CHAPTER 116: THE ROCK AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

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The bare rock face on the slope.
The path winded through the rocks, large and small, and the trees grew sparsely on both sides of it.
Looking back, I could see the blue sky and the port city of Ruda.

 

　Beside Ruda was an oval-shaped cove.
A few boats were floating there.

 

　I have an image of Japanese fishermen going out to sea at night and coming back in the morning with a big fishing flag fluttering in the air, but I wonder if it’s different in this world.
After all, the sea at night in other worlds may be more dangerous than on Earth.

 

 

　Anyway… I had heard that horse-drawn carriages couldn’t pass through, but I had no idea that the trail was so rocky.
It’s not so dangerous that you’ll die instantly if you miss your footing, and the path is wide enough for people to pass each other with room to spare, but the slope is a bit steep.

 

 

“Sure, it may be difficult for monsters to live in this.”

 

 

　Especially if it’s a big monster.

 

　Monsters are monsters, but they are not unknown, mysterious enemies or UMAs, they are normal creatures that live in a certain place.
Each monster will gather in an environment where it is comfortable to live, and it will not go out of its way to live in a place that is difficult to live in.

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“Hmm?”

 

 

　As I continued up the mountain path, I felt a slight sense of discomfort.
It was a bit of discomfort that I felt because I was constantly activating my [Magi Location].
I felt like there was a narrow gap like an animal trail just in the area where the rocks made a blind spot.

 

 

“…I thought there might not be any monsters, but I still wonder if there are any?”

 

 

　Well, the store owner’s father said there were no big monsters.
So, are there small monsters?

 

　After finding traces of living creatures, I pulled myself together and decided to go on.

 

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　I walked along the gravel road, jumped over the stream, bypassed the big rocks, and climbed up the last stone steps.

 

 

　—A spectacular view.

 

 

　What I saw was the two-tone color of the clear blue sky and the green of the neighboring mountains.
In the distance was the verdant green of the plains.
The mountains on the ocean side were higher than here, so I couldn’t see the ocean, but I could see far to the north and south.

 

　I could see the town of Ruda, which was smaller than when I had seen it earlier, and the village I had passed through could be seen faintly behind it.
I tried to look further in, but I couldn’t see Elem.

 

 

　I enjoyed the view for a while and took a deep breath as I stretched out.

 

 

“Hmm… huh”

 

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　It probably took me less than four hours, but I was a little tired, probably from using muscles I don’t normally use when climbing.
As I stretched lightly, I checked the place again.

 

　This is the peak of the mountain range that separates the Kingdom of Karim, where the labyrinth city of Elem was located, from the Kingdom of Almst, where I am heading.
It must be a relatively low place among them.
Looking along the ridge, I can see a higher place nearby.

 

　I guess this is practically the border.
There’s no one to guard it, though.

 

 

　I took out my canteen from my magic bag and quenched my thirst with the ale inside.

 

 

“It really is delicious.”

 

 

　When will I be able to taste an ale this good again?

 

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　It would be easier if you could order your favorite brand of sake with a click of a button like in modern Japan, but of course, that’s impossible.

 

　The taste is unique to that town.
If I leave here, I may never taste it again.

 

 

　With this thought in mind, I threw some dried meat into my mouth, and while having an early lunch, I explored the flat part of the mountain top.

 

　I passed through the short grass and trees, and over the rumbling rocks—

 

 

 

“Eraldin’s Door”

 

 

“–eh”