The dipping parts of the hills seemed to have terrible water drainage. Although shrubbery grew in the low areas, it was easy to see that the ground there was wet and muddy. Since any of these muddy areas could be hiding a bottomless mud pit, I figured it was best to stay on the higher ground as we made our way.
Far across the hilly plains to the north, which lay to our left, was a massive stretch of mountains that continued as far as the eye could see. That was the Northern Ridges. Its peaks were capped with white snow and glittered with a bright light as they reflected the sun’s rays. Deep under that mountain belt lay the dwarven nation.
We had been following a path threading between the trees, but as soon as we broke through the forest’s treeline, the path suddenly veered north. Leaving that path behind, we began to trudge toward the untamed land that lay before us.
We walked in silence for a bit. Dry grass crunched under our feet.
I spoke to the young man at my side. “Wal, I’d like for you to master Jumping before we arrive at the borders of the Northern Bloc.”
Oh, yeah... At his request, I’d started calling him by his old nickname. Apparently, he preferred it, since it had been his nickname since he was a child.
Wald didn’t respond, so I continued. “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Khrasiel coming after us for the next few months. We teleported here randomly from a portal in Tachyrinn, after all, so we’ve shaken them from our trail for now.”
The prince only nodded silently as he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the ground. The earth was rocky beneath the dried grass. For someone unaccustomed to walking on such uneven footing, it must’ve been difficult.
“Khrasiel will realize you’ve ended up somewhere in the Northern Bloc before long—if you had teleported to a friendly country, there would soon be news of your return to Tiuccia. And if you had ended up in the edgelands instead, Tiuccia would be announcing that the light had faded from your name at the moment of your death, but that won’t be happening either.”
That was a testament to the dangers of the edgelands. That area nearly encircled the Central Nations, and the strength of the monsters that lived there was on another level entirely. Even in my past life, the edgelands had been sequestered on their own dedicated server.
To even unlock the edgelands, a player needed to have achieved A-tier proficiency. Considering the prince’s combat proficiency was a mere C-tier at the moment, if he were to be thrown into there, he wouldn’t have been able to reactivate the portal once he’d arrived because his MP capacity would’ve been too low. If he dared to set foot outside the building housing the portal itself, he’d instantly be killed by an S-rank monster.
“Khrasiel will probably keep an eye on the situation for the next few months. Once they’ve determined you’re located somewhere in their own backyard, they’ll have all of the Bloc’s borders sealed off to keep you from escaping to a nation outside their influence.”
“We cannot escape going west, north, or south. We really have no choice but to head east?” he asked me.
“Right. They may have also put you on a wanted list. So we’ll keep you from being discovered and proceed as close to the eastern borders as we can, and at that point, we’ll chain Jump to break through and out of enemy territory.”
I wouldn’t be able to Jump the entire way through the blockade with Wald in tow, as the strain would be too great. I needed him to learn to Jump on his own.
“Even ordinary citizens of this world can use Jump as long as they’ve reached B-tier proficiency in magic and have a piece of equipment that boosts their aptitude,” I said. “I can provide you with one, so let’s have you push your magical proficiency past B-tier and master Jump.”
After a long stretch of silence, the young prince finally nodded. When he spoke again, his voice was low. “All right. I’d like to improve my magical proficiency as well. I... I swear, one day, I’ll do to them what they did to— Whoa! Ahh!”
“Be careful where you step—”
I reached out to stabilize the tripping young man and pulled him into an embrace.
“We’re gonna Jump to a spot where the ground’s dry. Three, two, one—”
I cast Jump so we’d land at the top of a nearby hill.
Looking around from our somewhat high vantage point, we could see the vast wilderness stretching as far as the horizon. Wald, who had been clinging to me, lifted his head and looked all around us in astonishment at the grandness of Mother Nature.
“You don’t need to keep your guard up for the enemy,” I said gently. “We’re only at the start of our journey. Let’s take it easy; we have a long way to go, after all.”
“Right...”
The young man had very nearly fallen into a deep, dark place. A grim expression had been clouding his face as he’d muttered his responses. I closed my eyes and simply patted him on the back as I stood at his side.
In our last few days at Tachyrinn, I knew that something had snapped inside me, so I understood how he felt.
But Nadar hadn’t been a father or a brother to me.
And besides, I’d had that dream. Seeing his kind, gentle smile had rescued me from the brink.
I knew the pain of losing his family wouldn’t go away for Wald anytime soon. He had no choice but to let time heal his wounds.
I doubted he’d ever forget the pain and despair of losing the Croway front either.
His homeland was still continuing to fight the war.
He’d suffered unimaginable losses, was thrown to some far-flung land in escape, and had lost everything he knew.
I know your pain must be so crushing, so bitter, that you can hardly stand it.
But you’re not alone. I’m with you.
Here, in this faraway world that so resembles a game that granted me fantastical abilities in kind, I’ll be your strength.