Toward the Misty Mountain (3)
The next morning, on the road leading to the gates of Windenstadt.
“Hey, hey. Open your eyes and walk properly.”
“…”
It was the hour when merchants prepared their stalls and citizens began their day.
The city was stretching and waking up.
And I… was walking with my eyes half-closed.
I thought I’d slept enough, but there was one thing I hadn’t expected.
No matter how many hours a person sleeps, their waking time stays strangely consistent.
I absolutely needed to be asleep by six, so was it really necessary to drag me awake at five…?
Yawn…
So sleepy…
“Ugh, seriously… I told you we had to leave early, so go to bed soon!”
“But I still had to sharpen my blades. Just a little…”
I answered with a short yawn.
“If you grind the edge that much, it won’t be a sword anymore. It’ll be a skewer.”
“It has to be at least this sharp to cut properly.”
“Can’t you just smash them with the flat side?”
?
I stared blankly at Brita.
Look at the difference in our builds.
When someone as muscular as her says something like that, it carries zero persuasive power.
“What?”
“I’m not you.”
“You should exercise more… You collapse at the drop of a hat.”
“…Aren’t you the one whose body is too good?”
“Me? Ha. This is perfectly average.”
??
Is swinging an axe as big as your own body considered average…?
Even the male mercenaries didn’t use weapons like that.
We chatted idly as we headed toward the promised meeting place.
“You’ve arrived.”
Leonhardt had already come with the guards and was waiting.
“You were here first.”
I answered after spotting them.
“Where did the girl who was dozing off until just now go…?”
Stare—
A warning to watch his mouth.
“Haha… It is quite early, isn’t it.”
He responded to Brita’s mutter.
You really didn’t have to answer that.
“Still… there are fewer of you than I expected.”
Brita said as she looked over the group.
“Yes. Unfortunately, we didn’t have many troops available for the operation.”
The mountain’s condition was dangerous. Taking a large force could lead to irreversible disaster, so we had no choice but to bring only elites.
“Tsk. Well, can’t be helped.”
Brita clicked her tongue briefly and accepted it.
At the foot of the eastern mountain.
When the expedition arrived, the situation was worse than we’d imagined.
Thick, ominous fog blanketed the mountainside and had even swallowed the entrance.
The dense mist made it impossible to see even an inch ahead, so detecting hidden enemies was extremely difficult.
Let’s see…
Srrrng—
I drew Gram and pointed it at the mountain.
“Hup.”
I swung the sword lightly upward.
A gust of wind followed the blade’s path, tearing the fog apart along its trajectory.
At that moment—
Grrrr— Kyaaaaah—!
Through the cleared path, monstrous creatures appeared and charged straight at us.
Exactly as expected.
The cultists must have already set up a defensive line.
“Guards! Prepare for battle!”
Leonhardt shouted at his soldiers.
Shuk! Kwaang! Clang! Clang!
Kyaak—
The monster in front of the three of us fell in a single strike.
It wasn’t a particularly strong opponent.
Just enough to slow our steps a little.
What about the others?
Clang! Clang! Shuk—
Grrr…
A bit slow, but they were taking them down without issue.
Elites really were elites.
Shwoooo—
“Look over there!”
I turned at Leonhardt’s words.
As if trying to fill the gap I’d created, the surrounding fog was already pouring back into the cleared space.
After a few moments, the area had returned to its original state.
“Tch. It regenerates again.”
Brita spat, clearly annoyed.
A few minutes at most.
I or a handful of people could manage it, but guaranteeing the safety of everyone here would consume a tremendous amount of power.
The enemy capable of covering the entire mountain in fog was that strong.
If I exhausted all my strength on the way up, victory would no longer be guaranteed.
“Hmm…”
Leonhardt seemed lost in thought.
“Is something wrong?”
“The moment we clear a path, monsters come rushing out. If those things break into the city while we climb…”
“Leonhardt. How about leaving the rear to the guards?”
I had already confirmed the elite soldiers’ skill.
They could handle a few stray monsters easily.
“Someone needs to watch the mountain’s perimeter. To make sure nothing slips toward the city, just as you said.”
“You’re right. Guards!”
“Yes!”
The soldiers answered in unison at his call.
“Set up camp at the base and stand by. Secure this position so that no monsters bursting from the fog can head toward the city.”
“Understood!”
“Captain, may I ask one question?”
“What is it?”
“If the fog spreads beyond the mountain, what should we do then?”
“That won’t be a problem.”
Swoosh—
Leonhardt pointed at the boundary between the mountain and the ground.
“The fog is confined to the mountain. According to our information, a special power in the land prevents it from spreading any farther.”
It did feel like something was blocking it.
The fog looked unnaturally cut off at the boundary.
As if trapped inside an invisible box, the mist could not escape the mountain.
However, there was one flaw in his words.
We had no idea how long it would last.
“You will remain here and desperately block any monsters that could threaten the citizens. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go. Miss Krimhild, Miss Brita. We don’t know how long this barrier will hold, so we must finish this quickly.”
He seemed aware of the weakness in his own statement.
“Let’s move.”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Shing!
I swung Gram to carve out a path.
Leaving the soldiers behind, the three of us plunged into the fog.
Graaaah—! Kyaaaaah—!
Clang! Shing— Kwaang!
“Ha! Why are there so many of these trash mobs!”
“Just hold on a little longer! The first device is right ahead!”
There really were a lot.
It seemed the entire forest had become a monster den.
These creatures were probably animals that once lived here.
…We should move faster. At least to spare more of their lives.
“There it is!”
Leonhardt pointed at a structure.
A small iron tower standing unnaturally in the middle of the forest.
The device was covered in thick vines and moss, radiating a bizarre energy.
Slash— Slash— Creeeak—
He tore away the plants covering the tower and opened the lid.
Inside was something familiar.
A magic stone emitting turbid black energy.
So it really was them.
“What is this?”
“It’s those bastards.”
“Yeah, those guys.”
“Do you know about these strange magic stones?”
“They used them. I saw them underground.”
“The ‘Followers of Nidhogg’… that’s what they’re called, right?”
“Correct.”
Followers of Nidhogg
☠ A fanatical group seeking to resurrect the mythic-era corpse-eating dragon.
☠ Known for using corrupted magic stones that emit dark, turbid energy.
Whoever named them… really had terrible taste.
“Then it’s possible this magic stone is what caused the fog.”
Click—
As he spoke, he took out the magic stone he had brought.
A magic stone infused with the mana of wind.
The moment it was inserted into the device—
Whooooosh—
The tower glowed green, and wind began blowing from its peak.
It seemed to amplify the power of the magic stone.
Shiiiiii—
Once the device was restored, the surrounding fog vanished.
Crackle…
“Hm? Wait, what is this?”
Leonhardt looked down at his hand in surprise.
The black magic stone he held crumbled into powder and disappeared.
“It must be because of the wind mana from the tower. A stronger power can suppress it.”
“Is it the same principle as cutting away the fog?”
“It seems so.”
That meant restoring all the towers would definitely clear the fog.
Chirp— Chirp— Tweet—
At the sound of animal cries, I looked around to see birds and small creatures watching us.
“Those guys…?”
Brita stared at them, looking flustered.
“They were turned into monsters. Now that the fog’s influence is gone, they’ve returned to normal.”
Yip!
A small fox let out a short cry.
Was that a thank you?
Swoosh—
“It’s still dangerous, so don’t go too far.”
I gently stroked its head.
Yip! Yip!
…Can it actually understand human speech?
“This confirms it. Restoring the devices should return the mountain to normal.”
“Let’s hurry.”
“Wait.”
Brita stepped in front of him.
“I’ll guard this spot. You two go on ahead. What if someone tampers with the device while we’re gone?”
“…You’re right. Then we’ll leave it to you.”
“Brita, will you be okay?”
“Ha! Are you underestimating me?”
“…Be careful.”
“You be careful. Don’t collapse again.”
Hey, I said I was fine.
I gave the fox a small wave, then turned toward the direction of the next device.
Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap—
The same situation repeated.
When I cut through the fog, monsters burst out, and we defeated them while replacing the device’s magic stone.
After Leonhardt stayed behind to guard the second tower, I headed for the third.
Shwooo— Slash! Slash!
Kraaaah! Grrr—
…
As I swung my sword alone, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Gram was a weapon specialized in slashing.
And when used to launch magical attacks, it manifested as blades.
Shing—
Each swing of the sword delivered a single slash.
When I threw the magic blades, they flew like daggers.
Almost like arrows.
But did those blades really have to fly in straight lines only?
What if I made them spin? Couldn’t I attack a wider area?
Shing— Spin— Slash!
Grrr—
It worked.
Unlike before, I could now mow down a wide range of enemies in one go.
Just looking at how much faster the fog was clearing, it was at least two or three times more effective.
No, maybe five times?
And what if I channeled this spinning wind directly into Gram itself?
Vrrr— Vrrr—
Shing! Slash! Slash!
Kraaaah—
A remarkable new application had been born.
Wind swirled along the sword’s path, creating multiple additional slashes.
In other words, even if an enemy blocked my blade, they would still take damage.
Good. This technique would be useful going forward.
However…
Shiiiing! Crack! Thud!
Trees near the monsters were sliced apart and toppled along with them.
I’d need to adjust the output. I couldn’t risk hurting my allies.
Creeeak— Click—
Using my newly learned technique, I quickly broke through the enemies and replaced the final magic stone.
Whooooosh— Fwaaaah—!
Once all three small devices were restored, the fog covering the mountainside lifted, leaving it confined only to the peak.
“Oh. You’re finally here. I heard some loud noises—what happened?”
“Nothing much. Just testing a new technique.”
“New technique?”
“You’ll see when you watch.”
“Ha, way to kill the suspense. Whatever it is, it must be strong.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Leonhardt rejoined us.
“Now only the summit remains.”
The fog over there was even denser.
It would surely be far more dangerous than here.
“Let’s go quickly. Time to see what kind of face they’re making.”
“Okay!”
“Understood!”
The two answered my words.
Let’s see…
Whatever they’re doing up there,
let’s go take a look.