A Northern Tradition
Suppressing the urge to let myself get even slightly caught up in the North's traditional pastime, I returned to Edenberg and threw myself into work. Those feelings had already been sorted and set aside back when I was a child. Dwelling on melancholy now would only make it harder to face my parents, so I tackled the backlog of tasks with even greater vigor. When gloom threatened, I preferred to drown it in relentless motion.
"Kyaa! What is this incredible material?!"
"It's thread from an Elder Nepentula. Make armor with it. The pieces you were already working on can serve as spares."
"Count me in! How often do I get to handle something this rare? With material like this, I might need to call in favors from other workshops to create a true masterpiece!"
After handing the new material to Elin, I moved on.
"The monsters you brought along are so exceptional that the construction timeline should shorten considerably."
"By how much?"
"Roughly half a year, I'd say."
"That much?"
"Only because we're receiving their help. Honestly, I'd like to keep borrowing their strength going forward."
After receiving the fortress construction update from the dwarf architect, I checked in with Anel.
"How's the rat doing?"
"According to our informants in the Central region, it's still trapped. But Flame of Doom black knights are gathering nearby. It should be rescued soon."
"Really? The escape is taking longer than expected."
"They're probably being cautious too."
Once I'd cleared the accumulated work using a Gold-class adventurer's stamina, the gloom that had weighed on me vanished as if it had never existed. Seeing my expression brighten, my companions' faces also relaxed.
"Good thing you shook it off so quickly."
"I've never seen you look that down before."
"I'm glad you got past it."
"Thanks for worrying about me."
Thanks to my good-natured friends, my mood lifted. I headed to the Adventurer Guild and bought food and drinks for everyone. The lively atmosphere of the guild hall drew soft laughter from the academy students. Though they hailed from the Central region or elsewhere and had initially been bewildered by Northern culture, they soon adapted to the free-spirited guild vibe and settled comfortably into their seats.
"It's unrestrained yet orderly. There's a strange sense of psychological comfort in the North's charm."
"True. I wonder how we'll readjust once we return to the Central region."
"The academy atmosphere isn't bad, but compared to this, it feels lacking."
"I did a bit of mercenary work before entering the academy. Comparing a mercenary guild to an adventurer guild would be rude."
The students gazed at the guild hall with lingering eyes, clearly enchanted by the Northern atmosphere. Unlike the scheming Central region, the North was simpler, more open, and filled with people who carried themselves with pride. Here, one could clink glasses with complete strangers without a shred of worry—a culture impossible to experience in the Central region.
While the students, captivated by the atmosphere the First Great Warrior had likely designed, ate happily, Luna—who had been sipping a drink while chatting with Ruin—turned to me. Spotting me reading the worn, crude fairy tale book, she popped a cookie into my mouth.
"You'll wear it out at this rate. Stop reading and eat first. You're the one paying, remember?"
"I was eating while reading."
"Your plate hasn't changed since ten minutes ago."
Embarrassed by Luna's remark, I chewed the cookie with a sheepish expression. Ruin glanced at the fairy tale book with interest.
"When is the ancient civilization excavation team arriving?"
"They said soon, so it shouldn't take more than a few days."
The reaction through the communication artifact had been explosive. The excavation team members had caused such an uproar on the other side of the crystal orb, shouting that they'd depart immediately and ordering me not to go anywhere, that I'd almost sensed genuine madness. I'd wondered if this was the legendary obsessive archaeologist archetype. Though I'd worried that the elderly scholars might harm themselves rushing to prepare, Northern scholars possessed sturdy bodies thanks to the Breathing Method, so there was little cause for concern. Southern scholars were also preserving themselves with temperature-regulation artifacts and their region's unique technology. With plans to meet the excavation team and interpret the fairy tale book within days, I looked at the Ruin siblings.
"By the way, what are you two planning to do now?"
"About what?"
"You already achieved your goal of coming to the North."
Though we'd returned earlier than planned due to the discovery of the century, we had at least visited our hometown. The academy's break lasted roughly two months, leaving about a month after accounting for travel time. When I gave them a look asking how they intended to spend it, the siblings pondered.
"Hmm. The schedule really did fall apart. We don't have much to do."
"If the surprise the Grand Duke and Vergo prepared had been ready, we could've enjoyed that."
"That is a shame."
The students would be terrified, but the training effect would be undeniable. With Neon as the ultimate safety net, there wouldn't be any bloodshed either. Just as the Ruin siblings openly showed their disappointment that the plan had been canceled because of the ruins—
Bang!
The door suddenly flew open, and a guild staff member with an urgent expression hurried across the hall. The previously boisterous atmosphere fell deathly silent. Every adventurer who had been laughing and chatting turned their gaze toward the newcomer.
"W-what happened?"
"It got quiet all of a sudden."
"Did something serious occur?"
Startled by the sudden change, the academy students looked around in confusion. Ignoring them, the staff member scanned the hall in silence before approaching Anel and whispering in her ear. After listening with a grave expression, Anel stood up and shouted.
"Large-scale monster movement detected southwest of Edenberg! Scale: medium wave! This is a serious matter—declaring a state of emergency!"
The hall, which had been as quiet as a graveyard, erupted into noise at the emergency declaration. Adventurers heading to their lodgings to gather equipment or circulating mana to sober up could be seen throughout the hall. Guild staff, already moving busily, enhanced their bodies with various methods and moved even faster.
"Damn it. I thought this month would pass quietly."
"How many times is this this year?"
"Already the fourth. Summer hasn't even arrived yet."
"Compared to last year, the frequency has doubled or tripled. Must be because of the Mountain Dragon."
"Probably. Given that creature's influence, it's no surprise the monsters in the North are uneasy."
Despite their grumbling, everyone prepared quickly. In the North, monster rampages arrived without fail whenever people let their guard down. The students wore bewildered expressions at the frantic activity.
"W-what's going on? What's happening?"
"A state of emergency... Did something actually happen?"
Having never witnessed such a scene during their time in the North, the students struggled to remain calm. As they scrambled about, unsure what to prepare, Luna offered a reassuring smile and explained.
"It's nothing major. At least several hundred monsters have formed a pack and are heading toward a city or village."
"""......?"""
That's nothing major? Northern monsters were far stronger than those in other regions. If hundreds of them had gathered, wasn't this dangerous? The students' expressions turned blank at the denial of common sense. I added an explanation in Luna's place.
"It's like a traditional game here in the North. No one wants it, but it happens whenever people forget about it, so everyone's used to dealing with it."
"I-I see."
"This is... a traditional game...?"
"Does this happen often?"
"Usually once every two or three months across the nearby territories."
The students' mouths fell open at the frequency, something unimaginable in other regions. I shrugged with a composed expression. What did it matter? It was still better than certain countries in my previous life where civil wars occurred once every ten years on average. There, civil war had become a folk tradition with a long history. Compared to that self-destructive cycle, the North at least prepared thoroughly, resulting in relatively fewer casualties and substantial rewards. Knowing this, the adventurers chatted with nearby colleagues even as they prepared.
"A medium wave, huh. Probably around four hundred monsters?"
"Even if they're all Bronze-class, the earnings won't be bad."
"Only the new adventurers are unlucky. With this many Gold-class adventurers around when a wave hits, how safe can it get?"
The students stared blankly at the guild hall as everyone prepared with practiced ease. A disaster they could never hope to face was apparently a frequent occurrence—not across the entire North, but merely within the surrounding territories. They finally understood why the North produced warriors far stronger than those in other regions. It wasn't that strong people lived in the North. It was that people who fought and survived became strong here.
I shrugged at their stunned expressions. During the incident with Adela, ten thousand War Ants had rampaged, and in Libertas, tens of millions of Storm Locusts had swarmed. They would faint if they heard those numbers. Realizing anew just how insane the Northern environment was, I grinned playfully at the Ruin siblings.
"Lucky us. The North prepared a surprise for its visiting guests."
"You're right. Thanks to that, we won't be bored."
"We'll be busy for about a week, won't we?"
The siblings smiled mischievously in return. What Arthur and Vergo had prepared as WWE had transformed into the North's version of UFC, but the practical experience would be genuine. From the students' perspective, it was a good thing.
"If you get through this properly, you'll all grow a step stronger. I'll offer my congratulations in advance."
After leaving those words for the students who would gain real experience in the North before returning, we began our own preparations. Having been active in other regions, our participation in Northern affairs had been relatively sparse. Even during my guild staff days, I'd joined emergency responses whenever possible, but after becoming an adventurer, I'd only participated a handful of times. The thought brought a smile to my face. To truly savor the Northern air, one had to properly enjoy this beloved traditional pastime.