Thanks to Alterra staying awake and leading us for five days straight without rest, we made some progress on our hike. Akashi also said that at this pace, we wouldn’t need two weeks but could make it in a week and a half.
Even though Alterra looked tired, she said that since we hadn’t engaged in combat, she still had some stamina left. When I asked if she wasn’t pushing herself too hard, she replied that she wasn’t, so we tried to keep the momentum going…
But then Alterra, who had been walking steadily, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Was there an enemy ahead or some other threat? As I approached her to ask, she immediately told me to stay back and said:
“…Let’s rest today. It’s raining. We have time, and I’m a bit tired…”
It seems even Alterra found the forced march over the past five days exhausting. Moreover, since she doesn’t particularly like water, the rain probably bothered her as well.
“Alright, then. Let’s rest today. Hmm… There’s no place here suitable for digging a shelter. Sorry, Alterra, but it might be better if we move a little further to find a good spot.”
“Wait, resting? Then follow me. I know a place much better than a dirt hole or a small cave. It should be around here somewhere… Is this it?”
Suddenly, Akashi started heading off alone, claiming he knew a good resting place. When asked where he was going, he didn’t answer right away but finally replied after I used a seal to stop him.
“Come on… Can’t you trust me a little by now? I already said it’s much better than a dirt hole or a cave. It’s at least a man-made structure.”
“I’d like to trust you, but remember when you ‘accidentally’ sent ice spears or lightning bolts toward Myungho during that big magic spell you were allowed to cast? How can I trust you?”
“It was really an accident! …Fine, let’s hurry. Based on my experience, the weather here can turn nasty in an instant. I don’t want to get soaked to my underwear, do you?”
Considering how unreliable he could be, I followed him with skepticism.
At first, the raindrops were light, but soon they grew heavier. The more it rained, the more Alterra’s face showed signs of unease or dissatisfaction.
“Are we almost there? How much farther do we have to go!”
The wind and heavy rain were so fierce that normal conversation couldn’t be heard. Akashi, seemingly hearing my urging, tapped a small hill and declared we had arrived.
“That?! I can’t see anything! Wait… Hey, everyone, come inside!”
Akashi naturally walked into the hill as if breaking through it. Staring blankly at the inexplicable scene for a moment, I followed him inside the hill.
Inside the hill was a hidden space that seemed like something out of a game. Pushing open a door that was nearly falling apart from rust, we entered a large room.
Looking around the room, one corner held weapons whose handles had rotted away and blades were rusted, while the opposite side contained wooden furniture and skeletons similarly decayed beyond use.
Despite the desolate and abandoned appearance of the place, the wall lamps burned with an eerie blue light.
“…Regardless of what happened here, Akashi, how did you even know about this place? What kind of place is this…? Some sort of outpost?”
“Yeah, an outpost. A long time ago, before I worked with the Demon King, I had some business in the country that used to exist here. Why are you looking at me like that? This has nothing to do with why they disappeared, so don’t give me that look.”
“In any case, I stayed here briefly on my way. They had great beer. Whatever they were doing, they all died somehow, apparently. Judging by the scene, it looks like they were all sitting eating dinner when they suddenly passed away.”
What exactly Akashi’s original identity was remains a mystery. I pushed aside those questions along with the debris. Indeed, cracked bowls sat atop a table that had nearly rotted away.
No one knows why the nation that once existed in these mountains fell; investigation teams returned without clear answers.
Altera was removing her cloak to dry her damp horns and body. Through the wet bandages, faint scales could be seen, but I deliberately avoided looking.
“…Wait, Alterra. For drying your body, this might work better. So… Here it is. Fire, arise.”
Since there were plenty of firewood scattered around, I gathered them together and ignited a small flame at my fingertips. Though lighting a fire may seem simple at Circle 3, it’s not difficult.
I kept the door open for ventilation and threw the flame onto the logs. Since they were thoroughly dry, unlike outside, the fire quickly caught.
As soon as the fire was lit, she squatted by it and dried herself. After all, she had mentioned earlier that she could rust.
Still, she seemed overly desperate, which crossed my mind.
Yuna also sat near Alterra to dry off, as did I. Thanks to my outer clothing, I wasn’t too wet, but it was bothersome enough.
Good thing I bought a waterproof backpack. Otherwise, maps and books would have gotten soaked.
“…Altera, can you make some kind of container and leave it outside to collect rainwater?”
“I’ll do it later, not now.”
She said this and then sat silently staring at the fire. She then retrieved a book from my bag and brought it along with her staff.
She must’ve wanted to dry her staff. As for the book—ah, right. We had spent the last five days chasing after her without any chance to teach her language.
“Got it, I’ll teach you. So… Where did we stop? Here, was it? By the way, didn’t you say you were sleepy? Are you sure you’re ready to learn properly?”
If I recall correctly, we were here. She shook her head and grabbed my hand, flipping two pages forward.
“We stopped here. And… Even though I’m sleepy, I still have some focus left. Uh-huh. Probably.”
That “probably” is a bit unsettling, but since her eyes were still bright, it seemed okay to teach her. Besides, the current lesson wasn’t that difficult.
While teaching her for quite a while, Akashi, likely bored, strolled over and teased her upon seeing what she was doing.
“Hey, worm. Eating dirt again? That’s impressive. Does it taste good, or do you eat it because you need to? I’m not teasing, I’m genuinely curious.”
Not just me, but Yuna and Akashi both knew she ate minerals, having discovered this at the Dwarf village.
Nevertheless, Akashi clearly enjoyed teasing her.
It’s unfair to tease someone who doesn’t understand the language, so I warned him.
“Akashi, I’ve told you several times not to call her that. She’s not a worm; she’s a Half-Dragon.”
“To me, same difference. Anyway, that looks like iron. Are your teeth okay?”
But he didn’t stop. Alterra glared at him sharply when he called her a worm.
“Do you not have a mother?”
She was asking him about his parents, using words I had taught her.
“…Altera! Why would you ask that!”
“He keeps calling me a worm and making me angry.”
Akashi, clearly not expecting a response, paused for a moment before bursting into laughter and giving her an incomprehensible reply.
“Haha, ha… Well, technically, I don’t remember my original body, but yeah, this body probably had one. Sorry, it’s been so long I don’t recall. So, to answer, yes, I do have a mom.”
Altera glared at Akashi as if he annoyed her, then sat back down and urged me to continue teaching.
…I never taught her insults, yet she knows how to use them.
“Altera, even if you’re mad, isn’t asking such things a bit inappropriate?”
“She shouldn’t have teased me in the first place. Now, finish teaching me.”
She gets especially rough with Akashi, huh. Well, I don’t blame her; Akashi can be irritating.
Understanding her reasons, I continued teaching the remaining words. Before I knew it, she began dozing off.
“We should stop here for today. Akashi, don’t cause trouble and just make the containers.”
He shrugged and created appropriately sized bowls for collecting rainwater.
One advantage of this world is the lack of environmental pollution, allowing us to drink rainwater or river water safely. River water needs boiling, but rainwater is clean enough to drink directly.
I covered her, who was sleeping soundly beside the campfire, with a blanket and placed the bowls outside to collect rainwater.
It was hard to tell the time due to the dark sky, but since the sun was shining brightly before the clouds rolled in, it must not yet be evening.
“Akashi, do you have any idea when the rain will stop?”
“If I could go above the clouds, I could tell you. Down here, I don’t know. Just consider today a rest day. She seems to be in a deep sleep anyway.”
Since our guide, Alterra, is asleep… Even if the rain stops, we should probably stay here.
“We won’t need watch duty tonight. Wild animals aren’t likely to wander into here.”
“Yeah, we’ve all been moving non-stop for five days. Let’s take a day off. Me too…!”
I spread out a blanket and claimed my spot to lie down.
Though being in the same room as skeletons is a bit unsettling…
Well, whatever. At least they’re not decomposing corpses. With that thought, I closed my eyes.
