There Are No Wizards in the Dutchy of Carat.
Due to the country’s poverty, caused by excessive unfair trade deals, there is no infrastructure related to magic.
With no facilities, all talented individuals have moved abroad.
As a result, the Dutchy of Carat lacks even a teleportation transfer device that every other country possesses.
Since we had no other means of transportation, we had to endure nearly two full weeks of traveling by carriage to reach the Presia Mountain Range.
Ravi and Elfin, despite having only recently graduated, never seemed to run out of things to talk about throughout the entire journey, leaving me as an awkward third wheel.
The main reason was that Elfin disliked talking to me, but at this point, I didn’t particularly mind the solitude.
I needed a tremendous amount of time just to think about the scenarios of Holy Warrior Bryden NX and how my actions might affect the route I would take in this world.
Every time the carriage stopped for a break, I would find a secluded place to train my swordsmanship diligently and research ways to further enhance the output of my lightsaber.
If this world functioned the same way as the game Holy Warrior Bryden NX, then the methods for growing stronger should also remain the same, so I had no major concerns.
After two weeks of travel, we finally arrived near the Presia Mountain Range, where the towering peaks stretched wide on both sides, forming a breathtaking natural landscape.
“This is my first time seeing it in person. It’s much taller than I expected… Ravi, you’ve been here often, haven’t you?”
At Elfin’s words, Ravi shook her head.
“I have, but I’ve never gone beyond the mid-level area. The monsters become incredibly strong past that point. There are also rumors about some sort of barrier separating the lower and mid-levels of the mountain…”
The rumors about the barrier were true.
In Holy Warrior Bryden NX, the difference in monster levels between the lower and mid-levels of the Presia Mountain Range was so drastic that the game system prevented players from entering higher-level areas until they had progressed sufficiently.
In the game, this restriction was explained as a barrier that made entry difficult, and it seemed that the same rule applied to this world as well.
“A barrier? That’s going to be a problem. If there really is one, it’ll be difficult for us to investigate. The number of gargoyles has already increased abnormally, and if we can’t even enter—”
“No, entry won’t be a problem.”
I cut Elfin off, and she crossed her arms, glaring at me with obvious displeasure.
“And what makes you so sure?”
“If the increase in monsters was just a slight fluctuation, it wouldn’t be enough to confirm an anomaly. That means someone—probably the Empire or another group—must have climbed past the mid-level area, investigated, and reported back.
In other words, there must be at least one opening in the barrier somewhere. Finding it is another matter, but the entry itself isn’t impossible.”
Right now, this situation felt like an in-game event.
And in such cases, normally restricted areas would temporarily become accessible.
Of course, the local inhabitants had no way of knowing that.
Since Elfin had no immediate rebuttal, she continued to glare at me before eventually shifting her gaze elsewhere.
“Tch. Acting all knowledgeable for an Alvis.”
“Surprised that I seem more competent than I was at the academy?”
“No.”
Meanwhile, our carriage had reached its destination.
The coachman carefully escorted Ravi down and bowed deeply.
“Please stay safe, Princess. If only I had the strength, I would have personally escorted you… At the very least, I will remain here and prepare for your return so that you can travel back comfortably.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just return to our country for now. I’ll handle my own return.”
“But, Princess…!”
“Come on, hurry back. Who knows how long we’ll be gone? If you wait here at the foot of the mountain, you’ll probably just get robbed.”
Ravi, who was always polite to everyone, spoke more casually only to her father and subjects.
Despite his attempts to persuade her, the coachman was unable to change Ravi’s mind and had no choice but to leave.
With our transportation gone, we began our ascent toward the mid-levels of the Presia Mountain Range.
Although the range was vast, the area where gargoyles were appearing in large numbers had already been identified—it was in this part of Presia Mountain, located along the border between the Dutchy of Carat and the Andras Empire—so we had a clear destination.
Along the way, we encountered occasional goblins and, on rare occasions, an orc…
“Get out of the way and scram!”
Rumble!
With a mere wave of her hand, Elfin, who possessed extraordinary abilities in controlling earth and plants, summoned roots, vines, and compacted, razor-sharp soil from the ground to crush the goblins.
Her sheer power was overwhelming, leaving neither Ravi nor me with any reason to step in. Ravi couldn’t help but express admiration.
“Wow… As expected of you, Elfin. Even during academy training, it was exhausting to go up against you, and now, you’re just as composed in real combat.”
“Hah! Look who’s talking. Do you know how frustrating it was to fight you? You’re way too strong and fast in close combat. It was a nightmare.”
The two of them started reminiscing about their academy days, praising each other’s abilities.
As their conversation stretched on, I decided to cut in.
“We all know you’re both strong. Let’s just pick up the pace. And by the way, when you sighed after getting paired against each other, wasn’t it actually because Bryden wasn’t your opponent?”
As if I didn’t know.
Every time they fought, they always looked disappointed unless Bryden was in the match, just so they’d have another excuse to interact with him.
At my words, both of them flinched, then turned their attention to me instead.
“Alvis…? If you keep trying to dig into a lady’s heart like that, even someone as gentle as me will get angry, you know? I’ll only hit you three times, okay?”
“Why even ask? Let’s just bury him in the ground right here and leave.”
After that, I found myself on the receiving end of Ravi’s punches and Elfin’s plant vines, but inside, I was grinning in satisfaction.
‘I provoked them, but there’s no backlash damage. It’s clear now—these rejected heroines were meant to stay by my side.’
I had been furious when Loveholic gave me a “Heroine Abandonment Ending,” but was this some sort of compensation for that?
If I could have Ravi, Elfin, and even Renis, who wasn’t present right now—leaving only Celine to be with Bryden—it would be a highly satisfying outcome for any man.
Of course, winning over the hearts of all three was a different problem, and I had already lost points with them by annoying them just to test my theory.
Not to mention, I got beaten up for it.
“Cough… Are you two finally done? Who knows what might happen during our investigation, and you’re out here reducing your own combat power.”
“You totally deserved it.”
“As if you’re some great asset to our combat strength. You never even took training seriously, always slacking off.”
“Damn it, Elfin, I swear I’ll make you eat your words… Huh?”
I noticed something strange up ahead and turned to Ravi.
“Hey, we’re still far from reaching the mid-level of the mountain, right?”
“Yes. We’ve gotten quite close, but with the forest still this dense, we’re nowhere near the mid-level yet.”
“Then why is that thing here?”
I pointed toward a creature standing in the distance.
It had skin like stone, large gray bat wings, and a face that was a bizarre mix of a goat and a monkey.
A pair of slightly curved horns protruded from its head.
Its sharp claws flexed as it flapped its wings, gripping an orc in one hand—an orc it was devouring alive.
“A gargoyle?!”
“No way! This is still the lower level—how is there a gargoyle here in broad daylight…?”
“Grrrr…!”
Noticing us, the gargoyle tossed aside the limp orc corpse, its mouth dripping with fresh blood as it assumed an aggressive stance.
In the game, there were events where monsters would appear in large numbers, but they never spawned outside their designated regions like this.
An unusual situation piled on top of another unusual situation.
Sensing something was off, I activated my skill, Eye of Truth.
Activating “Eye of Truth.”
Duration: 3 minutes.
Allows the user to perceive the true nature of events that have occurred in the area.
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As the ability activated, ghostly illusions of hooded figures appeared around the gargoyle’s location.
At a glance, they were clearly suspicious and were moving toward a higher elevation.
These phantoms were showing past events that had taken place here.
I couldn’t tell exactly how long ago this happened, but it was clear they were holding the key to this bizarre situation.
“Ravi! Elfin! Take care of that thing! I have something to check!”
“What?!”
“Hey! You bastard, are you ditching us?!”
Ignoring Elfin’s outburst, I dashed toward the gargoyle.
Just as it raised an arm to attack me, vines erupted from the ground and lashed at it, courtesy of Elfin.
At the same time, Ravi leapt forward.
“I’m counting on you!”
“ALVIS, YOU DAMNED BASTARD!!!”
Leaving behind Elfin’s enraged scream, I sprinted up the mountain, following the path the illusions had taken.
As the Eye of Truth’s duration neared its end, I finally saw where they had gone.
‘Could it be… a Barrier Stone?’
Scattered somewhere in the lower levels of the mountain were Barrier Stones that maintained the separation between the mid and lower levels.
Finding them in this vast mountain range was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But these illusions moved with certainty, heading straight for them.
As I reached the spot, my Eye of Truth faded just in time to reveal the truth—
At my feet lay a shattered rhombus-shaped stone, inscribed with ancient runes.
“They targeted the Barrier Stone precisely. So these guys are the culprits behind this mess.”
Activating “Eye of Truth.”
Duration: 3 minutes.
Allows the user to perceive the true nature of events that have occurred in the area.
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I activated Eye of Truth a second time.
However, my effort was in vain—the illusions vanished the moment they destroyed the Barrier Stone, disappearing through teleportation.
There was nothing left to track.
And then—
“Grrrrr…!”
“Kiyaaaah!”
Over ten gargoyles descended from the mountain, landing right in front of me.
Clicking my tongue at the lost trail, I scanned the creatures surrounding me.
“Tch, it would’ve been too easy if things went smoothly. Of course, this shitty game world wouldn’t go the way I want.”
I activated my Light Saber, a skill obtained from the Book of Radiance.
There were many of them—but not for a second did I think I would lose.
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