第１０３７堀：雪山はマジで寒い (Part2)
"Yeah, she clearly understands what Aslin is saying."
"Well, even if we were to become hostile, I can't confirm if they have the skill or level to do anything about the container."
*Whoosh!!*
" " " !? " " "
Driven back by another gust of wind, we immediately retreated into the room. I couldn't take any more of that.
"...I underestimated the snowy mountain."
"...Yeah. It’s seriously cold. My body heat was sapped away in an instant."
"...People on Earth who challenge snowy mountains without magic must be superhumans."
To think that in such an extreme world, people would challenge a mountain alone, carrying nothing but basic clothing and a mountain of supplies—no matter how you look at it, they’re nothing but people with a death wish. Earthlings are terrifying. Even without the concept of levels or status, the knowledge and guts they use to take on such challenges must be what creates the future.
"That’s for sure. After all, it’s the star Yuki-san was born on."
"Nah, I think that’s just a hobby."
"Well, never mind that. Anyway, I’m going to go make some hot tea."
"Oh, please make some for me too."
"And for me as well, please."
"Yes, of course. I’ll prepare some for everyone. Wait in the conference room."
With that, I headed to the kitchen to brew tea and bring out some snacks. It’s truly amazing how well-stocked the tools are here. It really makes me realize that this kind of preparation is essential.
"If things had gone poorly, we would have had to do our best just by pitching a tent in that snowy mountain, wouldn't we?"
Ugh, just remembering that piercing cold makes me shiver. Being able to survive in such an outrageous world is no small feat.
"Alright, the hot tea is ready. Let’s head back."
I returned to the conference room with the freshly brewed tea, and...
"Oh, you're finally here! Come on, give me some hot tea quickly!"
"Me too, please!"
Agil and Milly, who still seemed to be feeling the chill, both shivered like baby birds finding a parent who had brought back food, demanding their tea.
"Yes, yes. Are you all okay, Aslin?"
I asked Aslin and the others sitting at the table while pouring tea for the two of them with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I'll take some."
"I shall drink it!"
"Yes, thank you."
With everyone’s tea served, I took my seat. I took a sip of the warm tea and let out a sigh of relief.
"Haa~. This warms you right up."
"Yes, truly. Honestly, I’d like to drink some warm sake and go to sleep just like this."
"I wish we could do that, but... that’s not going to happen. Anyway, we’ve secured a base. Now, the question is what to do next."
"Unyu? Aren't we going to go investigate now?"
"Yeah, we need to find that person named Gaeen."
"Yes, that’s right. As Aslin-dono and Firia-dono said. However, we first need to discuss where and how to search. As we’ve seen so far, this mountain range is incredibly vast. So, searching aimlessly won't lead us to anything."
As Shou said, we need to discuss how to look for traces of the person who might be the Dungeon Master named Gaeen. But...
"I’ll be honest with you. I think it’s impossible to find any traces of Gaeen in this world of snow, don't you? I suspect he’s probably already bones in either the forest at the foot of the mountain or the one on the mid-slope."
I said it clearly. No matter how I think about it, I can't imagine Gaeen made it this far. And even if he had, he’d be buried under the snow; there’s no way we’d find him now. That’s what I thought, but Milly replied with a wry smile...
"In my opinion, there’s a high probability that he at least made it to this snowy mountain."
"Why is that?"
"Gaeen was a Dungeon Master, wasn't he? Well, even if he wasn't, I don't think a hero whose story is passed down as a 'legend' would die on the mid-slope."
"I understand what you're saying, Milly, but... usually, the end of a hero’s tale is surprisingly anticlimactic, isn't it?"
That’s right. Even if it’s a glorious hero’s tale, the end of the story is often unexpectedly miserable. The "they married the princess and lived happily ever after" part is a lie. Sure, they might have married the princess, but they get absorbed into the nation's military and end up dying on some battlefield. Famous adventurers, too—one day they just disappear, and it turns out they died in an accident or were easily killed by a monster.
"I know that well. But, the mid-slope could at least be turned into a dungeon to search, and shouldn't we proceed with the assumption that there are traces of Gaeen near this summit where we can't do that?"
" "Yeah." "
That was a convincing reason. In that case, it comes down to what route we should take...
"For now, let's go check the crater where Igu-chan and Fe-chan found the Wyvern and Hydra. If we find something on the way, that’s a bonus."
With that, our policy was decided, and we decided to rest for the day to prepare for tomorrow.
"...Anyway, let's double up on the cold-weather gear starting tomorrow."
"Agreed. I don't want to freeze to death."
"Same here."
We vowed to achieve a "warm exploration" in this snowy mountain. Underestimating a mountain really will kill you. I think anyone who wears thin clothing is just a suicide seeker. Especially on a snowy mountain. However, I think there is a certain romance in heading to such a place.