Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Fall, and... (2)
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We decided to leave the valley and spend the night nearby.
"It's gotta be around here."
Aquila said, examining the map by the campfire. Didier, who had been listening, nodded as well.
"I can feel Tondra's mana, faint as it is."
It seemed Tondra's lair really was close by.
Soon, this grueling journey would come to an end.
"Then, let's rest well tonight and search for the entrance to Tondra's lair in earnest tomorrow."
"Good idea."
"I'll take watch tonight. Everyone, save your strength for tomorrow."
With the necklace, I didn't even need to sleep anymore—I wouldn't get tired. Standing watch alone was no problem. Sure, a good night's sleep would feel nice, but it was better to let the others conserve their energy for the battle ahead.
"You're not going to sleep?"
"Yeah. I chewed some Red Cacao seeds, and all my sleepiness vanished."
Red Cacao seeds did have a component that chased away sleep, so it wasn't a lie. Khalid shot me a suspicious glance but soon turned away. Phew. Even if Khalid was a knowledgeable mage, he couldn't know more about plants than a druid like me, so he had no grounds to argue. Still, that guy... does he sense something? He's been acting awfully suspicious ever since we climbed up from the cliff. I need to be more careful. The Sand Olapunt magic stone was something every mage coveted—getting caught would be bad news.
"You sure you're okay?"
Lloyd asked. Unlike Khalid, he seemed genuinely worried about me. I smiled and nodded.
"Really. So rest well tonight. You've stood watch the longest so far, Lloyd."
"......"
"Don't worry. I have things to do before morning anyway..."
"Things to do?"
"Yeah. Preparations to make before meeting Tondra."
"...I see. Alright then."
The group bustled about preparing their beds for only a short while before the exhaustion from our forced march caught up, and silence fell as everyone drifted off.
-Crackle, crackle.
I stroked Ppippi's head as it dozed off in my palm, listening to the campfire's pops.
'When I meet Tondra...'
Excluding the gods, I was about to encounter a 'dragon'—one of the world's strongest beings. My heart raced at the thought. Of course it did. These were creatures I'd only seen in novels, comics, movies, and games. An intelligent being rivaling the gods, unlike mere monsters...
'They might even give hints about the Origin God.'
I told myself not to get my hopes up, but I was human—I couldn't help but anticipate it. Of course, the priority was calming Tondra, who would likely wake up violent before any proper conversation.
'There's a way to handle that.'
I pulled out an old book and began organizing the recipe I'd planned in advance.
-Black Opium, fifteen bundles
-Summer Cypress roots, six strands
-Valerian roots, one basketful
-White Rutamarin leaves, two sacks
-Dried Lavender, three sacks
-Dried Jasmine, three sacks
-Dark Aloe, twenty stalks
-Wild Honey, twelve jars
It was a modified version of the old hag's massive beast tranquilizer recipe, swapping water lilies for Black Opium. I'd also massively increased the quantities. After all, the target was a dragon. This strength and amount could knock out an entire city's population.
This should be enough.
Or maybe not.
'Just to be safe, let's make extra.'
I added more firewood to the campfire and placed a deep, wide pot on top. First, I needed to extract the essence from the Summer Cypress and Valerian roots. I tossed in the jagged Summer Cypress roots and the fuzzy Valerian roots, piled on snow, and soon the snow melted, bubbling away.
While the essence steeped, I prepped the Dark Aloe. After peeling off the skins and chopping the sticky, jet-black jelly-like innards, the roots floated atop the fully extracted liquid. I fished them out and dumped in the chopped aloe, and black smoke began to rise. No need to worry—that always happened when heating Dark Aloe.
I rubbed snow on my hands to clean off the aloe sap, then tore up the White Rutamarin leaves and sprinkled them into the pot. Two whole sacks' worth left my wrists aching.
Once the leaves fully dissolved, I lowered the flame. Now came the key part: simmering gently over low heat for a long time. I added three sacks each of dried lavender and dried jasmine, then poured in all twelve jars of wild honey without holding back. Bubble, bubble, bubble—the pot simmered with a sweet aroma.
Now, stir slowly until the petals turned clear. Once it thickened completely, move the pot to a pile of snow to cool. While cooling, add the Black Opium bundles in place of water lilies and mix. Cover your mouth and nose well—the fumes could knock you out. Then wait for it to fully cool and solidify...
"Whew, done."
A massive tranquilizer, big enough to hug with both arms, was complete. Perfect. Finally, I coated it with wild berry syrup and stored it in my subspace ring.
'The old hag's recipe should work without fail.'
I clearly remembered even the fiercest massive beasts turning into meek lambs with one dose. Back then, I'd thought I'd go mad making it while getting yelled at nonstop... Who knew it'd come in so handy.
I tidied up around the campfire and gazed toward the distant ridge. A faint green glow suggested dawn was near. As soon as the sun rose, we needed to find Tondra's nest. Thanks to Aquila and Didier, we'd locate it faster than expected...
-Thud, thud, thud...
"...Hm?"
What was that ominous sound?
I quickly shoveled snow over the campfire to smother the flames, then shook Lloyd's shoulder to wake him. Shh—even that faint noise had him instantly alert, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes. I pressed my hand to the ground and listened.
'Not an avalanche.'
The sound grew closer. I gave Lloyd a quick nod before moving to wake the others.
-Thud!
The noise closed in abruptly, and I snapped my head up.
"......!"
The faint light of dawn.
And before it, vast shadows unfolding.
"...Yeti."
Shing—the chill ring of steel as Lloyd drew his sword. I grabbed my bow from my back and nocked an arrow.
Normal yetis operated solo. Packs rarely exceeded two or three. But the number before us now...
'At least forty, by rough count.'
As if every yeti in the mountains had gathered.
"Th-this isn't yeti territory! Why are they here?!"
Aquila's panicked voice rang out.
'Why?'—a pointless question. It had already happened. Dozens of yetis faced us now. Creatures whose attack power on these snow peaks rivaled trolls, and there were dozens!
'Don't panic.'
We had a special shadow wolf, the future [Silver Lion], a suspiciously strong knight, a mad mage whose skills were top-notch, the infamous witch of the Silver Mountains, and a Sherpa who knew this place inside out.
And above all...
'I've got this!'
"Ppippi."
-Ppiii!
Ppippi dove into my arms as if waiting, snatched the heavy seed pouch in its beak, and flapped into the air. Luckily, the mountain winds aided its flight.
-Whoosh~
-Thud! Plop! Thud!
It flew straight along the horizon. Seeds of snowfield peas spilled one by one from the pouch along Ppippi's path. And no sooner did they hit the ground than they sprouted.
-Shoot!
-Sprout!
-Plop!
Thick stems grown to withstand the cold, pea pods enlarged through breeding far beyond their original size, and roots sunk deep for steady aim.
They weren't strong enough to kill yetis, but they could slow their advance. That was plenty. Snowfield peas had been bred for harassment from the start.
-Thud!
-Thump!
-Rumble!
When vibrations hit the roots, snowfield peas launched toward the source. Three to five per volley.
Without stopping there, I cast [Fertile Land] over the planted area. The skill flooded them with potent life force, spurring endless growth. New pods formed, hardened, and fired again.
-Rat-a-tat-tat!!!
-Tat-a-tat!!!
-Splat! Thwack! Splat!
The launching peas made a cheerful racket. Aimed well, they struck the yetis' eyes and noses—relatively weak spots uncovered by fur.
-Roooaaarrr!!!
Smaller yetis clutched their faces, howling in frenzy.
"We'll flank them."
I nodded at Lloyd's words.
"El, hit them from the opposite side. Herd them to the center."
"Yes, Master!"
With their numbers, quick, concentrated kills were best. I hung a punctured seed pouch around Ayla's neck and blew a long whistle. Ayla shot out like lightning, darting through the yetis' ranks to my whistle. Seeds scattered everywhere from the pouch as she went.
"You two."
Khalid and Didier, mid-incantation, squinted at me.
"I need your cooperation, just for a bit."
"...What scheme now."
"Let's hear it."
Khalid smirked amusedly. Figures, from the mad mage. I knelt, hand to the ground. Mana blessed by Linshaka flowed like swimmers seeking the seeds. Then...
-Boom!
-Pop!
-Boom~
Silver snow puffs exploded like bombs, spewing tiny fluffs into the air. The fluffs drifted like mist among the yetis.
"Let's put on a fireworks show."