Karahan (1)
The entrance to the Karahan Mountains was far cleaner and more orderly than I had expected.
It almost felt like a scenic walking path.
Along both sides of the road that stretched all the way to the entrance sat food stalls giving off mouthwatering aromas, and little makeshift shops selling gear and consumables.
It looked almost exactly like the scenery I remembered from the game.
I always thought they just put that stuff there for convenience… but seeing it for real feels weirdly surreal…
And on the road we were walking—the one leading straight to the entrance—there were plenty of adventurers heading into Karahan with fire in their eyes.
They seemed to have taken on all sorts of commissions, and from the chatter I overheard, the pay was pretty damn good.
Their equipment looked solid too.
As for skill… well, skill-wise they looked pretty average.
Have my standards just gotten too high?
Coming the other way were adventurers staggering out of the mountains toward Urusphier, completely exhausted.
But even they had smiles on their faces.
And the most important thing of all—
There were so many adventurers carrying greatswords!
Is it because this is a big city?
Back in Roholan I never saw a single greatsword user among the adventurers, but here they were everywhere.
“Uh, Unni… is it… always like this?”
“Looks like a tourist spot, doesn’t it?”
Hepais looked flustered, while Rubia gave a soft little smile.
“Yeah… it’s so peaceful…”
“Well, it has to be. Nine out of ten adventurers in the city come to Karahan. The locals treat it as their livelihood. Of course, once you get even as far as the mid-slopes, you won’t see anything like this.”
Rubia’s gaze wandered around for a moment before settling on me.
“Noah, want to grab some snacks for the road?”
“Snacks…?”
“Yes. Something to nibble on while we pass through the foothills.”
She pointed to the right.
There, a stall was selling sugar-preserved fruits and jelly candies.
Normally I would have nodded right away.
“Mmm…”
I ran my fingers over the fragment of Carpeng embedded in my greatsword.
I really want to try it out soon… but I have no idea how the upkeep works or what the side effects will be like.
In the game it just applied a status effect and that was that. But this is reality now… who knows what’ll happen…
Jelly… I do want some…
“Ah… I-I don’t need any.”
Hepais’s mouth fell open.
And Rubia’s face turned deadly serious as she hurried over to me.
“Noah.”
“…Y-yes…?”
Her hand settled on my forehead.
A warm current of energy flowed into my head and swept through my entire body.
“There’s nothing wrong with you… Are you worried about something?”
“Worried…?”
What is she talking about?
“Noah Unni… does it hurt a lot?”
“Ah, n-no…?”
Hepais clasped both of my hands in hers.
“I’m fine, so… should we rest a little longer until Unni feels better?”
“U-uhh…? What are you talking about…?”
Worry filled both Rubia’s and Hepais’s faces.
“Noah… the Tyrant is sealed. It’s been more than thirty years already. So… you don’t have to worry so much.”
“I-I’m not worried… um…”
I can’t say I’m completely free of worry.
Even if the seal is solid, it’s not dead.
In the game… the seal actually broke once.
And besides—
Rubia’s voice sounded like she was a little worried herself.
“A-anyway… it’s not that, so… I don’t need any jelly.”
I whipped my head away.
“Let’s… let’s hurry. We need to reach the mid-slopes before the sun goes down…”
I grabbed Rubia’s and Hepais’s hands and pulled them along.
There was a bit of resistance, but when I put a little more strength into it they came sliding after me.
“Noah…?”
“A-and… I came here after steeling my resolve, okay…? So… no jelly for a while.”
Hearing that, Rubia let out a tiny sigh and followed quietly.
Hepais, meanwhile, rustled around in her pocket and muttered to herself.
“I bought some this morning… guess I have to throw them away.”
Hmm.
If she already bought them, throwing them away would be a waste.
Can’t be helped.
Money’s money.
I’ll just eat one.
Mm, two… no.
Three. Just three.
A cooler breeze than before brushed past my body.
Unlike the noisy foothills, a more solemn atmosphere now hung in the air.
The adventurers who had been laughing carelessly had long since fallen behind, leaving only those who climbed upward in silence.
We were part of that group now.
“We’ll reach the mid-slopes soon.”
“Haa… yeah.”
Hepais’s voice sounded a little tired.
“The sun’s going down soon… so as planned, camping here would be best.”
I nodded at Rubia’s words.
I could keep going at night just fine, but Rubia and Hepais can’t.
“By the way, how was it, Noah Unni?”
Hepais looked at my greatsword as she spoke.
“Ah… yeah. It’s definitely… way better than the one you gave me before…”
On the way up I had tested the greatsword’s performance and loosened up a bit by hunting a few isolated magic beasts.
Swinging it in real combat, I could feel how much better it had become.
Sharper and sturdier, somehow?
But, uh… well…
Honestly, the sharpness wasn’t that noticeable.
I didn’t so much slice magic beasts with a greatsword as smash them…
Just… um…
“It’s sturdy…!”
“That’s a compliment… right?”
“O-of course…”
“So what else is different?”
Different…? Uh… what else is there. Hmm…
“Ah…! Th-the coating seems really good… the blood slides right off…?”
“Huh? I didn’t do anything special for that.”
“Eh…?”
But… compared to before… it feels like less blood sticks to the blade.
“You’re just making stuff up because you can’t think of any real compliments!”
“N-nooo… it’s really… really good.”
Hepais gave me a strange look.
“I widened the blade surface. Watching you fight, it seemed like you deflect and knock things away more than you dodge.”
“Ah… i-is that so?”
I examined the greatsword carefully after hearing that.
“That’s why I reinforced the cross-guard too. Unless you’re blocking something ridiculous like an avalanche with the greatsword, it shouldn’t come loose.”
Mmm…
Mm…
“I seeee…”
I have no idea what any of that means!
“…Yeah. I figured as much… but it’s still a little disappointing…”
Hepais let out a long sigh.
Now I feel bad… hmm…
I was just about to hand her a few leftover jelly candies from my pocket when—
“Oh, right, Noah. You haven’t used the fragment yet, have you?”
Rubia spoke as if something had just occurred to her.
“Eep, n-no… unfortunately…”
No situation had come up where I needed to use the fragment.
Of course I could have used it if I wanted.
But when the magic beasts were easy enough to kill without it, there was no reason to take on the penalty just for fun.
“It’s not unfortunate. I’ve told you over and over. There’s this… familiar yet unsettling energy coming from it. The other fragments feel strange too, but Carpeng’s fragment has a completely different texture.”
“Mmm…”
I stroked the fragment of Carpeng embedded in the greatsword.
Unsettling? I don’t know about that…
It just makes me want to grin. Hehe…
“Still… if a situation comes where you have to use it, then of course you should… but I’m worried there might be aftereffects afterward.”
“I-it’s fine. Rubia will… take care of it somehow… right…?”
I looked up at her and gave a gentle smile.
If the penalty is the ‘thirst’ I remember, Rubia can handle it one way or another.
Even if things go really wrong, I won’t die!
“Eep… well, that’s true.”
Rubia smiled reluctantly.
“I trust you…”
I tightly squeezed her hand, which had given a little twitch.
“Haa… yes. I trust you too. Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”
She squeezed my hand back.
Warm energy wrapped around my body.
The chill faded, replaced by a soft coziness.
I tilted my head, wondering what it was, and—
“Your hands were cold.”
Rubia said it with that same ticklish little smile of hers.
“Ah, u-uh… th-thank you…”
Why… why does that expression always make me feel so embarrassed?
Weird…
“Shall we camp around here? Or keep climbing a bit more?”
Whether I was embarrassed or not, Rubia smoothly continued the conversation.
“I’m fine with anywhere.”
“M-me too…”
“Then let’s stay nearby. But rather than right here…”
She looked around as she spoke.
“Over there looks good. See that boulder?”
“Whoa, it’s huge!”
“Ooooh…”
Where Rubia pointed stood a truly enormous boulder.
Judging by the size… hmm…
About thirty of me tall!
Thirty Noah-centimeters!
Rubia led me by the hand.
Hepais followed behind with a rather sly look on her face.
What’s with her?
I did my best to ignore Hepais’s weird stare as we arrived in front of the boulder.
But…
“It looks even bigger up close.”
“Yeah… why is it so huge?”
Not thirty Noah-centimeters.
Fifty Noah-centimeters…
It’s insanely big!
“The spot’s good. Hepais, can you set up the tent? Noah, please keep watch around us. I’ll get dinner ready.”
“Okay!”
“Y-yes.”
Hepais pulled the tent out of her bag with a series of grunts and started setting it up.
Rubia spread a barrier of divine power drawn from her body, then began building a fire.
And I—
“Ugh… i-it’s high…”
—crawled up the boulder on all fours.
I could just sit at the bottom and spread my Qi Sensing, but…
This has its own kind of romance!
Once I reached the top, I sat down with my legs dangling.
I could feel Rubia’s barrier.
And I could picture Hepais celebrating the finished tent.
Rubia was smiling reluctantly.
Then Rubia looked up at me and called out.
“Noah—! Dinner’s barbecue!”
Hah!
“G-great… u-umm…”
I tried to shout back as loudly as she had.
But that kind of volume just wouldn’t come out.
So instead…
I raised both arms over my head, made a big circle, and waved them enthusiastically.
Rubia grinned and nodded.
Hepais was still proudly showing off the tent.
Feeling a ticklish, travel-like warmth of companionship, I expanded my Qi Sensing.
And then—
“Huh…?”
Not far away, I saw a naked woman staggering toward us, bleeding.
And behind her—
dozens of magic beasts were giving chase.