Volume 1 Chapter 90 At The Foot Of Mt. Zepart
I said goodbye to Dario and left Metis behind.
"I'm worried about Iria, but let's move on."
We had promised to meet Iria in town, but in the end we couldn't meet her. Mel said we should move on without waiting.
I'm sure Mel is wondering if something happened to her, but Fatina and I just nod. It was a decision that came after much thought.
It's already been about half an hour since we left town.
The two horses pulling the carriage continued to run without showing any signs of fatigue as they continued to push through the ocher-colored wasteland. The town quickly became so far away that it seemed small.
Mt. Zepart, where our destination, Inferno Pathway, is located, is one of the tallest volcanoes in the area, and is so large that you can see it without even thinking about it.
There is no cover in this area except for the occasional glimpse of bare trees, so there is no chance of losing your direction.
In the back of the horse-drawn carriage, Fatina and Mel are sitting across from me.
When I look at them, unexpectedly, my eyes meet with Fatina's. With her animal ears moving, she smiles back at me. Her expression is bright, as if her angry appearance from just a moment ago was completely fake.
Perhaps the incident with Dario earlier has been resolved and she has sorted out her feelings, as Fatina seems to have returned to her usual self. She even seems to be in a good mood.
"If you're worried about what happened earlier, don't be."
Edward, who is holding the reins on the coachman's seat, says without looking back.
Certainly, it wouldn't be strange to feel distrust towards people after experiencing such a terrible event.
"It's okay! I understood that the old man wasn't a bad person!"
"I see. That's good to hear."
Seemingly reassured by Fatina's energetic response, Edward didn't say anything else after that.
Man, humans and beastmen, huh...
There were no beastmen in the village where I lived. So, the first time I had a conversation with one was with Fatina from the Werewolf Tribe.
I have no idea what kind of life beastmen lead on a daily basis. So, I don't even know if they're avoided or anything like that.
Actually, when I think back to all the people I've met since arriving in Voltana, I don't recall anyone showing any particular dislike towards them.
But there's something that bothers me.
It's the fact that I haven't seen any beastmen working at the Clow Merchant Guild or the Adventurer's Guild.
Of course, it could just be a coincidence. But maybe there's a hidden divide, a reason why they're being avoided and not showing up in public.
And maybe Fatina herself sensed that and was concerned about it.
"Hey Fatina, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"I don't know much about beastmen, but I don't really care what race you are, Fatina."
"...Huh?"
Fatina froze for a moment, then suddenly her eyes sparkled and she had a bright smile on her face. She quickly sat down right next to me.
And then, for some reason, she leaned in and clung to my arm.
"What's up? Don't get too close..."
"It's okay, isn't it?"
I tried shaking her off, but she wouldn't budge. I had no idea what to do.
"Ugh..."
Was it just my imagination, or did I feel a disapproving gaze from Mel? I started sweating nervously.
"Hahaha, be careful with your words from now on."
Edward laughed. He seemed to be in a good mood too. I didn't think I said anything strange, though...
As usual, Fatina clung to my arm happily.
--Hmm, come to think of it, my emotions have been all over the place since we first met.
Since that night in the Voltana forest, we've been together all the time.
Whenever something good happens, she's genuinely happy, and when things don't go her way, she gets mad. Unlike me, she always shows her feelings clearly through her actions. I couldn't help but feel a bit envious of her ability to express her true emotions.
But at the same time, I can't help but feel a sense of uncertainty.
Will these ups and downs of emotions eventually lead us down a path that we can't come back from?
As I look at her, snuggled up next to me, I suddenly think of my childhood friend whom I've spent so much time with.
If my Level Cap wasn't just 1 and the skill I was given wasn't "Instant Death Magic," would the person next to me be Leanne instead of Fatina?
Leanne lives in Trasverum, being watched over by the Clow Merchant guild.
Chester is smart, so he probably wouldn't treat her too harshly, knowing that she's not inherently evil.
I wonder if she can live without any problems.
It's not that I have any regrets.
Those feelings have already disappeared somewhere.
I just hope nothing else happens from now on.
If this matter ends, wouldn't I't mind at all as far as I'm concerned...
It was some time after thinking like that.
"I suppose this is about as far as the carriage can go."
Edward said, and the carriage stopped.
The slope had become steep, and the road was so bad that it must have been difficult to continue by carriage.
I got out of the carriage's cargo bed.
The surrounding scenery had completely changed to black and gray rock faces.
--Relentless hot wind flowing from the mountains. It's like it's clinging to my entire body.
It's even hotter here than Metis. Considering this heat at the foot of the mountain, it would have been a reckless challenge to go further into Inferno Pathway without Dario's amulet.
Looking up, I could see orange lines all over the slopes of the mountain. It looked like lava was flowing from the rocks.
There were very few signs of life around, and it was clear how harsh the environment of this mountain was. Only monsters could survive here.
"Let's put on the amulet soon."
After saying this to the two people, I took out the amulet from the leather bag hanging from my waist.
As soon as I put the amulet around my neck, my body started to feel cold, but in a pleasant way. Now I could go about my usual activities in the corridor without any issues.
"It seems like the effect is working fine."
"Hmm, it's so cool and feels really nice!"
"Yes. It seems fine here too."
Both of them seemed to be doing fine.
"Be careful not to fall into the lava. Even that necklace won't be able to withstand it."
Edward got off the driver's seat and leaned against the side of the carriage.
"Alright, I'm gonna take a break here."
"No, it's dangerous to rest around here. You should go back to town and rest there."
"Well, it's not like this is a place where monsters can hide. And if I do find one, I can just run away. Besides... well, never mind. I'm feeling a bit tired too. Maybe I've been working too much."
Edward spoke with a tired expression as he put his hands in his pants pockets. He seemed to hesitate in the middle of his sentence, but maybe it was just my imagination.
Certainly, even if a monster were to come, I feel like Edward would be able to escape smoothly. He's been a coachman for many years, so he must have confidence.
"Hurry up and finish up. We'll celebrate when you get back to town."
"Got it. Let's meet up again at Metis."
"Yeah. Take care, okay?"
"Um... thank you for everything up until now."
Mel apologized with a look of regret and bowed their head to Edward.
Come to think of it, Mel was initially suspicious of him, thinking he was some kind of suspicious man. But now that she knows that's not the case, she wanted to apologize.
Edward turned towards Mel and gave a weak smile. It seemed like he was trying to say, "Don't worry about it."
"Edward-san, see you later!"
Fatina greeted cheerfully.
Then, the three of us started walking deeper into the mountains.
The mountain was full of rough rocks, so it was simply difficult to walk. Since there seemed to be no clear path, we had to find a place that seemed walkable and move our feet forward.
There were signs near the forest close to Voltana, but there were none here at all. I think the direction is right according to the map we saw at the guild, but it might have been better to gather more detailed information.
I thought Mel might know something, so I decided to ask.
"Mel, is there anything written in that ancient document about the entrance?"
"No, there's nothing about the entrance... Oh, wait. Can you take a look at this?"
Mel took out an old document from her shoulder bag and opened it, flipping through the pages.
There, I saw unfamiliar words written in a language I couldn't understand, along with what seemed to be a sketch of the Inferno Pathway.
"Hmm, I can't it at all!"
"I can't read it either. What on earth does it say?"
"More than the words, what catches my attention is this. There's a room with a dragon drawing. Could it be indicating the location of the key?"
Mel looked where she had put her finger and saw a square shape a little away from the sketch, with a dragon drawn inside.
The dragon had a long body, similar to a monster of the Worm species, without arms or legs.
"It's definitely there... Could it be the guardian of the key?"
"I think so. Um, La... Rus? The writing is blurry and hard to read, but it says, 'If you want to meet, follow the corridor just below the entrance.'"
"Down? Aren't we supposed to go deeper?"
"Maybe it's like Aquaflow Cavern, where going straight ahead is a trap."
"That could be possible. We wouldn't have noticed without the ancient documents. We're lucky."
"No, just a little more to go. Let's do our best."
The three of us nodded to each other.
If I could dispose of the three keys, many problems would be solved.
That's why I had come this far.
That's why I had to finish it.
Once again, we continued deeper into the mountain. After a while, we emerged into a slightly open space.
"Hey...this way."
Suddenly, I heard a voice coming from somewhere.
When I looked around, I saw four men and women wearing armor and robes, motioning for us to come closer while hiding behind a large rock.
They cautiously raised one hand to show that they meant no harm and approached.
The big man wearing steel plate armor and carrying a giant battleaxe put his finger wrapped in a gauntlet to his lips. It seemed he was telling us to be quiet.
"Are you guys here to hunt monsters too?"
He asked in a whispered voice.
"No, we're planning to enter the dungeon."
Upon hearing my response, the adventurers exchanged shocked glances. Were they really that surprised?
"Do you know what's going on here? Look at that."
The man pointed towards the back of the square.
Carefully peering from behind the rocks, I saw a dragon covered in crimson scales, occasionally flapping its large wings as it walked on all fours.
It was much bigger than the dragon Iria used to ride. It moved its long neck, scanning the surroundings. Every now and then, it opened its mouth and released small flames.
"Is that a dragon?"
Fatina whispered, and the man shook his head.
"That's a fire-breathing drake that resides in Mt. Zepart. There are so many of them around here that we can't even get close to the dungeon."
It seems like Dill was right, Drake seems to be all over the mountain.
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