Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Red Desert
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Swish—
Rising from his seat, Durel immediately stripped the masks off the two collapsed men. He stared intently at their revealed faces.
"Any familiar faces?"
"No..."
"Sent by your family?"
"That... probably not. The family doesn't know I can use proper magic... But these guys had this..."
As he spoke, Durel lifted the pitch-black rope. The strange item that had dispersed his mana the moment it wrapped around his wrist. Simply touching it to his body made mana manipulation impossible; the Mana Circle nestled in Durel's heart had stopped rotating.
At that moment, the black rope in Durel's hand crumbled with a passt— sound, flowing away like sand. As the rope vanished, the Mana Circle resumed its rotation. Durel's cloak, which had fallen limp, now billowed naturally.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I didn't do anything."
"Not a long-lasting effect, then?"
It was an item that had completely neutralized a mage, even if just briefly. Just in case, he searched their pockets more thoroughly, but all that came out was a pouch with a few coins, a waterskin, and some strips of dried meat.
What the hell are these guys?
At first, he'd thought it was just a robbery for money. But their goal clearly wasn't mere coin. The moment they'd captured Durel alive, they'd fled as if their objective was complete.
Their aim had been to kidnap a mage.
For now, that was the only conclusion that fit their actions.
That's when the thudding footsteps grew close. The moment he'd leaped from the carriage, he'd rerouted the golem's path here—and now it had finally arrived. But the approaching carriage was far from intact.
"What the..."
"It's completely smashed..."
What the golem dragged wasn't a pristine carriage. For some reason, it hauled a pile of shattered wreckage.
"Looks like a monster attack. There are sharply torn sections... and sticky saliva dripping here..."
Misfortune never comes singly, they say. I let out a long sigh and glanced back at the golem's trail. If I could spot the monster that did this, I might vent some frustration—but all that stretched across the desert was glittering sand and carriage debris.
The silver lining was that our bags were wedged amid the golem's haul of wreckage. Durel and I retrieved our bags from the pile and slung them on.
In this desert, the carriage had served not just as transport but also as a roof shielding us from the scorching sun and a wall blocking the cold night winds. Without it, the road ahead worried me.
Even riding the golem wouldn't solve the blazing daytime heat or the freezing night gusts. At least our first destination wasn't far off.
"Durel. How far to that city we were headed?"
"At carriage speed, a day or two. But with it wrecked and no night travel... double that, probably."
I frowned at his answer and looked up at the sky. A vast blue expanse loomed overhead, the fierce sun radiating immense presence. Without the carriage roof, enduring this was brutal.
After a moment's thought, I unfolded the glider wings in my hands once more.
Clank—
"Durel. Come grab the other side."
"We're flying?"
"Give it a shot."
At my response, Durel rushed over. Once he gripped the opposite wing, I summoned the winds of Gentle Wind.
Whoosh—!
The sensation differed from flying solo. The added weight of my load made it heavier. In that instant, Gentle Wind's gust finally lifted the glider.
"Oh... I'm, I'm flying!"
Whoooosh—!
To sustain the winds, my heart's Mana Circle spun furiously. Endless gusts tautened the glider's wings. But the flight wasn't perfect.
It wobbled unsteadily and didn't climb as high as hoped. In the end, the glider carrying Durel and me flew mere meters before crashing into the sand.
Splat—!
"Too heavy."
"Sorry..."
"No. My wind wasn't strong enough. Like this..."
Touching down on the sands, I frowned. The winds lacked power to lift us both. Solo, maybe—but with Durel, flying was off the table.
That's when my eyes caught the collapsed carriage wreckage. Its smooth surface and slightly curved ends evoked a sled or surfboard.
"Hm... Durel."
"Yes?"
"Help me out."
"Done."
"This is..."
I gazed at my crudely assembled creation and grinned in satisfaction. It was a long, sled-like board with the glider angled atop it—resembling a windsurfing board from seaside sports.
One difference: this was built for sand, not sea.
I climbed aboard and signaled Durel, who hopped on beside me. With the golem recovered, I immediately unleashed Gentle Wind.
Whoooosh—!
The cool blast swept away the desert's searing heat. Eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the endless red sands, the glider wings tautened, lifting the board slightly as it slid swiftly down the dune.
"Heh, heh ha..."
The stronger the wind, the longer we rode, the faster we went. Riding the breeze itself. When the long board descended one dune and crested a massive one...
Durel and I were soaring.
Sunlight scattered through the boundless blue sky on the wind. The sweltering heat vanished, replaced by refreshing gusts. As our brief airtime ended, the board—glider wings embraced—skimmed the sands again.
Shhhhwhoosh—!
Durel and I burst into laughter without a cue. Light, wind-like peals of joy. The breeze enveloping us now granted a sharper sense of freedom than ever.
Behind our path, sandstorms billowed like tempests. Those sandy waves mimicked ocean swells, with our nimble dash surging ahead.
Our rush didn't halt even as night fell. We crested dunes and glided over sand flows effortlessly. After hurtling as one with the wind for hours, we spotted a massive light ahead.
"Master! Light!"
"I see it!"
Spotting our goal, I tilted the glider to adjust course. The windborne board raced across the sands with exhilarating speed.
We halted before the city's grand gates. Touching down amid fierce gusts, the guards—who'd stood watch at the entrance—approached warily, faces tense.
"H-Halt!"
The guards' demeanor matched the wary civilians we'd met before. I'd half-wondered if desert folk feared mages less, like those earlier bandits.
But it was needless concern.
The cautious guards asked our names, purpose, and expected stay.
"Lumi... and Durel... Purpose: simple tourism... Expected stay: three days..."
"What happens if we overstay?"
"Oh, no issue. It's just formality... But, are you two with 'Hayar'? Unlikely for foreigners, but we must confirm."
Hayar—the mages' alliance of this red desert. Durel and I shook our heads in unison, and the guard visibly relaxed.
"Trouble with Hayar mages?"
"N-No, not trouble with them. Just... lately, some group declared war on Hayar..."
"Declared war?"
"Yes. Shamshir, they're fairly large. Don't know the reason, but with Shamshir and Hayar at war... Rumors of Hayar mages in town draw Shamshir raids. Real headache..."
At the guard's words, Durel and I exchanged glances. Suspects sprang to mind.
"That Shamshir—do they ride lizard-things and use black ropes to kidnap mages?"
"Not sure on details... Sorry."
The guard bowed apologetically at my question, then glanced around and hurried toward new arrivals.