第８９５堀：竜山を登る (Part2)
It seemed that Mauve and the others had noticed it as well...
"Oh, this is incredible."
"Yeah, truly amazing."
"The scenery is quite different from what you see while riding a wyvern."
"Just this view alone made the climb worth it."
"I understand the sentiment, but we mustn't forget our main objective, sister. Still, we should certainly burn this landscape into our memories."
It was a view not easily seen. The vast earth and sky stretching out from the mountainside, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. This was the kind of inspiration that could only be felt by those who had climbed this mountain with their own two feet.
*Oh, how wonderful. I should take a picture.*
...Or perhaps a drone would have been better. But then again, the sense of accomplishment we felt was surely greater because we had climbed it ourselves.
Yet, despite witnessing such a magnificent sight, for some reason, Tori was...
"My... my ears..."
"No, no, we're on a normal mountain, it's fine. It's not that cold, really."
It seemed her old trauma had resurfaced—the one from her days working on mountains when her ears had nearly suffered frostbite and fallen off. Whenever it was winter or she was on a mountain, she always got like this. And when she got like this, it was inevitable that...
"It's okay! I have earmuffs for everyone. Here, Riel, take yours."
"Ugh!? That's alright. It makes it hard to hear."
"No!! Your ears will fall off!"
"They won't fall off."
"Put them on!! Oh, Mauve-san and the others, too. Lowell, Charl, you as well."
And so, the "Earmuff Ghost" had appeared.
"Well, it does get cold on the mountain, so it's probably for the best."
"True enough."
"Indeed. We shall accept them with gratitude."
"My, these are exceptionally high-quality."
"Naturally. They have Narjia-san's name engraved on them, so they couldn't possibly be anything but the best."
Saying this, Mauve, the others, Lowell, and Charl surprisingly put on the earmuffs without hesitation. I had heard from Yuki that the temperature on the mountain would drop, so I had no qualms about wearing them either. As I quickly put on the pair I was handed...
Oh, as expected of Narjia-san. The comfort was incredible.
"See, everyone is wearing them! Riel, you too!"
"Ugh... well, it *is* cold, so I suppose I'll just have to endure it..."
Riel knew deep down that resisting Tori when she got like this was a lost cause. After a brief moment of protest, she gave in, put on the earmuffs, and we began setting up the tents.
"Ah, if only we could have brought one of Yuki's portable bases."
"If you suddenly summoned a structure like that, the Dragonkin would be on high alert."
"Exactly. Anyone would be wary if a building appeared out of thin air in an instant."
"True. Besides, it's all rock here; there's no lumber to be found."
It would indeed be strange to have a building appear when there wasn't even any wood around.
"And even if we built one, it wouldn't be connected to the dungeon, so we'll just have to make do."
As Charl said, since it wasn't connected to the dungeon, we couldn't just pop back home. We could technically return via teleportation, but that would release a significant amount of magical energy, and we didn't know how that might affect the surroundings. So, we decided to spend the night in tents.
However...
"But Yuki-san told us we're free to do whatever we want inside the tents, so I'm sure it'll be comfortable once we're inside."
"That's true. First, let's have a delicious meal."
"...I cannot go without my Inari sushi. No, Inari sushi is all I need."
That’s right—inside the tents, we were free. No one would be watching. We decided to at least make our meal a luxury. Today, after all, was the day I fulfilled my dream.
"Come on, don't just eat Inari sushi; have some other things too."
"That's right, Kaya. You need a balanced diet."
"I eat a balanced diet at home every single day. That is why I decided today would be a day of indulgence. Besides, Yuki recommended it."
Indeed, Yuki had told us: *"At times like this, it's fine to be free and eat some 'unhealthy' food,"* he had said with a smile.
"...In other words, we are free to eat whatever we want! For Riel, all-you-can-eat sashimi! For Tori, all-you-can-eat meat!"
"!?!"
"For Mauve and the others, all-you-can-drink alcohol! For Lowell, all-you-can-eat meat! And for Charl, all-you-can-eat cake!"
"Ohhh!!!"
"Let's get these tents up quickly and start eating!!"
"OHHHHH!!!"
And so, our overnight stay on the mountainside of the Dragon Mountain became a truly fulfilling experience. The real thrill of the mountains is nature! Interacting with animals! And camping!
You’d like to enjoy this too, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?
The mountain is there, and that is reason enough to head toward it!