What had broken the merchant cart’s axle was the sharp b.u.mps in the mountain road. It was hard to tell by looking because the earth covered them slightly, but the road had stones jutting out of it that the axle had run aground on. Following that, it had fallen down onto another, pointed rock. It had only fallen around ten centimetres and normally this wouldn’t have happened.
However, the merchants had been greedy and piled on twenty four boxes of steel swords, the impact of that had broken the wheel.
For a person of the land, lifting just one box would be hard, but Minori and the others had no trouble lifting two or three. Holding the boxes, the continued up the road for around twenty minutes, reaching an area where it widened out into something like a viewing platform.
It was an area carts could pa.s.s each other and for the moment, they could pile the boxes up there.
Serara made preparations for lunch and the others spent about two hours ferrying the boxes up. It was unfortunate but they pushed the cart into the valley, the merchants had brought the safe cart up and used all of their energy with their escort and were now dozing.
“It’s a mountain where demons may appear, so spending a night protecting their cargo will naturally exhaust them.”
Dariella the writer gently smiled at Minori.
She was a person of the land she couldn’t place the age of. She was probably older than Minori, but she couldn’t imagine how much older. By looks alone, she appeared a little older, perhaps the same age as Maryelle, but by speaking to her Minori unexpectedly thought she might be the same age as her, and she could see her lovely smile.
“Dariella-san, are you one of their wives?”
Surprised, Dariella closed her eyes and burst into laughter.
“No, I’m going how and just rode on their cart.”
“I see, Minami then? It’s in the same direction as Ikoma.”
“Yes, it’s very close, my house is in the mountains of Ikoma.”
Dariella replied to Roe2’s call as she approached.
“Oh, I see.”
The Merchant’s safe cart, the mound of their luggage and the party’s cart were all lined up on the platform. It was surrounded by a not particularly st.u.r.dy looking wooden railing, but the area itself pushed out into the mountain air, and a superb view of the valley below was spread out beneath them.
The merchants were truly exhausted.
They had someone guarding the luggage, sat against it, but the other members had taken refuge in the carriage and fallen asleep. Serara had pa.s.sed out soup, but they showed no sign of waking.
Minori and the others took a late lunch.
The wind was still cold, but crossing the mountains it was laden with a particular impression of greenery.
“What’s this soup?”
“It’s miso soup with potatoes and carrots.”
“And this long thing…?”
“It’s a spring onion.”
From a little distance away, Minori listened to Serara and Roe2’s conversation with a smile.
Eating on the mountain was fun and like they had a packed lunch. Isuzu was sitting on a fallen tree, swinging her legs, with Rundelhous next to her, stuffing his cheeks with rice b.a.l.l.s. Dariella was with them and offering around pickles with a gentle aura.
“Tohya, does your stomach hurt?”
“Not at all.” Minori was worried about Tohya, sitting by himself and thinking absent-mindedly and called out to him, her reliable younger bother smiled widely at her and answered. “What about yooouuu? Are you yearning for Shiroe-niichan?”
“Geez, I’m not.”
“Well, that’s fine. Once we cross, we’ll be much closer to our destination.”
“Yes, and the wyverns, right? According to Shiroe-san, it’s not impossible for them to appear in these mountains. Flying monsters have a wide sphere of activity…”
“Ah, then we’ll need to watch out.”
Following Tohya’s gaze into the sky, Minori noticed something.
There was a group drawing near.
A vanguard party of knights, all clad in full armour and with heavy equipment.
There were probably around ten adventurers, for some reason leaving an impression of gloom. They soon noticed Minori and the others and climbed the mountain road. Coming from Minori and the other’s direction of travel, it was a route to the foot of the mountain.
Minori quickly travelled checked their status.
The vanguard was a samurai named Ishijirou, his guild was Plant Hwayden, level 90. The others had the same guild and similar levels, there were fourteen of them.
On the Yamato server, there wasn’t much PKing. Or at least not much was heard of around Akiba. However, they couldn’t hide their unease at meeting another party deep in these mountains.
Rundelhous moved nonchalantly to Tohya’s side.
He took a pose with his cloak like a young n.o.ble, but from his positioning, Minori knew he was protecting Isuzu and Serara behind him.
The party walked unhurriedly, at a constant pace.
Being high level, they should also have high level mount riding but there wasn’t a single one of them on a mount. The fourteen approached the mountain in nearly double file.
This was a wide s.p.a.ce, so it wasn’t like the narrow paths where they couldn’t pa.s.s. They could just watch them go. It might be thought of as cowardly, but Minori was relieved.
The central four in the group were supporting a large object.
It looked like one of the portable shrines that were dedicated to shrines and used in festivals. It was decorated in a very western fashion but was surrounded by thick poles that crossed wells, one person in each direction held them as they carried it.
“It’s the Mobile Shrine of Boreas.”
Dariella murmured.
Amongst them, the only one who didn’t show a sign of unease was Roe2, and she asked in an unconcerned tone of voice.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve not seen it much. The Odyssea Knights carry it everywhere. I heard it’s used as a sacred tool of the adventurers.”
“Hmm.”
Isuzu and Serara had puzzled expressions on hearing that.
Minori hadn’t heard of it.
The words ‘Odyssea Knights’ were the same. Just by hearing them, a chill ran down their spines. When Minori had just checked them, their guild was Plant Hwayden.
So the Odyssea Knights weren’t a guild.
Minori didn’t know what to think.
She’d heard the word ‘Odyssea’ before.
An organisation with the supreme goal of returning to the original word. Hearing just that would be fine, in some meanings they were a group acting by proxy for all Adventurers’ feelings. But whilst working in Akiba’s guild hall, helping the 8th Shopping District, she’d heard rumours they were all clad in the hue of gloom.
The group approached, they could already distinguish equipment and their individual faces. All of their equipment was clean and in order. Rather it appeared systematic to Minori. Without idle chatter, they moved forward at a constant pace. Adventurers had inexhaustible stamina, and they were level 90, so that shouldn’t have been anything, but they gave of the impression of an exhausted group of corpses.
“The Mobile Shrine of Boreas revives adventurers.”
Dariella probably didn’t understand, being a person of the land.
Her words were distant, sounding like it was someone else’s problem.
“And, I don’t know if it’s a side effect, but it’s said it disturbs the voices of their heart. It seems important to the adventurers.”
Minori and Serara exchanged glances.
Despite her words, this was the first time they’d heard of such an item. Troubled by the response, they didn’t understand Dariella’s words completely. Within Minori, she had the feeling of refusing an understanding of something.
If it was as she said, that ‘mobile shrine’ would act in place of a shrine and revive adventurers that lost their lives nearby. It was like a subst.i.tution for a revival point, no, it sounded like it itself was a revival point.
It could be thought of as a blessing which enhanced the adventurers immortality but on the other hand, it still seemed horrendously ominous.
Minori quietly murmured her brother’s name in unease.
Tohya was furthest forward out of them all, watching the Odyssea Knights with a daunting pose, so Minori could only see his back.
Tohya didn’t reply.
However, his twin Minori knew the air of tension dwelled within him, just as if they were fighting.
The group approached the side of the plateau, and with no regard to Minori and the others, continued their constant walk, as if they were searching for something, or being lead.
It felt like a long time pa.s.sed, but if they were thinking calmly, it was only around ten minutes.
They just pa.s.sed through, with no trouble.
However, Minori couldn’t erase the growing feeling of unease in her chest.