The Ephel Mountains' Disturbance
Late at night, Ian returned to the inn and devoured the special fish and potato stew Grandma Masa had lovingly prepared. He then fell into a deep, dreamless sleep—the first proper late morning he had enjoyed since arriving in this world. The tension that had been wound so tightly within him had finally loosened completely, thanks to the relief of completing his mission.
After roughly combing through his bird’s-nest hair, Ian descended to the first-floor dining area, where only Grandma Masa and a few guests remained. The elderly woman sat at the bar counter, her reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she carefully scanned a thin newspaper filled with city news.
When Ian approached, she looked up at him over the rims of her glasses with a gentle gaze.
“You slept quite soundly.”
“Yes. I never imagined I could sleep so deeply and so late.”
“Heh heh, you looked like you’d fallen into a dreamless slumber, yet here you are talking about dreams.”
Grandma Masa replied playfully, but after a brief hesitation, her expression grew serious. She lowered her voice.
“Ian, you said you work as an errand boy, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I came back so late last night.”
“Then… from now on, try not to accept any requests that take you near the northern Ephel Mountains.”
“What? May I ask why?”
“It seems the ‘dark crystals’ the black magicians buried during the old magic war have become active again. The number of skeletons and bone beasts in the Ephel Mountains has tripled compared to usual.”
“….?!”
Ian felt a chill run through his chest. Now that he thought about it, this matched what the mercenaries at the neighboring table had been complaining about when he met Zenon at the Red Forge. Their talk of skeletons swarming the roads leading to the Ephel Mountains had suddenly become a far more grim reality.
“I heard there’s a major road through the Ephel Mountains. This is serious.”
“Indeed. The Ephel Highway leads straight to the Notbandt territory, a key commercial hub, and north of that territory lies the capital. If that route is blocked, it’s as good as severing a vital artery.”
Ian mentally sketched a map before asking, “Is there no detour?”
“Hmm, a detour… Well, you could go east from Gelian’s northern gate, cross the reed fields, pass through the Eilens territory, and cross the Naien River. But the Eilens territory is buried deep within a vast primeval forest, so it’s far less efficient than crossing the mountain highway.”
At Grandma Masa’s detailed explanation, Ian’s face hardened. Just as she said, if the Ephel Mountains route was cut off, Gelian would be left isolated. The city’s vitality, sustained by lively trade and tourism, would vanish in an instant.
Noticing his darkening expression, Grandma Masa added reassuringly, “Don’t worry too much. The lord’s castle will soon assemble a subjugation force of mages, soldiers, and skilled mercenaries. The Notbandt territory beyond the mountains won’t sit idle either.”
“You think so? The Spring Flower Festival is only a month away, so the higher-ups will surely try to resolve this quickly, right?”
“Of course. Now stop fretting and eat your lunch.”
Ian took a spoonful of the clear fish stew Grandma Masa had brought. The light, warm broth soothed his stomach, but the unease in his heart remained.
A week passed. Ian had used 30 of the 50 gold coins earned from completing the Whitefoot Flower request to pay for 35 days of lodging in advance and had earned another 10 gold by successfully completing two simple low-rank cleaning requests. Yet during that time, there had been no sign of the Ephel Mountains incident being resolved. Instead, only grim rumors circulated through Gelian’s streets—that dispatched soldiers and mercenaries had returned with severe injuries.
**
Having safely completed four low-rank requests and now needing only one more to officially advance to a full-fledged low-rank errand boy, Ian walked along the main street around lunchtime.
On the surface, the street still retained its usual liveliness. But if one slowed down and looked closely, the truth was different. Merchants with stiff expressions and mercenaries inspecting their weapons gathered in small groups at alley corners and under shop eaves, engaged in serious conversations. An invisible tension hung over the wide carriage road like a thin mist. It was a far cry from the brilliant, excited atmosphere Ian had felt when he first set foot in this city alone just a few weeks ago.
Instead of heading straight to the Errand Boy Guild, Ian turned toward the Red Forge. If there was anywhere to hear more reliable news than what was printed in the newspapers, it would be there, among the rough mercenaries. His guess proved correct.
“Ian, you came here because you’re curious about the Ephel Mountains news too, I see.”
As if he had been expecting Ian’s visit, the owner Roskal brought out the ordered grilled lamb skewers and naturally took a seat across from him. After glancing around, he lowered his voice and began a discreet conversation.
“Yes, that’s right, Roskal. The peace of Gelion is a very important matter even to someone like me who’s about to become an official errand boy.”
“Mm, true. This incident is a matter of survival not just for you, but for everyone rooted in Gelion.”
Ian leaned in closer, his expression growing more serious.
“Then, Roskal, do you have any more specific news from the mercenary customers?”
Roskal glanced around the noticeably emptier shop before speaking in an even quieter, heavier tone.
“In truth, what’s written in the newspapers is only a tiny fragment of this incident.”
“What do you mean? Don’t tell me the subjugation force has been defeated more than once?”
“Mm. Strictly speaking… yes. Several covert expeditions have already been sent into the Ephel Mountains, but all have failed.”
“…!”
Ian was so shocked he couldn’t speak for a moment. His mind tangled with questions about what exactly was happening in the Ephel Mountains. Yet he quickly composed himself and focused entirely on the rest of Roskal’s story.
“Actually, it was the lord’s mages who first sensed the anomaly. Even though they seem completely absorbed in their research, they never lose their instinctive interest and suspicion toward black magic.”
Roskal picked up a skewer and spoke casually, but his eyes remained sharp.
“…….”
“One of those mages had the peculiar hobby of tracking and observing the ‘dark crystals’ the black magicians had planted throughout the mountains during the magic war. About a month ago, he detected something very strange.”
“Something strange? What kind of…?”
“I don’t know the details either. But it’s clear that the mage, who had been walking around with a magical tool that detects dark energy, rushed to the lord in a panic. He said that the highest-grade dark crystal buried deep in the Ephel Mountains was about to activate.”
“What? The highest-grade crystal is activating? That can’t be…!”
Ian swallowed dryly. Though he knew nothing about magic, the weight of the word “highest-grade” pressed down on him.
“The lord must have been terrified too. That’s why he secretly formed an investigation team to monitor the mountains. When the situation grew dire, he sent soldiers and high-rank mercenaries multiple times to find and destroy the crystal, but… tsk, as you can see, every attempt ended in miserable failure.”
Ian let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
“Haa… So what happens to Gelion now?”
“Well, the lord has only one option left.”
“What method is that?”
“Sending the lord’s own knight order into the Ephel Mountains. An elite force on a scale never seen before.”
At Roskal’s answer, Ian felt a spark of hope rekindle. The word “knight order” carried immense trust. He looked at Roskal with a slightly brighter expression, but for some reason, the other man’s face had grown even more rigid.
“Roskal? Why do you look like that? Won’t the knight order solve everything?”
At Ian’s cautious question, Roskal also let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
“Because sending the knight order is practically a gamble, Ian.”
“A gamble? Even though the territory’s strongest knights are going?”
“Yes. In other words, it’s a double-edged sword.”
At first, Ian couldn’t understand why Roskal was so pessimistic. But as he faced the man’s deep silence and slowly organized his thoughts, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
What if the lord publicly dispatched the knight order for all the citizens to see, only for them to return in defeat? If the entire world learned that Gelion’s final bulwark had finally crumbled?
The panic that would sweep through Gelion at that moment would go far beyond mere anxiety—it could bring the entire city to ruin. What Roskal feared was not simply the bone monsters. It was the complete extinction of the city’s hope.