Chapter 63: North (3)

The next day, the small mountain village of ‘Garona’ was engulfed in a great shock.

After all, the saint of the church, who had only been the subject of rumors, had visited this place.

Everyone came out of their homes to offer prayers.

They knelt down without hesitation, bowed their heads, and praised her.

‘Well, I guess this reaction is to be expected.’

This wasn’t a big city or a place frequented by nobles who often interacted with priests or the church.

In an ordinary rural village like this, even seeing a regular priest was rare, let alone a saint.

The priests from the church who had been staying here for a few days were already enough to surprise everyone.

But now, a saint?

Everyone was utterly astonished.

“…Please wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, of course.”

As expected, when Vanice revealed herself, the church officials were in an uproar.

Their interrogation almost turned toward us.

‘Kidnapping? These extremists are something else.’

If Vanice hadn’t spoken up for us, we might have been taken to the nearby temple immediately.

Thanks to her, their glares softened a bit.

But they quickly separated us from Vanice and kept their distance.

“By the way, why did you come here?”

“I don’t know the details either. I was just told to follow along.”

What I had heard was that it was a simple encouragement activity.

With the recent chaos caused by the Dark Heaven and black mages, the world has been in turmoil.

To soothe the people’s hearts, priests have been dispatched everywhere.

Vanice was assigned to this place.

“If nothing happens, we’ll probably stay for a few days and then leave.”

“I see.”

“If nothing happens, that is.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m just saying. Of course, I hope nothing happens.”

I, too, hope it’s just a baseless worry.

‘Why would they send her to a place like this, not a big city or a front line where morale is needed?’

Although it was the Pope’s order, there are more than a few suspicious things about it.

At first, I thought it was just a casual outing. But upon arriving here,

I couldn’t shake off a strange feeling.

‘I hope it’s just my imagination.’

With Vanice and the holy knights here, we should be able to handle anything.

But getting involved itself is dangerous, so it’s better to avoid it if possible.

‘It’s good for Ian to gain real experience, but if he dies, it’s not worth it.’

After talking with the church members for a while, Vanice finally approached us.

“I’m sorry. The conversation took longer than expected.”

“Not at all. By the way, what exactly are you doing here? We haven’t heard anything.”

“Well, it shouldn’t take too long. Do you see that mountain over there? We need to cross it and come back.”

“…The mountain?”

“Yes. We’ll just check something and return. We plan to leave tomorrow morning, so rest well and prepare today.”

The mountain Vanice pointed to was the one that loomed over this small village.

It was a relatively low mountain located at the edge of the mountain range.

‘Sigh, I’m not used to hiking.’

Even in modern times, it wasn’t an activity I particularly enjoyed.

At most, I might have gone to the nearby hills as a child.

“There’s a lot to prepare. Understood.”

“…Can you even handle the mountain?”

“I’ve had some experience.”

I sighed at the mention of the mountain.

But Ian didn’t seem too troubled.

“Let’s hurry. There must be at least one hunter in this village who knows the mountain.”

“A hunter?”

“Yes. Judging by the size of the village, it doesn’t seem like they raise livestock. So hunting must be essential, and someone must be doing it.”

“Uh… right.”

I brought him along as insurance, but somehow I feel like I’m the one getting more help.

Even though I’ve reached the 5th rank and won’t freeze to death from hypothermia,

it’s still better to be prepared.

“That must be the place.”

After asking around the village, we found a small two-story house.

There lived a sturdy man with a large scar across his face.

“That’s right. I’m the one responsible for hunting in this village.”

The man, who introduced himself as Umba, willingly shared his equipment with us.

“Ah! No need for money. The priests treated my daughter. You seem to be with them, so it’s fine.”

“…Thank you.”

“Hahaha, quite polite, aren’t you? Is that how city folks are?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Go ahead. You might want to buy some jerky too.”

The equipment we received from Umba looked quite useful.

The higher we went, the colder it got, and even in summer, the snow-covered areas were slippery.

Chains, stakes, and various other tools were included.

A bit rough, but the quality wasn’t bad for something handmade.

‘He said he’s never been outside this village, but his craftsmanship rivals that of skilled artisans.’

If he had proper training and honed his skills, he might have become quite famous.

“Well, we’ve got some dried food… Now we just have to wait, right?”

Actually, Vanice had asked the priests to prepare things for us.

She wouldn’t lie, but…

‘It’s those fanatics who are the problem.’

Who knows what they might give us, so it’s better to prepare ourselves.

‘By the way, beyond the mountain…’

To the north of the continent lies a massive mountain range.

A very high and treacherous one at that.

This place is on the border, so the mountains are relatively low, but

other places have slopes close to 90 degrees.

So, it feels like there’s nothing beyond the mountains, but in fact, there’s a city considered a major hub.

The city where the border lord, the Tebanore family, resides—’Zenus.’

They’ve built their own system to survive in the harsh environment.

Given its size, a teleportation magic circle should be installed, but Zenus doesn’t have one.

‘This mountain range isn’t ordinary.’

Beneath these mountains lies a sacred energy.

Because of that, it disrupts all the mana conduits that need to be laid out like spiderwebs.

So, Zenus can only be reached by carriage or horse.

The only place in the empire like that.

‘That’s why it’s easy to isolate.’

The Dark Heaven targeted Zenus first when they tried to swallow the empire.

Although it’s easy to isolate, once you have it, it becomes a strategic stronghold.

‘Anyway, it doesn’t seem like we’re heading to Zenus.’

If we were, there are safer and more convenient routes.

So, gathering in this mountain village must mean there’s something here…

‘I have no idea.’

This much, I really don’t know.

I have some guesses, but they’re just hunches.

***

Climbing the mountain was as difficult as expected.

The snow had melted and refrozen repeatedly, making every step precarious.

The higher we went, the deeper the snow, and sometimes we sank into it.

“Ugh, this is ridiculously hard.”

“…..”

“You seem to be holding up okay?”

“I can manage, but it’s still a bit tough.”

Ian and I were barely keeping up with Vanice’s group.

Unsurprisingly, they pretended to give us supplies and equipment but only handed us useless items.

In the end, we had to rely on the borrowed equipment.

“If you fall further behind, we’ll have to leave you.”

“…I’ll manage, so don’t worry about it.”

Every now and then, they glanced back with disdainful looks.

Vanice looked troubled each time, but it was awkward for her to intervene.

They would help if we stumbled, but there was no reason to engage in meaningless power struggles.

‘I’m not a kid to pick fights over every little thing.’

Still, it was annoying.

They kept treating us like baggage and showing their displeasure.

‘They’re fully armed and still so shameless…’

I barely managed to suppress the urge to punch them.

Calmly, I followed in their footsteps.

.

.

.

.

.

It took about half a day to reach our destination.

The sun was high in the sky.

My stamina was almost gone, and I was about to suggest a break when they stopped and said,

“Wait here.”

“Alright… We’ll guard the supplies. Go ahead.”

They headed toward a cave beneath the cliff.

“There’s a cave in a place like this.”

“Indeed.”

The entrance was wide enough for several people to pass through comfortably.

It looked like a place where a giant beast might reside.

‘What’s inside?’

With Vanice, the saint, here, it’s unlikely to be something ordinary.

There’s probably something important inside.

‘Let’s wait and see.’