Arkys Great Labyrinth (2)
Elenoa watched in bewilderment as Eunhyeon suddenly began dismantling the kobolds.
"Lady Elenoa. As a priestess, you know how to perform purification, right?"
"Well... I can, but..."
"Perfect. Then could you purify these kobolds for me?"
"Pardon?"
"Purify them. I need to butcher them and save the meat to eat."
Elenoa gasped in shock at Eunhyeon's utterly unexpected words.
"Y-you're going to eat these?!"
Eunhyeon glanced at the horrified Elenoa and asked,
"Why are you so surprised?"
"No, you're saying you eat magic beasts?"
"I thought you had expedition experience. Didn't you know?"
"The expeditions I went on never ate magic beasts even once!"
"You must've joined some very refined expeditions. Real adventurer expeditions last anywhere from three days short to a full month long."
Eunhyeon continued explaining to the stiff, frozen Elenoa as he calmly dismantled the magic beasts.
"Short trips are fine, but the longer they drag on—and the larger the party—the more food requirements explode. That's why self-sufficiency in rations is the top priority on any proper expedition."
That's exactly why priestesses, as rear-guard roles, are essential jobs. Not just for healing and support in battle, but because their purification ability plays a huge part in securing food supplies. He'd assumed someone who'd joined expeditions as a priestess would know the basics of butchering magic beasts and using them for food, but it seemed the duke's sheltered daughter had never actually eaten any.
"No experience eating magic beasts? Looks like you only did easy expeditions where you could afford such luxuries."
"Ugh..."
Elenoa groaned, unable to refute Eunhyeon's point. Indeed, her expeditions had mostly been simple relief missions on the capital outskirts, round trips of just three or four days. And even those numbered barely enough to count on one hand—nothing like a real adventurer's experience.
"But even so, we can't waste time here like this. We still don't know how my brother or the princess are doing..."
"Rushing won't solve it. And even if we luckily find the princess's party, have you thought about what comes after?"
"What comes after?"
"Judging by your reaction, the princess's party probably doesn't butcher magic beasts for food either. Assuming their rations are gone, won't we need extra to share when we rescue them?"
"Ah..."
"Don't assume our supplies will be enough. Expeditions are unpredictable. You might plan for three or four days and end up taking over a month if things go wrong. This is just preparation."
"I... see."
Elenoa nodded reluctantly. It made her feel ashamed, realizing her past expeditions were child's play and her experience laughably superficial.
"Time is urgent, though, so we'll purify, grab the meat, and go. Hides and the rest are a shame to leave, but processing them would take too long."
Elenoa agreed with prioritizing food and moving out. She cast purification on the pile of kobold meat Eunhyeon had prepared. The repulsive, contaminated mana that turned her stomach vanished cleanly under her spell. Eunhyeon pulled a large cloth from his travel backpack, dumped all the purified meat into it, sprinkled salt and spices, then tied it up securely.
"Should really trim all the fat, but oh well."
He muttered regretfully but stuffed the bundled meat back into his pack.
"Alright, let's move."
The two resumed following the direction indicated by the tracking artifact.
"If there's no priestess on an expedition, you can't use magic beasts for food at all?"
"There are ways. The contaminated mana from a dead magic beast naturally dissipates over time. Butcher it first, wait it out, and you can eat the meat once it's gone."
But that method felt sketchy too.
"Hard to tell if it's really all gone. People get uneasy wondering if poison lingers. Who'd risk eating it knowingly?"
"Right. That's where priestess purification comes in."
"Meat purified by a priestess is like a stamp saying 'This is completely safe.' You can eat it with peace of mind."
Priestess purification acts like a hygiene certification, guaranteeing magic beast meat is edible.
"But eating magic beasts still feels... gross."
"Then don't. But don't expect me to cover any problems that causes. If you insisted on tagging along despite preferring to go solo, can't you at least listen? If something happens to you too, it'll blow back on me."
"Do you always have to frame hypotheticals that way to feel satisfied?"
"That's why I told you—I'm better alone. If you're going to whine about food from the start, head back now."
"...Fine. I'll eat it. Happy?"
"And?"
"I'll... follow your words without complaint."
"Excellent."
Eunhyeon smiled in satisfaction, and Elenoa clenched her fist around her staff, irked by how he always pried such firm promises from her in the pettiest way.
God, I wanna hit him.
It was true she'd thrown a tantrum to follow him, but seeing him still hold a grudge like this showed just how petty he was.
Cheap bastard.
"Yeah. Cheap bastard."
"Gasp!"
Elenoa froze, wondering if her inner thought had slipped out. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at him.
Eunhyeon just smirked at her expression.
"That face says, 'How did you read my mind?'"
"......"
"I hear it a lot. 'Cheap bastard'—from our witch."
Elenoa nodded as if it made sense.
"But that reaction confirms you really thought it."
"Yeah. I did. So what."
Caught red-handed, Elenoa decided to own it brazenly. Her cheeky attitude almost made Eunhyeon chuckle.
"Nothing. Whatever."
The two walked on lightly, as if the kobold encounter had never happened. They didn't chat much after that, just kept moving. After about two hours, the sun fully set, plunging them into dark night.
"Getting dark."
Eunhyeon muttered, glancing up at the night sky.
On normal expeditions, night marches were foolish. Darkness clouded vision, and accumulated fatigue plus hunger dulled judgment. Night travel was a last resort among adventurers unless absolutely urgent.
"What now?"
Elenoa desperately wanted to push on for Alex, hating the idea of camping. But she acknowledged her inexperience compared to Eunhyeon and had promised to follow his lead. If he chose to camp, she'd have no choice.
"Don't know Alex's condition, so we'll keep going. But I'm worried about your stamina now."
"No need to worry about me. I'm a bit tired, but I can recover with holy magic and push on."
"Wasting holy power already when we don't know what's ahead? Bad choice."
Eunhyeon shook his head, unslung his travel backpack from his back to the front, and said,
"Give me your staff."
"Pardon?"
"Hand over the staff."
Puzzled but compliant, Elenoa passed it over. Eunhyeon gripped both ends behind his waist, turned his back to her, and knelt on one knee.
"Hop on."
"......"
Elenoa stared blankly, not grasping his intent. He meant to carry her piggyback to preserve her stamina while he walked alone—even with the backpack. Wouldn't it be better for each to walk? She'd conserve energy at the cost of exhausting him several times over.
"I'll show you firsthand why I'm better alone."
As she hesitated, he added the nudge. Resigned, Elenoa climbed onto his back. Confirming the staff securely braced her legs, he said,
"Hold tight."
"Huh?"
Time Acceleration
Elenoa nearly lost her grip on his shoulders from the sudden burst of speed.
"Kyaaah!"
She screamed, wrapping her arms around his neck desperately to stay on. The fierce wind battering her face measured his blistering pace.
What the hell is this guy? Carrying two people's weight and running this fast?!
It rivaled a carriage. Midway through her stunned thoughts, he abruptly stopped and asked,
"Direction still good this way?"
"Y-yeah."
Elenoa checked the artifact's needle clutched in her hand and stammered.
"Sigh. Hoped it wasn't."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
Eunhyeon resumed his powered sprint. After nearly thirty nonstop minutes, he announced arrival, set her down, took a deep breath, and gazed skyward, exhaling steadily.
"Are you... even human?"
Elenoa eyed him suspiciously. Carrying her and the pack at carriage speed, he looked refreshed rather than tired, smiling easily.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Good workout after ages. Decent warm-up."
"That was just a warm-up..."
She had plenty to say but sighed softly and eyed their destination.
"Brother's mana trail ends here. Looks like they went inside..."
"How the hell did they know to come here? What kind of contrived bullshit plot logic is this..."
Child, mind your language.
Eunhyeon shrugged with a wry smile at the goddess's scolding in his mind. Verdandi sighed, stroked his head, and gazed at the massive ruins ahead.
Well, the child's words were spot on. And a 'Dungeon of the Void Age' still intact...
"You know this place?"
"This is the Arkys Great Labyrinth, ruins built by a 'Puppeteer' from the Void Age. A site hiding ancient legacies unknown even now."
"Ancient... legacies?"
Elenoa's eyes widened as she murmured Eunhyeon's answer. He scowled at the entrance, displeased.
"They say 'never say never' for a reason..."
He'd prayed it had no connection. With a small sigh, Eunhyeon stepped toward the entrance.
"Let's go in."