Chapter 15: If We're Deep in the Mountains, At Least Give Us Some Blessing

Morning came.

I awoke naturally.

…Even with a tent and blankets between me and the ground, it was still hard. Having grown used to a castle bed, it felt rather uncomfortable.

After changing from my sleepwear into my travel clothes and finishing my preparations, I stepped out of the tent.

“Good morning, Karen-san.”

“Good morning, Yuto-san.”

I greeted Karen-san, who stood beside the campfire.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of season where snow fell, but the mornings were still chilly. I warmed myself by the fire.

“Have you been crying?”

Karen-san’s remark caught me off guard.

“…You can tell?”

I didn’t expect her to see through me.

I wasn’t shaken, but I was impressed by how observant women could be.

“Your eyes are a little swollen.”

“Is that… so?”

Well, Raiga probably wouldn’t notice anyway.

“I was just thinking too much about how weak I am.”

“Weak, you say…”

“Still, I had a good cry and felt much better afterward.”

Thanks to that, I was in a great mood.

Karen-san fell silent, as if lost in thought.

I already knew that she harbored some frustration toward me.

After all, I was the one who’d taken her place. And on top of that, I didn’t even fight—I was just protected. No way that could sit well with her.

Still, I said nothing to her about it.

I had no intention of stirring the pot, nor did I feel like talking about how I felt.

“I’ll go prepare breakfast.”

I had the leftover meat from yesterday defrosted and began simmering it with the mushrooms and wild herbs I had gathered the night before.

Raiga woke up just as breakfast was ready, drawn by the smell.

“Sharp nose as always, Raiga. Good morning.”

“Mm… morning.”

“Good morning, Lord Raiga.”

I served him his portion too.

It was a sleek black bowl, slightly larger than the ones Karen-san and I were using.

Unfortunately, my appetite was pretty small these days. I’d always had a light appetite, but now it had gotten even worse. Just imagining eating from a bowl Raiga’s size was enough to make me feel queasy.

“There’s plenty, so don’t hesitate to ask for seconds.”

While it’s nice when someone finishes their food, leaving it behind is just unpleasant.

Unlike Earth, we couldn’t store leftovers in a refrigerator—though magic existed here. Freezing and carrying things around wasn’t hard. It just made our luggage heavier.

Based on lunch and dinner yesterday, I had a rough idea of how much the two could eat.

“I’ll take another bowl.”

“I’ve had enough meat, thank you…”

Raiga emptied his bowl early, while Karen-san finished hers more slowly.

“I picked some fruit too. You’ll eat, right?”

Without a word, I served Raiga and handed Karen-san a red fruit—probably an apple.

“Ah, thank you so much!”

Watching Karen-san smile softly, I turned back to finish off the soup left in my bowl.

After breakfast was cleaned up and the tent packed away, it was finally time.

Today, we would step into the miasma-filled mountains.

Worried about the lack of proper food ahead, we decided to forage just enough not to weigh us down. As long as it was just preservation, magic would handle it. Unfortunately, magic couldn’t do anything about weight.

In the end, we gathered enough wild herbs for six servings of soup and seven apples.

I froze them all and tossed them into the pot.

Freezing apples might not be ideal, but it also served to coat them in ice and shield them from the miasma.

With that, we braced ourselves and stepped into the mountain shrouded in miasma.

…It felt like walking into a fog.

Visibility was slightly poor, but not enough to be distressing.

If anything, the dense, overgrown trees obstructing our way were the real nuisance.

Raiga and Karen-san looked a little short of breath, but signaled that they were fine.

Relieved, the three of us took a deep breath.

“Once we cross this area, we’ll be entering the southern region.”

Karen-san, who was well-versed in geography, informed us.

The Elephia Mountain Range—it separates southern Elgrand from the royal capital. Normally, it was just an annoying obstacle to travel, but for now, it acted as a natural barrier keeping the miasma at bay.

“Most likely, the monsters we encounter from here on will be nothing like what we’ve faced so far.”

I’d heard about it from Yuto.

He said, in a word, they got wiped out instantly.

Though he added that goblins and orcs were low-tier, so that was only natural.

“Is this because of the miasma?”

“Yes. You know about the magic stones inside monsters, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I remember from the lessons we had.”

…They’re stone-like organs that exist inside every monster or demon, if I recall correctly.

“According to reports from survivors, those magic stones mutate when exposed to miasma. It then affects the host’s body as well, and in some cases causes them to evolve into higher-tier species.”

“Then doesn’t that mean even the demons who lived in the southern region might be in danger?”

Raiga’s question was a valid one.

Even though it was an elven nation, there were apparently a few non-elves living there as well.

If everyone there turned into enemies, the idea was terrifying.

This wasn’t like killing animals or monsters. We’d be fighting and possibly killing beings that are still considered human.

“No, as long as they’re a race that can resist the miasma like we can, there shouldn’t be a problem. Fortunately, most of the demons who cross into the human continent tend to be quite powerful.”

“I see…”

Raiga let out a breath of relief.

“Still, better to stay alert just in case,” I added to close the topic.

We pushed forward carefully, wary of losing our footing as the thick fog continued to limit our vision.

After repelling a few ambushes, we decided to stop for lunch.

Savage monsters, poor visibility, unstable terrain, and the creeping sense of anxiety—it all weighed us down.

We needed to pause, to clear the air around us and within ourselves.

But even though I knew we needed the break, it was hard to bring it up when all of us were focused on getting to the “Demon Dragon” as quickly as possible.

Then Raiga’s stomach growled.

“Sorry, I’m hitting my limit here.”

At his sheepish confession, Karen-san and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Shall we stop for lunch?”

“Yeah, good idea.”

I didn’t think he did it on purpose, but it definitely helped ease the tension in the group.

We found a clearing with fewer trees, built a small fire, and sat down.

We were getting tired of soup, so I made a stir-fry with the vegetables we had. It was simple—just seasoned with salt and pepper—but the venison juices mixed into the wild greens and brought out plenty of flavor.

Raiga muttered, “Man, this really makes you crave rice…”

Can’t argue with that.

I wanted some too.

After the meal—

“…It looks like the plants aren’t affected by the miasma.”

Karen-san said this while resting her hand on a tree trunk.

She was likely checking for abnormalities using a variation of healing magic.

“Does that mean the fruit is safe to eat?”

I pointed at the fruit growing on the nearby branches and asked.

“I can’t say for sure, but I believe it should be fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

I felt the tension ease from my shoulders.

The three of us could survive on monster meat alone—after all, monsters were considered edible in this world just like animals—but I suspected it might take a toll on Karen-san over time.

The last batch we foraged wasn’t exactly abundant, and I wasn’t keen on burning through our rations either.

Besides, we could probably collect some wild mountain greens too.

Honestly, we were all starting to get tired of a diet made entirely of wild herbs and meat.

—Ugh.

Just as I took a moment to relax, a sharp pain pierced my head.

…Feels like I might be running a slight fever. I should make sure to rest properly tonight.