Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely - Chapter 126

So we spent one night in Eastflair, and after parting with Mr. Riol, our Party departed for the Dwarve’s Mountains.

We made good progress, and even at the border crossing point, I was prepared this time. Unlike the time when I went to go see Yuu in the Salaiz Republic, they didn’t question me heavily about being a Heroic Warrior entering their country.

And after we crossed the borderーー

Cyril: “Oh…OH～ It’s….it’s hard to express, but it’s so…..grand-looking.”

And with the mountain range in sight, Cyril remained still in awe of the view.

ーーthe Grand Mountain of the God of the Mines in the Varsaldi Empire. The Altohern Mountain is a pretty tall mountain, but there were several mountains here that matched it all lined in a row. It was one of those views that reminded you of how amazingly large our world was.

I saw it from afar, but now that we have walked closer to it, the mountains stood intimidatingly before us.

Ferris: “Yes, if the sight is this beautiful, I wonder why they can’t attract tourists here.”

Jend: “No, that’ll be impossible, Ferris. Look over there.” Jend points a finger towards the mountain. There, we saw a single Mid-Tier, Upper Class Demonic Creature. It did notice our Party, but I assume it’s a scout for a bigger group.

Ferris: “………you’re right. I guess it’ll be difficult to make a Demonic Territory into a tourist attraction.”

Teo: “We were attacked a few times by Demonic Creatures on the way here too.”

Ferris: “Yes, but because you found them so quickly, we were able to deal with them with ease. Thank you.” Teo: “That is my job.”

Though Teo brushed off the compliment, she looked happy to hear it.

Henry: “Okay then.. We’ll be entering the Dwarve’s Mountain range soon, so let’s review our notes while we walk.”

I take out the memo from my pouch and flip through the pages.

Henry: “The Demonic Creatures that appear here are Golem-type Creatures, and other kinds are the Demonic Monkeys you just saw in the distance. There are also Dragonkin, Treants, Wood Serpents, and Man-Eating Flowers……..that should be all. Or at least, the ones we should be cautious about. But besides the Upper-Tier Golems, the rest are Mid-Tier and below, so as long as we are cautious, there shouldn’t be any issues.”

Cyril: “Yes, I remember all of it. We have been studying how to counter each type for a while now!”

Henry: “Yes, yes. I love your enthusiasm, but don’t wear yourself out before we even get to the mountain, Cyril.”

And there are way too many Lower-Tier Creatures to even bother studying, so we skipped that part. I don’t believe we’ll have any trouble with those with this Party……..but overconfidence is the first step to tripping and falling all over ourselves. But I think everyone is aware of that as well.

Henry: “Then we’ll proceed as planned. Teo will scout ahead, and I will take the rear. Jend, Ferris, stay ahead and behind Cyril and keep that formation.”

Jend: “Got it. Leave it to us.”

Well, this is our most natural formation with this party. Teo will be our scout ahead, I’ll keep watch for anything trying to attack us from behind. And Cyril is the most fragile out of the group, so the remaining two will make sure to protect her.

Before we head towards the mountain again, we change our formation and walk for a few more minutes.

Teo: “I see the entrance to the mountain up ahead.”

Henry: “……..sheesh, it’s not so obvious, is it?” Up ahead, Teo finds the entrance to the mountain trail and points it out with her finger, but I wouldn’t have noticed until I was gotten closer.

The trees to the mountain just barely stop at a certain point. Annnnnnd looking more closely, you’ll see that there is a small sign standing there. It’s likely to be the sign for the entrance.

Ferris: “Well, they did say there’s not many people who go to the Dwarve’s Mountain from this direction any more.”

Henry: “That’s right. The guy at the border crossing was saying how besides us, nobody has crossed there in a while.”

If you wanted to go to the Dwarve’s Mountain from the Alvenia Kingdom, you would have to cross that border point. But the guards there seemed really bored.

Still, a Dwarven Merchant would come from the Dwarve’s Mountain 2 to 3 times a month to sell weapons and armor in Alvenia, but in these last couple of weeks, they haven’t seen any traffic from that direction either.

Henry: “Hmmmmーー”

Well, the Dwarves have their own circumstances too, so maybe I’m overthinking this…..something seems off to me, but…..for now, all I can do is just be a little more careful.

And as I prepare myself mentally, we arrive at the entrance.

Henry: “…….okay, we’re going in. Everyone, we may be attacked immediately by a Demonic Monkey pack as soon as we enter so be on your guard.”

Everyone responded as they nodded back at me.

And we stepped inside the Dwarve’s Mountain.

<<<<>>>>

We were walking up a path that was made by people walking over it over and over again, and we headed in the direction that would take us between two mountains. In the beginning, the trees were in the way, and it was difficult to see around us, but going in further, there were many bald spots on the mountain where it was easy to see ahead.

We had a few fights with Demonic Creatures up until now, but we were able to repel them with no issue.

Henry: “Thank you for the meal.”

And we found an open field on our way, so we ate lunch at that spot. Since we might be attacked by Demonic Creatures at any time, we have to take turns eating, so Jend and Teo are currently on guard.

Even so, our lunch is a simple soup and hard bread. We ate it quickly within a few minutes.

Ferris: “Mr. Henry, here’s your tea.”

Henry: “Oh, thanks, Ferris.” I take a cup from Ferris that has a very unique scent coming out of it.

It’s a thick cup designed to be sturdy, and I sip the tea slowly. It’s an herb tea that is good to relieve fatigue, and it does have a bitter, acquired taste to it. Once you put enough honey though, it’s easy to drink.

And I take a breather…………and as I sit there, that one thing keeps coming to mind.

Henry: “Hmmmmmーー”

Cyril: “What’s wrong, Henry? Are you hurt somewhere?” Cyril speaks up as she sees me think.

Henry: “No, when we first entered the mountains, you saw the Demonic Monkey looking at us, right? It’s strange that we still haven’t encountered its pack.”

Out of all the encounters we had so far, we haven’t encountered the Demonic Monkeys yet.

Cyril: “Is it that strange? I’m certain that they saw me drop a huge Spell and decided to avoid us!”

And Cyril takes a weird victory pose. Sometimes, I really can’t follow this girl’s body language.

Henry: “The Demonic Monkeys are very aggressive and territorial Creatures, so I can’t imagine that being the case……..but maybe the Demonic Monkeys in this region are different? There is always that possibility.”

Cyril: “I see. I think I remember hearing something similar in the past.” Henry: “The Killer Dogs appear in a lot of regions, so it’s easier to see the differences.”

Though they always form packs, the number in their packs and fighting strategy would be different depending on the region. In a rare instance, some would try to guide their prey into a trap hole they dug inside the ground.

Ferris: “Hmmm, that is interesting. Mr. Henry, how are they in Ligaleo?” Henry: “There, there’s really not any unique Demonic Creatures that act outside the norms. Over there, their behavior is pretty standard.”

Instead, we get EVERYTHING from the Lowest to the Highest Tier though!

………no, really. Everything except those Creatures who can’t live outside of water will appear there. The Corrupted Magic Types are all intermingled into camouflage-like patterns, and constantly change. In that town, if you can’t adapt, you die.

But as far as our Party is concerned, we’re doing well for this being our very first time inside these mountains, so we should be fine in Ligaleo. If we get Ageha into our Party temporarily, we can avoid most disastrous situations.

Now that Ligaleo is coming up in the near future, there’s a lot of things I’ve been thinking about.

……and I discuss this and that with Ferris as I think through the information. Cyril is also curiously listening, and Jend and Teo who are on watch are turning one curious ear in our direction.

Ferris: “I see. Thank you. It looks like we’ll really have to be on our guard when we get there.”

Henry: “Yeah. I’m sure there are going to be many times we’ll get injured too, so we’ll be counting on you then.”

Ferris: “It’ll be best to avoid injury altogether, but you can count on me.”

Okay, we’ve finished talking, and I was done with my tea, so it’s time to trade places with Jend and Teo.

Henry: “Jend, Teo, let’s switch so you can eat.”

Jend: “Sure.” Teo: “Understood.” I high-five the two as we switch. Ferris and I will be on watch now. Since Cyril has the least amount of stamina out of all of us, she’ll continue to rest. I know it may sound unfair, but everyone serves a different role in Parties so this can’t be helped.

Henry: “Okay, Ferris. Go clockwise from this point, and take your time as you look around. I’ll do the same from the other side.”

Ferris: “Understood.” There are not that many trees in this area, and we can see pretty clearly in all directions, so we don’t have to be too worried. ………..unless it’s an extremely quick Demonic Creature that can close in the distance from a point too far to see in an instant. But there shouldn’t be any Creatures like that on this mountain so we should be okay.

Ferris: “……..Mr. Henry, over there.”

As soon as we were beginning our watch, Ferris calls out for me with some nervousness in her voice.

Henry: “What’s wrong? ……oh, Demonic Monkeys.” 2, 4, 6…….a pack of 11 is coming slowly this way.

……is it the first pack we ran into in the beginning? It took them a very long time to respond, so I wonder if their pack was really far away? Or were they watching us this entire time and decided to attack us while we ate? Regardless, looks like they’re looking for a fight.

Jend: “Enemies?” Jend: “Yeah, sorry to interrupt your meal, but let’s get ready.”

Jend swallows the mouthful of bread quickly, and stands next to me.

Jend: “Well, the food will taste better after some exercise and an emptier stomach.”

Henry: “Don’t let your guard down. There’s something strange about their movements. They might fight differently than other Demonic Monkeys.”

Jend: “Got it.” Jend pulls out his large broadsword. Behind us, Cyril begins singing to prepare her Magic Spell. Teo took our her bow and took aim. Ferris remained near Cyril to stand guard.

Henry: “…….they’re coming!”

Once they reached a certain distance, they began shooting out towards us.

………? There’s one that isn’t moving from its spot? …….no, I can’t be thinking about that now.”

Henry: “There!”

I throw my Spear. It splits into 10 separate spears on the way. …….I was able to take down 5. Out of the ones remaining, 3 took a hit, but the injury is light, and the other two are unscathed.

………dang it. I guess from this distance, a Demonic Creature with high agility like the Demonic Monkey would be able to avoid my throws.

But I took out half. I brought the Spear back into my hand and got ready for the confrontation.

…….I kept an eye on the one that didn’t move from its spot, and we began our fight with the Demonic Monkeys.

<<<<>>>>

The fight ended in an instant. Out of the 5 that came our way, I took out two, Jend took out one, and Teo shot at two more when Cyril’s Spell hit and wiped out the group.

Our Party has reached a point where even Demonic Monkeys are no trouble at all.

Jend: “Fwew……”

Jend swung his sword to shake off the blood on the blade. The Demonic Creatures’ blood will turn into Corrupted Magic and disappear, but it’s more of a mental thing. I do it too. It feels gross to wait for the blood to evaporate.

Cyril: “Hmmm, I want to use a bigger Spell.”

Teo: “Please don’t needlessly destroy nature.”

Ferris: “Don’t worry. When the time comes, your Spell power is a critical weapon for our Party. There’s no need to pout.” And I hear the women talking behind us.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Henry: “That Demonic Monkey didn’t move at all till the end. It just ran away after that.”

Jend: “Yeah, I was thinking that it was looking for a time to attack, but it didn’t do anything. The battle may have been too brief, and maybe it thought it lost its timing.”

I listen to Jend, but something keeps bothering me.

It’s not that Jend’s idea is off-base. If it was any other time, I would have thought the same too.

But something……my 10 years of experience as an Adventurer is trying to warn me about something. But I shouldn’t expect my Party who is just about to reach their first year as Adventurers to understand.

But nothing has happened that is cause for us to turn immediately back. There’s nothing else to do except to be more on guard.

Henry: “……..what’s going on here….?” Something doesn’t seem right with the Dwarve’s Mountain.

I took hold of my Nyoiten Spear in hand and stared intently at the mountain ahead of us.