." She threw back her hood and fanned herself by flapping the hem of her dress.

"Hey, I can see the tulip embroidery on your panties." I made her stop, concerned about Hyattsu and Hattsu's gazes. Just then, her ears stood up, lifting her hood. Almost simultaneously, Famu, Hyattsu, and Hattsu also stopped.

Hyattsu, walking at the front, held up his hand to halt us. He gripped his club and hid himself in the bushes. We followed his lead, crouching down to be less conspicuous and hiding behind tree trunks. I drew my katana without making a sound. The raindrops hit the blade and slid off.

The sound of the rain hitting my hood was distracting. I pushed back my hood and strained my ears, and I could hear the sound of something running through the bushes mixed with the rain. It wasn't just one. It was multiple sets of footsteps.

The sound didn't seem to be heading toward us, but rather crossing our path.

"Damn it, don't come any closer!" a scream rang out, and a man burst out of the bushes. He fell, and mud splattered. Following him, black shadows burst out one after another. As I strained my eyes to identify them, Mizuki, who had been hiding next to me, jumped out.

"Wait! Make sure who the enemy is first!"

"If I don't help now, he'll be attacked and killed!"

"Kuh!" I chased after Mizuki with a sense of déjà vu. Famu, Hyattsu, and Hattsu followed me. I was about to get stuck in the muddy leaf mold, but Mizuki's speed didn't falter. She slashed at the shadow that had jumped out of the bushes.

"Gyah!" The shadow screamed and vanished. That's how I knew the pursuers were monsters.

"Hey! What were you going to do if they were human?!"

"It's fine! I knew they were goblins, so I cut them." Was she telling the truth? Or was she just rampaging on impulse? Before I could question her, goblins burst out of the bushes one after another. The sound of arrowheads cutting through the air echoed. She deflected the arrows with her shield, and that was the signal for our fight with the monsters to begin. With Famu and the others joining in, we had plenty of people.

"Myra, take care of the fallen man. Nephi, protect Mo. And I need a magic recovery potion."

"Yes," only Myra's voice replied. Nephi was probably nodding silently. I searched for the sniper in the bushes.

The mist was still present, but not enough to block my vision. The enemy should be hiding within my line of sight, watching us. I prepared a stone sphere with Stone Magic and glared into the bushes.

In contrast to the clamor of Mizuki and the others' fighting, the surroundings were quiet. A thick mist flowed with the wind. A raindrop mixed with sweat trickled down my forehead and into my eye. It stung, and I contorted my face. Just then, I thought I saw something glinting silver in the bushes.

I dodged and at the same time threw the stone sphere at it. The sound of something cutting through the air passed through the spot where I had been standing. I started running before the enemy could nock another arrow. At the same time, the grass rustled, and two goblins holding crossbows stood up.

"What! There wasn't just one?!" They were out of my blade's reach. But even if I dodged, the enemy wouldn't miss.

"…Mash, get the enemy hiding in the bushes!" Marmi's voice echoed from behind me. At the same time, an icicle and a stone arrowhead shot past me.

""Gyah!"" The goblins' screams echoed. And the arrows they fired in desperation flew past me, cutting through the air.

I cut down the goblin in the bushes and then slashed at the backs of the two goblins who were trying to flee after being wounded by the magic. The three monsters vanished.

After taking a deep breath, I turned my gaze to Mizuki and the others. The sound of clashing swords had already stopped. Our battle seemed to be over as well.

But Famu was staring at the fallen man with a grim expression.

The man was wearing a red hood.

"The Crimson Brigade…?" Myra stood by the fallen man, just watching. An arrow was deeply embedded in the man's back, and blood was flowing from the wound and his mouth. It was red, but mixed with mud, it was a turbid black.

The man had fallen because he had been shot in the back.

"Is he dead…?" Myra shook her head at my question and looked down at the man.

"No. But…" He wouldn't make it. I didn't feel like asking Myra for any more details.

I nodded at Myra and knelt down. He seemed to have lost awareness of our presence, his lifeless eyes just staring at the mud. He didn't seem to care that the muddy water was getting in his eyes anymore.

Since Myra had given up, I knew he wouldn't survive. But there was something I had to ask. I held a health potion to the man's lips, but there was no reaction.

"Why are you here? Are you alone? Why were you being chased by monsters? Do you know a man named Jinma?" His eyes remained vacant, and he didn't answer. I was about to give up and stand up when the man's lips trembled. I leaned my ear close to his mouth.

"Mon… sters… are over… flowing… from inside the… for… tress…"

The light in the man's eyes faded. I grabbed his wrist and searched for a pulse, but there was no response. I didn't feel like shaking him to confirm his death. In the past, I would have been crushed by a wave of sympathy. I didn't know if it was because this man was from the Crimson Brigade or if I had gotten used to seeing dead bodies in this world that I didn't feel that heart-wrenching pain. But I hated looking at his vacant eyes. I closed the man's eyes and then stood up, mulling over the words he had left behind.

"Did he say something?" Myra had also stood up. She didn't seem too disturbed either. She just let out a deep, sigh-like breath, as if exhaling something.

"He said monsters were overflowing from inside the fortress."

"Was the seal broken? In the sealing shrines we've seen so far, no monsters other than the Area Guardian have appeared…"

"Putting aside the seal in Famu's village, the seal of the stone tablet shrine was broken before we arrived. And in Lily's village, something corresponding to a staff was sealed." Myra gripped her battle-axe at my words. That weapon was the very thing that had been sealed.

"And finally, something corresponding to the 'Jar of Mana' is sealed."

"I heard about that. It's the same kind of jar that the goddess Rishal destroyed, right? Is it related to the appearance of monsters?"

"In my original world, mana was food created by the gods. The golden jar contained a portion of it. In this world, mana is the source of magical power, and it can be said to have the ability to create crystal cores, monsters, and dungeons."

"Do you think the giant broke the fortress's seal? And that the giant used that power to create monsters?"

"I don't know. The transfer Jinma was also at the fortress. If the seal reacts to transfers, he might have been the one to break it." I didn't know anything. But something was happening at the fortress where the Crimson Brigade was hiding. I put my hand to my chin, looking for some clue. Just then, Hyattsu approached.

"Sorry to interrupt, but that's enough discussion. It's dangerous to stay here. We've made too much noise, and there might be monsters or this man's comrades nearby. Either way, we should avoid any careless encounters." I nodded at his words and looked down at the man.

"What about this man?"

"He got what he deserved. I don't feel like burying him." Hyattsu said dismissively and started walking. Hattsu and Famu followed him. The other members of Levante followed as well, so I started walking too.

Mizuki and Nephi were the last to look at the man, but they eventually started walking.