Third-Year Mission Activity (2)
The moment we arrived on the Northern Continent, the first woman we saw was Princess Ariel.
Rana rushed over to her the instant she spotted her.
"Hey, Princess! You here for a mission too?"
"Ah, Rana. Nice to see you. Yes, I'm here for mission activities."
"Whoa! Is your mission..."
Rana bombarded Ariel with questions, her face lit up with excitement. Once she'd asked everything she wanted, she turned to me.
"Kyle, good news! She's on the same mission as us! And she came alone!"
Rana beamed with innocent delight, clearly thrilled at the prospect of traveling with Ariel.
Well, that's fine, I guess.
Truth be told, I hadn't expected the princess to show up here. The novel never mentioned anything about missions—it was all focused on the protagonist, Evan. That's why I hadn't agonized over picking one; I knew nothing about them anyway, so every option was an unknown.
I'd come here expecting a bit of a breather. But with Ariel around, we could probably wrap this up faster and easier.
"Let's move first."
"Yeah!"
"Understood."
Hanging around the warp gate entrance wasn't smart. We headed inside the building to a restaurant that was still open and grabbed a table.
The Northern Continent's warp gate felt like a station or hub, complete with all sorts of conveniences.
We ordered some hot tea—like coffee—to ward off the chill and got down to business. The place charged a premium for its climate control, but the Northern Continent's cold still seeped right through.
Once our tea arrived, I spoke up first.
"You're really here on a mission, Princess?"
"I'm a Tianis student too. For graduation..."
"All alone, without any escorts?"
"......"
The princess fell silent. She knew exactly why I was scolding her.
"Kyle, why are you like that? I'm sure she has a good reason."
"Rana, that's one thing any other time, but this isn't something we can just brush off."
This was royalty—the bloodline considered the noblest on the continent. For someone of that status to head to a remote region without guards, all alone? It was absurd.
Tianis's "equality" rule only applied within the empire anyway. Outside it, the rule was worthless. She knew that full well, yet she'd come to the Northern Continent solo. It was borderline insane.
So while I welcomed her presence, as a noble of the empire, I had to call her out. If things went south and she got seriously hurt, that'd be a whole other mess.
"...Sorry. I didn't think it through."
"Be more careful next time."
But she'd already signed up for the mission and come all this way. Sending her off like this wasn't an option.
"Hey, Princess. You packed properly, right?"
"Yes, Rana. I brought everything I need."
Rana must've taken my words to heart and gotten serious, because she started fussing over Ariel—checking her subspatial pocket and making sure nothing was missing.
"Looks good, Kyle."
"Glad to hear it."
We wrapped up the talk, had a meal to fill our stomachs, and got up. To survive in the Northern Continent, you needed a full belly.
Before leaving the building, we geared up properly: Northern Continent-style cloaks, gloves, and boots, plus heat-generating magic tools activated.
We were superhumans, sure, but without this, the cold would've worn us down fast.
"Ready?"
"Yep."
"All set."
With their affirmations, I opened the door.
Whooooosh—
A blinding white landscape buried in snow greeted us.
The Northern Continent's regions divide into three: the Thousand-Year Mountains stretching from the empire; vast plains blanketed in snow year-round; and the Eternal Gorge nestled beside the Thousand-Year Mountains.
We were headed for the Thousand-Year Mountains, where our client awaited.
But the path wasn't easy. Snow-packed peaks and rugged terrain made travel a hassle.
"Ugh, my feet feel like they're gonna freeze..."
"Hang in there. We're almost there."
I cast a warming spell on Rana as I said it. I reapplied it every ten minutes, but the intense cold burned through it quick. Plus, as a mage, she was more vulnerable than knight-types like me and Princess Ariel.
Still, we'd reach the client's tribe soon enough.
And sure enough, a man approached from afar, dressed in fur garments just like us—a barbarian.
"Tianis students?"
"Yes."
"Follow me."
His common tongue was fluent. Barbarians had their own language, but those who dealt with outsiders often spoke common like this.
We trailed him. The path gradually improved into something more maintained—we were entering tribe territory.
A bit farther, and huts came into view, along with people.
"We're here. Welcome to the Red Axe Tribe."
We stepped into tribe lands.
But arrival didn't mean much change from outside. Snow piled everywhere. Still, it wasn't as primitive as I'd imagined. Unlike ancient times, the modern Northern Continent traded often with neighbors and made good use of magic tools.
Housing was still huts, though—blizzards and monster raids meant they might have to relocate anytime. These looked recently set up.
"Wait inside."
He pointed to the largest hut in the tribe.
We headed in as instructed.
Others had arrived first: fellow Tianis students like us, plus adventurers and scholars.
Missions pulled requests from across the continent to Tianis, so that was expected.
The mood inside was quiet—status differences and unfamiliarity, probably. Our entrance lightened it a touch.
"Hey, everyone!"
Rana approached her classmates with a bright smile. Princess Ariel followed suit with greetings.
I said my hellos too, then went to the adventurers.
"Nice to meet you. Looking forward to working together."
"The pleasure's ours, Saint."
These were our companions for the expedition. Keeping things amicable couldn't hurt.
The "Saint" bit grated, but if it helped shift the students' views of me, fine. Tianis kids had skills, but real combat experience lagged behind these vets.
As we chatted lightly, the barbarian from earlier entered—with tribe warriors in tow.
"Time to brief on this expedition."
He unrolled a map on the central table—a Northern Continent map.
"Simple rundown for the Tianis students. Our team will explore the Eternal Gorge, next to the Thousand-Year Mountains."
He pointed to one spot. At his fingertip: [Eternal Gorge].
"You might think it's just scouting, but the real goal is traces of an ancient kingdom once said to exist here. Anyone know about it?"
Most shook their heads. Rana and Ariel included.
It was obscure knowledge, even among historians.
"The Saint seems to."
"A little."
Hey, I'd memorized the Akacheonma timeline and settings. Not knowing would've been weirder.
The ancient kingdom was a legendary realm believed to have existed on the Northern Continent long ago. No precise dates or records survived, hence the myth status.
From what I recalled, it was a magic superpower—even beyond the Parun Magic Kingdom.
But details were sparse; that's all I had.
"Good. No need for a full rundown then."
Fragmentary records were all that remained. Knowing it existed covered half the basics. These folks didn't know much more anyway—docs were scarce.
"We'll scout this area."
He indicated a point in the Eternal Gorge. An X nearby meant that zone was done; now this one.
"Duration's two weeks, as you know. Scout by day, camp nearby at night. Prepared?"
He eyed us students. The others looked ready; couldn't vouch for our trio, but we were solid.
I asked, "How're we splitting groups?"
"Scholars lead, half adventurers, half students."
"Sounds good."
Not a bad split. Students had upsides too; mixing us would benefit everyone. The adventurers, grizzled Northern Continent vets, seemed to agree.
"That's it. Questions?"
Students fired off queries—their first mission, lots to ask.
I had none.
"Alright. Gear up and we head out."
He left with the warriors.
I finished prepping, chatted with adventurers and scholars for intel. Early birds had the edge.
Learned about gorge weather: even summer dipped to -10 to -20°C.
The barbarian returned soon, handing out items—location trackers and vital monitors.
"Keep these on you. Or we can't find you if you're lost."
Gorges here were ten times deadlier than most danger zones, thanks to the weather. Essentials.
"Prepped? Let's move."
We headed for the [Eternal Gorge].
And naturally, I ended up teamed with Rana and Ariel.