By Zephyria 
Boulder’s usually round eyes were swollen shut, fitting tightly together like Leon’s. Even though he had been carried most of the way over the mountains, he seemed to have run out of energy.
I shouldn’t have made the old one suffer so much.
I should have made him do various exercises when he was still more lively. Fortunately, it was a stroke of luck that he wasn’t greatly affected by the Contaminated Mana, thanks to him learning the basics of the Hip-Circlet.
“Shall we look for a civilian settlement then? They might have built some temporary structures near the mine.”
“Sounds good. Though I doubt we’ll get half a day’s rest…”
Seeing that zombies were still rampant, this area must still be under combat. How far had the front lines been pushed back? And where were the Knights who had surrounded the Duchy of Grimesbane from? Could Valentia’s or Ernhardt’s Knights be nearby?
Thinking about these things, I continued walking.
Before long, we discovered a wooden building.
It was a structure built with thick wooden pillars supporting the floor, and timber joined together. It had clearly been abandoned for a long time; one of the wooden shutters was missing its hinge, and the door, which wasn’t even locked, was damp and overgrown with moss.
Inside the space, which had only a ceiling and no separate rooms, were three beds, a large sofa, a low, small table, and a large dining table. Amidst the furniture, covered in a thick layer of dust, an Armored Crab stared at us, frozen stiff.
It was a large creature, too big to be fully covered by my two palms spread wide. Its carapace was as hard as stone, and its pincers were incredibly strong, classifying it as a monster, but it was merely a small creature. Could it be edible?
If I had seen something like this in the Central Plains, I would have immediately fried it in oil, but seeing that even Hugh Benson, who loved to eat, said nothing, I figured it wasn’t edible.
I paused, having picked up the Armored Crab, and glanced at Boulder. I thought he would want this too, but Boulder didn’t spare the crab even a glance. He stumbled over and flopped onto a dust-covered bed.
Leon and I chased all the crabs roaming around the room away.
Before long, Hugh and Boulder had each claimed a bed and fallen asleep, while Benjamin was slumped on the sagging sofa, dozing off. Elvin sat on a worn-out rug, leaning against the wall to rest.
The only one standing was Gano Paquin.
Even with a dazed expression, Benjamin furrowed his brow, forcing his eyes wide open. I nudged him.
“Why are you sitting like that? If you’re sleepy, lie down and sleep.”
“I think Leon is more tired than I am. Please sleep once you’re done.”
“Me? No, I’m fine.”
Ah.
Thanks to Leon’s silent initiative, we had come this far comfortably. I should have thanked him sooner, but Benjamin taught me another lesson. Swallowing my awkwardness, I offered him a bed.
“…Benjamin is right. Leon, you should rest first. You’ve been carrying Mage Boulder all the way here.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Leon nodded and bid us goodnight.
“Then… good night.”
“Yes.”
I replied and sat down on the sofa myself.
Gano Paquin, who had been standing by the window looking out for a long time, took out his mysterious notebook again and began scribbling something. It was a strangely peaceful scene.
I suddenly asked Gano Paquin.
“What’s today’s date?”
“October 17th.”
As always, Gano Paquin answered readily.
Counting the days, I asked again, disbelieving.
“…Did it take us a whole month to cross the mountains? Even though we only slept once every three days?”
“From the middle of the Yuil Mountains, the snow was up to our chests. Our speed was bound to slow down. Still, we came quickly through the holes Chilopoda-Worms had made. This is why I didn’t want to return to Sierren…”
I knew we had walked for a long time on paths of black and white, but I hadn’t realized so much time had passed. Above the Yuil Mountains, it was always foggy like Biban, so visibility was poor.
It was difficult to see the sun rise and set, and I had been estimating the passage of days based on how tired I felt, thinking, “It’s probably been a day,” or “It’s probably been two days.”
Well, if they were this exhausted after just a week, they wouldn’t be the type to collapse so easily.
I looked back at the groaning party again. They had all fallen asleep, breathing softly. Was I the only one who hadn’t grasped the passage of time?
“It’s a great relief that we decided to rest.”
“That’s… true. We don’t know what awaits us in the cave.”
The one who answered had a rather grim expression.
He slowly surveyed the room, now filled with the gentle sounds of breathing. Even with all the dust, and despite their exhaustion, martial artists who had reached a certain realm usually had good respiratory systems.
To me, it seemed cute that no one was snoring, so I wondered why he was watching with such a displeased look.
“Why the long face?”
“…Humans live too short a life, and sleep too much. It just feels strange sometimes.”
“You were human once too.”
“That’s why it’s stranger. I must have been like this too.”
I was lost for words.
The anxiety and unrest I had felt before stirred within my chest again. Should I sleep like them? But what use would that be now?
Even if I brought Maelo Sanson here, he would just laugh heartily and perhaps fuss over the blankets of those sleeping. Just as he was human, so was I.
After a long silence, I asked something else. Since only the two of us were awake, our conversation naturally became more casual.
“You said the Imperial Knights were divided and stationed at the mine?”
“Yes. It seems they were divided into three main groups. If the recorded information is accurate, they were sent into the mine with the largest connected cavern.”
“Are they alive?”
“Probably. There are three possible scenarios.”
“Three?”
Gano Paquin closed the book he had spread out.
It had been a long time since I got used to the notebook and pen that disappeared seamlessly just by closing them. He pulled over a chair from the dining table and sat down opposite me. Only after aligning our eye levels did he continue.
“The best case is that they’re all sleeping soundly. Even if they’re a bit saturated with Contaminated Mana, that’s fine.”
“…It’s fine even if they’re saturated?”
“I can purify that much, can’t I? Someone at Brat’s and Linsey’s level… it would take time, but it wouldn’t be difficult. It’s a blessing.”
“…And the worst case?”
“They’ve all become zombies. Not just dead, but propped up with techniques from the next town over. Then I can’t do anything.”
“Even the Sun God can’t do anything?”
“Would he be any different? The purification I use restores the remaining Mana in the body to its previously recorded form, and the purification the second uses burns away the Contaminated Mana. For a human body, my method is more effective.”
“…”
“You know. You can’t bring back someone who is already dead.”
The thought alone was agonizing. I vividly recalled Ruben’s expression when he found the locket necklace dropped by the Imperial Knights. I let out a sigh that boiled up from my Dantian.
“…And the third scenario?”
“Neither one nor the other.”
“…Neither one nor the other?”
Gano Paquin lowered his gaze. His voice, devoid of any strength, seemed to trace every grain of wood on the floor as he murmured very slowly.
“They’re alive, but I’m afraid their souls might have been swapped. Like Gloria.”
❖ ❖ ❖
After a full day of rest, everyone had regained their energy.
We had hoped to at least catch some wild game now that we were within the territory of the Sierran Empire, but no animals had survived where the zombies and monsters had swept through.
To avoid wasting time traveling far from the mine, we ate our usual stew with grain flour.
We would need to pack ingredients again if we planned to cross back into the Magic Territory.
But then again, Hugh Benson would have thought of such things more than I would.
“If we plan to cross the Yuil Mountains again, please call a Wyvern.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“I agree.”
“Seconded.”
Exchanging trivial remarks, we truddenly stood before Tunnel 1-3.
The land around the Grimesbane mine was reddish.
Dozens of holes were dug into the vast land, each entrance marked with a large number carved into a broad stone. The number at the front indicated a large area, and the number at the back indicated which tunnel within that section. Tunnels with the same front number had many intersecting paths between them.
With this many tunnels dug like an anthill, wouldn’t the ceiling collapse? Even with solid ground, the thought of monsters weighing several tons running above us was unsettling.
“Hah… this feels like we’re going in to be buried alive.”
“Surely it’s not a trap that even the gods would fall for. Look carefully.”
“According to the records, it’s safe.”
“According to the records?”
“Uh-huh. It was last updated seven years ago, though…”
Could that even be considered an update?
But there was no turning back now. I scraped the entrance of the tunnel with my fingertips. Almost no dirt came off, and the solid stone walls, ceiling, and floor gave me some confidence.
“For now, it would be best to Memorize a Shield. If the situation is dire, you can always find a direction and emerge upwards.”
“Upwards?”
“Even if you’re worried about collapsing earth, wouldn’t a single sword be enough to climb out?”
“…It’s good to be traveling with a Grand Sword Master.”
Once again, Gano Paquin took the lead.
Behind him was me, then Boulder, and behind us, the Knights stood in a line. The tunnel was just wide enough for two people of average build to pass each other, and its height was just below where my crown would touch.
Rails were laid on the floor, and the air was dry. We felt like we were descending, but the slope wasn’t steep. The path split into two or three at times, but Gano Paquin chose the direction without hesitation, so we followed.
Soon, the space ahead lit up brightly. The air I inhaled felt chillingly cold.