“We're short on time, so we'll have to leave early tomorrow,” Elliot commented, then looking at Maxi and Ruth with a worried expression.
“Is this okay with you two?”
“Would you go back if we said no?” Ruth said bluntly while stirring the fire with a long skewer.
“It’s kill or be killed, I suppose.”
Elliot responded with a bitter smile.
Soon, the group filled their stomachs with bread porridge and retired for the night.
As they had only taken one tent to travel light, four people had to sleep crammed inside it, while one stayed on guard.
Used to sleeping next to Sidina until now, Maxi felt a little tense in a tent full of men.
Even so, she settled into the corner without showing her discomfort.
This was no time to worry about formalities.
Ruth was at his side, wrapped like a cocoon in a blanket, while the knights lay beside him on their backs.
With only her face sticking out of the covers, Maxi silently blinked at the magic stone hanging from the tent's ceiling.
The stone warmed the air inside the tent, but the ground was still as cold as ice.
Wrapped in her blankets, she listened to the wind howling outside.
She was too tired to move a finger, but sleep still eluded her.
She wondered what Riftan was doing now.
Knowing that they needed to begin their reconnaissance mission that very night, she couldn't help but worry about how he was surviving this bitter cold.
What if the monsters discovered them?
As her imagination became entangled in dark speculations, she squeezed her eyes shut to banish the terrible images.
He gave his word that he would return unharmed.
He'll be fine.
I need to focus on my mission.
She repeated these words to herself, trying to induce sleep, but her restlessness insisted on not disappearing.
She tossed and turned during the night and ended up only sleeping a few hours.
When she rose drowsily at dawn, she sighed heavily with the weight of exhaustion.
Her back and hips hurt as if she had been beaten, and her feet were still sore.
She took a restorative herb from her bag and chewed it while packing her sleeping bag.
With that done, she left the tent to fill her bottle with snow.
Elliot was outside, cleaning up the remains of their fire.
He looked at her with concern as he said, "You look tired, my lady.
You must have had trouble falling asleep."
"I-I'm fine.
I'm just...
I'm not completely awake yet." She tried to give him an awkward smile as she rubbed her face tiredly.
Complaining when knights had to take turns keeping the night watch seemed dishonorable.
“I'm sure I'll feel better as we go.”
“Allow me to cast restorative magic on you.”
Maxi looked up at the unexpected interruption.
Kuahel had approached her without being noticed.
Having already taken off his glove, he placed a hand on her face and began to murmur in Roemian.
An invigorating, icy energy seeped into her.
She stiffened at the feeling, bringing with her memories of all the divine healing magic she received after being beaten by her father.
“T-Thank you,” she managed to say respectfully as she tried to shake off the repulsive feeling.
“No need to thank you,” replied Kuahel nonchalantly, putting his glove back on.
"It is a necessity to ensure the mission works.
We would only be delayed if you stayed behind."
With that, he nodded to his adjutant.
"Gather your things.
Let's leave."
Everyone grabbed their backpacks and left promptly.
The sky was clear in no time.
The snow-covered mountain path sparkled.
It was turning into one of those rare sunny days.
“Where do you want us to start the search?” Ruth asked.
Kuahel carefully observed the landscape and said in a low voice: “A little further.”
The group resumed walking in silence.
Maxi carefully maneuvered his way behind the Temple Knight, being careful not to slip.
The wind was much calmer than yesterday, allowing for an easier journey up the mountain.
Finally reaching the destination, Kuahel stopped and said, "This should be a good place.
Please start the search here."
Maxi wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked around.
To the left rose the steep slopes of snowy mountains, and to the right ran a line of dark, jagged rocks.After marking something on his map with charcoal, Kuahel pointed to the right and then to the left with his thumb.
“I want you to scan the southwest and northeast.”
Sitting on the floor and catching his breath, Ruth said irritably, "Look here.
You'll have to be more specific.
These search spells aren't omnipotent.
You have to at least tell us what to focus on."
Kuahel looked at Ruth, raising an eyebrow.
"Weren't you listening to yesterday's discussion?
In order for our army to reach the monsters' base, we need a detailed understanding of the region's geography.
We must map out all possible routes to the city and check other monster habitats or facilities in the area."
Maxi looked dejectedly at the high mountain peaks.
After scratching her head, Ruth let out a sigh and began to use an earth-based tracking spell.
She watched him with fascination.
Wind and earth magic were not a compatible combination, but Ruth used a Nome Hall spell with such ease.
Upon noticing Kuahel's demanding gaze on her, she hurriedly returned to cast her spell as well.
The task went more smoothly than she expected.
They surveyed the terrain of a specific area and made sure to mark everything on the map.
Once they had cleared one area, they moved on to the next.
“There are… practically no other monster habitats around here,” muttered Maxi, tilting his head as he made a detailed illustration of a valley.
Ruth raised an eyebrow as if to say there was nothing surprising about that.
"Monsters have their own ecosystem.
Weaker creatures tend to shy away from more powerful predators."
“P-Powerful predators?”
“If you remember, there is a population of Ayin monsters near here that managed to build an entire city,” Ruth said, pointing east with her thumb.
"From its size, we can safely assume that there are legions residing there.
How do you think these creatures feed?
I wouldn't be surprised if they devoured all the other monsters that used to inhabit this land."
Maxi remembered the trolls and their carts.
The memory never failed to give him goosebumps.
Barbarian and bloodthirsty, the monsters of the Ayin race were known for committing fratricide.
The fact that such monsters had established such a grand city was proof of the dark magicians' involvement.
Still, the mystery remained “ how had they managed to subdue the monsters?
“We must keep moving.”
Maxi was awakened from her thoughts by Kuahel, who was returning from his brief exploration of the area.
She rolled up the parchment she was recording her findings on, shoved it into her bag, and followed the Temple Knight.
The group headed north.
Although they didn't encounter any monsters, going up and down the rocky mountain all day was already a relentless battle in itself.
Maxi used all his energy to keep up with the knights' relentless pace.
When night finally came, she was so exhausted she could barely move a finger.
Sleeping that night was easy.
However, the next day, an even more demanding excursion awaited them.
Gray clouds gathered in the clear sky, and the snow began again.
“Does the sky here have holes?” Ruth exclaimed, clearly tired.
“I’ve never seen so much snow in my entire life!”
"The wind is going to pick up.
Why don't we stop here today and look for shelter?" Elliot suggested.
Kuahel shook his head.
"We don't have much time.
We should at least investigate one more area."
His resolve forced the group to continue.
With a sigh, Ruth followed with a displeased expression, and Maxi followed behind them.
When they reached their destination, Kuahel nodded, and Maxi bent down to touch the ground.
She was sending out her mana when she suddenly felt a jarring sensation.
Noticing the change in her expression, Elliot asked with a worried expression, "What's wrong, my lady?
Are you feeling unwell?"
Maxi shook her head to reassure him that it was nothing and tried again.
When her mana reached a certain point, she felt that it was weakening.
“Ruth, could you come here for a moment?” she called, frowning.
The sorcerer had already finished searching his area and was drawing something on the map.
He looked surprised at Maxi's request.
“Is something wrong?”"I sense something strange in this area...
could you check what it is?
Somewhere here," Maxi said, pointing to a spot on the map.
Ruth frowned, knelt beside her and placed her hands on the floor.
When he finished the tracking spell, he turned his head and said, “I couldn’t detect anything strange.”
"R-Really?
I felt like something was interfering with my spell..." Maxi said, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
She became discouraged, concluding that her incompetence was to blame.
"I'm sorry.
It must have been my mistake."
“Still, we should check the place to be sure,” Ruth suggested after thoughtfully studying the map.
"The tracking spell I use is just an imitation of the one used by the wizards of the Hall of Gnomes.
Only earth magicians are capable of forging an intimate agreement with the gnomes.
If that thing you sense is buried beneath the ground, you have a better chance of sensing it than I do."
Kuahel approached them and looked at the map.
"It's not far from here.
Let's go."
Maxi swallowed.
It would be terribly embarrassing if they found nothing there.
Sensing his lack of confidence, Ruth clicked her tongue.
"Please be precise, my lady.
Did you feel something or not?
You are also a full-fledged mage.
Feel free to express your opinions clearly."
“I-I felt it!”
“Then we should go,” Ruth said emotionlessly, picking up her bag.
Maxi looked at Kuahel, but the knight simply stared back, urging her to lead the way.
She started walking.
They climbed until they found a large rock.
After circling it, the landscape opened up in front of them, and in the distance was the city of monsters.
Maxi was looking at her when she heard Ruth.
“My lady, come and see this.”
She turned and pushed past the knights to get to Ruth.
As he approached, he saw a white stone between the ice and the rock.
It was inscribed with a rune.
His eyes widened around.
What were you doing out there?
“D-Do you know what this is?”
“It’s a rune for suppressing magic,” Ruth said after carefully inspecting the intricate pattern.
“What do you mean by that?” Kuahel probed, standing next to him.
"I mean exactly that.
It weakens magic.
Runes like this are often used during experiments to prevent a spell from getting out of control."
“Now that you mention it… I remember seeing a similar one in the Wizards’ Tower,” Maxi said without thinking.
Upon realizing his slip-up, his eyes turned nervously to Kuahel.
She feared that she had given the Temple Knight the impression that the Wizards' Tower was involved in dangerous experiments.
Kuahel seemed indifferent.
He said with his usual nonchalance, "There must be something here.
Let's hurry."