Chapter 14: Thinking Partners
"What exactly is this contraption?"
Serie shook the white hood covering her head, thoroughly perplexed by the strange garment Kurtz had fashioned for her.
To her ancient sensibilities, the makeshift hat looked utterly ridiculous. A thin layer of white cloth hung down from the brim, partially obscuring her forward vision.
She could still see the path ahead, but only through an annoying haze of fabric that made everything appear slightly blurred.
"Essential equipment for swamp and rainforest environments," Kurtz explained patiently.
"I know there's no proper gauze available, so we have to make do with this white cloth substitute."
Expecting dwarves to weave gauze as delicate as cicada wings would indeed be a pipe dream. Fortunately, Kurtz had requested some basic fabric from them before departure, and with careful trimming and stitching, he'd managed to create rudimentary insect-repelling hoods.
"It blocks far too much of my vision," Serie complained, reaching up to remove the headwear.
She immediately put it back on as a cloud of tiny flying insects descended on her the moment her golden hair was exposed.
Witnessing this immediate assault, Kurtz couldn't suppress a weary sigh. "Indeed, no matter which world you're in, swamps remain prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes."
He truly hadn't expected that even in a fantasy realm of magic and monsters, he couldn't escape the persistent torment of these minuscule creatures.
During their previous outdoor camping, insect populations had been manageable. He'd always maintained campfires throughout the night, and the smoke had provided an adequate deterrent.
But now that they'd entered the humid swampland environment, the number of buzzing pests had increased tenfold.
"Irritating creatures," Serie muttered darkly.
She briefly considered casting a spell to incinerate every insect within a mile radius, but ultimately abandoned the idea as impractical.
There were simply too many of them; she'd exhaust her magical reserves without making a meaningful dent in their numbers.
"Perhaps I could develop some kind of insect-repelling magic in the future," Kurtz mused aloud, swatting at a particularly persistent mosquito.
"I wonder if there are plants with natural repellent properties in this world? Speaking of which, haven't you ever encountered mosquitoes in the Elf Forest?"
Serie shook her head, causing the hood's fabric to flutter slightly. "The Elf Forest is blessed with ancient protective magic. Such weak creatures cannot approach our sacred groves."
Kurtz felt surprised by this revelation. He'd never heard of such convenient magical pest control.
"Then do you know if there are any plants with similar protective effects? We could collect some whenever we encounter them during our travels."
Rather than answering his question, Serie simply stared at him with the withering gaze typically reserved for the particularly dense.
How could an elf who had never ventured beyond the Forest's borders for hundreds of years, who had learned everything from other elves within that protected environment, and who had never even seen creatures like mosquitoes before, possibly possess such knowledge?
Kurtz realised his mistake immediately, scratching his head with embarrassment.
He'd momentarily forgotten that his diminutive travelling companion was essentially a sheltered homebody who'd spent centuries in magical isolation.
He quickly changed the subject to avoid further awkwardness.
"Right, regarding that dwarven sacred relic Amuro mentioned, have you truly made up your mind about pursuing it?"
Several days ago, when Serie had heard about the relic from Patriarch Amuro, she'd immediately inquired about its current location with interest.
Later, under Kurtz's persistent questioning, she'd finally revealed the truth behind her sudden fascination.
The sacred relic was intimately connected to their ultimate destination, the Land of Fallen Gods.
The reason the particular stone tablet appeared red was that it had been stained with divine blood.
When the god had fallen in ancient times, ichor had flowed across the ground, and one tablet that absorbed the most blood had been transformed into the sacred relic, gaining unimaginable magical power.
It was precisely this accumulated divine energy that had enabled the Demon Race to activate their massive teleportation arrays, allowing them to destroy the Dwarf Kingdom in a single catastrophic night.
From that moment, Serie had gained an additional objective: to locate the lost Dwarf Kingdom and claim the sacred relic hidden within its ruins.
"Yes, I believe it would be more efficient to visit the dwarven ruins first," Serie replied with characteristic directness.
"Is it dangerous there?" Kurtz asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
Honestly, he doubted the ruined kingdom would be any safer than their other potential destinations. While there might not be dragons guarding treasure hoards, he estimated the place would be swarming with hostile monsters.
Serie's response confirmed his pessimistic expectations.
"Dangerous?" She chuckled softly, her finger automatically moving to brush her hair before remembering the hood and abandoning the gesture.
"Of course it's dangerous. That location has been occupied by the Demon Race for several centuries."
'Well, that's exactly what I expected,' Kurtz thought grimly. He wondered if the local demon lord happened to be named Azog or some similarly imposing title.
"This presents a problem!" he said, shaking his head with dismay. "I don't think it's remotely realistic for just the two of us to assault their stronghold directly."
Serie acknowledged this tactical reality and considered their options carefully before responding.
"Perhaps we could recruit additional assistance."
Since beginning her adventure with Kurtz, she'd been contemplating this very issue with growing frequency.
Adventuring in this world was typically conducted in teams; even elves preferred to undertake expeditions in small groups when venturing beyond their forest sanctuaries.
Only races like the Skywing Tribe, blessed with natural flight capabilities, dared to adventure alone.
Most monsters were earthbound, so aerial travellers faced minimal risk of surprise attacks.
Moreover, both she and Kurtz were primarily mages. If they encountered monsters specialising in sudden charges or ambush tactics, the situation could become problematic very quickly. A single tactical mistake might prove fatal.
"I think that Somo fellow showed considerable promise," Kurtz suggested. "After all, he did manage to break through your defensive magic."
"He's far too inexperienced," Serie dismissed the idea immediately.
"Probably not even fifty years old. His combat experience is negligible, and expecting him to serve as a frontline fighter would be setting him up for failure."
Serie's casual assessment made Kurtz feel somewhat self-conscious. If fifty years qualified as inexperienced, what did that make him at barely twenty-something?
But then again, she certainly had the credentials to make such judgments.
Elves in this world represented the absolute pinnacle of their kind, even compared to similar fantasy realms.
Their lifespans were essentially infinite, making those thousand-year-old elves from other stories seem like children by comparison.
"So our current side quest involves recruiting party members?" Kurtz asked with a mock-serious tone.
He found himself equally content whether they continued as a duo or expanded into a full adventuring team. The possibilities were intriguing.
Perhaps he could recruit a dwarf warrior and a holy knight as companions, then legitimately call their group a proper Hero's Party.
"You could say that, yes. Why are you spacing out again?" Serie's voice interrupted his wandering thoughts.
"Nothing important," Kurtz replied, snapping back to the present. "Speaking of potential companions, what kind of candidate do you think would be suitable for our needs?"
"At minimum, someone capable of withstanding a Demon Race attack for three minutes," Serie stated matter-of-factly.
"That's an extremely demanding standard!" Kurtz's eyes widened with shock. "Wouldn't that requirement essentially limit us to recruiting Skywing Tribe warriors?"
The most physically powerful races in this world were unquestionably the Skywing Tribe and the dwarves. The former possessed not only flight capabilities but also access to divine magic, which would perfectly satisfy Serie's stringent requirements.
"The Skywing Tribe is insufferably arrogant," Serie snorted with disdain.
"The way that Lia looked at you during our encounter was like she was observing a talking squirrel that had learned an amusing trick."