Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: Chapter 7. The Blazing Lands
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The desert landscape they saw for the first time drew out involuntary gasps of admiration. In his original world, Judah had only ever glimpsed places like Egypt or the Sahara on TV or the internet, never imagining he'd actually set foot in a desert like this.
-When I think about it, I only meant to stick with you until the labyrinth... How did I end up coming all the way to the Blazing Lands?
Iris scribbled on her notepad and showed it to him. Judah averted his gaze with an awkward expression. They'd naturally ended up here together via Lime's spatial teleportation magic, and it was astonishing that she hadn't noticed over the nearly two weeks they'd traveled.
"It's pretty late to say this now, but won't you join us? I really need you, Iris."
He forced an awkward smile as he spoke. Iris let out a long sigh and wrote on her notepad again.
-It's late, yeah. And don't call me Miss Iris—call me just Iris, like how you call Arhil or Lime. It sounds nicer that way.
Judah read her note and smiled softly, nodding. He was grateful.
"That goes without saying. Iris."
Satisfied at hearing her name, she tucked the notepad away. Meanwhile, Lime and Arhil were still utterly entranced by the desert, even during that brief exchange. The vast expanse covered in sand seemed to captivate them completely.
Judah stared quietly at the desert, lost in thought. The Blazing Lands were far too vast to traverse on foot. Camels would be ideal, but where could they find any? If only they could procure some decent means of transport.
With a wry smile, Judah pulled out the robes he'd been carrying for Arhil and Iris since leaving the labyrinth—no longer necessary for him to wear. That's when he suddenly noticed Iris's outfit.
"Hmm."
Arhil's priestly garb was embarrassingly personalized for a priest, but Iris's was no different. It hadn't mattered when she wore her long black coat bristling with daggers, but the attire visible beneath screamed assassin. The sleeveless top exposing her shoulders and armpits, paired with elbow-length arm warmers and matte black leather pants, made it embarrassing to look at her directly when her coat was open or off.
'Still better than a maid outfit, though.'
It suited her much more. As he stared openly, Iris tilted her head quizzically. He handed her the robe he was holding.
Her current gear undoubtedly had basic enchantments, and as the Queen of the Shadow Kingdom, it would naturally include codes. Not just her—Arhil's priest robes were infused with holy magic upon closer inspection, and even Lime's clothes weren't ordinary.
The suit Judah wore bore magic bestowed by Count Jenner of Uruun. All their outfits had temperature-regulating enchantments to maintain a constant body warmth. This was the same pricey feature on the robes bought specifically for the Black Lands and Blazing Lands.
He'd heard deserts had extreme diurnal temperature swings, so wearing these magic robes—warm at night, cool by day—would make crossing relatively comfortable. With Lime's ice magic and mana-enhanced body strengthening, plus Arhil's blessings, the only issue would be their unfamiliarity with the terrain, not the desert's harsh aura.
Food? Water? Salt?
The <Bag> was stocked plentifully. They wouldn't starve or suffer agonizing thirst while traversing the Blazing Lands.
Once preparations to enter the desert were complete, Judah took the lead.
With the , sandstorms altering the landscape wouldn't lead them astray.
Lime and Iris followed with uneasy expressions, while only Arhil trailed behind Judah with a carefree face. After a few hours in the desert, the novelty of the scenery had worn off.
"It's hot, huh."
Their bodies felt cool thanks to the magic, but with faces exposed, the desert heat hit directly. Even with magic, blessings, and enhancements, this level of heat seeped through—what would it be like without the robes? To minimize it, they all pulled their hoods low.
"We're lucky."
Lime spoke suddenly. Judah turned, wondering what he meant, and Lime pointed to the distant sky.
"Looks like rain."
Sure enough, dark clouds gathered. Arhil jumped in surprise.
"Huh? It rains in the desert too?"
Judah nodded and spoke before Lime could.
"The Blazing Lands get rain more often than the deserts of the Two Continents. I don't know why, but some say it's due to the dense mana concentration here—though that's unconfirmed."
He'd read it in a book from Serennia Castle's library.
Lime looked at Judah with newfound respect, like a teacher proud of a star pupil. Nodding, he added,
"You're right. Most people don't know that, but you do, Judah. As you can tell, the mana density around us is exceptionally high compared to elsewhere. It's no wonder the Dragonians settled here—they're sensitive to mana and amplify it, so it was natural."
"Heh."
Arhil gazed at Lime with interest.
"And whether due to this abundant mana or lingering Dragonian power—which remains unproven—the beasts and plants here evolve remarkably fast. Adventurers' tales mention creatures similar to those in the Two Continents' deserts. Of course, sightings of utterly unexpected monsters suggest they might be from the demon realm too."
Lime stopped there, tilting his head as if wondering how he'd gone on like that. Judah chuckled idly and pressed on. Even Arhil, the weakest physically, kept up without lagging. If truly exhausted, they could ride the wraith knight, but Lime and Arhil—who'd tried it once—preferred to avoid it unless desperate.
The clouds brought shadows.
But no relief from the heat—far from it. Without direct sun, it was slightly better, but the air remained scorching.
"Why? Why is it still so hot?"
Arhil asked with a wronged expression. At first, he'd thought it imagination, but the temperature refused to drop. Expecting coolness was a mistake. Frustrated, she flipped back her hood and undid her bound hair, letting it fall.
"Kyaaahhh... It's so hoooot..."
She shook her head, dragging out her words, sweat flying from her hair with each shake. Despite periodic cooling spells, it persisted.
Arhil wasn't the only one with long hair—Iris too. She removed her hood and exhaled quietly. Swordmasters, mages, priests—all felt the heat equally; only tolerance varied.
Lime wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve, muttering amid the swelter.
"This is insane. With enchanted clothes, support spells, blessings, and mana-enhanced bodies, it's still this bad... No wonder adventurers complain."
He felt sorry for once mocking adventurers who said you couldn't walk here for hours without proper flame-resistance artifacts. Now he understood why so many failed to return while hunting shards.
"Can we really find a shard in a month here?"
Lime asked skeptically, regretting his decision to tag along. It was only a few hours in, but understandably so.
No alchemist-made compass pointing one way, just endless sand dunes raising doubts if they were even heading right. They could still backtrack now.
Lime could scout from above with flight magic, but constantly doing so might waste the month.
His fickleness was natural. Unlike Arhil, whose trust maxed out, Judah needed to earn his. Unfazed, Judah nodded calmly.
"Of course."
"How?"
Judah pointed upward at the clouds. Dark masses now dripped scattered raindrops, poised to pour.
Lime looked up—and flinched as a drop hit his eye.
"Remember when you said we were lucky?"
"...Yeah."
"Exactly. We're very lucky. I said a month because I didn't know when it'd rain. Six days after rain, light will rise from the direction the clouds came— a pillar of fire, really. That's where the shard is. Of course, if we can't enter then, we wait for the next rain and repeat."
"Wait, hold on. A few questions. We can find the shard that easily?"
"No way. If so, adventurers would've nabbed it already."
"...What if we miss it?"
Obvious.
"Find rain, head the cloud direction again."
"Good lord."
Lime's face hardened at Judah's nonchalant reply. Arhil and Iris, listening quietly, grimaced at the prospect of endless desert wandering if unlucky.
Bad luck could loop this until they found it. Lime groaned, head drooping.
"Shouldn't have jumped in so quick..."
Iris nodded at his mutter, a twinge of regret on her face too.