"Their methods are so childish."
It was Anne. She lifted her head, one corner of her mouth twisted into a sneer. A light glinted in her eyes. Beneath the lingering sunlight, the alchemist with the wicked, one-sided smile spoke. In truth, it was likely not wickedness but a mask to endure the malice directed at her.
"Did they really think we wouldn't be able to drink the water just because of this? Seriously?"
The enemy wasn't right in front of them, but Anne spoke as if they were.
"You poor bastard, poor in ability and in thought. Did you think we'd fall for a trick like this? That we'd turn back?"
Was this the desperate cry of the weak lashing out with malice, or the roar of one with a fortified will?
'Let's call it a roar.'
That was how Enkrid saw it.
"Now, look here, Captain. When I came to the Border Guard alone, do you really think I relied only on luck?"
At first, he had thought so. She herself had said she was lucky. But a girl who didn't even know how to wield a sword, with no group to rely on, had crossed the continent to reach the Border Guard—a city whose name meant 'the frontier.' To have come to the very edge of the continent, the probability of her arriving should have been infinitesimally low.
'She must have had some means.'
The Anne he had seen so far was like that. She never came to the Madmen Knights' training grounds empty-handed. Even during her research, she always kept several reagents, potions, or chewable pellets within reach. Enkrid slept with his sword by his side. Even if it wasn't a weapon from Aetri, he always kept a weapon on his person.
'To me, my sword is what that bag is to Anne.'
Anne unlatched the bag she wore slung between her side and back and reached inside. What came out was a flat, round, blue pill the size of a pinky nail.
"I am an Alchemist and a Healer."
Anne murmured, almost as if reciting. It sounded like a bard's song. With the right melody, it truly would be. Her voice had a perfect, rhythmic cadence. She dropped the pill into the canteen filled with contaminated water. Before she could even exhale, blue smoke rose from the canteen and vanished just as quickly.
Anne put the canteen to her lips and tilted it back. No one stopped her. What Anne was doing now was like one of Ragna's slashes. It was filled with conviction. A slash that, even if the path was wrong, was determined to push through until it was right—it was the same as that.
Everyone, captivated by Anne's forcefulness, watched her throat. Gulp, gulp, the water went down.
"Puha."
After drinking heartily, Anne spoke.
"You can drink it. What a pathetic little trick."
Agreed. Enkrid nodded in agreement and took the canteen.
Gulp.
The water tasted fine. For Anne to have reached the Border Guard alone, she must have used more than just pills to purify contaminated water. There were potions to hide her scent from monsters and drugs to put people to sleep.
"There are too many to explain one by one."
That was Anne's final word on the matter. Enkrid didn't press her by asking who had even asked. He saw Anne's hands trembling faintly. Could she feel safe just because she was surrounded by Knights? For Anne, facing such malice and hostility, it would be difficult.
'Not that I'll let her be taken quietly.'
And if they attacked again, he would show them she was not someone to be trifled with. But the enemy proved yet again that they were no ordinary madmen.
"Everyone, halt."
They hadn't been on the mountain path for even half a day. A sharp, sour scent pricked Enkrid's nose.
"Poison fog? Seems like a type of spell."
Grida said, looking ahead.
"Yeah, I see it."
Magrun replied. Ragna just stared blankly. The enemy wanted to hold time hostage, and Ragna was very displeased with that. Enkrid saw the dark green fog blocking the path ahead. And since he saw it, there was no need to waste time deliberating.
"Is there a detour?"
"There is."
Magrun answered immediately. Enkrid glanced at Ragna, who turned to Anne and showed her his back.
"Get on."
"Yes."
Anne, as if she had already prepared herself, entrusted her body to Ragna's back. Ragna tossed his greatsword, and Enkrid caught it. It was a sword meant to be carried on the back, so he couldn't carry it while giving Anne a piggyback ride.
"Let's pick up the pace, Magrun."
"Got it."
No more words were needed. The path that should have just gone over the hill in front of them was now stretched out to the side. Magrun took the lead, and Grida ran at a distance to the right. It was to detect any other ambushes or tricks. And sure enough, there was another trick. They were choosing only the most troublesome tactics.
"I can't get my bearings."
Grida said, stopping in the middle of the path. They were in front of a tree where three spiky-leaved trees were tangled together like Siamese twins. The ascent was continuous, and the number of trees around them had clearly increased, making them realize they were deep in the mountains.
This wasn't a path frequented by people, so there was no proper trail, but with Ragna carrying Anne, this terrain became a manageable path for everyone. Magrun had been leading the way, cutting down branches with his sword to clear a path. They had been making good progress until Grida stopped. Enkrid started to turn to look north but stopped.
'This is similar to when I got lost in the desert.'
Even looking at the sky, he couldn't determine the direction. His sixth sense and intuition were also useless.
"It's sorcery."
Enkrid said. Grida and Magrun nodded, while Ragna tilted his head and spoke.
"Can't get your bearings? I'm fine."
Grida shook her head, responding to his words.
"Little brother, it's sorcery. It's interfering with our sense of direction. It might be hard to understand, but try."
"What nonsense is this? Magrun, don't we just go north from here?"
"That's right."
Magrun's reply was tinged with anxiety. And why wouldn't it be? He, too, had heard of Ragna's deeds and legends. The anecdote of him getting lost while watching the sunrise was truly admirable. Could such an idiot really exist in the world? In the first place, hadn't he gotten lost on his way to meet them and only returned a month later?
"This way. North."
Ragna said with conviction. From behind Ragna's back, Anne, with a pale complexion, managed to speak.
"Let's not have you lead the way when it comes to finding directions. Please."
Sorcery couldn't be avoided with alchemy, nor could it be navigated with a Knight's senses. In a way, they were thoroughly caught.
'So this was the purpose of the poison fog.'
Enkrid got a glimpse into the mind of the one in charge, whether it was a mage or a sorcerer.
'Block the path with poison fog.'
Should they risk breaking through? Anne probably had an antidote.
'They'll most likely avoid it.'
The mountain is vast. There are many paths up. And on this side, there are four Knights with excellent mobility. If they moved their legs quickly, there was no need to take the risk of poison.
'They predicted we would avoid the poison.'
If the path was altered, which way would the leader, Magrun, guide the party?
'The fastest route.'
If they figured that out, they could tie up the party's feet with a prepared sorcery like this. From this, Enkrid learned one more thing.
'The one who prepared this knows the surrounding paths.'
They knew the paths between Zaun and the rest of the continent like the back of their hand. In other words, it was one of the Zaun family.
"People don't come through this area often, do they?"
Enkrid asked after finishing his thoughts.
"What kind of question is that? If you're not from the Zaun family, you have no reason to be here. I didn't know the way back home would be this rough."
Magrun said without even looking in the direction Ragna was pointing. It seemed no one was going to follow his lead. Even though they had all lost their sense of direction, they didn't trust Ragna. Only Enkrid thought differently.
"How do you know that's north?"
Ragna, supporting Anne's bottom with one hand, raised his other hand and tapped his temple with his left index and middle fingers.
"Instinct."
"Lead the way."
At those words, everyone looked at Enkrid with horrified expressions.
"Are you crazy?"
"Hey, are you giving up here?"
Magrun and Grida spoke in turn. Even Anne, on Ragna's back, had her pupils shaking.
"What's wrong? Did the poison get to you?"
Anne asked. Enkrid didn't offer any pleasant excuses to quell their worries.
"If we go and it's not the right way, we can just go back and find the path again. Or are we going to stop here? Until when? Until the sorcery wears off?"
Stopping now was what the one who prepared this wanted most. So, they would take the path they didn't want them to take. Besides, hadn't he wandered the desert and come back to ask and learn from everyone? How to find the way.
"I find my way by looking at the stars in the sky."
Ragna had said so, and if the stars weren't visible, he used his instinct. Jaxen had said he followed sounds or smells, and hearing that, Rem had mentioned that there were desert guides who walked the 'wind paths.'
'Ragna isn't that kind of guide, but...'
He knows how to find the way when necessary. Just like in Nauril. Enkrid trusted Ragna's instinct.
"I knew the Captain would trust me. Give me my sword."
Ragna said, holding out his hand. He put Anne down and took back his greatsword. Anne, placing a hand on her trembling thigh, looked at Enkrid with an expression that said, 'Are we really doing this?', while Ragna walked the path in his own way. Magrun and Grida would usually go around if they saw a tree or a blocked path ahead. Ragna was not a man who knew such things. The moment he confirmed by instinct that this was north, he went straight.
"That's a cliff, you crazy bastard."
Grida's shout was in vain. Ragna coolly ignored it and swung his greatsword at the few trees blocking his path.
Boom!
The cut and broken giant tree fell, breaking, hitting, and pushing the trunks of several smaller trees. A few small trees, without any sense of shame, revealed a part of their inner flesh—their roots—hidden in the soil.
"This is north."
He cut down the trees and stubbornly moved forward. If a rock blocked the way, he jumped over it; if a tree blocked the way, he cut it. The place he reached was a precipice, but Ragna began to slide down it roughly.
"...We're going this way?"
Anne asked. Her complexion looked as if someone had poured blue dye all over her face.
"Get on."
As Ragna cleared the way, this time Enkrid carried her.
"I feel like my resolve is being chipped away."
Anne, on his back, said in a solemn tone. It sounded like she was filled with doubt.
"As long as we get out of the sorcery's range, it doesn't matter if it's north or not."
Enkrid replied in a whisper. What the enemy wanted was to steal their time here, so doing the opposite was the right move. Ragna used his physical abilities to descend the steep cliff path without any problems, occasionally embedding his greatsword into the wall. They were Knights. They wouldn't fall or tumble from something like this. It was a matter of course.
"Is this the right way?"
Grida muttered. As a guide, Grida had learned to stop in such cases and carefully check the direction. But for these madmen, that was out of the question. Ragna led the way so ignorantly, and by the time the sun set and the surroundings gradually lost their color to the darkness, they had escaped the sorcery's domain. It was after they had descended the cliff, climbed another short one, cut down more than twenty trees, and even crossed a small rocky mountain. Of course, it wasn't north. The place they came out was to the west, meaning they had to take a slightly longer detour, but it was still a great achievement in itself. Anyone else would have lost their sense of direction and wandered in circles. Even for Knights, it should have taken more time, but Ragna's decisiveness reduced the wasted time.
"In a way, you have to say it's amazing."
Grida was impressed, and Ragna nodded as if it were obvious. The way he looked around, it seemed he didn't even know where he was. It was time for Magrun to get his bearings again.
"The original destination was the Hunter's Village, right?"
Enkrid asked Magrun. Zaun had several villages around it. The Hunter's Village was one of them, and besides that, there were the Retiree's Village and the Broker's Village, for a total of three. Their destination was the Hunter's Village, located in the southern part. It wasn't the fastest way to Zaun, but it was a natural route to pass through.
"That's right."
Magrun replied, and Enkrid, without a moment's hesitation, continued to ask.
"Is there no direct path to Zaun?"
If he were a mage or a sorcerer, he would set up similar traps ahead. As many as his resources allowed. If they had a lot of time to prepare, there would be dozens of such traps. If so, was there any reason to walk that path? Seeing the sorcery and poison fog, there were no signs that Odinkar had passed through there.
'If Odinkar had come first...'
The fog or sorcery would have already been triggered, leaving only traces. Nothing in the world is perfect. The same goes for sorcery and spells.
'It would have been a one-time use that disappears after a certain amount of time.'
Both the poison fog and the direction-disrupting sorcery were not insignificant in power. They weren't something that could be used continuously. Therefore.
"Let's change the route."
The conclusion was that by changing the path, they could escape the enemy's prediction. At Enkrid's repeated words, Magrun looked at Anne and said.
"The path might be too rough to carry that girl."
He was pointing out that the person being carried, not the person carrying, might not be able to endure it. Anne answered herself.
"I can take a potion to fall asleep, and Ragna can tie me tightly to his back and go."
Anne's resolve to go was unchanged.
"So she says."
Enkrid shrugged. With that, the destination and the path changed slightly. Ragna stopped looking around and finally opened his mouth.
"A slight detour, I see."
Fuck. If this was a slight detour, then taking an even bigger one would lead them to Rihnstetten in the south, not Zaun, right? Magrun almost cursed out loud but held his tongue. In any case, they had made it out.