第８９４堀：静かな森を抜けて (Part2)
"Sorry, sorry. That’s how it is. Your sister already put the kibosh on causing a scene here, so if you really want to fight, just do it at the Weed arena. You can secretly gather data on the monsters here whenever you happen to pass by. If you do that, summoning them in Weed will likely be possible."
It seems that wrapping a "please stop" in polite phrasing doesn't quite get through to her.
"Hmm, but it's precisely because we fight in places like this that we gain good experience..."
"For anything more than that, please convince your sister over there first."
"Alright, Charl!"
"Absolutely not!"
Princess Lowell tried to get permission from Princess Charl, but was rejected immediately. Naturally.
Setting aside the comedy routine between the two princesses...
"Comet. If there's no route for people to follow, we can't even see those monsters, can we? And since you said we should avoid fighting as much as possible, there's no merit in getting close just to gather data, is there? As Riel said, it would be more efficient to just bypass them and fly over."
"Ah, that is..."
"I'll explain that part."
As Comet struggled to answer, a familiar man's voice came from behind the call screen...
"Oh, Yuki-san. Is the wedding preparation going well?"
"Yahoo, Yuki-san. You have to do it properly, okay?"
"...Yuki, you don't have much delicacy."
Yes, Yuki had appeared. For some reason, it seems Tori and the others are worried about him.
"No, no, I do things properly when it's time. I've finished greeting the kings of each country safely and received their consent. All that's left is choosing the dress and the ceremony itself. So, since there's nothing left for me to do, I came here."
I see. Indeed, if you were to accompany them to choose a wedding dress, you'd be a dead man. Women take long enough shopping as it is; when it comes to wedding attire...
"Anyway, putting that aside, here is the reason I want you to go on foot."
"Why, Yuki? If we aren't allowed to defeat them, why can't we fly?"
"Indeed, I think it would have been fine to just aim straight for the summit."
"I didn't expect even Charl to say something like that, let alone Lowell. But can you guarantee that a dragon won't attack someone flying toward them through the sky?"
"Ah..." the women all voiced their realization.
However...
"Yuki. If you say that, then even if we go by land, it'll be the end if a dragon notices us, won't it?"
"Indeed, as Mauve says. I don't see the reason to go through the trouble of climbing the mountain."
Exactly. That reason alone isn't enough to justify us going out of our way to climb. I thought it was a bit of a stretch for Yuki.
"No, don't be sleepy-headed, veteran adventurers. Even though I went out of my way to negotiate with them, if you fly through what is essentially their backyard, they'll naturally be on guard. You lot would be on guard too if a dragon flew over your heads, right?"
"Ah."
That is certainly true. In fact, if a dragon flew overhead, we wouldn't just be on guard—we'd run. If it were a town, it would undoubtedly be total chaos.
"Besides, I have a jewel given to me by Queen Miyabi that I've entrusted to you. If you show that openly without doing anything to provoke them, it shouldn't become too much of a hassle."
"I see. So you mean we should visit properly through the front gate."
"That's it. Also, as for the monsters, you can basically ignore them on the way up. Gathering information by appraising monsters is a lower priority than negotiating with the Dragonkin. That said, if you just run away from them, will the Dragonkin acknowledge you? That's the question. So, it's better to defeat a few of them."
"So that's why we'll have opportunities to appraise them."
"Exactly. Well, I'll guide you to a route that's relatively easy to climb, so head up from there. You guys should be more than capable, right?"
Once told that, we couldn't say no. It was a decision made precisely because he trusts us as excellent adventurers.
"Alright, if you put it that way, it would be a disgrace to adventurers to say we can't do it. Hey, everyone, let's go!"
"Yeah!"
We all answered in unison to Mauve's call. Our spirits were high, and all that was left was to climb, but...
"Oh, the easy route is about 10 kilometers that way, taking a detour."
"..."
Thus, having our motivation dampened right from the start, we stepped into Dragon Mountain, aiming for the summit.
Surprisingly, we reached the trailhead without encountering any monsters. However, it seems there are monsters on the middle slopes. This is where the real work begins. You shouldn't underestimate a mountain!
Well, in reality, if you underestimate mountain climbing, you'll die. Anyone who climbs in short sleeves and shorts, even in summer, might as well be a suicide volunteer. You shouldn't underestimate nature.