Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Southern Kingdom (1)
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Two horses slowly galloped through the damp mist along the road.
Irena hummed to herself now and then beside me, moving with a lively bounce.
The straw and dirt beneath the horses' hooves vibrated quietly.
It felt strangely nostalgic.
When I left for the North, I had been a penniless wanderer with just a single sword, some rations, and a bit of coin. Now, I was setting off on a well-supplied journey with plenty of provisions.
Was this what they called returning home in glory?
I felt something akin to that.
"It's quieter than I expected."
"We've only been traveling for less than an hour."
"No, I mean it's been a while since we've traveled together like this."
At her words, I turned my head slightly to look at her.
Irena, clad in white lightweight armor, looked worlds apart from her old self back in the North.
A frost spear was tightly bound to her back with cloth, and a short sword hung at her waist.
"What do you think? Pretty decent gear, right?"
She asked with a grin.
It wasn't overdone, yet it wasn't too flimsy either.
It was solid equipment.
"Looks good."
I was dressed in ordinary clothes.
Nothing fancy.
Just common attire topped with leather armor.
Rigid Body Armament at my waist, a dagger strapped to my thigh.
Honestly, this felt more than sufficient.
The horses gradually picked up speed, heading south.
Gentle hills rolled out before us, and faint mountain shadows loomed in the distance.
The Empire's main trade route to the South appeared peaceful,
but that was only surface-level.
Monsters appeared sporadically, and even bandit groups formed by humans posed real threats.
Of course, none of that applied to us.
As the horses crested a hill and entered the mountain ridge, the morning mist began to lift.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, while dew still clung to the shaded hollows.
"Ian, checked the map?"
Irena twisted around on her horse.
"There's a direct path south, but we have to skirt the Salt Mountains midway. Three days if we push, five if we take it slow."
"Salt Mountains... Weren't those crawling with ice ghouls back in the day?"
"They're mostly gone now, from what I've heard. Still, no reason to let our guard down."
By the time we urged our horses to the foot of the Salt Mountains, the sun hung high overhead.
An abandoned wagon lay broken by the roadside, long left to rot.
"Hmm..."
Irena dismounted and knelt to inspect the wheel tracks.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Pretty recent. Footprints are clear too. Two horses, three people."
"Bandits, or maybe they crashed fleeing a monster."
I swiftly drew a dagger and flung it.
The surrounding air twisted briefly.
A bandit hiding behind a rock collapsed with a thud.
"One more."
Irena had already drawn her sword from its sheath and leaped toward the rock on the right.
A short roar echoed, followed by the clang of metal striking stone.
Then a brief scream.
Irena emerged, blood smeared on her forehead.
"Their gear's junk, no traps either. Rookie bandits."
"Taken care of?"
"Yeah. Weapons weren't worth keeping."
I responded casually to her remark and drew another dagger.
I hurled it with a surge of wave energy toward where the bandit had been.
Another one tumbled out from deep bushes.
"Three. That's all."
We disarmed the bandits and checked the cargo in their wagon.
Nothing special—just sundries and salt.
Irena handed some of it over to me.
"This could fetch a nice price."
Night had fallen by the time we set up camp.
We lit a small fire on the flatland at the mountain's base.
Under the night sky where stars faintly awoke, the wind was still.
"Ian."
"Yes."
"After we head south and look into that matter... what then?"
I didn't answer right away.
The flames flickered softly, and an owl hooted from the brush.
"Next, I'll head east."
Irena stared at me in disbelief.
An unexpected answer, one she hadn't anticipated.
"Huh? Then west after that? Don't tell me your dream is a world tour."
"A world tour... You could see it that way."
I thought of Lier for a moment.
The promise to go west together after I returned.
Irena let out a hollow laugh.
"What a ridiculous answer. So your dream really is a world tour, huh."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A small rural village caught my eye beside the road.
"Shall we check it out?"
Irena reined in her horse first.
Drumbeats and laughter drifted from afar.
"Looks like something's going on."
I glanced at the map briefly and nodded.
"A day won't hurt. Need to check the wagon anyway, and rest the horses."
We slowly rode to the village entrance.
The hamlet, surrounded by earthen walls, was tiny.
In the central square, a modest field festival was in full swing.
At the center stood a small straw effigy stacked from rice stalks.
Part of a harvest blessing ritual, it seemed.
"Nothing we need to buy, but the vibe's not bad."
Irena was dragged off by village girls and returned wearing a flower crown.
She grinned playfully at me.
"Ian, want to try one?"
"...I'll pass."
"Come on, you should wear one at least once. I'm your traveling companion, after all."
Irena laughed and plopped the flower crown on my head.
Rustic but carefully woven flowers now adorned my head.
"Hmm... Not bad?"
"A bit embarrassing."
"This isn't embarrassing—it's humiliating, right?"
I stared at my reflection in the well.
A scarred, sharp face topped with a flower crown.
Even charitably, it didn't suit me.
"You know that, and you still do this?"
"It's fun. What can I say."
As dusk fell, an old village woman approached.
She took Irena's hand and pressed a small cloth scrap into it.
"For those setting out on journeys... this keeps you safe from harm."
It was a faded blue protective talisman.
Irena carefully tied it to her saddle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We crossed the Salt Mountains and arrived at a small inn village nestled at the foothills.
A stopover for travelers and porters who'd scaled the peaks.
Campfires dotted the area,
and wagon wheel ruts crisscrossed the dirt paths.
In front of the inn, a shabby boy sat quietly on the porch.
A lantern beside him.
An envelope clutched in his hand.
"Wrong place?"
"Looks like he's waiting for someone."
I approached the boy cautiously.
"What brings you out so late?"
The boy spoke softly.
"My brother's coming. Someone gave me this letter to deliver. Said it had to be done."
"It's pretty late. You okay?"
"Still, I can't miss it."
The boy held up the envelope carefully.
Cheap paper stamped with a crude seal.
"Don't know who sent it, but they insisted I deliver it. Said my brother would regret it otherwise."
Irena approached, handing the boy some bread as she took over.
"Want this big sis to wait with you?"
"I'm fine. I'll wait alone. Can't impose."
That night, in our inn room.
Outside, the boy's shadow lingered faintly under the lantern, still waiting.
Irena murmured quietly beside me.
"He's still out there."
"I looked around a bit—the area's secure enough. No need to worry."
"...Who said I was worried."
The next morning, I watched from the inn window as the boy handed over the letter.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We finally reached the South at journey's end.
Delgaria, the southernmost kingdom in the Southern Kingdom Alliance, closest to the Empire.
A land bustling with trade, where nights outshone days in vibrancy.
Winds from the sea enveloped the city,
but humid heat hit the skin first.
The breeze carried salt and oil scents.
Irena was sweating buckets.
"...Hot."
Her clothes had grown lighter and lighter; she wasn't even wearing armor anymore.
Accustomed to the North's chill, she couldn't handle the heat.
I'd ditched my armor long ago too.
"Dress like you did in the North, and you'll dehydrate."
"......I know that much."
"Better to wear something thin."
"But I don't have thin clothes."
She wore the thinnest outfit she'd packed.
Even so, poor ventilation left it soaked in sweat.
I'd give her something thin if I had it, but I didn't.
"...Me neither."
This was Adel, the city teeming with test subjects in the game.
Built atop hills, its boundaries curved like a bend,
red roofs and earthen brick walls tilting toward the sea.
We needed to settle here and gather intel.
To do that, blend in with the locals first.
Standing out was bad.
I pondered how to gather information.
'Best to take a job I'm good at.'
I'd thought of a few options on the way.
Swordsmanship lessons or monster hunts.
Confident in both.
"Irena, what should we—"
Irena clutched her frost spear tightly to her back.
Her sun-kissed face relaxed loosely.
"......Feels cool?"
"A little."
For now, we rented a room near the outskirts residential area in Adel.
Not time to move in earnest yet—prioritize camouflage and settling in.
A few days later.
I opened a swordsmanship training hall there.