Chapter 401: Ice Rock (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 401: Ice Rock (2)
The investigation found that two people had in fact changed their names. However, the names those two had used were Margery and Dick, which were a far cry from that cursed name. So, put simply, there was no (former) Hans among them.
But what is this feeling? It feels weird that there really wasn't one...
It wasn't that I wasn't relieved there wasn't a (former) Hans here, but with that relief came a certain amount of disappointment. If one existed, this series of events might really have been a mere coincidence. And if that wasn't the case, we would have at least been able to narrow down our list of suspects significantly.
...No, wait.
"The Trolls."
"Yes?"
"What are the names of the three Trolls you summoned?" I asked just in case but to no avail. Apparently, their names were Pippi, Poppy, and Yeppi in order from tallest to shortest. As a layman, I couldn't understand the thought process behind that naming scheme.
Anyway, this confirms that someone deliberately caused this.
A coincidental fluke? Although that possibility couldn't be completely ruled out, I didn't really believe in such coincidences—not unless a Hans was somehow involved. Not to mention, the ground in Ice Rock collapsing wasn't a common enough phenomenon to occur twice during a single expedition.
I have a guess too.
I carefully tucked the ring I'd just quickly put on and taken off again back into my pocket.
"Looks like that's pretty much settled, then."
"Yes."
"What are our losses?"
"It's hard to call anything about this lucky, but the proportion of food on that sled wasn't that large."
In that case, it was. The other items we brought on this expedition were also important for our survival but not as important as food.
"...What will you do now?"
"What is there to do? We're going to keep moving."
After confirming the extent of the damage, I got our squadron moving again. We were on a tight timeline. It wasn't like the culprit was going to pop out of the woodwork if we killed more time here. I needed to think on my feet.
"How far can you send the Ice Trolls?"
"...A-Anywhere, as long as it's within my line of sight!" the summoner immediately replied. It seemed she was worried she was going to be held responsible for this incident.
...Is it an act?
He was the most suspicious one. But I didn't dig too deep, deciding now wasn't the right time to do so.
"From now on, the remaining three sleds will travel in the front, center, and rear."
To guard against any more unexpected complications, the sleds were divided up in a wider formation.
Step, step.
As we continued to march through the cave with its transparent ice walls, I continued to contemplate the situation. If someone among us really had destroyed our supplies, who could the culprit be? The problem was there were too many suspects. But in case there was a traitor, the first people I should consider were those who would have the most means and motive. For example, the leaders of each team.
"...Schuitz, I'm sorry. This was my fault. I should've divided up the sleds a long time ago."
First, Titana Akurava. It went without saying that the woman was suspicious. She was in charge of managing the supplies, and every time something bad happened, she was always closest to the sleds.
"I'm sure Lady Akurava didn't mean to do it on purpose, but this is the second time already," said Kaislan, coming up next to me. "Whether you like it or not, everyone will look down on you if you don't do something." He was just as suspicious. I appreciated his kind advice and sacrificial mindset, but that was honestly even more suspicious to me. On top of that, he was the one who most coveted the position of commander.
"I think it's hard to call this accident anyone's fault. But... I believe holding someone accountable this time is one way to fix things." James Calla, although the least suspicious, wasn't without motive either. He had the lowest status of the four. His sponsors could easily bully him into doing what they wanted.
"...Do whatever you wish. That is your duty and right as the leader." Last was Paladin Jun. He'd been strangely friendly toward me for a while, which I felt pretty awkward about.
"Mr. Schuitz, the squadron is extremely tired."
The march lasted two hours longer than scheduled.
"Set up camp!"
While the rest of the group got our camp up and running, we held a leadership meeting.
The first matter of business was this. "The loss of potions and consumables for maintaining body temperature is also an issue, but the biggest problem is the loss of our tents and sleeping bags."
"We're already hungry. If we can't sleep either, everyone's discontent is sure to skyrocket."
"We have to resolve this in a way that won't raise any issues about unfairness. If some sleep well while others don't, everyone will start to resent each other."
The number of tents and sleeping bags left could not accommodate all thirty of us. The solution I decided to go with was simple.
"What will you do about this problem?"
"Increase the number of people on night watch in proportion to the shortage of beds."
"...Night watch?"
Well, the number of sleeping bags didn't measure up, right? But if the number of lookouts outside went up, the number of people who could sleep inside would go up too.
"...That's too extreme."
"We'll burn through more energy this way."
"Why don't we take turns using the sleeping bags and tents?"
The team leaders expressed their concerns, but with my authority as the commander behind me, I ignored them and ratified the motion.
"Schuitz, this will only make the resentment toward you grow more."
It wasn't that I couldn't understand what they were saying. This solution eliminated the problem rather than actually solving it. Tomorrow, the squadron would probably start calling me barbaric and criticize me for knowing nothing about strategy. People would say I didn't have the qualities of a proper leader.
"I don't care. Let everyone know. Each team can choose who will be on watch and the order they'll take their shifts."
Increasing the number of people on night watch was mandatory. If the number of those not sleeping went up, nighttime security would also go up, right? From now on, I had to be on guard against traitors within our squadron.
"Ravien," I said, stopping the tired dragon tribe woman from heading into a tent.
"What's the matter?" This woman was also a bit suspicious. I was curious about her exact relationship to the marquess too.
"I wondered if we could talk for a minute."
"Is this because of what happened earlier today?"
"Yes, what are your thoughts?"
"I'm sure Lady Akurava didn't mean to do it on purpose, but this is the second time already," said Kaislan, coming up next to me. "Whether you like it or not, everyone will look down on you if you don't do something." He was just as suspicious. I appreciated his kind advice and sacrificial mindset, but that was honestly even more suspicious to me. On top of that, he was the one who most coveted the position of commander.
"I think it's hard to call this accident anyone's fault. But... I believe holding someone accountable this time is one way to fix things." James Calla, although the least suspicious, wasn't without motive either. He had the lowest status of the four. His sponsors could easily bully him into doing what they wanted.
"...Do whatever you wish. That is your duty and right as the leader." Last was Paladin Jun. He'd been strangely friendly toward me for a while, which I felt pretty awkward about.
"Mr. Schuitz, the squadron is extremely tired."
The march lasted two hours longer than scheduled.
"Set up camp!"
While the rest of the group got our camp up and running, we held a leadership meeting.
The first matter of business was this. "The loss of potions and consumables for maintaining body temperature is also an issue, but the biggest problem is the loss of our tents and sleeping bags."
"We're already hungry. If we can't sleep either, everyone's discontent is sure to skyrocket."
"We have to resolve this in a way that won't raise any issues about unfairness. If some sleep well while others don't, everyone will start to resent each other."
The number of tents and sleeping bags left could not accommodate all thirty of us. The solution I decided to go with was simple.
"What will you do about this problem?"
"Increase the number of people on night watch in proportion to the shortage of beds."
"...Night watch?"
Well, the number of sleeping bags didn't measure up, right? But if the number of lookouts outside went up, the number of people who could sleep inside would go up too.
"...That's too extreme."
"We'll burn through more energy this way."
"Why don't we take turns using the sleeping bags and tents?"
The team leaders expressed their concerns, but with my authority as the commander behind me, I ignored them and ratified the motion.
"Schuitz, this will only make the resentment toward you grow more."
It wasn't that I couldn't understand what they were saying. This solution eliminated the problem rather than actually solving it. Tomorrow, the squadron would probably start calling me barbaric and criticize me for knowing nothing about strategy. People would say I didn't have the qualities of a proper leader.
"I don't care. Let everyone know. Each team can choose who will be on watch and the order they'll take their shifts."
Increasing the number of people on night watch was mandatory. If the number of those not sleeping went up, nighttime security would also go up, right? From now on, I had to be on guard against traitors within our squadron.
"Ravien," I said, stopping the tired dragon tribe woman from heading into a tent.
"What's the matter?" This woman was also a bit suspicious. I was curious about her exact relationship to the marquess too.
"I wondered if we could talk for a minute."
"Is this because of what happened earlier today?"
"Yes, what are your thoughts?"
"Sounds like you think someone did it on purpose."
"I have to leave all possibilities open." Having worked together for a while, the conversation between us flowed much more naturally than before, but I unfortunately didn't learn much from it.
"Even if you ask, I'm not sure. I don't know anything about things like that."
"I see..."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, you must be tired. Go sleep." I debated talking some more but it didn't seem anything would come out of it, so I let Ravien go. Then, heading behind a tent and away from prying eyes, I put on the ring from my pocket.
[You have equipped No. 6111: Destiny Seeker.]
In keeping with all the times I wore it over the past few days, a light appeared on the ring as soon as I put it on.
[The ring has detected your destiny.]
Said light was a very vivid red. I quickly took it off in case someone saw it.
God damn it.
It had been like this ever since we entered the seventh floor.
When it came to Numbers Items, there were some that couldn't be used in the city, such as No. 399: Cage of Silence. Destiny Seeker was one of these items. So as soon as I entered the labyrinth, the first thing I did was put on this ring.
There was no red light then.
The same went for when I met up with the other members of our mission on the sixth floor, and even during the voyage through the eastern seas. But the moment we reached Ice Rock, the ring began to glow red.
Shaaaaaaa!
That meant there was something that would negatively impact me nearby, something that I had no chance of turning into a positive. At the time, a traitor didn't even come to mind.
If their plan was to betray us only once we got to the seventh floor, it makes sense why the red light only came on now.
Throughout the journey, we'd been faced with disaster after disaster, and yet the light on the ring remained the same. That meant this wasn't over yet, and more negative events remained on my horizon.
"Mister, how long are you going to sleep!"
When I opened my eyes, I could see Erwen above me. I'd reduced the number of insulation stones in each tent since our supply was now limited, so my body temperature had dropped overnight.
"Where are Old Didi and Ashed?"
"They're up already and getting ready."
"Why didn't they wake me earlier?"
"I guess you looked tired."
Hmm... I'm grateful, but it's embarrassing as a warrior to have a wizard and special ability user, of all people, worried about my stamina.
"Do you want me to shave you?" Erwen asked with a grin as I sat up. I subconsciously touched my chin and felt a thick beard there. I didn't particularly mind it, though.
"It's fine. It's not uncomfortable." Rather, having a beard was beneficial in this climate. This was hair, too, so it should keep me warm, right?
"Oh... that's too bad. What a shame. You're much more handsome without a beard, Mister..."
I ignored Erwen's whining and headed outside. The cold air enveloped my skin and filled my lungs. But by far the biggest problem was hunger.
Growwwl!
I noticed the emptiness in my stomach the moment I woke up.
"You're awake."
"First things first, let's pack up the tent."
Old Didi and Ashed, who were waiting outside, took down the tent we spent the night in and put it on the sled.
Chew, chew.
After gnawing on the piece of beef jerky I was provided for breakfast as slowly as possible, we resumed our journey. It was our tenth day in Ice Rock. The rest of our route was straightforward. Once we got through this maze-like cave connecting to the center of the region, a massive sinkhole hidden deep inside Ice Rock, otherwise known as the Glacier Eye, would appear. From then on, you could consider us halfway through this level, as we were headed to the end of Glacier Eye. Put simply, there was a portal underground that connected to the eighth floor.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion behind me. "An essence... there's an essence!"
"Did it come from the Meran we just killed?"
"What? Wait, then it's a rank-three essence!"
Actually, it wasn't just a rank-three essence. It was a rare essence that could only be obtained here in Ice Rock.
"Everyone out of the way!"
First moving the crew out of the way, I sent a wizard over to store the essence in a test tube. She confirmed it was indeed a Meran's essence. Was this good luck the universe's way of making up for yesterday? Although these were high-ranking adventurers, everyone seemed to covet the rank-three essence with gleams in their eyes.
"Everyone, calm down. If anyone wants to purchase this essence later, we'll grant you the right to do so after figuring out the average price of it in the test tube! And if there are any competitors, we will hold an auction!" Kaislan quickly infused some of his military discipline into the situation before things could escalate into a big uproar.
Some of the adventurers smacked their lips in disappointment but most weren't too fussed about it and were genuinely happy. There had been a few essences during the expedition so far, but they were all lower-rank. Rank three had a different price tag. Of course, it wouldn't be too much once it was split between thirty people, but money was money.
"...They said the loot from Noark is going to be distributed equally later too."
"Plus, depending on our war achievements, we'll get rewards from the palace. Can't forget that."
"Anyone who's after that essence will have to accumulate a lot of achievements, though. If not, they won't have the money for it."
"Either way, we'll be rewarded for our hard work."
"That's only if the mission is successful."
Still, thanks to our first bit of good fortune in a while, the morale of the squadron was now quite high despite the incident yesterday. They were probably still cursing me out behind my back, of course, but if that helped them keep going, then oh well. As the leader of this expedition, there was no reason for me to be mad about that.
Every group needs a bad guy, right?
Three more days passed like that. By some stroke of divine intervention, no more supplies or lives were lost in that time.
[The ring has detected your destiny.]
However, the color of the ring was still red. Because of that, I continued my investigation into the traitor, interrogating the summoner and looking into the other squad members' alibis and potential motives over and over again as we pressed forward.
"It's Glacier Eye!"
It was the thirteenth day of our trip through Ice Rock when we finally approached the second half of the seventh floor.
"What's wrong? It's still early—why are we preparing camp...?"
After giving the rest of the squad orders to set up camp, I called all the team leaders together. The reason was simple.
"There is a traitor among us."
There was still time until night fell, but I thought I finally knew who the bastard was.
"Sounds like you think someone did it on purpose."
"I have to leave all possibilities open." Having worked together for a while, the conversation between us flowed much more naturally than before, but I unfortunately didn't learn much from it.
"Even if you ask, I'm not sure. I don't know anything about things like that."
"I see..."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, you must be tired. Go sleep." I debated talking some more but it didn't seem anything would come out of it, so I let Ravien go. Then, heading behind a tent and away from prying eyes, I put on the ring from my pocket.
[You have equipped No. 6111: Destiny Seeker.]
In keeping with all the times I wore it over the past few days, a light appeared on the ring as soon as I put it on.
[The ring has detected your destiny.]
Said light was a very vivid red. I quickly took it off in case someone saw it.
God damn it.
It had been like this ever since we entered the seventh floor.
When it came to Numbers Items, there were some that couldn't be used in the city, such as No. 399: Cage of Silence. Destiny Seeker was one of these items. So as soon as I entered the labyrinth, the first thing I did was put on this ring.
There was no red light then.
The same went for when I met up with the other members of our mission on the sixth floor, and even during the voyage through the eastern seas. But the moment we reached Ice Rock, the ring began to glow red.
Shaaaaaaa!
That meant there was something that would negatively impact me nearby, something that I had no chance of turning into a positive. At the time, a traitor didn't even come to mind.
If their plan was to betray us only once we got to the seventh floor, it makes sense why the red light only came on now.
Throughout the journey, we'd been faced with disaster after disaster, and yet the light on the ring remained the same. That meant this wasn't over yet, and more negative events remained on my horizon.
"Mister, how long are you going to sleep!"
When I opened my eyes, I could see Erwen above me. I'd reduced the number of insulation stones in each tent since our supply was now limited, so my body temperature had dropped overnight.
"Where are Old Didi and Ashed?"
"They're up already and getting ready."
"Why didn't they wake me earlier?"
"I guess you looked tired."
Hmm... I'm grateful, but it's embarrassing as a warrior to have a wizard and special ability user, of all people, worried about my stamina.
"Do you want me to shave you?" Erwen asked with a grin as I sat up. I subconsciously touched my chin and felt a thick beard there. I didn't particularly mind it, though.
"It's fine. It's not uncomfortable." Rather, having a beard was beneficial in this climate. This was hair, too, so it should keep me warm, right?
"Oh... that's too bad. What a shame. You're much more handsome without a beard, Mister..."
I ignored Erwen's whining and headed outside. The cold air enveloped my skin and filled my lungs. But by far the biggest problem was hunger.
Growwwl!
I noticed the emptiness in my stomach the moment I woke up.
"You're awake."
"First things first, let's pack up the tent."
Old Didi and Ashed, who were waiting outside, took down the tent we spent the night in and put it on the sled.
Chew, chew.
After gnawing on the piece of beef jerky I was provided for breakfast as slowly as possible, we resumed our journey. It was our tenth day in Ice Rock. The rest of our route was straightforward. Once we got through this maze-like cave connecting to the center of the region, a massive sinkhole hidden deep inside Ice Rock, otherwise known as the Glacier Eye, would appear. From then on, you could consider us halfway through this level, as we were headed to the end of Glacier Eye. Put simply, there was a portal underground that connected to the eighth floor.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion behind me. "An essence... there's an essence!"
"Did it come from the Meran we just killed?"
"What? Wait, then it's a rank-three essence!"
Actually, it wasn't just a rank-three essence. It was a rare essence that could only be obtained here in Ice Rock.
"Everyone out of the way!"
First moving the crew out of the way, I sent a wizard over to store the essence in a test tube. She confirmed it was indeed a Meran's essence. Was this good luck the universe's way of making up for yesterday? Although these were high-ranking adventurers, everyone seemed to covet the rank-three essence with gleams in their eyes.
"Everyone, calm down. If anyone wants to purchase this essence later, we'll grant you the right to do so after figuring out the average price of it in the test tube! And if there are any competitors, we will hold an auction!" Kaislan quickly infused some of his military discipline into the situation before things could escalate into a big uproar.
Some of the adventurers smacked their lips in disappointment but most weren't too fussed about it and were genuinely happy. There had been a few essences during the expedition so far, but they were all lower-rank. Rank three had a different price tag. Of course, it wouldn't be too much once it was split between thirty people, but money was money.
"...They said the loot from Noark is going to be distributed equally later too."
"Plus, depending on our war achievements, we'll get rewards from the palace. Can't forget that."
"Anyone who's after that essence will have to accumulate a lot of achievements, though. If not, they won't have the money for it."
"Either way, we'll be rewarded for our hard work."
"That's only if the mission is successful."
Still, thanks to our first bit of good fortune in a while, the morale of the squadron was now quite high despite the incident yesterday. They were probably still cursing me out behind my back, of course, but if that helped them keep going, then oh well. As the leader of this expedition, there was no reason for me to be mad about that.
Every group needs a bad guy, right?
Three more days passed like that. By some stroke of divine intervention, no more supplies or lives were lost in that time.
[The ring has detected your destiny.]
However, the color of the ring was still red. Because of that, I continued my investigation into the traitor, interrogating the summoner and looking into the other squad members' alibis and potential motives over and over again as we pressed forward.
"It's Glacier Eye!"
It was the thirteenth day of our trip through Ice Rock when we finally approached the second half of the seventh floor.
"What's wrong? It's still early—why are we preparing camp...?"
After giving the rest of the squad orders to set up camp, I called all the team leaders together. The reason was simple.
"There is a traitor among us."
There was still time until night fell, but I thought I finally knew who the bastard was.