How to Cross the Desert (4)
"All right... the treatment is finished with this."
The old man received care first. Legia wrapped a meticulous bandage around his injured arm. The pain must have eased considerably, because a gentle smile lingered on the old man's lips. His aged mouth conveyed gratitude.
"Thank you for helping me in so many ways. How can I ever repay this kindness..."
"Kindness? It was nothing at all."
"Your skills are better than the local physicians. You have quite the talent in those hands."
"Th-thank you."
The girl averted her eyes, embarrassed. I had been watching from the side and decided to add a few words.
"It was impressive, Miss Legia."
"Pardon?"
"Your handling of the wound was skillful, and the variety of medicines you carried made it feel quite professional."
"If even you say that, Young Master, it's too much..."
"I was only speaking the truth."
In fact, the treatment had been flawless, without a single wasted motion. Perhaps it came from the experience she had accumulated while traveling the continent alone, but she handled minor injuries with natural ease. At the humble girl's reaction, I shrugged.
"As expected, Miss Legia is weak to compliments."
"Euu..."
By now a flush had bloomed across her pure white cheeks. Legia had particularly low resistance to praise, so even these small compliments often made her blush. Her reaction seemed genuinely burdensome.
"...It's not really something worth bragging about."
Perhaps it was because of her low self-esteem. The protagonist, who had been chewing her lip for a moment, soon smiled awkwardly and turned her head away. Her expression carried a trace of bitterness.
"They're not particularly useful anyway."
Her transparent green eyes blinked. For the briefest instant, darkness flickered across their surface. It seemed she was recalling an unpleasant memory. Before I could respond, the girl changed the subject.
"Th-that aside... sir?"
"Hm?"
"Do you by any chance know where this place is?"
"I've been thinking something felt strange... Don't tell me you two don't even know where we are?"
"The truth is..."
Legia gave a brief explanation of the situation. Upon learning of our circumstances, the old man looked startled for a moment, then let out a low groan.
"A teleportation accident... You really had terrible luck."
"So when we came to our senses, we were already here."
"Good heavens."
I listened quietly to their conversation. I didn't want to interrupt the flow. The old man gazed at us with pitying eyes. Saying he would return the help we had given him, he began sharing what he knew, one piece of information at a time. Of course, none of it was particularly useful.
'Because this isn't the world we knew.'
This place was another dimension entirely. It was the setting of the book titled How to Cross the Desert that had swallowed us whole. Whether we had truly entered the book itself or had simply been transported to the dimension that inspired it, I couldn't be sure. But one thing was clear: this was not the world we knew. Therefore, the information the old man provided was useless.
"Th-this is the first time I've heard those country names...?"
That was the reaction he received. Legia looked bewildered. There was no way she could know the cities, nations, or continents from a novel she had never read. Overwhelmed by the continuous stream of unfamiliar place names, she eventually concluded that this must be the outer edge of a continent far from the Empire. It was a reasonably logical guess. It sounded far more plausible than the idea that we had entered a book.
I nodded at Legia's opinion and spoke as if searching for a solution.
"First, our priority should be getting out of the desert."
"If we reach a nearby city... we could contact other people or ask for help."
"Exactly right."
As we spoke, the old man who had risen from his seat interjected. It seemed he could offer assistance.
"As it happens, I was crossing the desert myself."
"Are you... heading toward the city as well...?"
"If you continue straight ahead, you'll reach a city. I'm on my way there. If you don't mind, how about we travel together?"
"Well now... that's welcome news indeed."
"If you're willing to help us, th-thank you...!"
We readily accepted the proposal. I subtly lifted the corners of my mouth. The old man was a central figure in this field and the key to success. To complete the episode successfully, we had to cross a desert teeming with monsters without incident.
Before we set off, Legia asked quietly.
"Um... if I may ask, sir, why are you trying to cross the desert?"
The old man answered without the slightest hesitation, smiling gently.
"Because there's someone waiting for me."
His blue eyes shone with perfect clarity.
In the original work, there were roughly sixty hidden episodes. Most functioned as Easter eggs, offering minor items upon discovery. But a few were different. They unfolded as high-difficulty fields. Players had to meticulously analyze each stage and piece together strategies. Each episode could only be attempted once. Unless you restarted the game from the beginning, a second entry was impossible. Failure meant no reward. In short, it was content for veterans.
Among those hidden episodes, one stood out as the most representative...
EP???. How to Cross the Desert
— The Gate That Opens in the Sky, The Boy Who Keeps Vigil Over the Stars —
The stage progressed simply. Safely escort the designated NPC to the destination. That was the clear condition. Of course, that didn't mean the difficulty was average. It was notorious even among players.
Repeated waves of monster assaults. While enduring the endless onslaught, the player also had to keep moving toward the destination. It was a literal march through hell.
Regrettably, that remained true even now that the game had become reality. The path to our destination was brutally harsh. Swarms of scorpions poured down on us. We advanced while methodically clearing the area around us. Perhaps because we were still in the early stages, we hadn't encountered any major crises yet.
"Hup...!"
With a short breath, I swung my sword. A jet-black line sliced through the air. The strike cut the moment itself in two. Immediately after—
Slash—!
The head of the scorpion charging toward me split cleanly in half. It lost its balance and collapsed with a clatter. I caught my breath, ignoring the blood splashing at my feet.
"Whew..."
It was already the fifth battle. My stamina was gradually reaching its limit. As expected, without using the Liar ability, my overall efficiency dropped dramatically.
The saving grace was this:
'Since these are the early waves... everyone is holding up surprisingly well.'
We still seemed to be in a manageable phase. Although Legia looked visibly exhausted, she continued fighting the scorpions with determination. She clearly refused to be defeated helplessly. Of course, in the end she mostly bought time while I delivered the finishing blows...
"You can fall back now, Miss Legia."
"...Thank you."
Each time, Legia wore a complicated expression. It was as if she felt a strange sense of deprivation. The girl bit her lip. She seemed frustrated by how little help she had been.
"......"
I turned my head without a word. My gaze fell on the old man standing atop the scorpion corpses. A crossbow rested in his hand.
"Ahem... Looks like we've roughly finished cleaning up the area."
The old man's muttering lips moved. Surprisingly, he displayed masterful marksmanship. He provided sniper support from a distance or coordinated at close range to create openings. He made for quite a reliable long-range fighter.
"You seem quite spry still, sir."
"Of course. Otherwise, how could I have stepped foot in a desert like this?"
"Fair enough."
The sky was already dyed red. The day was ending. On the first day of the episode, monster waves occurred at most five times. Including the previous battle, we no longer had to worry about any more incidents today.
We prepared to camp for the night.
"We need to fill our stomachs... but all that's scattered around are these scorpion fellows."
The old man sighed briefly, then cut the tail section from a scorpion corpse and offered us a piece. Raw meat dripped with blood.
"It's the most edible part of a scorpion. It tastes like rotten chicken... but you'll get used to it eventually."
The old man opened his mouth as if to demonstrate. However, the attempt was quickly stopped. Legia desperately intervened.
"Wh-why are you trying to eat that raw?!"
"There isn't much choice, is there?"
"I'll cook it for you! Even without magic, I know a way to start a fire!"
"Hm? In that case..."
The girl succeeded in dissuading him. She pulled crude tools from her bag and skillfully started a fire. Then she thoroughly cooked the scorpion tails. Thanks to her, we avoided the disaster of eating raw meat.
"Since it's cooked... it's at least edible."
"It's definitely not horrible. The warmth seems to soften that peculiar texture."
"Th-that's a relief..."
The girl let out a sigh of relief. Her hands, which had been watching our reactions, moved with practiced skill as she tended the fire. I watched the scene for a moment. When our eyes met, she gave an awkward smile.
"Hehe... I learned these things while traveling the continent alone."
"Thanks to you, we avoided a terrible meal."
"I have to be useful somehow."
Legia's complexion was poor. It seemed especially dark. Perhaps it was because of her still-powerless abilities, or her own cowardly nature. The girl muttered in a voice so faint it was barely audible.
"...Because I wasn't any help today either."
It had been a vague sentence, but I was certain that's what she said. Her voice sounded as though it might shatter at any moment.
"It's about time to sleep."
"......"
"You mentioned we should decide on the night watch order. Shall we start with you, sir?"
Legia stood up. Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly. It was a smile pressed down like a mask. I watched it for a long time.
The red sunset eventually sank beyond the horizon. Where the sun disappeared, darkness remained, followed by sacred starlight that gently illuminated the sky. The scenery grew serene. Night had come to the desert as well. It was time to close one's eyes for a while in preparation for the fierce day ahead.
"......"
We decided to take turns standing watch. The order was decided fairly by rock-paper-scissors. I took the first shift, Legia the second, and the old man the third. While the other two slept, I quietly kept guard.
"It's chilly."
I rubbed my cold hands. A faintly glowing magic lantern rolled in front of me. Though its light was meager compared to the darkness blanketing the desert, the stars twinkling overhead kept the area from being completely black. I simply felt the cool air.
While I was lost in thought, I heard movement nearby.
Crunch... crunch...
The sound of footsteps on sand. When I turned my head, a girl with pink hair stood there. It was Legia, looking somewhat withdrawn.
"Miss Legia."
"Young Master...?"
"It's quite late... Seeing you awake, it seems sleep isn't coming easily."
"...Yes."
I offered a small smile and lightly patted the spot beside me.
Tap, tap.
"Why don't you sit here for a moment?"
"......"
Her green eyes blinked weakly. Still smiling gently, I extended my hand toward the hesitant girl.