The Road Ahead
"You guys!"
As the pink hands scattered like flower petals, a sobbing Roan threw his arms around the two of them, pulling them into a fierce hug.
"Ah, seriously. Stop it," Jane grumbled, though she let out a delighted chuckle anyway.
"Surprised, aren't you? You didn't expect us to grow this much in such a short time, did you?" Belgard asked, clearly hoping to elicit an even more dramatic reaction.
Obliging Belgard's wish, Roan wept even louder, showering them with praise before finally letting them go.
"Phew... So? He supposedly ascended, and that was it? What a pushover." Jane stared down at the corpse of Deiar Hon, which had been split clean down the middle.
"...Indeed. I didn't think much of it when our attacks actually landed, but looking back, it does seem a bit strange," Belgard murmured, tilting his head in confusion at how easily their foe had succumbed. With that level of power, he should have been able to put up at least some resistance.
Roan felt the same way. Even if he only recently transcended, that was far too anticlimactic. He had shed tears of joy over his comrades' growth, but several questions still lingered in his mind.
Just as a tense silence began to settle over them, Deiar's corpse began to float into the air.
"Of course. I knew it wasn't over yet." Jane braced herself for another round, but Belgard, conversely, let out a sigh of relief.
"No... it really is over. This is how those who truly believe in a god meet their end." Floating into the air and scattering into particles of light. It was the death most coveted by clergymen. While no one knew what lay beyond the veil of death, it seemed the man known as Deiar Hon had, at the very least, been acknowledged by his deity, Vivian.
Deiar's corpse dissolved into a brilliant haze of light. And then—
Clink.
"Huh? What's that?" Something tumbled down from the empty air where he had just vanished. It was a ring. But its design was grotesque, looking as though it were meant to bind two fingers together.
"...It looks rather unpleasant," Belgard remarked.
"Wait!" Jane stepped in front of Belgard as he reached for the ring. "Don't go touching things you don't recognize. It could be cursed. Especially since it was dropped by a guy who was trying to kill us. We need to be absolutely sure."
Ever the pragmatist, Jane insisted they examine the ring first. With Jane, who always carried appraisal tools, and Belgard, who possessed a keen intuition for holy power, the two joined forces to inspect the object. Their conclusion: "No anomalies."
"In fact, I can feel a massive amount of power radiating from it. I don't know exactly what it does, but it doesn't seem like it'll harm us." Following Jane's assessment, Roan picked up the ring. Despite its fleshy, finger-like appearance, it felt remarkably solid to the touch. Like a real ring. After studying it for a moment, Roan offered it to Belgard.
"Belgard, do you want to use it? It was left behind by someone who wielded holy power, so it makes sense for someone who can use holy power to have it." It was a logical suggestion. Belgard took the ring from Roan and tried to slip it onto her finger. But the moment the ring slid onto her slender finger—
"Ouch!" As if repelled by some unseen force, the ring shot off and rolled across the floor. It hadn't simply slipped off; it felt as though it had squeezed Belgard's finger tightly before rejecting her.
"...What was that? Did it reject me because our holy powers are different?"
"Could be. Jane, why don't you try it? Though I'm not sure what it'll do for you." Jane shrugged and picked up the ring, sliding it onto her finger.
"Ow!" The exact same reaction occurred. The ring popped off, rolled across the floor, and stopped right at Roan's feet. It was almost as if the object were saying, It has to be you.
As if responding to the ring's silent plea, Roan picked it up and slipped it onto his finger.
Squeeze.
The ring contracted slightly, adjusting itself perfectly to the size of his finger.
"Huh. Didn't the guy who dropped this have a weird obsession with you too? How is it that even his drop is the exact same way?"
"Do you want it?"
"No," Jane shook her head. "Whatever it is, if it's a good item, you should be the one to use it."
"She's right. Besides, it already fits Roan perfectly."
Jane and Belgard gave up on the ring without any fuss. Roan was glad their blacksmith companion wasn't here. If she had been, she probably would have cut off Roan's finger just to take the ring for herself. And so, the incident with the Vivian Cult drew to a close, leaving behind nothing but a single, peculiar ring.
...
"So what was that earthquake earlier?"
"No idea. Felt like it was pretty close by..."
"Well, at least it's stopped now. Ugh, if it had been any closer, we would've been in real trouble." When the party finally returned to the kingdom, they were greeted by crowds of people buzzing with anxiety over the recent disturbance.
"...Roan. It seems everyone felt it."
"Indeed. This would be the perfect opportunity to gain some fame... Shouldn't we explain what happened?" Roan pondered their words for a moment. He imagined himself raising his voice amidst the panicked, gossiping crowd. Ah! That wasn't an earthquake! It was just the shockwave from us defeating a dangerous cult and an ascended human! Haha! Who in their right mind would believe that? To make matters worse, it had happened on the Elderin Highlands, meaning there were absolutely no witnesses. He would go from being labeled a doomsday prepper to a delusional pathological liar.
Still, I can't just do nothing. It's the perfect chance to achieve my goal. Since he had some time to spare before his next lead arrived, Roan resolved to spend his days diligently spreading rumors.
Tap, tap.
Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ah, yes. I happen to be the one who knows all about that earthquake."
"What do you mean?" At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, Roan turned around. It was the big shot of the black market.
"Huh? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at your shop?"
"Are you asking because you genuinely don't know? You told me you'd be staying at your lodging..."
"Ah, sorry about that. Something came up. Were you looking for me?"
"Indeed. A client's request is always my top priority. So, I assume you can guess why I've personally come to find you?" Roan's heart skipped a beat.
"That person you asked me to find—I found them." Sure enough, it was news regarding the whereabouts of his companion. His heart hammered against his ribs once more.
"Where... are they?" He silently prayed they were somewhere close to the kingdom. But as was always the case in life, whenever one desperately wished for something, reality loved to steer in the exact opposite direction.
"Horoljulol."
"...Honoljulol?"
"Uh... hmm?" Jane and Belgard voiced their confusion simultaneously. It was an entirely unfamiliar name to them. The fact that Belgard, who had traveled all across the continent, had never heard of it spoke volumes.
"Do you know where that is?"
"Of course. I know it well." Unlike the other two, Roan was well-acquainted with the region. After all, it was the homeland of the companion who would serve as their scout. After thanking the black market broker for the information, Roan immediately turned to his two companions.
"Alright! Change of plans! We'll worry about the rumors later. For now—"
"We're going to Honoljulol, right?" Jane interjected. She flashed a knowing smirk, as if to say, I can read you like an open book by now.
"Yeah! But it's not Honoljulol, it's Horoljulol."
"What?!" With Jane's flustered exclamation, their next destination was set. A journey to recruit a new ally. They were finally going to meet their scout.
"Um... Roan? I'm sorry, but where exactly is Horoljulol? I've truly never heard of it."
"That makes sense. You probably wouldn't have. From what I know, Belgard, you mostly traveled around the outskirts of the continent."
"...Oh? If that's the case, then..."
"It's near the center of the continent." At his words, the color drained from both of their faces.
"Seriously? Near the center?"
"The center... but that's the Battleground."
"Exactly." The very place the continent's greatest nations fought tooth and nail to claim. A land where bloody skirmishes and territorial disputes erupted every single day.
"Of course, I have no intention of getting dragged into their war. Horoljulol doesn't belong to any of those factions."
"Ah... so they're a peaceful people?"
"Not at all." It was quite the opposite. A land of warriors. A tribe that survived by enduring the scorching sun and the relentless gravel storms. Because they lived right next to the Battleground, they had to become strong to survive, even if they had no interest in the central territories. The people of Horoljulol were fiercely belligerent and wild.
Jane massaged her temples at Roan's explanation. "...So this isn't going to be easy, is it? Sounds rough..."
"Well, as long as we don't provoke them first, we shouldn't have to fight. Our goal is just to bring back our companion, so if we play our cards right, they should be understanding... right?" The rising inflection at the end of his sentence was incredibly reassuring—not. Roan was usually brimming with absolute certainty when speaking about things he knew, so his lack of confidence here only made them more anxious.
"...Alright! Let's do this!" Yet, once again, they didn't back down. They had always agonized over these choices, always made these decisions, and always managed to return with all their limbs intact. These were experiences one could never gain sitting at a desk. Jane wanted to see this journey through to the very end—a journey that was forging her into someone truly strong.
Hearing Jane's resolute declaration right beside her, Belgard nodded in agreement. Gulp. She swallowed hard, but her mind was made up.
"It's fine, it's fine. No need to worry. I'll be standing right in front of you." Unlike his hesitant words from a moment ago, this declaration was deeply reassuring. With an absolutely impenetrable shield leading the way, the party set off toward Horoljulol.
"So, what's the plan? Are we walking this time too?"
"No. We're traveling from the kingdom to the center of the continent. If we walk, it'll take way too long."
"Then are we hiring a carriage?"
"Yeah. Though we'll have to pay a hefty premium."
"...Pay extra? Well, it's a long distance, so that's only natural, right?"
"We'll have to pay much more than just a standard long-distance fee," Roan stated firmly.
"What? Horoljulol? The center? Hold on... I can't just take you there for the usual rate. You'll have to add at least this much on top." And as was usually the case when Roan spoke with certainty, he was proven right. The coachman held up three fingers. It wasn't three silver. He was demanding three gold.
"Are you insane? Why are you asking for such a ridiculous fortune?!"
"Aigoo, young lady. I'm risking my life here, so I have to charge accordingly. If anything, I'm giving you a discount."
"What? Risking your life? What on earth do you—"
"Here you go!" Without a second thought, Roan handed over the massive sum! Of course, it was paid out of his own share after they had split their funds three ways.
"R-Roan! Do you have absolutely no financial sense?! If you just hand over three gold coins like that, you're going to end up with terrible spending habits!" Belgard immediately began her nagging. But Roan actually saw this as a steal.
"This is actually incredibly cheap. He's practically doing it for free."
"Ah, this lad here knows how the world works. Alright, since I've received the payment, we won't speak of money again, deal?"
"Of course! Please, let's get moving as quickly as possible!"
Jane and Belgard had only heard rumors about Horoljulol and the central region, so they didn't truly grasp what they were getting into. Since it was clear Roan knew far more than they did, they kept their mouths shut and climbed into the carriage. In truth, the coachman heading toward the center didn't really know what he was in for either. Heh... I only heard that the central region was rough, so I threw out a crazy number, and he actually paid it? What a sucker. With that smug thought, the carriage set off. However, the coachman's joy at making easy money would quickly evaporate the closer they drew to the center.
Crash! Crackle!
Neighhh!
"H-Help me... I want to go back..." A violent storm of gravel and boulders swept over them. The wrath of nature, incomparable to anything they had ever witnessed, had descended upon them.