‘We’re short on time, so we’ll have to set out early tomorrow,” Elliot remarked, then regarded Maxi and Ruth with a worried expression. ‘Will that be all right with both of you?
‘Would you turn back if we said no?” Ruth said flatly as he prodded the fire with a long skewer. “It’s do or die, I suppose.”
Elliot replied with a bitter smile. Soon, the group filled their stomachs with bread porridge and retired for the night. Since they had only packed a single tent in an attempt to travel light, four people had to sleep crammed inside while one kept guard. Having slept next to Sidina thus far, Maxi felt a little on edge in a tent full of men. However, she settled herself in the corner without betraying her discomfort. This was not the time to be worried about propriety.
Ruth was next to her, swaddled cocoon-like in a blanket, and the knights lay beside him with their backs turned. With only her face poking out of her covers, Maxi wordlessly blinked up at the magic stone hanging from the tent ceiling. The stone warmed the air inside, but the ground was still as cold as ice.
Huddled in her coverings, she listened to the howling wind outside. She was too tired to lift a finger, but sleep still eluded her. She wondered what Riftan was doing right now. Knowing they needed to start their reconnaissance that very night, she could not help but worry about how he was surviving this bitter cold. What if the monsters discovered them? As her imagination spiraled into darker speculations, she squeezed her eyes shut to drive the terrible images away.
He gave his word he would return unharmed. He will be all right. I need to focus on my mission.
She repeated these words to herself, trying to induce sleep, but her gnawing uneasiness refused to subside. She tossed and turned late into the night and ended up sleeping only a few hours.
When she sluggishly got up at dawn, she heaved a heavy sigh as weariness weighed on her. Her back and hips ached as though she had been beaten, and her feet were still sore. She took a restorative herb from her bag and chewed it while she packed up her bedroll. With that complete, she stepped out of the tent to fill her flask with snow.
Elliot was outside clearing the traces of their campfire. He regarded her with concern as he said, “You look tired, my lady. You must have had a difficult time falling asleep.
‘Il-I am all right. I’m just… not quite fully awake yet.” She tried to give him an awkward smile as she rubbed her haggard face. Complaining when the knights had to take turns keeping the night watch felt disgraceful. ‘I’m sure I’ll feel better as we walk.’
‘Allow me to cast restorative magic on you.”
Maxi jerked her head up at the unexpected interruption. Kuahel had come up to her undetected. Having already taken off his glove, he lay a hand over her face and began muttering in Roemian. An invigorating, ice-cold energy seeped into her. She stiffened as it brought with it memories of all the divine magic healing she had received after beatings by her father.
“Th-Thank you,” she managed to say respectfully while trying to shake off the repulsive feeling.
‘There is no need for thanks,” Kuahel replied indifferently, slipping his glove back on. ’11t is a necessity to ensure the running of the mission. We would only be delayed if you were to lag behind.” With that, he nodded to his aide.
‘Gather your belongings. Let us head out.’
Everyone collected their packs and promptly set off. The sky was bright before long. Holding up a cupped hand, Maxi shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight. The snow-covered mountain path shimmered. It was turning out to be one of those rare, sunny days.
‘Where do you want us to start the search?” asked Ruth.
Kuahel keenly surveyed the landscape and said in a low voice, ‘IA little further
The group resumed the trek in silence. Maxi carefully maneuvered her way after the Temple Knight, taking care not to slip. The wind was much calmer than yesterday, allowing an easier journey across the mountain.
Finally arriving at their destination, Kuahel stopped and said, “This should be a good spot. Please start the search here.”
Maxi wiped the sweat off her brow as she glanced around. On their left rose the steep slopes of the snowy mountains, and on their right ran a row of dark, irregularly-shaped rocks.
‘IIS something wrong?
“1 sense something strange around this area… Could you check what it is? Somewhere here,” Maxi said, pointing to a spot on the map.
Furrowing his brow, Ruth got down on one knee beside her and placed his hands on the ground. When he ended the tracing spell, he cocked his head and said, “1 couldn’t detect anything strange.”
‘IR-Really? It felt like something was disrupting my spell…” Maxi said, her cheeks growing red from embarrassment.
She grew disheartened, concluding that it was her incompetence to blame.
‘Il-I’m sorry. I must have been mistaken.’
‘Even so, we should check the place to be certain,” Ruth suggested after pensively studying the map. “The tracing spell I use is merely an imitation of that used by the mages of Nome Hall. Only earth mages are able to forge an intimate agreement with the gnomes. If this thing you feel is buried underground, you are more likely to sense it than me.”
Kuahel walked over to them and looked down at the map. “That is not too far from here. Let us go.”
Maxi gulped. It would be terribly embarrassing if they found nothing there.
Noticing her lack of confidence, Ruth clicked his tongue. “Please be precise, my lady. Did you sense something or not? You are also a full-fledged mage. Feel free to state your opinions clearly.
‘Il-I did!”
‘Then, we should go,” Ruth said blandly, picking up his bag.
Maxi looked at Kuahel, but the knight simply stared back at her, prompting her to lead the way. She began to trudge on.
They climbed upward until they came across a large boulder. After circling it, the landscape opened up in front of them, and in the distance stood the monster city. Maxi was staring at it when she heard Ruth.
‘My lady, come look at this.”
She whirled away and pushed through the knights to get to Ruth. As she approached, she saw a white stone among the ice and rock. It was inscribed with a rune. Her eyes widened as she spun around. What was it doing out here? ‘ID-Do you know what it is?”
’11t is a rune to suppress magic,” Ruth said after carefully inspecting the intricate pattern.
“What do you mean?” Kuahel probed, stepping next to him.
“1 mean just that. It weakens magic. Such runes are usually used during experiments to prevent a spell from getting out of control.’
‘Now that you mention it… I do remember seeing a similar one at the Mage Tower,” Maxi said without thinking.
When she realized her slip, her eyes nervously darted to Kuahel. She feared she might have given the Temple Knight the impression that the Mage Tower was engaging in dangerous experiments.
Kuahel appeared unconcerned. He said with his usual indifference, “There must be something here. Let us make haste]’
