“Did you climb it?” I asked.
“Nah,” Marius replied. “But I have tackled a mountain in the kingdom. It just wasn’t as tall.”
I carefully made sure not to mention anything about Earth as I moved our conversation along, but apparently, mountain climbing wasn’t really a popular pastime here. I think even on Earth, people were only able to attempt tall mountains way later in history—more technology and knowledge were needed to make the hobby safer. Some early mountain climbers became famous by putting themselves in great danger and accomplishing the climb, but that alone didn’t put food on the table.
My installed knowledge told me that this world had a few mountains that were over eight thousand meters tall. Regardless, special gear was required to attempt even a shorter peak, and some of these required items didn’t and shouldn’t exist in this world just yet. But I might be able to make the gear, frankly.
It seemed the empire was home to several steep mountains along with some that were a lot lower in elevation, but it also had flatlands, lakes, and mountains, as any nation would. Marius had apparently visited the lake and the forest with his wife.
“The lake was elegant and gorgeous, but a little frightening too,” Marius said.
“Oh? Why’s that?” I asked.
“It was shrouded in a layer of mist, and whenever a breeze blew past, more mist would pour onto the surface, seemingly out of nowhere. I was told that the cause for the phenomenon was unknown.”
“Oh... Yeah, that’s scary.”
“Right?”
The two of us chuckled. Mist only appears under certain conditions. If it’s constantly just there, maybe it defies the laws of physics—something supernatural. Apparently, because of the obscuring mist, there weren’t any ferries to take people across the lake, so travelers had to go around the shore instead. If water transportation became possible, it would likely become a more convenient tourist attraction. I just pray that I won’t be saddled with the request of exploring the cause of that mist.
There was a pretty large lake in the Black Forest too—and no dinghies or boats to take us across. The beastfolk really didn’t have any reason to quickly cross the lake (in fact, many could probably sprint around the perimeter faster than they could row across). Since outsiders rarely made their way into the forest, there really was no need for any boats.
And apparently, the empire’s forest was also no walk in the park either; no normal person would usually feel compelled to stroll through a massive wood. My senses were numbed because I lived in a forest, but any forest (not just the Black Forest) was a dangerous place—it was as simple as that. The dense foliage made it easy for one to lose their sense of direction and mindlessly wander about. The animals living there could be plenty dangerous too. Hence, I was a bit puzzled as to why Marius went out of his way to visit such a place with his wife.
“Well, you might live there in the future, right, Eizo?” Marius replied with a smile. “I was just scouting the area beforehand.”
Does he assume that I won’t leave the forest because I want to be cut off from society and detached from all worldly problems? The sad thing is, he isn’t totally wrong.
I reassured him with a faint smile. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on leaving the Black Forest for a good while.”
It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to move—I actually couldn’t. The forest was rich with magical energy, and so far, I’d never experienced any other place like it. This magic was exactly how we of Forge Eizo were able to produce such quality products. I wasn’t really keen on moving to another place with less magical energy, unless the kingdom treated me so terribly that I had little choice. But that hasn’t happened yet, so I don’t have to worry about it.
“It’d be great if you could stay,” Marius said rather solemnly.
He then flashed his usual smile and told me more of his stories, along with episodes of him doting over his wife. After he’d exhausted those, he moved on to current events. Naturally, he updated me on the employees at the Gold-Tusked Boar, along with Karen and her goals. Finally, the sun started to set. I lit the lamps and closed the curtains.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Marius called out.
The door quietly opened, and almost immediately, the lamps mounted on the walls of the room were snuffed out. Marius and I were instantly on high alert, unable to utter a single sound, as the opened door quietly shut again.
At first, I wondered whether a gust of wind had blown through the open door and cast the room in darkness, but my cheats notified me that this wasn’t the case. These weren’t my smithing cheats, but my combat ones. My skin instantly grew prickly and sensitive, just like when I’d fought against the big black bear in the forest shortly after arriving in this world.
“Damn it,” I muttered with annoyance.
There was a small gap where the door met the frame (not from shoddy workmanship, mind you, but from wear over time). A bit of light trickled in through that gap, but it would take some time before Marius’s and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. We both knew that moving around blindly would only work against us, but my ears picked up on the light footsteps of an intruder.
Just then, the set of footsteps rushed at me without hesitation.
They can see perfectly fine in the darkness, can’t they? If they can move this nimbly with just that sliver of light guiding them, then they likely had one eye shut for a while to adjust to the darkness, or maybe they entered with both eyes closed while someone led them by the hand. The former is more plausible than the latter; requiring multiple people for an infiltration would be way too conspicuous, so I can rule that out.
My thoughts were more laid-back than I would’ve expected, but now wasn’t the time to be so relaxed. I unsheathed my knife that I kept in my pocket, ready to defend myself. But in this darkness, it was more dangerous to blindly wield that wickedly sharp blade. Even if I was going against someone who wanted to murder me or take me hostage, I didn’t want to deeply wound, or in the worst case, kill them. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did that.
The presence continued to make a beeline for me. If Marius had been the target, they would’ve likely aimed for him first—he was closer to the door than me. I was just a guest of this house who might not even know my way around this manor. Which means...
“They’re looking for me!” I shouted. By calling out, I could not only communicate with Marius but also keep the assailant focused on me and no one else.
And then, I saw a glimmer of cold steel within the dark.
I only saw the blade for a split second, but it looked eerily familiar.
That gleaming blade lunged at me, and I used my knife to defend myself. Clang! The sharp sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Cold sweat poured from me as panic struck my body. My knife was custom-made by yours truly, and if my assailant had used a normal blade, the clash would’ve shattered their weapon and rendered them powerless.
But it didn’t shatter. It didn’t break. I was only able to successfully parry the attack.
I’d used quite a bit of force, enough to rival Helen’s strength when I fought against her, all in hopes that my assailant’s weapon would be blown out of their hands. No such noise indicated that I was successful in my attempt.
Which means my attacker still has their weapon!
I prepared myself for a second strike, my knife gripped firmly in my hand. I don’t wanna do this, but I’ll try to lop off a finger or two—maybe get their hand at the wrist. I just hope that my eyes get used to the darkness before then...
They probably went low, hoping to end me in one powerful blow. That didn’t work out for them.
I heard their feet slide across the floor, likely wary of my counterattack. Then, the same light footfalls came for me once again.