Chapter 29: How to climb a dangerous mountain comfortably

「Got everything?」(Scheidt)

「I’m ready, but you sure about this?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke stated as he faintly smiled apologetically.

「I said it’s alright」(Scheidt)

After the two thoroughly prepared, they began to head out of the village.

The two were bundled up heavily in mountaineering clothes and boots. Scheidt was still covered in his cloak while Kousuke had a brand new blade strapped to his waist.

Kousuke felt apologetic towards Scheidt at the moment. Despite the village being small and the various expenses, including the overnight stay, was on the cheap side, it still felt uncomfortable for Kousuke to have everything paid for.

This happened since Kousuke’s plan to work to pay for everything was rejected by Scheidt, who was in a rush to return to the kingdom.

「It wasn’t all that expensive and I still have three quarters of my funds left. Once we finish this, I’ll earn everything and more back anyways. Just take it as a precautionary measure, I don’t want anything to go wrong so spending a little extra to guarantee success isn’t such a big deal」(Scheidt)

This is how Scheidt truly felt. He wasn’t aiming to guilt Kousuke into accepting like before, rather, he was that determined to succeed on this trip. Money had very little importance in comparison. As long as he has a little left to travel back to the capital, everything else can be spent.

「Then.. I’ll return the amount I owe you once we get our reward」(Kousuke)

「Bah, I don’t need that either」(Scheidt)

Scheidt grunted his displeasure, but was finally convinced in the end. The two stood side-by-side as they left the village.

Their destination, Mt. Mubrant, was approximately half a day away from the village. Reaching the spring would take another half a day from the bottom of the mountain.

As the two travelled to their destination, Kousuke received relevant information of the continent from Scheidt.

Of course, the journey there was eventful in itself. Though there were no bandits, the two were a.s.saulted by monsters twice along the way. They were all pitifully weak in front of Kousuke, who thoroughly eradicated them nonchalantly with a few magic blasts.

What shocked Scheidt was that Kousuke did all this without even turning towards the monsters. He scrutinized further, hoping to see the depths of Kousuke’s strength as well as his most preferred combat style.

In comparison, Scheidt’s combat style was to encroach on the foe’s opening with his short sword. He maintained unscathed throughout the journey, largely contributed by the fact that the monsters were also too weak for him.

Unbeknownst to Scheidt, Kousuke was observing his battles with great interest, finding many similarities to Nagare’s style, especially the way that Scheidt has never frontally confronted any of the monsters. Of course, with his lack of experience, it was difficult to tell just how strong Scheidt really was since he was clearly not going all out.

「We’ll camp here tonight」(Scheidt)

With the night’s descent, the two finally reached the foot of the mountain. Kousuke had the same idea as well, concluding that traveling and camping in this darkness on a mountain was a terrible idea.

As the two prepared the campfire and tent, Kousuke inquired about the mountain.

「Would you happen to know what kind of monsters reside on this mountain?」(Kousuke)

「Yea, there are three kinds」(Scheidt)

The first one is a large, carnivorous bee, as big as a crow. Its carapace is tough and it has a highly venomous stinger capable of instantly killing a giant boar. Even without its stinger, its jaws are capable of shattering through the thickest of trees.

The second one is a stone boar. Despite its size being similar to a normal boar, its skin is matted with a stone-like substance and will charge into any they perceive as foes.

The third one is a cloaked swallow. These will have either sky blue or forest green feathers and are roughly three times the size of a normal swallow. The feathers on their wings are bladed and produced many rumors that these birds have decapitated or removed other limbs of unwary adventurers.

「The most important thing about the carnivorous bees is to not approach their nest. It’s easily found as it’s a huge mound of rocks and dirt, but inside it has at least 50-100 of those bees. They’re sensitive to anything that approaches the nest, so every bee inside will come out and a.s.sault trespa.s.sers」(Scheidt)

A single bee is comparable in strength to the monsters they’ve encountered on the trip to the mountain. However, the moment it becomes a swarm, the danger level becomes inestimable.

「That’s quite dreadful」(Kousuke)

Kousuke s.h.i.+vered at imagining the swarm chasing him.

「Definitely. A single one is easy to deal with, but a swarm is definitely too dangerous. Their carapace might be hard, but it’s not as tough as rocks. Even newbie adventurers can handle them as long as they're careful enough」(Scheidt) 【TL: Remember the statue monster, the bees are in for an unfortunate future ;D】

「Will one call for help if it’s in danger?」(Kousuke)

「That won’t happen unless that bee was killed near its nest. Alright then, onto the wild boar’s detail. Never stand in its charging path. If you can survive with a broken bone or two after getting rammed by them, you are extremely lucky. Luckily, they’re not able to steer too well once they start charging so if you dodge and take advantage of the moment they stop their charge, you can easily trip and land a finis.h.i.+ng blow. If you happen to encounter multiples of them, keep track of each and every one of their movements. They tend to coordinate their charges from multiple directions」(Scheidt)

「Got it. Hmm, I think it’s ready now? Yup, nicely cooked」(Kousuke)

Tasting the soup, Kousuke felt satisfied with the flavor and pa.s.sed a bowlful over to Scheidt.

Scheidt gratefully accepted the bowl. After taking a sip he continued his explanation.

「In regards to the cloaked shallow, the only warning I can give about them is to not enter their territory. Those fellas are hard to see and sensing their presence with their high-speed is very difficult; dodging even more so. Still, despite their sharp wings, they can’t slice through metallic objects. It’s possible to armor up to counter their a.s.sault, but that’ll just slow us down too much」(Scheidt)

「By the way, I can use flight magic. Is it possible to fly to the peak with it?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke asked as he considered the possibility of a shortcut.

「Aren’t you just asking to get targeted? Those bees and birds are definitely faster than you」(Scheidt)

「That’s true. Come to think of it, you must have something readied for this since you were originally planning on going alone, right?」(Kousuke)

「Mm, I have some scent concealing bombs for those bees. I also planned on entering the mountain from the opposite side of the cloaked swallows’ territory to avoid them completely. I didn’t prepare anything for the boars, but I received some info that they make a lot of noise in general so they can be avoided easily. It’s a walk in the park after that. Oh and pray to the G.o.ds for a safe travel, can’t forget that」(Scheidt)

Recalling the G.o.ds he met, Kousuke decided in his heart to not pray to them as they would definitely make this trip more enjoyable……. for themselves. 【TL: Nooo pray to them, I want enjoyable】

Suddenly, ever so faintly, Kousuke heard “We would never do that” but seeing Scheidt’s non-responsive face he just a.s.sumed it was just the wind. 【TL: They're really into this voyeurism thing, huh…】

As the night grew later, Scheidt decided to take the first watch as Kousuke went to sleep.

As if fearing the denizens of the mountain, the monsters in the surrounding area never approached the two’s camp. The monsters within the mountain as well did not approach.

Dawn break.

To avoid the cloaked swallows’ territory, the two walked along the southern side of the mountain for an hour before entering.

Upon entering, the surrounding was overflowing with the sounds of insects crying and leaves rustling along the stone floor. With the sudden absence of bird chirping, Kousuke furrowed his brows slightly. He clearly heard birds chirping not too long ago.

「By the way, besides the monsters you explained does this mountain happen to have any dangerous beasts?」(Kousuke)

「There shouldn’t be any. Small animals should be around, but anything large would instantly become the bees’ meal」(Scheidt)

Enlightened, Kousuke figured the absence of bird chirping was caused by the bees hunting them all.

「So I guess we only need to keep wary for those monsters then. Keep track for the bee’s wing flapping and the boar’s loud footsteps, got it」(Kousuke)

「I heard those bees sometime stay still on trees and observe their surroundings. Don’t just a.s.sume they aren’t around since you can’t hear their wings, got it?」(Scheidt)

「Roger that」(Kousuke)

Suddenly, Kousuke’s ear picked up a faint sound of something piercing through the air. Kousuke pulled out his knife and stabbed it in front of Scheidt as he stared towards the direction of the sound. A metallic clang rang out, shocking Scheidt as he finally realized a bird was blocked by Kousuke’s knife.

His shock however was not towards the seeing the blade in front of him, but rather the facts that he didn’t notice the cloaked swallow at all and that Kousuke did and even stopped its a.s.sault.

Whenever his life was in imminent danger, his “hunch” would warn him, but why did it not work when he was clearly in danger?! There wasn’t even a sign of his gift warning him at all!

「So this is the cloaked swallow? I see, it really is hard to see with its green plumages. Why did it appear here though? Isn’t its territory on the other side?」(Kousuke)

「It.. Its territory is definitely not around here, but they sometimes wander away, even if it’s rare.

…… How did you notice it?」(Scheidt)

As Scheidt slowly calmed from the dangerous encounter, he curiously asked Kousuke.

「I heard its wings piercing through the air. When I glanced towards the direction of the sound I saw a small, green thing flying towards us so I stuck my knife out in its way.

By the way, are there any other useful parts to salvage off the bird besides its bladed wings?」(Kousuke) 【TL: Facepalm】

「It’s not as valuable, but it’s meat can be sold too」(Scheidt)

Apparently, the undamaged wings and stingers of the bees can be sold. The boar's meat is also a commodity that vastly outstrips the value of a normal boar’s meat in equal weight.

Seeing Kousuke merrily harvesting the bird’s wings, Scheidt drew a hypothesis in his mind.

The reason for his gift failing to activate was due to Kousuke’s presence. With strength beyond Scheidt’s scope of comprehension, Kousuke’s presence on this journey is completely negating the need for his gift to activate. This was the only conclusion that made sense to Scheidt.

Shuddering at that thought, he glanced at Kousuke once more and felt extremely lucky for having such a capable partner with him.

Reaching his goal suddenly became much more hopeful and likely now. While maintaining his calm expression, he settled the ripples in his mood since it was still possible his hypothesis was wrong. Just because his companion was strong, becoming complacent and failing to reach his goal would just be utterly devastating.

「Finished harvesting?」(Scheidt)

「Just about finished」(Kousuke)

「Then let’s hurry ahead. Ah, I almost forgot. Thank you for saving my life earlier」(Scheidt)

「You’re welcome!」(Kousuke)

And so, the two resumed their journey.

As they progressed, Kousuke noticed a carnivorous bee was attempting to camouflage on a nearby tree. He quickly picked up and threw a fist-sized rock and pierced through the bee’s hard carapace, instantly killing it. Seeing this, Scheidt was further convinced of his previous hypothesis.

The two soon reached a clearing and took a long, three hour break before resuming their trek. The two soon reached the targeted lake… In a rather comfortable manner. With the exception of the cloaked swallow incident, the two avoided every possible danger that entered Kousuke’s detection throughout the entire trip.

The current time was slightly later in comparison to their arrival at the foot of the mountain. Therefore, the two arrived at the lake in the middle of the night. Since their goal of the medicinal water was only produced and harvestable during dawn, the two camped themselves down near the herbs’ growing spot.

Abstaining from creating an attention-grabbing campfire, the two enjoyed a cold dinner before realizing they had absolutely nothing to do until morning.

To kill some time and to ward off the cold mountain air, the two slowly sipped on some sake. Scheidt also pulled out some seasoned beans to accompany the sake.

「Hey, Kousuke」(Scheidt)

「Hmm?」(Kousuke)

Scheidt’s voice brought back Kousuke, who was absentmindedly thinking about how Viare and Alice were doing.

「Are you possibly a knight or an imperial guard from somewhere?」(Scheidt)

Scheidt asked Kousuke as he stared up into the sky.

「Nothing like that. In fact, I’m surprised that anyone would even come to such a conclusion. Did anything I do resemble someone of a knightly or n.o.ble stature?」(Kousuke)

「No, not really, but with your capabilities, it’s even more unbelievable that you’re just a run-of-the-mill adventurer」(Scheidt)

「Unfortunately, I really am just a run-of-the-mill adventurer. Back home, all I did were odd-job requests left and right」(Kousuke)

「I’m sure there were even more profitable requests available though. Was there a reason for just doing those odd-jobs?」(Scheidt)

Scheidt’s voice wavered in disbelief as he heard Kousuke’s previous work record.

「Money wasn’t the highest priority. I was just curious about all the various jobs available so I wanted to try them all. Also, I wasn’t too comfortable with fighting then」(Kousuke)

「Just how strong were the people around you to make YOU that timid around them?!」(Scheidt)

Scheidt ended up having an exaggerated understanding of how “insane” Kousuke’s upbringing was. It was understandable though, considering the possibility of concluding that the person sitting next to him was from a peaceful, parallel world was infinitely close to zero.

At Kousuke’s lack of response, Scheidt thoroughly believed that Kousuke attained his strength through a tenuous, dog-eat-dog upbringing.

「It really makes me want to see how your status is set up. If possible.. I know it’s asking a lot, but may I take a look at your card?」(Scheidt)

「Sorry, anything but that please…」(Kousuke)

「…… Then how about telling me your highest or your lowest stat?」(Scheidt)

「Well, I guess that should be fine. My lowest stat is D+」(Kousuke)

Kousuke’s Spirit stat is honestly at D+, if his Dragonslayer t.i.tle’s one level bonus was ignored. In the end, he really isn’t lying. Since he was not asked for the inclusion of gifts and t.i.tles, he had no reason to reveal anything beyond the bare minimum. In fact, announcing that his lowest stat is really C+ has other problematic implications.

Still, D+ as the lowest was quite amazing in itself.

「That…. Explains a lot」(Scheidt)

Scheidt immediately s.h.i.+fted his shocked gaze towards Kousuke. Anyone who saw his face could immediately tell how amazed he was.

In comparison, Scheidt’s two highest stats were Dexterity and Spirit, both at D+. Finding out that his two highest stats were the equivalent of Kousuke’s lowest stat was just too much to accept.

「Just how much do I have to train to reach that kind of strength…」(Scheidt)

「That….. I can’t really tell」(Kousuke)

「At the very least, I would need to be fighting nearly non-stop against monsters, I believe」(Scheidt)

The two’s chatter ended up s.h.i.+fting away from their status.

They ended up talking about everything else and shared a lot of seemingly trivial details instead. Still, certain details like “where did you live” or “where did you train” were thoroughly memorized by Scheidt. How often does someone have a chance to become acquainted with someone powerful? Scheidt would not let this opportunity pa.s.s.

Just like the evening before, the two rotated watch as the night pa.s.sed.

The two awoke before sunrise. Having a quick and light meal, they immediately cleaned up the camp and prepared to gather the medicinal water. Of course, by preparation, they only took out a small, corked bottle from their bag to gather the water.

「There should be enough dew now, right?」(Scheidt)

Kousuke looked at each and every flower closely before nodding in approval to Scheidt. The two slowly approached the flowers, afraid that their steps’ vibration may shake the dews off.

「Alright, let’s being. It’s a simple collection process, just tilt the flower and have the bottle ready to collect the falling dew」(Scheidt)

「I see, even a beginner can do this」(Kousuke)

「It’s not like a beginner can make it up here, though」(Scheidt)

The two quickly began their collection before insects arrive to drink the dew. Drop by drop they collected until they filled up fifteen drops worth. The two’s bottles were roughly even in quant.i.ty in the end.

At the very least, each bottle held 3 gold coins worth of dew.

「Make sure to seal it properly, alright?」(Scheidt)

「Of course, I wouldn’t want our efforts to go to waste due to carelessness」(Kousuke)

He tightly sealed the bottle with a cork and wrapped it up thickly with cloth before stowing it away into his bag.

「Now then, let’s leave this mountain」(Kousuke)

「Don’t drop your guard, monsters are still active at this time」(Scheidt)

Quickly, the two began their descent.

They spotted some monsters along the way, but luckily avoided each and every one. The two safely descended without fighting once.

Scheidt was extremely gleeful over the success of this venture. How couldn’t he be since the entire trip was as relaxing as a beach stroll?

However, his momentary lapse in wariness lead to an undesirable situation.

In front of the two, there were four adventurer-like individuals. Stoic faced and weapons ready, they charged at the two exiting the forest without warning.

Even Kousuke failed to perceive their presence as he did not expect people to be intentionally hiding their breath nearby. The relaxing nature of the trip made him slightly less wary.

The battle ended as silently as it started.

Scheidt was slightly injured and Kousuke was completely unscathed. As for the four a.s.sailants, they were unconscious on the ground with their limbs tied.

「Who are these people?」(Kousuke)

「Bandits, I think. They’re probably too lacking to actually climb the mountain, but they still wanted the medicinal water. Since they couldn’t get it themselves, they laid near the entrance in hopes of ambus.h.i.+ng people who managed to get the dew」(Scheidt) 【TL: Yup makes sense, let’s ambush people who are clearly stronger than us… GENIUS!】

Kousuke nodded in agreement to Scheidt’s explanation.

「By the way, did your movements get a bit dull?」(Kousuke)

「I froze for a bit from the surprise attack」(Scheidt)

Grunting at Kousuke’s remark, Scheidt quickly pulled out a pill and swallowed it.

「I see. Hm? What did you just eat?」(Kousuke)

「Antidote. Their weapons were coated with something so I’m just taking some precaution」(Scheidt)

「Hmm. Let me know if you still feel odd, I can fix you up with magic」(Kousuke)

「Thanks, I’ll let you know if I need it」(Scheidt)

「So, how should we handle these guys?」(Kousuke)

「…… I doubt the closest village has a cell to hold these guys in so why not just leave them here?」(Scheidt)

「There wasn’t a cell there?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke tried to remember how the village was like and realized he really didn’t see a proper holding cell-like structure.

Kousuke became silent after this. He didn’t really want to just leave them here, but seeing Scheidt’s cold face made him reconsider.

「Well, I guess that’s fine too. Now then, should we head to the imperial capital now?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke began walking away from the incapacitated a.s.sailants.

If their luck is bad, they’ll end up in the bellies of monsters. If they wake up in time, they can at least escape with the knife on the floor near them.

In the end, Kousuke didn’t care anymore what will happen to them.

「Mm. We’ll stop by a town along the way to resupply and should reach the capital in around four days」(Scheidt)

「By the way, can you tell me about any specialty products, famous sites, or this country’s origin story?」(Kousuke)

Despite being trapped on a strange, foreign land, Kousuke felt somewhat excited being able to see some interesting things before heading home.  Even if it’s nothing useful, at least he would be able to bring back some fun stories to his friends back home.

Scheidt contemplated a bit before answering.

「This country rose about 150 years ago. Originally, it was a part of a larger country to the south west. A marquis was rewarded for his meritorious deeds this land and the absolute ruler-s.h.i.+p over it.

In reality, it was a colony, a va.s.sal state that was still under the laws and dictations of its mother country. However, over the decades, through the efforts of an excellent monarch and his officials, they were able to produce an enormous wealth through trade and bought semi-independence from the mother country.

They weren’t able to completely buy the country’s freedom since the location of this land was too valuable as an a.s.set during emergencies. However, despite not being able to attain their desired emanc.i.p.ation, the mother country’s intervention in this country’s ruler-s.h.i.+p effectively vanished.

That about sums up this country's origin」(Scheidt)

「What was the meritorious deed the marquis performed?」(Kousuke)

「Earthquakes and tsunamis completely destroyed the coasts of this country. The marquis in question was of immense a.s.sistance in the revival of the coasts, or so I heard」(Scheidt)

「He was rewarded a country so his deeds were definitely not small」(Kousuke)

「That may not be the exact truth though. He could have just been forced upon a barren land seeing how well he did with the coast’s revival.

Consider this, despite the recovery, there is no way the conditions for agriculture and commerce in the area were as good as before the disaster. Furthermore, the public order of the coast was definitely in a worsened state. With the mother country having their own troubles back in the capital, they most likely didn’t have the time to spare for this place so they pushed it onto someone they felt was capable.

Fortunately or not, that capable being just happened to be the very marquis that restored the place. To maintain their public image, they provided a suitable “payment” to the marquis and washed their hands off of the actual work. I’m sure the reconstruction fund provided was of proper amount, though. There’s no way they would leave a nearby place in such a disarray since doing so would only earn the people's discontent」(Scheidt)

Of course, the possibility that the marquis was just too excellent could be the reason for this pseudo-exile as well, but Scheidt kept quiet about that. Being thrown onto an unfamiliar and untamed land, the marquis would lose all abilities to intervene with any matters back in the mother country. No matter how excellent he was, the difficulties of making and running a country out of nothing was sky-high.

This guess was based on records indicating that the marquis was being ostracized by his peers during that time.

「This was considered a suitable payment?」(Kousuke)

「You get to become a king, you know? For any ambitious person, such a deal is an ideal thing. I just don’t know if the marquis was an ambitious person or not, though」(Scheidt)

「I guess the only way to find out is to see if the current royal family kept a journal or something of the marquis. Alright then, I guess that’s enough of history. What can you tell me about this country’s unique products and traits?」(Kousuke)

「That can only be our princess, the Diva」(Scheidt)

Scheidt immediately replied.

Kousuke nodded as he already knew this, but he immediately frowned in confusion at Scheidt’s following words.

「As long as our princess lives, this country will be able to survive」(Scheidt)

「What? As a diva, she plays a pivotal role in this country’s politics?」(Kousuke)

「No, that’s not it. The princess is heavily favored by the Sea Dragon. It’s to the point that the Sea Dragon would visit every three months just to hear her sing. Any ill-intent towards her would simply earn the ire of the Sea Dragon」(Scheidt)

「Is this country under the protection of the dragon then?」(Kousuke)

「Not exactly. The Sea Dragon is not protecting the country at all. It’s just protecting our princess, it wouldn’t care if the rest of the country fell into ruins. The day she pa.s.ses on would likely be the day the Sea Dragon would also disappear」(Scheidt)

In truth, this country has made a huge error by wanting using the Sea Dragon in a militaristic fas.h.i.+on.

With the princess’s plea, the Sea Dragon would a.s.sist the country a bit, but in return the other nearby countries would be frenzied in action. In the end, the small a.s.sistance the Sea Dragon could provide would be useless against the other countries’ retaliation so they could only shelf such idea. The country wouldn’t be able to survive if they had to mobilize the army just to protect the princess. They also feared the nearby countries may enforce an embargo on them as well.

In the end, the country decided to not rely on the Sea Dragon for anything besides its protection over the princess.

「…… So that dragon favors this princess, I see…」(Kousuke)

Kousuke had a strong feeling that the dragon that threw him here was related to this diva princess.

However, this was irrelevant as he was already stuck here for the time being. He continued his travel with Scheidt with his goal of going home in mind.

Shaking out irrelevant thoughts from his mind, Kousuke continued onto other topics of interest about this country with Scheidt.