Chapter 217

Encounter with the Unknown

As we wanted to be as quick as possible, we decided that I should carry Daniela and run while using Legs of the God Wolf. It was Daniela who suggested this. I rolled up my pants so they wouldn’t get ruined. I also took my boots off just in case. They hadn’t been damaged the last time I did this, but I was cautious. Besides, my feet weren’t touching the ground, so it didn’t matter if I wore anything or not.

“This is rather nice. It is more stable than the carriage.”

“But I’m not used to these legs yet. You don’t know how on edge I am.”

“As long as you do not drop me.”

And so I ran very carefully.

□ □ □ □

It had recently come to my attention that my eyes turned yellow while using Night Eyes. It was a skill that allowed me to run through the night even if there was no light, but I was human and I liked to sleep. Daniela was very understanding of this, and so descended to the ground where we would set up camp.

Once I had a fire, I was able to deactivate the skill. The fire offered enough light for me to see clearly. Now, we just had to set up the tent. Would it be the one I bought or the one Daniela bought?

“Which one do you think would be easier?”

“Hmm… Probably mine…”

You just stabbed a pole into the ground and pulled the tarp out. Not that the dome one looked too complicated either. You just tied the cloth along the frame and it was finished. The frame was made of iron and quite heavy, but that was fine, since we carried it in the hollow bag. You could also take the frame apart, which was neat. It showed how advanced they were in the imperial capital.

Well, we were in a hurry today, so we’d go with the easiest one!

“…There. It’s done. Pretty nice inside as well.”

“Hmm…yes, this is quite good.”

We relied on the bonfire for light as we looked inside. I tried walking around the pole and it didn’t feel cramped at all. The ventilation was great as well. I had made the right choice with this one.

“Alright. Let’s eat then.”

“I have been waiting for you to say that.”

I handed Daniela some fried noodles from the bag. We set the food on a low table and then I filled two cups with water.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes.”

Our second day in the capital ended with us eating outside. And tomorrow, I would run to the mountain.

□ □ □ □

We passed the night peacefull without any attacks. And in the morning, I ran once again. I had been quite tired since yesterday, and so I had slept well after my watch. Daniela looked tired as well. She also slept well. It was a deep, dreamless sleep that we needed in order to blow away our fatigue.

The land zoomed passed us as we rushed towards our destination. The east mountain was clearly visible now that it was bright. However, as we were facing the sun, it was almost blinding. The mountain…was about as high as Alessa. It was much higher than the mountain where I reunited with Daniela after finding the automated doll. Still, there was something strange about it. Its shape. The peek was flat.

“What an interesting shape.”

Daniela muttered against my chest.

“I’ve seen something like it back in my world. It was called the ‘Table Mountain.”

The soil was soft, and so rain and wind had carved it away, resulting in that shape. …Or so I remember hearing on TV.

“So you are saying that it is prone to crumbling?”

“I doubt either of us could do it. But maybe a wind dragon’s breath could.”

“Hmm… I would prefer to kill it without wrecking the terrain.”

“That seems very unlikely, Master Daniela.”

“I said it, because I believe in you, Asagi.”

She said with a grin. If Master Daniela ordered it, then I would have to do it.

However, I thought it was important that we gain experience fighting a dragon. Terrains change with time. And even if there was a way to kill it instantly, doing so would not result in much growth for us. Not that I meant to toy with it.

“It is important to always have a method of attack.”

“Yeah. That’s why I want to gain experience defending myself.”

I had half-heartedly created Niflheim recently and had specialized in the offense. But I wanted to have a method of attack no matter what, have other options. I didn’t want to end up dying one day because there was nothing left that I could do…

“My wind and earth and your ice and water. If we could use them to seal the dragon’s attacks, then we would be unstoppable.”

“We might face something much stronger one day. But I don’t want to die before that happens.”

“Good. We can think about the rest as we walk. I had been wary about this, but it appears that no other Adventurers or soldiers are here. So we can slow down the pace a little.”

“Got it. Can you get my shoes?”

“Leave it to me.”

Daniela had dropped down first and now took the accel panther boots out of my bag. I had been wearing these for a long time now… The store that sold them was horrible, but the quality was good. These panthers were frighteningly fast, and the boots gave me a nice AGI boost.

As we talked about how we would use our magic, Presence Detection suddenly caught something.

While our stats were now the same, Daniela still seemed to catch things just a second before I did. Perhaps it was due to experience.

It was a giant lizard. According to Daniela, it was known as a ‘sand lizard.’

They lived in deserts and bit people with their venomous fangs. They apparently came up the waist of the average man.

However, we hadn’t been moving towards it. And it didn’t attack without being provoked.

“It must be a goblin.”

Yes, there were something else here. They were fighting. Well, in such a fight, the sand lizard would likely win… There was no beating poison.

“…Hmmm.”

“Oh?”

One of them was fading. The sand lizard.

“It beat the poison?”

“Are there goblins that are immune?”

“…It is not impossible. I had once heard a rumor of a goblin who used poison and was also resistant to it. There are also very small goblins known as poison goblins. Perhaps…”

“Wait. It’s coming towards us.”

For some reason, the goblin presence was moving in our direction. I took out my spear and Daniela readied her bow.

“We should split up.”

“Alright. I’ll use Presence Block and try and catch it from the back. You’d be able to see me even if I was hiding, right?”

“Of course. Yes, we will go with that.”

We planned quickly and then moved into action. I activated Presence Block with a thought and then made a wide circle around the goblin. From what I could tell, it was still moving straight towards Daniela, so it must not have noticed me.

I started to move faster once I was behind it. At this rate, I should be able to take its back the moment it encountered Daniela.

It moved through the grass towards her. Now it was going faster. It must have seen her. Very hostile… I had assumed a user of poison would be sneaky, but perhaps it had made this one confident.

“!?”

I nearly screamed in surprise. An arrow had come flying. She nearly killed me!! That idiot!!

…No, surely Daniela wouldn’t miss her target?

And she knew where I was… Perhaps it was a signal for me to hurry?

I didn’t know. But something felt wrong. And so I rushed towards Daniela, all the while sending ice magic into the spear. As a precaution, Legs of the Forest Wolf would sit this one out.