Chapter 37 – Episode 36 – Irian Of The Forgotten Temple (1)

Episode 36 – Irian of the Forgotten Temple (1)

I woke up with a strange feeling. …What is it?
Looking at how dark it still is, it seems like I haven’t been asleep for long. I fell asleep after rolling around with Diana for a while, so seeing that it’s still dark outside, not much time has passed.
I turned my head slightly and saw Diana’s face as she was hugging me tightly in her sleep. Her eyelids were trembling slightly, making me wonder if she was dreaming, so I stroked her hair and closed my eyes again.

That’s strange. I definitely felt a strange feeling… I felt it…

Huh?

When I opened my eyes, the harsh sunlight was shining on my face. When did I fall asleep? After stroking Diana’s hair, as soon as I closed my eyes… I fell asleep.

‘Why do I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow? This isn’t the army.’

My head is still foggy as if I’m still sleepy. I was lying still in bed, enjoying the sunlight pouring in from the window, when Diana, whose hair was still wet from having woken up sometime, jumped on top of me.

“Yurian! Good morning!”
“Yeah. Good morning, Diana. Did you sleep well?”

I let her rub her lips against mine as she nodded, but then she tried to slip her tongue in. No matter how much I like her, there’s a limit to manners. I can’t mix tongues without brushing my teeth. I patted her back to make her let her guard down, then quickly grabbed her slender waist and flipped her over, and she went over laughing.

Her long blonde hair, fluttering in the air, shone brightly in the sunlight coming in from the window, then fell softly onto the bed.
I don’t know if this dazzling sparkle is because of the sunlight from the window, or because of Diana’s face shining brightly.

“Yurian?”
“Ah, yeah. I just woke up, so I’m not all there yet. I’ll go wash up too.”

I staggered into the bathroom, and it was still full of steam, as if someone had just finished showering, and it even smelled strangely good. Maybe it’s because I just woke up, but the warm air feels nice. I took off my clothes and stood under the water, and I started to wake up little by little.

That’s right. I wonder if Irian and Carsilla slept well. They’re both kids, so I’m worried. I quickly washed up, got ready, and went down to the first floor.

By my standards, it’s morning, but for the people here, waking up at dawn is a daily routine. Considering that humans conquered the darkness only after the popularization of electricity, the pattern of this world without electricity is ultimately limited to sleeping when it gets dark and waking up when the sun rises.

There is magic, the only means to replace electricity, but it is not popular enough for ordinary people to benefit from it, so it is natural for ordinary people here to fall asleep in the early evening and wake up at dawn by modern standards.

There are probably very few people who wake up according to my standards of morning, at least among the common people.
The first floor certainly looked quite quiet. Come to think of it, when I was in the temple, I used to wake up at dawn to take care of Diana. …Isn’t this just like the army?

“Yurian, are you hungry?”
“I’m hungry. I used so much energy yesterday.”
“Kyaa~ Pervert. Yurian is a pervert.”
“Hey. Who’s calling who a pervert? Diana is the one who…”
“No! Diana is a baby.”
“Yeah, a perverted baby.”

The two of us whispered and laughed, then sat down at an empty table in the corner. Diana actually looked hungry, so I ordered her a simple soup, and then I got up to go get Irian and Carsilla.

“I’ll go get the kids. Eat your soup first.”
“Huh? Won’t they come on their own? They might be sleeping.”
“Then I’ll have to wake them up. I’ll be right back.”
“……Okay.”

I watched her peck at her soup and then left the inn. I was a bit hazy on the location of the inn I was told about yesterday, but it doesn’t really matter since I can just follow the familiar divine power. I knocked on the door, and it opened, revealing a small head peeking out.

“Carsilla!”

Her eyes were puffy, and she looked up at me blankly, which was so cute that I knelt down on one knee and opened my arms. She jumped into my arms habitually. Keke, she’s a model student after all. I picked up Carsilla, who had internalized her education as an excellent student, and entered the room. Irian, who was already ready, sent me a nod.

“You’re all ready? Why are you just standing there instead of coming over to our side?”
“Carsilla was sleeping.”
“You were waiting for this sleepyhead?”
“…I’m not a sleepyhead.”

Carsilla grumbled a little while still in my arms, but looking at her still messy hair, it didn’t seem very convincing.

“Oh, Irian. You should take off that uncomfortable armor and wear something comfortable too. While I wash Carsilla.”
“This is comfortable.”
“Then do as you please. You’ll regret it later?”
“Hmph.”

Tsk tsk. He’s the type who has to taste it to know if it’s poop or soybean paste. The regret of ignoring my precious advice will come soon, so let’s wash Carsilla first.

“Carsilla, hands up!”
“Hands up.”

I was taking off Carsilla’s clothes when Irian suddenly shouted.

“What are you doing!”
“Huh? I’m washing Carsilla?”
“N-no… Even so, you can’t just take off a girl’s clothes like that…”
“Isn’t this perverted? I wonder what you’re thinking.”
“……!?”
“Hey, Irian. I knew you were a fine young man, but this is a bit much. Geez, let’s keep it moderate, okay?”

I glared at Irian, who had slumped into a chair with a pale face, and then took Carsilla into the bathroom. Hmm, the structure is similar.

I was washing Carsilla’s hair, who still looked dazed as if she was still sleepy, and asked her.

“How was it sleeping with Irian? Did he bother you?”
“No.”
“Okay, close your eyes. That’s right. It’s better than sleeping alone, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good girl. Okay, let’s dry your hair. Did you go straight to bed yesterday?”
“No.”

I put a towel on Carsilla’s small head and came out of the bathroom. Irian was still sitting in the chair, and he glanced at me and then quickly turned his head away. He’s sulking because I teased him.

“Then what did you do instead of going straight to bed?”
“Studying.”
“Studying? What kind of studying?”

Carsilla, who had been answering so clearly, glanced at Irian. Irian, who had been haughtily ignoring us until just now, quickly came over and started drying Carsilla’s hair.

“What are you doing?”
“Hum, hum.”

What kind of suspicious things did these two do? This lesbian, she wouldn’t have been trying to seduce our innocent Carsilla, would she?

“Carsilla. Tell Daddy. What did you study?”
“Um. Um. Secret.”

……What is it?
Why do I feel so empty? My daughter is already saying things are a secret. Is this the loneliness of a father? I went to the chair where Irian had been sitting and slumped down. Keuk… The thing flowing from my eyes is sweat. It’s definitely sweat.

“Ah, don’t overreact! I just talked with Carsilla a little!”
“Are you crying?”
“Daddy’s not crying.”

After a lot of noisy chatter, we were finally able to pack our things and leave.
This is a problem. Diana must have been waiting for too long.

I hurried back, and as expected, Diana looked very uncomfortable. Her smiling face was the same, but I could feel it.

“Irian. Carsilla. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Lady Diana!”

Irian was just happy about it, but Carsilla seemed to have sensed something and was hiding behind me. First, I need to feed them something. They’ll feel better if they’re full.

I started talking while we were eating the generous meal I had ordered.

“Listen while you eat. The place we’re going to is the magic tower area.”
“Huh? Is it?”

Irian, who was spreading jam on his bread, answered indifferently. Diana was feeding Carsilla soup, but both of them looked completely uninterested.
……Yeah. These are the kind of kids they are.

“…Just saying.”

* * *

“Hey, Yurian. Where the hell are we going?”
“A good place.”
“Why do we keep climbing up the mountain!”

We left the city with our luggage before noon. Only Irian was wearing his usual armor, while the rest of us were wearing new travel clothes, humming and leaving the city a few hours ago.

At first, the atmosphere was as cheerful as if we were on a picnic.
Diana, who had taken off her cumbersome saintess robes and was wearing simple leather armor over comfortable cloth clothes, was radiating a lively charm with a brighter smile than usual. Carsilla, who was wearing similar small leather clothes as if to match her, was also not her usual indifferent expression, but a happy one, swinging Diana’s hand that she was holding tightly and walking briskly. Even Irian, who was following behind, was humming softly.

However, as time passed, the smiles on everyone’s faces gradually faded, and soon it became quiet as if they had never laughed and talked.
Eventually, Irian, unable to bear it any longer, asked on behalf of Diana and Carsilla, but the answer he got was only this much.

“We’re going to the mountains because we’re in the mountains.”
“Hey, Yurian! So, where are we going right now?”

They weren’t interested in the morning. Now they’re finally showing interest. I smiled slightly at the group’s reaction.

“The forgotten temple.”
“……What’s that?”
“I told you it’s a good place.”
“Hey!”
“Would you know if I told you? Just follow me.”

The kind Diana and Carsilla didn’t say anything, but only Irian was nagging. Is it because he’s carrying a backpack bigger than his torso because he’s the strongest?

“I told you to take off your armor. Tsk tsk, you didn’t listen.”
“I-I’m fine! This isn’t heavy at all.”

He certainly doesn’t look like he’s having a hard time. But it must be uncomfortable to move. No matter how much magic is imbued into armor, it is fundamentally a thing that restricts mobility. It doesn’t fold like cloth or leather.
And on his back, there’s even a backpack piled up so high that it sticks out above his head. He may not be lacking in stamina, but it must be hard to move.
Our Diana also has a pretty big backpack on her back. Even the cute Carsilla is carrying a backpack as big as her torso.

“Keuk… I should have noticed when you were packing the backpack full of things. I should have noticed then.”

I ignored Irian’s grumbling in belated regret and scanned the surroundings. …Hmm. Let’s recall the mini-map in my memory. Where was the forgotten temple?

If a mini-map system was provided, I wouldn’t have to go through this hardship, but like the dirty real world, there was no such convenient system. Well, it’s something that there’s an information window and whispering. I rationalized it that way, and doing as much preparation as I could was all I could do.
It was good that I left the city with my backpack full of all sorts of junk so that I could endure even if I wandered in the mountains for days, but as soon as I left the imperial road, I faced all sorts of problems.

The imperial road is a grand road that is flawless even from the perspective of a modern person. It also stretches across the entire continent. Naturally, the movement of people and goods is active, and there are villages and cities everywhere, so there is no fear of getting lost, no major security problems, and no worries about supplies.
However, the continent outside the road was nothing more than a wild land. There are monsters, of course, and the poor and slash-and-burn farmers who could turn into bandits at any time, and the vast, sparsely populated nature with no signposts, where you don’t know where you are and can’t expect supplies.

I, who had lived enjoying the convenience of modern civilization and even the 16 years here in the Great Temple of Hespote, one of the most prosperous and flourishing cities, would not be able to find my way properly if I was suddenly thrown into the wild and told to find my way.

This is natural.

It is impossible for a modern person who is used to smartphones and navigation to find a specific place in the wild, even without a map, relying only on memories in their head, unless they are a professionally trained person.
So, this is not my fault. It’s the dirty real world without a mini-map that’s the problem.

“Hey, guys.”
“What. Are we resting now?”
“Of course. We have to rest. Let’s set up a place first.”

I swallowed as I looked around at the group, who were each sitting down, drinking water, and wiping their faces.

“Ahem. Guys.”

Irian, who was leaning against his backpack, which he hadn’t even taken off, looked annoyed. He must be tired after following me all this way with a huge backpack sticking out above his head.

What about Diana? She still has a smile on her face, but she’s half-lying down, unlike usual. …That girl, she’s already annoyed.

Carsilla is sitting between my legs, leaning comfortably against my back. I glanced at her and saw beads of sweat on her neck. Hmm, it’s hard to make a child walk on a mountain path for hours. And Carsilla is also carrying a pretty big backpack.

……I’m screwed.

“You know. Ahem!”
“What, say it.”

I closed my eyes tightly at Irian’s blunt answer and said.

“I don’t think this is the right mountain.”
“……?”