Arrival at Calor Outpost
Two days into the cart ride, the air around us turned muggy as if by magic. Moments earlier, it had been cold enough to see our breath; now a creeping heat was seeping in.
I turned and looked out the rear window. As though we had crossed some invisible boundary, the white snow simply vanished from this point onward.
This place was no longer winter. Heat rivaling Antico's summer greeted us. Before I knew it, it was time to shed our outer layers.
"It's so hot…"
Pina slumped into her seat like a melting ice cream cone. Accustomed as we were to winter's chill, this sudden heat was pure poison.
I'd come prepared for exactly this, wearing a sleeveless top under my outer clothes—the same kind of outfit I used to favor on summer days. Pina peeled off her coat as well and toughed it out in a short-sleeved tunic.
"Still, it's not as hot as I expected."
"It's still pretty manageable here."
Once we headed out on a real expedition, the heat of this land would stand squarely in our way. For now, though, it was only muggy rather than oppressive, and that was a relief.
This was a world neither of us had ever experienced—something entirely new. Both of us were so full of curiosity that we couldn't stop staring at everything around us.
The first thing we saw was a geothermal zone. Midway along the road into the mountains lay a large pool of standing water, white steam rising from its surface. From within it, a monster suddenly burst up and plunged with a splash into the neighboring pool.
A few of the trees had withered under the scalding vapor, and their fruit looked scorched dry. Palm-sized flying insects drifted about, so we left the window open only a crack. Through the gap came the distinctive smell of sulfur.
Then Pina pointed outside.
"Wow, look at that!"
I turned in the direction she indicated. The sight of a geyser boiling over and shooting hot water skyward was genuinely rare. On top of that, steam occasionally jetted up from cracks in the earth.
"It looks just like someone left a faucet running."
"Yeah."
All of it felt natural and yet utterly strange and marvelous at the same time.
And far off, along the mountain's foot, lava flowed like a river—another spectacle in its own right. A few monsters wandered the area around it. Following the lava stream upward with my eyes, I found a magnificent volcano waiting at the end.
Pina's eyes sparkled.
"It's a volcano!"
The volcano itself sat utterly still, showing no activity at all.
The cart pressed on along the road leading to Calor Outpost. The scenery was so fine that the journey never grew dull.
I spoke to Pina, who had her forehead pressed flat against the window.
"I hear there are hot springs here, too."
"Huh?!"
Pina whipped her head around to stare at me.
"Really?"
"Yeah. There should even be some at the outpost itself."
"How do you know that?"
"…The branch chief told me."
"Heeh~."
I couldn't exactly say I knew because you could soak in them in the game. So I threw the branch chief under the cart and moved past the awkward answer.
"We're not exactly here on vacation, but we can afford that much, right?"
Managing rest was an important part of a hunter's work, too.
"As long as we do our jobs properly."
"Right."
Pina nodded with a resolute look.
With Master Hunter Kyle missing, it wouldn't do to take things too easy. Rationally speaking, the odds of Kyle still being alive were slim. Going a full month without word in a place this remote usually meant either something unavoidable had kept him from returning—or that he simply couldn't come back. And how were we supposed to find him across land this vast? We couldn't even find a man in a red-and-white striped sweater in a giant picture, for crying out loud.
My head was calmly laying out the worst assumptions. But emotionally, even the faintest chance he was alive meant I couldn't give up. If we seized that thread—no matter how thin—who knew what might happen?
Besides, he and I had a connection. He was my senior. I couldn't just look the other way while a senior was in danger. The fire in my chest still refused to abandon Kyle.
This time, I decided to side with feeling.
Kyle's going to be fine, right, Carestia?
I reached for the Famine Sword Carestia standing ready beside me. The moment I touched it, the strength drained straight out of my body. This thing was just hungry, apparently.
As we neared the outskirts of Calor Outpost, the cart slowed, then came to a stop. Beyond the window, I could hear the monsters panting hard. Even creatures adapted to the cold seemed to be in rough shape under this heat.
The coachman climbed down from the driver's seat, opened the cart window, and scratched his head.
"The monsters aren't doing well. Looks like the heat's gotten to them with all that fur. Would you mind waiting a bit?"
We hadn't even arrived yet, and we had no choice but to get out of the cart. Pina glanced at me. I shook my head. She relayed my decision for me.
"That's fine. We'll unload the luggage for now."
"Ah—then I'll help."
With the coachman's help, we cut down the time it took to get everything out of the rear compartment. Unloading was good and all, but the fact that we still hadn't reached the outpost loomed large. Were we going to have to haul all of this over piece by piece?
The thought sapped my strength. Moving everything would leave my back screaming.
Just then, men approached from the direction of the outpost—border sentries. The one who looked most senior among them came forward, keeping his distance.
"Who are you?"
The coachman answered on our behalf.
"Ah, we're from the Antico Association."
"…Hm. May I have your names?"
A soldier behind him raised a notebook.
"Ah, I'll be heading back, so…"
The coachman couldn't give our names—and there was no need for him to. He was only resting the monsters at Calor for a short while before turning around.
This time Pina stepped up.
"I'm Pina, and this is Alice."
"Ah…"
The soldiers looked as though they already knew our names.
"You've come as support for Calor?"
"Yes."
"Understood. The luggage behind you will need to be moved, so I'll call some soldiers. Please wait a moment."
The sentries headed back. Pina pressed a hand to her chest and let out a breath.
"Thank goodness nothing happened. The atmosphere between the hunters and soldiers here seems pretty easygoing."
"Nicoletta probably gave them a heads-up. Or other hunters mentioned us."
I leaned back against the cart and waited for the soldiers.
Before long, a man appeared leading about a dozen soldiers in comfortable everyday clothes. The one at the front was fairly large, with neatly kept hair. The way he walked while directing the others made him look like a knight. Black hair, black eyes.
The man I'd been watching came closer and spoke.
"Oh, you're Alice, right?"
His tone sounded like everything was too much trouble.
"That's me."
"I heard about you from Senior Nicoletta. You've been quite the talk lately, huh? Looking forward to working with you. We've already got lodging set aside, so we'll move the luggage straight over."
I nodded without a word.
The man and the soldiers set about moving the bags. Nobody complained out loud, but none of them seemed particularly thrilled about the menial work. I could read the mood without anyone saying a thing.
I couldn't just stand there watching, so Pina and I pitched in as well. I was grateful for the help, but the weapon case was heavy—maybe I should lend a hand with that.
When I approached the weapon case, soldiers hurried over to stop me.
"Ah, we'll take that."
Whether they were being considerate or just telling me not to bother with something annoying, I couldn't tell. I stopped short, looked at them, and shook my head.
"Nah. I can't just stand around watching."
"Isn't that heavy?"
"I'm fine."
"Please don't overdo it."
Honestly, the question itself was absurd. Pina and I had carried all of this luggage here in the first place.
I bent my knees properly, put my strength into it in one go, and lifted the weapon case. My lower back pulled taut and my muscles stirred. I wasn't exactly a gym rat, but it still felt good.
I asked the soldiers,
"I just follow them over there, right?"
The stunned soldiers answered a beat late.
"…Ah, yes. That's right."
"Got it. Take care of the rest."
I fell in behind the soldiers already carrying bags and entered Calor Outpost.
It looked exactly as it had in the game. Wooden fences enclosed the grounds, and on the volcanic region's distinctive rich soil, soldiers were working the fields. Beyond that, the place felt less like an outpost and more like a cozy little village. They had made clever use of tents and timber to raise various buildings, and the hot spring at the center was its defining feature. White steam rising from the spring was visible even over the wooden walls.
"Alice-nim, wait for me~."
Pina caught up beside me, hauling a heavy travel bag. Then she blinked at the hot spring.
"Is that the hot spring?"
"Looks like it."
"At least the base itself isn't that hot—that's a relief. And there's a hot spring, too. The water from the lodging will probably be warm. Better than Lacrima…"
Pina shuddered, apparently remembering life with cold water back in Lacrima. Lacrima really had been rough. I agreed with her on that point.
Carrying our bags, we followed the person ahead of us into the hunters' lodging. The rooms packed tight like a boarding house made it a little hard to breathe, but that was just how outposts were. Our room was the one furthest in the corner. I set down the weapon case and looked around.
As expected, it was a cramped space barely fit for two people forced to share—but the size was familiar to us.
"We cleaned it yesterday, so it should be nice and tidy. I'll set the luggage in the middle, so from here you can just put everything away in the cabinets."
The knight suddenly appeared behind us and spoke. Honestly, it startled me a little.
After that, the man launched into various explanations—when meals were served at Calor, what people did around here. The basics weren't much different from any other outpost.
"Supplies come through pretty well here, so it's comfortable in a lot of ways. We don't have set cleaning duties, but please sort your personal trash and put it out once a week. That's about it. Anything else you're curious about?"
He looked at me as he asked.
"How do we use the hot spring?"
"Ah, the hot spring's divided into separate men's and women's sections. Feel free to use it whenever you like. Just rinse off any blood beforehand. The water's really good for you, so I'd recommend giving it a try."
"Mm. Sounds good."
When I nodded in satisfaction, the man abruptly stuck out his hand.
"By the way, I'm Valerio. Feel free to call me whatever you like, Hunter. I heard about what you did in Lacrima and Angolo. Looking forward to having you at Calor as well. I believe you'll show us miracles here, too."
Valerio spoke in a earnest voice. Vague expectation shone in his eyes. I shrugged once and took the handshake.
"Don't get your hopes up too high."
"Ah, if that put pressure on you, I'm sorry. Honestly, I've really been wanting to meet you…"
"Me?"
"Skill enough to surprise even Senior Nicoletta—the Knight Commander candidate—and Senior Guido… I want to see it for myself. They say you deliberately hold back your attacks, toy with monsters to your heart's content, and the moment you get bored, you kill them on the spot…"
When did I ever do that?
"…that you tear off their limbs so they can't fight back, then kick them around like a ball and play with them in the cruelest ways… It really makes me think you must be someone from the future…"
"Someone from the future" didn't seem to be referring to an actual person, at least.
"Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it!"
Looking forward to what, exactly?
Was I supposed to personally act out everything Valerio had just described? For someone as delicate as me, that was asking far too much.