Chapter 1059 – Refrain From Overprotection!

000

The first night in the Sarong Mountains passes, and morning dawns.

However, the color of the sky was still gray and gloomy, as if what they saw yesterday was a hallucination or that the sky was not dark by chance.

One by one, the members of the expedition pack up the tents they had been sleeping in and prepare to set off again.

In the process, they checked to see if there were any missing items or personnel, but fortunately, there seemed to be no traces of the party being attacked during the night and no one leaving here due to exhaustion from the harsh expedition.

“Well, it’s a fortunate story.”

Laila says that to Artis, who returned after checking the number of people.

There was no one who followed the expedition without knowing that the path they were taking was dangerous and that there was probably no return.

Therefore, among those who had to face the sixth mountain, there was someone who was eliminated from the second mountain, which could not help but think that there was a problem with the selection of people.

And the fact that no one secretly left or ran away means that no one followed here as if they were going for a walk in a nearby hill.

“The barrier didn’t cause any problems overnight.”

When Amelia and Sasha, who had retrieved the barrier stone that had been spread out, spoke like that, Lila nodded her head.

“That’s natural. How much money was spent on just one of these? If four of them were used, they should be kept safe.”

“Isn’t it possible to spread this out and move around? I think it will be able to protect me when I’m attacked like yesterday.”

Sasha showed obvious doubt, but Kuon shook her head.

“Unfortunately, if the coordinates are not fixed when the barrier is deployed, the barrier will shake and its strength will decrease. Especially if it is not a barrier that humans maintain with concentration.”

“Hing.”

Sasha makes a disappointed sound at Kuon’s answer.

Meanwhile, after receiving the report that all the unloaded luggage had been cleaned up and placed on the cart, Attis faced Laila.

“We’re ready to leave. So… Which way should we go now?”

“We will go to the third mountain (Naryongsan Mountain) like this. Up to this point… The route that was in Laplace’s head.”

“In the end, are we going to climb all the mountains one by one?”

When Kshat asked a question, Laila shook her head.

“No. The route from the fourth mountain (Chukryongsan Mountain) to the fifth mountain (Gwiryongsan Mountain) is extremely dangerous, but fortunately, there is a route that allows you to go directly from Naryongsan Mountain to Gwiryongsan Mountain.”

“… From experience, I don’t remember that such a shortcut was safer than the normal route.”

Melusine may have a slight opinion on Lila’s words, but Lila just shrugs her shoulders and continues.

“Well, it’s still the ‘safe route’ he was trying to tell us.”

“Do you believe in Laplace?”

Kshat will question her again.

“No way. I’m not that soft of a person either. Instead, I think there are no ‘lies’ about the information in that guy’s head.”

“… If Lila, who saw the inside of this guy’s head herself, says so…”

Schrödinger also agrees with Laila’s words.

“Then, let’s leave right away. If we delay, the guardian might reappear and try to do something.”

Just like that, the very moment Lila urged her departure once again.

Hwiyuwoong!

And, no matter how you think about it, when you think that an unusual wind has blown, the group frowns slightly because of the dust blowing up from the ground, and raises her arm to cover her eyes.

“W-what is this gust of wind…!?”

“Shuko…”

Someone made a voice of pain.

And in the meantime, Fleur’s voice was heard as if she couldn’t see clearly even though she had a mask on her face.

But that too after a while.

When the dust rising in the swirling wind is completely blown away by the strong wind pressure, the obscured view returns.

When the group opened their eyes and looked ahead with a coughing voice, a person was standing quietly in a place where no one had been before, facing them.

That sight was well known and remembered by both those who fell asleep and those who remained in reality. The sight of emerald colored hair fluttering in the wind and then slowly sinking –

“Guardian…!”

He was the one who pushed the expedition into the world of dreams, and he was also the one who left wounds on the Banguidae and their teacher that have not yet fully healed.

“Was what Lila said a flag…?”

“That can’t be possible!”

Even while dismissing Artis’ nonsense, Laila doesn’t let down her guard.

Since she hadn’t reacted since I let her go yesterday, I thought she had given up on trapping them in the dream world.

She was determined that if she was going to make them fall asleep again, she would stop it this time, even if it meant burning them alive.

Then the guardian must have read Lila’s expression. She let go of her wand that she was holding in her hand.

When a wizard lets go of his wand, it also means giving up his will to fight.

Lila, who meant that, felt a little embarrassed and somehow relieved, and stopped trying to increase her magic power.

“Everyone. This guy doesn’t seem to have the will to fight right now.”

[This guy… Isn’t it okay if you use a more polite word?]

The guardian seemed to be fed up with Lila’s words, or she responded in a sarcastic tone.

“This is this guy. Everyone here remembers what you tried to do yesterday.”

[I still have no regrets about what I tried to do. The only regret I have is that I have to send you back to this difficult and painful world.]

“You didn’t reflect at all!”

When Schrödinger raised her voice as if to protest the guardian’s answer, Kuon, who was standing next to her, put his hand on her shoulder as if to stop her.

“Perhaps, no matter what we say, she will never change her mind. … For over a thousand years, she has guarded the ruins of this mountain with the same heart.”

“Ugh. That’s it! I deserve at least an apology!”

Schrödinger gets angry at the thought that he might have been trapped in dreamland forever after being attacked.

Of course, it was natural anger, and Kuon understood it, but…

To her, the guardian in front of her did not seem like someone who would care about our every reaction, care about her anger, and break her own beliefs.

The reason they lost by decision – it’s a story about being trapped in a dream world.

If they fight with all their might to find her body on this mountain and enter the ruins-

As Attis had said, in addition to not being able to meet the ‘breakthrough condition’ of her guardian, a fight that would require a lot of sacrifice on her part was expected, as she was able to use all the spirit veins of this mountain. Br〉

“… I don’t think he showed up to sentence me to not apologize.”

Therefore, when Kuon spoke to her to ask about her intention in appearing to her in person, her guardian nodded and stared at her for a moment.

As the gaze continued in silence, Kuon thought, ‘What is it?’, But then Sasha looked at Kuon and her guardian alternately and spoke.

“… Somehow, you two look alike.”

“Do you understand now?”

Lila spoke as if she was a little taken aback by Sasha’s words.

“Where are you going?!”

[Where…]

Kuon and the guardian deny Sasha’s recognition by saying the same thing at the same time.

Of course, they are the only ones who deny it, and everyone around them thinks they are similar.

The guardian wears a visor, so his eyes and surroundings are invisible, but he exudes an aura and long, emerald-colored hair.

And in addition, the volume of the body that cannot be hidden.

“The guardian of Inryong Mountain resembles Amelia… So there might be a guardian somewhere that looks like Sasha or me.”

“Ugh… I might not like something a little…”

To Lila’s prediction, Sasha expressed her disapproval, as if she didn’t want to think about it.

[Anyway, I came because I heard what you guys were talking about…]

“Are you saying you overheard our conversation?”

[What happens on this mountain will flow to me, even if I don’t like it.]

She answered Artis’ question like that, and Artis narrowed his eyes behind her glasses and looked slightly suspicious.

[Please don’t look at me with such suspicion. I have no intention of threatening you with that.]

“Who said what? Is the kid doing this alone?”

He just didn’t say it out loud, but his eyes were full of it.

[Anyway. The story is that you are trying to go directly from Naryongsan Mountain to Guirongsan Mountain.]

“Ah, that. Why is that? Are you really going to say that those of you who don’t go the regular route are eliminated!”

Schrödinger speaks as if he is dissatisfied.

She is the one who suffered the most in her dreams, according to her words, so it is inevitable that she has a lot of complaints.

[There is no such set route in the mountains? But… As the shark fishman over there said, shortcuts are fraught with danger.]

“It seems like there is no place in the Four Dragon Mountains that is not dangerous…”

As if the good Amelia couldn’t shake off her suspicions, she was caught off guard by the guardian’s words.

[Pfft… Even if I stop you with such a straight argument, you won’t be able to stand it when you hear what I say next. That shortcut is a ‘gorge’ full of ‘wyverns’]

“Swarming with wyverns…”

“Canyon…?”

Melusine and Schrödinger, both of them will be squinting as if asking what that means.

“… Could it be that the shortcut is the deep, cliff-like path we saw when we entered the Four Dragon Mountains?”

[That’s right.]

Let’s check it out first.

“And… There are wyverns swarming between those canyons?”

[Yes.]

Sasha asks again.

The guardian will answer in a light tone, and the party will sigh heavily after hearing the answer.

‘Wyvern’, i.E. ‘Lyvern’.

Unlike true dragons (dragons) that do not live in groups but in their own nests, their intelligence, magic power, and body size are inferior to those of dragons, but those that act in groups are a kind of ecologically disturbing species.

In places where a group of wyverns live, all living things except the wyverns disappear.

Even though they are smaller than dragons, they are large enough creatures to have thick scales and are flying predators.

Also, a lot of food is needed to maintain the body.

They consider everything that moves they see as food.

Even griffons, called the princes of the sky, can hunt in groups.

If it is a group of humans who are not prepared for defense, they can easily rush in, annihilate them, and turn them into a meal.

Moreover, these vicious creatures have the habit of ‘enjoying’ the act itself when hunting, so when the prey runs away and ends up in a dead end, they stretch out their mouths and bite it off in one bite.

Therefore, in general, when dealing with a group of wyverns, it is best to not send adventurers like that.

If you are dealing with a single wyvern running wild away from the group, the correct method is to send in properly trained troops to subdue a wyvern that acts in a group.

Of course, ‘subjugation’ does not mean killing all the wyverns, but is closer to inflicting a certain amount of damage on the group, driving them out of the area, and turning it into human territory.

The quickest and surest way to kill all the wyverns nesting there would be to use a weapon that blows up the entire terrain.

To be honest, going into a den infested with wyverns with this number of people is not only reckless, it’s almost suicidal.

“…”

After hearing the story, Lila closes her eyes and thinks about the odds for a moment.

Infinitely close to 0.

It may even be possible for you to chase away a group of wyverns that are coming with magic.

However, that also has its limits.

Should I say that Wyverns are aware of the fact that there is a limit to the number of times humans can use magic?

It repeats attack and flight until its magical power is depleted, and when there is no more resistance, it attacks in earnest.

[I guess you understand. How dangerous it is to use that road.]

And the guardian looked at the expressions of the group and sighed happily.

“Why are you so relieved…?”

[Because I don’t want you to get hurt in this dangerous world. If not, it will show up like this and give you a friendly warning or not.]

That’s what the guardian responded to Lila’s statement that she didn’t like it.

[Okay, if you understand well, turn back like this and exit the Four Dragon Mountains. There is no need to walk to hell on your own anymore.]

The guardian speaks in a voice like a merciful mother scolding her child.

Give up, step back, don’t take any more risks.

It must be a way of expressing her strange maternal love.

In her eyes, everyone who exists before her eyes is a child who keeps making incomprehensibly foolish choices.

“… Artis. What do you want to do?”

Laila hands over her final decision to Attis.

“Going back is an impossible choice. But…”

Even after knowing this information, will you really use a shortcut other than passing through Mt. Chukryong?

Is he capable of pushing people into hell?

“Let’s go.”

At that time.

What was thrown to the troubled Artis was the voice of ‘Quon’.

“Quon?”

“Of course, it may be dangerous to take a path full of wyverns… But the same goes for passing through Mt. Chukryong. When comparing which of the two would be safer, Laplace chose the path through the canyon. Originally, Considering that he would have also acted together, he would have definitely chosen the one with the higher ‘chance of winning.'”

At Kuon’s words, Schrödinger nodded his head.

In a sense, it was she who understood Laplace best among these people.

“… Definitely. He’s the guy I hate the most, but that’s why I vouch for him.”

“Laplace had some means or method to deal with the wyvern? Was it mixed in with the damaged memories…”

Lila kept her mouth shut while saying that.

[Now, wait! Why are you talking about going to the canyon? Even after hearing what I just said─]

“I know. I know that it is dangerous and that moving forward is painful.”

Kuon speaks as if interrupting the guardian’s words.

Then the guardian becomes embarrassed and closes his mouth.

“But. If you don’t walk because it’s dangerous, you’ll always just stop in place. Your kindness is the will to force yourself to be locked in a cage because you don’t want to see someone important to you get hurt. But… That’s why you can’t move forward. “

Surely, if Cleon had been around, she would have said this to her.

“It’s not like an ‘adventurer’ to not take any risks to achieve what you want to achieve.”

[…

The guardian looked a little surprised by Kuon’s declaration, but at the same time, he showed a painful expression that was difficult to understand.

“Yes, that’s the same for us scholars.”

And Artis will also nod to Kuon’s words.

“I was deceived for a moment by the rumor that it was swarming with wyverns, but I don’t think there is a solution.”

[What…?]

“There was a hint in Sasha’s words.”

And Artis will turn his gaze towards Sasha.

“Um, do you mean me?”

“Okay.”

Sasha is embarrassed by Artis who points out her, and Laila turns her head from Artis to Sasha.

For a moment, she thought about what she was saying, then looked back at her artis with a ‘hot’ face.

“Wait a minute, Artis, do you-do she knows what she’s talking about and how difficult it is!?”

“Of course. I’m the one in charge of this group? I don’t say anything that I can’t take responsibility for.”

Sasha was very embarrassed by saying something that only the two of them could understand.

“Hey!? What did I say!?”

When Sasha asks a question, Lila sighs loudly.

“That’s it—”

And then, Laila’s explanation.

Then, Sasha quietly and meekly listens to the story.

“W-what!?!”

At the end, a voice of astonishment echoed across the mountain range.