"You've only just arrived, yet you're already trying to break my heart..."
"...Yeah. I'm just glad you're feeling better."
Vane decided to leave it at that. Seeing that she had recovered her spirits was enough, so he didn't press the matter further.
However, there were still only six of them present. One of the descendants from the Archduke families who had enrolled this year was still missing.
"Liz? Where did that girl go?"
"She was offering a prayer before I stepped out, so she should be here any moment. Wait—Sharo! I appreciate the help, but why are you still holding my hand!"
"Hm? Because it would be a disaster if you got lost."
"Argh! You’re treating me like a little sister again!"
"Regardless of whether I'm treating you like a sister, I've been doing this since you were tiny. You were calling me 'Big Sister Sharo' until just a few years ago, you know."
"I've grown up since then!"
Despite their two-year age gap, the two had always been as close as real sisters. Watching the way Lizred protested without actually trying to pull away, it was clear to everyone that she was deeply attached to Charlotte.
Their lively bickering echoed through the wilds of Windea.
"Well then, what's the plan?" Kaito asked, turning toward Vane. "Windea is full of paths that weren't built by human hands—natural gimmicks, you could call them. It's a place often referred to as a fortress of nature. If we want to reach the temple, we'll have to find a way to navigate all that."
"I understand. Let's make sure we don't do anything reckless."
"Right, that’s the spirit. There are some things you just won't know until you're standing right in front of them. Sometimes you just have to dive in and see what happens."
Kaito spoke with his usual boisterous confidence, the shield Airia gripped in his hand.
Airia had chosen Kaito Leonard as its master. Kaito himself had hoped for such an outcome since the shield was first rediscovered, yet he had also felt that it was an item his father, the current head of the house, should rightfully wield.
However, his father had been adamant that Kaito should be the one. When the shield was being transported to the Leonard territory, it had emitted light and shown a reaction only when Kaito touched it—a fact no one could ignore.
Shortly after, the doors of the magic ship opened and the final member of their party appeared.
With all seven descendants of the Seven Heroes finally gathered, their journey began in earnest.
The Lemuria was anchored at an elevation about a hundred meils lower than Vane’s group. Furthermore, it sat on a rocky face on the exact opposite side of the mountain, meaning they were not at a distance where they would easily encounter one another.
However, as they continued their ascent, their paths were bound to draw closer eventually. The geography of the mountain made that much clear.
"Yours truly is gonna take it easy right here," Verrich declared.
The interior of the Lemuria was paneled in dark, rich wood, giving it the cozy feel of a log house combined with the refined atmosphere of a high-end inn. Aside from the areas surrounding the heat-generating mechanisms like the furnace, it was a very comfortable place to stay.
The three of them chatted as they walked down the corridor toward the exit.
"By the way, can you fight too, Verrich?" Ren asked.
"You bet. I ain't quite on Master Ragna’s level, but I reckon I’m a fair bit more capable than your run-of-the-mill adventurer."
Dwarves were a race that took great pride in their physical strength, and even among his kin, Verrich was exceptionally powerful. Since monsters were unlikely to attack the Lemuria, and they could easily fly away if they did, there was little cause for concern.
Ragna, dressed in his traveler’s gear, extended the gangway from the large hatch and was the first to step outside.
"You won't be coming back every single day, will you?" Verrich asked.
"No," Ren replied. "For the first few days, I plan to work in areas relatively close to here, so I’ll be back. But after that, it’ll be strictly camping in the field."
"And then you'll head back to the academy?"
"That’s the plan. If I don't finish this during the break, classes will start up again. Even if things drag on, I’d like to keep it to an extra day or two at most."
"How do the prospects look?"
"I’ll definitely get it done during the break," Ren said with a confident tone.
Verrich didn't quite understand the source of that confidence, but he had a high opinion of Ren’s strength and resourcefulness.
"Well then, we're off."
"Yeah! Watch your backs out there!"
Ren followed Ragna across the gangway and stepped onto the soil of Windea. It had been quite some time since he had visited such a remote, untamed region—perhaps not since his time in the Baldur Mountains. He took several deep, refreshing breaths of the mountain air.
"Shall we?"
"Yes. First, we need to decide where to begin our search."
"If you don't mind, may I make a suggestion?" Ren asked.
"Hm?"
Ragna looked slightly surprised by Ren’s proactive stance, but he quickly smiled. Seeing that the man was encouraging him to continue, Ren pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
When Ragna opened it, he found a map of Windea with several notes scrawled in Ren’s handwriting.
"At a glance, this appears to be a map of the region. What are these red circles and the numbers beside them?"
"That's the walkthrou—I mean, that's the order I'd like to visit them in."
"I don't follow. How were you able to determine such a detailed route?"
"I gathered information at the Adventurer Guild and researched the distribution of native plants in books," Ren claimed.
It was a fabrication through and through. In reality, he was targeting locations known for high mana density based on his game knowledge. Many of the plants in this area grew to unusual sizes due to the mana in the air; logically, dense mana would be drifting wherever those plants flourished.
"I see. So you're suggesting that items belonging to the Water Goddess might be hidden in such places."
"Exactly."
"It’s almost the exact same route I had in mind," Ragna noted.
"I figured you’d have a plan, Ragna-san."
"Naturally. I only asked where to start because I was having a bit of trouble deciding on the first move. But if we have this, let’s proceed using your ideas as a guide."
The two began their trek. Utilizing the unique updrafts of Windea and other specialized traversal methods, they moved through the rugged terrain.
Several hours later, they pushed through a thicket of overgrown vegetation to find a small spring tucked between massive boulders. It was so narrow that it was only suitable for small animals to bathe in; it was far too small for a person to enter.
"Now this is interesting."
Ragna reached into the spring and, without hesitation, pulled out a crystal ball the color of fresh midsummer leaves. As he held it, green light swirled inside the crystal like waves of wind. It felt as if a gentle breeze were blowing from the stone itself.
"A Wind Crystal. Seeing as it was submerged in the waters of Windea, the affinity between the two elements must be quite high. It seems we have a bit of luck on our side."
Ren’s immediate goal was to collect these crystals—a necessary, if tedious, step to eventually acquiring the Ring of the Water Goddess. However, they weren't guaranteed to be at every location Ren had marked; they were simply 'somewhere' in those vicinities, meaning many stops might prove fruitless.
"Shall we gather Wind Crystals while we search for the Goddess's items?"
"Let’s do that. These are essentially fossils of drifting mana that has crystallized over countless years. They have significant value as assets, and since they aren't unique holy relics, there's no harm in taking them. They might come in handy for something."
Suddenly, the nearby trees swayed irregularly, and several glowing eyes appeared in the shadows. Both men realized instantly that monsters had arrived.
"Ren?"
Without a word, Ren stepped in front of Ragna.
"This is my job. Ragna-san, please keep looking to see if there's anything else around."
"In that case, I'll leave it to you."
Gripping his Mithril Magic Sword, Ren set his sights on the monsters poised to strike.
By the time evening approached, they returned to the Lemuria with their haul of Wind Crystals. After washing up in the onboard bath, they sat down for a late dinner in the small living area connected to the pilot house.
"Hey, hey," Verrich called out, having spent the day guarding the ship. "How’d it go today? The monsters around here are mostly D-rank, right? Any trouble?"
"It was surprisingly quiet," Ren replied.
"Truly, there was nothing of note to report," Ragna added between bites of his meal.
"Well, you're both plenty strong, I suppose."
Even so, neither of them had let their guard down for a second, which was exactly why they had been able to handle everything so smoothly. Ren finished his meal to restore his energy and, after a brief rest, stood up.
"I'm going to turn in to prepare for tomorrow."
"I should get some sleep as well," Ragna said. "I want to record today's findings in my notes before I crash. How about you, Verrich?"
"Yours truly has to check on the ship's systems first."
Verrich remained busy with the maintenance and management of the Lemuria.
A few minutes later, Ren lay on his back in his room, looking out the window beside his bed. Even without the lights of civilization, the starlight felt closer here than it ever did in Erendil.
Gazing at the ethereal scenery, Ren’s thoughts drifted.
"I wonder if the others are doing okay..."
He thought of Licia and Fiona, wondering what they were up to, and eventually drifted off to sleep. Thus, the first night came to an end.
The second day followed a similar pattern, and by the evening of the third day, they were deep in the mountains. Having collected a significant number of Wind Crystals, Ren finally felt he could relax a little.
"The number of locations we have left to check is getting small," Ragna noted as they selected a spot for their camp.
They pitched a tent and built a fire. As they prepared dinner over the flames, they sat on convenient rocks used as makeshift chairs. Ren looked to the side, watching as the madder-red sky was slowly swallowed by the darkness of night.
They were already at a high altitude for Windea. The clouds weren't just close—at times, they were drifting right past them at eye level. The wind was fierce, and the sound of water springing from the rocks was a constant, beautiful melody.
"Meat’s done. But Ren, you've been staring at the sky for a while. Is something wrong?"
"Sorry. I was just captivated by the view."
"I can't blame you. I often find myself in the same state," Ragna said with a gentle smile, his mouth full of grilled meat. "Travel is a wonderful thing. Not only do you encounter the unknown, but you can forget everything else and become one with nature."
"Is that part of why you chose to be a traveler?"
"Precisely." Ragna pointed toward the horizon. "Look over there."
In the impossibly distant reaches of the upper atmosphere—at a height Ren couldn't even begin to fathom—he squinted and managed to make out a faint shadow. It was difficult to distinguish, nearly blending into the darkening colors of the heavens.
"Do you see it?"
"It looks like... something is floating. But..." Ren narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the silhouette. "What is that?"
Ragna rested his chin on his hand and gave a simple, direct answer.
"That... is the Sky Continent."
It was a nation in the clouds, a shadow flying through the endlessly distant sky. The Glacier Crossing phenomenon from the previous year was triggered by this very continent passing over the northern regions of the Elfen Continent. It had continued its flight since then and was now in a position where it was visible even from the peaks of Windea.