By Zephyria 
The afternoon of the second Friday in October.
As always, we boarded the carriages lined up in front of the academy’s main gate, grouped by team.
The Sierran Empire doesn’t have many forests. Most of its vast land is flat plains.
Like the lake near Count Servel’s estate, where we visited during the summer break, elevated areas could be seen occasionally, but compared to the mountains of the Central Plains, they were gentle enough to be called hills.
Therefore, to encounter mountains worthy of the name, and forests worthy of the name, one had to head north.
To the north of the continent lies the Yuil Mountains.
It was said that the snow never melted from the middle to the summit of the Yuil Mountains, year-round. Naturally, Cedric did not utter the insane idea of leading the students to explore the Yuil Mountains.
A mere half-day’s carriage ride from the heart of the Sierran capital, one could reach the very end of a ridge that stretched out like a hook from the Yuil Mountains.
Mount Eldos, the lowest peak of the mountain range, stood at an altitude of just over a thousand meters.
Furthermore, the path was well-maintained, allowing even students who hadn’t trained in martial arts to navigate it.
I had already seen the continent map several times, and thanks to Professor Cedric spreading out the map and pointing out the location of our current campsite before each expedition, I felt no anxiety as the carriage moved.
The children, chattering about how they had brought plenty of toys suitable for everyone to enjoy after collecting the materials targeted for today, were incredibly endearing.
The carriages, having dropped the children off at the campsite below Mount Eldos, lined up and returned to the capital. Professor Cedric gathered the children and reiterated the precautions he had already mentioned several times.
Do not act alone, do not engage in impulsive behavior, do not eat anything you find… We had heard these words so many times that all the children responded like chicks, opening their mouths wide and saying, “Yes.”
Cedric watched them with a smile, nodded, and took out several bundles.
“I have gifts for my brave little ones. Come, team leaders, step forward. Distribute these to your team members, one by one.”
Demian immediately stepped forward and received the bundles.
Five long sticks were tied together with a red ribbon. The surface of the sticks, painted red, was made of paper, with a long string hanging below.
Seeing two Mana Stones embedded in the middle of the stick, I knew it was an Artifact.
Cedric quickly added an explanation.
“Everyone has one, right? This is a Type 2 emergency signal transmitter, commonly known as an emergency flare. If you find yourself in danger, hold the end without the string upwards and pull the string. A harmless flame will rise above your head.”
Cedric pretended to demonstrate, holding the string but not pulling it.
It made sense; there was no need to waste an Artifact on a simple mechanism. I figured it was similar to a signal fire.
“Let’s use the loop next to it to properly attach these to your belts. If you become isolated or lost, do not hesitate to use it. I will personally come to rescue you. You will never be penalized for using an emergency flare, so don’t hesitate. Understood?”
“Yes!”
I and all the children attached the emergency flares to our waists. The stick, about a handspan long, was surprisingly unobtrusive.
After checking that all the children had properly fastened their Artifacts to their belts, Cedric gave a stern warning.
“The plains terrain we explored last time was open, so there was no danger, and the swamp terrain was narrow, so there was no worry of getting lost. But this place is different. Mount Eldos is a low mountain, but it connects to the Yuil Mountains to the north, so getting lost could be a serious problem.”
“…”
“Now, shall we review how to find our way in the forest once more? What did we say the name of this tree standing next to us is?”
“It’s the Rondo Nopas tree!”
“Good, bonus points for Team 3. The bark of the Rondo Nopas tree is cracked like pine bark, and the bark facing south is wide, about a handspan, while the bark facing north is narrow, about two finger-widths. You determine direction by the horizontal width, not the vertical length.”
Cedric also lectured on how to find direction by looking for moss, how to find direction by looking at the sky, and so on.
Since we had already heard it last week, there were more children excitedly chatting amongst themselves than those listening intently.
Cedric asked a few questions repeatedly to firmly implant the precautions in the minds of the restless children, then clapped his hands twice with a smile to gather their attention.
“Alright, let’s set off. Team 1, you go first.”
The children lined up and headed into the forest.
The tall, densely packed green trees rustled, their leaves brushing against each other with a soft sound whenever the wind blew.
It felt like walking into the gaping maw of a giant creature.
I was familiar with forests.
Anhui, where the Namgung Family is located, bordered Mount Huang, famous as one of the Five Great Mountains.
Looking down from Lotus Peak, the swirling sea of clouds below was a magnificent sight.
The Taoist sects I occasionally visited to see friends or repay favors were also mostly situated on high mountains.
A Martial Artist who had reached a certain realm could climb a cliff even with their hands clasped behind their back.
As an ordinary Martial Artist myself, I enjoyed taking in the vast peaks while facing the cold dawn wind.
Even in the dim forest, where the gaps between trees were narrow, I felt no fear. It was natural that I would be the one leading the children at the very front.
To find medicinal herbs, one had to stray from the well-maintained hiking trails, so I deliberately led them down a rough path. The trees were so dense that I had to cut through branches obstructing my head height with my sword as I advanced.
Other than that, the exploration was smooth, but as the children walked along the dim forest path, they gradually seemed to become uneasy. The children exchanged minor complaints.
Seeing Jenny’s particularly somber expression, I thought I should comfort her and stopped walking. The child let out a sigh and said, “They say Musis moss and Sorol branches, among the things we need to collect today, can only be found at damp, rotten bases. I don’t know when we’ll be able to find them at this rate. The competition will surely be fierce. It’s been a long time since it rained, and the ground is completely dry.”
“…Ah.”
“Why are you looking at me like that, Michael?”
“No, nothing.”
I was relieved to realize they weren’t scared, but worried about being slower than other teams in collecting materials. I continued on our way.
We started climbing in the afternoon, but after more than an hour, we had found nothing.
We were moving in a way that circled the base of the mountain, passing the same spots several times, yet it was still the same.
The branches overhead were so dense that little sunlight penetrated.
“…Wow, it’s darker than I thought.”
“Doesn’t it feel a bit eerie? Should we turn on some lights?”
“If we walk with lanterns, we won’t fall, hic!”
“Ugh, ugh… Thank you. Wow… I almost went to meet the goddess…”
Demian caught Jenny, who had tripped on a tree root and was about to fall, preventing both of them from falling.
Amidst the children sighing heavily, Marianne smiled brightly and raised her voice.
“Ah, that! That’s it. Paladin mushrooms! Right? The white ones!”
“Uh, it looks like it. That’s right! That’s it!”
Everyone was excited to find what they were looking for. Carefully, they picked the mushrooms as they had learned, and their spirits lifted.
They chattered cutely about finishing the task quickly and returning to roast sweet potatoes and chestnuts.
Another hour passed.
I could clearly feel the children’s breathing becoming rougher, so as soon as I found a flat area, I stopped.
Even in the desert terrain greenhouse before, I had felt it, but all the children lacked stamina, and they couldn’t hide their exhaustion from the long climb. This was true even though they had left heavy items like food and sleeping bags at the assembly point and traveled as lightly as possible.
As soon as someone suggested taking a break, I saw two girls collapse onto the ground as if falling, catching their breath, and Demian, his upper garment soaked with sweat, wiping his face with a handkerchief.
Ivan Holmes leaned his back against a nearby tree, quenching his fatigue with two sips of water.
Despite Marianne’s urging to sit and rest, the boy shook his head silently and looked back at me.
As someone who trained physically every morning and evening, I couldn’t possibly be tired from just two or three hours of climbing. I met his gaze blankly with an unruffled expression and suddenly thought of something, so I asked, “Um… that, the moss and branches, shall I go get them?”
“Michael, you have trouble distinguishing herbs. This is different from picking cactus fruit.”
“…I will go with you.”
Ivan suddenly spoke up. He seemed to be struggling, as the other children didn’t try to dissuade him.
In my eyes, Ivan also looked more tired than usual, and I felt a pang of concern.
“Ivan looks tired too.”
“I’m still okay. My family’s estate has many hills, so my legs are quite strong.”
“Hmm…”
“If it’s too much, I’ll ask Michael to carry me.”
“Huh?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
My unease about leaving the children behind melted away.
It was dangerous to be wandering the mountain after sunset, so this expedition had to be completed within five hours. I figured it would be better for me to exert myself more to collect all the materials in time.
I placed the box containing the mushrooms we had already found next to the children and unpacked some of my belongings, placing them beside the box.
“Don’t go anywhere, wait here.”
“Ah, I’m too tired to go anywhere. Don’t worry, Michael.”
“I will guard them well.”
Demian replied cheerfully, but he wasn’t the one I trusted. Demian hadn’t trained in martial arts and was still a boy, not yet a young man. He wasn’t even carrying a sword, and he didn’t know how to properly use his body, so I couldn’t feel at ease.
However, if Marianne was involved, it was a different story. Edwin Kiadris was a skilled individual, on par with me. I had already learned through consistent observation what kind of miracles a seemingly frail wizard could perform. Based on that experience, even if Marianne was only in the first Circle, I figured she could make a mountain beast or two flee by setting its head on fire.
“Yes, then I’ll be back.”
I shouldn’t have.