Linked Quest (6): The Hunters of Black Mountain
The place called Black Mountain was a forbidden land that ordinary people avoided even approaching. Even the mountain gatherers who roamed its steep slopes and beast-filled trails like their own backyard would recoil at the name, as if they had glimpsed something they should never have seen.
They say nothing is more dangerous than a mountain path at night, yet Black Mountain’s towering trees grew so densely they blocked out most sunlight, leaving the forest dim even at midday. The evenings were even worse. The blackwood trees that rooted here lived up to their name—their trunks and leaves alike were dark as midnight, playing tricks on climbers’ eyes. Every plant and creature living on the mountain had been twisted into strange forms by the thick currents of magic power that saturated the land.
But if avoiding danger is the instinct of all living things, then chasing profit is the very nature of humanity. Untouched wilderness like this was nothing short of a vast treasure vault, and there were always people willing to pay for the resources that grew within it. The jet-black pelts of certain deer fetched higher prices than the hides of any beast from other ranges. Stones steeped in powerful magic could be traded for their weight in gold, and buyers still considered it a bargain.
To satisfy that demand, there were those who risked their lives climbing Black Mountain. People called them the Black Mountain Hunters.
Chrome asked, “Then wouldn’t it be easier to just recruit those hunters? It seems a lot more efficient than investigating everything from scratch.”
Bargal Odina replied, “That would be ideal, but the Black Mountain Hunters have always been few in number. More importantly, they are an extremely closed group. They refuse to share the knowledge and techniques passed down through generations with outsiders. For them, it is a matter of survival.”
“If profit matters that much, couldn’t we simply offer them enough money?”
“You think exactly like the Legion Commander.”
Chrome shut his mouth, looking genuinely shocked. Bargal continued, “If they were merely greedy for coin, that approach might work. Unfortunately, these people possess a peculiar kind of pride. In the past, those who tried to exploit Black Mountain used violent methods to steal their secrets or force them into service. In any case, they are difficult to communicate with. Even attempting negotiations is nearly impossible because they are so hard to find.”
Bargal shook his head, muttering that if they decided to hide deep in the mountains or slip over to the Ivestan side, there would be no solution. Watching him, Chrome thought to himself, I should come back here with Chase sometime if the chance arises.
He had no idea how Chase had escaped that apparently stifling group, but the difference between having an experienced guide and fumbling around blind was clearly enormous.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the path up Black Mountain was surprisingly manageable. Or, to be more precise, the mountain itself displayed its full hostility, but the humans climbing it—especially one particular girl—were even more outrageous than the mountain’s own notoriety.
Schunk!
The ankle of a bear standing over two meters tall was severed clean from its body, bone and all. The beast roared in pain and fury, only then realizing that what it had targeted was not simple prey but an extremely dangerous opponent. The realization came far too late.
The infusion of magic power had granted this wild predator superior physical ability, but it had stolen its natural caution toward unfamiliar creatures. Ligret’s Ancient Guardian’s Greatsword pierced straight through the bear’s neck as it lost balance and toppled. In the next instant, only its head flew spinning into the air.
Bargal Odina let out an impressed whistle. “Wow. We don’t even need to lift a finger. They kept talking about the Academy, but this is genuinely impressive. Miss.”
“...Yeah,” Morel Odina agreed.
Honestly, when Dietrich had first ordered them to patrol Black Mountain with a handful of students, both siblings had questioned their commander’s sanity—though they had never considered him particularly sane to begin with. Now they understood his reasoning perfectly.
The Eastern Legion Commander had not tasked his subordinates with babysitting. Nor had he been trying to suppress the Academy, a future rival to the military. He had simply hired genuine combat assets—talents truly worthy of being entrusted with the job.
Since entering Black Mountain, the party had suffered three separate magic beast ambushes. Each time, the others never even drew their weapons. Ligret had stepped forward alone and ended every encounter.
Bargal thought to himself that while not every Academy student could possibly be at this level, if even ten percent of them reached this standard, they would become an enormous asset in the battles to come.
And there was one more question—this one from a warrior’s perspective rather than a soldier’s.
Could I win?
He didn’t know. He had no intention of losing easily, yet he could not picture himself achieving an easy victory either. The fact that a knight of the Empire’s elite Eastern Army was even entertaining such thoughts felt almost comical.
A girl who had not yet reached twenty was making a knight in his physical prime unable to guarantee victory. At the same time, Bargal knew that while age and experience were important, the world contained people who made such “common sense” meaningless. His own commander, the Eastern Legion Commander, and the infamous heretic of the Rebenstein family he had only heard about by name were perfect examples.
In fact, considerable fighting spirit gleamed in his sister’s eyes as she watched Ligret. Given the relatively aggressive atmosphere of the entire Eastern Army, quite a few others would likely challenge her to spar, saying they wanted to cross blades at least once. Of course, some would look down on her for being a girl and a commoner and refuse to fight seriously, but still.
No matter what, she isn’t at the level of that monstrous Legion Commander yet. But if things continue like this for a little longer…
It was then that Chrome spoke.
“Looks like we’ve reached the first destination.”
As he said, a small lake had come into view ahead of them. It was closer to a pond than a true lake, but the abundance of rocks and pebbles around the water prevented trees from growing, creating an open area with excellent visibility and plenty of sunlight. Signs of wild animals coming to drink could be felt, but given the party’s strength, those creatures posed no threat. It was an ideal spot for a temporary base.
“We should set up camp first,” Bargal decided.
They could continue searching through the night using active magic power, but since this was only the first day of the mission, exhausting themselves right from the start would be foolish. The group found a flat, relatively dry patch of ground near the lake, cleared away sharp stones and pebbles, and pitched portable tents using magic tools.
Securing water and food proved equally simple. The lake was right beside them, and they had a purification artifact. For meat, they had already collected portions from the magic beasts that had conveniently attacked them on the way up.
Ligret began dressing the meat while Chrome prepared water and simple seasonings. The completely natural way the two handled the magic beast carcass made Morel Odina’s eyebrows twitch slightly. Bargal asked in a faintly trembling voice, “If it’s provisions you need, we brought quite a lot ourselves. We can always descend to resupply if necessary. There’s really no need to eat magic beast meat…”
Chrome tilted his head. “We did bring supplies, but most of it is jerky and dried fruit. It’s better to save those for emergencies. Besides, fresh meat tastes better anyway.”
“But they’re magic beasts.”
“Isn’t that even better?”
Only then did the two knights realize the fundamental difference in perception. Monsters could not be eaten. Creatures born from artificial experiments and research were hideous in appearance, often contained dangerous compounds in their bodies, and tasted terrible. To civilians, magic beasts and monsters were practically the same thing. Since most people avoided eating them, proper cooking methods never developed. Even those who could tell the difference eventually avoided magic beast meat as well.
People in positions to receive proper education had no reason to touch such things when plenty of normal food was available. Just as humans instinctively feel aversion to unfamiliar foods, the two knights seemed to view eating magic beasts as a form of bizarre cuisine.
But from Chrome’s perspective, it was nothing. I used to sprinkle animal bone powder as seasoning. What’s the big deal about this?
Both Chrome and Ligret had consumed all sorts of strange things since childhood purely to enhance their physical and magical abilities. This was just the meat of a rather ferocious bear. They had prepared plenty of antidote potions for emergencies.
Despite Bargal’s warnings about possible poison, Chrome went ahead and grilled the meat. The two knights who had initially eaten their rations with visible reluctance gradually grew interested in the savory aroma. Ligret’s casual “Want some?” directed at Morel Odina, who kept stealing glances, proved to be the finishing blow.
Bargal watched his sister devour the magic beast bear meat with an expression of pure delight and maintained a suspicious look. He endured the first day with the reasoning that “someone needs to be ready to respond if anything goes wrong.” But when he saw the other three walking around completely fine the next day, he finally joined the meat feast himself that evening.
The party divided the mountain into sectors and searched every corner. On the fourth day of doing so, they finally found results.