Chapter 52: The Baydian Mountains (1)
The first journey of the special-class adventure club began on the coming Saturday.
The day they had to return was the following Wednesday. Originally, they could only leave the premises on weekends, but if it was under the pretext of “club activities,” they could go out even on weekdays.
Following Ronan’s suggestion, they decided to ride ghost horses. Riding these swift steeds could cut the two-day journey time in half.
The ghost horse rental took place near the northern gate of the institution. Behind the employees of the Pale Horse Guild, three horses stood still like statues, eerily formed.
“Is th-th-that a horse…?”
“Aselle, seems like you’ve got one more nightmare to deal with.”
Ronan frowned upon seeing the ghost horse. Its twitching pupils were purely white. The hairless, sleek body was pale blue like a frozen corpse.
It felt like the classification of ghost horses as monsters rather than fantasy creatures had been debated for a long time. After a simple exchange of greetings, the staff gave them each a pair of goggles.
“Ah, you must be the ones with reservations. Start with these.”
“Goggles?”
Ronan tilted his head curiously. The craftsmanship was impressive, and they were useful items for griffin riders or anyone else.
“Yes, they’re essential when riding ghost horses. Without these, even keeping your eyes open will be a struggle.”
It made sense that Imperial messenger riders had their reasons for using these. After receiving a brief set of instructions, they were handed the ghost horses.
“We’ve placed a location-tracking spell, so just hold onto the reins and stay seated. Let me emphasize again, never straighten your upper body while riding at high speeds.”
“Thank you. Shall we go then?”
Ronan skillfully mounted the ghost horse. Ronan and Braum each took one horse, while the relatively lighter Aselle and Marya shared another. Marya asked Aselle.
“Cutie, have you ever ridden a horse before?”
“Y-Yeah…! I’ll take the reins.”
Aselle replied confidently, exerting force as if he remembered the horseback riding lessons he had with Ronan.
Although there was a considerable difference between old nag and ghost horse, the current situation didn’t call for such distinctions. Marya laughed unexpectedly and pulled Aselle close from behind.
“Oh, impressive, huh? Well then, please take care!”
“U-uh…!”
Aselle froze. The feeling of pressure against his back was intense. After barely regaining his composure, Aselle lightly tapped the ghost horse’s side with both feet, as he had learned.
“Hyah!”
Thud!
In that instant, Aselle’s head snapped backward. The acceleration wasn’t gradual. The ghost horse shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
“Noooo!”
“Aselle!”
Aselle’s scream was swallowed by the wind the moment it left his mouth. Marya, her arms outstretched, also grabbed the reins. Ronan, who started a moment late, clenched the reins while cursing.
“For fuck’s sake, there’s a limit to this…”
The importance of the goggles became apparent fairly quickly.
Kwaah!
An unexpected gust of wind tore at their skin as if trying to peel it off.
The nearby scenery was becoming a blur and fading away. Distant landscapes were rapidly receding. The ghost horse’s peculiar movement made it seem as if they were truly galloping through the sky.
“Whooooa-!”
Cita was flying at almost the same speed right next to them. The ghost horses carrying the four of them had become the wind and were racing along the Northern Highway.
Looking up, they could see distant mountain peaks rising like spines. Their destination for the day was the Baydian Mountains.
****
“Uweeee! Uweeeek!”
“Cutie, are you okay?”
“Hahaha! Should’ve vomited while running like me!”
Before half a day had passed, they reached their destination. The moment the ghost horses stopped, the group dismounted in a posture resembling imminent falls. The hornless horses turned back along the path that had been a terrifying descent for the group.
“Seriously, what the hell… So clueless.”
When they raised their heads, the majestic sight of the Baydian Mountains came into view. Just a few hours ago, it was hard to believe they were still within the institution. Cita, who had tied in a race with a ghost horse, lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Beheeeeh… beheeeeh…”
“Yeah, I said follow slowly, why rush?”
Ronan put the exhausted Cita into his backpack. Marya, who had been patting Aselle’s back, spoke up.
“How do we get back?”
“They’ll come if you call this. No matter where we are.”
Ronan took out a white stick from his pocket. It was a whistle to call the ghost horses. He started to lead the group up the mountain.
“How far do we have to go?”
“It’s about a day’s journey. Have any of you camped before?”
“Hahaha! Exciting, isn’t it? Heard about it, but this is my first time actually going to the Leylines!”
Each of them carried a large backpack on their backs. The goal of this journey was to find curses from the Mana Veins by sucking honey from them.
“Remember? If you see anything like an octopus with a single eye on its forehead, make sure to catch it. They tend to be in shady places under rocks or trees.”
“Yeah. Weren’t they cursed monsters?”
Ronan nodded his head. He had told the three about his curse a few days ago. Braum, pounding his chest, exclaimed,
“Don’t worry! I’ll bring back a pile like a mountain!”
“Thanks, Braum. By the way, there seem to be quite a lot of monsters here. If you don’t want to get bitten while sleeping, let’s lower our voices a bit.”
“Umm… Got it…”
Ronan led the group deep into the mountains. The terrain was rough, but the three of them, who had improved their stamina over the past month, climbed the mountain without much difficulty.
‘There shouldn’t be imps around.’
The Leylines of the Baydian Mountains were located near the ruins of some unknown structure. At the time, a mercenary group that seemed to have rolled in from nowhere had occupied it.
Due to their demands for passage fees, Ronan had to make seven out of ten of his companions look foolish before they were allowed to leave.
The group walked until nightfall and set up camp under a nameless valley. The warmth of the bonfire that had sprung up among the four of them dispelled the cold chill. Chewing on jerky, Ronan talked about the journey the next day.
“Rest up. We’ll have to walk a lot tomorrow too.”
“Yeah, but what kind of monsters are we going to encounter here?”
“A variety. The most terrifying and the second most terrifying. Which one do you want to hear about first?”
“Se-s-second.”
“Really?”
As Ronan turned around abruptly, he threw Lamancha. The black sword flew in a straight line and disappeared into the thickets between the grass.
Thud!
With a sound as if meat was being pierced, a chilling scream spread through the air.
“Kieeeek!”
“Wha-what is it?!”
Ronan approached the thicket with his hand in his pocket. Lamancha’s black blade had pierced through a green-skinned dwarf, who was writhing while impaled.
“Kyaheeek…! Kaak…”
“As expected, they followed us. We’ll have to pick up the pace tomorrow.”
Phew!
Ronan ended the life of the still-breathing dwarf before him and tossed the body in front of the group. Braum, who recognized the identity of the dwarf, furrowed his brow and asked,
“Goblin…? Right?”
“Uh-huh! But can you see this?”
Ronan pointed his sword at the goblin’s back. Several distinct circular scars, like fiery earthquakes, were visible.
“It’s one of the slaves that the surrounding orc clans use. Among the monsters lurking in the Baydian Mountains, it’s the second most terrifying.”
As Ronan recalled memories from a past life, his head lowered as if he had a headache. He explained that there were orc clans scattered throughout the mountains.
Orcs, who had basic physical abilities superior to humans and tended to gather in groups, were a presence that even seasoned adventurers feared.
“The biggest problem with those bastards is that they’re fucking numerous. You should see them pouring out of caves.”
“If that’s the second most terrifying, what’s the most terrifying?”
“Ogre.”
The group’s faces turned pale. They hadn’t expected to hear that name here. Ronan spoke calmly.
“Those are seriously damn monstrous. Their skin is thick, so swords don’t penetrate well, and they’re insanely strong…”
“Ha-have you… fought them? Ogres?”
Ronan nodded. Of course, it hadn’t happened in this life. It must have been around the time when he discovered the Leylines of the Baydian Mountains, perhaps when he was about eighteen years old. The battle between the young man and the monster had taken three days and nights without a clear victor.
“Still, they’re not just straight-up monsters. The fact that the mountains aren’t overrun by orcs is thanks to the fact that ogres periodically destroy orc clans.”
Even if a hundred orcs gathered, they couldn’t defeat a single ogre. Come to think of it, one might be roaming around somewhere here.
Ronan twisted his lips as he remembered the two-headed ogre, who couldn’t end the fight due to his half-drawn sword.
“Anyway, if you encounter an ogre, just run. You guys aren’t ready to face them yet.”
“Yeah, okay. Got it.”
“Speaking of terrifying creatures, there are wyverns as terrifying as ogres. If you’re walking along just fine and suddenly a shadow appears under your feet…”
Night progressed along with their stories. The four of them took turns keeping watch in three-hour shifts. Fortunately, after the initial goblin encounter, no more monsters appeared.
The next morning, as Ronan stood atop a cliff, surveying the mountain range, he said,
“Found it. I remember the path from here on.”
The arrangement of the landmarks was familiar. Ronan walked the mountain path while recalling his memories.
He saw the ambient mana gradually thickening. Hours later, when they came upon the sight of the Leylines, the group’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Whoaaa!”
“T-This is the Leylines? Ronan, how did you…?”
“Hahaha! This is amazing! Mana is overflowing!”
The Leylines of the Baydian Mountains were situated in the middle of the mountain. The trees around them were twisted eerily due to excess mana.
It was much larger in scale than the Fountain of Phaenar they had been to before. Even a stone fragment on the ground was imbued with mana, emitting a brilliant light. The mana rising from the ground was dozens of times more concentrated than the ambient mana they were used to sensing.
“Beh-yaaa!”
Cita, fully energized, shot up into the sky. They could see the mana from the Leylines being absorbed into Cita’s body.
As expected, the Leylines were still ownerless. Ronan removed his backpack and looked at the group before speaking.
“Since even a single stone fragment is worth money, try to fill up as much as you can. Also, attune yourself to the mana here. Aselle, can you explain?”
“Sure!”
Leaving those words behind, Ronan walked deep into the Leylines. He was searching for any cursed items that might be here. Suddenly, memories of a past vision of ruined structures came to his mind.
“Come to think of it…”
Since they liked gloomy places, it was possible that they might gather and live under the remains of buildings. Soon, the spot where the ruins should have been came into view. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
Instead of the expected ruins, there stood an intricately carved stone building. Rubbing his eyes didn’t change the scene. The sharp roof and supporting pillars were quite impressive.
“Impressive… I thought it would have collapsed a long time ago.”
The fact that it was still intact indicated that it couldn’t have been destroyed more than three years ago. Ronan approached the building and touched one of the pillars, his expression bewildered.
Though there were signs of the passage of time, there was no sign of imminent collapse. Just as Ronan was about to enter the building, a voice came from behind.
“Quite a surprise. To think guests would come all the way here.”
“What?”
It was the voice of a stranger. He hadn’t sensed any presence until he was close. Ronan reflexively drew Lamancha, turning to face the source of the sound. Startled, the stranger dropped the basket he was carrying.
“W-Why are you suddenly acting like this? Please calm down…”
He extended both hands as if to prove he meant no harm. Observing the stranger’s demeanor, Ronan raised an eyebrow.
“An elf?”
“uhh? Yes, as you can see.”
“…What are you doing here?”
Ronan lowered his sword. The middle-aged elf finally heaved a sigh of relief. Picking up the fallen basket from the ground, he spoke.
“I am a priest who serves Saniel. To come all the way to this dangerous place, you must have a reason.”
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