Kays Translations

Chapter 32: On the road to the fort

The next morning, the group gathered in the center of the encampment before the sun had even risen.

Around a large campfire, with monster meat to roast over it, they confirmed the day's march through the snow.

“The route to the fort is as I shared. We'll have two to three days to get there, as we'll have to wade through a lot of messy snow."

Maidas said on behalf of the adventurers.

“We’ll therefore have to spend the night in the Baldor Mountains. I want each of you to check your luggage.”

“Everything is fine.”

“We can leave right after this.”

Hearing the answers of some of the adventurers, Maidas nodded his head.

Now the knight said.

“We want to carry the baggage and be the vanguard in shoveling the snow. We also want to select people in case of the appearance of monsters. Maidas-san will be in charge of the adventurers.”

“I understand. Leave it to me.”

Soon, one by one, they stood up and headed for their tents.

Ren, who had been eating meat, also finished his breakfast to get ready.

After returning to his tent, he summoned his wooden magic sword and hid it inside his coat.

He was ready to use his nature magic at any time.

“Let's go."

Ren left the tent and looked up at the Baldor Mountains, which had been illuminated by the morning sun for some time.

The paths that would normally be there were closed off by snow, but they would have to make some progress.

-----It was a few dozen minutes later that the group began to make their way through the snow.

We knew it, but the path was steep.

The path that should have been made by Kai and the others who had gone on ahead wasn’t even a shadow of its former self due to the newly fallen snow.

The snow made it even worse than the usual bad slope, and the environment was unbearably bad.

Monsters appeared from time to time, but they didn’t bother us.

With such a full force, the monsters that appear in the Baldor Mountains during normal times are no match for us.

“It's almost sunset! If we go on a little further, we can reach a somewhat flat area, so let's spend the night there!”

Maidas, who was leading the way, said, and everyone who followed him agreed.

The knight nodded and asked Ren, "How are you feeling?” Ren nodded.

“I'm still fine. This is nothing compared to the time I was on the run with Licia.”

“I see that.”

“It seems that Ren-don is stronger than we are.”

"Hmmm......... it's a shameful thing."

The knights and I exchanged a few light-hearted words.

Within ten minutes, they had reached the flat area that Maidas had mentioned, and everyone had cleared the snow to set up camp.

However, the flatness was only a little.

The ground was uneven and sloped, making it difficult to set up the tents.

But I didn't mind too much.

Ren was prepared for that, and the fact that it was even slightly flat made it all the better.

Soon, as in the morning, we had a fire going, and by the time the meat had been cooked, everyone was eating and chatting to relieve their exhaustion.

“I have to earn money for my brother's treatment.”

“That's good. I don’t know if I should tell you this after hearing you talk like that, but I like money.”

"Ha-ha-ha! I don't care if you like money!”

“That's enough. I got into debt at a casino, and I became an adventurer to pay it off.”

Every adventurer has his or her own reason for doing this kind of work.

Some of the stories were quite horrific, but Ren listened with great interest.

“I'd rather hear about hero-dono than about you guys.”

“I'd rather have a pretty boy than a nasty man.”

The two female adventurers who were accompanying the group said.

Many of those who heard the conversation laughed and agreed with them.

Ren was in such a rush, but the fact that he could afford to enjoy such pleasant conversation made the evening in the Baldor Mountains not so bad.

He was secretly relieved that he was going to be able to welcome the rescuers safely.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The next morning we set out at sunrise and, as on the first day's march, we continued through the snow until just before dusk.

The march was so smooth that everyone was convinced that they would be able to make it to the fort.

Then, on the morning of the third day.

The group approached a long, long suspension bridge set up in the canyon, just a short distance from the fort.

The bottom of the suspension bridge was invisible.

The blizzard that was pounding our body made visibility poor, and we were too high to see all the way down to the bottom in the first place.

Everyone knew what would happen if we fell.

“It seems that below us is part of a dormant volcano, and there have been times in the past when lava flowed over it.”

The knight said beside Ren as they swayed a little on the suspension bridge.

Ren, too, had known this information from the beginning, but he nodded his head and said, "I see”.

Looking at the canyon below, he remembered some information.

(Oh no.)

During the game era, the bottom of the canyon was affected by Asvar's magic, and lava flows were forming everywhere.

Also, the footholds where there was no lava were infested with numerous undead and an abyss of miasma.

The miasma is a gas produced by the density of the magical power leaked from the corpses of dead monsters. Under the suspension bridge, of course, there were countless such corpses lying around, so it was a disaster befitting the last stage.

Just as he was remembering these things, Ren's feet suddenly shook greatly.

"...... Everyone! Hold on to the railing!”

Following Maidas's order, everyone grabbed the railing of the suspension bridge at once.

At the same time, a powerful snowstorm hit Ren's cheeks, not only on his feet, but also on his entire body.

“Ren-dono! Do not let go of your hand!”

“I know!”

The blizzard was so strong that if he was not careful, his body could easily be snatched away.

The wooden floorboards of the bridge are swaying from side to side. If you let go of your hand, you will be thrown all the way down to the bottom of the gorge.

The feeling of the handrail through my gloves became stronger with every grip I put on it.

(The strength of the suspension bridge is amazing.)

It's so obvious that it's set up in a place like this, Ren thought as he regained his composure as the visibility cleared.

Then, Maidas, who was in front of him, raised his voice.

“Everyone is safe, right?”

“Haa!”

Following the adventurers, Ren checked with the knights to see if they were safe.

Not a single person appeared to have fallen from the suspension bridge. He was relieved, exchanged smiles with the knights, and moved forward.

Once everyone had left the suspension bridge, they took a rest to relieve the fatigue that had built up due to the strain. After half an hour, they resumed their march and returned to the road to the old fort, which they expected to arrive shortly ----

Just before noon. The desired fort was in sight.

It seemed to be a beacon smoke today, awaiting the rescue of Ren and his men.

"Gentlemen! Let's go!”

Maidas  gave the command in high spirits, and everyone's footsteps gained momentum.

The group advanced through the deep snow, their knees easily buried in the snow, in order to reach the fort as quickly as possible.

(We’re almost there.)

Ren wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, remembering the fort he had seen earlier.

As he did so, the adventurers ahead stopped in their tracks.

Maidas, who was advancing in the front row, raised one hand to get everyone's attention.

"It's a ---- monster."

But it wasn’t close.

Maidas quickly pointed off into the distance, his dog-ears wagging lightly.

“I hear the voices of people and monsters coming from the fortress. The monsters are probably a herd.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“It's a given.”

Maidas smiled wryly at the female adventurer's voice.

The other male adventurers followed suit, and they all rushed out at once.

“The fort may be under attack! Hurry!”

Ren and the knight looked at each other.

“We should hurry too,". They shared this thought and ran as fast as they could along this terribly difficult road.

Then Ren soon realized that there was more than one kind of monster herd.

The sound of a crowd of monsters, not one of a kind, shouting and the sound of someone fighting them pierced his ears.

Soon after, another snowstorm began.

The visibility was poor, but by the time we couldn't see anything around us, we were all by the fort.

“Ren-dono! Don't push too hard!”

“Yes! I know!”

After exchanging words with the knight, Ren turned his attention to the monsters in the area.

Numerous monsters are swarming and spreading around the nearby fortress.

Ren was naturally happy that the adventurers escorting the merchants were safe and sound. ----

(Hey, why ......?)

What was fighting there was an unfamiliar group of boys and girls.

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