Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Eilsnor Expedition
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White breath scattered in the frigid air as I gazed up at the sky. The vast blue canvas twinkled with stars. Had I ever felt this close to the heavens before? It was the moment my hand reached out unconsciously.
The steep incline finally leveled out, and my view opened wide. The world I knew expanded in an instant. It felt like standing on the boundary between night and day, right at the edge of dawn. I stared blankly at the light racing along the snow-white horizon.
Overwhelmed by nature—that was the perfect way to put it. The white expanse unfolding before me was beautiful and majestic. The pristine wind carried an eerie resonance, as if some colossal living being were singing.
"Eilsnor…"
Lionel's belated murmur snapped me out of my reverie.
‘When the sky breathes, the snow falls…’
The realm of eternal snow, the very edge of the west. They said the fields were blanketed in white and the trees gleamed like glass. The boundary between day and night blurred, leaving one with a disorienting sense that the world had turned upside down.
The crisp air was the breath of the gods, and the winds sweeping over the snowfields were their songs.
The phrases from the guidebook surfaced naturally in my mind. There wasn't a single inaccurate word.
Raymond had told me to follow the western wind. This might not even be my true destination. But I felt no regret for coming here. The landscape before me resonated deeply within my heart.
Descending the mountain, the first thing we encountered was a small tribal village. Hut-like igloos made of snow and bone left a striking impression. Contrary to my expectations of a reclusive people, they welcomed us without hesitation—clearly accustomed to travelers.
Perhaps they were simply delighted by the goods travelers brought. Indeed, the tribesfolk accepted the pouch of sugar Lionel offered with obvious joy.
In exchange for the sugar pouch, we received a warm dinner and a fairly spacious igloo.
During the meal, Durel, seated beside me, cleared his throat and shifted around to get my attention. Wondering what it was about, I watched him closely and realized that the promised three weeks had already passed.
‘I've been too neglectful…’
"Durel."
"Yes?"
"Let's wait one more week."
"Again… you're saying?"
It was unfortunate for Durel, but the magic in my heart hadn't vanished yet. That said, it wasn't entirely ineffective—the spell's scale had shrunk considerably, and its presence had grown faint.
My only mistake had been miscalculating the time.
In this state, it was clear the heart magic would dissipate completely after another week.
"Understood."
After dinner, everyone took time for personal maintenance. Rachel recorded her observations from the journey, while Lionel and Decker polished their armor, dried out the dampness, and prepared thoroughly to fight at a moment's notice.
Durel and I slipped out of the igloo right away. The expedition's goal was regional exploration and treasure hunting, but we couldn't forget our own purpose.
‘The western wind.’
We had gathered small clues from Raymond's letter and made our way here. To obtain more precise information, I strongly felt the need to speak with the locals.
But that wasn't as easy as it sounded. A massive mountain range separated us from the outside world—their way of life was utterly different. And so was their language. The people of Eilsnor spoke their own tongue.
Durel and I wandered the village for quite some time. Despite our efforts, no one truly understood our questions.
"No one speaks our language."
"Well, can't be helped."
As time passed and dawn deepened, the flames in the braziers scattered throughout the village began to die down. That's when another group arrived from outside the village.
They were sturdy men, spears in their right hands and game of various sizes in their left. Their attire was much like that of the villagers, so they appeared to be tribal warriors returning late from a hunt.
"Think any of them speak our language?"
"Hard to say. Whether warriors would learn foreign tongues…"
The odds were slim, but I couldn't help hoping. We waited a bit, then approached the warriors as they began to disperse.
"Does anyone here speak our language?"
They froze.
The warriors, who had been walking slowly while chatting among themselves, came to a halt. They blinked their large eyes and murmured to one another. After a while, one man stepped forward from the group.
A massive scar slashed across his face, making him unforgettable.
"I. Know a little."
"Oh…"
"What do you want?"
This was more than "a little." Apart from the slightly awkward phrasing, his speech was flawless.
"I have a question. Do you know what 'western wind' refers to?"
"Western wind… western wind?"
He frowned as if deep in thought at my question. Handing his game to a fellow warrior, he slowly walked over and sat down on a chair by the brazier.
"Western wind… Tiure Bella? I've heard it before. But I'm not sure. Sounds like a story from my grandma when I was a kid."
"Could you explain in more detail?"
At my request, he crossed his arms and nodded.
"If something goes, something must come. If I tell you that, what will you give me in return?"
"This guy's…"
The moment Durel moved at the man's question, the warrior reacted faster. His muscles rippled as he kicked off the ground. He responded instantly to the faint hostility—a purely bestial reaction speed.
But his movement was pointless. A wall of Gentle Wind sprang up in an instant, blocking the space between Durel and the man.
Bang-!
With a small shockwave, the man plopped back into his chair. He blinked his large eyes repeatedly, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"Durel."
"Sorry…"
Durel bowed his head and stepped back. His selectively hot-tempered nature wasn't ideal for negotiations. With me now standing between them, the tribesman's gaze fixed entirely on me.
"That. Bahhr… no, magic?"
"Yes, that's right. It's called bahhr here, I suppose?"
"Yes…"
"You asked what I can do for you. What do you want?"
"Bahhr. If you can do bahhrsha, then yes. I have a small request. Fulfill it, and I'll tell you about the western wind."
"Let's hear it."
"There's a small cave. It's collapsed and blocked. It's a path to the neighboring tribe. I need it open."
A request to clear a collapsed cave. He called it small. I'd have to check the scale myself once there, but it didn't seem too difficult.
"Let's go take a look. Is it far from here?"
"Right now…?"
"Any problem?"
The tribesman shook his head, looking flustered by my question. He stood, grabbing the spear he'd set down nearby.
"What's your name? Calling you 'that guy' feels awkward."
"Shumok. Shumok. And you…"
"Lumia. This one's Durel."
"Lumia… Bahhr Lumia. The cave isn't far from here. But it's late. You sure about going now?"
"What's late about it? Not far means we can come right back."
"You've got spirit…"
We were just about to leave the village with Shumok when a fellow tribesman who'd been lingering nearby approached and exchanged a few words with him.
"Bahhr Lumia. You don't need to tell your companions?"
He'd apparently gotten a bit of our information from the tribesman. I shrugged. Why would I? We'd be back before they noticed.
"Let's head out."
"…You're like the wind."
Shumok's claim that it wasn't far proved true. After about twenty minutes on foot, we spotted a sheer cliff rising sharply and the entrance to a small cave at its base.
"Right here."
"Hm."
Deep inside the cave passage, rocks of all sizes had come crashing down in a heap. And since quite some time had passed in this state, snow and ice had filled the gaps, frozen solid.
This was doable. As long as clearing the inner rubble didn't cause more cave-ins from above.
"I'll give it a try, but it might make things worse."
"Doesn't matter. Better to try something. It can't get any worse than this."
I drew up my senses along with my mana. The magic of the Sunken Vein School commanded everything slumbering beneath the earth. It started small—moving a single rock—but the faint echo of the original sensation had been just like that.
Rustle—
A book flew out from the vast library within me and unfurled.
‘It feels like snow is being born underground.’
Mana extended from my feet into the ground. Right then, the rock pile filling the narrow passage began to rumble and shift slowly.
I held my breath long and took a step back. The rocks that had filled the entrance poured out in a rush, and from deep underground—beyond the reach of my mana—came a sudden clunk!
"…?"
The instant I sensed faint mana from far below. The ground beneath my feet gave way with a whoosh.
"What the—"
I whipped my gaze to Durel and Shumok. The two stared blankly ahead, oblivious even to the fact that the ground had collapsed under them.
But that only lasted a moment. No ground to stand on meant we were falling.