Once they completely left the forest, a rugged mountain path stretched before them. Small houses dotted the landscape here and there, but they all appeared abandoned. As they progressed further, even those houses disappeared from sight.
The temperature kept dropping, and white breath escaped with every exhale. The backs of his hands gripping the reins were frozen stiff and stinging from the cold. Anya took out the fur gloves Gregos had packed for him and put them on. Still, the cold didn’t subside.
“Everyone. I’m sorry, but since I don’t have a blessing attribute… I only learned this by watching from the sidelines.”
Despite saying so, Riario didn’t look sorry at all. He muttered a small incantation over people’s heads. Anya’s turn came.
“It’s a very weak defensive blessing, but the cold should ease a little.”
Riario similarly placed his hand on Anya’s head and muttered softly. Instantly, a warm breeze circulated through his entire body. It was similar to the magic Sabelli had cast when he fell into the frozen lake before. Yet Riario’s energy felt slightly different. If Sabelli’s energy felt like round droplets bubbling up, Riario’s felt like sharp lines passing through quickly. Each mage had a different quality to their mana.
“Have you decided on your magic attribute?”
Riario asked while scratching his cheek. Perhaps Anya had been staring at him without realizing, fascinated by how each mage’s mana felt different.
“N-no.”
“That old geezer… I mean, didn’t Sabelli say anything?”
“I-I haven’t been able to gather mana yet…”
“Hmm…”
Riario bent down and leaned in close to Anya. His manner was as if they were exchanging secret whispers. He spoke in a low voice.
“Do you know what the fastest shortcut to gathering mana is?”
The slightly flushed young face shook rapidly from side to side. Riario’s smile deepened.
“They say that in the most dangerous moment, when you’re about to lose your life, your instincts as a mage awaken to survive.”
Ah, but you shouldn’t deliberately jump off a cliff or anything like that? I’m just saying. It’s advice from a humble, lowly mage.
Indeed, thinking about it carefully, he clearly remembered feeling strong mana when he fell into the lake and when he was about to be killed by Rips Mohan.
“Riario, don’t go filling the kid’s head with nonsense.”
“Yes, yes.”
Evernight’s expression was cold. Riario raised both hands and quickly retreated. The man’s dark cloak fluttered in the wind. His hair also flew about messily.
‘Kid…?’
Anya felt a surge of emotion and looked away from the man’s gaze. This feeling was very unfamiliar to him, but he couldn’t control it.
* * *
The further north they went, the temperature dropped to alarming levels. The Beriela Mountain Range, which he had always viewed from afar, now appeared vividly close before his eyes. The snowy mountains were blindingly white and tall. It didn’t feel real at all that hideous monsters swarmed deep within those peaks.
“Let’s camp here for tonight.”
The procession stopped. The infantry swiftly unloaded supplies from the wagons and completed the camping preparations. Since everything was covered in snow, they laid the straw they brought thickly on the ground. Since it was a simple journey, instead of the grand tents from previous camps, they erected crude shelters that could block the harsh wind. Instead, they moved thick sleeping bags inside. Karen spoke while helping to spread out the sleeping bags.
“Northmoust is the northernmost village, so it’s not that far from Tildyen. At this pace, after camping for about one more day, we should arrive the day after.”
The infantry brought firewood. Riario lit the fire simply, as if casting the easiest magic. What Riario had said during the day kept circling in his mind. If he could quickly learn magic soon, he could be of great help to Tildyen.
At the very least, he could ease Bella’s struggle with lighting fires at the wooden dining hall.
“A-aren’t you going to sleep?”
Having ridden horses all day, Anya’s eyes blinked slowly at the sight of the warm bonfire. But for some reason, Riario was looking at a book and Karen had taken out his bow and was tending to it. Evernight was… leaning against a rock with his arms crossed and eyes closed, but it was obvious he wasn’t asleep.
“You need to sleep early if you want to grow taller, Your Highness. Our growth period has already stopped.”
At the mischievous joke, Anya’s face turned as red as the bonfire.
“You must be in a good mood for once. Making such terrible jokes.”
“Sir Karen. When we get to Northmoust, there will surely only be things to sour our moods, so we can’t start being depressed now.”
Their words were quite interesting. What could be more exciting than gathering around a campfire and listening to knights’ entertaining tales of valor? But his eyes kept closing and his head drooped heavily.
“Go in and sleep.”
Evernight said while still leaning against the rock. His half-opened eyes seemed to find him quite bothersome. Anya had no choice but to stuff himself into the sleeping bag. When would the day come when those fierce eyes would look at him and say ‘well done’?
* * *
The next day, the snowy field was bustling from early morning. The infantry briskly cleaned up the campsite. Riario crawled out of the shelter, stretched long, and let out a stream of complaints.
“I nearly got frostbite.”
Karen greeted him with ‘Good morning, Mage’ while stirring the stew in the pot with a ladle.
“Northmoust will be several degrees colder than this.”
He tasted the stew for seasoning, then mercilessly dumped the pepper he had brought into the pot. Riario shrank his neck deep into his hood, crossed his arms, and hugged himself tightly.
“At least there’s an inn there. Camping in the snow is so tiresome I’m going crazy. Even after rolling around beyond the Wall for years, I still can’t escape it!”
The mage raged as if snow was something that had worn him down to the bone. Though he wasn’t from the North, he shuddered at snow far more than Karen, who was from there.
“Mage, don’t you think you’ll need to roll around for about five or six more years?”
Hmm, I think we need more meat. Karen murmured in his usual tone and smiled slightly.
“Damn.”
It was irrefutably true. Riario clicked his tongue and sat hunched over on a tree stump. Just then, Evernight was walking over from the forest.
“Where’s Anya?”
Evernight asked while carelessly throwing an animal carcass on the ground, apparently having hunted somewhere.
“Ah, Commander, please. Don’t throw carcasses at me like this.”
Riario was startled by the animal carcass that fell at his feet and pointed toward the corner shelter with his finger.
“He seems to still be sleeping. Shall we wake him soon?”
The corner shelter, which seemed isolated from the rest, looked particularly quiet.
“……”
Evernight, Riario, and Karen felt an ominous sense of déjà vu. Somehow, they felt like they had experienced a similar situation when they went to Maneregia to bring the little prince…
“Damn it.”
Just as Evernight muttered a curse and was about to head toward the shelter without delay.
A young voice came from behind.
“G-good morning, sirs.”
The prince, his face clean as if he had washed somewhere, greeted them good morning in his usual slightly unconfident yet shy voice.
“……”
Anya was flustered by the three pairs of eyes staring at him intently and let out a small hiccup.
“D-did I do something wrong… I-I’m sorry. For wandering around on my own…”
This was a dangerous place where monsters could roam. He might have needed to get Evernight’s permission before going to the nearby stream to wash. But when he woke up, Evernight was already gone, Karen looked busy, and Riario was still sleeping.
‘I went quietly because I didn’t want to disturb anyone…’
Moreover, since he had hurried and only splashed water on himself to return quickly, the cold streams of water trickled down his jawline.
“Enough. Stop with the servile greetings.”
Evernight strode over and roughly wiped Anya’s face with his sleeve. The rough material scraped his cheek and stung, but Anya stayed quiet and didn’t make a sound.
“Now, now, let’s fill our stomachs well and set off. We need to ride without stopping today to reach Northmoust by evening.”
Karen ladled stew into wooden bowls. The pleasant aroma of stew filled Anya’s nose, but the boy kept watching Evernight’s mood.
* * *
The path north stretched on endlessly. The temperature dropped frighteningly and the wind grew more fierce. Past the snowy plains, the hills they faced had increasingly steep inclines, slowing the horses considerably from their initial pace. The Beriela Mountain Range visible in the distance looked like a giant snow creature. The party stopped along the way for rest, but the cold made it impossible to call it proper rest.
When the sun set, teeth chattered and ice crystals formed around the edges of their hoods. At this point, one had to wonder if a village could even exist here. Despite wearing thick leather gloves, the backs of his hands stung as if they were cracked and raw. Anya tried blowing on his frozen hands to warm them, but it was futile.
Everyone seemed accustomed to this cold. Even Riario, who had been pouring out complaints, merely sniffled without doing anything else. Anya desperately longed for a bonfire. His body was frozen stiff, and even the up-and-down movement on the saddle had become sluggish.
“We’ve reached Northmoust.”
But there was definitely an end to the journey. At the infantryman’s words, Anya nearly let out a cheer.
