242: The long ones get the easier end, right?

Paradio and two guards, guided by Adel Gally—the ruggedly handsome knight with a scar on his face—climbed into the carriage.

It was a large, custom-built vehicle, roomy enough for over twenty people to sit comfortably. Four horses raised in Goldendown pulled it, but… yeah. Horses from this town could probably manage it with just one.

Definitely too heavy and too showy for just one, so four it had to be.

Goldendown’s so wide, they probably figured a full tour by carriage was the way to go. Not bad for Van, actually.

Or maybe Van just really wanted to get the audience over with fast.

Likely Zaid snapped at him, “The audience comes after the inspection!” and Van just replied, “Then let’s finish the inspection in record time.”

Yeah. I’m backing Van on this!

Gotta wake Kyle up as fast as possible!

Three Holy Knights including Alphard, three from Paradio, and me, Leifan, Eva, and Nobuna—we’re all sharing the same carriage.

There’s some servant-type person riding along too, so that’s probably why they’re moving with this many people.

The rest of the crew are in another carriage.

Alphard crept close, whispering.

“Explain the Golden Dune to them. General Garry doesn’t know much about it yet.”

I whispered back.

“Fine with me, but isn’t that hot guy Van’s guard? Never seen him before.”

"The highest rank in the Knights of the Holy Order. Below that, the Knight Companies line up. The Knight Companies owned by lords are independent, with no direct command authority—but when you gather them all together, they form the Knights of the Holy Order."

"Sounds like a pain in the ass. Doesn’t that create a double command structure?"

"Sometimes, if something happens to the lord, the Grandmaster gains command over the company leaders. Right now, I’m in that position."

"Built for emergencies, then."

"The kingdom’s pretty stable now. But not long ago, it was common for noble lands to get attacked by monsters out of nowhere."

"An emergency setup, then."

"Especially since the Knight Companies handle both legal judgment and enforcement. They can even sentence a lord if needed. That’s why having a Grandmaster is essential—someone to step in when things go sideways."

"Got it."

The knight corps is the lord’s strongest soldiers, and also a wedge in the eyes of the kingdom, huh. Clever thinking.

"Since they hold authority over enforcement, even when the king visits this town, they stayed behind in the capital. Right now, part of the capital’s forces and Raidock are heading toward the empire. The king judged the situation short on troops and brought the commander along."

"I see. That’s quite a relief."

"Yeah, well, that’s how it is."

Alphard gave a reply with a hint in it, but then was called by Captain Gally of the Holy Knights, and had no time to spare.

"Craft Walker! Explain the town."

"Y-yes, sir! Heh heh!"

Is that really how you reply!?

Panicking, Leifan whispered to him.

"Being so casual with the king, but tense around your own subordinates—doesn’t that seem a bit odd?"

I’m weak to people with seniority, that’s me.

Yeah. I know.

Honestly, acting the same way toward the captain as I do toward Van would be the real problem. I know that much.

Still, talking to high-ups? Totally baffling!

Thankfully, Captain Gally moved to Alphard’s side, so I let out a breath and started bragging to Paradio about the town.

“This here’s our city wall—made of alchemically hardened rock!”

Desperate times.

◆

Van… The audience with the king went smoothly. No need to go into detail, so I’ll skip ahead.

Seems like Paradio was given full authority. Right there, he decided to incorporate the hidden mage village—the Hermit’s Garden—into the kingdom.

The bold move of granting it independent autonomy probably helped seal the deal.

After the audience, Lord Paradio slumped into the sofa in the antechamber and muttered.

"An urban center that freely spills secrets and advanced knowledge... is this what it truly takes to reach such a level of advancement...? Was it the reckless alchemist who made it happen, or the king’s magnanimity in accepting it? Either way, making them an enemy is unthinkable. The wisest move was to bring them under our protection early. Now that they’ve been granted autonomy, we can’t complain."

That’s what he said.

Reckless alchemist, was he talking about me? Or was it Jabir-sensei?

I should be happy we’ve gained a strong ally in the hidden mage village.

From here on, the formalities will fall to Paradio and Zaid. As for us, our adventure continues—for Kyle.

Gotta talk to Kyle’s old man, but that marquis gives me the creeps—too much pressure, honestly.

Was thinking that, and *bang*—the door flung open. Van, who’d been sitting up front like he owned the place, just walked in.

“Hey, Craft! Good work! Got ourselves a whole gang of strong mages! Now, how about some praise?”

“…Your Majesty. Paradio-sama is here, you know.”

“Cut that out, cut that out. Forget that useless formality. Paradio, just relax. I’m just a regular guy here to see a friend.”

Three figures behind Van all shared a dry laugh.

Alphard. The knight captain. The handsome one. The one with the scar. Yeah, them.

Gally, the scarred one, leaned in and muttered to Van with a bitter look.

The king’s easygoing nature I’ve already given up on. But can’t you at least act normal in front of someone who knows the situation?

Hmph. Paradio and the Hermit’s Garden are gonna be tied up tight from now on. Better get used to me now than have to explain later—no misunderstandings.

But…

Shut up. Anyway, Craft.

You’re bringing me into this now!?

There’s no time limit, but Kyle’s getting back sooner’s better, right?

Fine. Let’s hear it.

Alphard sighed silently. You want him back just as much as I do. Maybe that’s why you’re not saying anything.

You think you’ve found the mage’s hidden village? Now you’re after the alchemist’s secret one.

Just like Leifan’s report said.

And they’re looking to get Orthros’s help, too.

Orthros is Kyle’s dad. King or not, he’s still just called by name.

"Yeah. The alchemist’s village’s somewhere in the mountain range that splits the kingdom and the empire."

"You... know how huge, long, treacherous, and high that range actually is?"

"Nothing beyond what’s on the map. But I heard there’s a route straight through the mountains, not just around Golden Dune or the little states. Bela, Kyle’s stepmother, supposedly escaped to the empire through that same route."

I’ve heard it’s steep. But if people can cross it, we’ll manage.

"Idiot. Bela wasn’t human to begin with. That route was used before wyverns established their trade paths. It’s effectively sealed off now."

"Really?"

A bridge like a broken branch, thrown across treacherous peaks and twisted through convoluted ravines. Call that a path? Protrusions jutting out from the cliff face you can’t even climb without clinging to the rock? It twists and turns in impossible, endless knots. Monsters everywhere—feral and vicious. And the mountain’s curse makes breathing impossible. Even a slight deviation from the route, even a little increase in elevation, and you die from the curse. That’s not a route. That’s not a path.

Oh wow. Way worse than I imagined.

Mountain curse—probably just low oxygen and pressure, right? I’ll explain the details later, when I’ve got time. I only picked up this half-baked knowledge from my teacher, after all!

Even the best mountain experts or top-tier adventurers might not survive. One in a hundred, maybe. And even then, only if they manage to retreat. The number who actually make it across? Not even worth talking about.

"Uh, so this dangerous route is actually the best one through that mountain range."

"Right."

Damn. Worse than I thought.

"Here. You’re going here."

Van unrolls a map, pointing at a spot in the mountains.

"Here?"

"Something I heard from Orthros before. Around that particularly high peak, wyverns absolutely won’t go near. Always wanted to check it out myself."

"Didn’t you ask Lord Bairoroad to investigate?"

Kyle’s dad’s a dragon rider. He should be able to scout from above, right?

"Wyverns avoid this area. And the mountain’s curse applies to the sky too. There are magic tools to block it, but they only last so long....You have any idea how much trouble we had dragging Bela and Javir from the Empire?"

Sounds like hell. Just hearing about it makes my skin crawl.

I figured Lord Javir knew it wasn’t a curse… Ah, so the only way to handle it’s through magical devices. Didn’t need to say more, huh.

“Back then, I pushed Orthros too hard. Full mountain range survey. Had him flying all over, except for that spot just now. We were looking for new routes, but found nothing. No trees, no plants—nothing grows there. If there’d been a village, they’d’ve reported it. Sure, maybe they’re hiding in some cave, but then what can you do?”

Made him fly through places with no air. Yeah, that was pushing it.

“Now I get why Van told me to check this place. Makes sense. If you’re thinking possibilities, it’s definitely the first place to look.”

“Ah… by the way…”

Van glances behind me.

The party members, except for Maina and Persia, were gathered in the antechamber. One extra person, not part of the group, was there. Van’s gaze was fixed on that one.

“What’s with that messy-haired woman?”

Still, it’s bound to catch your eye, right!?