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Volume 6 Chapter 11

Volume 6 Chapter 11: Overcoming

Lorie frowned as she took in the sight before her.

「…What…? I can’t believe it collapsed…」

This tunnel had been constructed relatively recently, built by gathering the skills of some of the Spirit City’s top Miners, Artisan Magicians, and Architects.

It wasn’t something that should collapse from a bit of impact. Its durability should’ve allowed it to last for ages.

If it had collapsed anyway, then—

「…the Ouroboros’s influence, maybe?」

「Most likely.」

She murmured softly in response to Axel, who had come to the same conclusion.

That thing hadn’t just attacked or rampaged in the cities.

It wouldn’t be strange if it had caused local tremors by acting out in places like this too.

…If anything, considering the size of that body, the damage was surprisingly minor. Maybe it hadn’t rampaged here directly…

From the looks of it, there’d also been a landslide.

With the magic drained from the area, the trees’ roots may have weakened, allowing the soil to slip and bring enough pressure on the tunnel down to collapse it..

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on theories.

They could figure out the cause later. What mattered now was—

「The checkpoint is on the other side of this mountain—or rather, on the flatland beyond this tunnel, right?」

The spot shown on the map was a clearing surrounded by mountains.

They had to pass through there. But—

…The whole area is surrounded by mountains, so there’s no way around…

There were no other tunnels.

Now that this one had collapsed, her remaining option was—

「Guess we’ll climb it, then.」

Before she could even say it, Axel spoke up.

「Eh…?」

His response was so casual that Lorie instinctively exclaimed in disbelief.

「You mean climb this?」

「Yeah. This.」

It didn’t seem like she’d misheard.

「But this is practically a cliff.」

「Yeah. But we don’t have much choice, do we? I mean, if digging another tunnel were faster, I’d do that, but there’s a risk it could collapse again. Or is there another mountain that’s easier to climb? Or a route that gets us to the checkpoint faster?」

At his reasoning, Lorie looked over the map and recalled the terrain details from past records.
The conclusion came quickly.

「…No. The other mountains aren’t mapped out well, and they’re all taller. Honestly, if climbing is an option, this mountain is the best bet. But the slope, as you can see… are you sure you can do it?」

It was definitely the shortest route, but it had required a tunnel in the first place.

She asked him anyway, but—

「No problem. The rock feels solid in most places. I can see a safe path up.」

As he spoke, Axel touched the rock near the collapsed tunnel and looked up toward the slope.

「You can tell that just by touch…?!」

「Sure. I climbed mountains like this all the time during my dragon knight days. …Now all that’s left is figuring out how to carry you. Probably best if I carry you on my back. That okay?」

「Eh…?」

「Well, your mana-powered chair can’t handle this slope, right?」

He glanced toward the chair she was sitting in as he said it.

「You’re going to carry me…?」

「Yeah. Carrying one or two people is no problem. Daisy—?」

「—If it’s just five minutes, I can shift back into beast form. Mind if I ride in your pocket, my friend?」

「Got it. Then change forms when I give the signal.」

「Roger that~」

And just like that, the discussion with Daisy concluded.

But—

「You’re planning to climb this whole mountain in five minutes…?」

The rocky slope before them was only part of it—the mountain extended even farther beyond.

At a normal pace, it would take hours to climb.

「Hm? This distance? I don’t think it’ll take that long.」

Axel said it like it was nothing.

「But just in case I need guidance mid-climb, it’d help if you could direct me from my back.」

「R-Right. I can do that.」

When she responded, Axel gave a small nod and approached her. He turned around and crouched with his back to her.

「Alright, hop on.」

He took a knee to make it easier for her, keeping a stable posture.

「Th-thanks.」

She reached out and gently leaned onto his back.

Her hands settled on his shoulders. Her legs wrapped around his waist.

Bit by bit, her weight shifted onto Axel’s back.

「…Your shoulders and back are sturdier than I expected. Kind of hard, too.」

Even with her full weight on him, he didn’t flinch—not even slightly.

「Yeah. Though I’ll warn you, it’s not the most comfortable ride.」

「Not at all. I feel very secure.」

「Oh, look at you, Lorie! You surely get it. Nothing beats the steadiness of riding my friend.」

As she said this, Daisy came strolling up to them.

「Good to hear. Alright, Daisy.」

「Yup. Switching now.」

Daisy transformed into her beast form and immediately jumped onto Axel’s shoulder.

「If anything happens and the princess slips, I’ll help her.」

「Appreciate it. Alright—let’s climb.」

And the moment he said that—

*Thud!*

With a single sound, the ground grew distant under them.

「—!!」

The next thing she felt was the wind.

It struck her cheeks and whipped her hair from above and in front.

By the time she realized it, Axel’s feet had already touched down on the slope above the tunnel.

「Let’s go.」

And with that, he launched into the climb.

Moving across the slope—no, scaling it.

Leaning forward slightly, Axel surged upward, holding her securely the entire time.

…He’s moving faster than my mana-powered chair…

Her perspective was higher than usual—closer to what it had felt like to stand and run on her own two legs, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

The sensation was similar—though the speed was something she’d never even come close to.

「You’re… going this fast…?」

She muttered without thinking. Daisy, perched on his shoulder, smiled and shook her head.

「Nah. For my bestie, this is actually on the slow side.」

「This is slow!?」

They were rushing up a slope at wagon-speed, and yet not a single branch or leaf hit her.

…He’s reading the terrain to keep everything from hitting me?

She understood the logic.

And that only made it clearer—this was an incredible display of skill.

Even as she was thinking that—

*Boom!*

Each time she heard that sound, the scenery blurred and streamed past.

Every step covered ten meters or more.

One after another, the leaps continued.

With that kind of pace, it was only natural that—

「Summit reached—」

—they arrived at a spot where they could see the other side of the mountain in no time.

〇

Even from the mountaintop, the trees were dense, and visibility was poor.

That was my first thought when we reached the top.

So I asked the person on my back:

「Lorie, which way next?」

「Ah—over there. You can see a clearing through the trees, right?」

She pointed over my shoulder.

I looked in the direction she indicated.

Sure enough, through a gap in the trees, I could see an open area.

「Nice, it’s closer than I expected. Then let’s keep moving.」

「Eh—kya!」

With Lorie still on my back, I dove into the descent.

Compared to the slope we’d climbed, the path down was gentler, which made it easy to pick up speed.

Pushing off the slope, I accelerated downward, dodging trees and branches as I went—

「—And we’re here.」

In just a few seconds, I reached the flatland beyond the mountain.

And in front of us bloomed vivid violet flowers—

「Ah, the checkpoint…」

—and a glowing orange light.

「Axel, I’ll hop off and touch it.」

「Alright. Go ahead.」

I walked us over to the checkpoint, and Lorie, her body still a bit tense, dismounted.

She opened the Divine Codex and reached out with one hand to touch the light. Then—

「…Okay. That’s it for this checkpoint. The next one is past that mountain over there.」

While checking the Codex, Lorie pointed toward the mountain on the opposite side from where we’d come.

「I see. …Alright then, to reach the next checkpoint, I guess we climb and descend another mountain.」

「Y-Yes. I’ll be counting on you again.」

And so, I hoisted Lorie onto my back once more, and we headed toward the next mountain.