Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Reincarnated as the Plum Blossom Sword Master in a Count's Family
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Night had fallen.
Yuria and I bundled up in thick clothing, preparing to head out. Our destination was, of course, the Hughes Snow Mountains.
Setting off for the Hughes Snow Mountains at night was dangerous and a bad idea. I knew that full well, but there was no helping it. If we wanted to move without drawing attention, night was our only option.
I had come to the Hughes Snow Mountains for two reasons.
'A trip? Why would anyone come to a boring place like this for vacation? The only thing to see is the damn mountain.'
If it had really been about traveling, I could've just rested at some decent spot near Prucker Count's territory without bothering with the Hughes Snow Mountains.
I tightened the warm winter clothes I'd brought from the real world, double-checked that my dagger was secure, and glanced at Yuria.
Instead of her usual maid outfit, Yuria was wrapped head to toe in a coat and cloak. With a black mask covering her face, only her blue eyes were visible. At her waist hung a sword, pistol, dagger, axe, and other weapons.
"Ready?"
"Yes. I've stored all the essentials in the shadows."
I nodded. Even if she hadn't packed them, my smartphone had everything covered anyway.
"We have to be back by lunchtime tomorrow at the latest. Let's go."
"Yes, Master."
We slipped out of the mansion, muffling our presence, then took a roundabout path toward the Hughes Snow Mountains. We didn't head straight there to avoid leaving tracks—the knights might find them tomorrow and cause a hassle.
At the entrance to the Hughes Snow Mountains, I pulled something out of my inventory.
"Master, what's that?"
"This? A snowmobile. Running or walking would take too long and be exhausting. Surprisingly, it wasn't that expensive."
It was a two-seater snowmobile, with skis up front and tank treads in the back. I'd gotten it from the Vampire Detective world. Since it didn't rely on any special powers, it worked just fine in other worlds without any performance drop.
I put on a helmet and gripped the handlebars. Yuria sat behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
We rode the snowmobile up into the Hughes Snow Mountains. It was definitely faster and easier than going on foot or running.
'Gotta find that rock that looks like an ogre's face. In the original story, it was about halfway up the mountain.'
But trouble hit soon enough.
It wasn't the snowmobile or us—the vehicle was running smoothly.
"Master. Three ice trolls are chasing us from the right."
"Ice trolls?"
I turned my head to the right.
Huge ice trolls with bluish skin were barreling toward us at high speed. I furrowed my brow.
Ice trolls. The name sounded impressive, but their physical abilities were on par with regular trolls. The only difference was their adaptation to cold environments. They existed in the real world too—probably the author just copied real monsters into the story.
'Trolls are D-rank monsters. Not a big threat to us.'
With mana, I could handle three trolls easily. And Yuria went without saying.
"They're not letting up. Annoying... Kill them."
"Yes."
Yuria drew her pistol and aimed at the trolls. Just before pulling the trigger, a magic circle formed in front of the barrel. Once it was complete, she fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets passed through the magic circle—a power enhancement spell. A regular pistol couldn't hurt trolls, so magic was needed to amp it up.
The shots pierced the trolls' weak spots, their eye sockets, straight into their brains. The three trolls collapsed onto the snowfield.
"As expected of Yuria."
"It's nothing... Master! Ahead!"
Yuria shouted urgently. I spotted it a beat later. I couldn't pierce the darkness as well as she could.
"Damn. What the hell is that?"
Something hazy floated directly ahead, motionless, staring at us. It didn't seem too dangerous. Since it wasn't moving, we could just go around.
"It's a wraith. Sorry for the fuss."
"It's not fully formed. No need to turn back."
Wraiths varied wildly by individual. Strong ones could trouble even veteran hunters. But this was a vague, smoky wraith without a proper shape. Aside from resisting normal physical attacks, it was nothing special.
"I'll handle it."
Yuria gripped her dagger.
A sharp blue aura coated the blade.
Vmmm...
I didn't slow the snowmobile. As we passed under the wraith, Yuria swung.
Kiiiiieeeek!
The wraith shrieked and vanished.
The simplest and most efficient way to kill a wraith was with mana-based attacks. Body enhancement like mine wouldn't work.
I couldn't generate aura yet, so I couldn't kill wraiths like Yuria.
'But I can fry them with lightning.'
My lightning trait consumed mana and vitality. Since its source was mana, it could damage wraiths effectively.
"No more chasing us now, right?"
"......"
Yuria didn't respond—an unusual silence. Her mind was elsewhere.
She stared diagonally left ahead. I followed her gaze.
A figure stood atop a pristine snow hill.
"...A yeti. I don't think I can take it."
"It's watching us?"
"Yes. It definitely sees us."
The yeti waved its hand—or mimed throwing something. It was too dark for me to see clearly.
"Ice spear incoming! Veer right!"
I swerved the snowmobile right as she said.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Three massive icicle spears stabbed into where we'd been.
Tension dried my mouth.
Yeti—snowman—was a high B-rank monster even in the real world. It wielded ice. Usually solitary, but sometimes in packs, which even A-rank hunters avoided.
'This world's yetis also control wind.'
So, this one was effectively A-rank. You'd need upper aura expert level to stand a chance.
"U-turn left!"
I followed Yuria's call, whipping the snowmobile around. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Ice spears slammed into the ground.
'Ugh... Even looking at it is intimidating.'
I wanted to send the yeti to hell, but fighting wasn't simple. Plus, it was just far enough that I could barely see it. Odds weren't great.
Awooooooo!
A wolf's howl echoed. I reflexively looked skyward. Full moon tonight—perfect for chaos.
'Wolves in Hughes Snow Mountains... Dire wolves.'
C-rank monsters.
I glanced toward the sound. Twenty dire wolves charged us. Individually weaker than trolls, but they hunted in packs and were agile.
Hiss...
Wraiths popped up here and there, more solid than the first hazy one.
"Seven ice trolls and an ice boar pack from the left."
"Even the boars caught our scent. Feels like we're the main course."
I played it cool, but inside, I was burning up. This was a life-or-death crisis. Stopping meant becoming monster chow.
'Shit. Didn't expect this much.'
And it wasn't over. Monsters appeared ahead too. Yuria handled those quickly, but the ones chasing us were the problem.
Over eighty monsters already.
'More will come as time passes. Would've been better in daylight... Shouldn't have moved at night?'
Luckily, the yeti started hurling ice spears at the monsters, not us. To it, we and they were all just prey—it went for the easier catches first.
'Good thing it's far. Probably doesn't know we're human.'
If it did, it'd target us. Monsters instinctively prioritized humans. The chasing pack proved it.
'Ogre-face rock... Ogre-face rock... Where is it!'
Kraaaack!
A monster screeched from the air.
Yuria reacted instantly, hurling her dagger skyward. Something over a meter long plummeted—a giant monster bat.
'More monsters piling on.'
Vrooom!
The snowmobile's engine roared. If needed, I'd hack it to exceed its limits. I'd learned in Vampire Detective that hacking temporarily boosted performance.
"...Found it!"
There was the ogre-face rock.
I glanced back. Still chasing.
"Need to shake them..."
"I can use Dark Veil to lose them for a bit."
"Do it now!"
"Yes."
Darkness erupted from Yuria's shadow. Not magic.
Yeongcheon-ryu Dark Veil.
It blanketed the area in darkness only the user could see through—or those with superior mana control or special abilities.
I hadn't mastered Shadow Shadow, so I couldn't use it, but I knew the theory.
Vision went black. I gauged distance in my head and stored the moving snowmobile in my inventory.
Yuria caught my falling body and dashed forward.
"Yuria! Dive into the space below the ogre-face rock straight ahead!"
"Got it."
Splat!
We plunged into snow, sliding down. The darkness lifted midway, vision returning.
'Still dark, but I can see with mana.'
We landed on relatively firm snow. I looked up—hole about 5 meters overhead.
"...Won't the monsters follow?"
Yuria asked worriedly.
I shook my head firmly.
"No. It's protected by a barrier. Even dire wolves with their keen noses can't track us here."
"A barrier... Is this a dungeon?"
"Something like that."
We brushed snow off ourselves. Return trip would be fine—there was a safe secret passage. One-way, though.
"Probably this way. Let's go."
We trudged inward through pristine snow.
The snow thinned, temperature warming as we went.
"A cave. I feel heat."
"One of Hughes Snow Mountains' secrets: warm inside despite the frozen exterior."
We walked the cave. Coming from the cold to warmth felt alive again.
"...Is the warmth from a dragon vein?"
"Oh, you caught on quick. Exactly—a convergence of dragon veins, a ley line nexus. Remember the legend?"
"The Ancient Silver Dragon died in the mountains, keeping the snow eternal?"
"That's true. This was its lair. The dragon used its last power to make it a perpetual glacier."
I didn't know why—not in the original.
"Is the dragon lair your goal, Master?"
"No."
The legend was ancient history.
Dragon lair? Adventurers would've raided it ages ago. Not a lair anymore.
"My target's the dwarves living here."