Chapter 107: Chapter 107: The Silver Mountains Part 2
"This should be good enough."
Khalid seemed quite satisfied with the Snow Lotus Golem. I gave him a few suggestions. Delicate hand movements were impossible, but since it was just a "climbing assistant golem", I advised attaching spikes to its hands and feet and rings on its shoulders and knees for attaching ropes. Although Khalid seemed reluctant to add various things to the golem, he eventually agreed.
"So it's true that you don't know anything about the Silver Mountains."
I muttered this in frustration. It seemed true that Tondra had personally taken him to the lair, as Khalid truly had no knowledge of climbing. He seemed to think that having a climbing assistant golem and his own magical skills would suffice.
Not knowing how dangerous mountains can be is the biggest problem.
Thanks to my manager, who was a mountain-climbing enthusiast, I had some experience with climbing and knew well that it was not something to be underestimated. Accidents like falling or slipping to one's death were not uncommon. In mountain climbing, the most important things were safety, safety, and safety.
Therefore, I asked about the old Sherpas who lived at the foot of the Silver Mountains. Recently, the atmosphere around the Silver Mountains has become ominous, and the number of Sherpas has drastically decreased. No one responded to the notices, and even though I asked Katharina for help, I got no results. In the end, I had no choice but to go there myself. I returned to the inn with only an uncertain address in hand.
We obtained almost all the items available in Solen. We headed to a village at the entrance of the Silver Mountains located at the border of the Barak Empire and Lysette. It took about a week by carriage. Fortunately or unfortunately, Khalid decided not to depart with us, saying he would use a portal to arrive at the village in a week. When we asked if we could use the portal too, his answer was "NO'" He said he didn't want to waste his magical power before climbing the Silver Mountains. Stingy, isn't he? Since using portals required immense magical power and expensive tools, we decided to use horses and a carriage. Lloyd's horse was fast, and Storm was in top condition.
"Where's the wizard uncle?"
"We'll meet him in the village. And El, don't ever call him uncle."
"But he is an uncle."
"Call him Sir Khalid. It's troublesome if wizards hold grudges."
"He's picky."
"I think so too."
The night before we reached the village, we stopped the carriage and set up camp. While Lloyd patrolled the area and El lit the fire, I tied up the horses and gazed at the distant mountains for a long time. The mountain range, with a crescent moon precariously hanging over it, looked both beautifully sculpted and rugged as if someone had carved it with all their might. The bitter cold made the sharp beauty of the mountain range stand out even more.
The scenery made me understand why Tondra stayed here.
The closer we get to the mountains, the colder it becomes. It will get really cold starting tomorrow. I should get out our winter clothes and make sure the heat stones are fully charged.
Just as I was about to turn back after inspecting the carriage, a shadow wavering beneath it grabbed me.
– Hey.
Demarcushel, or rather, Cuscus spoke in a hushed tone.
"What's wrong, Cuscus?"
– Something feels strange.
"Strange?"
The shadow clutching my ankle trembled. The weak moonlight blurred the boundary between shadow and darkness, making it look as if the shadow was gradually melting into the darkness.
"What do you mean?"
– What I mean is, oh! Oh, oh…
Cuscus's voice sounded like the lament of a weary old man sitting in a vibrating chair. What was wrong with this guy?
– What, what, what I mean is!
"Calm down and speak."
– I can't calm down. The closer we get to the mountain, the stranger my body feels. It's like I'm melting, like cheese in a fire!
Couscous spoke as if screaming and shook the shadow dramatically. The shadow and darkness undulated together like waves.
"…It's because of the Silver Mountains."
The magical waves were making the shadow that Cuscus resided in unstable. We hadn't even set foot in the Silver Mountains yet; we were just nearby, and it was already this bad? Shit, it seems like relying on Cuscus's help in the Silver Mountains was out of the question. I should have anticipated this.
"There's no helping it. Cuscus, you need to rest for a while."
-Oh, oh, oh, that's exactly what I wanted to hear.
The shadow stretched long like gum, about five meters, then shrank rapidly and disappeared beneath my feet. Cuscus had shrunk the shadow to the size of my foot and hidden underneath. If he stayed condensed and close, he might just be able to endure. Although, I would look like a strange person without a shadow for a while…
"Unexpected things are already happening."
I returned to the campfire and started cooking stew. It was a stew filled with lamb, potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes, perfect for warming us up against the cold throughout the night.
"How are you two feeling?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're getting close to the Silver Mountains. Khalid said the Silver Mountains emit unstable magical waves. You two aren't wizards, but you're sensitive enough, right? I wondered if you felt anything."
"No problems here."
El nodded in agreement. Hoo, it seemed their thick and sturdy muscles could repel magical waves just fine!
I served another bowl of steaming stew and chewed on the tender lamb as I spoke.
"That's good. But my situation is a bit different. Both Khalid and I have some preparation, but… unexpected things might still happen."
"For example?"
"It might become difficult to use my abilities as a druid."
"That would be problematic."
"I even think I might lose consciousness if it gets severe."
"..."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen."
El mumbled something while chewing on the stew. It seemed to mean, "If that happens, I'll protect you, Master!" I smiled lightly and nodded.
It's not that I didn't prepare at all. During our journey to the entrance, I had been carving a totem inside the carriage. It was made from the perpetual ice from the northernmost region, which supposedly never melts even in the heat of the Roshan Desert. It was so hard that it took two extra days to carve compared to my expectations.
Well, I think I can finish it tonight.
After finishing my meal, I stood guard by the campfire and continued carving the perpetual ice totem. The transparent ice gleamed under the moonlight as the enchantments were inscribed onto it.
[Totem: The Frozen Heart has been completed.]
I tried on [The Frozen Heart] on my pinky finger. It was cold, but not uncomfortably so. [The Frozen Heart] was shining transparently as it spun around my pinky.
[The Frozen Heart] was an item that prevented the flow of surrounding magical power from affecting me. It protected the wearer's entire body by enveloping it with the frozen magical power that the perpetual ice has contained for a long time. It seemed like a name such as "The Unwavering Heart" would suit it better. Anyway, by wearing this, I could protect myself, even if only a little, from the magical waves of the Silver Mountains.
If I was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable surge of magical power, [The Frozen Heart] would shatter and form a barrier that lasts for a short period. During that time, I could escape or find another solution…
The best thing would be if the totem doesn't break.
I looked again at the distant Silver Mountains which were now cloaked in darkness. What could they be hiding to cause such a severe phenomenon? Magical power wouldn't become this imbalanced simply because a dragon was sleeping there.
Then, could it be due to the fragment of Earte?
At this point, I couldn't rule out that possibility. If it were buried in the perpetual snow, untouched by anyone, that would be the best scenario…
But what if someone had gotten hold of the fragment of Earte, and all these phenomena were the precursors to something worse…?
"Phew…"
Let's think positively, think positively. If something had already happened, it wouldn't have stopped at this level. If these are just the precursor symptoms, that's good because it means there's still a chance to stop it.
"Theodore."
Lloyd approached from behind. Was it already time for the shift change? I patted Ayla's head who was dozing off in front of the campfire and then stood up.
"Lloyd."
"…You look like you have something on your mind."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Enough to notice."
"That's embarrassing."
I scratched the back of my head and laughed. Lloyd sat down where I had been sitting and gazed up at me quietly.
"I understand."
"Huh?"
"Meeting a dragon, it's my first time too."
Well, that wasn't the only thing I was worried about….but let's not embarrass Lloyd here. I nodded appropriately.
"It's natural to be worried. After all, we're dealing with a dragon. No matter how friendly it is towards humans…"
"I agree. They are magnificent beings. As such, it's impossible to predict what might happen."
"Aren't you afraid?"
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't."
Lloyd, feeling fear? Dragons truly are extraordinary. Well, it makes sense since they're practically the strongest beings in the world. Just a flick of a dragon's finger could cause an entire country to tremble.
"Haha, don't worry too much. If a dragon tries to kill us…"
"…"
"We'll just take hostages."
That's right. We could take a dragon egg hostage. If we threatened to break a dragon's egg without knowing whose it belonged to, it could cause a rift between the dragons. Even if the awakened Tondra was furious, it wouldn't break the egg of its kin. This was my last resort.
Of course, it would be best if it didn't come to that.
"I'm joking. There are many other methods."
"…"
"First, when we get to the village tomorrow, we'll need to buy some mules and a herd of goats."
Lloyd looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face.
"We need to prepare a meal for Tondra."
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