by Ennki Hakari
“Uh, I’m sorry,” I said, taking them from her.
I undid the drawstring holding the sack closed and looked inside. It was full of glimmering, purple sand.
“What’s this?”
Chiyome came up beside me. “Powdered mana. It’s made by crushing rune stones, and it’s in a lot of the elves’ magical items. It’s pretty powerful stuff, but you need to be highly skilled to use it safely, which is why they don’t put it in anything they sell to humans. Best-case scenario, humans would just break the item. Worst-case, they might cause a massive explosion.”
She made “powdered mana” sound like jet fuel.
In front of us, Ariane puffed out her plump chest, a look of pride gracing her face. It seemed she was pleased at Chiyome’s assessment of the elves’ exceptional skill.
I decided to play dumb. “What is it, Ariane?”
Ariane quickly wiped the look off her face, muttering something under her breath as she moved to a shelf farther back in the room.
I started rifling through nearby items and asking Chiyome about them. Before long, I spotted something familiar—a hemp bag filled with gold coins.
The bag was stuffed in the corner of a shelf, its contents gleaming dully. I picked up a coin and rubbed my thumb over the mark of the Rhoden Kingdom.
Ariane stopped what she was doing and looked over at me. “That’s part of the money you stole from the noble’s estate. Father said we should put some aside, in case you find a use for it.”
“In that case, I suppose we could put it toward the bath’s fuel costs, couldn’t we?” I blurted out what I thought was a great idea, but Ariane merely shrugged, looking exasperated.
“I don’t get why you’re so obsessed with baths. Besides, with your strength, you can get all the rune stones you need just by hunting monsters. Don’t you have anything else to use the money on?”
I gave what she said some thought.
Of course, Ariane was right that I could get plenty of rune stones to fuel my baths from hunting monsters or digging in caves. There was no need to buy them. Using the money on magical items that would make my life easier instead might be the way to go.
Fortunately for me, I had plenty of elven connections, so once I finally had a place of my own, I could use the money to furnish it.
Actually, scratch that. First, I’d put the money toward building my own bathhouse.
Mind made up, I told Ariane my plan, eliciting the biggest sigh I’d heard from her yet. Given the love the elves and the Japanese clearly shared for bathing culture, I’d been hoping she’d understand me on that point.
The day wore on as we chatted among ourselves and prepared for tomorrow’s journey to the spring.
***
The next morning, we entered the mist-filled forest, with Ariane leading the way and Chiyome and me following close behind. Ponta sat atop my helmet while I carried the party’s gear on my back.
What little light managed to break the dense leaf cover above cast an interesting pattern at our feet, illuminating a path through the trees, as if to invite us farther into the forest. Everything in this ominous, hazy wood looked the same to me, making it difficult to sense where we were going. However, Ariane marched ahead confidently, as if she were on some nature hike.
Once the magic-suppressing mist finally dissipated, we used my teleportation magic to advance through the woods. Just before noon, we arrived at the point where the Lydel and Librout rivers branched off—the same point we’d crossed on our previous journey through the forest. I used Dimensional Step to take us to the other side of the river.
I took a moment to look across the scene, observing the unique landscape where the large river split in two, in case I needed to teleport back here.
When I mentioned this idea to Ariane, she retorted that we could simply teleport straight to Lalatoya. I let out a low groan at my own stupidity. Ariane paid me no mind and marched back into the forest.
The trees on the opposite shore were no longer the huge, ancient ones that filled the Great Canada Forest. Here, we were greeted by dense clusters of more moderately sized trees and undergrowth. We pushed through the shrubbery, fighting off the occasional monster as we continued our journey, and teleporting whenever we got a clear line of sight.
As we made our way northwest, the ground slowly took on a steeper incline. We came upon a small footpath, which we followed up a tree-covered hill. A short time later, we caught sight of the setting sun through gaps in the foliage as the shadows lengthened and darkened.
“We’ll stay here for the night,” Ariane said.
She used her sword to chop off a low-hanging branch in front of her, revealing a clearing, then pointed with her sword.
I looked where she was pointing and saw three large trees towering over the ones around them. They were probably ten meters tall, and leaned toward each other, their branches overlapping and intertwined, forming a nest-like structure in the sky. A deck connected the three trees, resembling an observation platform sitting atop three support pillars.
“Wow, that’s… Well… What is it?” I asked.
“Kyii!”
Ponta cried out in excitement and dove off my shoulder, catching a breeze to fly straight up to the platform. I lost sight of it as soon as it landed on the deck.
“The elves built this outpost. Soldiers use places like this when we’re hunting for monsters or on other errands.”
It definitely looked like the kind of place where you could relax without having to worry about land-based creatures attacking. However, it also seemed like it would be quite a challenge for anyone without teleportation magic to reach—even more so if they were weighed down by equipment.
We’d each packed the items we’d need for our journey through the forest into simple rucksacks on our backs. I’d actually packed lightly, figuring I’d be able to use my teleportation magic. Even so, it was no small load. The average person would probably need a pulley to get their gear onto the platform.
Chiyome let out a low whistle as she looked at the elevated structure. “Wow. This is really impressive work. Did the elves build places like this throughout the forest?”
Ariane puffed out her chest and smiled broadly, apparently quite pleased by the compliment. However, the smile quickly disappeared, replaced instead with a slight frown.
“Up until recently, we had several small villages here on this side of the river. These outposts were made for the local soldiers. However, as the humans grew their slave trade, we had to abandon the villages.”
Chiyome looked somber as she gazed at the elven woman, her face cloaked in shadow.
Ariane shook her head, offering Chiyome a gentle smile before making her way toward the large trees. She placed a hand on the thick ivy wrapped around the closest tree trunk.
“The sun’s about to set. We should make camp.” As Ariane spoke, she began climbing the tree, using the trunk’s indentations and ivy growth as handholds. She hauled herself up with her bag still on her back.
Chiyome darted to the tree and climbed up after Ariane.
Actually, calling what they did “climbing” didn’t do it justice.
I craned my neck and moved around until I found a place where I could teleport straight onto the platform using Dimensional Step. Sure, I was strong, but if I could avoid climbing a tree with massive armor on, I would.
On the platform, I found that the two women had already put down their gear and were making camp. Ponta ran around the perimeter, looking down at the forest below as if claiming territory.
Despite our added weight, the platform didn’t show any sign of collapsing. A layer of grass underfoot gave us the delightful feeling of walking on a lawn. From below, the platform appeared to be made of interwoven branches. From where I stood now, however, it felt like a solid, flat surface.
At the platform’s center was a stone firepit, carefully constructed to shield the surrounding wood from stray sparks.
I watched as Ariane and Chiyo
me placed twigs they’d gathered during their climb onto the stones.
“This place has a pretty unique look, Miss Ariane. It wouldn’t be hard for me to remember it. We could spend the night in the village and teleport back here tomorrow.”
“You’re probably right. But all these outposts look alike. So, if we wind up using another one, it’ll be hard for you to differentiate them.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, we just finished setting up camp. We’re going to be roughing it for the next few days, so we might as well get used to it. Have you camped before, Arc?”
“Well…”
I had, actually. However, I didn’t see any of the creature comforts—like a propane burner, proper tent, or heavily insulated sleeping bag—that I had the last time I went camping. In that sense, this really was my first time roughing it. Getting used to living in the wilderness on our journey to the spring would be a good experience for me.
Also, as Ariane mentioned, if we wound up using similar outposts along the way, then it was totally possible—even likely—that I might mistake one for another and teleport us all the way back to the first.
I also risked teleporting us to some random outpost if I didn’t have a clear, distinct memory of the one I wanted to reach. In that case, we’d be stuck wandering the woods for who knew how long.
From what I’d been told, people with a poor sense of direction had that problem because they didn’t properly burn images of locations into their minds. However, I sensed that Ariane, with her ability to march through the forest without the slightest hint of hesitation, could have easily distinguished between each and every outpost if she had teleportation magic.
With all that in mind, I agreed with Ariane’s assessment, and asked her and Chiyome how I could help. They just told me to stand back and watch.
With nothing useful to do, I picked Ponta up from the grass, put it in my lap, and wrapped my arms around my knees, patiently watching the two women work.
Ariane pulled a large, folded piece of canvas from her rucksack and hung it over a rope she’d tied between two of the large trees. She attached the canvas edges to the platform with small straps, resulting in a very familiar shape: a triangle tent.
The top of the canvas tent was dyed with an irregular green pattern—some sort of waterproofing, I assumed—and shone slightly, likely from being treated with oil.
Meanwhile, Chiyome dug through a bag Ariane handed her, and pulled out a small pot and various dried foods.
“Wow, they’ve even left food here?” she said, to no one in particular. “We usually don’t prepare this well when we’re out in the woods. The more you bring, the slower you travel.”
“Food stores like this are pretty normal,” Ariane said. “Elven soldiers spend a lot of time patrolling the forests and hunting monsters. With Arc’s teleportation magic, we should make it to the Dragon Wonder’s mouth tomorrow, so I figured we could pack light.”
Ariane pulled out several pelts and spread them under the tent, then used spirit magic to ignite the twigs. She took the pot from Chiyome and placed it on the stones. After filling it with water from her skin, she tossed in dried food and other ingredients.
I sat to the side, rubbing Ponta’s belly and watching the two women. “What’s the Dragon Wonder?”
“A massive canyon between the Karyu and Furyu Mountains. The cave entrance we’re heading to is located in one of its walls.”
“Huh. So, tomorrow, we’ll enter the cave?”
Ariane shook her head. “At this pace, the earliest we’ll make it to the Dragon Wonder is probably the afternoon. The cave itself is full of monsters, so I’d prefer to travel through it in one go. I think we’ll need to spend a night camping out in front of the entrance.”
She dropped a packet of spices into the pot and began stirring with a wooden spoon as we discussed tomorrow’s plans. She then quickly tasted the soup and nodded. As darkness descended on the forest, it slowly plunged us into silence, save for the crackling flames. Steam rose from the boiling soup, carrying a sweet scent. Ponta rose from my lap and sniffed the air.
“Kyii!”
“Well, it looks about ready to eat.”
Ariane pulled out three light metal mugs she’d brought and filled them with soup. Then Chiyome took sticks of bread from her own rucksack and passed them out.
I removed my helmet and accepted the offered mug and bread, delighted at the unexpected opportunity to eat a warm meal here in the wilderness.
Enticed by the smell, Ponta tried desperately to look inside my mug.
Ariane poured some soup into a shallow dish, setting it before Ponta. The cottontail fox wagged its tail excitedly and began to eat. Ariane smiled as Ponta used magic to waft a cooling breeze across the hot soup.
“We’ll take shifts being on watch. Chiyome, you’re first; then Arc; and finally me. Is everyone okay with that?” Ariane looked at us in turn.
“Fine with me.”
“I have no complaints.”
Ariane slowly wrapped herself in one of the pelts that lined the tent floor. “All right, I’m off to sleep, then. Arc, do you want this?” She offered me another pelt.
Wrapping myself up—armor and all—didn’t seem as though it would do much. On the other hand, I was hesitant to sleep in the woods without my armor. In the end, I decided to do without the pelt. I lay down inside the tent for a quick nap before my turn to stand watch. Spending the evening in such close proximity to two women made it hard to relax, but, fortunately, the night passed quickly.
The next morning, I jolted awake suddenly. I jumped to my feet, grimacing at the ache that throbbed through my head.
“Hyaugh?!”
I looked around, the fog of sleep still hanging over my mind. I was surrounded by a dense forest that stretched in all directions, veiled with a thin layer of fog. Behind me, three large trees stretched into the sky.
“Arc?! Are you okay?”
“Kyiii!”
I tilted my head toward the sound of the voices. Ariane, Chiyome, and Ponta looked very worried as they gazed down from the platform between the trees. Slowly, I put together what had happened. I must have somehow rolled off the platform.
I remembered that, after finishing my turn on watch, I decided to lie down on the platform edge, rather than climb into the tent with Chiyome.
“Err, sorry about that. I’m fine.”
“You sure? That’s a pretty long fall.”
Ariane began climbing down, worry evident on her face.
I tried to sound cool and collected while assuring her that everything was okay.
“What about your body? You aren’t secretly an undead, are you?” She sounded more relieved as she approached.
Judging by the ache in my bones, I was pretty sure I wasn’t undead. On the other hand, falling ten meters and ending up with only a little discomfort was no small feat. Thinking about it further, I felt rather pathetic; I’d suffered my first injury since coming to this world from falling out of a tree.
Just to be on the safe side, I cast a recovery spell on myself. “I guess I should sleep closer to the middle of the platform next time.”
“Please do. I was hoping to start the day off without any major incidents.”
I endured Ariane’s gentle ribbing as I climbed back up. After a quick breakfast, we set off toward the Dragon Wonder. We made swift work of the monsters we ran across as we continued through the forest, collecting rune stones all the while. Shortly after noon, we arrived at our destination.
Once we broke out of the dense, dark forest, we found an impressive, unobstructed view all the way to the horizon. The earth in front of us split open, revealing a dense green foliage carpet at the bottom of a steep precipice, covered in a thick layer of mist. The vast canyon stretched to the north and south, bordered by the Furyu Mountains in the east and by the Karyu Mountains in the west.
The forested canyon floor was easily a thousand meters below. Getting down there would normally hav
e been impossible. It truly looked as if a wound had been torn into the earth.
From time to time, gusts of wind blew along the steep canyon walls, giving rise to strong updrafts. Since Ponta was light, I was sure it could ride those updrafts high into the air if it wanted.
Chiyome and I murmured in amazement at the sight before us. I edged timidly closer to the precipice edge and glanced over.
“So, this is the Dragon Wonder? It’s truly breathtaking. I can’t even find words to describe it,” I said.
“It really is impressive,” Chiyome agreed. “There’s no way I could climb down from here.”
Even I wouldn’t stand a chance, falling from this height—death was practically assured. The drop was at least a hundred times farther than my fall that morning.
Ariane urged us along, already walking away. “We’ll follow the canyon edge east, toward the cave. Be careful not to get too close to the edge. Wyverns sometimes shoot out of the canyon if they catch sight of you.”
I hurried after her.
We moved along, alternately walking and using Dimensional Step, for about an hour. Finally, we drifted away from the canyon and into the trees, where we stopped at another elven outpost.
The platform between these trees was a little lower—only seven or eight meters up. Putting aside this outpost’s proximity to the Dragon Wonder, it was almost identical to the one we left that morning. We’d stay the night in this outpost, then head into the cave first thing the next day.
On our second night camping in the wilderness, I decided to sleep in the middle of the platform to avoid repeating my fall.
***
Early the next morning, we ate a quick breakfast and made our way to the Dragon Wonder while the sun was still low behind the Furyu Mountains. The eastern sky was an uneven blend of night and day behind the silhouetted peaks.
Down below, morning mist flowed across the treetops. It looked almost like a river running along the canyon floor, completely obscuring the blanket of green foliage I’d seen the previous day. Occasional updrafts that rippled through the mist’s surface provided only brief unobstructed glimpses of the forest below.