Chapter 39: Seeking Another Route Without Nature Magic anchoring them to the broken suspension bridge, Ren and Fiona would have fallen into the lava-filled canyon. Returning to the fort placed them back where they had begun, but there had been no other way to save her. “I’m sorry,” Fiona said. “This happened because of me.” […]
Chapter 38: Flames Dancing in the Snow Ren placed one foot on the suspension bridge, then the other. Fiona followed him onto the wooden boards. Until recently, she had spent most of her life confined to a sickroom. She could never have experienced anything like this. (I hope she’ll be all right.) The remaining adventurers,
Chapter 37: Before Crossing the Suspension Bridge That evening, the examinees rejoiced when they heard that their descent would begin the next morning. Some had remained uncertain that they would ever escape the mountain, and several girls even wept with relief. No matter how talented they were, they were still young and far from their
Chapter 36: At Last, It Was Ren’s Turn The following morning, several of the adventurers who had called for rescue departed the fort, along with the examinees whose condition made an early descent advisable. The bedridden adventurers couldn’t move without assistance, so the evacuation proceeded slowly. Every adventurer who had accompanied Ren on the rescue
Chapter 35: After Nightfall The examinee who interrupted Ren and Fiona had been worried about the result of the final examination. The students’ futures depended on the test. Many feared that retreating to the fort—and accepting help from adventurers and House Clausel’s knights—might invalidate their efforts. (Is receiving help against the rules?) Later that evening,
Chapter 34: Inside the Old Fort Gray, rugged flagstones welcomed them, along with walls and ceilings made from the same material. Running a fingertip across the stone produced a gritty, damp sensation. Ren had seen the fort many times in the game, yet experiencing the real place almost made it feel like an entirely different
Chapter 33: An Encounter in Silver The boys and girls panicked when the adventurers appeared. They cried out in surprise, yet none of them looked away from the monsters they were fighting. Their ability to continue battling despite the confusion was impressive. “W-Who are they?” “I don’t know! Stay alert!” “We don’t understand the situation
Chapter 32: On the Way to the Fort Before sunrise the next morning, everyone gathered in the center of the camp. They sat around a large fire, eating monster meat roasted over the flames while reviewing the plan for the day’s march through the snow. “The route to the fort is the one we already
Chapter 31: Heading for the Silver Mountains “But, boy, that still doesn’t mean you should be the one to go.” “Yes. He’s right,” Lessard agreed. Lessard couldn’t bring himself to approve. Ren had already helped House Clausel many times, and the thought of relying on him yet again weighed heavily on him. Ren, however, had
Chapter 30: A Second Request and Ren’s Concern The special class was the pride of the Imperial Military Academy. On this day, its students had gathered at the boarding area for the magic ship that would carry them to the site of their final examination. Every one of them wore high-performance winter clothing. They had