123 – symbol-1

The distant, stretched mountain range disturbed my eyes.

wide. literally huge It was a huge, solid mountain range that seemed endless no matter how hard I looked up.

“In this terrain, it’s definitely impossible to go up the opposite way.”

“The flow of magic power is irregular. I’ve been there once or twice before, but…”

As if I wasn’t the only one who was overwhelmed by that scale, Nerwen and Celia also had expressions that looked pretty tired.

There were a few guard posts, but the area near the entrance to the middle ground looked impossibly peaceful.

“I think we need to be careful, Enerel. In there… visibility is not secured.”

“What?”

“The space inside may be wider than you imagined. No, not only that… it may be separated. There is something like fog.”

“Since I’ve prepared enough, I’m sure I can prepare to some extent.”

They brought more than needed, not only magic materials, but also food and weapons.

Quite a few environmental changes can be tolerated. In the first place, a woman who was an ordinary adventurer, even if a little competent, entered and got out safely.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes. I’m going!”

Ceres skillfully drove the carriage. I didn’t know what was spread out in front of me, but at least in front of me was a peaceful land.

“People might settle down…”

I got into the middle ground, but nothing happened. The wheels of the wagon trod softly on the grass.

Nerwen was on the roof of the wagon to keep an eye on the surroundings. However, the scene immediately before my eyes seemed so peaceful and boring.

“I should have brought other mercenaries…”

The space was too large. It was an unspecial place except for the occasional sighting of small beasts. I wasn’t sure if a unicorn really lived here.

And it wasn’t long before I realized how blissful this peaceful boredom was.

/////

Silence hung in the carriage. The only person who had at least a little bit of work to do here was the Farseer, who was delicately wringing out his mana.

It was incredible that her magic was leaking from that little finger, but it didn’t seem to stop the smell of the water.

Or, the moisture that had already entered before the magic could not escape and was trapped.

“Eww…”

Celia, who was sitting on my lap, timidly twisted her body as if she couldn’t stand it because it was so narrow.

I wanted to tell her to be patient, but she didn’t seem to listen to me straight away. I thought it was an order, and it was clear that I would be more uncomfortable after a lot of tension.

It was unavoidable. Already, it was a wagon filled with luggage, not to mention the outside of the wagon, but also where people had to sit.

In addition, Nerwen and Ceres were also inside this narrow carriage, so it was inevitable that the space was small.

“Hee hee hee!”

I heard the neighing of the suffering horses outside. Celia came to her senses and cast a healing spell.

The warm light had passed, and the screams of the horses had subsided, but the physical pain was gone, and the element that made them uneasy remained.

“If I knew it would be this narrow, I should have bought a more spacious wagon…”

“It’s a meaningless assumption. If that’s the case, Farseer wouldn’t have been able to protect it. The same goes for mercenaries… It was a bit disappointing at first, but I’m glad I didn’t bring them.”

Ceres sat on top of Nerwen with a very dissatisfied face. Our weapons and armor were piled up on Eleanor’s lap.

In the midst of this, Farseer, who was the smallest in size, was using one seat for the magic circle. However, none of us could blame her.

Because what guarded this wagon was nothing else but the power of Farseers.

At first, I thought it was just raining. It wasn’t surprising. The abnormal climate of heavy rain pouring down on a dry sky was laughable compared to the notoriety of the middle ground.

However, the rain did not stop, and the soft earth, which was obviously covered with small grasses, pushed away the water like a lie. In an instant, water filled this vast land.

It was the Farseer that saved us all from a dangerous situation. Thanks to her magically creating a thin hemispherical membrane, the carriage and horses could float on the water as if they were on a boat.

“Ugh…”

Farseer, who kept closing his eyes and moving his fingers, slowly opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

“It’s over for now. If you don’t touch that magic circle, you’ll be able to hold out for the next few hours.”

“Thank you for your hard work. You almost got into trouble.”

Despite Eleanor’s praise, Farseer’s face was dark.

“Well, this body is also a wizard in its own way. Of course, it should be able to cope with such things. But, I do not know how long it can endure.”

The magic itself wasn’t that great.

Of course, that was just to say that considering the level of Farseer, it wasn’t great, and a clumsy wizard couldn’t even imitate it.

Spreads a wide and light magic screen that floats on water, then lifts it up again to block the rain. The work had to be done literally without a single drop of water leaking through.

The moment the magical power is disturbed even a little, water will leak inside, and in an instant, this carriage will be submerged in water.

Being able to do this kind of magic without any preparation and even maintaining it through improvised magic circles and magic materials proved the level of Farseer.

“If I try…well, if I split my sleep and keep the magic circle on, it’s about a few weeks. If I give up on the horse and focus on the carriage, I can extend the time a little longer, but I can’t continue this forever.”

Nothing could be seen outside. It was an empty landscape with nothing but water drops endlessly pouring down from huge dark clouds.

“Eww…”

I was shaking. The small body of the saintess sitting on my lap trembled from the cold.

I feel the withering warmth. The pressure to do something soars.

At the same time, the question ‘Why me?’ presses my head.

Wasn’t my body colder when I washed my body in cold water under Nerwen’s fierce eyes?

Didn’t I get more hurt by Celia’s cold gaze at me for not taking her side?

“Ennelel?”

“…What.”

I didn’t even say it harshly, but she shrank.

But, ironically, the place where the withered saintess crept in was in my arms. As if looking elsewhere, she trembled.

“Well, it’s nothing else… I was wondering if you had something in mind about what you’re going to do when you get back.”

“I’m not obligated to tell you that.”

I couldn’t see Celia’s expression. Because she was already in my arms.

“I see… I see. I’m sorry.”

Celia, who had shrunk a lot, continued with a voice that was extremely low.

“But, when I’m having a hard time, if I think about it, I’ll get through it. Me.”

Even in that small voice, a laugh mixed with hope leaked out. Unknowingly, the curiosity made my heart suffocate.

“What did you want to do?”

Celia thought blankly for a moment, then spoke in a much softer voice.

“Everyone, I wanted to eat something delicious.”

The fight with the Demon Lord was painful, of course, but surprisingly, the battle itself wasn’t that terribly painful.

I might have felt that way because I was out there, but there weren’t many actual battles.

It’s really not worth fighting unless it’s the commander of the Demon King’s army who has no choice but to kill it, or the monster guarding the strategic point.

Suffering more closely related to life was such an uncomfortable and painful journey. After chewing on the roughly cooked meat of the monster, it became soggy and wet. Walking in mud-filled shoes was painful.

“is it.”

“When I returned to the imperial palace, I thought it was all done. But one person was missing, so I thought people just forgot about it for a while…”

When we met in the library, the saintess talked to me casually.

didn’t try to understand I didn’t even have to understand.

Pointless time passed.

“Eleanor, there must be some emergency food over there, can you get some out?”

Farseer seemed exhausted and fell asleep, but the others were tired and had headaches, but not yet to the point of falling asleep.

“This… huh. It looks like it’s going to be a little difficult. After putting things in a hurry, it seems that it went deep.”

The precariously stacked luggage was kept in a precarious balance, to the point that it would collapse if touched a little wrongly.

“…Ate. Me too.”

“yes?”

“I ate delicious food until I got sick of it. Ceres brought it to me. For now, I was in the imperial palace.”

It is food presented to the imperial family. Whether it’s meat or dessert, there’s no way it won’t be delicious.

Celia hesitated for a moment, but then spoke in a slightly brighter voice.

“That’s fortunate.”

“…okay.”

Ceres, who was sitting in the front, put on a pouty expression, then looked out of the carriage with a whimper as if she had realized something.

“Rain, it’s stopping!”

Everyone in the carriage heard the words and looked outside. The sky was still dark, but the rain stopped pouring like a hole in the sky.

Through a gap in the clouds, sunlight came in.