There’d been no way I could keep the details of this trip from Mewi. I’d told her about the situation and had gotten her consent before leaving. I’d hesitated on whether to tell her about Surena but had ultimately decided that keeping it from her would make my defense pretty weak. Mewi had shared a meal with Surena several times too—the two of them were like daughters to me.
And when I’d told her, Mewi had been seriously worried about Surena. She’d also had to come to terms with the fact that, though she was concerned, she couldn’t do anything to help. I would’ve been quite troubled had she asked to come along, but it seemed her reasonable side had come out on top.
When you’re motivated to do something and capable of accomplishing it, then you should try your best. However, no matter how worried Mewi was about Surena, she would be nothing but a hindrance to me—she was wholly incapable of contributing to Surena’s rescue.
But of course, I hadn’t said that to Mewi. She’d come to that conclusion on her own. I was proud of her progress—it was important to be able to show concern and consideration for others. I hope she can retain that feeling in her heart and foster it.
In that respect, she drew a much clearer line than I did. I’d thought I’d been pretty good at this stuff, but I’d only recently had the same realization. I have the strength to allow myself to be spurred on by emotion when faced with such problems, so it would be a waste not to go for it. I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that everything rested in my hands, though.
“Still no human tracks...”
After climbing a ways, I’d crested the foothill of the mountain before me. I took a short break and looked around. The vegetation was pretty much the same as what I was used to in the Aflatta Mountain Range—both near Beaden and Hugenbite.
Vesparta and Hugenbite were separated by a long distance, so it wouldn’t have been strange for geographical and climatic factors to vary wildly. But while the specific types of vegetation were probably different, the scenery was largely the same.
It made me wonder if there was some kind of magical power at work here. This region hadn’t been investigated in such a way before. Maybe we could find something out if I brought Lucy along, but I was somewhat hesitant to drag her here on such a personal endeavor—only somewhat hesitant.
For once, Lucy hadn’t heard about this incident until I told her. While I’d been warned not to speak a word to anyone, Lucy was trustworthy. And anyway, I’d had to tell her that I wouldn’t be able to attend sword magic classes for a while.
Her reaction to my plan had been positive. She was a realist, so I’d found this rather unexpected. It had even sounded like she would’ve liked to come along—if that had been possible for her. Due to her whimsical and free-spirited behavior, it was easy to forget that she was of the same status as Allucia. She couldn’t run around on personal business whenever she wanted to.
Having her with me would’ve been hugely helpful, though. I was short on hands, but I also wouldn’t force people into action when they had no plans to make a move. Those who could ignore all else to prioritize their own circumstances were either children or those with absolute power. For Lucy to make a move, there would’ve been a mountain of hurdles for her to clear. The same went for Allucia. There wasn’t any time to wait for that.
“Hssssssss!”
“Outta the way!”
As I continued pondering how I’d ended up challenging the mountains on my own, I cut down an incoming enemy. In this region, most monsters were small to medium in size. The one I’d just slain was a thick snake called a purple pike. It was as weak as it looked but venomous, making it troublesome for any civilians.
Anyway, it was hard to overlook such a large, colorful snake. I would’ve left it alone had it not attacked me, but after it made the first move, I wasted no time in cutting it down. There’s no way something like this defeated Surena—I shouldn’t pay it any mind.
At this level, swatting away monsters was less combat and more busywork. If something like a griffon charged me, I would have to pay more attention, but I couldn’t stop moving for anything this minor. Time and stamina were limited—I wanted to avoid wasting any of either.
“Phew...”
After finishing the snake with a single strike, I took another breath. This wasn’t the first monster that had attacked me. It was a fairly frequent event, and I’d struck down every last one.
Here in the mountains, the environment was varied, lush, and home to all sorts of flora and fauna. The animals and monsters here ranged from those that were easy hunting targets to those that preyed on humans.
Well, maybe the Aflatta Mountain Range is actually on the gentler side of things—after all, humans can walk around here without being instantly overwhelmed by terrible monsters. For example, if there were a monster that scattered poison all over the atmosphere, humans wouldn’t even be able to approach. If such a thing existed, no other life could inhabit the area. The Aflatta Mountain Range wasn’t at that level. I didn’t know whether that was the case deep in the mountain wilderness, though.
Anyway, the point here was that I sensed the presence of living beings all over. It was different from the stirrings of a forest...but still a surprisingly annoying hindrance when trying to single out one thing.
“I don’t mind the noise itself, but still...”
I was in the middle of an extremely challenging mission—finding Surena’s whereabouts. I wanted to shut out all unnecessary sounds, but if I took that too far, I could get ambushed and killed. Even if I didn’t die on the spot, a minor injury would be enough to lower my odds of success. I have to avoid that. Pushing through the mountains is a truly harsh undertaking.
“I feel like I’ve climbed pretty far...” I grumbled as I took a look around me.
The mountains stretched up high above, as if to say the road ahead was still very, very long. I wasn’t aiming for the peaks or anything (nor would I be able to climb up there). I wanted to believe Surena hadn’t gone that far either.
Even though I was taking short breaks, the ascent was tiring. I’d brought enough with me to be able to camp outside if I had to, and my gear was genuinely heavy. During this warmer season, it was a small mercy to be able to spend the chilly nights without trembling. If this had been the middle of winter, surviving would’ve probably been hopeless.
Well, there was no point in griping about it. I decided to push as far as I could within the day. And just as I started moving again, a faint but certain chill ran through me.
“Hm?!”
Up until this point, the land around me had been noisy enough to rival the hustle and bustle of a city. But with each new step I took, it got quieter and quieter. And finally, I could no longer sense any signs of life around me.
“Did I hit the jackpot...?”
It was pretty impossible for this to happen within environments like forests and mountains. There were two primary reasons why natural noise might die away: One would be after a natural calamity had wiped out the local wildlife. And the other...was when you stepped foot into the territory of an apex predator. My intuition was telling me that it was the latter. And if that were the case, then the target Surena had been chasing for her mission was the one responsible for creating this atmosphere.
Normally, this would be bad news. It would be normal to run for cover, cursing what kind of place I’d wandered into. A civilian might not even notice it. However, this was good news for me right now. If I dealt with the source of this disturbance, I could search for Surena at my leisure.
Even if I didn’t find any traces of her, I had a clear idea of what to do next. The danger seemed irrelevant.
“Right, let’s get going...”
I had a course of action. I would track the lack of wildlife. If I started to sense life signs around me, I would be going the wrong direction—away from the boss of this territory. It might not let me leave at this point, though...
I took one step after another. I have far more willpower than before. Is this because I can finally visualize the possibility of saving Surena? Or is it joy from finding a yet unforeseen formidable foe?
No, maybe it’s both. Deep down, I truly wish for both. There’s no point in lying to myself. Anyway, I’ve got a clear plan now. Let’s put some spirit into this search.