Chapter 278: Mountain Climbing

――――The 53rd day of training.

Today is a fine day, the day we set out on our long-awaited journey. To be more specific, we are going to Damaya, the country of merchants where Alezel awaits. I and Nell bring along the three girls, Haru (with Gobuo in the backpack), Chinatsu, and Touko, and also the good-for-nothing Lilyvia. We are now heading to the landing place where the ship arranged by Alezel is.

「My~, the weather today sure is nice. It makes me want to have a picnic.」

「Deris, are you serious?」

「No, not at all.」

The thing about fine weather was a lie. A blizzard is violently pouring down on us today. We are on the mountain on the way to Snowtail, a major country in the northern part of the Jiba continent. We might be lucky if we think it as training, but today’s weather is really rough.

「I-It’s cold…!」

「Chinatsu-chan, let’s move our bodies more! Let’s run while shadowboxing!」

「L-Lily-shishō, it’s hard to climb the mountain while carrying you…!」

「Don’t worry, it’s also training~」

No matter how strong they have become, the girls seem to have a hard time with this rough welcome in the north. Especially, it’s harder for Touko because she’s carrying Lily, who wants to take it easy. But if I say I will carry her, Nell’s sharp gaze will pierce me. Hang in there, Touko. Bear it a little more.

「By the way, Deris. Of all places, why are we meeting at Snowtail? It’s so inconvenient.」

「It’s can’t be helped, Alezel arranged it that way after all. I heard that she prepared an unofficial ship, so she did this to avoid the public eye.」

「There’s no need to use the unofficial one…. Sigh, whatever. It’s too late now, let’s get going.」

Snowtail is a country with a natural fortress, surrounded by steep mountains and has extremely cold weather. This is why there’s almost no visitor, even from neighboring countries, and it’s the perfect place to hide. However, the world-famous Trading Company Quitet has expanded its business into such a place. How awesome.

「Growl…!」

The growl of the beasts echoed in the snowy mountain where the heavy snowstorm is raging. Alright, we found food ingredients.

「Shishō, if my eyes are not mistaken, there’s a large pack of white wolves ahead.」

「It’s a snowy mountain, so it’s not strange if there are ten or twenty white wolves.」

Hmm, I can’t see well because of this snow, but I wonder if there are more of them? The local monsters around here, the While Blitz Wolves, are famous for killing adventurers in distress. Let’s see, they are level 3 or 4 monsters, I think? They are quite strong that they can kill even a griffon when in a pack.

「Touko-chan, I’m hungry~. I want to eat juicy meat~」

「Eh, are you telling me to do it while carrying you!?」

「Lily, you are too lazy these days, you know? I don’t even see you walking properly.」

「I’m overworked~. The meetings, Mama’s raid, and the wedding. I was acting too much~」

「Deris, she’s no good. She’s completely a burden.」

「Now, now. She has to be in the Great Eight Demon mode when we meet Alezel, so let her recharge while she can.」

「Ahn, Goshujin-sama, you are so wonderful! Embrace me!」

…… Maybe I should just dump her in this snowy mountain?

「Shishō, we’ve finished them off.」

「It was a good workout.」

Haru and Chinatsu wiped the blood on their fists and katana, and they are already working on dismantling the ingredients. Yeah, there’s no need to explain it, the pack of While Blitz Wolves has been wiped out. I feel like an idiot for saying that they are quite strong.

「Freshly hunted meat….. Right, it’s almost lunchtime. Let’s take a break here.」

「In this weather? Um, the preparation for the tent hasn’t――」

「No, we don’t need it. Nell, do it.」

「Okay. Hot Line, expand.」

Nell used the Red Flame Magic level 40 『Hot Line』. At that moment, the surrounding cold air quickly changed into a gentle warmth like a spring breeze. If I had to use a metaphor, it’s like being in a futon when you wake up in the morning.

「Huh? It’s getting warmer?」

「Waah, it’s warm!」

This magic is able to warm the area around the target and can raise the temperature to any desired level in any environment. In fact, Nell was using this magic on herself, applying a thin layer of the effect only around her, and she was climbing the mountain with the right temperature. How unfair.

「Aah! Nell, you were using it on yourself, right!? That’s unfair!」

「I don’t want to hear that from you, who won’t walk even one step. Besides, this is quite a high-ranking magic, so maintaining a wide area is exhausting. Or should I turn back the temperature around you?」

「Eh, that would affect me too, right!? Lily-shishō, apologize now!」

「T-Touko, are you telling me to throw away my pride!?」

「What do you think is more important, comfortable rest or your pride!?」

「It’s the former! Nell, I’m sorry, please forgive this pitiful me!」

She immediately chose comfortable rest than pride, huh. This maid is really good-for-nothing….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

「We’ve arrived!」

「Ooh, it’s sunny here.」

We passed through the steep snowy mountain and set foot on the land of Snowtail. The snow is piled up on the ground here, but the weather is so good that as if it’s another world.

「The surrounding area is surrounded by high mountains no matter where you look, huh.」

「This country is like a crater surrounded by mountains. In short, it’s a basin. The only way to get here is to cross the mountains like us or to travel by ship from the sky. It’s ridiculously inconvenient, right?」

「Ahaha….」

Well, Snowtail is not our last stop. Our destination this time is Damaya, and we’re finally halfway through our travel.

「Hey, Danna. I’ve been wondering about it since a while ago, where’s the ship? Even if I check the surrounding area, I can’t find the sea at all.」

「Hmm? Ah, no. I’m not talking about that ship. This time, it’s air travel, not the sea.」

「「「Air travel?」」」

When I said so while pointing my finger up, a Snowtail’s cargo ship passed through the sky at the right time.

――――Guoooon!

A large bird is flying through the sky, and the mechanical sound is proof that it’s not a living creature. It’s like a large reciprocating engine in the modern era, I guess? The ship, which belong to Snowtail, flew straight to the landing site.

「Waah, is that an airplane?」

「That’s an airplane, right?」

「Yeah, that’s an airplane… wait, that’s a ship!? Why is that thing flying around in this country!?」

Ooh, what a nice reaction. I was secretly looking forward to seeing their reactions, and I got to see a good one.

「Snowtail was provided with technology by Made in Zex, err, one of the Great Eight Demons.」

「By Zex, do you mean the fifth rank Zex Id?」

「Oh, as expected of Chinatsu. You’ve studied well.」

「Fufu! She’s Chinatsu whom I’m proud of, so that’s natural.」

「What’s with that smug face…. Well, this country is in an alliance with that Zex’s country. That ship is one of the provided technologies, and there are other ships that frequently travel between continents.」

Because it’s an alliance, not an invasion, it doesn’t violate the eight articles of nonaggression of the Great Eight Demons. So, Lily won’t complain about it. In exchange for the provided technologies, Zex wants to mine the special resources in this territory. It’s a rare pattern in which both interests are in agreement.

「Well, we arrived much earlier than planned. Let’s get a place to stay first.」