Chapter 34
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 034
Chapter Title: White Hell
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"We're planning to evacuate to a city called 'Carius'."
Right after leaving the small town. The mayor, seated next to the coachman, began.
The mayor continued.
"It's where Earl Carius, the lord of the county, resides—and the largest city in the region. We'll be safe once we reach it."
"Carius..."
Andy racked his brain at Mayor Dietrich's words.
Carius. He knew the city well.
'The merchants and mercenaries who visited the village all passed through there.'
Back when he worked at the inn. It was a name he'd heard constantly. Nearly every caravan and band of mercenaries heading to the village had come via that route.
Andy recalled what he knew about Carius.
'A metropolis with over a hundred thousand people. Towering walls and plenty of guards...'
Carius was the most advanced city in the county. A grand metropolis boasting a massive population and lofty walls.
A city that size wouldn't fall easily to invaders. Far safer than their little town.
But there was a catch.
"Isn't it pretty far away? I heard the distance is quite substantial..."
"You're right. Even being generous, it's about a month's journey from here. And with winter right now... it'll take even longer."
Carius was distant. Barely reachable after a full month on the road.
And this was winter to boot—a brutal season for travel. Trekking a month in this biting cold would be grueling.
Even so, Dietrich insisted they head for Carius.
"The Imperial Army's advance is relentless. They're pushing south despite the winter. Settling in a nearby town or village... who knows when they'll come charging in? Better to go far, even if it's tough."
The Imperial Army kept marching south. No safety guarantee close by. Fleeing farther was the secure choice.
But that wasn't the only reason for Carius.
"Besides, our family estate is there. We can live relatively comfortably."
"Your family estate?"
"Yes. Not to boast, but my family is decently well-off. I can offer you all some proper support."
"Hmm... Carius."
The group nodded.
A month's trek. No easy road, but worth it. The distance meant relative safety from the invasion, plus backing from the mayor's family.
Solid reasoning all around. It didn't take long for opinions to align.
"Then to Carius it is. Not a walk in the park, honestly... but we'll make it."
"I've made the trip a few times with this carriage, so I know the route well. Let's head out. Hya!"
Crack!
The coachman cracked his whip, and the horses lurched forward.
Carius. A rare metropolis on the frontier. Their destination on this flight from war.
The evacuation route was merciless.
Whoooosh!
A knife-edged wind sliced through their clothes. Those walking beside the carriage shivered uncontrollably. Even the mayor, hunkered on the coachman's bench, looked worn by the cold.
Andy had it better, at least.
'Inside the carriage blocks most of the chill wind.'
Andy was traveling reclined in the carriage.
It wasn't large, and the interior was crammed with baggage, leaving scant room. But there was just enough cramped space for one person to lie down.
The others had gladly yielded it to him.
He could barely walk from mana exhaustion. And he was the boy who'd faced the Imperial Army head-on to save them.
No one grumbled about Andy riding inside.
They only fretted over his well-being.
"Andy, sir. How are you holding up?"
"I'm good. I can manage."
"If it gets tough, just say the word. We'll stop and build a fire right away."
"...Thanks."
Andy nodded gratefully to Guard Hans.
Their concern touched him deeply. Gratitude welled up naturally.
At the same time, he felt regret.
'If I were at full strength, they wouldn't have to trudge through the cold.'
Andy had mastered fire magic to a solid degree. He could manipulate fire mana to share warmth with himself and others.
But in his current state, he couldn't cast properly. His mana exhaustion hadn't recovered yet.
-Creak, rattle.
In the jostling carriage.
Andy closed his eyes and focused his mind.
He sank his consciousness deep. His bodily senses gradually faded.
The shaking of his body, the creaking of the carriage, even the winter's icy bite—all vanished from perception.
In their place, he awakened his soul's senses.
His spiritual awareness sharpened to the extreme, and his consciousness plunged into the depths within.
Thus, the boy finally reached his inner realm.
And there, he beheld it.
'Still a total wreck.'
His inner realm looked nothing like usual.
Normally, a massive orb of light sat at the center, encircled by rotating mana rings. That was his standard inner realm.
But now, it was utterly different.
The central light orb glowed faintly, its shine feeble. The encircling rings had stalled, trembling unstably.
The aftermath of mana exhaustion.
Having burned through his mana to the limit, his soul had weakened. The effects rippled even into his inner realm.
Andy surveyed it and pondered.
'To recover from mana exhaustion, I need mana. A substantial amount.'
Only a massive influx could mend his broken inner realm and restore his power.
But that was no small quantity—impossible in a day or two.
Even using Mana Circulation to draw in mana, the ambient mana was far too sparse. Replenishing his previous levels would take considerable time.
So how could he refill quickly?
The answer was singular.
Gain a huge amount all at once.
'Once we reach the city, I need to get a mana potion.'
Mana potion. The go-to drug for mages craving a big mana boost.
Down one, and he'd score a hefty dose fast and easy.
Carius was a major city. Surely, he could find some there.
'If no potions... at least Yohan Grass. They ought to have that much.'
The boy mulled it over, plotting his mana recovery.
The group pressed steadily south.
Halting in blizzards at times, speeding up when the weather eased. They forged on doggedly.
Along the way, they saw them.
"More corpses."
"..."
Bodies strewn by the roadside.
Not uncommon to spot refugees who'd perished en route, left where they fell.
Most causes were similar.
Frozen. Or starved. Beast attacks were rarer.
These had frozen too.
"Died just days ago. That heavy blizzard recently—probably then."
"More bodies the farther south we go. Heartbreaking."
Corpses littered the southern road.
Some froze solid. Others wasted away from hunger.
Truth be told, most suffered both: collapsed from starvation, then froze in place.
Winter evacuations were brutal. People battled starvation and frostbite just to flee.
At least Andy's group fared better.
They'd loaded the carriage with ample supplies before leaving. No outright starvation for them.
Most refugees weren't so lucky. Plenty perished mid-flight, reduced to roadside corpses.
"...Onward."
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The carriage rolled south.
Corpses weren't all they encountered on the southward trek.
"Milord! Please, help us out! No food for three days!"
"Freezing and starving. Mercy—just one meal..."
Refugees begging for scraps.
"Hand over the carriage if you wanna live!"
And bandits eyeing their cargo.
Fortunately, no losses.
"Scram! You dare go for our stuff?!"
"Ex-city guard here. Wanna try me?!"
Guards Hans and Jack stepped up, driving off the attackers.
Bandits, but just desperate civilians turned nasty.
Hans and Jack were trained city guards.
Sure, they lacked elite army gear and might, but hardly helpless against rabble.
Most backed off without a fight.
Some relied on numbers, though...
-Zap! Zap!
"A-a wizard?!"
"Fall back!"
Andy flashed a spell as warning, and they scattered in terror.
Though wracked by mana exhaustion,
he'd scraped together enough mana via intermittent Mana Circulation from the carriage to manage a minor spell.
'Best I can do is one Lightning Magic shot.'
A real scrap would've endangered Andy too. Low mana meant handling crowds was impossible.
Bandits didn't know that, though. The group repelled them handily.
Andy and his companions pushed south in silence.
Passing corpses, ignoring pleas, shaking off assailants.
-Whiiiiiir!
A savage blizzard whipped up.
Vision drowned in blinding white flakes. Shadows blurred, depth perception failed. Sense of direction shattered. Hard to even tell forward.
The boy murmured suddenly.
"White hell."
His take on the winter evacuation road.
Throngs fleeing south, shuddering in cold, wracked by hunger. Countless fell to the roadside.
That made it hell.
Folks pictured hell as fiery pits, usually. But for Andy, hell was right here—this frozen, snowy wasteland.
With droves dying to cold and famine, what else could it be?
"City in a few days! Just a bit more—push on!"
"..."
The mayor's shout spurred weary feet onward.
The carriage drew nearer its goal.
A month and ten days after departing the small town. Today.
They'd finally arrived.
"The city! Carius at last!"
"Heavens... finally...!"
Carius. A frontier rarity—a true metropolis.
Andy craned his neck to take it in. Awe filled the boy's eyes.
'Huge.'
His first impression of Carius.
The walls, piled from solid stone, soared majestic and immense. The grand gate looked unbreakable.
Guards patrolling the ramparts moved with crisp discipline. The earl's crest above the gate radiated authority.
A city of unprecedented scale. Vast and imposing, like the real deal.
Andy felt it viscerally.
'So this is civilization.'
How confined his world had been. How severed from true society.
Village and small town? Laughable next to this.
Beyond those mighty walls, over a hundred thousand souls thrived.
Andy could scarcely picture the teeming life inside.
"We made it safe... everyone, you all worked so hard. Let's head in."
The relieved mayor led the way. Andy followed the group toward the gate.
From here on, they'd live in mighty Carius.
Far more knowledge and chances awaiting.
The boy looked forward to city life.